pepperhead212's 2022 garden

[pepperhead212]

First bottle gourd harvested today, and 2 more Sambar cucumbers, these almost round. And more tomatoes ripening, those Surrender determinate tomatoes are starting to ripen quickly. They are a tart Indian tomato, used in curries, which is why I wanted to grow it!
Surrender - a determinate tomato, starting to ripen, 7-6, about 2 inches, plus or minus a little. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

3 Oaxacan Jewels, largest only 4.9 oz. Also 2 green grapes, and 5 red grapes. 7-6 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

First Bottle Gourd, 13 inches w/o stem. 2 Hari, 2 Ichiban, and one Spring EP. 2 Sambar Cucumbers, and 2 WS 58 Cucumbers. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I tried the first Brandyboy F2 tomato today, and it was absolutely delicious! Not a huge core, either. Best one of the season, so far, but then, mostly what I've gotten are cherries. That Orlov Yellow Giant was also very good - not quite as strong as the Brandyboy, but delicious, and well balanced. Reminded me of the Amish Gold Slicer, that used to come in second, in many of the taste tests I would run. It has a very small core, much like that one. Unfortunately, something chewed a hole in that first one, so I had to cut it out.
First Brandyboy F2 I cut into. 7-7 Definitely the best tomato of the season, so far! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Brandyboy F2 cut in half, showing a relatively small core. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Orlov Yellow Giant, 7-7. Very good, and small core, but I had to cut some out, since something chewed a hole in it by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Also saw the first ripening peppers today! And a lot of green ones, on other varieties. Also more bitter melons almost ready to pick.
First peppers to ripen - Superchili, as always. 7-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Santaka Thai peppers. Loaded, but not ripening yet. 7-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Aruna peppers, 7-7. Hard to see them all, but it's loaded! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

2 of the 3 largest Number One bitter melons, 7-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Largest of the Bitter Melon fruits, 7-7 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

More of the larger tomatoes are ripening, but unfortunately, something is attacking them, chewing holes in some of them. Even one barely ripening, had a hole in it. I don't know if it is a squirrel - I have a trap out there that I usually catch them in, but there has been only 3 birds in it lately. Maybe they are the ones chewing the holes in them.
The larger tomatoes really starting to ripen now! 7-8 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mostly sunsugars ripening now, though sunrise is doing well, too. Picked a few rattlesnake beans, too. 7-8 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got a second bottle gourd today, too.
Second bottle gourd, 7-8. This one about 12 inches. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I uncovered the Earthbox with the pepper maggot prone peppers in it, and got a few jalapeños. Only one I noticed on tbe Hanoi Markets, but they always start ripening in early August, so this is about normal. I dusted with DE, as a precautionary, though they seemed clean. I covered up again, until next time - have a little over 3 weeks, until I can remove it for good.
First jalapeno m peppers. 7-8 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Beans are starting to produce now, rattlesnake first, but blauhilde is close behind. And those Long Valor beans are growing like none I've seen before - pointed up! They are all loaded with flowers.

Rattlesnake starting to produce first. 7-8 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Long Valor beans, starting to produce. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I got 4 ripening tomatoes off one of the Amish Gold Slicer plants, plus a good number of other tomatoes today, and no more with holes in them! I everything that had a hint of ripening, as I then sprayed them all with a peroxide solution - 1 c to 1 gal of water. Some varieties were showing signs of some disease - normal at this time of year, but not as bad as some years, because it's been relatively dry. I trimmed any bad sections while doing the harvest, then sprayed the tomatoes and all the cucurbits. I'll see if it does anything.
All Amish Gold Slicers from the same plant! Largest one on R 10.85 oz, next one 9.9 oz. 7-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Misc. tomatoes and eggplant. 7-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

That big top bitter melon is different from the number one, in that it just had the one that grew to full size, while others seem to just be waiting until that one is picked, before starting up again. The Armenian cucumber seems like that, too, as well as the bottle gourds, while the pickling melon has several growing at the same time, and not stopping, like the cucumbers.
First Big Top, and 3 more Number One bitter melons. 7-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I harvested 6 more eggplants today, plus some more tomatoes, a small number of okra, 3 more bitter melons, and the first Armenian Cucumber I've ever grown. It's almost exactly 12", and I wasn't sure when it becomes seedy, plus it seems only the one was growing much - several others had set, but only grew to 4-5", very slowly, so I figured that I'd pick the first, and see if that triggers any. The bottle gourds are like this, and when the largest is picked, another will start growing. This plant also has light colored leaves, like the bottle gourds, and long vines, that I have to keep under control! It's like indeterminate tomatoes!
First Armenian cucumber, about 12 inches long, plus a couple more Number One bitter melons. 7-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I cut it in half crosswise, then lengthwise, and it looks like an English cucumber, with barely any seed development, so that size is still small, for this. I tasted it, with just a small amount of salt, and it tasted like a mild, burpless cucumber, with a slight sweetness; no aftertaste at all, like with some cucumbers. I cut it into sixths, lengthwise, leaving the seeds in (I usually scoop them out, for this type of pickle), and into 2" pieces, and put them in a qt jar, with ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp calcium chloride (crispit), plus 3 tb each sugar and white vinegar. I just leave it in the jar, turning it upside down, and back again, when I walk by it in the kitchen. Everything is dissolved quickly, and eventually it goes in the fridge, and tomorrow I'll sample it.
First Armenian Cucumber, cut in half, 7-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

First Armenian Cucumber, halved lengthwise, showing little seed growth. 7-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

First Armenian Cucumber, made into a quick pickle, leaving the seeds in. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Another thing that I harvested the first time this year was the squash blossoms, on all those butternut plants! I also have 6 fruits formed on the 6 large vines (this variety always seems to set one per vine early, then a bunch late in the season. Also saw 4 started on 3 "Butterbush" plants - an early variety. All have countless more unopened male blossoms!
First squash blossom harvest, 7-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

More peppers are ripening, and some later ones are appearing now, like the habs, and those kanthari. That one plant that looks like it is a jalapeño, not a Thai, is loaded, and I don't see any pepper maggot seeds on them, which is unusual, since it's not covered. The Thai peppers are loaded, and just getting some blushed peppers, like the Superchilis.
First violet kanthara pepper, 7-13. Plants large, and LOADED with buds and blossoms. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Santaka Thai peppers, loaded, and just started to ripen, 7-13 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Largest Superchili plant I have ever grown, loaded with peppers - also starting to ripen now. 7-13 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here's that Pickling Melon, showing the two largest on it. Not sure when to pick it (grows to 18"?), but it's still growing, and that's all I have to see!
Pickling Melon, left one about 8 inches long. 7-13 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I'm getting more beans every day, mostly rattlesnake, but the blauhilde is starting to kick in now! Those new Long Valor beans look like snow peas! And I'm not sure why, but all the leaves are turning yellow. Started with the lowest leaves, but it's almost all of them, now. They aren't in a constant daylight spot, but I've never had anything else do this! And right next to them are other bean - the Thai Long Red - and their leaves are green.

Edit:It seems strange that the leaves on those plants look fine, except for being yellow! Almost like turning in the fall. This, and a number of similar beans are listed as "day neutral", though none as long or short day, so I have a feeling they aren't neutral, and the day getting shorter is doing this, or these long days of the summer are doing it, and it is something better grown in shorter day areas, like short day onions down south.
Long valor beans, looking like snow peas! 7-13 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Long valor beans, with most leaves turning yellow - other green leaves are the Thai long red. 7-13 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I didn't look at the eggplants or tomatoes (well, maybe a little I did) today, since I did all those yesterday. Still getting a few okra every day - Little Lucy is still most productive, and that Clemson spineless the smallest and least productive. I got a bag of it I have to use up tomorrow, that I picked the last 4 or 5 days.

[pepperhead212]

I had some more of those odd veggie harvests today - those bitter melons the most productive, though the round Big Top is still the slowest. Those Sambar cucumbers also aren't real productive, and it's well over 60 days from planting - the WS 58 are on their way out already, but the County Fair are just starting to produce, and those are the first two. Those green Hari eggplant are more heat resistant than the others. I got another bottle gourd, I didn't put in the photo. Only picked 3 more tomatillos, because they were turning brown, but the tomatillos were green under the husk. The peppers were the arunas that were on that plant I pulled out. No tomatoes, but there were plenty ripening! I'll get them tomorrow.
Misc. harvests, 7-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

As I said, I would harvest tomatoes today! I also had some from a couple of days ago, getting ripe; this is the same thing I did today - I picked anything with even a blush on them, yet today, at least on the cherry tomatoes, some were already fully ripe, in just 2 days!
Tomatoes, 7-18. Two smaller bowls of reds are Surrender, a determinate. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Tomatoes from 7-16, ripening up well on 7-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[zendog]

"the WS 58 are on their way out already"

I grow these as well and last year they worked pretty well until the bacterial wilt from the beetles eventually got them. This year I'm only getting 1-2 per vine before the beetles do them in. Are you seeing much benefit from the surround keeping beetles off? I used it for the eggplants earlier this year and it kept most of the flea beetles off them, but wasn't sure how much it would work to keep my cukes alive. Was it the beetles that got your WS 58 cukes or something else?

[pepperhead212]

@zendog That Surround works well keeping the beetles, and most things off of the cucumbers, but I have a problem that you probably don't have yet (or we would have heard, I'm sure), and hopefully you will not see, though they are spreading - Spotted Lanternflies. Surround has not worked with them, unfortunately, and I'm sure they spread diseases. They get on cucumbers, bitter melons, eggplants, okra, basil, and many other plants. Peppers and tomatoes seem immune to them, so far, except for the occasional stray that jumps away from me trying to kill it. I hope someone comes up with something specific to these insects, so we can get rid of them, but nothing has been done yet.

Before these showed up a few years ago, that WS 58 did pretty well, with the surround, plus the fact that the leaves and the stems were very hairy, keeping most insects off. That doesn't seem to bother the lanternflies, either.

[pepperhead212]

I went back out one more time, before the rain comes (I'll believe it when it happens). Got a few more things, in addition to the garlic chives and basil I needed for my salad.
One WS 58 and two County Fair cucumbers, an Armenian Cucumber, and a bottle gourd, 7-18 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[zendog]

Oof... sorry to hear about those spotted lantern flies. We don't have them yet, but they've been found at least one place in our county so it is only a matter of time. I'd heard they are pretty hard on grapes and fruit trees, but hadn't been thinking as much about my veggie garden. Nothing has bothered things like bitter melons in the past, so it is scary they seem to have such a broad range of things they bother.

[pepperhead212]

I watered my weeds today! I know, we do that all the time, when we water anything, but these are the garlic chives that I only grow as weeds - about 8 clumps behind my shed, a couple behind my composter, and a few others here and there. Except when it is very dry and hot, like it has been lately, I don't water them, and they look like they were just watered, and fed! Since the ones on the perimeter of those clumps were starting to get a little yellow, I dumped some water on them, along with some other things back there - some fig trees, and that Syrian oregano - and refilled the saucer, I keep there for the birds. They seem to be leaving my tomatoes alone, since I've been giving them water in that. I put about 3 gal water in a 5 gal bucket 3 times for all those things. That was the only sunny spot I was in today, and it was hot!

I was out to pick the beans, and some of the tomatoes. And one more bitter melon. But that was all in the shade, and I came back inside for the day! Now, I have to do something with all these veggies!
A few more tomatoes. 7-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Mostly Blauhilde, a few Rattlesnake beans, 7-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I got several of those Oaxacan Jewels that were getting ripe, and it still has a bunch of blossoms. I got even more Amish Gold Slicers, but there are 3 of those plants! Blossoms don't look great on those, but I didn't hang around very long to look closely, as they were in the area still in the sun!
The rattlesnake beans are definitely being affected by this heat - earlier on, I was getting more of them, but there are few blossoms on them now, whereas the blauhilde are still producing well, and there are a lot of blossoms, and beans of all sizes. We'll see if they continue through this heat wave. The Thai long beans are just starting to produce, though the first ones are green, not red. Those long valor beans have dropped all of their leaves, so I have to pick them, and pull the plants.

[pepperhead212]

I didn't spend much time out today, due to that heat! I got a couple more cukes, some more beans, and a few more tomatoes. I also packed the first gallon bag of ripe tomatoes, to put in the freezer, though there is little space left for more! I had been trying to eat as much out of there as possible, but once the things started coming it from this season, that's about all I've been using!
There's only so much one person can eat!(rofl) Here's today's harvest:
A few more beans and tomatoes, and a couple of cucumbers underneath, 7-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And I had a little over 2 lbs of beans from the last 5 days or so in the fridge, so today I sat in front of the TV (not often done this long!) and destrung (they really didn't have much as far as strings) and snapped them to a good size. Ended up with about 3 c purple, and 4 c green, then I steamed them in the IP, and spread them out on sheets, to cool, and finish cooking - a method I discovered on ATK one year, which shortens the cooking time. The beans finish cooking on the tray, and dry out some, which is good for salads.
3 cups of steamed purple Blauhilde beans. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And like I've said before, peppers love heat!
One of the 3 Superchili plants, showing the ripening, 7-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A couple of green Chocolate Habaneros, 7-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Violet Kanthara, starting to get a lot of peppers on it. 7-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Here's more of those Oaxacan Jewel tomatoes in their own bowl, along with some Black Nyagous in the smaller bowl. And mixed cherries, with mixed larger varieties, under the eggplant and beans.
Harvest for 7-26 - mostly tomatoes. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I pulled one of those Spears TN Green tomatoes, since a couple of weeks ago the main stem snapped in the wind. I tried to graft it, sort of, but it never caught, and most of it was getting brown. I planted a cucumber plant I started last week in the spot I pulled it from, so I figured in mid to late September it might start producing.

[pepperhead212]

A few more tomatoes today, both larger and cherries, and only one cucumber.
A few more tomatoes, plus one WS 58, 7-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Peppers are starting to ripen! It's still very early, but about on schedule, for the various peppers.
13 jalapeños, from one plant, 7-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And a few more of the oddball veggies:
Two more bitter melons, plus another Armenian Cucumber, 7-27 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Back to picking! The last two days I didn't pick anything (except okra, which I always do early), so I got a bunch more of several types. That Oaxacan Jewel still had 12 more on it with blushes, and countless small green ones.
All Oaxacan Jewels, from the same plant again. 7-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Several Amish Gold Slicers, a few others, plus some larger cherry tomatoes. 7-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

7 eggplants, plus the smaller cherry and grape tomatoes. 7-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And more of the cukes, beans, and bitter melons. A few peppers from the uncovered jalapeños and Hanoi Market, though the HM was just knocked off - none ripe yet. This is average, starting a week or two into August.
An Armenian Cucumber, several other cukes, the last few bitter melons, some beans, and long Valor beans. 7-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I picked some ripe Thai and Superchili peppers, plus some more Jalapeño M peppers. Still no ripe Violet Kantharis, but they are loaded! And I tasted one - had a good flavor, with no bitterness, like some small unripe peppers are like, and it was maybe 30-40k heat units.

Thai peppers starting to ripen, 8-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Ripe peppers from 2 Superchili plants, 8-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

More Jalapeno m peppers, 8-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

More Amish Gold Slicers and Oaxacan Jewels, plus a few cherry tomatoes today. I got 2 more trays of tomatoes in the dehydrator today, plus a tray of eggplant cubes, plus some blanched bitter melon slices - something new for me, but I found some references translated from some Indian language. No peppers dried yet, but there soon will be a lot of them.
Amish Gold Slicers, 8-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

All of these ripe Superchilis are from one plant! The ones from a couple of days ago were both from two plants.
All the ripened chles from just one Superchili plant. 8-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Two plants worth of Aruna peppers starting to ripen, with many more to come.
Ripening Aruna peppers, 8-3 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Those Oaxacan Jewels are delicious - very juicy, and a well balanced flavor, and they rated 3 (when I , behind only the Brandyboy F2 and the Amish Gold Slicer, and was the best producer, for sure. Was also the first larger of the plants, by far, and never stopped flowering during the high heat. In the beginning, it got BER on some of the fruit that was in clusters with 3 or 4 per cluster, so I started thinning them to just 2, and it went away, and it was obviously still producing a lot! Definitely a keeper, and I am going to bag some blossoms and save seeds from this plant, since it has done so well.

As for ones that didn't do well, as always, there were more of those! Here are the ones I won't grow again.

Yellow Warren - while the first ripe cherry, and good flavor, the plant is dead now, after the branches died off after ripening. Didn't seem like a disease, more like the branches just dying after ripening, and it stopped growing.

Amy's Sugar Gem - a largish cherry tomato, 1-1¼", that was the last one to ripen, but after about a dozen ripened, almost every tomato got BER, which almost never happens with cherries! In the same SIP next to it a other variety - Tropical Sunset - did not get a single one with BER. However, that's also not a keeper, as it's not as productive as many, and was the only one to get splitting this season. Not as good a flavor as Sunrise, either.

Nyagous - the only black I grew, and actually produced a lot, but not great flavor, and almost every fruit had splits, not as deep as many blacks I've had, but still split.

Red Grape - not great flavor, and was prone to BER, which is twice this year for small varieties! Normally, that doesn't happen. And not one BER in Green Grape in the same SIP. I'll go back to Sprite.

Green Grape - OK flavor, but late ripening, and very dense and low growing plant, despite my pinching off suckers.

Spears TN Green - Good flavor, but misshapen fruits, that had to have a lot trimmed out of them. Also the last large fruit to ripen.

Talladega - very late; not bad flavor, but very few tomatoes

Dad's Sunset - eventually pulled plant. Don't know if a single one came out w/o BER, while no problem with the Big Beef in the same SIP.

As for eggplants, Green Knight is definitely a no, and is already pulled. There were a bunch of clusters, like a cherry tomato! I couldn't thin it enough - I have never seen one like that before.