pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

Re: pepperhead212's 2019 garden

Besides all the stuff with the raised bed, I harvested a few tomatoes, eggplants, and some more of those long beans - those increase daily, and I got 20 of them today, which was just over 10 oz. However, I did not harvest a single pepper today! :o Not because they weren't there, but because I had nowhere to put them! Tomorrow, I'll harvest those, and there will be a lot. Here's what I got today:

ImageA few larger tomatoes, and a single layer of sunsugars underneath. 9-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Image2 qts of cherry tomatoes, 4 eggplants, and 20 Thai Long Red Beans. 9-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

With the raised bed I thought of something else to help fill it with - a large amount of coir, which I bought from Earthbox, way back when they realized that coir does not keep its wicking capability, like peat, as it basically composts. So they sold a bunch of it at an incredible clearance, and I stocked up on it. The first layer was some compost and coir, and the next layer was some mix from some old SIPs, which I had to empty this year, as the plastic is falling apart (made it through the year, but it wouldn't make it through another). I'll only use Rubbermaid from now on! Anyway, I soaked the compressed blocks of coir, then put some in my compost tumbler with the compost, then with the SIP mix, totally mixing them up, then putting it in the bed. I also put a layer of cardboard, which will eventually break down, over the bottom soil, and then the top soil mixes - I figure this might help slow weeds from coming from the bottom soil. The water goes through easily, since the cardboard is in pieces.
ImageA layer of cardboard layed over the bottom soil, then a layer of about 2 cu ft each of compost and coir, mixed together. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageAnother layer added to the bed, about 4 cu ft of old SIP mix, and 3 cu ft of coir. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

SQWIB
Greener Thumb
Posts: 970
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:21 am
Location: Zone 7A - Philadelphia, PA

I don't know if I get more excited with the plants or the raised beds, lol, everything looks great.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

Another large pepper picking! As I figured they would, the chocolate habaneros became the largest producer, despite being the slowest to start. It is an indeterminate pepper, and it just keeps producing until frost, so there will be a bunch of green ones still there, like the tomatoes. Red savina is determinate, which is why it got that huge number of flowers again a couple of weeks ago, after producing more in the beginning.
ImageThe hot habaneros - Chocolate, Red Savina, and Gold Bullets 9-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Jyoti is another indeterminate; again, not as fast in the beginning, but now they keep getting more ripe ones every time, and there are peppers of all different sizes.
ImageJyoti 9-11 Not as many as other times, but still loaded with unripes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Thai Vesuvius is a determinate pepper, getting a huge number of peppers at about the same time, ripening is over a short period, then they produce another flush of flowers. Now, I'm getting the second batch, which are just starting to ripen, but I pick the full sized green, and freeze them, for Indian, Thai, and other dishes calling for greens. And this is also when I freeze some red ones, for the SE Asian recipes calling for fresh ripe chiles. Drying the early crops and freezing the later crops has them frozen for less time.
ImageJalafuego, Hanoi Market, Green Thai, a few Red Thais, and Aji Dulce 9-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Mosquetero Ancho seems indeterminate, as well, and has a huge number of peppers of all sizes. They are sort of small, for poblanos, but they have much thicker flesh than others I've grown. I might try to grow them 3 weeks earlier next year, to get them started earlier.
ImagePoblanos, Aleppos, and just a few Longhorns 9-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

It's all good, @pepperhead! Real nice!

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I got the rest of the soil/coir mix in the bed, at least what I have. Now I'll have to buy some, though not much, fortunately. I also cleaned out those SIPs that I got the soil mix out of. Fortunately, the fertilizer I put in those things I always put in a "brewing sock" - a tip I got from the Earthbox forum when I started, where you get a long piece of fabric they put spices, and various things in when brewing, and tie up both ends. This way, the fertilizer wasn't mixed with the soil, and I just removed what was left.

I saw all of those chocolate habaneros ripening out there, having just picked all those two days ago that I didn't even need(!), and I decided to take them up to the Mexican Grocer/Restaurant in town, and give them to the owner. I picked another 20 or so, and put them in a bag with the 40+ from two days ago, along with 9 or 10 red savinas, and took them up there. The owner knew that I had something for him, and his eyes lit up. I asked him if he likes habaneros, and he got a funny look on his face, and started chuckling, as if to say "You have to ask?" And looked in the bag, and couldn't believe all those peppers! I told him about the varieties, and the heat in them, and he said he'd try them later, after they close, and "treat the guys in the kitchen", which he said with sort of a devilish grin on his face.

Before I could ask, he told me that the tomatillo plants I gave him did great - I grew a six pack of plants, but only needed two, so he got two green and two purples. He lives upstairs of the place, and has a small garden out on the roof - like Bayless, though nowhere near the size.

I got my usual things - some corn tortillas, some Mexican cheese, and some canned chipotles. He gives me the "employees price" when he rings it up. Same type of thing I do with all those extra curry leaves, at the Indian grocer. Too bad I don't have a Thai grocer, where I could take all those kaffir lime leaves, which I have to trim soon, to bring them inside.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I harvested some more beans, okra, and a few okra, and as usual, a bunch more peppers! I took some more peppers to the Mexican grocery today, this time the peppers without much heat: aji dulce. The boss wasn't in the office, so I went back to the desk in the restaurant section, and asked if he was in the kitchen, and they said he had stepped out, and asked if they could help. I told him that I had moe chiles to give him, and his eyes lit up, and he said "Ooooooohhh, you're that guy that grows these things!" He said that he had some samples of the things I had brought, and he hadn't had any chiles or epazote like that since back in Mexico. I told him that this time I brought some habaneros with an incredible habanero flavor, but almost no heat! He looked in the bag, and pulled out a small one, and popped it! He said "am I going to be sorry I did that?" And he kept chewing, and said that he couldn't believe that it had such an intense habanero flavor, but almost no heat, like I told him. He said that he hadn't even had a chile like that in Mexico! He called one of the cooks up from the kitchen to try it, and I think he thought he was getting played, and took a very small bite, at first, waiting to be killed I think! But he couldn't believe it, either. I told them that I use them for people that can't take the heat, but I want them to experience that flavor of habaneros.


I finished the raised bed today, getting the last soil mix into it, and the drip tape laid into it. Also, I got the pvc holders for those hoops pounded in - one of the hoops is installed, just to check, but I won't put the rest in until I'm ready to cover.
ImageFinished filling the bed! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageDrip tape installed. Ready to go for planting! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Looking good! That was really fun reaction from the Mexican grocery people. :D

Taiji
Greener Thumb
Posts: 921
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 3:19 am
Location: Gardening in western U.P. of MI. 46+ N. lat. elev 1540. zone 3; state bird: mosquito

Never knew there were so many pepper varieties! So little time!

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I didn't harvest much today, just more peppers (as usual!), but I trimmed a number of herbs, to get cuttings to put in my cloner (much faster than seed starting, when possible), to get ready for the indoor hydroponics, soon to be set up. I still had a basil in the cloner (I put a cutting in there, just in case the outdoor ones didn't have useable stems, w/o blossoms), along with a Syrian oregano, both of which formed considerable plants in just 5 weeks! I planted two more of the Syrian oregano plants outside, and both took off, but this one is even larger. Yet, the nutrients in that cloner aren't really for growing, and I never added more.
ImageA Syrian Oregano and Serrata Basil, both small cuttings after 5 weeks in cloner. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And here are all of the cuttings in the cleaned out cloner - Oaxacan epazote, 3 kinds of basil, and silver thyme:
ImageCloner re-stocked with cuttings 9-22, getting ready for the hydroponics. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

imafan26
Mod
Posts: 13961
Joined: Tue Jan 01, 2013 8:32 am
Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Looking great! I don't like habanero's or epazote much. Epazote smells like gasoline and habanero has that turpentine (gasoline) aftertaste. Epazote looks and grows like a weed. It does not smell or taste good by itself but it does relieve gas from the Mexican bean dishes.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

Here is one of the basil cuttings from the cloner, showing the roots formed in just 6 days!
ImageSerrata basil cutting 9-27, after 6 days in the cloner by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Today I harvested a bunch more peppers, and a few eggplants and tomatoes - the 11 oz Beefy Boy was the first tomato this size I've had in a long time! The blauhilde beans are producing fast, along with some of the green bush beans I planted in some buckets, when I pulled some tomatoes last month. The Thai long red beans are slower now, probably due to the cool nights. I'll get more next season, planting earlier.
ImageStill a few tomatoes and eggplants. 9-28 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageStill getting a bunch more peppers! 9-28 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I cut the Agribon to cover the raised bed, but it was very windy. Hopefully tomorrow will be good for it.

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

pepperhead212 wrote:I harvested some more beans, okra, and a few okra, and as usual, a bunch more peppers! I took some more peppers to the Mexican grocery today, this time the peppers without much heat: aji dulce. The boss wasn't in the office, so I went back to the desk in the restaurant section, and asked if he was in the kitchen, and they said he had stepped out, and asked if they could help. I told him that I had moe chiles to give him, and his eyes lit up, and he said "Ooooooohhh, you're that guy that grows these things!" He said that he had some samples of the things I had brought, and he hadn't had any chiles or epazote like that since back in Mexico. I told him that this time I brought some habaneros with an incredible habanero flavor, but almost no heat! He looked in the bag, and pulled out a small one, and popped it! He said "am I going to be sorry I did that?" And he kept chewing, and said that he couldn't believe that it had such an intense habanero flavor, but almost no heat, like I told him. He said that he hadn't even had a chile like that in Mexico! He called one of the cooks up from the kitchen to try it, and I think he thought he was getting played, and took a very small bite, at first, waiting to be killed I think! But he couldn't believe it, either. I told them that I use them for people that can't take the heat, but I want them to experience that flavor of habaneros.
You have me interested in the flavor or habaneros that are not hot. Did you buy plants or seeds? By what name are they sold? Flavor has me curious wish it was possible to describe flavor.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

@Gary, Habaneros (C. chinense) do have a unique and delicious flavor, and I've always felt sorry for those who couldn't eat the hot dishes that I make with them! The flavor is impossible to describe, but the aroma you know right when you smell one.

The one that I grew this year and last are aji dulce, dulce meaning sweet. This is not a usual aji peppers - they are Capsicum baccatum - and they taste and look like habaneros, with that intense habanero flavor! Some habaneros don't have as much flavor, and several years ago, something called habanada came on the market, but don't bother with it - almost no habanero flavor, IMO.

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

@Gary, Baker Creek offers seeds for a heatless Habanero.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

TomatoNut95 wrote:@Gary, Baker Creek offers seeds for a heatless Habanero.
That's the Habanada I referred to, with almost no habanero flavor.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I harvested a couple pounds of beans again today, but those long beans have stopped flowering. I think it has something to do with the shorter days - I had this happen with another long bean years ago.

Today I got my first hydroponics tub set up and filled - nothing in it yet, but the nutrients are all added, and ready for the plants. The ones that had hardly any roots yet, two days ago, when the seratta basil was rooting, are rooted now, and can go into the hydroponics.
ImageRed epazote cuttings, rooted after 7 days. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageGecofure cutting, rooted after 7 days. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageThai basil cutting, rooted after 7 days by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Image27 gal DW hydroponics, filled 9-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I got that hydroponics partly planted today. The rooted cuttings were done in my cloner - just 9 days and they got all these roots! I only planted one of the epazote rootings - I'll ask the guy at the Mexican grocery if he wants to try growing it in a pot, or if any of the other staff would want them. I planted all of the basils, and the best of each of the varieties I keep, and toss the others. I only need one of each, and even that's more than I can use!
Image3 epazote rootings. Only planting the best one in hydroponics. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageEpazote planted in hydroton by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageSerrata basil, ready to plant. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageGecofure basil, ready to plant. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageThai basil, ready to plant by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageHydoponics plantings, so far, 10-2-2019 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

Looking good, @pepperhead! Awesome cuttings! :)

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I've had irregular production from ancho/poblano peppers, but this year I got great results from a new hybrid variety - Mosquetero. It was a little slow - the Numex had full sized peppers when this started, but it is indeterminate, and has not stopped producing! I'll have them until frost. Next year, I might start it 3 weeks earlier, though I'll have to put them in larger pots.
ImageBig Jim and Mosquetero poblano 10-9 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The longhorn cayennes did fairly well, but were determinate; they had 3 flushes of peppers on each plant, but the intense heat of the summer seemed to slow them - they weren't heat lovers, like most of my peppers! I'm getting more now, despite the cool weather. These are just the ones with red, so far - the 2 plants are loaded with peppers, more than the second flush, in the hottest part of the summer.
ImageLonghorns 10-9 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got another flush of peppers on my Thai plants - they have a bunch of full sized green peppers on them again! I really don't need any more, but what I might do is dry them - I saw something recently, that answered a question of mine: what is referred to as "white chili powder", in some Indian recipes, is simply green chiles, dried up and ground!

I'm still getting a bunch of cherry tomatoes, and one variety - Pink Champagne - is producing an incredible number, after not doing well in the heat of the summer. It obviously doesn't like heat.

The okra is slowing to a crawl, with these cool nights. I have two pods on my best Little Lucy plant that I am saving for seeds - over 10" each, and I cut everything else off of it, to channel its energy to just those two pods.

Amazingly, I'm still getting a few bottle gourds and bitter melons. That bitter melon is a "white" variety, which is producing better than the green one, earlier on. I'm going to try to save seeds, but hopefully I didn't wait too long.

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

@pepperhead, you've grown poblanos? Tell me please, are they a mild pepper? Baker Creek made it sound like Poblano was milder than Anaheim.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

They are only about 1,000 SUs, so they are very mild. And when the two veins are removed, they are even milder - leaving almost no heat behind. I made a dish tonight with 7 of those poblanos I had, diced up, to a lb of meat, and 1 1/4 c rice, and there was almost no heat - I think the only heat was from the chorizo.

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

Great, thanks! I will put Poblano on my 2020 growing list! But are they thick-walled like bells and jalapenos? They'd probably require a longer amount of time to dry, whereas I burned my sweet bananas. :oops:

SQWIB
Greener Thumb
Posts: 970
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:21 am
Location: Zone 7A - Philadelphia, PA

TomatoNut95 wrote:Great, thanks! I will put Poblano on my 2020 growing list! But are they thick-walled like bells and jalapenos? They'd probably require a longer amount of time to dry, whereas I burned my sweet bananas. :oops:
They're a bit thinner but the easiest to roast and peel.
Image

Poblano (Roasted peeled) Green Bell, Jalapeno
Image

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

:D Thanks, guys! I'm gonna get some Poblanos for 2020!! :D

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I got two extra Oaxacan red epazote cuttings rooted (they are green leaves because of the lower light indoors), which I couldn't bring myself to throw away, so I potted them, and took them up to my friends, at the Mexican grocery, along with a couple dozen more ripe habaneros (I really don't need any more!). They were thrilled to get them, and they still can't believe that I have that stuff, since it's not available everywhere in Mexico, and it costs more, where they can find it. It is starting to drop the seeds out there - in past years, it hasn't re-seeded, like the old green stuff does, so I'm thinking the seeds might die from the cold - the reason I save some, just in case, though I usually just root some cuttings, to plant outside.
ImageLeftover epazote, 10-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageLeftover epazote potted up, to give to somebody. 10-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageEpazote, 10-11, just 9 days after planting in the hydro. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I might have harvested the end of my tomatoes today - still a few out there, but I might just pull the green ones and make some chutney, or something like that. Got another bottle gourd and bitter melon, and there are still a bunch of butternuts ripe and under-ripe, as well as a large number of blossoms on the plants, which I'll have to pull, to make something with.
ImageMisc harvests, 10-12, probably the end of the tomatoes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I set up my second hydroponics tub, after getting the cloner out of the way, and this one I planted with seeds, for greens. A couple of those were things I tried for the first time - pai tsai and Japanese spinach. I'll have 3 more spots open for greens when I pull 3 basil plants - only one of each is necessary, but I always plant two, and choose the best.
ImageSecond DW hydro setup, with 2 lettuces, mizuna, Japanese spinach, and pai tsai planted. 10-12 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageHydroponics, 10-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Something strange happened out there - an asparagus popped up, for the first time! This year is the first time I planted them, and I didn't think that the stalks came up until spring, but maybe I was wrong! One of the furry like plants had gotten quite large, so I went over to stake it up, and saw the stalk. Is this normal at this time? I took a photo, but it wouldn't focus on the stalk - the blurry part!
ImageAsparagus 10-12 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

SQWIB
Greener Thumb
Posts: 970
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:21 am
Location: Zone 7A - Philadelphia, PA

For Asparagus just let then do their thing.
Here are mine first year, I had a bunch of 3 year olds that up and died, don't know why.
Ill minimal harvest next year and on year 3 harvest a bit heavier, if they make it.
I wait till the green dies back and cut back to the ground, add a bit of compost and lightly mulch.

Image

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

Can asparagus grow in a large pot, 'cause that's the only way I'd ever get to grow any in this clay. :?:

User avatar
applestar
Mod
Posts: 30514
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)

Asparagus actually prefers clay I think? The development where my house sits used to be an asparagus farm.

According to the vegetable roots articles that have been referenced before, asparagus grow roots that go 15 feet deep.

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

15 feet deep!! Zowie! Seriously; asparagus prefers clay?? In that case, maybe asparagus might do good in my soil. Asparagus roots much be pretty strong.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

I wasn't planning on harvesting any asparagus for a couple of years, which is why this surprised me!

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

It looks good, @pepperhead! :)

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

Today I got 4 trash cans full of garden trash, when pulled all of my tomatoes, except for the 6 cherries, along with the eggplants. I left the one Neon that I bagged a blossom on, and the fruit is about 7 weeks old, so I assume it's ripe, but it hasn't turned yellow, like most varieties I've saved seeds from. I'll eventually save the seeds, and test some to see to see if they're viable.
ImageEnd of the tomatoes and eggplants. 10-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

That Polaris butternut is the best one I have ever grown, as always. So far I've gotten 10 from 2 plants, with 4 more full sized, half ripe, and a few little ones - they would keep producing in warmer areas! I only got 1 each from two Waltham butternuts, before they died.

ImageStill 4 full sized ones out there, not quite fully colored, plus 4 from before, from just 2 plants. 10-15 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Still a lot of peppers out there, many full sized, and many still growing. They won't come out until frost.

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

As I said, there were a lot of peppers still out there!

Today I cut down many pepper plants, and harvested all of the full sized peppers from them. I left the longhorns, red savinas, aji dulce, Hanoi markets, and Aleppos in, to let them ripen as many as possible.
ImageThird flush of Thai Vesuvius, showing all the peppers on one of the plants I cut down, 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageLast harvested of most varieties - a few of the cherries left 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageLast harvested of two Thai Vesuvius - 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageLast few Superchilis, and Thai longs 10-23 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Forgot the Aleppos. These are the ones I harvested, but there are at least this many full sized ones not ripe yet, and many more small ones.
ImageAleppos, 10-23, many more ripening. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

Polaris Butternut? Never heard of that one...what is the difference between it and Waltham? And what type of pepper is an Aleppos?

SQWIB
Greener Thumb
Posts: 970
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 9:21 am
Location: Zone 7A - Philadelphia, PA

pepperhead, can you give me some more info on your cherry peppers, hot/sweet, prolific. tasty when green? etc.
Also would they be good for making shooters

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

TomatoNut95 wrote:Polaris Butternut? Never heard of that one...what is the difference between it and Waltham? And what type of pepper is an Aleppos?
I get Polaris from Pinetree gardens - an F1 that produces 7 or 8 squash per plant, 3-5 lbs, up to 8 lbs. And they last longer than any I have grown, storing longer than a year, usually. Most varieties I have tried, right next to them, didn't produce as many, and would not store for nearly as long. I can only grow moschata, and have tried just about every butternut out there, and this is the best I have found. Very long vines, producing a lot of blossoms, which is another good thing to harvest.
SQWIB wrote:pepperhead, can you give me some more info on your cherry peppers, hot/sweet, prolific. tasty when green? etc.
Also would they be good for making shooters
Actually, those "cherries" were supposed to be Fresnos! I'm not sure what they really are. They are a little bitter when green, but sweeter when red, and maybe about the heat of halapeños. Not very productive, considering it's in an EB - it was also one of the latest, though eventually it started taking off. Still, not what I was looking for, and I won't be growing it again.

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

Ah, I wondered if that was a hybrid. Wow, what a keeper! I wish I could grow squash, summer or winter types, but no space in my garden. Is there such thing as a bush Winter squash that can grow in a pot?

pepperhead212
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2851
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b

My problem, when growing the bush types, which I tried for the smaller fruits, was that the squash did not store as long. One variety had squash that started softening in December!

User avatar
TomatoNut95
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 2069
Joined: Sun May 26, 2019 11:11 am
Location: Texas Zone 8

The one year I actually grew squash....attempted to grow squash that is....in my raised bed, the young fruits got botrytis mold. Is there something to prevent that? Like spreading straw or hay underneath the plants to prevent the fruits from getting dirty when it rains?



Return to “Vegetable Garden Progress + Photos & Videos”