Today's harvest

[pepperhead212]

I might have harvested the end of my tomatoes today - still a few out there, but I might just pull the green ones and make some chutney, or something like that. Got another bottle gourd and bitter melon, and there are still a bunch of butternuts ripe and under-ripe, as well as a large number of blossoms on the plants, which I'll have to pull, to make something with.
Misc harvests, 10-12, probably the end of the tomatoes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I set up my second hydroponics tub, after getting the cloner out of the way, and this one I planted with seeds, for greens. A couple of those were things I tried for the first time - pai tsai and Japanese spinach. I'll have 3 more spots open for greens when I pull 3 basil plants - only one of each is necessary, but I always plant two, and choose the best.
Second DW hydro setup, with 2 lettuces, mizuna, Japanese spinach, and pai tsai planted. 10-12 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Hydroponics, 10-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

Today I got 4 trash cans full of garden trash, when pulled all of my tomato plants (got a bunch of green tomatoes, and a couple more reds), except for the 6 cherries, along with the eggplants. I left the one Neon that I bagged a blossom on, and the fruit is about 7 weeks old, so I assume it's ripe, but it hasn't turned yellow, like most varieties I've saved seeds from. I'll eventually save the seeds, and test some to see to see if they're viable.
End of the tomatoes and eggplants. 10-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

That Polaris butternut is the best one I have ever grown, as always. It also stores incredibly well - I still have 4 from last season! So far I've gotten 10 from 2 plants, with 4 more full sized, half ripe, and a few little ones - they would keep producing in warmer areas! I only got 1 each from two Waltham butternuts, before they died. I'll have to come up with something to make with all those blossoms - I remember something good in one of Bayless's books.

Still 4 full sized ones out there, not quite fully colored, plus 4 from before, from just 2 plants. 10-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Still a lot of peppers out there, many full sized, and many still growing. They won't come out until frost.

 

[bbqcoder]

I finished harvesting my potatoes. Planted five varieties.

Purple Peruvian. These were harder to find because the color is similar to the growing medium.

Papa Cacho with a few Russian Bananas mixed in

Pinto Gold

Ama Rosa


All potatoes were grown in a 4x4 bed. I don’t have a picture of the bucket of Russian Banana potatoes. Those were the first ones I picked and I gave a lot away.

Will save some of each variety to plant again in the spring.

 

[bbqcoder]

Here are a couple of photos showing what the potato plant looks like for those that have not seen this before.

 

[taxlady]

I have planted a few potatoes a couple of times. I have a teensy, tiny backyard. I have gotten two or three small potatoes and several tiny, tiny potatoes per plant, at best. So, none of them looked quite like that.

 

[GotGarlic]

We're still getting tomatoes and peppers, although we're getting some pretty low temperatures at night (for our area). First average frost date is still almost a month away.

 

[pepperhead212]

More peppers today - I can't believe that those are producing for so long! The greens are doing well in the new raised bed, and amazingly, the cover I have on it didn't come loose in that severe wind I had here, that lasted all of Thursday, and well into Friday. Last night, it got down to 41°, but it's going to get warmer - looks like it won't be frosting until at least the first week of November. The only plant I took into my back porch is the curry tree - they don't like to get under 50° - but today I trimmed my bay and kaffir lime trees way back, to bring indoors. I'll dry the bay leaves, but toss the lime leaves (a 24 gal can of branches!), since there's no one around to give them to, like with the curry trees and epazote. I pulled all of my outside basils, since they are the first plants to start showing browned leaves, with the cold weather. I got those indoor plants growing just in time!

 

[pepperhead212]

Today I cut down many pepper plants, and harvested all of the full sized peppers from them. I left the longhorns, cherries, red savinas, aji dulce, Hanoi markets, and Aleppos in, to let them ripen as many as possible.
Third flush of Thai Vesuvius, showing all the peppers on one of the plants I cut down, 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Last harvested of most varieties - a few of the cherries left 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Last harvested of two Thai Vesuvius - 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Last few Superchilis, and Thai longs 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

Forgot the Aleppos. These are the ones I harvested, but there are at least this many full sized ones not ripe yet, and many more small ones.
Aleppos, 10-23, many more ripening. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[GotGarlic]

Very nice harvest, pepperhead. I'm going to look for aji amarillo and Aleppo seeds for next year. Can't believe I never thought of trying to grow them myself.

 

[pepperhead212]

I didn't do much today, but while I was out there I noticed that my spearmint had a bunch of new growth on most of the plants, which are usually well past their prime, by now. So I pulled as much as I could, and I am even trying - again! - to grow some in my hydroponics. I tried twice years ago, and both times, despite the plants growing like they were on steroids, the plants came down with aphids, while no other plants would get them! And the aphids were only on the stems -I guess the menthol kept them from the leaves. Never saw this type of thing before, and it happened twice, yet it never happened with peppermint. However, spearmint is much better, at least for the Asian dishes, and I'm willing to try it again, this time, sort of sterilizing the cutting (I hope), with some H2O2 solution. I'll see if it works...
Over 3 qts of spearmint, harvested 10-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I have a peppermint cutting growing already, if this doesn't work out.
Peppermint from cutting, 10-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[pepperhead212]

Now I have 7 trays in my dehydrator, and 2 more Foodsavered bags of peppers in the freezer. Still a few plants out there, but this is almost the end.

 

[skilletlicker]

...I tried twice years ago, and both times, despite the plants growing like they were on steroids, the plants came down with aphids, while no other plants would get them! And the aphids were only on the stems -I guess the menthol kept them from the leaves. Never saw this type of thing before, and it happened twice, yet it never happened with peppermint. However, spearmint is much better, at least for the Asian dishes, and I'm willing to try it again, this time, sort of sterilizing the cutting (I hope), with some H2O2 solution. I'll see if it works...

This past spring my mint, which had been growing like a weed in the indoor aquaponic bed, became aphid infested. The only plant in the bed to get them.

 

[pepperhead212]

This past spring my mint, which had been growing like a weed in the indoor aquaponic bed, became aphid infested. The only plant in the bed to get them.

So I'm not the only one! I was just out there yesterday, picking all that spearmint, and I decided to try it again. I'll watch closely, and as soon as I see any aphids, I'll pull it out - 3 strikes, you're out.

I have similar things happen with spider mites, when I have tried to grow a number of other herbs - rau ram, perilla, rice paddy herb, and a couple of others. Spider mites would show up, whenever I'd try them, and disappear, as soon as I'd remove the problem plants.

 

[Kayelle]

 

[GotGarlic]

We picked a bunch of poblano peppers yesterday, along with a couple of green bell peppers, a red jalapeño and a few chocolate cherry tomatoes. Still lots of jalapeños and poblanos out there.

 

[larry_stewart]

Tomatillos, Peanuts and Sweet potatoes are out.
All I got left is one more patch if potatoes , a few pepper plants that are in the ' what ever happens , happens ' mode. There are a few peppers on them that I doubt will develop anymore. Parsley which usually will survive the winter , some cabbages that I planted too late but we'll see. A row of chard ,kale and some asian green which Im not sure what it is.

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry, What variety of tomatillos do you have? Mine (Rio Grande) were gone long ago, and I always thought that it must be the length of day that triggered them to ripen (which is not good) when just over an inch long.

 

[larry_stewart]

Larry, What variety of tomatillos do you have? Mine (Rio Grande) were gone long ago, and I always thought that it must be the length of day that triggered them to ripen (which is not good) when just over an inch long.

Most likely its the "Gigante Verde" Variety which I got from Burpee Seeds If February. The reason I say most likely, is cause sometimes Ill use seeds from precious years if I have some left over, and Im not as efficient in labelling everything as I should be

They claim to be the biggest, sweetest variety. Due to my growing season, probably never gave them the chance to get that big, but they did taste good.

Plants were still kicking as of a week ago, but with the cold weather coming in, they're ripening days are long gone, and less availability to clear out the garden, I decided just to pick what I got and dig up the plants.

I Just checked, and in 2017 I also bought the same variety ( Gigante Verde). so most likely thats what I planted.

From my notes, looks like I started the seeds indoors in mid April, got them outside with some protections a few weeks later. In June noticed the plants were getting attacked by potato beetles, but as you know, Tomatillo plants grow like crazy when the conditions are right, so the bugs didn't really affect them much. Didn't harvest until early September and continued to harvest until 1 week ago. I had 3 sets of 3 plants and harvested about 200 + of various sizes.

 

[larry_stewart]

I tried supporting them with Tomato Cages, but the plants ( if continued to grow straight up) would have reached 5 or 6 feet). The weight of the fruited branches caused them to bend over the tops of the tomato cages. And the branches are kinda brittle, so the weight of the branches would cause them to break on the edges of the top rim of the tomato cage. They also smothered my adjacent pepper plants, so I have to think of either a better way to support them keep them under control , or just find another place to put them where they can do their own thing and not mess up anything around them .