[Food] Production – Gardening, General pt 2

[RedStateGreen]

I think that was one I tried, RSG. Mine were in a South-facing very hot exposure and they hated it, dying almost immediately. I think they prefer moderate temperatures - perhaps an Eastern exposure, with plenty of water, if you are in a hot-summer climate.

I'll try planting it somewhere else. I had it in a windy hot spot and I don't think it liked it there very well.

And I'm zone 7, oowolf, so it should be okay. It only gets down to 5F at the very least, and hasn't done that for a couple of years.

[frankthetank]

Bought a ton of sunflower seeds today. Want to make a big planting of them in my front yard... My neighbor cut down his huge maple that was shading my house, so now my front yard has sun all day ! I also have bananas and i think i might pick up some castor beans... Plan on going nuts with these:

[Ludi]

Beware of castor beans, the entire plant is poisonous, and spreads like mad. It has become an invasive exotic here along the river.

[JJ]

Beware of castor beans, the entire plant is poisonous, and spreads like mad. It has become an invasive exotic here along the river.

I planted castor beans in front of our house one year and about ten people stopped by at various times to warn me how toxic they were...(ricin) I was really paranoid trying to destroy them, afraid the kids would get sick... Ludi although I've never eaten them we sell LOTS of nopalitos (prickly pear pads) to the locals here...the old store director said they taste like slimey green beans

[Ludi]

I've cooked with Nopales a few times but before we got the spineless kind they were a pain the butt to deal with. Now with the spineless ones we might eat them more often, if I remember they're out there! And yes, they do taste a bit like slimey green beans, maybe a little more acidic. Not at all unpleasant except for the slime, which is like okra. The fruits are good cooked with apple and a little lemon juice - I've made a beautiful magenta cobbler with them in the past. They also make a pretty jelly or syrup.

[HeckuvaJob]

I have a planting bed and I'm not sure what to do with it. It is approx 25yds x 10yds and at the base of my gently sloping lawn (mostly rocky clay). Consequently, it is very moist (if you dig down 12" a puddle will form).

The soil looks very good: dark with lots of loose organic matter. The previous owners had planted bulb ornamentals, a currant berry bush and a grape vine (all doing very well). It receives full sun until 1-2pm, then shade.

1. Is there a food crop that will do well in good, very moist soil with partial sun? Open to anything: tubers, berries, whatever.

2. If not, what should I plant to produce as much compost as possible?

[Ludi]

Sweet potatoes enjoy lots of water. Both the tubers and stem-tips are edible and very nutritious. There are varieties for colder climates (I can't remember them right now, sorry). They may need to be planted near the surface of the soil and covered with compost and mulch, so as not to rot in the damp soil especially if it's clay. They prefer light, loamy or sandy soils.

Cattail, expecially Narrow-Leaf Cattail, will grow where there is constant moisture but doesn't need standing water. It's edible, and produces huge amounts of material for mulching or composting.

Taro, Colocasia esculenta will grow in a damp spot, but is only hardy to Zone 8, though some varieties will survive in Zone 7.

Bamboo also likes a lot of water.

Here's a page discussing some edible and useful plants for damp sites: http://www.pfaf.org/leaflets/edibpond.php

[PeakOiler]

Today I transplanted the remaining pole green bean sprouts into the garden for a total of about 30 plants.

Harvested some more spinach and my first strawberry of the season today. Wow those are awesome!

There are baby pears on one young tree. This might be the first season it produces a fruit! We'll see...

Another peach tree is in full blossom now. Seven other peach trees are about to start blossoming.

I think I'm going to plant my first banana tree near the AC water condenser drain on the side of the house.

[PeakOiler]

Yesterday I transplanted the tallest over-wintered bell pepper plant back into the garden for it's fourth season. I got the measuring tape out and draped it over the tallest twigs:



The plant is about 4' 10" tall.

Meanwhile the other veggies seen in the picture, the broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, black bean sprouts, sunflower sprouts, rosemary, prickly pear cacti, potatoes in some black pots, and thyme can also be seen in this part of the garden. Please pardon all the garden junk--work in progress ya know...

[Ludi]

Your trees are way ahead of mine, PeakOiler. You're further north than I am, but all my trees are still dormant, except the almonds I recently planted.

[JJ]

all of the blossoms on all of our fruit trees have fallen off, no freezing weather here yet (6 inches of rain though). I transplanted all the tomatoes into one gallon cans because I'm not sure we're not going to have another freeze. Bing said we're going to have a hard freeze (don't know what she was watching, though...) we've been getting lots of spinach, but the *heat* killed all the other greens...POiler bet you caught a bunch of water...

[Jotapay]

I have a question about tomatoes, if anyone can look at these and possibly tell me what happened. I'm a total noob at gardening, this is my first year doing vegetables.

I planted my tomatoes (Better Boy, Brandy Wine and Cherokee Purple) eight days ago on last Sunday (March 8th), 7 plants total. It rained almost 4 inches this past week, and I go out and check them today. Almost all the leaves have these brownish splotches on them. The worst 1 or 2 leaves are actually dry where they wilted and curled, but the rest are not dry to the touch at all. But the interior has these brown splotches. The only thing I can think of which might have failed is when I initially planted them, water was having a hard time penetrating this soil and may not have wetted the rooted sufficiently, although I must have given them a good 4-5" of water.

Conditions: 18" raised concrete beds, Austin's Natural Gardener organic garden soil, 1-feeding of Natural Gardener organic fertilizer at planting.

Does anyone know what these brown splotches mean and what should have preferably been done? Thanks!

[PeakOiler]

I have a question about tomatoes, if anyone can look at these and possibly tell me what happened. I'm a total noob at gardening, this is my first year doing vegetables.

Conditions: 18" raised concrete beds, Austin's Natural Gardener organic garden soil, 1-feeding of Natural Gardener organic fertilizer at planting.

Does anyone know what these brown splotches mean and what should have preferably been done? Thanks!

My guess is that some bugs had a feast! Spray them off with some water, then spray them with a dilute pepper spray (cayenne or habanero), repeat as needed, and see what happens. I suspect you may lose some of those leaves, but more will grow.

[kpeavey]

looks like a mosaic virus to me.
pull the plants, roots and all, add to the burn heap
start over
these plants never had a chance

I hate to give good people bad news.
Have a cookie.
Buy the time you finish it you'll feel right as rain.

[Jotapay]

Crap. I looked up Mosaic virus. It looks like I should replant them all, or else deal with a severely reduced crop. I was thinking about keeping a few plants as a control, but it seems it is extremely virulent so I should destroy them all.

I wonder if it came from Natural Gardener. Otherwise, I'm not sure how it would have contaminated the seven plants. I do live on the edge of the Hill Country in Texas, so the vegetation is extremely varied here. It may have been nurtured in the back yard naturally, I don't know.

Thanks a bunch for the help!! I appreciate it.

Edit: So I have a question. Does Mosaic virus mean that I will not be able to re-plant into the same location in the same season? The online documentation seems to suggest that this is the case.

[kpeavey]

The virus can come from the soil into which you transplanted the plants. The nursery is not the likely source. If it was the nursery, steps would have been taken to solve the problem, lest their entire inventory be laid waste.
You need a different location, different soil (containers may do it for you), or different plants (mosaic resistant cultivars).

[kpeavey]

solar sterilization does not reach far into the soil, maybe a couple of inches at best.
one rainstorm later, any gain is lost as the moist ground serves as a predator free environment for whatever life has a foothold
Yes, the good goes out with the bad, but the bad is usually more pervasive.
Still, it can't hurt to try. Do what you can with what you have to work with.

[Jotapay]

Well fiddlesticks. That raised bed with the tomatoes was the only one that gets enough sun for them. I think I may have to plant something else there and move the tomatoes to the front yard. I've got an area in the front yard that I can plant which has a good amount of sun. I may go tear it up and see how the tomatoes do up there. Thanks for the help guys, I appreciate it.

Here is the raised bed with the sick tomatoes. The one in the back gets a little less sun and has corn, beans, squash, okra and watermelons.

Oh crud, I know how it got contaminated now. My room mates smoke and the raised beds are near the back door where they smoke. Dried tobacco often contains tobacco mosaic virus.

[SpringCreekFarm]

deleted.

This board is pissing me off.

[Ludi]

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publ ... lver/leaf/

http://www.avrdc.org/photos/tomato_diseases/index.html