Re: pepperhead212's 2023 garden

[pepperhead212]

I don't grow too many flowers, but here are a couple of them, to attract the pollinators. Those Peruviana zinnias are over 2' tall, with a lot of small blossoms, and not very dense foliage. The Lime Blush are only about a foot tall, getting more blossoms now, with a lot of buds, and the foliage is much denser.
Peruviana zinnias by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Lime Blush zinnias by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Here are my favorite flowers:
Peppers developed on a Thai Vesuvius, 6-22 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

It didn't rain today, and the next several days are more likely to rain, plus getting hotter, and more humid, so I harvested the last 60 heads, for 142 total (plus those small ones I picked a couple weeks ago). They were definitely wetter than the first harvest, but I had to do it, and they cleaned up ok, and they will be the first ones used, besides the early harvest a couple weeks ago.
24 Estonian Reds by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The largest of the Estonian Red, the one on the bottom with just 2 cloves! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

36 Georgian Fire heads, a couple as large as the largest Estonian Reds. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The largest Georgian Fire, marked X to plant for next season, along with the largest Estonian Reds. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I definitely will not have to worry about vampires! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

After it had sort of dried up out there (it only rained .02" in that afternoon TS), I went out and checked everything out, and that one variety - Hippie Zebra I saw the other day, after the first rains, and noticed some possible blight, and this time it looked like even more, but only on one of the two plants, fortunately. And not a single tomato on the entire row, or any others, had even a hint of the blight - few yellowed leaves on the very bottoms of a few, but that's it! So I fixed up just a half gallon of Serenade, and I sprayed the Hippies to totally soak them, and the plant next to them, plus my cucumbers, just to use it up; fortunately, nothing else prone to fungus diseases has started showing signs of anything yet.

Some peppers are starting to produce in large quantities. Superchili is earliest, as always.
Superchili, loaded with full size peppers, 6-24 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The calabash gourd is the first one to get a female blossom on it, even though it is listed as 79 day, while the bottle gourds are listed around 50 days, which is about what it is now. None on the bottle gourds yet, but there will be, soon.
First calabash gourd to appear, 6-24. I will try to hand pollinate it when it opens later. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I actually saw some small pollinator on the male blossom, when I went to hand pollinate them, around 7 pm. This is unusual, in these night blossomers.

I picked the first eggplant today - that Ichiban, which is usually the first.
First eggplant of the season, an Ichiban. 6-24 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I got my first cucumbers today, and a bunch more on the plants. One new one - Jin 301 - is weird looking, as it is long and skinny, and very dark. And one of the Snowy #6 looks like any other pickler - maybe a bit light colored, but that's all.
Cukes starting to come in 6-30 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Jin 301, not ready to pick, but 8 in long. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I am also getting my first ripe tomatoes - some Juliet, and a Oaxacan Jewel, which started to ripen on 6-28, and the first one that was totally ripe last year was on 7-3, so it's right on schedule with last year.
First ripening Oaxacan Jewel, 6-29. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I picked my first ripe tomato today, but it's not quite ripe - one or two more days, so it's very close to the same as that Oaxacan Jewel that ripened on 7-3 last year. Only 2 of those, one Brandyboy, and one Hippie Zebra got BER, and I missed thinning those clusters, which seems to be what causes it with these.
First Oaxacan Jewel, 7.85 oz, on 9-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

My Sunsugars are starting to ripen, on both plants. The Juliets are the only others ripening.
Sunsugars starting to ripen, 7-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I was going to make something today with them, so I cut 5 more, a little small, but I don't ended up staying out there much longer, so I'll do it tomorrow.
A Choruoku green, and 4 Ichiban eggplants, 7-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I harvested 4 more cukes today, and they are growing fast! There are two plants just not taking off, that I might pull, and plant a couple more seeds in each spot - there's plenty of time for them to start up.
4 more cukes, 7-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

SVBs are the reason I started growing these relatives - Bottle Gourds. Here's my first one of the season.
First bottle gourd, 22 oz, harvested 7-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Eggplants are starting to produce well, though I'm going to have to trim that LA long green, which is not at all long, as there are just way too many fruits on it, clustered together.
An Ichiban, a Choruoku Green, and 2 Asian String eggplants, harvested 7-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Cukes are starting to produce well, too. I'll have to have a taste test with the different varieties.
A 14 in Jin 301, a yellowing Snowy number 6, and a smaller County Fair, 7-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Kajari melons are starting to shape up - the largest is about 2½", so far, with at least 2 more started (I may have missed a couple).
Kajari melons beginning to shape, this first one about 2 and a half inches, so far. 7-5 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

A few okras harvested, including the first Hill Country Red, despite the plants not really being that large.

[pepperhead212]

I pulled some of my last bunches of bolted greens out today, along with weeds that took off, after all this rain I've been getting! The things I can compost went in there, but the rest of that stuff went in the lawn trash.

Today was the first time the humidity was down enough to do a lot more out there. I started by uncovering those 3 EBs with peppers prone to pepper maggots, and harvested 3 varieties of jalapeños and 2 Numex varieties, though they were just getting started, and none are ripening. A couple of the Numex peppers have brown tips on them, because they were touching the soil, but they were the only ones low enough. The other varieties are just starting to form the peppers, which is normal for those varieties, which start ripening about a month from now. Another Numex variety - Joe Parker - that eventually gets much larger peppers, only had some small peppers started on them, which is also normal. Before covering the SIPs again, I sprayed them with potassium bicarbonate, as a prophylactic, and dusted around the bases with DE. Here are the few peppers from those plants this time:
Numex 6 and Big Mic, first harvests of the season. 7-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

First jalapeños of the season, from 3 varieties, on 7-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I am also starting to get eggplants on a daily basis, today, 12 of them, after 5 of them yesterday, when I made the Thai Curry.
12 eggplants harvested today, after 5 yesterday - it is that time of year again! 7-10 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And here are those Karari melons yesterday; today, the other plant also had 2 slightly smaller fruits formed on it.
2 melons starting on one of the Kajari plants, and one more on the very far right. 7-9 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[Wildcat82]

So how would you compare the flavor of the different eggplants you have? And how does the Kajari melon compare to a regular honeydew?

[pepperhead212]

This is the first time for the Kajari melon, for me. I'll keep you updated, as far as how it tastes, produces, etc.

As for the eggplants, the Asian varieties are fairly mild, though Ichiban is one I've been growing since the 80s, and it is one that has a slightly stronger flavor, and will develop that slightly bitter flavor, if it is left to get seedy, and the color gets dull. It is always the first one to produce. The green ones never seem to get bitter, even when seedy. I'm trying to find a replacement for a green variety I used to get from one source - Hari - that suddenly changed one year, and was not the same, and it was definitely a hybrid, as the seeds didn't save well. And every green variety I've tried since has not matched. The Choryoku is closer, and the Univ of HI variety is closer, as both got longer, like the Hari, but they still aren't the same; however, they aren't hybrids, if I want to save them.

[pepperhead212]

My tomatoes are starting to ripen faster now, though I also noticed some of them with far fewer blossoms on them, I assume due to this heat I've been getting. And I've started noticing diseases related to the moisture, due to all this rain, as well as humidity, on some of the varieties most prone. Yesterday morning I sprayed them all with potassium bicarbonate, though I don't know if that will help.

I have about enough to get the 2 lbs of diced tomatoes, to mix with some of the fresh garlic and a bunch of basil - a favorite pasta dish of mine in the summer, when all these things are coming in!
Tomatoes from 3 day ago. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Tomatoes from 2 days ago. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Tomatoes from yesterday. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

And more eggplants the day after those above. I'll definitely be dehydrating those soon.
More eggplants, a few tomatoes, and another bottle gourd, from yesterday, 7-11 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I went out briefly today, and picked a few more eggplants, and more tomatoes are ripening, but I'm seeing fewer blossoms on most of them, due to the heat, I assume. Now it's time for me to cut up those eggplants, for the dehydrator.

The peppers are loving the heat, and a couple of varieties are just starting to ripen. I'm surprised that the okra isn't responding the same way to the heat, as they usually like it like the peppers.

Here are those eggplants cut up, and in the dehydrator. And a photo showing the LA Long Green, and how it got seedy, when only 4-5" long, while the Choryoku not at all seedy, when picked more than twice as long. I also found that happened with the Batak - a purple, skinny variety, that doesn't get much longer than 7-8", and even then, it was seedy, though not bitter. And the Ichiban was the largest, but not one was getting seedy yet.
the LA Long Green, showing the seedy slices, compared to Choruoku Green. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

4 shelves of the eggplants, ready to dehydrate. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[MissS]

@pepperhead212 and then how do you store them? In the freezer or can they sit on the shelf?

[pepperhead212]

@MissS I put them in gallon pickle jars, with lids that seal, and put a couple silica packets in it, to absorb any last but of moisture. They keep for years, this way.

[pepperhead212]

I had one variety that was totally wiped out by some blight - the Brandywine Red. Nothing next to them had a hint of it. The Hippie Zebra had a couple of bad stems, as well as the Prune Verte Plum, but the small batch of Copper Soap solution I mixed up helped those, but not the Brandywine Red.
Brandywine Red, almost entirely killed by some sort of blight. Brandyboy on right without a sign of it. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I didn't harvest any peppers today, but most are starting to ripen, and even a couple of the habaneros - Datil and Red Savina - are getting full sized peppers, and the Datil is probably the largest plant of any of them.
Superchili, starting to ripen, 7-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Maui Purple, just one getting a hint of a blush on it. 7-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Japanese Yatsufusa, starting to ripen, 7-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Thai Dragons, no signs of ripening, but loaded, and all different sizes, so an indeterminate. 7-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The Thai Vesuvius is always a determinate type, getting a huge number almost all the same size, and not many more blossoms, until a bunch of the first batch ripens, and is picked. Usually I get a second flush almost as loaded, and a third, smaller flush of peppers, in fall.
Thai Vesuvius, loaded, and just started to get a few with blushes. 7-14 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Today I did some taste tests, only while cutting up all those 3 lbs of tomatoes for dinner. The two that tasted best were the Green Zebra Cherry, and the Prune Verte Green Plum, which is actually a juicy plum variety - not quite as strong as the GZ, but still a fairly strong, and delicious flavor. The Matt's Hornet, which is a small, striped grape tomato, almost the same size and shape as Sprite, has a very mild flavor, even milder than Sprite, which has a good flavor, but also not very strong. The Purple Bumblebees have a good flavor, but it seems there were a bunch not quite ripe, so they are taking longer than some to totally ripen, even though they look ripe. Now I put a bunch of these aside for later, if they were firm - the softer ones I cut up. The other purple variety I have - Piglet Willie Black - has a good flavor, though not as strong as the greens, and a fairly large core I had to cut out, which I don't like in these things. It is only 2-2½". The Juliets are good, and I have a lot of those. Not quite as strong as some of the others, but productive, and since these are F3s, not the hybrids, I'll save the seeds from the better of the two plants. Oaxacan Jewel has a very good flavor - again, not as strong as the greens, but the most productive of the non-cherries. The Sunsugars also have a great flavor, plus sweeter than any of the others - I put some of these in dishes like this, but most of those I eat as a snack!

[pepperhead212]

I've been harvesting a quart to a quart and a half daily, to build up the tomatoes for those dinners. Today was 3 days worth, due to the rain, and a generous number are ripening on all of them. Even some of those dead Red Brandywine tomatoes are turning red - I'll see if all of them turn.
over 3 qts of mostly smaller tomatoes, 7-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The larger tomatoes coming in now, the largest ones the Hippie Zepras. 7-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I also picked a few cukes and eggplants:
Cucumbers and eggplants, 7-17 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I pulled as many dead branches and leaves I could find off the lower branches of all the plants, mostly the tomatoes, then picked another bowl of the non-cherry tomatoes. Then I sprayed those, and the EPs,cukes, okra, and melons, with the Surround and potassium bicarbonate mix. I kept putting that off, due to the rain we kept getting, so I did it today, even though we have rain forecast again for Friday morning. I hope it's just the mild rain that's been coming through recently, which doesn't really wash the Surround off, as you can see from the tomatoes I harvested today. I also made a plain solution of potassium bicarbonate, plus the usual ThermX70 for sticking, and sprayed that on the cherry tomatoes, peppers, and anything else small stuff I don't want the Surround on.
The larger tomatoes harvested on 7-19. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I harvested at least 15 more eggplants today, to add to the ones I still had left after making that ratatouille flavored dish a couple of nights ago. Most of the varieties have totally stopped flowering - just what was already formed was maturing, and the ones that stopped are almost out of fruits. The Asian String eggplant is the only one that doesn't seem bothered by the high heat, with a bunch of new blossoms, and all different sizes of fruits. The UH Green Long had 2 new blossoms, but only one full sized EP, and only one blossom on the Choryoku Green, and and again, only one full sized. The others - Ichiban, LA Long Green (mis-named, since they are 5" max!), and Batac - I couldn't find a single blossom on, but hopefully I'll get some cooler days (and nights), that will trigger some blossoming, before it gets back up again. Surprisingly, fewer tomatoes have been doing this so far, due to the heat.
A bunch more eggplants today, at least 15 more, plus 7 or 8 from 2 days ago. Time to dehydrate again! by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I also harvested the cherry and other smaller tomatoes today. I'll be cutting up some of those for the dehydrator, as well, since I still have a bunch of those from before, as well.
Smaller tomatoes, harvested on 7-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

I saw these Eastern Tiger Butterflies on my Mexican Sunflowers, while I was mowing out there today. I also saw the first hummingbird of the season, but couldn't photograph that, as I guess the mower scared it away. This is as close as I could get to one, also showing one of the many clusters of garlic chives I grow behind the shed.
one of the two Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterflies I saw while mowing today. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

[pepperhead212]

Before the humidity came down, later in the day (which it did, finally, though it didn't matter to the mosquitoes!), I cut up the rest of my eggplants, and 4 trays of tomatoes, to go into the dehydrator. Still had a good amount of slightly less ripe tomatoes, but I left those to ripen a little longer, for maybe another one of those salads I make with cherry tomatoes. And even though I pulled every one that had a hint of ripe yesterday (those that need another day), there were a bunch when I went out there today that were totally ripe, though I didn't pick them.
3 more trays of eggplant, and first 4 trays of tomatoes in the dehydrator. by pepperhead212, on Flickr


Cherry tomatoes left after the 4 trays went in the dehydrator. These were not quite as ripe. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

All I picked today was one more cucumber, and trimmed some of the usual things. The Kajari melon hasn't started ripening, but one of the plants has 5 fruits forming on it already, and the other plant seems it only has 3, though maybe I just didn't see some! There are several bottle gourds ready to pick, and they seem to be getting something to pollinate them now - in the beginning, I always have to hand pollinate them, with Q-tips, since they are night flowering. The bitter melons are starting to produce now - usually, they are earlier, but I think because of the cooler spring I had, they are later, like the okra this season.
5 Kajari melons on one plant, visible in one photo. 7-21 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

First of the White bitter melons, growing faster than the green Sayonara. 7-20 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

The first Sayonara bitter melon, about the same size as the White one, though this started earlier. by pepperhead212, on Flickr