Weekly Garden Thread - September 5-11, 2020

September 5, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[Blue Highway]

Wow, that is impressive. Nice courtyard area to keep all your containers together and nice that you have the ground tiled to keep out weeds.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

Jai's Pink posted by request. It is an Italian cross between a Ghost Pepper and a Pink Tiger. These are dark peppers on a dark plant with dark leaves so they can be hard to spot. Since I was new at growing them I had a terrible time figuring out when they were ripe but now I know it is when they get to pink with stripes. I personally don't have much use for them (I'm a practical type who likes to eat what I grow and I have better alternatives for both sauces and powders) but other pepperheads go absolutely nuts over them because of the gnarly shapes and colors. If you like to trade seeds they are a great one to have.

[Blue Highway]

Yes I love these purple leaved varieties. I especially like how they made these crosses where the pods look charred or like crusted lava. I think they all get crossed with Pimenta de Neyde to get that effect. I ordered seeds from Danillo in Italy (Space Chilis.net) and he has these Leopard Shark and Red Shark varieties that have the same look. Same goes for Hallow’s Eve which I’m waiting on receiving from a pepper head on the Reddit forums.

[Blue Highway]

I see you're sending me Hallow's Eve. Wow I've been wanting these for a over a year now, this and the Jai's Pink will be my new favorites. Any other purple varieties you're growing? Do you have Count Dracula. Pure purple/black leaves and stems, purple flowers and purple/black pods that ripen to red. I will send you Count Dracula if you don't have it already, stunningly beautiful plant. I haven't tried the pods yet as I'm waiting for it to ripen to red first for saving seeds and for maximum heat.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Roma tomatoes would be a better choice.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

I grew Purple flash for one season. Biggest waste of space ever. The problem with a lot of these “new” varieties people are pushing is that they were ornamentals that they now say are edible. Technically that’s true but they were called ornamentals for a reason. They taste terrible. As I stated earlier, I’m a practical person trying to make the best use out of my limited space. Hallow’s Eve did well in the early part of the season but it didn’t seem to like the searing sun of July and August so it produced very few pods, but now it’s starting to perk up again. Armageddon was the same way but as I recall that plant was bred with English weather in mind. Since you can see I picked those Death spirals just the other day they thrive in the heat, as do the Fatalis and the Komodo Dragons. All of those peppers will thrive for years, as long as you take care of them.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Delicate squash question.

I have several volunteer plants if Delicata squash.

Many small squash start then whe. The are finger size wilt and rot away.

I thought it was from stress to the plant by bumping them when watering etc....

Then the weather cooled off and I got several that were getting large...one of which was almost full size and growing rapidly.

It is about 2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long then tapers to a point.

This morning I notice the point end is shriveled so I picked it.

Any ideas why these are having troubles?

This particular plant is in a pot set in a raised bed and I am letting it grow over and out of the pot.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I like that idea. So no need to blanch then first?

[tubebender]

Posting a couple of photos for Eric...More photos from Eric in the Ozarks…

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Always been partial to hen as myself... for that very reason.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I am growing San Marzano tomatoes for the qst time this year.

They are typically used for tomato sauce.....i plan on sealing them with my foodsaver machine and freezing them.

I may add the herbs to the freezer packs as well.

They are just beginning to ripen.

I will report back on the results as the season progresses.

[Ellendra]

Believe it or not, Japanese Knotweed is also an important medicinal herb. There are people who grow it deliberately!

[Silentgypsy]

She’s a cutie!

[Ellendra]

Dumb question: Can those little flies or gnats be pollinating the Opo?

They might be, but without watching them closely myself it's hard to tell.

I noticed that most of the male flowers came out ABOVE (tho’ not directly above) female flowers. Is this generally true of squash plants that get a good chance to climb?

It's true of plants in general. Lots of species arrange themselves so that the pollen gets released higher than where the female flowers or flower parts are located.

I could not SEE any pollen on the (white) down of the feather.

For hand-pollinating, it might be simpler to pick the entire male blossom, peel back the petals, and use the flower itself like a paintbrush.

Also, it appears that the Opo flowers bud a bit back of the growing tip? Is this correct? If yes, then I don’t need to worry that bending back those tips will reduce flower buds just begun.

The plant will produce several blossoms for every one that gets damaged. I wouldn't worry about it.

So, those trees to the west of the Opo may actually be of some benefit in getting them to produce before cold weather arrives, by altering the “perceived length of day” with an “early” reduction in light??

Possibly. But it's tricky enough to get the right balance of light and shade, that I'd be very impressed if you got it to happen accidentally.

[Ellendra]

Is the rot accompanied by a black patch at the blossom end of the fruit? If so, it might be Blossom End Rot, which is caused by calcium deficiency, the same as in tomatoes.

There are other diseases that can cause the fruit to rot on the vine, but they usually show in the leaves first. Are the leaves big and green and healthy?

It’s also possible that the plant decided that these fruits weren’t pollinated well enough for its liking, so it self-aborted them. But my gut instinct is that this is unlikely in your case. Most likely, your squash just need more calcium.

[greeneyes]

No blanching needed. Especially if you are going to use them to make lacto fermented salsa.

[Oshkalaboomboom]

That was early in the season. This picture was taken today. Notice all of the small containers are gone. I've decided what to keep and what to give away. These will be this season's producers then in the winter I will decide again what to do for next season. Blue Highway, FYI the Jais Pink is the third one from the right in the front with the dark foliage.

[greeneyes]

You have such a beautiful place. I love to see all those potted plants.

[campaignPete R-CT]

I had that prob as a kid with my yellow squash. I put newspaper under the little ones to keep em off the dirt.

I eventually gave up and only grew zucchini. Tougher skin.
I only grow cukes now because of wild turkeys

[campaignPete R-CT]

Yes. Japanese knotweed is an amazing plant.

I spent 6 hours with it today. I see it when I close my eyes at night