How Does Your Vegetable / Fruit Garden Grow? 2018

[naf]

@bogman

Hate to say it naf , but the citrus look deceased.

Thanks, I won’t try to be optimistic. I had another look today, hard to tell for both the lemon and Meyer lemons, some green tint in the branches I trimmed to verify, don’t know if it means they are still alive or they are heading to their last days. A slight positive note on finger lime (Citrus australasica), some very green branches beneath the dead branches and leaves. Note that all 3 plants were with fruits during the cold attack, fruits became soft overnight!

The only citrus plant that stays very alive is the Japanese Yuzu or Junos (C. ichangensis x reticulata), I think it is Trifoliate related, it doesn’t show any stress at all, all green and no leaves drop.

Maybe this is an excuse for me to get 2 more new citrus plants this year, thinking of kaffir lime. I am also thinking of Buddha’s hand (Citrus medica digitata), but the plants seem relatively big in size.

Most fruits plants are just for fun, (except maybe strawberries) they produce too few fruits to be useful as I can only plant them in pots.

[Bookwich]

Little mallow has taken over one of my sidewalk vegetable plots.

What an evil, evil weed. It has huge long roots that grow down and sideways, and the only way to get rid of it is to dig up the roots.

My neighbor’s plot is covered with it, 3 feet tall, and now it’s flowering. How rude, the whole neighborhood is going to be affected if he doesn’t take care of it.

[coll]

Here’s where I’m at and also why I’m so far behind all of you! Surprised I got a couple of tomatoes to sprout so quickly though.

[bogman (Robert Sacilotto)]

Naf, at least a little green gives hope! Yuzu is something I’d like to grow, if it will produce fruit in pots. Can’t make authentic Ponzu without it! Thai Lime (Kaffir not “Kieffer”) is very useful because even a smallish tree provides plenty of leaves. The fruit zest gets used in Phrik Khing curry paste, but not much else here.

Shrinkrap, there are a bunch of peppers called Aji Dulce, which is unfortunately another way of saying “Aji-not hot”.!

This is an old variety “Rocotillo”, which has almost no heat and is a seasoning type.

Many corrupted forms now exist, thanks to sloppy breeding and bibliographic echo of errors. Some authors list it as hot, which means it outcrossed. My stock comes from original Seed Savers Echange and has been maintained pure for over forty years. Forty years ago, there was little confusion.

When making hot sauces, I pickle cored peppers, boost the vinegar with Essig Essense (allows for more fruit pulp without spoiling) and liquify each type. Then different hot and mild types get blended, aged in half gallon jars with toasted white oak. Red mild types make up the bulk of each mix. That way, sauces aren’t insanely hot and keep a pretty red color. The yellow and orange peppers turn muddy-colored, but the red ones can hide that.

@Shrinkrap, if you’re interested in Rocotillo seeds, let me know. I can mail some within the USA. Though it’s late for this year, I have two refrigerators, full of seed, where all seed gets stored in vials and moisture-proof containers. Kept in a cold jar, the seed keeps for years.

[naf]

@Bookwich

My neighbor’s plot is covered with it, 3 feet tall, and now it’s flowering.

Looks like a friendly knock on the door is necessary. Maybe to kindly propose a replacement plant if they aren’t into gardening.

@Bookwich

Little mallow has taken over one of my sidewalk vegetable plots.

You can look at this in other light, cook the mallow and eat them! They will be renew in no time.

Weed = plant that adapt well in the native climate.
At times, I am asking myself why get in all the trouble of growing orchids when their natives are in SE Asia or S America, they grow outdoor easily without any special care.

[shrinkrap]

Thank you @bogman! How can I say no to seeds? I grew rocatillo last year, as well as Aji Dulce 2, etc. I have gotten Aji dulce 1 and Aji dulce 2 plants from
Cross Country Chili Plants when I don’t start my own.

The SB Jean are from seeds from my Jamaican MIL’s yellow Scotch Bonnet peppers. Talk about confusion! I tried dozens from commercial seed, but none have gotten “the nod”.
Soo many peppers, I still have dozens dried, frozen, fermented and sauced. But f course I’m doing it again this year! Is there something about the rocatillo that keeps you coming back? My favorite this year was the Aji Dulce 2, I think because of the aroma. 10 of those, with one or two Scotch Bonnets made my favorite sauce.
Where do each of you garden? I can’t seem to figure it out.

[Bookwich]

@naf

You can look at this in other light, cook the mallow and eat them

I had no idea they were edible. I may try the little fruits, but the leaves don’t sound appetizing.

This is the first article I saw when I googles, and it just happened to be about Los Angeles.

https://www.gardenbetty.com/mallow-the-everywhere-edible-weed/

[bogman (Robert Sacilotto)]

I’ve eaten cooked Malva neglecta/Cheeses Mallow… it was ok mixed in curry, where the sliminess was hidden and the bland flavor jazzed up. I spot herbicide them when I find them locally. Not only are they invasive, they spread a fungus, Hollyhock Rust, which infects several species in the Mallow tribe.

@Shrinkrap, I’m in Virginia, not far from Charlottesville. The Cross Country Rocotillo don’t look exactly like what I’m growing, so they may be outcrossed. The best way to contact me regarding seeds is by email. That would be rob, followed by the “at” symbol, followed by pitcherplant , followed by dot com. I start peppers under lights. I was using HID Metal Halide, but am now using LEDs and a heat mat. This year, there are 88 pepper plants, sweet and hot. some years, I’ve got 120 plants.

For me, Rocotillo is an excellent pepper to blend hot sauce with. You can preserve the C. chinense flavor, add red color and reduce the heat of the nasty ones. The Yellow Scotch Bonnets I grow are much hotter than Habanero.

These are carefully preserved, maintained from Seed Savers Exchange seed, again from forty years ago. Peppers like these, Trinidad Moruga Scorpion, Carolina Reaper and others, need taming! The best thing is when you’ve got a big variety of separated types, all pickled and liquified, it’s easy to blend what you want. Since there’s about 4-5 gallons of Rocotillo pickled/liquified in the basement, I’m not growing those this year. Seed of that one is from 2017=fresh. The collection includes several less-hot to not-hot chinense types, collected personally in Grenada and Carriacou .

I also grow Peruvian types, especially Aji Amarillo, probably my favorite chili of all. You can leave core/septum in, if you want crazy-hot; or, you can trim away septum for milder. Aji Amarillo have a special, grapefruit-like element to their flavor. Plants are about 4 inches tall now, but will reach 5 feet or more by Oct. I grow these in hoop tents post-frost, so they can be harvested Oct.-Dec. Unfortunately, many peppers from high elevations or cooler climates go pollen-sterile at about 83 degrees F or more. Capsicum pubescens seems to go sterile at 80 degrees F; that’s the species which Rocoto and Manzanilla come from. They have black seeds.

The world of peppers, great fun!

[naf]

@shrinkrap

Where do each of you garden? I can’t seem to figure it out.

I am in the suburb of Paris.

[small_h]

Progressing apace.

[naf]

I am nervous in seeing this: without trays, I can’t feel comfortable with foil. But it’s only me.

They look really great, the basil is ready to be eaten!

[small_h]

@naf

the basil is ready to be eaten!

So is the thyme! Which is in much better shape than last year.

@naf

I can’t feel comfortable with foil.

My window sills are…less than pristine. Any water damage would fit right in.

[shrinkrap]

I would LOVE some Aji Amarillo! Pretty hot and dry here, but I’d give it a try. How long does it take for seeds to germinate ? At what temperature?

[shrinkrap]

BTW, I have a three year old Rocoto and/or marzano pepper (I can’t recall the specifics) that has survived two of our winter’s outside, with almost no help, but I have had only two peppers in that time. I assume the summers are too hot, but I might give it more attention this year, as it is quite the trooper.

[bogman (Robert Sacilotto)]

If your summers are hot and dry, the peppers that go sterile in heat will have a better chance of setting fruits in the fall, winter, and early spring. Like any pepper, maturing fruit will take awhile.

Contact me directly (see above) if you’re interested in seeds. I do have Aji Amarillo seed from last year’s crop=fresh. Depending on which state/zone you live in, you may want to start the seeds next season. If you can mature them during the winter (no freeze), they may have time this year. Aji Amarillo gets started in Feb., here in Virginia. It germinates well with an overnight soaking in water and planted/sprouting at 80 degrees F. Those get big, so allow at least 48 inches between plants. It’s possible to get a couple years out of them before production declines.

My main reason for growing the Aji Amarillo is to make Huancaina sauce. Countless recipes exist, but a simple one is to put cored/deseeded Aji peppers, sautéed minced garlic and a 50/50 mix of queso fresco and Feta cheese in a blender and blend until smooth. I once listened to two Peruvian ladies argue about what was “authentic Huancayina”: “Yes, it has peanuts!”; “No, it never has peanuts!” They were both from Huancayo Peru, the namesake for the sauce. Those peppers are also tasty in Ceviche, though Rocoto and Aji Limo (not Lemon Drop!) are more traditional. Most Aji Limo in Peru are red, Capsicum chinense, and very hot. The Rocotos are also pretty fierce.

[bogman (Robert Sacilotto)]

Here are the little seedlings. It will be 40+ days before they can go into the ground. Tomatoes are almost ready to top-graft. These cells will get transplanted into small pots, before hardening off in a specially-made cold frame. These are under LED light, but I had to use a clamp light for the picture; LEDs made the leaves look almost black in the camera.

Top tray are tomatoes and the bottom tray are peppers, hot and sweet. The Peruvian Aji Amarillo are larger and in a greenhouse.

[naf]

@bogman

Tomatoes are almost ready to top-graft.

Which plants do you use that work well with tomatoes? I am interested in graft but have never done that. Grafted plants I bought yield much more.

The plants you are showing is around 10 days old, right?

[ccj]

Wish I can grow just some tomatoes, leeks.etc.
There is a an asian green which we call Kangkong in the Philippines, Ong Chay in Chinese which is so delicious that it is worth planting but considered invasive in Maryland and we are not allowed to plant it for fear it will invade the Chesapeake Bay. I used to be able to buy it from Lotte , Korean Store in Maryland, but then, they stopped carrying that in the 80’s because the law prohibits them for selling it. Occasionally, they will sell it for $6.99 /pound and you can see Asian ladies grabbing them so fast that within an hour or so, it is gone. It is sold in most grocery stores in Toronto , so when I visit, that is what I request to eat in restaurants or to cook. It is simply delicious stir fried with EVOO, ( use the stems first, then leaves) with just lots of garlic S/P, soy sauce. It is also great with Filipino sinigang or fish soup ( in this country, I use rockfish instead of milk fish).
When we wer ein HK, that is the first thing my son request for .
I recently found the in a vietnamese store but only occasionally on Fridays,they say it comes from NY and will be gone by early Saturday. It retails between 3.99 and 4.99
Hope you will try it. You will not be disappointed !!
Water Spinach, Kangkong, River Spinach, Water Morning Glory, Ong Choy, Water Convolvulus, Swamp Cabbage
Scientific Name: Ipomoea aquatica
Family: Convolvulaceae (the Morning Glory or Bindweed family)

[naf]

@ccj

Water Morning Glory

Ate them, love that. Didn’t know they are “invasive”. That is good news, meaning they are easy to grow! I didn’t hear law prohibiting it here, maybe I can try to find the seeds. (They can put me in jail afterwards.)

[ccj]

It is best planted near water but if you drown it a bit, it should work.
We live it!