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Gary350
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Re: pepperhead212's 2020 garden

Vanisle_BC wrote:
Sun Sep 20, 2020 12:42 pm
Pepperhead, is there something 'different' about the pictures you post? They are painfully slow to load on my machine - admittedly not on he cutting edge of speed, but other pictures come up quite smartly. Are yours very large files (I don't think so) or transmitted through a proxy sever?
Download 1 of Pepperhead pictures to your computer then check see what size it is. Often all you need to do is put mouse pointer on the photo then wait a few second size will show up in small numbers. If picture size does not show up then go in the back door. Click yellow envelope at bottom of windows, find photo, mouse pointer on jpg file will tell you photo size. Next download a faster picture to your computer then check see what size it is. Compare the 2 sized. Larger numbers means it will take longer to load on your computer.

It can also be download rate from flickr is speed regulated.
Last edited by Gary350 on Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Vanisle_BC
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Pepperhead, that's thoughtful; saving forum space by loading pictures from elsewhere. I did wonder if you were using flickr or some such service. I don't think your picture files are very big; If too big the forum would refuse them. I zoomed one of them and the sharpness fell off quite quickly, which I thought to indicate a small file; but maybe I picked a bad example.

Gary, I'm quite accustomed to manipulating images but I see no obvious way to download Pepperhead's pictures or view their properties - file size etc.. I don't subscribe to flickr. Anyway it's no big deal but sometimes I get fed up watching pictures gradually load a line or two at a time and I just log out. Such is the level of impatience in the internet age! :bouncey:

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Gary350
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Vanisle_BC wrote:
Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:30 pm
Pepperhead, that's thoughtful; saving forum space by loading pictures from elsewhere. I did wonder if you were using flickr or some such service. I don't think your picture files are very big; If too big the forum would refuse them. I zoomed one of them and the sharpness fell off quite quickly, which I thought to indicate a small file; but maybe I picked a bad example.

Gary, I'm quite accustomed to manipulating images but I see no obvious way to download Pepperhead's pictures or view their properties - file size etc.. I don't subscribe to flickr. Anyway it's no big deal but sometimes I get fed up watching pictures gradually load a line or two at a time and I just log out. Such is the level of impatience in the internet age! :bouncey:
I did a test. You can right click any photo on the forum it will show you photo size. No need to download pics to your computer. Large pics load slower than smaller pictures. My piece of junk computer is so slow I sometimes have plenty of time to go pee, when I return photos have loaded.

Vanisle_BC
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Gary350 wrote:
Sun Sep 20, 2020 7:43 pm
I did a test. You can right click any photo on the forum it will show you photo size.
Not with Pepper's pictures on my system. They are links to flickr, not downloaded files whose properties can be viewed.

But ultimately it's no big deal. I was just curious why they behave differently than the other pictures I see on the forum. Now I know.

Gary, (or anyone) what's your response to my query about basil cuttings that are wanting to flower?

pepperhead212
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@Vanisle I always try to take cuttings w/o the flowers starting. I was just out yesterday, looking for some of those, and its hard sometimes!
ImageClones perked up in just a day. 9-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Those squash are putting out an incredible number of blossoms this year! As always, these are a favorite harvest of mine. Here's what I got on 9-22, my 3rd batch of them:
Image45 squash blossoms, cleaned and spun dry, removing over 1/4 c of water. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And today I harvested 37 more squash blossoms, after getting the 45 just 3 days ago! I wasn't even going to look at them, but I was spray painting something outside that I had to wait a few minutes between coatings, so I just went out and noticed all those full sized ones already there, so I grabbed a pot, and snipped them all. I saw a good number of females, with small squash again, and those ones from Tuesday were much larger now. The flowers were really covered with some sort of bugs this time; what didn't scare off, is down the drain now.
Image37 more squash blossoms in just 3 days! 9-25 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The first harvest I made into a taco filling - a favorite thing to do with them. Tuesday I fried just 6 of them - I limit myself, as I could eat the entire batch! :o The rest I just chop up, and sauté in a little oil for about 4 minutes, then Foosaver them, to use in the winter, in soups or taco fillings. This will be my 4th batch in the freezer.
ImageThe rest of the squash blossoms, chopped up and cooked down for about 4 minutes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

imafan26
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I generally use my produce fresh and I have a canner, but haven't really used it. Finding mason jars has been an adventure lately. Its like going on safari. There were no jars for a while. Now, I can find jars but they are not the right size. Then, finding lids and rings are another story.

I don't usually freeze vegetables from the garden, but it is another option. I am also starting to dry peppers. Actually, it is either do that or let them drop. Many of the peppers are already drying on the tree.

Normally, I grow fresh herbs and vegetables because I want them, well, fresh!

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@Imafan, You're lucky to be able to grow fresh foods all the time! Some things I simply can't eat canned, though I was brought up on them (beans, brussels sprouts, broccoli, to name a few), and many are not really great frozen, though those can be used in some ways. And some herbs are good dried - oregano is actually better, IMO, and fresh doesn't seem to have any flavors that are lost, when dried, like in many herbs, such as parsley and basil. Bay leaves are good dried, but delicious and totally different, when fresh; sage and rosemary are other herbs like this, all of which I grow fresh. I started hydroponics so that I could have herbs fresh all year - especially basils, as there is nothing like having fresh! And some things, like kaffir lime leaves (which I have to bring indoors very soon, due to cold weather!), are so intense when taken right off the tree, I found out I had to reduce the number in the recipes, which were not designed with fresh cut. Not everyone is as obsessed with herbs as I am, but it is nice to have these things ready any time I want them!

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I have California Bay leaf and Laurus nobilis. The California Bay leaves are one more commonly found in spice bottles. It is actually not related to true bay leaf and is in the myrtle family. It has a stronger flavor. Bay leaves and dill are the only two herbs that are better dried than fresh. Most herbs lose flavor and aroma when they are dried.

You must have different Thai recipes than I do. All of my recipes call for fresh chilies, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, lemon grass and basil leaves. I used to be able to make a great Thai meal anytime by going out to get the spices and herbs from the yard. I can't grow sweet basil anymore so I have to use kaprao thai basil, sweet basil, or mint which changes the taste of the recipes. I have galangal root, but it is really hard to harvest so I usually substitute regular ginger. It is easier to harvest and I usually have a bottle of preserved ginger in the frig for regular use already cleaned and cut into thumb sized pieces

I like rosemary when we grilled chicken. We would throw the fresh rosemary sprigs just picked off the bush onto the charcoal and we'd get rosemary smoked chicken. Biting into burnt rosemary is not so nice, but rosemary smoke is a winner.

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What I meant about the Thai recipes not being designed with "fresh cut" is that unless the chef or cookbook author has a kaffir lime tree at their disposal, even though they are using fresh, it was not cut right then - sometimes frozen, or simply several days old, by the time it got to them. I've made so many ingredients with it Thai food, I've gotten to where I can sort of tell what goes into that size and type of dish, much like chiles. Hard to imagine too much kaffir lime flavor, it is so good, but it can happen.

The bay tree I have is Laurus nobilis - the Mediterranean bay leaf, which I like better than the California bay, which I also grew years ago, when it was the only one available in my area.

I agree with the dill being good dried, but it also doesn't keep as well as some herbs, probably due the fine, frond like leaves. I plant a lot of dill, not so much because I use a lot (one cuisine that uses it in large amounts is that of Laos), but black swallowtails love it! It serves as sort of a magnet for them, and keeps them off my parsley!

An herb that I grow that is very good fresh or dried is marjoram, which is very easy to grow, being a species of the Origanum genus, and oregano can become invasive, in some areas! It is supposedly cold sensitive, so I would take a cutting, and keep it alive over the winter, just in case the cold kills it, but it comes back, larger each season! Another in this genus that is also very good, which I got from Richter's Herbs, is the Syrian Oregano, a.k.a. Thyme Scented Oregano, which I find much easier to use than stripping those tiny leaves off thyme! It also dries well, and comes back yearly, with a vengeance! I planted it behind my shed in case it spread, like oregano. Both of these herbs are great for attracting pollinators, as they start flowering early, and unless I cut them off, they flower well into the heat of the summer.

I used to harvest the green epazote, that grows as a weed out back, but once I found that red Oaxacan epazote, I've been growing it ever since! The flavor is even better, and that's one of the things I put in the hydroponics, for the off season - one of the cuttings in my cloner now. That stuff grows so fast that I have to trim it frequently, and I take it up to the local Mexican grocery/restaurant, and give it to the owner. He loves it when he sees me with a bag in my hand - either this, or excess chiles of mine. He gives me breaks on things I get there, for my cooking.

I got my DW hydroponics tubs in, with the I initial nutrients added - after a day with the aeration, to lose the chlorine, I'll add some of mycorrhizae powder, and a piece of the mosquito "dunk", to prevent the fungus gnats, then I'll tweak the nutrients. I just put some of the coarse coir to soak, to use in the baskets where I'll be planting seeds, rather than cuttings.

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pepperhead212 wrote:
Sat Sep 26, 2020 10:50 pm
.....Syrian Oregano, a.k.a. Thyme Scented Oregano, which I find much easier to use than stripping those tiny leaves off thyme!
Pepperhead; Syrian Oregano sounds great: In the past I've unsuccessfully searched online for a large-leaf thyme. Like you I get frustrated stripping those tiny leaves. Now this looks like a good alternative. I'm puzzled though; SeedAholic says it's also called Za'atar and it's hardy to 10F (-12C) but my regional seed supplier says Za'atar is only hardy in zones 9-10. Doesn't sound right - what's your experience?

Edited to add: Now I looked up Richter's and it gets more confusing. Za'atar could be either the plant 'Syrian Oregano' or the name of a particular herb/spice mixture that includes it. Then there is more than one Syrian Oregano and THE culinary one is protected in Israel so maybe unobtainable??

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So you did see it on Richter's, and see the difference. The one I have is the one they said was only hardy in zones 8-10. Yet it has come back through 2 winters here, the first one down to 8° twice, which the rosemary I got from them - Hill Hardy - was also resistant to. I still took cuttings from that, and the marjoram, in case they didn't make it, but both had no problems. I covered them with a little straw, but nothing major. I want to try that za'atar, too, but they were out of it that year, when I ordered.

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That's encouraging information; thanks Pepperhead.

Richter's site talks about 2 kinds but it looks as if they only sell one; and they don't offer seeds. Did you buy a plant? I can get seeds called Syrian Oregano from a pretty reliable company here in BC - wonder if they're the same.

Do you save seed from yours? Might be a bit iffy, if there are other related types around.

pepperhead212
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I'll check mine - there should be some dried up seed heads on them.

Update: I got seeds!

Usually, when I see that the flowers on these things are starting to dry up, I take the weedwacker and give them a buzz cut, just snipping the seed heads off, so more energy will go to foliage growth the rest of the season. Of course, there will be some I missed, or later flowers, but I get most of them! I just found two more still on their way to drying, but I found one totally browned!

Here's that fairly large plant:
ImageSyrian Oregano 9-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's one seed head turning color, but not drying yet, and a small piece of a dried one to the right:
ImageSeed head on the Syrian Oregano, 9-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the dried one I found - I'm sure there there's more.
ImageFound a dried seed head on the Syrian Oregano! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got about 1/2 tsp of seeds from that:
ImageSeeds from the Syrian Oregano, 9-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I don't have any reason to think that these aren't viable, but I put a few of them in an empty section in one of my Jr Earthboxes just to see - I'll let you know. Since Richter's doesn't offer seeds to it, I wonder if that "Syrian" oreagano offered elsewhere is actually Za'atar, but called that because of the species name - Origanum syriacum?

Hopefully these don't cross with the marjoram - it's about 60 feet away, but the oregano is behind the shed.
ImageClump of marjoram, with some alyssum flowers in there. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Vanisle_BC
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Pepperhead, neat that you have seed. It will be interesting to see if it's viable, and what grows from it. If it's been promiscuous maybe you can develop "Pepperhead's Syrian" :).

Thanks for the photos too. They loaded promptly here. Did you change the way you post them?

If you take the notion to send me some seed, please do! I believe it's quite legal to send it cross-border. I could send something in return, but most of what I grow is pretty ordinary. Hmm.. I do have a part sheet of decades-old US stamps I have no use for - probably worth all of $5.

pepperhead212
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I think it's only $1.20 for a letter to Canada, unless it's gone up, since I was working! lol Hopefully they will sprout, and be true, and I'll be able to send you some!

I didn't change my photo posting at all. No idea why it would be slow sometimes, but not others.

Vanisle_BC
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pepperhead212 wrote:
Sun Sep 27, 2020 10:07 pm
I think it's only $1.20 for a letter to Canada, unless it's gone up
Haha, everything goes up just about every 2 days. There was a time I could fill my VW Beetle - at Canadian gas prices! - and get change from 5 dollars :roll:

Meantime thanks for your response to my 'invitation to offer.' I'll be interested to hear what happens with your seed.

Alexander.

pepperhead212
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I got my two deepwater hydroponics systems set up last week, and got the nutrients tweaked, and added some mycorrhizae and a small amount of mosquito dunk (to prevent fungus gnats). So last weekend I got some coir in the baskets I'd plant seeds in, and my cloner set up for things I start cuttings for, and hopefully, they'll root. Turns out, most rooted in 4 or 5 days, though some just starting. Surprisingly, the Thai basil rooted best, though this is still early. And no sign of roots on peppermint cuttings.
ImageCloned Thai Siam Queen Basil, after about 4 days. 10-01 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageCloned Serrata basil, 10-01 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageCloned Gecofure Basil, 10-01 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageCloned Red Epazote, 10-01 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

These have to get much larger, to transplant to the hydroponics.

Today I dug up a parsley plant - I rinsed the dirt off, then rinsed the plant with an H2O2 solution. Then I soaked the roots briefly in a rooting solution, then put it in the hydroponics.
ImageParsley, going to the hydroponics, 10-01 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

ImageParsley, set in the hydroponics clay pellets, 10-01 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I planted some seeds in the coir baskets; some greens that I always grow, like lettuce and mizuna, and some herbs - cilantro, Chinese parsley (leaf celery), and a couple I had old seeds for: hoja santa, and summer savory. Not even sure there would any viable in these last two, but I'd try. The mizuna is pretty old, too, but it was the first to germinate in 3 days! The youngest lettuce was up in 4 days, and the older one is just beginning to poke through.
ImageSome really old Mizuna seeds sprouting in 3 days! 10-01 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I didn't like the floating styrofoam holders for the baskets these last two years, so I went back to the solid plexiglass, like I use for the larger one.

pepperhead212
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I got 3 more trash cans of garden trash out for them today. Okra plants all pulled, and a few pepper plants. And I severely trimmed the bay laurel and the two kaffir lime trees, as always, getting ready to bring them in for the cold season. When I get them up on the table, at eye level, I will trim a little more, but I got most of it today.

Need any bay leaves?! (rofl)
ImageTrimmed bay leaves, 10-4 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here are the plants before trimming:
ImageTwo kaffir limes and the bay laurel, before trimming, 10-04 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here are the trimmed trees - I have to trim that rosemary behind them, too!
Image3 severely trimmed plants, getting them ready to go inside for the cold season. 10-4 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

pepperhead212
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I got two of my plants indoors today - the curry tree and bay laurel - mainly because it is going to rain hard, and I've let them "lighten up", to carry inside! I also rolled the other two, more heavy plants, inside on the back porch, to prevent them from getting totally soaked, and even difficult to move when I get a helper!

Yesterday I tweaked the trimming of these plants, so no branches are growing on top of each other, and I sprayed them all, along with the soil, as well as the fabric pot, with some neem oil. Then today, I soaked the soil and fabric with an orange oil solution. It dried up quickly, with that wind! When I brought them in, and set them in their trays, I made up a solution Bt isaraelensis - originally for mosquitoes, but I use it to kill fungus gnat larvae, in pots and hydroponics. I poured a half gallon in the top of each pot. After this, I made another gallon, but using one of my hydroponics vegetative growth fertilizers. They sucked all up quickly, since I had not watered for quite a while, so I'll be adding even more.

It already started raining, so I got this done just in time!

pepperhead212
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pepperhead212 wrote:
Sun Sep 27, 2020 3:33 pm
I'll check mine - there should be some dried up seed heads on them.

Update: I got seeds!

Usually, when I see that the flowers on these things are starting to dry up, I take the weedwacker and give them a buzz cut, just snipping the seed heads off, so more energy will go to foliage growth the rest of the season. Of course, there will be some I missed, or later flowers, but I get most of them! I just found two more still on their way to drying, but I found one totally browned!

Here's that fairly large plant:
ImageSyrian Oregano 9-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's one seed head turning color, but not drying yet, and a small piece of a dried one to the right:
ImageSeed head on the Syrian Oregano, 9-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's the dried one I found - I'm sure there there's more.
ImageFound a dried seed head on the Syrian Oregano! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got about 1/2 tsp of seeds from that:
ImageSeeds from the Syrian Oregano, 9-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I don't have any reason to think that these aren't viable, but I put a few of them in an empty section in one of my Jr Earthboxes just to see - I'll let you know. Since Richter's doesn't offer seeds to it, I wonder if that "Syrian" oreagano offered elsewhere is actually Za'atar, but called that because of the species name - Origanum syriacum?

Hopefully these don't cross with the marjoram - it's about 60 feet away, but the oregano is behind the shed.
ImageClump of marjoram, with some alyssum flowers in there. by pepperhead212, on Flickr
Another update - I tried some of those Syrian oregano seeds twice, and nothing seemed to germinate. So I figured that I'd try the petri dish method, and put some on some damp paper towels in one of those, but when I looked closely at what I put in there, with a 15x eye loupe, I didn't see any seeds - just what seemed like dried flowers. So maybe those things are sterile! But I went out and found a dried flower head on my marjoram, and broke that open, to see what that looked like, and I didn't see anything that looked like seeds in there, either, so maybe the minute seeds are stuck to the flowers. So I'll attempt to sprout what I have in that petri dish, and I'll look at the rest of those dried flowers, from the Syrian oregano, and see if anything looks like seeds.

pepperhead212
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I never did get one of those Syrian oregano seeds to germinate. Must be a sterile plant, and is only propagated by cuttings, or dividing.

I brought in my mason bee house today - I was remembered to do it because I left myself a note, late last night - the usual time I would think about it! It was soaked out there (another 2"+ rainfall last night), and it was very windy, but I was only out there for maybe 3 minutes! I only got 5 cocoons out of it, but I'll try again next year.

I trimmed my kaffir lime trees, since the smallest had grown all the way up to the ceiling! Doesn't take them long to get overgrown.
ImageTrimmed kaffir lime branches, 12-5, after growing indoors for about 7 weeks. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

imafan26
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Nice leaves. Are you going to make thai chile paste or freeze them?

pepperhead212
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Those leaves have incredible aroma, but, unfortunately, those went into the trash - I don't have anyone around to give them to, or any Asian markets that will take them, like I have with the epazote and curry leaves, when I trim them (those store managers love seeing me coming in with a plastic bag!). And no reason to freeze them, when I have them fresh, whenever I need them.



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