Exotic Veggies for 2011

[Halfway]

Any crazy experiments for 2011 in regards to varieties or veggies in general?

I am going to plant some varieties of Tepin peppers which I just stumbled upon a month ago. Hot little pea-sized peppers which taste incredible and lose the burn quickly.

What's your 2011 gamble?

[soil]

im growing the wild tepin peppers too. along with a relative to the common peppers called the rocoto tree pepper, supposed to be hardy to 25 or so.

i have more i just have to think whats rare for most people compared to me. ill add them as i remember.

japanese sweet potatoes
short grain brown rice
hops

[wordwiz]

I'll try to grow some stuff not normally seen in a garden in southern Ohio:
Barley
Wheat
Hops
Rice
Dandelions
Juniper Berries
Sorghum
Rye
Cotton (I need more balls to make a handkerchief)
Purple Sweet Potatoes

Dwarf fruit trees:
Cherry
Apple
Orange

Probably some other stuff.

Mike

[lorax]

I'm going to try things that don't normally grow at my rarified altitude -

Sweet Corn
Bananas
Papaya
Certain heriloom sandwich tomatoes
Hops

- wordwiz, are you starting hops from rootstock or from seed? If it's seed, you should be starting now in a pot at the back of the fridge....

The big gamble are the bananas, since everybody I've talked to seems to think it's impossible.

Nothing "exotic" since what y'all would consider under that clause are actually the native veggies and fruits here (Tamarillo, Naranjilla, Chirimoya, Guabo {Ice-Cream Bean} etc. etc. etc.)

[wordwiz]

Lorax,

A bit of an explanation. The county fair tries to encourage groups or individuals to adopt a spot and plant a garden that will be in full bloom during the fair (second week of August). Last year I built a raised bed (4x40) and planted about 30 types of plants, with some plants having 2-3 different varieties. It was built on a parking lot; it had to have a theme that tied into Hamilton County, so it became the Garden of Eden Park(ing) Lot, as there is a place called Eden Park in the county.

This year, it is going to be a Beer (and other beverages) Garden. My dwarf fruit trees will be in containers, either dirt or hydro, the others in the soil. I plan on finding a smallish, dead tree and hang beer and pop cans on it and hopefully build a still - and tell the sheriff it's not in production!

Thanks for the tips on the hops - I had no clue.

Mike

[farmerlon]

I found an old (government published) Tennessee Victory Garden booklet from 1943. It has a big chart of recommended vegetable varieties.
Since I like heirlooms anyway, I thought it would be fun to grow any of the varieties that I can find from that (nearly 70 year old) list.
This won't be my main garden, just a fun "side project".

[lorax]

Mike, hops are famously recalcitrant from seed. I've currently got one vine from about 50 fairly fresh seeds sewn, and those were cold-stratified in the freezer for 6 months, then popped into soil at the back of the fridge for another 4-5 months. It's a wicked fast grower, though, once it's up. I'm praying that it's a female plant, now - because I really am growing it for brewing.

If I were you and I really wanted nice, established hops for the Beer (and other beverages) Garden, I'd be looking out for rhizomes. If I recall correctly, there are some commercial hopperies out near Cleveland, and you may be able to get some stock from them - otherwise, McFayden of Canada usually has quite nice rootstock (although they sell hops as an ornamental!)

[wordwiz]

Lorax,

Congrats on the 500th post!

How big of a container would I need to grow a plant in? My raised bed is about 8' from a building - a tall building! I could run rope from the top of the side of it to the raised bed and it would probably be a good 20' if not 30. If I could use a Sterilite container or such, I can bury it in the raised bed (making it look like it is part of the garden) and then after the fair and harvest season, bring it to my home and continue growing them. The demo at the fairgrounds is a one-year thing.

Mike

[garden5]

I haven't really been researching many crops yet, but I do know that I'd like to give sweet potatoes a try and maybe some of the new world's hottest pepper variety if I can get my hands on some seed.

[wordwiz]

Before anyone rushes to e-bay or some other place to buy the Naga Viper or Naga Hari seeds, please keep in mind that the Scoville testing is suspect and the plants are hybrids. More than likely, you will be buying seeds from a first generation plant and may end up with nothing but a hab or worse. If you really want to spend a buck or two per seeds, I have these bean seeds, said to grow plants that people named Jack can climb!

Mike

[lorax]

Mike, you can probably use about 5-7 gallons for hops, and they'll be thrilled by all the space - that way you should get nice, vigorous bines and lots of cones.

I'd reccomend pea netting or a trellis, though, rather than a rope - you'll get a nicer display that way since you won't be dealing with just a single bine, but a crowded mass of foliage and flowers. You can train the bine to wander in the trellis, as well.

[wordwiz]

Lorax,

Thanks for this tip also! I found a couple of places on-line that sells the netting rather cheaply and I can use it for my peas and green beans as well. A 50' section is about $17; the 20' length is $9.

Putting on my dream cap, I can see having a 150' section of a piece of ground set aside for Sugar Snap Peas and Pole Beans. Two crops of peas, one of the beans. A guy in GardenWeb suggested the idea of growing 2-3 crops in the same area in one season to maximize my output. It makes sense (and dollars!) and I've been giving it a lot more thought. I want to have some very early tomatoes so I'm looking at the Agribon Row covers that should allow me to transplant early toms about the third or last week of April. But a month before that, I can plant lettuce in the row, one plant per two feet. Then transplant the toms between them. The lettuce will be done by the middle of June, about the same time the toms will be getting large enough to need the room. Once the toms are done, resow lettuce. I won't be able to turn 16,000-17,000 square feet into an acre, but I should get about 3/5 of an acre out of it.

On a side note - I'm trying to grow a Dwarf Cavendish in a DWC hydro system. It started out gang-busters but has slowed tremendously and the outer edges of the leaves are turning yellow. It's just an experiment - I have a 125-watt LED panel providing the light. It has massive roots. Hopefully, it is just going through its slow phase. I transplanted it at the end of September.

I would like to learn how to germinate banana seeds. I have tried just about every way possible - freezing them, sticking them in a humidifier, paper towels, rockwool, potting mix, Oasis Horticubes, with lights, without lights! Would you believe two out of probably 300 seeds have actually germinated!

Mike

[lorax]

If your DCav is yellowing, there are two issues: one is light (DCs love to have high light levels), and the other is Nitrogen. Bananas are extremely hungry creatures, and it's a good idea to fertilize weekly with a medium N to high PK ratio and a good balance of trace minerals (in particular, Manganese, which bananas are heavier on than most other plants.) The roots are definitely going to be absolutely gigantic - in soil as in hydro, the plant builds a really large corm to support the current fruiting plant (the mother) as well as the offshoots (pups).

Banana seeds are easy! Suck on them for 5 minutes or so (the amylase in your saliva helps to activate them - seeded bananas are peculiarly adapted to being eaten, then passed), then soak them in water with 2-3 drops of hydrogen peroxide for 24-48 hours. Discard anything that floats - it's bad seed. Then seal them in ziplock baggies with no medium at all, just a squirt of water, and throw them on your heat mat or at the back of your fridge on the top. Check them weekly for sprouts (the water will turn brown, but don't be alarmed by that) and to make sure they don't dry out. Light doesn't seem to be a factor.

For all but the rarest types, you'll get about 80% germination this way in 3-6 weeks. Transplant them when the tap root is well developed. I'll take a look - I think that No. 1 of the current volume of Bananas Quarterly has an article on it with good photos of how the seeds should look at each step of the process. I'll do some page captures and post them later.

[lorax]

OK, found the germination guide.

[wordwiz]

Lorax,

Thanks for the guide. Maybe I have not been giving them enough time, though last winter they probably had close to three months (in potting mix, though).

I have a few seeds left, I might as well try this method.

Mike