I typically let my peppers ripen to red, except for orange Habos of course. My Cayenne peppers are doing well. Serranos are doing OK if I get to them before the birds that eat the bottom. Jalapenos are doing well, standard, Mucho Nacho, and Mammoth. Red Habos are doing well. Regular orange Habos are starting to produce after several plants got a late start due to gophers. I wound up replacing all of them and some of them twice. Habos typically come on strong around September. I had enough Hot Cherry Peppers to pickle 2 quarts. Tobascos are slow this year. Anaheim/Big Jim/New Mex 6-4 are doing better than the last several years but the burn ban makes me leary of firing up the roaster so I'll probably have to dry some. Poblanos are starting to turn red. I've done two dehydrator loads so far. Hot Banana peppers are plentiful for adding to frozen or canned corn off the cob. This is the first year for me to have Chiltepin and Tepin (bird) peppers. The Chiltepins are plentiful and are turning red. Two pots of Tepin plants are lagging the Chiltepins.
Okra was going gang-busters and I made a batch of Gumbo when I was getting about a pound of Okra per week about a month ago. Now they are dying off. I don't understand it because last year the Okra did really good all through the hot. I got a few eggplants. Tomatoes did real good for a while. Squirrels were getting the tomatoes so I picked all of them near the end of June. We are just now almost out of fresh bag ripened tomatoes. At least the squirrels didn't get them all. The tomato plants are mostly dying. Squirrels have shredded them but there are a few green areas. If they survive until the weather cools, I might get another batch.
Edit:
I knew I was forgetting one variety. Santa Fe peppers are doing a lot better than the last several years.
Habos have just started coming on. I've had tons of tomatoes, but the yield has halted in this hot weather. Cayenne and Jalapenos are very productive.
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No bugs or disease this year, but the heat is really taking a toll on the tomatoes now. I'll probably pull them in the next couple of weeks and put down some winter squash.
Quote from: Gaspar on August 02, 2012, 08:34:39 AM
Habos have just started coming on. I've had tons of tomatoes, but the yield has halted in this hot weather. Cayenne and Jalapenos are very productive.
No bugs or disease this year, but the heat is really taking a toll on the tomatoes now. I'll probably pull them in the next couple of weeks and put down some winter squash.
How do you keep the squirrels from getting all your tomatoes? I actually had about a dozen small green ones even just a week ago but they are gone now.
Cayenne are doing ok for being in a big pot, sitting on a concrete slab in direct afternoon sun....moved the pot yesterday to let it get morning sun, but afternoon shade. Should be happier...or at least survive for a while longer. No new fruit set in last couple of weeks - excessive heat for blossoms to pollinate. Many are turning red, so will probably pick some tonight, and then more in a week or so.
Quote from: Red Arrow on August 02, 2012, 09:26:25 AM
How do you keep the squirrels from getting all your tomatoes? I actually had about a dozen small green ones even just a week ago but they are gone now.
Eat the squirrels. Grilled in small cubes, then mixed into a nice fresh tomato marinara sauce (tomatoes from the garden), then served over an organic whole wheat bowtie pasta?
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on August 02, 2012, 09:29:43 AM
Eat the squirrels. Grilled in small cubes, then mixed into a nice fresh tomato marinara sauce (tomatoes from the garden), then served over an organic whole wheat bowtie pasta?
Then go for a swim in the cement pond.
My pool is so hot I am thinking of throwing in vegetables and making soup.
I'm ready to cry. We have been so busy with the wedding that the garden has suffered, and with this happening during the heat, it just looks pathetic.
Quote from: Red Arrow on August 02, 2012, 09:26:25 AM
How do you keep the squirrels from getting all your tomatoes? I actually had about a dozen small green ones even just a week ago but they are gone now.
I shot a bunch of them last year for going at the tomatoes and for chewing up the siding on my house. Since then, they seem to have learned a lesson. Haven't had a single problem with tree-rats this year.
Quote from: custosnox on August 02, 2012, 09:43:01 AM
I'm ready to cry. We have been so busy with the wedding that the garden has suffered, and with this happening during the heat, it just looks pathetic.
Soaker hose as a stop-gap for now?
Quote from: Gaspar on August 02, 2012, 09:48:40 AM
I shot a bunch of them last year for going at the tomatoes and for chewing up the siding on my house. Since then, they seem to have learned a lesson. Haven't had a single problem with tree-rats this year.
One of my friends did that too. I would probably do more damage to the plants than the squirrels if I tried to shoot the squirrels.
Quote from: custosnox on August 02, 2012, 09:43:01 AM
I'm ready to cry. We have been so busy with the wedding that the garden has suffered, and with this happening during the heat, it just looks pathetic.
As Townsend said - soaker hoses. Get a few, and just leave them in place. Attach a regular hose to a timer valve at the faucet, set it for 2 to 3 hours (maybe more), every other day or maybe 3 days. Move the regular hose to the soaker. Let's you do good, effective watering in under 5 minutes a day (move to different soaker each day, or 5 X number of soakers over the entire day if move them all on one day). The point is to get the water down into the ground beyond the top 3 inches, and shorter, more frequent watering sessions are catastrophic - it will dry out and die. You want moisture to get down to the 6" to 12" zone. (Same thing applies to lawn, but for bermuda, why bother? Let it brown, then come back with the first rain. It is stupid to water bermuda grass here.)
Look under the mulch and if the ground is still moist - you are ok.
Wilting leaves - if leaves wilt in the afternoon, but recover to normal overnight - the plants are fine and are getting adequate moisture!! Look for wilting in the morning and if you see it, then soaker hose them! The plants will look ragged this time of year, but if you can keep them alive for the next 3 - 4 weeks or so, they will recover and give you a fall crop (probably smaller than spring).
NEVER use a sprayer sprinkler!! Soaker hoses!!!
Quote from: Townsend on August 02, 2012, 09:50:12 AM
Soaker hose as a stop-gap for now?
Too poor for that kind of fancy stuff
Quote from: custosnox on August 02, 2012, 10:33:52 AM
Too poor for that kind of fancy stuff
Get just one and move it around, then.
75 foot Soaker Hose about $12. Timer about $10. You have a garden hose already? Can get those for 5 or 6.
Will save that money in watering costs every month. Plus your time...whatever you feel that is worth.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on August 02, 2012, 10:45:34 AM
Get just one and move it around, then.
75 foot Soaker Hose about $12. Timer about $10. You have a garden hose already? Can get those for 5 or 6.
Will save that money in watering costs every month. Plus your time...whatever you feel that is worth.
Dang! where you buying your hoses?
Pepper garden is doing good. Anaheims got off to a slow start but started putting on fruit before it got oppressively hot. Poblano trees are about 6' tall now but yield has slowed due to the heat and they are fairly small peppers. Got plenty of big jims and New Mexico 180's (Paseo De Luna's) are pretty prolific, better than last year. Jalapeños are coming on, but not very hot, got a few bells going prior to all the heat.
Our two heirloom plants have been a disappointment as spider mites got a lot of the vegetation, but they have made a comeback, just no fruit now that it's so hot. Cherry tomato plant still has some fruit on board.
This was the first year I did a greens garden and it went well until it got hot. Getting ready to compost the last of that and re-plant a fall crop in a few weeks.
It's been nice to be home every weekend this year and tend the yard and garden. The front yard is coming around and is a nice emerald green. I'm hoping pre-emergent in September will get rid of the undesirables. I did a mix of sod patch as Gaspar recommended and seed patch with excellent results. I would have had even better luck with the seed patch on the second round but we got into the really hot days before it could germinate. Now I'm keeping the fertilizer and water on it and getting the Bermuda very happy and spreading all over the place.
Quote from: DolfanBob on August 02, 2012, 10:49:26 AM
Dang! where you buying your hoses?
I bought a WalMart earlier this year - i guess that was around 14. Bought a couple of 25 footer from Lowe's a couple weeks ago for 12 and change each.
Timer was a WalMart - they were about out for the year at that time, though.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on August 02, 2012, 11:11:48 AM
I bought a WalMart earlier this year - i guess that was around 14. Bought a couple of 25 footer from Lowe's a couple weeks ago for 12 and change each.
Timer was a WalMart - they were about out for the year at that time, though.
I dropped $250 at Lowe's yesterday on another timer, two extra solenoids, 150' of hose, fittings, soaker hose, and sprinkler heads to better automate my watering. I'd already done it for the back yard, but I've had to drag sprinklers all over the front yard, and it's getting old.
Quote from: DolfanBob on August 02, 2012, 10:49:26 AM
Dang! where you buying your hoses?
I got hoses in different area codeses!
Ehhh. Why am I posting that?
Quote from: Gaspar on August 02, 2012, 12:29:16 PM
I got hoses in different area codeses!
Ehhh. Why am I posting that?
Listening to Snoop
Dogg er Lion?
Quote from: Conan71 on August 02, 2012, 11:14:27 AM
I dropped $250 at Lowe's yesterday on another timer, two extra solenoids, 150' of hose, fittings, soaker hose, and sprinkler heads to better automate my watering. I'd already done it for the back yard, but I've had to drag sprinklers all over the front yard, and it's getting old.
I think I have spent about half that this year on replacement of part of the system....
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on August 02, 2012, 02:03:28 PM
I think I have spent about half that this year on replacement of part of the system....
When I had an in-ground sprinkler system on a previous property, it seemed like I needed to replace solenoids, sprinkler heads, etc. every year. At least this way I can save the donkey-pain of digging around to replace something underground and I don't have the $3000 to $3500 upfront cost. Anyone know what the cost is to install an in-ground irrigation system on a typical mid-town 150' x 50' lot?
Quote from: Conan71 on August 02, 2012, 02:05:56 PM
When I had an in-ground sprinkler system on a previous property, it seemed like I needed to replace solenoids, sprinkler heads, etc. every year. At least this way I can save the donkey-pain of digging around to replace something underground and I don't have the $3000 to $3500 upfront cost. Anyone know what the cost is to install an in-ground irrigation system on a typical mid-town 150' x 50' lot?
I'll look up my irrigation company when I get home and let you know. (can't remember the spelling) You could call for a quote. They did a nice job on my yard. It's worth it. I promise.
Quote from: Townsend on August 02, 2012, 02:11:12 PM
I'll look up my irrigation company when I get home and let you know. (can't remember the spelling) You could call for a quote. They did a nice job on my yard. It's worth it. I promise.
Ahhh, I did not realize you added that! Probably would be a similar installation with some of the beds and ornamentals, etc.
Quote from: Conan71 on August 02, 2012, 02:36:07 PM
Ahhh, I did not realize you added that! Probably would be a similar installation with some of the beds and ornamentals, etc.
Oops, that was misleading. In my Southy home.
My mid-town home is still the hard way. Believe me, I thought about it every damned summer day.
Now the renters are sort of doing it.
Here are some Lowe's prices for soaker hoses (from their online site).
http://www.lowes.com/Search=soaker+hose?storeId=10151&N=0&langId=-1&catalogId=10051&rpp=16
Quote from: Townsend on August 02, 2012, 02:39:46 PM
Oops, that was misleading. In my Southy home.
My mid-town home is still the hard way. Believe me, I thought about it every damned summer day.
Now the renters are sort of doing it.
Your Southie lot dimensions are probably 10K sq feet or so, though aren't they? I think the average Lortondale lot is 7500, I believe mine is listed at near 8500. It would give me a fairly close approximation since you've got that big hole in the ground, extended patio, and the moat and drawbridge thingy out front.
Quote from: Conan71 on August 02, 2012, 04:05:59 PM
Your Southie lot dimensions are probably 10K sq feet or so, though aren't they? I think the average Lortondale lot is 7500, I believe mine is listed at near 8500. It would give me a fairly close approximation since you've got that big hole in the ground, extended patio, and the moat and drawbridge thingy out front.
It makes a difference of how many zones and some other crap. Do you have a layout planned? "here's where the bushes will be and here's where the grass will be..."
Quote from: Townsend on August 02, 2012, 04:16:18 PM
It makes a difference of how many zones and some other crap. Do you have a layout planned? "here's where the bushes will be and here's where the grass will be..."
I can pretty much figure the zones. Just give me an idea what you guys paid and I can probably figure a decent idea from there if I want to go as far as getting an estimate. Big issue will be whether they would need to go under my drive way or simply loop around the back of the house to supply the heads on the west side of my driveway.
Quote from: heironymouspasparagus on August 02, 2012, 10:45:34 AM
Get just one and move it around, then.
75 foot Soaker Hose about $12. Timer about $10. You have a garden hose already? Can get those for 5 or 6.
Will save that money in watering costs every month. Plus your time...whatever you feel that is worth.
Okay, let me rephrase, I'm really poor and I'm getting married tomorrow (okay, tonight at this point, but the bachelor party has me at the point that I will sleep before then), so yeah, $12, much less $22 is out of our reach right now
Quote from: custosnox on August 03, 2012, 02:49:54 AM
Okay, let me rephrase, I'm really poor and I'm getting married tomorrow (okay, tonight at this point, but the bachelor party has me at the point that I will sleep before then), so yeah, $12, much less $22 is out of our reach right now
Congrats!!
Quote from: custosnox on August 03, 2012, 02:49:54 AM
Okay, let me rephrase, I'm really poor and I'm getting married tomorrow (okay, tonight at this point, but the bachelor party has me at the point that I will sleep before then), so yeah, $12, much less $22 is out of our reach right now
Well, good luck!!
Congratulations!!
Do you really think you are good enough for her?? (Same question I ask my kids....)
And haven't you seen enough movies about this to know the bachelor party should never be the night before...always need a week to recover!
If I were you, I certainly wouldn't be thinking about the garden. Enjoy this milestone and the later, just set your sights on next year's garden! Gives you time to regroup for the effort.
Wait a minute....how can you two afford marriage if you are that poor? Oh, wait...I know - it's the same way everyone does it...