jtammy, your memory is amazing. ..I posted on a gardening thread briefly last summer, but then I got caught up in..well........gardening. :-)
My B.S. is in Horticulture, and I did some work with the U of M Extension Service in Mn. but that was 30 years ago. So much as changed with chemicals, etc. since then.
I will report on compost temp. as soon as we get some warm weather..it will be interesting.
dgramie, I am sorry about your squash..you are so right about blossom end rot on tomatoes being caused by a watering problem..whether caused by Mother Nature or by our own hand, tomatoes are mostly water and very sensitive to watering fluctuations. Will have to do some research about blossom end rot on squash..I am not at all sure about what causes or what can be done. If memory serves me, it is a bacterial problem spread by the insects which are pollinating the flowers. I am mostly a flowers gal..SO does the veggies...
It is great to have this thread to bounce ideas around...I am fascinated by the different climates and challenges..not thrilled about the weather extremes, but I sure am learning about the different conditions we face.
Gatorgal, I will be interested to hear what those worms are, and whether they are a problem..you said "grub-like", which doesn't sound good...I hope you find out what they are! I know nothing is growing in my HOT compost, and underneath it are Nightcrawlers, which are great..just big Earth Worms, I guess, but have not clue what goes on in the south.
well unfortunately they aren't nightcrawlers...they are a grub of a beetle of some sort. But i feel pretty confident that i sifted thr the compost well and got them out. Hopefully none of them got into my garden.
Mary- would you recommend adding horse manure to my compose. I usually just use veggie/fruit waste, egg shells and coffee grounds. But i know manure can be good. My horse is routinely dewormed so i don't have to worry about internal parasites.
Hope everyone is doing well. My squash had two beautiful large blooms on them this am. So pretty i almost picked them LOL....but then i wouldn't have zuc LOL
gatorgal! Another bond..I have a horse, too! A beautiful Arabian gelding.
I do use horse manure in gardening; horse do-do is one of the best manures to use. I just incorporate the well-rotted stuff directly into the garden without putting it through the compost process, but however you do it, you will be rewarded with better plants. The limiting nutrient and secret to a fast-cooking compost pile is nitrogen, so however you add that, and certainly manure will do it, will help alot.
It is so cool to see everyone here searching for organic answers instead of reaching for the chemicals. In my days with the Extension Service all those years ago, 90% (at least) of the callers were wanting to know what to spray on to kill, cure, etc. I am so glad that has changed.
Other than some Poison Ivy killer (the stuff creeps up the bank from the lake and runners right into my garden!) and a little bit of Sevin dust on my Flowering Kale, and some Rose Defense spray, we are pretty much organic.
Am doing some Xeoscaping ..have to confess, and you will see later this year from my pics, I mostly do the perennials I like and water them as much as they love.
I've still got to get to the dump and get some compost so I can get my veggie garden going. I think winter maybe over and now we're pushing 100 deg. My neighbors behind me seem to be getting some sprouting. Ofcourse, if I plant mine, we'll have another frost over.
I was going to go to the dump tomorrow, but I haven't felt well today. I think EZ sent a hex out on me for picking on his Lakers. Everytime I got up I would get hot and dizzy and had to lay back down. Now I'm a day behind on the work I have to do around the house. Oh, does it ever end?
Last edited by Operator265; 06-19-2008 at 12:59 AM.
Well the basil is growing like crazy ... I'm so excited that I'll have enough for at least 2 large batches of pesto plus just some frozen fresh.
The 3 tomato plants are beginning to produce, even though they're not very big yet. I'm hoping for lots of tomatoes this year, since the grocery stores and restaurants are running scared. I might even put in a couple more and baby them through the hot weather so they'll produce in the fall. One reason to be thankful I live in the South is that longer growing season!
The bell peppers aren't producing yet, nor are the jalapenos.
I"m not sure what to do about the cukes ... I am going to have to put up trellis I think to support them.
thanks mary. I figured it would. I have a beautiful dun QH. We'll have to exchange horse pics one of these days LOL. I too am trying to be as organic/natural as can be. I originally was spraying my plants with an "organic" spray. But lately i haven't had too and am not going to. There a very nice large spider nest that has made its home right about my tomatoes. She seems to be doing her job well...so far i haven't seen any bugs (except trapped in her web). I'm not a big spider fan, but i think we have a nice symbiotic relationship right now. I'll leave her be if she keeps getting those pesky bugs. Mother nature at work is always good (:
Photo...my cukes are doing much better since the trellis. One of them was really looking like it was getting a fungus (due to water hitting the stem) but now it seems to really be taking off. I just used steady thick stakes and then did multiple layers of twine. Nothing fancy...next year i might build a trelis.
I'm really enjoying this thread...i love the exchange of ideas. I will have to check out the canning thread. I'm not sure if i've planted enough to have to can...but if so...great things to know!!!
Last edited by GatorgalstuckinGA; 06-19-2008 at 07:03 AM.
I had zuch out of the garden for breakfast...they were not affected at all by the blossom end rot. THe crooked neck appears to be growing good right now. Maybe the rot problem is about over.
I have 4 grape tomatoes ready to pick and i actually picked a bell pepper last night.
Has anyone ever ate squash blossoms??I had someone in 300+ talking about it. Might have to try it.LOL
debi
I tried the squash blossom for my mid morning snack.I took 2 large flowers and placed them in a skillet sprayed with pam. I let them wilt and slightly brown, then i place 1/2 peice of string cheese on top and then place it on a whole wheat shell. It was actually really good. I counted the calories in the shell and the cheese but surely just 2 blossoms dont have many calories.
Photochick_ i cant wait to see your recipes!!
debi
Whoa..never heard of eating Squash Blossoms..the problem is, then you don't get a squash..I wonder if you could do the same with Zucchini blosoms? There are enough of those!
Has anyone ever eaten young peas leaves? They are supposed to be a delicacy. Rabbits sure think so. I have a few plants to thin, am going to try it..have eaten them raw just to taste and they didn't seem like something to rave about. I have heard that restaurants serve them as a great delicacy..??
Here you go. Most recipes call for the blossoms to be breaded and fried, but this one broils them instead. I've used Feta, goat cheese, ricotta, or any soft and relatively mild cheese. You can even use cream cheese, although it melts faster and tends to get somewhat runny.
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20 very fresh zucchini or other edible squash blossoms
11 oz. creamy mild goat cheese
Fresh herbs: your choice of thyme, basil, parsley, chervil, etc.
Olive oil
2 large, ripe tomatoes
Garlic, optional
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Inspect squash blossoms; don’t get them wet, but check inside for bugs and dirt. Open them gently, as they are fragile. If dirty, brush with a soft pastry brush, and remove any insects. Set aside.
Mix goat cheese with a tablespoon of olive oil and a little of the freshly chopped herbs of your choice; thyme is especially nice, and one or two others. Add garlic if you want, finely minced or pressed. Using a narrow teaspoon or a pastry bag, place about 1 tablespoon of goat cheese (less if blossoms are small) inside each squash blossom. Close blossom. Brush each with a little olive oil and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Set aside.
Make a sauce of the tomatoes, with the tomatoes finely chopped (including their juice), a little olive oil, more fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Set aside; this will taste better if it marinates for an hour, covered.
Broil the squash blossoms for three to five minutes, until the edges of the blossoms are a little browned and crisp and the cheese is soft and just beginning to melt. Serve immediately, topped with a tablespoon or two of the tomato sauce. Nice with thin slices of crusty bread.
Mary_ if you look at your plants you will have blooms that just shoot up in the middle with no squash behind it. They are just flower on short stems. Those are the ones i cooked. I would never take a chance of not getting the squash!!
My zuch and yellow crooked neck is really coming along now. I got a good size yellow squash yesterday and a big zuch. I was planning on cooking them for my dinner and my FIL showed up and I gave them to him. His garden is usually awesome...but he moved to another house and his garden didnt do anything last year or this year. He isnt sure why!!
I also had some grape tomatoes ready to pick again. I dont think my big boys will be ready for another week or so. They say 4th of july is the normal time for our area for tomatoes to ripen.
Peppers are really starting to show up on my plants...except for the sweet bananna pepper plant and something is eating all the leaves of it. Even with sevin dust on them.LOL
photo_ i will try that recipe after later this week. Thanks for sharing!!
Hope everyone has a wonderful week.
debi
baked green tomatoes..........for those who live in the south you know this is a summer time thing..well i didnt want the grease of fried green tomatoes so i bakded them last night..I sliced them onto a cookie sheet sprinkled with EVOO and baked them at 450 for 25 min. They were yummy!! Even got a little brown on the edges like when fried! I also did squash and zuc along with it!
debi
Everytime I got up I would get hot and dizzy and had to lay back down. Now I'm a day behind on the work I have to do around the house. Oh, does it ever end?
