Posted on 12/16/2016 7:55:14 PM PST by greeneyes
Nice looking plants/tomatoes. Thanks for sharing.
I season everything with garlic, except desserts, LOL. I usually grow basil in a planter outside my kitchen door. It gets so hot here in Oklahoma. Couple of years ago, I had a garden about 100 feet from the house. I wore long sleeves, long pants, wrist and ankle covers, and a mosquito net hat with a veil. The little monsters would bite me where my pants, which were loose fitting, would stretch tight over my butt or knees if I crouched or bent over. They were RELENTLESS. Maybe I’ll try again this year. The vacant lot next door, which was an absolute jungle, has been bulldozed down. I’m thinking of getting some bat houses. Years ago, up north, our neighbors had a big cedar tree cut down, which had housed many bats. We had almost no mosquitoes until the tree was cut down. After that, the kids got bitten up every time they went outside.
That is a shame you are so prone to being bit. I dislike wearing repellent so I usually go out super early in the morning and work until the skeeters wake up. It works for me.
Tonic water seems to keep those pests away. Mosquitoes used to follow me around, until hubby, who drinks gin & tonics recommended I drink the tonic water.
TIK - Sorry to say I don’t have the space or physical ability to keep my tomatoes from crossbreeding if they’ve a mind to. I do use heirloom indeterminate seed but typically pick up a few new unfamiliar strains at the local nursery each year.
I haven’t managed to keep my varieties separated and labeled as I did in younger years but I know most this year were cherokee purple, some brandywines and another heirloom I can’t recall. Against my rule of thumb I also put out 6 Celebrities this year because my brother recommends them as all he grows. He does not have time to garden as intensely as I but does get huge crops. My celebrities did not produce like his and won’t try those again. I do prefer to start my own from heirloom seed.
That said, I accept the fact that my tomato seed is “hit and miss” because my seed saved could be an unyielding variety.
I have a lot of well lit, non-freezing area affixed to the house due to a large glassed-in porch, a bit less than 500 sq ft and a glassed in balcony which is 240 sq ft. I bring in the healthiest of my small to medium tomatoes in pots. I also take cuttings to root in soil from healthy large tomato plants. I keep the cuttings under old aquariums while they root.
The seed I save I do choose from the plants I’ve brought in. I may miss great seed by not saving any from healthy large outdoor plants.
Over the winter when I see a plant that isn’t thriving but may have good side shoots coming off the root I may cut and root the side shoot to have a fresher start in spring. Often, I’m tied up with other winter projects and don’t get around to rooting the new shoot and will just cut off the old plant come spring and replant the old root and new shoots. Either way, these over-wintered plants are my first producers in spring.
Ah, all happenstance.
Altho, years ago I was in better health and had more garden space and did try to be more selective in my seed saving/breeding. Back then I was focused more on yields and flavor. Unlike most folks, I love the high acid tomatoes.
Thank you. Prayers are most important.
Oh no! Will be praying for you as well for healing and getting the winter chores done.
Pups and other furballs can really reek havoc with sore spots. Seems they can always hit them with something while playing.
Thank you, I am feeling better this week than last. And I can freep again! (Headache and blurred vision messed me up several days) Always better when one can freep :)
When I used to work at a greenhouse, they used to take numerous cuttings of geraniums, as well as growing plants from seed.
These cuttings too would be among the first to bloom; however the blooms would 'shatter' easier than those plants grown from seed.
Also, these cuttings, perhaps due to their weakness to 'shatter', would also send up more bloom replacements but lost their ability to withstand any cold.
The more reliable plants that would even withstand some light frost were those grown from seed, while the number of blooms would be about what you would expect.
I like the way you think :)
My husband is an amazing blessing and often helps me with the heavy work involved in my garden endeavors. He loves my home grown, home canned and home cooked food. So much so that he tries to keep me from seeing his eyes glaze over when I discuss soil conditions, plant varieties, companion planting... LOL. He is a treasure, and if I go meet the Lord before him, he will learn to garden in self defense as he is surrounded by plants.
I’ve been waiting for a grandchild who loves gardening as much as I. I have been in love with soil and plants as long as I can remember and it was a great-grandmother who began my garden lessons. We have 20 grandchildren now (#21 due in April) but it’s grandkid #18 who is taking to the soil like Granny. She will be 5 in 2 weeks, lives 150 miles away but spends much time here. Without fail checks on *her plants* immediately upon arrival. Can tell her older siblings much about all the plants here, including what is good to nibble. I have great hopes that this one will someday inherit my wealth of garden paraphernalia.
Re: Skeeters
I tried something different this year for homemade mosquito repellent. Now, I don’t think this would work as well as some repellents. I am usually not out at dusk or dawn and we almost always have a breeze which keeps the mosquitoes away. But, I do like greeneyes and grow basil everywhere. I found years ago that crushing a leaf and rubbing it over a bite helps a bit but it also repels insects from the spot where you’ve rubbed it. Often if I’m out I’ll crush and rub a few leaves on my ankles which seem to attract every biting thing. But in hot summer, it’s too much body area to try and rub the basil everywhere. Essential oil costs too much even dilluted in a carrier oil.
I had harvested a bunch of basil to dry early this summer while our area was flooding. Instead of throwing stems and such in compost, I boiled them up, let them steep overnight then refrigerated. After all our flooding the mosquitoes were horrible but I would splash that tea on my bare legs and arms when I went out to garden and it seemed to help some. Not perfect, but after all that flooding it was hot, humid and no breeze so all help was appreciated.
One year, I planted sweet 'Edible Pod Peas' and snow peas in the garden, with the gardening tools stationed enroute to the garden.
We told the kids that they could eat them while they were working up in the garden, and we encouraged,
telling them that the more that was harvested and eaten, the more they would flower and produce more pods.
The only error made was having the peas close to the house rather than on the other side of the garden away from the house.
Lesson learned !
I agree with TIK on the garlic solution as well. It may not sound like an enticing thing to do but I have also clipped pieces of garlic leaf when being antagonized by mosquitoes and rubbed that, crushing it, onto bare skin. Mosquitoes will leave that skin alone with crushed garlic or basil smeared on. Much better to eat it:) but in a pinch, if those danged bugs are after you and either plant is handy I would use the plant. That garlic fragrance may not wash right off but its better than another mosquito bite.
BTW - another former redhead (all white now) hazel eyes and readily burnable skin.
I have been after hubby to build us some bat houses since we moved here 7 yrs ago. I hope you get yours :)
I did not know that. Drinking it or applying it? I will have to try that.
Actually, that makes sense.
The Brits do like their Gin.
Tonic water is seltzer, sometimes with a taste of citrus, with Quinine
Quinine is an extract which combats the mosquito borne disease effects of malaria.
With enough Gin, the mosquito bites don't matter ;
If they bother you, obviously your not drinking enough Gin !!
I did 1 geranium cutting this fall. I didn’t know if it would do well from a cutting but the geranium was 4 years old so needed to go to compost. So, I was wondering about that.
I’ve grown scented geraniums, pelargoniums, for a couple of decades and have enjoyed propagating and sharing them but never had a regular geranium till hubby brought it in one night :) Some wives get excited over cut flowers, chocolate or jewelry, I just want live plants LOL
(#1) Are you planning on taking cuttings from the 'mother plants' to achieve your 1800 plants ?
(#2) or do you plan on using retained seeds from prior harvest ?
(#3) With top-heavy plants, another gardening FReeper used a "cattle gate" laying in about a 45 angle ("_/") to support top growth,
while letting the fruit hang free thru the gate mesh for harvest.
That way the plant was not stressed and could continue its upward growth, at the same time, fruit was hanging for harvest.
Just a thought to make growing and harvest easier.
We are blessed that our offspring actually love real food. I have learned, like your lesson, that sweet peppers and tomatoes need to be "further out" because all the grandkids love both.
My husband is from Maine and talks fondly of his folks growing sweet peas as you mention. I've planted them for him but never gotten a good crop as it gets hot so early here in Texas. I planted in January most years. A couple of times we got late freezes that took them out but more years they will just start producing and we get a week of scorching weather that kills 'em. Our hot weather peas just aren't the same for eating off the vine.
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