Grow your own?

[Blackbeard]

The spicy capsicum should tingle their senses and keep them away instead of inviting them. This is another reason I was thinking of doing a raised bed in cedar, etc.

 

[barnetmill]

Mike: for the seeds you send me: The brandywine tomato seeds I see are spouting and #23 sweet is also spouting up. I covered the pots for tonight. We have cold snap coming that that might reach 36 F tonight, but still some frost might be possible.

 

[Blackbeard]

I'm getting some ghost peppers from a coworker in Texas. He's grown a number each year, and said he would send me some seeds along with a few he dried. He warned me tho, masks, and gloves when touching. I'm excited.

 

[Blackbeard]

I really enjoy pasta with a fresh grind of hot peppers. Flat iron peppers is a great alternative if you don't want to grow your own. Thanks to @Mike A1 for sharing those.

 

[barnetmill]

Mike: for the seeds you send me: The brandywine tomato seeds I see are spouting and #23 sweet is also spouting up. I covered the pots for tonight. We have cold snap coming that that might reach 36 F tonight, but still some frost might be possible.

Some of the tomatoes are putting out flowers and will soon be big enough for stakes. In my area once the night time temp get a lot of 75 F, there will be no fruit. We are near that mark mark now. So far no disease.

 

[dennishoddy]

We are just getting into the growing season in Northern Oklahoma.
Almost got a freeze a couple weeks ago.
My buddy plants the garden, as we are traveling all the time, but I wanted to try a tomato plant with some fish guts after cleaning some as a natural fertilizer.
Found one at the nursery that was about a foot tall and planted it with only the top exposed with fish guts in the hole to slowly dissolve and fertilize.
He has two dozen plants in another location. We put this one out in a remote location to see if the raccoons and other critters would dig it up for an experiment.
I did it one at our home before we started traveling and our dogs dug it up.
They stunk for a week. LOL! Wife wasn't happy.

 

[barnetmill]

We are just getting into the growing season in Northern Oklahoma.
Almost got a freeze a couple weeks ago.
My buddy plants the garden, as we are traveling all the time, but I wanted to try a tomato plant with some fish guts after cleaning some as a natural fertilizer.
Found one at the nursery that was about a foot tall and planted it with only the top exposed with fish guts in the hole to slowly dissolve and fertilize.
He has two dozen plants in another location. We put this one out in a remote location to see if the raccoons and other critters would dig it up for an experiment.
I did it one at our home before we started traveling and our dogs dug it up.
They stunk for a week. LOL! Wife wasn't happy.

Some years ago I tried a fish based fertilizer and something dug into the pot.
I did not do it yet this year, but I often surround a garden area with fencing to keep the dogs out. One of them is attracted to tilled soil as a place to dig a hollow for her to sleep in.

 

[dennishoddy]

Years ago, I tried fish guts for fertilizer. My dogs dug them up.
We don't have dogs now so trying it again.

 

[barnetmill]

Years ago, I tried fish guts for fertilizer. My dogs dug them up.
We don't have dogs now so trying it again.

My dogs recently just killed some critters. Today I found one rotten possum and a freshly killed armadillo that i tossed over the fence for the wild critter to dispose of. Dog or not, something may still dig up your fish products.

 

[dennishoddy]

My dogs recently just killed some critters. Today I found one rotten possum and a freshly killed armadillo that i tossed over the fence for the wild critter to dispose of. Dog or not, something may still dig up your fish products.

So far, no issues. I actually saw a video today that I forgot to share that showed putting fish guts into a plastic bag with the corner cut out and bury at root level. As they dissolve, they drip the liquid into the soil from the cut and its like a slow release fertilizer.
I'm not real big on planting plastic, so will probably stay with this method for now.

 

[dcoffman]

A couple of items from my lil' garden patch yesterday here in West TN. Appears my tomatoes will be soon as I have a couple turning color finally.

 

[barnetmill]

A couple of items from my lil' garden patch yesterday here in West TN. Appears my tomatoes will be soon as I have a couple turning color finally.

View attachment 35825

Do you use a green house?

 

[dcoffman]

Do you use a green house?

No. Notice all but the squash are "frost tolerant" I try to have my dirt ready early Feb. I had onions from shoots and bulbs planted this year by 3/1, broccoli & cauliflower a couple of weeks later, I did have a late hard frost down to 27F, and covered the broccoli & cauliflower, onions are never a problem.

 

[dennishoddy]

A couple of items from my lil' garden patch yesterday here in West TN. Appears my tomatoes will be soon as I have a couple turning color finally.

View attachment 35825

That's awesome! Young onions like that are good with just salt and pepper raw.
My fish fertilized tomato plant is a couple feet tall now. Growing like crazy with blooms and tiny tomato's on it everywhere.
Its the early girl variety, so hoping for some tomato's before we head out on our summer trip.
I'll take green ones too. Pickled green tomatoes are just as good as ripe IMHO.

 

[Blackbeard]

that looks like a great haul.

 

[dcoffman]

That's awesome! Young onions like that are good with just salt and pepper raw.

Yes, and I enjoy most of my veggies only lightly steamed maintaining as much of the natural flavors.
I started an asparagus bed this spring, it'll be next year at least before I can enjoy those.

 

[dennishoddy]

Yes, and I enjoy most of my veggies only lightly steamed maintaining as much of the natural flavors.
I started an asparagus bed this spring, it'll be next year at least before I can enjoy those.

We have had an asparagus bed for almost 30 years now. Love that stuff in the spring, but the first of June, we have to stop picking so it can go to fern and get ready to produce more next spring.

 

[barnetmill]

Yes, and I enjoy most of my veggies only lightly steamed maintaining as much of the natural flavors.
I started an asparagus bed this spring, it'll be next year at least before I can enjoy those.

You will also get more vitamins that way.

 

[dcoffman]

We have had an asparagus bed for almost 30 years now.

This is my first year with asparagus, I built a bed and put in 8 crowns all started, and most are a couple of feet tall, which appear as fern ... being ignorant currently of the plant I've just let them do their thing. I assume it best to leave them be allowing them to establish root better.

 

[dennishoddy]

This is my first year with asparagus, I built a bed and put in 8 crowns all started, and most are a couple of feet tall, which appear as fern ... being ignorant currently of the plant I've just let them do their thing. I assume it best to leave them be allowing them to establish root better.

Depending on the age of the crowns you planted, growers recommend only picking for one month at year 3.
Your correct, it is best to just let them grow to fern the first growing season no matter the age of the crowns, but the 3 year deal comes into effect no matter what. Year 4, pick away all you please and every year afterward until June 1. That date is the traditional time people quit picking and let the plant go to fern for the rest of the summer. The plants will typically tell you mid may that they are tired as the harvest will slow down.
When February comes around, I mow the dead ferns to the ground, recover with mulch and wait for the spring sun to warm the soil enough they start to sprout again.
Enjoy!