What's Growing In Your Garden? Horticultural Science

[Flapjack]

It is different with flowering plants you can always give them away particularly in spring or early summer. The only catch today is that you have to deliver them. One guy asked me for a cutting of Fuchsia macrostigma a rare plant but still I rooted one for him and potted it up. I let him know it was ready and the answer was "about time, when are you bringing it over" over was a round trip of 180 miles so I said I was not a delivery service. I later found out that with his job he passed on the motorway within half a mile of our home twice a week. Shredding and composting is where nearly all my excess goes these days apart from the plants I grow for the Primary School where I teach Garden Science to very young children. I have done a lot of voluntary work over the years but teaching the kids is the most rewarding. If you said Egg Plant in the UK hardly anyone would know what you was talking about, they are known as Aubergines

[Peregrine]

It is different with flowering plants you can always give them away particularly in spring or early summer. The only catch today is that you have to deliver them. One guy asked me for a cutting of Fuchsia macrostigma a rare plant but still I rooted one for him and potted it up. I let him know it was ready and the answer was "about time, when are you bringing it over" over was a round trip of 180 miles so I said I was not a delivery service. I later found out that with his job he passed on the motorway within half a mile of our home twice a week. Shredding and composting is where nearly all my excess goes these days apart from the plants I grow for the Primary School where I teach Garden Science to very young children. I have done a lot of voluntary work over the years but teaching the kids is the most rewarding. If you said Egg Plant in the UK hardly anyone would know what you was talking about, they are known as Aubergines

 

Thats interesting...Learn something new everyday. I think Italians use eggplant in their cooking. I remember my grandfather's garden and he always had alot of aubergines!!!!!

[palmtreepathos]

My pea seedlings lasted one night.

The possum enjoyed them along with a little parsley and all the new rose growth on my 3 new roses.:phones:

 

You must try again Michael! so many sprouts this time that they get a bellyache... :rant: Wrap your seed row in a loop of welded wire fencing then the critters can't get to them and you needn't trellis.

 

I am a fan of pea tips... just the most tender part of the plant itself rather than the pea, which of course is delish but over so quickly. And pea tips are still possible if you are planting what seems a bit late in the season. I had many meals of pea tips before they bore the pods. Pea tips on sandwiches, salads and stir-fry, YUMMY!

 

delectation: Pea Sprouts/ Snow Pea Leaves

[Ganoderma]

another great green is Luffa sponge tips....fry them up with a little butter...damn they are good!!!!

[Michaelangelica]

another great green is Luffa sponge tips....fry them up with a little butter...damn they are good!!!!

 

I grew them one year. They are amazing you get great sponges and lots of seed from one easy to grow plant. I didn't realise you could eat them too.

 

Been waiting two years but my columbines started to flower today.

 

One of the possum eaten roses is trying to flower!

 

Its just starting to warm up still had a couple of cold days (17+C)

But summer is on its way. Still severe water restrictions.

It is very dry, clear and sunny. If this keeps up it should be a good year for bush fires. There was very little preventative winter burning done to to the rain!

[Ganoderma]

the fruit (before its dried!) is always eaten here...i am not a fan. and the greens are a favorite here. i will admit i am not too keen on some of the crazy *** food they eat here, but luffa greens (use the tips and non hairy leaves) are actually VERY good...not bitter. i am not even a vegetable guy (meat and fruit!!!)...but really is a nice dish.

 

i am also impressed with how much you can get from the different species. we use the sponges for our bodies in the shower and for doing the dishes. 100% organic and earth friendly

 

one of my favorite all around plants cause its so useful.

[Michaelangelica]

Some pics so people know what we are talking about

In the states you would need a warm area (7-9 zone) to grow it, I think

Do you know where to buy seeds?

 

Take the skin off and you are left with the "sponge"

 

 

Another weird vegetable is zuccini flowers often stuffed here and in France and seved as an entre very nice

 

I love vegetables and will try most anything but a few Chinese things put me off:- ducks feet, bird's nest (the spit of birds),shark fin (environmentally put off), jellyfish, are a few.

[Ganoderma]

nice pic. i find it best to let dry on the vine, or hang it. it should be dried before taking the skin off too :) thats one problem here...it rains so much in the summer they often rot, even if hanging in good airflow in the sun.

 

there are some that can grow a couple feet long! we grow the shorter fatter ones ourselves.

 

you can get seeds in a lot of places. i sell seeds of various plants on my website. but not to Australia (hard as hell to get it through). if you pm me your address i can send some and if they make it great, if not....i told you so LOL.

[Flapjack]

Good pictures but sorry I can't come in on this one as I have never seen one.

[Ganoderma]

on the UBC botanical gardens forum someone said they grew theirs outside in zone 9. if you start them indoors and give them a good start while it still getting frost out and plant them early when the real cold days are gone you should be good. i would think in north america 3-4 months of growing would be enough to get some sponges. just a guess though.

[Turtle]

Winter is here early and harvest is pretty much done for my garden. I got a full quart of sunflower seeds processed from just 2 flower heads. Collected plenty of radish seed for next year's crop. Popcorn doesn't look good; too late a start I suspect. Sorghum is OK as far as I know; I never grew it before. Plenty of green tomatoes but with the cold nights and cloudy days I don't hold much red hope for them. Cukes finished, plants pulled & in compost. Jalepenos still on plant and a bumper crop; they don't keep well so I may pickle them. (man that's a lot of work!)

 

Will soon till things up a bit and plant some garlic and maybe a little wheat. My acorn squash harvest below. Some of it destined for a new soup recipe. :)

[Michaelangelica]

Plenty of green tomatoes but with the cold nights and cloudy days I don't hold much red hope for them.

Jalepenos still on plant and a bumper crop; they don't keep well so I may pickle them. (man that's a lot of work!)

Green tomato Chutney is an old Australian favorite.

havent had it since my dad grew a backyard full of tomatoes.

Two receipies

Green Tomato Chutney :: Recipe :: ABC Melbourne

Green tomato Chutney

 

Jalapeño chilli (you spell it chili) will keep for about 12 months if you clean & slice them vertically. Take out seeds and placenta if you want a milder heat. Heat in jalapeños varies enormously. Then cover them completely in sweet sherry. I usually use a flagon and just poke them in.

Try it with 4-6 habaneros for a fiery drink-a bit like scotch- or nice to slurp a bit of the sherry in pan juices for a sauce or as a flavoring in most things- stir fry etc

Jalapeños are often smoked as they are hard to dry because they are so fleshy. Find a fisherman with a little fish smoking box. It is loads of fun and pretty easy to do. Get a mate and two flagons of sherry and make a day of it!!

 

How can I preserve my chillies?

The Chilli Factory - www.thechillifactory.com - FAQ

We get a lot of questions from our customers who grow their own chillies of how to preserve the access harvest? There are a few ways of preserving your chillies.

 

* You can put the chillies in an airtight container or plastic bag in the fridge, this way they will last for a few weeks.

* Freeze your chillies, as suggested above, and they will last a few months.

* Put the chillies in vinegar, which is a natural preservative. Keep product out of the sun and put it in your pantry, this way it will last you for a couple of years. (MMM i'd give them 12 months. adding acupful of sugar to apint of vinegar will make them last abit longer-MA)

* Or put your chillies in oil same as the vinegar. (Cut them first & make sure they are clean.I would take them out after a while, 3-4mths in a warm spot, and then just use the flavored oil-)-MA

* Hang them to dry. Also very nice as a decoration or create your own chilli earring. (Can't do this in winter with jalapinos)-MA

* Chillies with a thick skin are hard to dry (they get mould in them before they are dried) therefore these are smoked to preserve them. This is mainly done with the jalapino chilli. (A smoked jalapeno chilli is called a chipotle chilli)

* Make sauces or chutneys, but leave that up to the experts please..

* The higher the capsaicin level in a chilli the better it preserves. Capsaicin is a natural preservative and therefore the hotter the chilli the better it keeps. (MMM don't know about that? :confused:Get advice & help from an expert if you want to preserve them properly otherwise you will kill yourself with botulism. )-MA

[Turtle]

Green tomato Chutney is an old Australian favorite.

havent had it since my dad grew a backyard full of tomatoes.

Two receipies

Green Tomato Chutney :: Recipe :: ABC Melbourne

Green tomato Chutney

 

I'll have a look. I did do up some fried green tomatoes early on. wash and slice tomatoes, dip in egg, then flour with some salt. fry in hot oil 'till golden. ;)

 

Jalapeño chilli (you spell it chili) will keep for about 12 months if you clean & slice them vertically. Take out seeds and placenta if you want a milder heat. Heat in jalapeños varies enormously. Then cover them completely in sweet sherry. I usually use a flagon and just poke them in.

Try it with 4-6 habaneros for a fiery drink-a bit like scotch- or nice to slurp a bit of the sherry in pan juices for a sauce or as a flavoring in most things- stir fry etc

Jalapeños are often smoked as they are hard to dry because they are so fleshy. Find a fisherman with a little fish smoking box. It is loads of fun and pretty easy to do. Get a mate and two flagons of sherry and make a day of it!!:lol:

 

Roger. I see in your quote cold pickling the peppers in vinegar is fine. I though so and bought some vinegar but when looking online I only found pickled pepper recipes requiring cooking. So I'll go ahead with vinegar, though now I need to get white vinegar as I got apple-cider vinegar and one source I read said it will darken the jalepenos. do you think I should remove the skins before putting in vinegar? just slit them? thanks. :lol: :lol:

[Michaelangelica]

. do you think I should remove the skins before putting in vinegar? just slit them? thanks. :doh: :)

No go for it.

Eat them soon.

They will not last as long as properly preserved chillies, although refrigeration helps.

There is a chili/chilli discussion group if you want 100 messages a day.

[Turtle]

No go for it.

Eat them soon.

They will not last as long as properly preserved chillies, although refrigeration helps.

There is a chili/chilli discussion group if you want 100 messages a day.

 

I'll pass on the chili group. :camera: Pressed for time, I opted to simply bag & freeze my jalepeños. Here they are drying.

 

I planted 13 cloves of garlic a week or so ago and I see today they are up. ;) A few days ago I planted a couple short rows of wheat just for the heck of it. It'll be nice to see some green over Winter. The tomatoes are still trying but failing and it won't be long before I yank & compost them. Virtually no corn kernels on the cobs so the whole lot is now front door Halloween decoration. :eek2::P So it goes in the garden. :evil:

[palmtreepathos]

Those are picture perfect peppers Turtle! You just reminded me of a friend (moved) who made this great salsa with them, it would be so hot you couldn't stop eating it!

I have two 1/2 cups of cereal rye seeds sprouting and will plant another 1/2 cup of them every few days til I fill a couple of the garden beds (3X17 ft). I clip them when they reach 6-7 inches for juicing then let the plants grow out for the rest of winter to use as green manure in the spring. This protects the soil from weed invasion and kills nematodes when it is turned over to break down. The kale is 4 inches tall and lettuces(kos, buttercruch and blackseed) are a touch shorter. My first batch of winter spinach didn't make it through the drought but with the great rain(2 inches) we have had this week the spinach growing now should get on nicely. Yeah, the 'maters are about to be compost here, too. I am not sure how long the eggplant will produce but it is loaded, I am making lunch of the large ones tomorrow for friends. Temps are dropping, leaves are falling and winter is coming!

I am trying to get an understanding of aquaculture via the biological filter of the small fish pond. It is only 25 gallons and the open top has a plastic grid covering the filter medium(shredded poly strapping) to set the pots on with pebbles to fill the spaces and keep mosquitos out. The flowers that grew in it this summer put down 2 ft roots to get nutrition. When my neighbor advised me to clean out the crud that settles in biofilters each season I picked a sunny day and had at it, only to find nothing! the plants had kept up with the fish doody! Since they were sort of tropical type plants they are going dormant and I have now put in strawberry and kale and carrots! Gardening with fish is great! They say it takes less water that regular gardening with larger returns foodwise and if the drought continues here in the southeastern US I will have to consider more aquaculture. We will see.

Also, I managed to gather about 200 gallons of the rain water in containers(a childs pool, a plastic truck box and a soaking tub) for ensuring that the winter garden gets off on it's best foot. :phones:

[Michaelangelica]

palmtreepathos

:phones:

Could you please explain more about the fish tank gardening idea?

I don't understand what you are doing

Do you have a photo?

Sound fascinating and I have an empty fish tank

 

Nematodes can also be killed with sugar as well as the mulch

Apparently a moist sweet environment is just what the yeast-related, nematode predator needs.