Growing Your Own: What did you grow / raise / harvest?

[Frogster]

I have a lot of volunteer parsley so I dug a few potatoes to have potatoes with parsley and butter. I hope the whole patch isn't so small. That end of the garden didn't get as much water as it needed. The strawberries are huge and I picked some for later. The hot peppers need a few more days to get really ripe before I make salsa. I only grew 5 plants this year so I'll only end up with a quart or so. I started some spinach that might grow  before winter. Maybe if I cover it it will provide something green for a while. I put it in a bed close to the back door and have been watering it several times a day. 

 

Inside, I am trying to get some sterile seed starting mix hydrated. I want to try some small Chinese cabbages inside where they will be safe from moths and maggots. I have no idea how it will go. I do well with violets and other house plants but my efforts at growing greens inside have resulted in lots of damp off or other maladies. Maybe the sterile mix will help. Later I will try some spinach again, inside. My mistake may have been partly that I used a variety that does well in cold weather. Planting it near the violets was probably not a very good idea.

[Guest Jetsun Milarepa]

Something is growing on my window ledge - I've no idea what it could be. When we were in Gibraltar last week, we went to eat in a vegan cafe and when we were leaving , the waitress gave us cards containing seeds. They were embedded in the business cards! So, here is the card, soaking in the saucer.....

[Frogster]

I'm glad yours is growing. Someone I used to do home care for gave me one once and nothing germinated. It was supposed to be wild flowers. I wonder what yours is.

[daveb]

I got something like that from the animal hospital when my old cat died. Whatever was in it never grew either.  

[Frogster]

😞 indeed. On a happier note, the spinach that I planted outside  is germinating. There are no signs of the Pac Choi yet but its only been 2 days. I really hope it grows.

[Frogster]

The Pac Choi germinated last night. I got it under the lights this morning before it got leggy. It is still only about half an inch tall and the cotyledons are greening up nicely. I put 2 seeds in each of 6  pots so I can choose the best seedling in each pot and it will have room to grow. Maybe with good light, good ventilation and cool temperatures this thing will work. Right now I have 5 pots with 2 seedlings each and one pot with nothing yet.

[Roidgy]

Right now we don't have a lot of room, so we only grow limes, oregano, cilantro, grapes, and chayotes. The harvest is.... overwhelming. I've tried growing catnip but those little bastards just don't grow for me. Hmm.

 

When i was younger I had beans, peas, and I tried potatoes tho they were always so small, I was unhappy with them. My dad would build me little miniature greenhouses with tiny little pea pots.

 

when I move out soon I can hopefully save up for a few acres and I'll just Go Ham. I'll try to be as diverse as possible to promote soil health and get lots of symbiotes, tho I'm most excited for growing avocados, misperos (don't know their name in English), and lettuce. Oh how long I've yearned for just one bite of fresh crunchy lettuce!!! Everything we buy is so bland and old.... 

[Muledeer]

This week I was at a food conference / training and we learned how to make saeurkraut.  I have a huge head of cabbage in the greenhouse that I was planning to use for this experiment, planning to harvest it this weekend.  When I got home last night, I discovered that something, some kind of animal, got into the greenhouse and helped itself to about half of that head of cabbage.   Damn.  It also happened last year, and whatever this animal is - it only likes the cabbage and leaves everything else alone. 

We had our first hard freeze last night  23 F.  It is the latest first frost I have ever experienced - usually it happens around Labor Day.  I did manage to protect the pepper plants and what is left of the tomato plant.  Also harvested the last of the summer squash and pulled up the vines.

[Frogster]

I've been trying to get out and spend some time weeding and harvesting every day. The potatoes, carrots, beans and peppers are harvested. I did some pruning on the gooseberries but there is a lot left to do. I want to make them much smaller. They have turned into a thorny mess. I'm going to plant the garlic that Muledeer sent where I had the beans but it is too soon to plant it right now.

 

Indoors the Pac Choi is still doing well and the fall spinach outside might get big enough to eat....maybe.

[Myssterry]

I can't claim much credit for them, but the apples have done quite well this year, despite the drought.  I picked some this morning and some pears.  A vine has done amazingly with bunches of little grapes galore.  I leave them for the birds, as this one produces rather tasteless small fruits but has lovely purple foliage in the autumn.  The blackbirds always produce a late brood which feast on the grapes and the windfall apples.  The robin follows me round the garden - this year there is a very tame one which comes so close to me I am almost afraid of stepping on him, when I haven't noticed him land.

[MoonDancer]

I'm trying to grow ginger in a flowerpot. I love fresh ginger, and last time I bought some, I noticed that a piece of it had a start like an old potato does. Right now there is a green tip just trying to poke through the soil. Here's hoping it works.

[Frogster]

18 hours ago, MoonDancer said:

I'm trying to grow ginger in a flowerpot. I love fresh ginger, and last time I bought some, I noticed that a piece of it had a start like an old potato does. Right now there is a green tip just trying to poke through the soil. Here's hoping it works.

I hope it works. 

[Muledeer]

Today, I harvested some potatoes, little grape tomatoes, and pears.  Really low yields, but very tasty.  I cooked a baked potato for supper, along with a grilled green chili pepper and a grilled ear of corn (I didn't grow the corn).

 

Last Friday, I met the ranchers whose cattle have been grazing on my property, for the first time.  It was a big deal, as I have been trying to contact them for several years to secure a grazing agreement.  We have a "greenbelt" tax law in this state that allows lower property tax assessments for land which is used for agriculture.  Having an agreement will ensure that my taxes stay affordable.  Plus, I feel like I deserve some compensation because the cows eat all my grass.  After several attempts to contact him by email, text messages and phone calls with no response, I left a somewhat angry  message on his voice mail after I saw about 20 cattle on my land.  The next day, the rancher and his son showed up with a box of beef for this year's grazing compensation.   I cannot keep their cattle off my land because there is no fence along the river.  I am glad to have this matter almost resolved, and looking forward to trying the beef.  It is one more step toward total food self sufficiency.   I don't like to raise or keep livestock, but I will tolerate these cows because I have installed an electric fence to keep them away from my home and my yard..    

[Frogster]

The outdoor spinach sure looks better than the indoor cabbage. I am tempted to transplant the cabbage seedlings out there and cover them.  Maybe the cabbage maggot moths aren't laying eggs this time of year. I have grown lots of maggoty cabbage  and rutabagas also quite a lot of aphidy broccoli. I've almost given up on growing that family. Has anyone had success fighting those bugs with something non toxic to humans and bees?

[Muledeer]

1 hour ago, froglady said:

The outdoor spinach sure looks better than the indoor cabbage. I am tempted to transplant the cabbage seedlings out there and cover them.  Maybe the cabbage maggot moths aren't laying eggs this time of year. I have grown lots of maggoty cabbage  and rutabagas also quite a lot of aphidy broccoli. I've almost given up on growing that family. Has anyone had success fighting those bugs with something non toxic to humans and bees?

I had success using Ladybugs in my greenhouse.  I had a substantial aphid infestation and by the end of August, the ladybugs won the battle.  But it took them two months to achieve victory.  Fortunately, I have never had a problem with the cabbage moths at my elevation.  I have a beautiful head of cabbage, growing outside, that will get harvested this weekend.  I almost picked it this morning, nut decided to allow it one more week.

[Frogster]

I could sure try that. If there are aphids they might stick around to eat them instead of departing. 

[Skycaptain]

Washing up liquid and water is a good way of getting rid of blackfly, so could well work with aphids as well 

[Frogster]

I planted the garlic that Muledeer sent and harvested apples today. I have partly ripe tomatoes on various tables and counters. Its supposed to freeze tonight so I brought most of them inside.

I noticed some huge cabbages in the yard of someone I haven't visited in years. Those were really enormous cabbages. ...much bigger than basketballs. Hopefully they are not home to maggots. I wonder what she does about the moths and their larval state. There is also  a house with Chinese cabbage. I suppose I could knock on their door and ask about wormy cabbages. Do you think its too strange to knock on a strangers door and ask about cabbages? 

 

I don't really understand trigger warnings. I sort of wonder if discussing my cabbage problems requires one. The maggots are gross.

 

Too tired. Good night.

 

[daveb]

3 minutes ago, froglady said:

trigger warnings

They can be a courtesy if a post contains information that some people might find disturbing. Usually what people will do is put the potentially disturbing text in a spoiler (highlight the text and click the button that looks like an eye). It is also helpful to add some text outside the spoiler that gives some indication of why it is hidden, without going into any of the "gory details". For example, you might say "potentially too gross" in this case. That just makes it easy for people to skip over if they don't want to take a chance on reading it. Especially when they might just be thinking "oh, a nice gardening thread about plants".  

[Skycaptain]

Tip my mum told me today. When you are going to eat a piece of cabbage or similar, leave it to soak in lightly salted water first. This will get any caterpillars etc out, then you rinse as usual 

[Frogster]

15 hours ago, daveb said:

They can be a courtesy if a post contains information that some people might find disturbing.

Is there somewhere on this site that talks about how to think about what might disturb people? I am realizing that other people live in a way different world than I do and have very different expectations. Lots of what I do and say, who I am and have been, disturbs people and being disturbed seems to have become a big threat instead of an ordinary part of life. I need to learn how to manage the places where I interface with other people.  

[daveb]

6 minutes ago, froglady said:

Is there somewhere on this site that talks about how to think about what might disturb people? I am realizing that other people live in a way different world than I do and have very different expectations. Lots of what I do and say, who I am and have been, disturbs people and being disturbed seems to have become a big threat instead of an ordinary part of life. I need to learn how to manage the places where I interface with other people.  

I don't know. It can be quite personal and vary according to individual circumstances of each person reading or posting. Things that seem innocuous to one person may be quite triggering to another to varying degrees, and it isn't always something you can know in advance. Some people may not like to encounter references to gross things (such as the cabbage stuff or vomiting (there is a term, emetophobia) or bodily functions, etc.), but which things would fall into that category varies from person to person. Just as an example, I don't like to encounter gross things, but the severity depends on how graphic it is - more verbally explicit is worse; images are even worse; video with sound is really bad. Some people can actually be triggered into unhappy mental states (and even physical reactions) to certain things. For example, talk about bad events that are similar to ones they experienced. Or images of things like knives and other weapons.

 

I think the best anyone can do is try to think if what they are saying/posting is explicit or graphic or refers to things that some people might find disturbing. Some people probably won't think much if anything should be "spoilered", but maybe they can learn to be more open to listening to other people. If someone does come along and ask for something to be put in a spoiler really listen to them, don't be dismissive, and honor the request (within reason - I mean, if someone comes along and asks for you to spoiler all of the content of every post you make, that could be going too far. Assuming you're not posting nothing but gross or trigger-y content.). After a while, if you listen to people, you will likely to get a better feel for which things people tend to prefer to have "spoilered".

 

(using generic "you" in the above)  

[LeChat]

1 hour ago, froglady said:

Is there somewhere on this site that talks about how to think about what might disturb people? I am realizing that other people live in a way different world than I do and have very different expectations. Lots of what I do and say, who I am and have been, disturbs people and being disturbed seems to have become a big threat instead of an ordinary part of life. I need to learn how to manage the places where I interface with other people.  

Hello. Yes, there is: AVEN's Site Info Center Forum.

 

(about use of slurs)

https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/143240-slurs-and-other-words-to-refrain-from-using-on-aven/

 

(AVEN's Terms Of Service, which states what's considered offensive on the forum)

https://www.asexuality.org/en/topic/19982-the-aven-terms-of-service-tos/

 

Basically, the forum includes teens 13+, so that's one reason why content/trigger warnings are important. Another is that some members have grown up (TW)

Spoiler

abused, sexually abused, dealt with depression and suicidal thoughts, have PTSD, etc. Also, some asexuals are repulsed by mentions of sex, genitals, etc. Some members are trans and experience dysphoria around their genitals/body parts, and may become triggered or feel comfortable with discussions of that, as well.

 

Trigger warnings are just about being aware that others might've experienced painful events in their life that they still might not be--or feel--fully recovered from, yet, when reading or coming across others discussing those type of topics (and might experience flashbacks, depression, etc., as recovery takes different forms and lasts for years for some) or that some horrific events that might be emotionally fine for some adults to discuss amongst themselves might too emotionally disturbing or upsetting for young teens to read or come across.

[LeChat]

21 minutes ago, yyy said:

Wish I could grow avocados

Me, too. I tried (and, for a while, the small plants grew), but then winter came, and they didn't survive.

[Muledeer]

On 10/7/2018 at 8:30 PM, froglady said:

I don't really understand trigger warnings. I sort of wonder if discussing my cabbage problems requires one. The maggots are gross.

It would take a lot more than a cabbage worm to set me off.  Actually, I like how @Skycaptain called them caterpillars.  I have never had an issue with those pests.  In fact, I just harvested a nice head of cabbage yesterday and cooked it with some corned beef.  It had some aphids and black flies on the outer leaves.   The cabbage head that got partially munched by some kind of rodent was trimmed up and then used for making my first batch of saeurkraut.  It was the size of a basketball.   

The only maggots I have seen infesting plants were in some wild mushrooms.

Spoiler

However, I have seen maggots infesting living animals and that is pretty gross.  I've seen a chicken, a horse (bot flies) and a gopher with screw worms (blow fly maggots).  The screw worms really freaked me out because they were so large.

 

[Frogster]

2 minutes ago, Muledeer said:

  Actually, I like how @Skycaptain called them caterpillars.

I like that too. Sometimes choosing a different word might help.  Mostly I do better out in the garden with the weeds and vegetables than with people.  

[Muledeer]

 

 

This is how I had to grow cabbage in order to protect it from the hungry deer.  The cabbage in a cage.  It worked! and I harvested a respectable-sized head. 

Grown in the mountains at 8,300 ft!

[MoonDancer]

On 9/23/2018 at 3:08 PM, froglady said:

I hope it works. 

My ginger plants has 2 leaves now! I hope it stays with me through winter.

[batsy8]

Zukes, squash, pumpkin, Naples long, crookneck, tomatoes, onions, peppers, herbs, corn, kale, spinach, broccoli...my faves are squash. Grew some huge onions a while back. Naples long can get to 4 feet long! Very watermelony in taste.

[Myssterry]

Very happy with the front garden at the moment.  There is a little flower bed with yellow double primroses and miniature daffodils in bloom and blue grape hyacinths.  The colours look so pretty together.  There are also pots of daffodils and deep pink polyanthus.  The weather is so miserable that brightly coloured flowers are a joy.