Applestar’s 2023 Garden

[applestar]

I think we had maybe 2~3 inches of rain. All the puddles are likely to freeze overnight — around 28°F by morning.

That’s likely to be more of a problem….

[applestar]

Some peppers are initially overwintered so they can finish maturing and fully ripening the fruits before harvesting and prepping for a period of winter dormancy.

I think I’ll harvest that last off-color, red Chocolate Cake X today.

And the peppers on the two Goldfish X plants have started to color up. They won’t get red like normal Fish peppers. I feel like the pods are slightly more elongated and narrower than “normal” too.

…These may actually be crossed with orange-fruited Giant Sweet Devil’s Horn. I haven’t been able to tell if any characteristic of significance has shown up in the saved seed offspring generations to indicate one way or the other. (To review, I planted Fish var. Goldfish sport plants in closely spaced row with Giant Sweet Devil’s Horn so the branches intermingled while blooming and fruiting.) I’m not sure if I kept good enough records to indicate how many Filial generations these have reached.

[Gary350]

I think I’ll harvest that last off-color, red Chocolate Cake X today.

What do red chocolate cake peppers taste like? A year ago I saw red chocolate peppers at the garden store but did not buy them. This summer I looked for red chocolate peppers but no one was selling them. I might grow some if it is something we will actually eat.

[applestar]

I think “chocolate” mostly refers to the brown color and not necessarily sweetness. Someone else may have wider experience with the chocolate colored bells and which variety might be sweeter.

Any fully colored pepper has more complex flavor than green. But some become sweeter and others are spicier. Some bell peppers are bred for increased sweetness preferred for snacking (they are often called “snackers” but tend to be smaller fruited I think? — my current focus is to find productive, larger fruited thick walled bells for stuffing that grow well for me, so I haven’t researched SWEET as criteria as much…. )

I think MANY grocery store peppers like tomatoes are bred for longer shelf life and bloated waterlines to emphasize thicker walls but actually have bland, diluted flavor. (I think most peppers sold for harvesting GREEN tend up fall in this category since they are not grown for the full colored characteristics.)

I suspect good locally grown farm markets and Amish farm markets would have better fully colored peppers when they are in season — later in summer and fall.

I haven’t explored many pepper varieties yet because I’m still trying to learn to grow them better — for me, these are not as easy as tomatoes to grow. We have increasing list of tomato varieties that are returning favorites.

[applestar]

I did manage to get outside yesterday, but only after a hard negotiation with myself resulting in
1) NOT changing into gardening clothes but just wearing boots and regular going out winter jacket (NOT gardening winter jacket) over my indoor lounging outfit, and restricting myself to going out by the FRONT DOOR.
2) ONLY stated purpose for going outside were (A) to pick up and re-secure the 3 large clips that had been blown off during a windy storm some days ago. This overlaps side and front sidelight panels of the Sunflower Hoophouse and holds closed one corner against drafts — the interior VS. exterior temp differences had been minimal since they had come off. (B) Cover the open path side of the broccoli and cauliflower bed for additional protection.

I grabbed 3 smallish cover materials that might be usedul from the back door bag of gardening goodies and hoped for the best.


…As it turned out, one of those materials was a perfectly sized vented poly, so I used that for the brassicas. And there was a piece of heavy 6 mil greenhouse poly that wasn’t really good for anything, but I opted to drape it on some supports over the tall Aspabroc to hopefully help keep it a little bit warmer., and tied closed the front/path side of the lightweight cover. (I didn’t have ANY clips or ties that I normally would have had in my gardening jacket and work pants pockets). I left the extra-large/long insect mesh cover where it can stay dry inside the hoophouse. I may have use for it later (really good for wind break as well as for keeping more solid covers from flappy off).

… I couldn’t harvest the biggest head of broccoli I had planned to harvest “next time” … because I DIDN’T BRING ANY TOOLS.


Once I was outside of the Sunflower Hoophouse, I realized the topmost floating cover for the low tunnels must have flapped around as well, and clips were on the ground and one whole side had been blown aside. So I fixed that.


…And then I broke from the considering I had set myself and did a “quick look” around the back yard, planning to exit from the gate on the other side of the house.

AS IT TURNED OUT, the Patio Hoophouse front door flap was somehow UNZIPPED and blown open and stuck in that position, leaving it side open.

I have not memory of forgetting to zip it closed last time I was out, but that was the rainy day, so maybe I really did. I went in a looked around but didn’t immediately see anything missing or disturbed. I don’t have any plants in there now because the patio doesn’t get any direct sun this time of the year — the sun angle is way too low.


Once back inside, my DD1 jokingly speculated that it was the RACCOONS. They figured out how to operate the zipper….

I have no pictures because — of course — I didn’t take my phone outside with me. That was one of the conditions to limit my activity.


This morning, the outside garden low went down to 26°F, but it only went down to 29°F inside the Sunflower Hoophouse.

~~~~~

BTW, my gardening clothes includes Carhart double front panel heavy duty dungarees with two thigh pockets on one side and one on the other with a tool loop, heavy duty pockets and REAL 5th pocket that I can put my whole hand in instead of the teeny decorative “coin” pocket that only holds chump change that you fish out with fingertips. The double front panel over the knees means the knees don’t stretch out and rip, and keeps my knees protected and dry-ish when kneeling.

Warm weather and winter gardening jackets are hiking jackets with multiple pockets, and winter jacket has a zip on vest so that whole thing can be used three ways (best, jacket, both). I need a new warm weather jacket that not only acts as a windbreaker but also is rainproof (this one used to be but whatever it had seems to have worn off and will just get completely soaked through.

[applestar]

Almost the end of the year!

Here are a few photos in a collage of recent progress in the Winter Indoor Garden —

Top Row
Left - unknown volunteer seedling that was allowed to grow for Winter Indoor cultivation. Just uppotted and will continue to live in front of the Cool Gang t12 vertical 4ft shoplight

Center — Zebra Plants that were group planted in a small bonsai tray. Looks cute.

Right — a mug-ful of harvested lettuce and mizuna

Center Row
Left — Mizuna and lettuce before harvesting, and kumquat next to it on the window bench below.

Right — Cool Gang area with snap peas just starting to bloom on near right, the same tomato as above below it at near left, seed-grown coffee plants, a seed grown citrus, Maid of Orleans jasmine, etc.

Bottom Row
Left — same snap pea vines with more blossoms

Right-top and bottom — my Christmas present for our kitty was to start some cat grass growing. There were mixed grain seed packs, but some were just wheatgrass, and since wheatgrass is much more popular and readily available = higher quality seeds, I decided to try these at first.

Top photo is basically 24 hours after starting the overnight soak and then periodical rinse and drain for the day— it already started to germinate.

Bottom photo is the next day after that — starting to sprout

(Today, they are under lights so can can grow green shoots.)

[applestar]

Outside, the garden is winding down. The daikon tunnel in VGC is toast. The massive aphid infestation completely threw off their schedule to grow as quickly as possible, and when the cold dips hit, they weren’t nearly as well-grown as they needed to be. I pulled the plug and harvested the tiny roots, and composted the sorry looking tops. I thought about taking apart the tunnel so I could re-allocate the material elsewhere, but I knew I didn’t have reserve energy needed — I wanted to take advantage of the mild temp to take care of some more cleanup around the garden.

The VG.SIP under a mini tunnel of simple protective layers had a thriving mess of Garden Cress, overwhelming a few intended crops. I decided to harvest the cress as winter greens and rescued the carrots and beets. I covered them with some old window screens to act as wind breaks for now. (Forgot to take a picture but I reallocated the hoops and covers and built a low tunnel over the garlic row in VGA )

Afterwards, I went over to the Sunflower Hoophouse to remove those extra layers I had put on them before Christmas.

It was a good thing too because the beautiful head of broccoli, which I again thought about waiting to harvest for “…maybe just a couple more days…” actually had developed grey mold that luckily I spotted just as I was about to leave.

It’s going to be warm — even 40’a overnights — until Friday. So I’m going to let them get some air circulation until then.

I made a pasta dish with the Garden Cress and leftover ham from yesterday.

[applestar]

The high tunnel hoophouse let’s me observe conditions regularly and allows me to take care of them without the tedious fuss of removing tightly closed up protective covers, plus the primary layer of insect mesh limits the constant menace of pest infestation. And even though not heated, the moderated overnight temperatures as well as the spikes of daytime highs especially when sunny even for a couple of hours — these are the lifelines keeping them going past the sudden dips into killing freeze, even if we ARE having unusually warm temperatures so far. I estimate that the climate inside is staying at least one USDA zone warmer.


Went out in the garden yesterday to put the additional layers back over the still-thriving brassicas in the Sunflower Hoophouse (SFHH). The cabbages and broccoli’s could continue to increase in size as well as develop side shoots as long as they are not exposed to extreme chill/freeze.

I began by removing and cleaning up yellowed and deteriorating leaves as usual. Due to finding grey mold last time as well as heavy rain from day before saturating the ground and flooding into the pathway, I also removed less affected but beginning to spot still-green leaves, leaving everything looking perfectly healthy

During one of the trips past it to the compost pile, I used the iPhone camera to “peek” under the daikon/turnip low tunnel covers and, seeing a couple of turnips, reached under to harvest — I ended up with salad turnips and a purple mini daikon. Also harvested bigger leaves of komatsuna from the adjacent bed.

Inside the SFHH, the largest mini napa, that about a month ago I had gathered up the outer leaves and bundled closed with a jute string, had fully headed up (just as described by a market farmer and a share garden adviser in videos). I didn’t have the chance yesterday, but I want to do this with all of the others that still have the potential to finish heading up.

I harvested all broccoli shoots that were big enough to eat. Noted that two more broccoli heads have started to form (nickel to quarter size for now), so the extra vented poly and fleece will hopefully keep them warmer to continue to develop.

[applestar]

Mizuna (and lettuce) found the pocket of fertilizer — turning into a monster over the past week. Time to harvest outermost big leaves — probably will add to New Year’s day morning soup tomorrow

…The only kumquat looks almost ready. How do you tell when they should be harvested? …Wait until they come off when poked? hold between fingers and see if slight pressure will “give”?

Maybe I can put it on top of a mochi tower….

[applestar]

We ate that full-sized Greek Sweet Red squash that fell off while still green way back when.

It didn’t turn color except for some yellowish streaks which to me indicated it won’t cure enough to keep long. It weighed 2077g (4.58 Lbs).

~ The other ones that were allowed to develop fully to maturity on the vine have been cured in the same warm dry space and turned buff color (like butternut squash). ~

I adapted from a kabocha recipe — Scrub skin, halve and scoop out seed cavity. Cut into chunks, sautée on all sides, then turn skin side down and add water so bottom half of each chunk is under water. Cover and heat to boiling. Reduce to simmer and add some sugar, salt, and a splash of soy sauce (I used coconut amino). Cover again and rapid simmer but gently until fully cooked. Yummy!

Saved the neck part for another recipe.