Posted on 08/23/2013 1:53:26 PM PDT by greeneyes
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If you mean the three rows in the field with the bare ground to the left, they are “black oilseed” sunflowers of unknown parentage. I just picked black oilseeds out of a birdseed mix; made sure they would germinate, and then planted them.
Sunflowers are pretty promiscuous, and will cross breed freely, so there’s a lot of variation in what came up. Those large ones on the end do have black seeds, but a few of the larger ones in that stand have grey-striped seeds. Some of the plants have multiple flower heads clustered on the top of the stem; and a few have several flower heads on separate short stems, etc. They are about 4’ tall.
The other large sunflowers with the row of flowers & garden fence to their left are from purchased “Large Grey Stripe” sunflower seeds; and they are (almost) all true to type. They are approaching 8 feet tall.
We’re borderline Zones 5 & 4, in extreme SW South Dakota. South Dakota is one of the premiere states for commercial sunflowers, which is why I decided to try them this year.
As to your other posted question, I don’t have the discipline required to write a book.
I’ll answer separately about the walking onions later, though basically we are using them (first year to harvest any) like regular onions.
You don’t NEED a special ‘water bath canner’ IF you have a soup or stock-pot deep enough to hold the jars AND about 1-2 inches of water above them AND space to keep it from boiling over. Just be sure to have a rack of some sort in the bottom to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot to prevent breakage & promote more even heating. It may not hold as many jars, but it works, is perfectly safe, and wastes less energy if you don’t have enough jars to fill a full size canner pot.
MY FALL GARDEN SEED is now planted in paper cups and all are under the grow lamp and that light is really bright. I have the light close to the cups to warm the seed. Man, what a good feeling it is to have that seed planted and not worry about squirrels/birds. I'll feel even better if the seeds sprout. I filled all the cups with seed starter and did it in the house. I think I like gardening in the cool house. It is hot as hell outside (although I have not been to hell to test the temp.)
I wonder if you think one or some of these plants will not grow at this time of year here. I'm going by the list but this is a test to see if I can get them to grow/produce before cold weather. Here are the seeds I planted according to the Houston fall list:
The tomatoes are already growing outside on the deck.
The sweet potatoes are already growing in ten gallon grow bag.
The “T” Italian squash is already growing in the barrel.
I'll plant Egyptian Walking Onions in a planter in the dirt garden and cover them with row cover to keep out squirrels/birds and they will get here this week.
So, the seeds are:
Brussels Sprouts
Cucumber Armenian Pale Green
Zucchini Black Beauty - I already had this seed and it was the two plants the borers killed. This time they go in a big container with a lattice on it and it will be on the deck.
Black Seeded Lettuce
Tendergreen Beans
Borettana Onion
Turnips
Carrots (the baby size kind)
I used two cups with each seed kind, putting 3 seeds in each cup. However, with the almost so tiny you can't see them seed, I put a small amount in each cup, have no idea how many that was.
Based on which plants actually grow and produce in the fall, I'll know whether to plant a bunch of a seed instead of a few from now on. This fall is a test.
I also have Chandler strawberry plants in little pots on the way, too and they should be here this week. I am planting them at the right time according to the instructions for this strawberry in Texas.
Hopefully, the grow bags I ordered will get here this week to plant the strawberries in those bags.
I used the Houston fall growing list, so if some of you read this and think it is nuts I'm starting a certain seed now, I'm doing it according to that list.
I had to go back several threads but yea I found it. Hope it works for you.
“Take 1 gallon water, exactly. Put it in a new (unusued for anything else) pump sprayer. Add 5oz exactly of the new Clorox bleach concentrate. Mix thoroughly. After sundown and the bees (if you’re lucky enough to have them this year) are gone home for the evening, spray the heck out of the tomato plants. They will look like hammered heck while every infected leaf goes ahead and dies. I follow up with a feeding of some sort. Any uninfected new growth will be fine. But this kills the fungus/whatever to prevent any NEW infection.
Try this with one tomato plant first.
Another thing that prevents transfer of soilborne diseases is to mulch with papers/hay or just hay. Anything to keep the soil from splashing up on the leaves when it rains.
101 posted on Friday, July 19, 2013 6:14:00 PM by Black Agnes “
Thank you for your responses on the sunflowers. I love them and enjoying photographing them too; they seem to have personalities all of their own. I'm just now learning about the different varieties.That's for pressure-canning of quarts, only; not water-bathing quarts, though. We have the 16 quart Presto, and an older 21-quart Mirro, plus pressure pots.
You can use it to also water-bath pints or smaller; but it isn't deep enough to water-bath quarts. The 22 quart is deep enough for all of that; and it comes with a bottom-rack (they all do), so eliminates the need for a separate water-bath canner.
And, of course, either also allows you to use it for pressure cooking, or to even use it as an extra, large soup or stew pot.
“There’s a lot more to canning!”
Do not worry. I’m buying the Ball Blue Book. The Ball videos were one for water bath and one for pressure cooker and I know which foods to use for each. When I research, I don’t stop until I know everything about it. I won’t use any individual videos or instructions, will only go by the makers of the appliance as the water bath company and pressure cooker company and professionals like Ball.
“IF you have a soup or stock-pot deep enough to hold the jars AND about 1-2 inches of water above them AND space to keep it from boiling over.”
That’s the problem, I don’t have that. I have one tall pot but it would only hold maybe three pints or quarts, maybe it would hold four but I doubt it. The water bath container with lid and rack/lifter is $19 on Amazon - that is their best seller for a water bath. It’s the pressure cooker that costs a good deal more money.
One tycoon, one lemon boy, one armenian cuke, and a bucnch of blue cheese dressing..Pretty and yummy.
My friend's Chinese Granny scrambles eggs in a wok, but a pan would do, then adds about 3 T of chicken broth, some green onion,a little garlic, and about 2 cups tomatoes.stirs a few minutes...It makes a tasty side dish, believe it or not..
oops, buchnch is bunch..I have a new dinkier than my old keyboard, and I type everything badly on it.
Good to hear :)
It distresses me to read you have borers in some of the sunflowers. I really want to grow sunflowers but I’ve already had borers destroy squash plants. What is the point of planting sunflowers if borers are going to destroy them. I wonder if they do the same thing to the different sunflower that grows tubers to eat like potatoes? I think I’ll try just the tuber ones and see if they live.
harummph,
I went to my County’s agrilife website, and found 4-H bash, wild game dinner, and Certified Food Manager under events.
Also found this link under famiy resources there:
http://nchfp.uga.edu/
I would be signing up for Aquaponics if I was a few hundred miles closer to yours. Your County’s Agrilife sounds way better than mine..I bet in the Spring yours has all kinds of good stuff.
Maybe Bexar County’s has better stuff than mine. I’ll check them out.
Water bathing, let alone the “oven method”, is being “phased out” for canning tomatoes according to FDA, because too many “modern” tomatoes have had the necessary acidity levels bred out of them in favor of “sweetness”, making them a “low acid” food!
IF you’re used to using the oven method; still have the “officiall” instructions to refer to; and have high-acid heirlooms, etc., it’s PROBABLY okay for you to continue; but not so much for someone like Marcella, who is totally inexperienced.
Here is a good link that explains how to use Stevia:
http://www.ehow.com/how_6599598_use-stevia-plant.html
I plan to use it for sweetener thanks to sockmonkey. I keep my sugar count kind of okay by taking a doctor prescribed Glipizide pill every morning. The more I can do to stay away from sugar the better off I am. I have copied and saved the info. on that link.
“Are you familiar with autoclaves? They use heat AND pressure to kill microorganisms dead, dead, dead.”
Yes, I know about autoclaves.
“because too many “modern” tomatoes have had the necessary acidity levels bred out of them in favor of “sweetness”, making them a “low acid” food!”
I’ve read about the lowering of acid in modern tomatoes and the Ball website recipe to can tomatoes states that and that’s why lemon juice is now added to the canning of tomatoes. I am using heirloom tomatoes but would still add the lemon juice and they say use the bottled lemon juice and not real lemons. I would use the water bath pot to can them.
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