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The peppers should like the heat. The eggplants will survive. As my garden dies off from the heat these 2 plants will survive the heat and lack of rain with just a little water. This happens to me almost every year in Texas. The eggplants will start making again around September as long as I don't let them die from lack of water. The peppers like the heat. If I water them a lot, they will make all summer.
 
Sunflower volunteer, first bloom
218498643_10218924856328808_1495892619225227787_n.jpg
 
chefwp said:
Sunflower volunteer, first bloom
View attachment 135219
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Got Arikara sunflowers in the wildlife food plot this year, first time I've tried them. They are about chest high for the tallest, even with the drought. Tough suckers... Just starting to show flower buds on top. I had also planted some black oil sunflowers, I just grabbed a few handsfull of seed from the chicken treats this Spring and put them in alongside the Arikara, the Arikara are doing rather better in the local rather dry conditions!
 
M1k3 said:
A GIANT ARSE avocado PIT ;)
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Well, that was you who said that, not me. I agree though: very apt description :D

I bought it out of curiosity. It takes much like any other avocado, just a little blander than a Hass avocado. I don't quite the see the point though. Unless I'm feeding ten or so, there is just too much avocado all at once on there. Not terribly convenient, even though it looks impressive.
 
Keith Sinclair said:
Been doing research thinking of planting a Avocado tree. They live for hundreds of years.
Click to expand...

The house I was born into had an avocado tree. Very prolific... if you have the space they can provide a large amount of fruit once mature. You'd have to be patient though!
 
coxhaus said:
The peppers should like the heat. The eggplants will survive. As my garden dies off from the heat these 2 plants will survive the heat and lack of rain with just a little water. This happens to me almost every year in Texas. The eggplants will start making again around September as long as I don't let them die from lack of water. The peppers like the heat. If I water them a lot, they will make all summer.
Click to expand...
 
Well, here I am in Texas also, and started chilpetin from seeds in my pepper grinder, due to the killer freeze this winter.
Amazingly enough I have discovered they do much better in partial sun. The ones in full sun in the garden , so-so. The
ones in pots on the porch , morning sun till noon, are in much better condition, Also, the Jalapenos in the garden, even
though they look just great, seem to be having trouble putting on peppers in the heat...Who would have thought.
 
rocketman said:
Well, here I am in Texas also, and started chilpetin from seeds in my pepper grinder, due to the killer freeze this winter.
Amazingly enough I have discovered they do much better in partial sun. The ones in full sun in the garden , so-so. The
ones in pots on the porch , morning sun till noon, are in much better condition, Also, the Jalapenos in the garden, even
though they look just great, seem to be having trouble putting on peppers in the heat...Who would have thought.
Click to expand...

All my peppers are doing real well this year as we have had lots of rain. I have jalapenos, serranos, habanero, and shishito which are all making right now.

I lost all my chilpetin bushes this last winter. They were growing in my flower beds.

I guess you are around Houston area. Maybe try some super bloom fertilizer.
 
Not much to look at now, but wanted to take a picture from beginning.

Both my friend Richard & I went to Frankie's nursery. They have awesome avocado types.
Grafted from trees on the large property.

We got different types his is Fall fruiting season
mine is Winter.

He got the more round avocado. I asked two different Hawaiian ladies what avocado they liked best. Both separately picked same type.
One of ladies said people come to nursery just to get this variety. So I bought it 60.00. Came in a small pot transplanted it into much larger pot
with good quality organic potting soil.

Less than a week grew few inches already. Like to get it to at least 6 feet with good roots before put it in the ground.

IMG_20210808_104104337_HDR.jpg
 
Luftmensch said:
The house I was born into had an avocado tree. Very prolific... if you have the space they can provide a large amount of fruit once mature. You'd have to be patient though!
Click to expand...

They say 3 years after in ground will get avocado. When planted Tangerine Orange hybrid up here from Frankie's it got fruit after
4 years. Now it's 10 yrs. old prune it still almost 20 feet high. Loaded with fruit. I'll be happy if get avo's in 4 years. It will take 10 years to be a serious tree. 😁

Luftmensch where was the house you were born into?
 
Johannesburg!

I think the tree predated my family. I don't recall anybody saying they planted the tree - it was always just there! So it must have been at least >30-40 years old. It was super prolific. We'd be able to give away the majority of the fruit to neighbours and still have baskets for ourselves! To the point that I hated avocados when I was a kid - it never ended! I only "rediscovered" them in my early teenage years after a suitably long break ;)
 
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Luftmensch said:
Johannesburg!

I the tree predated my family. I don't recall anybody saying they planted the tree - it was always just there! So it must have been at least >30-40 years old. It was super prolific. We'd be able to give away the majority of the fruit to neighbours and still have baskets for ourselves! To the point that I hated avocados when I was a kid - it never ended! I only "rediscovered" them in my early teenage years after a suitably long break ;)
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I feel your pain. I grew up in a house that had an avocado tree. Planted some time in the 1920's... because all the cool people in the neighborhood did it. Grew lots and lots of huge avocados. The bigger ones were about the the size of a fully extended hand. Did I mention lots of them? My dad had the bright idea of having his 10 year old son to pick and bag them for a local restaurant. He got paid. I didn't.

#LifeLessons
 
We both love local avocados. We live on a corner lot so front yard is bordered by the road
pretty high up in back of Paoa valley.

The back yard neighbors I told was going to plant a tree, they said go for it they like avocados too. It will take up good part of back
yard eventually. No overhead lines on a slight slope, water & sewer lines on side of the house. So back yard is best place for it.

I'm sure when get to the point of too many will
Give away some to neighbors. Local avocados
are not cheap in the stores. Not like local pineapples. Was thinking eventually Richard & I
could take grafts off our trees hike up into the
mountains & plant a couple more trees.off the beaten path. We could sell them easy.
 
tomatoes slow in ripening here in Mid Atlantic near ocean - peppers slow getting to picking size - zucchini , yellows squash , + green beans doing well - more rain then last year but temp extremes - heat wave one week , fall like temps the next -
 
The corn got screwed up by all the heat, according to our local farmer, corn decides to stop growing taller & develop tassels/silks when it has experienced enough "degree days". Both sweet corn and flour corn did this WAY too early, much of it tassled at about knee to waist high, miniature "bonsai" corn!

Most of the flour corn (and the pole beans I grew along with this) were also very stressed by a month plus of drought as it was planted in areas I couldn't water enough without working at that full time during my busiest work month. I got a bit TOO ambitious in how much I planted, might have been OK if not for the lack of water.

The squash did well enough, between modifying the soil a good bit under the squash mounds such that it retained water better than native soil the corn and beans had to make do with- And being able to dump enough water into the depressed center of those mounds every week or so during the drought to keep them growing.

Net result: very short flour corn & stunted or missing pole beans mostly submerged in a sea of squash vines, plus some huge, extra hardy weeds which greatly enjoyed the fertilizer meant for the corn & beans.

Kitchen garden is doing OK, picked the first few tomatoes last week, just picked madras striped & african white egg plants, serrano, santa fe & habanero chilis. Pulled a few shallots to check them out but it's still a bit early.

20210809_151751.jpg
 
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Blazing hot here, pulled my garden a month ago, planted some okra as it will produce in the heat, my next garden will be planted in late Nov, I dont mess with fall tomatoes.
Jalapenos and mole peppers still thriving
 
Northern Colorado, great year for tomatoes and squash, a bit too hot for the cucumbers, some are a bit bitter.
 
esoo said:
All I'm doing this year - deep water hydroponic tomatoes.
Click to expand...

Could you provide a link to the "deep hydroponic" process?

I screwed around with hydroponics nearly 40 years ago, came to the conclusion that dirt was, well, dirt cheap. And more forgiving of people who had to leave for irregular periods. But that looks interesting.

----------

The last time I had a hydroponic grow going must have been about 1986. The apartment I had while going to school & cooking at several restaurants had HUGE South & East facing windows, was 2nd floor but had no balcony or yard space. I had a huge quantity of house plants (even trees) in my living room and a hydroponic garden in my bedroom... I didn't need curtains, my house plants did that for me. Best house plants EVER. Had an 8' tall Hawaiian Plumeria, it flowered there several times.

I eventually decided to move on. Moving out, last day of the month. 500 lb. or so of pea gravel was what I'd used for a hydro medium, getting THAT down the stairs and into the vehicle took me a while. It was 3:00 am when I finished, had the place cleaned up and got in the car to drive away. Two young men ran past me pushing a couple of new looking Honda mopeds just before I started the car. Odd... Why not ride?

Got going a little later. About 10 blocks towards the "cheaper" side of town, I overtook the same couple of guys, still running flat out pushing the bikes. And my dazed 3:30am mind finally made the connection that: A: those bikes were locked up at a building directly behind mine earlier today- B: they're being stolen by these dudes. Hit the high beams and 4 way flasher switches, leaned on the horn and turned into a drive right behind those kids (they looked about 14). They dropped the bikes instantly and FLEW through a backyard & over a fence...

Someone in the house stuck their head out to yell at me for waking them up. I asked them to call 911, please. 2 minutes later, the thieves started peeking over the fence, then peering at me from behind a building corner, checking me out and they did the math: 2 of them, 1 of me. They finally got up the courage to "(baby) pimp roll" out into plain view, slanged me for interfering with their heist and decided to threaten me with a knife right about when the police showed up. Another disappearing act ensued.

I explain what had happened to the officers, tell them which building the bikes were stolen from (they don't care, they're just going to take them to an impound lot). They saw the kids and know them, they're juvenile south side gang banger wannabees. 2 of the cops head towards their home address to wait for them...

So here I am, talking to 4 cops at about 4:00am. Who suddenly become interested in ME. Why am I even awake at this time? What was I doing? SAY, CAN WE LOOK INSIDE YOUR CAR?!! I was not holding. But I did have 500 pounds of hydro medium, various pumps, fertilizers, some grow lights and other "dual use" technology filling up my car... A long time before decriminalization. Suffice it to say, merely being an honest citizen is NO protection at such times. And no good deed goes unpunished.

Ah, memories.
 
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esoo said:
Google "Kratky method" and that should get you going. The idea is you fill the buckets with water and nutrients and you're done with that part for the season.
Click to expand...

Thanks!

I like it. Stupid simple... Not sure about the volume of water & all required nutrients per the full growing cycle of various plants (environmental conditions HAVE to impact how much water would be required?!). And what is the eventual solution strength as the water is mostly used up.

Is it feasible to be doing this outdoors, with the random water addition from rainfall?

I wonder if you could grow RICE this way? It wouldn't mind the water level going up if the water reservoir got rained into, at least. I recall rice has about the lowest P requirements of the major cereal crops, can't remember what N and K needs are.
 
So I'm doing a tomato plant per 25 US gallon garbage can. In the lid, I've done a 6" net pot, 4" block and filled with hydrocorn. We've had a decent amount of rain and no issue with the level going up as far as I can tell. I put the baby plants in the buckets May. I looked today and they are just above 1/3 full.

And these are beside my house in the most sunny place I have
 
Bert2368 said:
Could you provide a link to the "deep hydroponic" process?

I screwed around with hydroponics nearly 40 years ago, came to the conclusion that dirt was, well, dirt cheap. And more forgiving of people who had to leave for irregular periods. But that looks interesting.

----------

The last time I had a hydroponic grow going must have been about 1986. The apartment I had while going to school & cooking at several restaurants had HUGE South & East facing windows, was 2nd floor but had no balcony or yard space. I had a huge quantity of house plants (even trees) in my living room and a hydroponic garden in my bedroom... I didn't need curtains, my house plants did that for me. Best house plants EVER. Had an 8' tall Hawaiian Plumeria, it flowered there several times.

I eventually decided to move on. Moving out, last day of the month. 500 lb. or so of pea gravel was what I'd used for a hydro medium, getting THAT down the stairs and into the vehicle took me a while. It was 3:00 am when I finished, had the place cleaned up and got in the car to drive away. Two young men ran past me pushing a couple of new looking Honda mopeds just before I started the car. Odd... Why not ride?

Got going a little later. About 10 blocks towards the "cheaper" side of town, I overtook the same couple of guys, still running flat out pushing the bikes. And my dazed 3:30am mind finally made the connection that: A: those bikes were locked up at a building directly behind mine earlier today- B: they're being stolen by these dudes. Hit the high beams and 4 way flasher switches, leaned on the horn and turned into a drive right behind those kids (they looked about 14). They dropped the bikes instantly and FLEW through a backyard & over a fence...

Someone in the house stuck their head out to yell at me for waking them up. I asked them to call 911, please. 2 minutes later, the thieves started peeking over the fence, then peering at me from behind a building corner, checking me out and they did the math: 2 of them, 1 of me. They finally got up the courage to "(baby) pimp roll" out into plain view, slanged me for interfering with their heist and decided to threaten me with a knife right about when the police showed up. Another disappearing act ensued.

I explain what had happened to the officers, tell them which building the bikes were stolen from (they don't care, they're just going to take them to an impound lot). They saw the kids and know them, they're juvenile south side gang banger wannabees. 2 of the cops head towards their home address to wait for them...

So here I am, talking to 4 cops at about 4:00am. Who suddenly become interested in ME. Why am I even awake at this time? What was I doing? SAY, CAN WE LOOK INSIDE YOUR CAR?!! I was not holding. But I did have 500 pounds of hydro medium, various pumps, fertilizers, some grow lights and other "dual use" technology filling up my car... A long time before decriminalization. Suffice it to say, merely being an honest citizen is NO protection at such times. And no good deed goes unpunished.

Ah, memories.
Click to expand...
That's a good story 😆
 
FWIW I’ve used similar passive hydroponic systems for my chillies, some tomatoes and cukes, for the last decade or so and can highly recommend - it means you can maintain much heavier crops in smaller pots with little of the infernal constant watering concerns in the greenhouse

I generally use systems made in the UK by the excellent Greenhouse Sensation, which you can see in the bad photo below. It’s pretty basic - plant pots sit on top of a reservoir base, with capillary matting wicks (aka plant tampons) feeding through a hole in the bottom of the pots to the water below, drawing up nutrients and water as required. Tanks last a week or so in the UK‘s hottest conditions at a push

Low tech, but definitely worth a go, particularly when you haven’t easy access to power.



1628588027990.jpeg
 
Keith Sinclair said:
That's a good story 😆
Click to expand...

One near constant feature of my "good stories": The stories are more fun to hear about than the experience seemed at the time...

2nd Reagan administration USA's official position on cannabis was "just say no" and Reagan did stuff like saying "drug dealers are the equivalent of TERRORISTS" on national TV.

Things are bit different now.
 
Mmm, Rocotos are nice, but they’re big plants and tend to take too long to mature (in the UK) for them to be much of a viable option in an overpacked greenhouse here.

They overwinter well apparently, but I’ve failed to keep any of the mature plants I’ve grown, largely because I’ve been too disorganised to get down to the allotment greenhouse to protect them properly, and they’re too large to bring home.
 
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