What's Growing In Your Garden? Horticultural Science

[Turtle]

Last August(post#164), I reported on a Sunflower that grew a conjoined-twin head. Michael suggested >>

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

I would be inclined to keep the seed and see if they breed true next year.
I am sure florists would appreciate them.

Following this suggestion, I planted only seeds from the conjoined-twin this year and they are starting to bloom. Of the half-dozen or so with flower heads, one is a twin! It is not conjoined, but rather has two completely separate flower heads. All of the sunflowers this year have thinnish stems and are rather short. Sorry no photos as camera is kaput. If I'm lucky I might cajole a racoon into trading a photo for a couple of scans.

[Racoon]

Originally Posted by Turtle

If I'm lucky I might cajole a racoon into trading a photo for a couple of scans.

Absolutely Turtle-San
I am at your service! and I need a few scans.

My yellow pear tomato is so overgrown right now that its crumpled over the tomato cage and shaded/covered my eggplant and bell pepper. I may yank it due to the fact I won't ever eat all these tomatoes...
Yellow pears are good tho'.. But I'll have tomatoes coming out the wazzu

Picture to follow.
Turtle, PM to follow.

[InfiniteNow]

Originally Posted by Racoon

My yellow pear tomato is so overgrown right now that its crumpled over the tomato cage and shaded/covered my eggplant and bell pepper. I may yank it due to the fact I won't ever eat all these tomatoes...
Yellow pears are good tho'.. But I'll have tomatoes coming out the wazzu

Do you know how to can your tomatoes? This would allow you to put them into the cupboard and use them throughout the year. Also, fresh salsas are great. I'm sure you could make some great stuff with everything else you have growing. Stuffed tomatoes are pretty good too (cook up some ground meat, rice, and whatever else tickles your feather and add it to a scooped out tomato... then put it in the oven for a bit).


I eat my tomatoes like apples, right off the vine then down my chin.

[palmtreepathos]

Those are sooo good , just like candy mmmm

here is a recipe that would use them all at once and be done with it...lol

Yellow Pear Tomato Preserves

8 cups yellow pear tomatoes
1 lemon
3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons gingerroot or thinly sliced candied ginger

Wash & dry tomatoes.
Cut a thin slice from blossom end and press out seeds and discard.
Combine tomatoes, sugar & salt, simmer until sugar is dissolved.
Boil for about 40 minutes.
Add thinly sliced lemon and minced or sliced ginger.
Boil about 10 minutes longer.
Pour into hot jars and seal at once.
Sure-Jell optional for thickness

my hubby weedwhacked mine before it fruited. Guess I should have told him it was there cuz I planted it... lol he thought it was just a weed... grrrr Wish I had a neighbor who would toss some my way

[Turtle]

Drying is an effective way to preserve tomatoes as well. Slice thick, place on rack, lightly salt, and bake at low ~125F for 10 to 12 hours. Store in jars or plastic bags. Cooling racks for cake/pies works great for this. My excess Romas from last year yielded about 3 quarts of dried fruit.

Here's the twin-head Sunflower photo(left). Muchas gracias j'amigo. Will append some other photos of my garden as soon as I fix 'em up.

addendum: a view of my garden.
blue dots in foreground mark the milo (sorghum)
yellow dot in foreground is popcorn
red dots in midground mark tomatoes
pink dot in background marks acorn squash

cukes are in behind squash & out of sight, and the sunflower in front came volunteer. Rather than cages for the tomatoes, I prefer to tie them to tall stakes and pinch off any sucker shoots. Plants get more light, fruit is less crowded, less breakage, and easier harvest. All have copious green fruit. I put up the white shades to reflect the light back into the garden. This is a good technique for any garden backed to a fence, and especially good here as the garden is variously shaded throughout the day by the house.

PS There's bio-char in there somewhere!

[palmtreepathos]

Originally Posted by Turtle

Drying is an effective way to preserve tomatoes as well. Slice thick, place on rack, lightly salt, and bake at low ~125F for 10 to 12 hours. Store in jars or plastic bags.

Thx for the tip!
I have already tried it and if I can stop snacking on them I may amass a bag or 2 before frost.

The garden here in N. Atlanta is under some real stress, Having to water every other day even with the mulch, this heat and drought is brutal. The second planting of cucumbers are plagued with big fat green larva, 4 of 5 have them. The larva eat the innards, I eat the outsides and the pond residents eat the larva. On the other hand okra is growing hand over fist. sometimes I have to pick it twice a day .

I planted eight fennel plants (bulb type) and am going to harvest one! This is one of the squirrels favorites so next year I will try planting them in 4 inch milk carton sections, that may confound the critters and increase the harvest.

I planted 4 moringa trees in March and have harvested leaves most of the summer, they are about 6 feet tall now and one of them is putting out buds for the edible pods. They are purported to taste like asparagus. The nutrtition level claimed for this tree in amazing.* Not sure how I will handle winter yet. They will die back to the ground if they freeze, so I may build my little greenhouse over them this year.

As I am typing this I hear wind and RAIN! all of 10 minutes worth, tomorrow it will be as if it hadn't rained at all. Hurricanes are our best bet for shaking the drought, yet at what cost?

*THE MORINGA TREE, MORINGA OLEIFERA, IS CALLED MOTHER'S BEST FRIEND

[DougF]

Very interesting I've never heard of a moringa tree before.

[palmtreepathos]

Hope this works better....

Beating the drum for the Moringa tree! - Enviro Australia

ZijaPower.com - Video

Moringa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Answers

This plant leaflet is very small and easily harvested fresh. (see video) I put a cup of the leaves in a large bowl of cream of broccoli soup tonight and hardly noticed that they were there. It seems starchy and creamy foods mask the raw taste. I haven't tried them cooked as a dish yet. I am dehydrating excess leaves for mixing with grains for bread and I sprinkled it (dried) in the sauce on a pizza and the hubby didn't even notice....

I would like to add them to juices and fermented veggies as the summer progresses. It blends well in salad mixes.

Many people in America have malnutrition. Unlike starving, it is from a diet high in nutrient robbing refined starches and very low in nutrient dense greens. It causes many chronic health concerns. It is only possible to effect good nutrition by eating nutrient dense foods.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by palmtreepathos

Thx for the tip!
I have already tried it and if I can stop snacking on them I may amass a bag or 2 before frost.

Our pleasure!

Originally Posted by palmtreepathos

...Not sure how I will handle winter yet. They will die back to the ground if they freeze, so I may build my little greenhouse over them this year.

I am baking 2 nice acorn squash from the garden as I type.

Wash squash, split in half, and scoop out and save the seeds. Place squash havles in shallow pan, fill with applesause, and bake at 375F for about i hour.

To eat the seeds, soak briefly in brine and then bake on low until dry. Makes a nice garnish to the baked squash too.

I'm thinking of doing a small greenhouse this year too. Tough call as I rent and Spring is renewel time. Maybe something that breaks down.

Oh! timer went off. time to eat.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by palmtreepathos

The garden here in N. Atlanta is under some real stress, Having to water every other day even with the mulch, this heat and drought is brutal.

I know what you mean.
Even my potted pepper plants are wilting. This is, what, the 15th day of +100 temps!!!* Flash lightening was occurring earlier this evening, but no juice.
It's pretty bad when you see normally hardy weeds wilting.

Does anyone in the metro-ATL area even abide by the watering regs? It seems not. Weekends=water, around my place.


*My temp. readings are from my car, so it may not indicate precise temp.