Have you gotten your gardens in yet? What are you growing this year?

[Elizabeth Fragale]

Originally Posted by Susan

You beat me to the punch Elizabeth.

You ever had any?

Hehe, actually I haven't. I may have to try the recipe you posted.

[eugene stoner]

I don't know what species of tomatoes you are growing but i found the black krimm followed by the cherokee purple to be the least assaulted by the bugs here in so. florida. They love my German heirloom varieties. The dreaded tomato worms (also called horned tomato worms are also called tobacco worms as they eat those as well, have not touched my black krimm (also called siberian black )tomatoes. They harassed by cherokee purples a little and got into my German heirloom varieties some but not as bad as last year. Horn worm eggs are usually laid at night in the soil by a species of moth i think(can't remember), then hatch and as micro worms crawl up the plant boring in and maturing from there until adulthood ,as i have read. Bugs don't seem to bother my black krimms at all or the birds either until they ripen from black to red . The black krimms also seem to take the heat a LOT better than my other varieties ESPECIALLY my German heirloom varieties. They have to be shaded ALL DAY down here.


Above is just one of this years lessons for me. ANOTHER (was as costly as my total devastation of my 5 different varieties of last years corn crop to cut worms and ear worms,) is END ROT!

IF you are going REUSE the same soil in your raised bed next year you may need to add CALCIUM as I found out with this years tomato crop planted in last years soil. This cost me half my toms!
My toms would be big and round and beautiful some red some green and then i'd notice a light tan "water spot" which the next day would bea little bigger then the second day 1/2 the tom would be soft black and rotten where the "water spot" started . I thought it was a fungus or mold but found out is a "CALCIUM" deficiency called end rot and it is common in re-used soil if toms were previously grown in it. This i also found out was what killed everyone of my squash crops i ever planted as they are even more sensitive to this condition . There is a liquid solution sold at home depot to treat the plants with to help correct this but it seems prevention by adding calcium would be better.

There also is a "commercial grade" pesticide now available at home depot called merit, it is what commercial farmers use and this is the first year it is available without license to the public. You can only use it once and only need to use it once it is that powerful. I found this out from talking to a hobby farmer who worked in the garden department who talks to commercial farmers when he's at the co-op farm suppliers.
I don't use this and won't as i don't want poison on my crops which i reluctantly did use seven dust and others last year on my corn but after the 12th application (when only 7 are allowed in one season) i threw in the towel and let the worms have it. Everyone says seven dust is okay and not that bad but when i inform them that seven dust is carbaryl, an " organo-phosphate" in the same families as Sarin, Soman and Tabun nerve agents (the toxic components of nerve gasses) they usually have a slightly different attitude towards it this substance. Especially not previously knowing it was one of the predecessors and first generation chemicals/pesticides to have its usefulness explored on the battle field as a neurological agent but was not as effective as others so was not pursued as more viable substances were developed. NO thanks to ANY pesticides for me. As well pesticides are known to be responsible for cases of Bells-paulsy.

I have resigned my self to only growing in a sealed screened enclosures to avoid this problem . This seems to be the only solution down in so. Florida as there no frost to cull the bug population here, so they multiply ALL year long. Any advice anyone?

[Susan]

If you make dandelion wine, Elizabeth, you can let us know what it tastes like. I don't drink alcohol, but if I did, wine would be the last thing I'd drink. The stuff tastes like...well, I'll just leave it at that. I never acquired a taste for wine. If I did drink, a cold Miller lite would be what I'd drink.

Eugene: thanks for the good info. Sorry for your problems with your tomatoes down there. Yes, I had some horn worms in my toms too. I had four huge ones that had munched all night and I was able to pull off and kill.

Then, as the weeks wore on, I would find anywhere from one to six small ones each morning when I first got up but they hadn't done much damage really. I called the County Extension Office and they said that, yes, the moth lays the eggs and they turn into the worms. That was my first experience with horn worms. The first four were HUGE, as big around and long as my middle finger. The others were just smaller. I obviously had caught them before they grew in size and did more damage.

I can't remember what kind of tomatoes I've got--I just bought three plants at Walmart when they were $2.00 each. But, they are all different sizes from a little larger than cherry toms to just smaller than the size of a beefsteak. My three plants in the driveway are still covered with green tomatoes of all sizes, and they're ripening every day. Right before they get completely ripe, I pull them and let them ripen completely in my kitchen window.

Then nights here in north Georgia are getting colder now, and the temps are now down into the mid to upper forties. But, the temps here vary all Fall long, so we have some cold days and nights and then some warmer days and nights. It has been a really hot summer as you know. I don't know how you stand the Florida weather. I'd go crazy if I didn't have cool and cold weather. I live for it now.

Next year I will have several raised garden beds and will plant a lot of tomatoes. I need to research over winter and decide which is best for growing and selling. I plan to sell some next summer to make extra money. But I need to have more than three plants.

I just planted some fall veggies--broccoli, brussel sprouts, and lettuce. So, we'll see what happens there. Thanks for the tips on putting calcium in the soil. I will most likely have completely new soil for next years' crop of toms though since I will be growing them in raised beds and not clay pots.

It's just so scary now with all the food poisonings happening so often. This recent problem with listeria in romaine lettuce really concerns me. I eat romaine lettuce all the time. I just planted some romaine in pots as I love salads.

My question is this: if listeria is present everywhere in the environment, then how do you know it's not in YOUR yard, in YOUR dirt??? Here in north Georgia, all we have is red clay. When you plant anything, you have to add soil and other things in order to plant anything. How do you know when listeria is present? Or do you? Anybody know?

[Leonard Rouse]

Originally Posted by Susan

My question is this: if listeria is present everywhere in the environment, then how do you know it's not in YOUR yard, in YOUR dirt??? Here in north Georgia, all we have is red clay. When you plant anything, you have to add soil and other things in order to plant anything. How do you know when listeria is present? Or do you? Anybody know?

I haven't followed these stories closely, but it's always the same story.

The mestizos who pick these crops literally shit in the fields where and when they're picking produce. Their defecant then contaminates the produce.

People mostly get sick from items that aren't typically cooked, like Romaine lettuce and cantaloupe, for example. If the contaminant has survived and multipled on the surface of the cantaloupe, it contacts the knife when the melon is cut, smearing the nasties across the surface of the fruit. In the case of lettuce, it just sits until eaten. That's why you must always wash your fruit and vegetables.

It's not an epidemic of soil-borne illness that's inexplicably everywhere. If that's the story, it's a cover story to protect the mongrels who are the cause. Another cover story is that it's the organic fertilizer that's spread at the beginning of the growing season. That's also a bullshit story, figuratively as well as literally.

There are x-million dollars spent annually at every step of the supply chain to prevent this kind of stuff from happening. McDonalds, for instance, is one of the best. Generic produce going hither and yon to different grocery stores around the country is probably in the 'worst' category.

[ray bateson]

Originally Posted by General_Lee

Ray, what does one do with dandelions? Down here they're considered weeds.

Eat 'em.

Powdering the roots creates a traditional european liver/kidney-tonic, too.

Originally Posted by Susan

Here you go General Lee: a recipe for dandelion wine:

http://www.texascooking.com/recipes/dandelionwine.htm

You ever made any Ray?

Ingestion of mind-altering substances? Absolutely never.

[eugene stoner]

Originally Posted by ray bateson

Eat 'em.

Powdering the roots creates a traditional european liver/kidney-tonic, too.



Ingestion of mind-altering substances? Absolutely never.

Thanks RAY for posting and sharing that info/knowledge here instead of pm-ing so us others can learn as well ! I never knew this and any useful new knowledge is good knowledge.




Susan one thing you can do is bake your soil in the oven this will sterilize it but will kill any good bacteria or beneficial enzymes in the soil as well.
Most all bagged potting soil is sterilized in this manner so larvae and germs don't contaminate your garden.

For surface germs on such things as lettuce there are two things you could do . The #1 is use ethanol (grain alcohol, 151 rum ,Everclear ,whiskey ,etc. ) in a spray bottle . Spray produce and place on a paper towel and wait for the alcohol to evaporate.
Also, #2 you could use a UV light to kill bacteria . They make units to put into air handler units of central air-conditioners and to sterilize pools with out use chemicals these however are COSTLY and the UV rays also do some damage to the beneficial enzymes in fruits and veggies. But they don't alter the taste by leaving residue. Flavors might not be a bad thing depending on your tastes.


I'm with you on the wine YUCK! But i recommend ALL!!! to try mead!: Total Wines and more has a Polish made mead in a short square bottle that is INCREDIBLE!!! Yes i know mead is wine but it is HONEY wine!

[Susan]

Thanks Eugene and Leonard. I read somewhere on the net that listeria naturally occurs everywhere in nature, so I naturally wondered if it could just as easily occur in your own soil and garden?

You're right Leonard: the media is covering up the mexicans crapping in our fields and then transferring the bacteria et.al on our produce to us. This is one reason why I decided to grow my own veggies.

What hasn't been ruined in this country by muds???

How long are we just going to sit around with our thumbs up our asses and take this garbage? For gosh' sake, our food supply isn't even safe anymore. How much worse do things have to get before we decide to do something???

Are we just gong to sit here while our entire fucking country goes down the drain?

I'm going to forget about all this mess, and go spend the afternoon out in the country on a farm in a pumpkin patch, doing farm-y things with White people.

[Marse Supial]

Originally Posted by ray bateson

Eat 'em.

Like in salads or cooked like greens? Dipped in chocolate?

Gimme your favorite dandelion recipe.

[LindaLou]

Dandelions? Now that is the one thing I just can't seem to bring myself to try yet. I just keep having that flashback of growing up on my grandfather's farm down South where Dandelions were a nuisance to a farmer.

[Susan]

Yeah, I think I'll skip eating dandelions.

Why not instead read Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. One of his best. It's about the magical summer of a twelve year old boy.

[Susan]

Well, I finally had to take down my tomato plants and pick all of the tomatoes off the other day as we had our first frost of the season.

But, I now have about forty tomatoes on my window ledge and counter top in my kitchen, so I continue to get to eat ripened tomatoes.

It's a very nice feeling eating your own homegrown veggies.

[ThomasStuart1441]

How grow your gardens this year? Gotten things in the ground yet?

Got to plant between the raindrops this year and everything is coming along nicely. Will need to focus on weed and pest control, but otherwise all is going well.

Much better than during the excess heat and drought last year.

How goes it for others?

[Alex Linder]

Have a very small area to work with, maybe 5' x 5', but have planted two tomato plants, potatoes, white onions, and several herbs: rosemary, thyme, oregano and sage. Also planted some garlic cloves. Bury them 4-5" deep, thick end down. They came up in very short order. Also growing some green onions in a glass. This works very well. You can almost see the onions growing. Take a standard bunch from a grocery store. Chop off the green part. Put the white part in water. The green will grow back very quickly. No need to buy green onions again. Only problem is...I don't really like green onions. but they're ok on potatoes, in stock, in salads, if you eat salads. Many of these herbs are perennials, and as long as the winter temps don't get down below -5, say, they will come back year after year. There are a million good how-to videos for growing tomatoes and planting/raising/harvesting herbs out there on youtube, can really learn a lot watching them, for example the onion trick.

[Stan]

Finally I got enuf Tomatos to start selling , that 2 1/2 weeks of nothin but rain really set them back. Had enuf to keep Me in B L T sandwiches for the last 3 weeks , love them but I will only eat them when Tomatoes are in season.

No Corn, useless striped ground rats ate every seed.

Asperagrass was great. Started 24 new plants this should more than double Our yield in 2 Years. (cant pick untill the 2nd seacon)

Peppers are coming along nicely.Allready eating the sweet Peppers and they're Great !!

Garlic and Onions did great .

Cucumbers are doing better than ever, each and every flower turns into a cuke. Must be the Honeybees they seem to love them. We put in 7 Hives so far this Year.

Cabbage doin great ,The Wife made some great Coleslaw and Halupkis.

Lettuse , all gone now but was great.

Carrots and Colarabi coming along great. The Sister in law gave Us 2 Colarabi that were the size of socker balls , told My Wife they ought to be as chewey as Treestumps but the were great expecially breaded and fryed.

Strawberrys did great and are still producing every time it rains.

Late frost got almost all of My fruit trees except the Asian Pears and a few Apples.

Overall looks like its gonna be great year and Tomato season is really just starting , about 2 Weeks late. Up to 81 Tomato plants now started another row way late hoping these will start to fruit about the same time the other plants start to peter out , and extend My harvest till frost.

[Stronza]

81 Tomato plants

OMG. That's lots. How large is your garden plot? Do you grow the large (indeterminate) kind? What varieties do you have?

[Stan]

It keeps growing every Year, right now its about 30 X 65 feet. I grow some Hybrids and also some Heirlooms.
the Heirlooms are : Stupice , Black Krim, Costololuto Genevese, Pineapple ,Carolina Gold, Mr. Stripey, Polish Linguisa and some Cherry varietes.

The Hybrids are : Burpees Brandy Boy (My favorite), Super Sause, Red Lightning, Fresh Salsa, Super Tasty, and Delicious. All from Burpee and on trial for this Year. Except Brandy Boy this one is My personal favorite , an improved Brandy Wine with better yield , size, and most important FLAVOR .

Brandywine was My favorite but for some reason the plants were an epic fail everytime I tried to grow them. But with Brandy Boy You almost have to work at making this one fail. Beautifull 2 pound tomatos that 1 slice will cover a slice of bread with some leftover, best BLT sandwich ever !!

Last Year I planted 2 rows of San Marzano paste Tomatoes , they did so well that We have enuf Tomato Sauce canned up for the next 2 Years. This variety is also a "keeper" just not this Year !