Gardening and Plant Thread

[River possum]

i have the blessing and curse of black berries and raspberries as far as the eye can see.
it's well over 6ft and has turned a large part of the woods into an unwalkable bramble. lol

wasps and caterpillars want to bore into my apples that just started growing in.
where as bumble bees and honeybees will often leave for different flowers when apple blossoms stop forming.

my garden is also stunted by the persistent cold weather. maybe mulch would have helped.
View attachment 5168742View attachment 5168743View attachment 5168744

some things have been ok with the cold.
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apples and cherries growing in.
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I lived in a house once that had a huge amount of blackberries. I made homemade wine with them, it was easy and fun to make, not to mention delicious when it was ready. Dunno if you drink or not but even if you don't could make a unique gift.

 

[Spitz]

Peppers

Banana

Cayenne

Georgia Flame

Red Savina Habanero

Thai Frutescens

 

[Rakovnik]

I planted late this year due to setbacks with hay baling, luckily pumpkins got planted just in time to sell for Halloween. This is the larger of the 2 patches in the video. My other patch isn't doing as well but is still growing, I've been figting Japanese beetles and cucumber beetles a lot this season which set back growth on a bunch of plants. Ignore all the weeds/grasses, I have too much garden area to keep it all clear.

Here's a video from preparing one of the beds, cultivating weeds and spraying them before planting.

Bonus picture from hay mowing

 

[River possum]

You can also use watered-down blood and milk!

Umm I think I'll probably pass on that idea seeing as how I'm not a jew...

 

[NoReturn]

I found this guy today, he's pretty cool.

https://www.tiktok.com/@nativeplanttok/video/7268404752361196842

https://www.tiktok.com/@nativeplanttok/video/7265864521775025454

https://www.tiktok.com/@nativeplanttok/video/7259170849389825322

https://www.tiktok.com/@nativeplanttok/video/7247571998736403754

https://www.tiktok.com/@nativeplanttok/video/7228691857943973162

 

[River possum]

What is the best way to get rid of spider mites in my grow garden?

 

[Honored guest]

I planted late this year due to setbacks with hay baling, luckily pumpkins got planted just in time to sell for Halloween. This is the larger of the 2 patches in the video. My other patch isn't doing as well but is still growing, I've been figting Japanese beetles and cucumber beetles a lot this season which set back growth on a bunch of plants. Ignore all the weeds/grasses, I have too much garden area to keep it all clear.
PXL_20230814_171808402.TS~2.mp4


Here's a video from preparing one of the beds, cultivating weeds and spraying them before planting.
Snapchat-791577935~2.mp4

Bonus picture from hay mowing
View attachment 5271625

A fellow squash enjoyer! If you don't mind me asking how do you deal with your cucumber beetle problems? Do you have problems with squash vineborers and if so how do you deal with them?

What is the best way to get rid of spider mites in my grow garden?

I use neem oil to control populations, it won't completely wipe them out but it will keep them down. There are some pesticides that will kill them but I haven't tried them so I can't really comment on their effectiveness. Some people I know use predatory mites, and they recommended them and said that they're great for infestations on indoor plants and enclosed areas like greenhouses. I find that I really only have a problem with them in my greenhouse/nursery as other insects keep the populations in check outside. I had a really bad infestation earlier this year on two seedling trays, and it was impossible to completely remove them, so I just did what I could to keep the population in check until it was time to transplant.

 

[Rakovnik]

how do you deal with your cucumber beetle problems?

I used Spectracide Triazicide (Gamma-Cyhalothrin) It's a retail product but I didn't have time to search for it in a AG specific version. It worked great to control the cucumber & Jap beetles, the pre harvest interval is pretty short for gourds but I wait way longer than that just to be sure. It worked great on my pumpkins, squash, zucchini, and sweet corn. I did 2 applications this season but next season will probably 3 or 4 if I plant earlier like I'm supposed to. You can apply 5 times max on corn and 9 times max on all other plants.

I didn't have any squash vineborers luckily, seems they are very hard to remove. Triazicide does kill grubs but I didn't see vineborers listed (although it doesn't specify pumpkins either and it works great on them)

Remember to follow the dilution & application rates and you'll be fine to consume your vegetables. I've already eaten some squash and am still alive to reply

 

[Honored guest]

I used Spectracide Triazicide (Gamma-Cyhalothrin) It's a retail product but I didn't have time to search for it in a AG specific version. It worked great to control the cucumber & Jap beetles, the pre harvest interval is pretty short for gourds but I wait way longer than that just to be sure. It worked great on my pumpkins, squash, zucchini, and sweet corn. I did 2 applications this season but next season will probably 3 or 4 if I plant earlier like I'm supposed to. You can apply 5 times max on corn and 9 times max on all other plants.

I didn't have any squash vineborers luckily, seems they are very hard to remove. Triazicide does kill grubs but I didn't see vineborers listed (although it doesn't specify pumpkins either and it works great on them)

Remember to follow the dilution & application rates and you'll be fine to consume your vegetables. I've already eaten some squash and am still alive to reply

Thanks for sharing, Vine borers are hell as once they're in the vine you have to take a knife and cut them out. Its a massive pain in the ass for a hobby gardener, so I can't imagine what a commercial farmer goes through.

 

[UCT]

I’ve been growing a nice area of flowers and other plant in my backyard, it’s been going great until I planted some sunflowers. I got a nice bunch growing and it looked great for like a week before the pests just destroyed them. Really bummed me out but thankfully some of them grew fully so I have seeds to plant next year.

What’s a good pest control when you have kids and animals? I tried some of the soap water tricks and even bought some chemical free spray but nothing stopped the pests from just devouring them.

 

[Honored guest]

I’ve been growing a nice area of flowers and other plant in my backyard, it’s been going great until I planted some sunflowers. I got a nice bunch growing and it looked great for like a week before the pests just destroyed them. Really bummed me out but thankfully some of them grew fully so I have seeds to plant next year.

What’s a good pest control when you have kids and animals? I tried some of the soap water tricks and even bought some chemical free spray but nothing stopped the pests from just devouring them.

Thats normal for sunflowers, they're very very hardy and should shrug off most pests. Most people (myself included use them as a kind of trap crop as the pests prioritize the sunflowers who just keep trucking on while all my other flowers are left alone. I like to spot spray my sunflowers with neem oil to kill pests as I see them, just be careful not to kill beneficial insects and pollinators. Here is a few short videos on the subject.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cb08FxnSRBA

flower #1 on his list in this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjoQUpdMads

I started a patch of sunflowers this year and found that growing more sunflowers helps as the pests spread out over all the plants instead of concentrating on just a few.

 

[Rakovnik]

Thanks for sharing, Vine borers are hell as once they're in the vine you have to take a knife and cut them out. Its a massive pain in the ass for a hobby gardener, so I can't imagine what a commercial farmer goes through.

From what I looked up after you asked it, it seems you can inject nematodes into the plant with a syringe. Maybe try treating your plants with " Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk) " at the very first sign of vineborers, or as soon as you see insects come out in spring, that way less will reach your plants to infect them with grubs ie less plants to do the intensive cut/ syringe removal. My farm is somewhere in between hobby and commercial right now so just that application of Triazicide was a lot of work, I did it by hand to be sure I completely covered every plant.

What’s a good pest control when you have kids and animals? I tried some of the soap water tricks and even bought some chemical free spray but nothing stopped the pests from just devouring them.

+1 to the Neem oil like @Honored guest said. Also, almost every 'chemical free' pest spray is simply a pest deterrent not a pest killer. I don't want to say 'all deterrents don't work' since I use cinnamon oil to deter snakes. However I see lots of things marketed as "safe" "no chemicals" to get people to gloss over that it's soap with a fancy label.

For example, Triazicide is literal poison but it is "child and pet safe" when it's diluted, sprayed, and is dried out on the plant. You'd just need to keep them out of the flowers until the pesticide is dry, so about an hour, or wait until the next day if you don't trust the label.

 

[Rakovnik]

I got a break from hay baling and was able to take some updated garden photos

Squash


Overgrown Zucchini that I missed harvesting


Popcorn (wind picked up and I couldn't get a good sweet corn picture)


Decorative mini gourds


Giant pumpkin from my large patch


Giant pumpkin from my small patch


Small pumpkin


Medium pumpkins

 

[River possum]

A fellow squash enjoyer! If you don't mind me asking how do you deal with your cucumber beetle problems? Do you have problems with squash vineborers and if so how do you deal with them?

I use neem oil to control populations, it won't completely wipe them out but it will keep them down. There are some pesticides that will kill them but I haven't tried them so I can't really comment on their effectiveness. Some people I know use predatory mites, and they recommended them and said that they're great for infestations on indoor plants and enclosed areas like greenhouses. I find that I really only have a problem with them in my greenhouse/nursery as other insects keep the populations in check outside. I had a really bad infestation earlier this year on two seedling trays, and it was impossible to completely remove them, so I just did what I could to keep the population in check until it was time to transplant.

Got a pesticide, earth's ally 3-1 plant spray has appeared to work so far with the mite situation. It's homeopathic apparently so I'm pleasantly surprised with the results. I would be nervous to introduce another type of mite honestly.

 

[Bassomatic]

Had some of my habernos... They were quite weak. Odd. I know they got some power so I made a salsa with them. It was like jar of store bought medium and I wasn't skimping.

Maybe I over watered? I know the dry helps the capcasium form.

 

[Rakovnik]

Giant pumpkin from my small patch

I can't believe I didn't realize when posting, this is a watermelon not pumpkin, honestly I forgot we bothered planting watermelons this year because they never turn out sweet enough. I noticed it while mowing around the garden beds today and wanted to correct my post.

Had some of my habernos... They were quite weak. Odd. I know they got some power so I made a salsa with them. It was like jar of store bought medium and I wasn't skimping.

Maybe I over watered? I know the dry helps the capcasium form.

Do you have weaker peppers growing nearby the habanero plant? They can cross pollinate and reduce the heat

 

[Spitz]

Peppers and other crops

Spoiler: Red Savina

My estimate for Scoville units at this point would be around 150k. They need more time to mature. It's interesting to see how fast they go from orange to red.

Spoiler: Scorpion, Reaper, Ausilio

These still have a long time until they'll be ready, but the wrinkles on the super-hots are a good indication at this stage. The Ausilio and Reaper plants are smaller than I'd like right now, but they're coming inside once it starts dropping below 40F. One of the Scorpion plants is 32" tall and putting on a lot of new blossoms.

Spoiler: Long Cayenne

These things are big and pretty spicy, but I've been having problems with end rot in them. The regular cayenne plants are okay though.

Blossom end rot

Spoiler: Georgia Flame

These are classified chinense, but I've never had sun scald on anything other than bell and sweet peppers. Some of these grow the way frutescens do, without falling over. I've also had problems with blossom end rot in these. No idea about the hybridization process. I'm not going to grow them again, pretty weak in terms of heat.

Spoiler: Thai Tabasco(frutescens)

These things are great and I wish I had 20 more plants. Nothing better than plucking one off in the morning and getting a kick of heat and flavor. Better than a cup of coffee. I'd guess they're around 20-30k Scoville right now. If that doesn't go up much more, it won't bother me.

Spoiler: Onions

Had some bullneck onions because of the moisture along with some water mold that's taken out some storage onions. Pretty good year though, overall.

Cut the bullnecks up and froze them. 2.5 pounds off of 6 onions.

Here are some proper onions and a side-by-side of a proper and a bullneck.

Spoiler: Squash

I've had one acorn so far because it broke off by accident. It had a small orange spot on the bottom, but it wasn't quite there yet. Haven't had a butternut yet, and they've been real slow in turning orange because of the wet, colder weather. I'll have to cover them later so they can finish ripening.

Mexican Hat Red

 

[Aunt Carol]

Got the email: my fall bulbs are being shipped!

I have finally learned: when ordering a whole bunch of flower bulbs because I have GREAT PLANS and also a COUPON and GOTTA MAKE SHIPPING and also WHY NOT, write down notes somewhere as to where I planned to put these bulbs when they actually arrive months later.

"What the hell was I thinking. Gotta get a shovel," is usually something you say when you come down from a drug-fueled murder spree, but even if it's impulse-buying on the Internet you still end up having to dig holes.

 

[Spitz]

I had to bring a bunch of pepper plants inside and put them under the grow-light because it's starting to get too cold at night.

These are Ausilio Thin Skin Italian and they've had the most difficult time this season. A colder, wetter season stunted them pretty early, and it took about 3 months to get this big. I don't expect much from them in terms of yield, I'm just curious what they're going to taste like and how hot they'll be. If they're good, I'll throw some in a Tourte Milanese.


The regular cayenne peppers did well, like they always do. They're pretty spicy and have a great taste. I'll dry them and turn them into powder.


This banana plant has yielded about a pound of peppers so far. I fermented some in a quart jar with distilled water and three tablespoons of pickling salt. The rest I used on sandwiches, in salads, or just ate. They've had a good crunch to them.
The plant with the red peppers is supposed to be a cayenne. I pulled one and tried it the other day, but it was only a little spicy and very sweet. I'm guessing a cayenne crossbred with a sweet pepper somewhere and I got those seeds.


Not much to say about these other than, I'm completely fucking insane. I can't emphasize enough how hot they are. I pulled one of the small ones and took a little bite off the end, which was still pretty green, and it was like being maced and gutshot for 20 minutes after. They have a long ways to go. I'll make some year-long ferments for Louisiana hot sauce with them and some other peppers.


These are cool, but they've also had the most blossom end rot of any of the peppers. Maybe something to do with the hybridization to make them that big? Don't care, I'll take what I can get, and salvage or dispose of the rest.


These Savina habaneros are damn tasty and not too hot for a lot of things. I'll make hot sauce with them, put them in meat pies and stews/soups, and probably freeze some.


I just pluck these off and eat them. They're great, lots of seeds though.


Trinidad Scorpion bug damage(white spots) and curly/yellow leaf from cold weather.


Still getting some good peppers though. Not as hot as the Reapers, but not for the faint of stomach.

 

[Rakovnik]

Those peppers all look fantastic @Spitz


Here's a few of the pumpkins I picked, I'm bad about taking pictures during harvest. I still have a few rows of larger pumpkins that will be ready closer to Halloween.


I know this is the 'gardening and plants' thread but AFAIK there's no general farming thread so I'll include the 50+ meat chickens that got processed last week