# Stuff and Things > Cooking >  Since there's no gardening forum...

## East of the Beast

I'll post all things garden related here.Anywho.....who here likes red potatoes? I planted about 20lbs back in the first week of May.They are already blooming.If the tops are any indication of the yield it's going to be a good crop.Red potatoes are not as meaty as the white variety's and they do not keep as well over the winter.I like them for their flavor though.They'll be ready to harvest around mid July.Nothing like a veggie meal of fresh potatoes and green beans.Top that off with a sliced garden tomato,a big wedge of cornbread and sweet tea.

We be talkin' chomp......got any other gardeners here?

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Garden House Queen (06-14-2017),valley ranch (02-11-2018)

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## Kodiak

Red potatoes are pretty much all we eat.   Gave up on gardening here in the high desert last year though.  The wind and intense sun is brutal and it's a constant fight to keep plants healthy.   We built a greenhouse a few years ago to start plants, and now just use it for winter lettuce.

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valley ranch (02-11-2018)

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## Garden House Queen

I love Yukons for their "golden flesh" ....baked.....creamed....fried.....steamed....but .....especially enjoy the fingerlings called "Rose Finns" (white flesh with red skins) for baking!

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East of the Beast (06-12-2017),valley ranch (02-11-2018)

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## Beachcomber

As I read, got me a pot of fresh green string beans cooking down with a nice hunk of smoked bacon -- southin style.

 :Thumbsup20:

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East of the Beast (06-12-2017),Garden House Queen (06-12-2017)

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## tom

> Nothing like a veggie meal of fresh potatoes and green beans.


That was my lunch, alone with cucumber and chicken. I use the damaged potatoes first. I scrubbed them. No need to peel early potatoes. No tomatoes yet, but some are turning white. Zone 8, eastern NC.

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East of the Beast (06-12-2017)

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## East of the Beast

> That was my lunch, alone with cucumber and chicken. I use the damaged potatoes first. I scrubbed them. No need to peel early potatoes. No tomatoes yet, but some are turning white. Zone 8, eastern NC.


No tomatoes for me either .there's a nice vegggie stand near my house they are selling Tennesee grown tomatoes right now.They aren't bad but nothing like the big juicy beef stakes that will be ready later in July.

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## tom

> No tomatoes for me either .there's a nice vegggie stand near my house they are selling Tennesee grown tomatoes right now.They aren't bad but nothing like the big juicy beef stakes that will be ready later in July.


I grow a few big Black Krim to give away, but for myself I prefer small early tomatoes like the Canadian Sub Arctic and the Russian Siberian. My thinking is, Small and early is better than big and late. I pick the tomatoes at breaker stage, let them ripen indoors, and avoid much bird and insect damage that way.

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East of the Beast (06-12-2017)

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## tom

@HawkTheSlayer Research has established that men enjoy gardening more than sex. I read newspaper articles about it 30 or 40 years ago. There would be less trouble in relationships if the man would warn the woman up front: "Don't make me choose between you and gardening."





> Here are the top reasons why gardening is better than sex:
> 
> 
> #25 - Gardeners are not embarrassed explaining the birds and the bees to their kids.
> 
> 
> #24 - If your regular gardening partner isn't available, he/she won't object  if you garden with someone else.
> 
> 
> ...





http://www.gardenersnet.com/fun/gardeningvs.htm

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East of the Beast (06-14-2017),Sheldonna (06-22-2017)

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## HawkTheSlayer

> @HawkTheSlayer Research has established that men enjoy gardening more than sex. I read newspaper articles about it 30 or 40 years ago. There would be less trouble in relationships if the man would warn the woman up front: "Don't make me choose between you and gardening."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.gardenersnet.com/fun/gardeningvs.htm


No. No. And NO!
I enjoy gardening but not more than sex!!
Or the company of an intelligent woman.

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## tom

> No. No. And NO!
> I enjoy gardening but not more than sex!!
> Or the company of an intelligent woman.


Well, that's because you garden with a tractor, I think. Gardening with a tractor is like sex with a condom on. But I'm just reporting past research. Me, I garden with a hoe. When you get down and dirty, gardening is at an entirely different level -- very touchy-feely.

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## HawkTheSlayer

> Well, that's because you garden with a tractor, I think. Gardening with a tractor is like sex with a condom on. But I'm just reporting past research. Me, I garden with a hoe. When you get down and dirty, gardening is at an entirely different level -- very touchy-feely.


I have sex with a hoe.

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## tom

> I have sex with a hoe.


Well, try it in the field. Hillbillies would have sex in the field to encourage the corn to grow. It's an old agricultural fertility rite. Romans decorated their gardens with statues of Priapus. I can't do that because my garden is open to the public.

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## Coolwalker

Being Irish I never met a potato I didn't like. Had baked potatoes with rib eye and asparagus just last night.

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East of the Beast (06-14-2017)

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## tom

> Being Irish I never met a potato I didn't like. Had baked potatoes with rib eye and asparagus just last night.


Did you grow the potatoes and asparagus? I have read that European expansion was fueled by the potato. People had more to eat and the population exploded.

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## tom

My gardening objective is a continuous supply of vegetables, not the greatest yield with the least labor. I achieve this by

1. staggered planting
2. succession planting
3. diversification in variety

That is, I plant the same things at different times and in different places, try never to leave the ground bare, and plant different varieties of the same vegetable. Crop failures are certain. Diversification protects.




> . . . since the world has still	
> Much good, but much less good than ill,	
> And while the sun and moon endure
> Lucks a chance, but troubles sure




This year I have been overwhelmed by animal pests -- rabbits, rats (caught one last night), birds, and shrews. Nevertheless, I have had a continuous supply of fresh vegetables since January 20. Other years, the problem has been plant diseases -- southern blight, viruses, bacteria, and fungus. Diseases can be controlled by not planting the same crop in the same place year after year, and by quickly roguing diseased plants. Insects, except for spider mites, are a minor problem for me now that I have learned how to identify and protect soldier bugs. Probably I spend more time thinking about gardening than I do doing it.

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Garden House Queen (06-15-2017)

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## tom

Today I dug the last of my potatoes, about a bushel, which will last me into the fall. The soil is this spot is depleted, sandy field soil. Last year I attempted parsnips there and had a crop failure. I think I do not have the climate for parsnips. The parsnips were covered with the knots of root-knot nematodes. My treatment for nematodes is wood ashes. I put several bushels of wood ashes on the area last fall and lightly raked it in. These potatoes were grown solely with anaerobic compost. I did not know whether or not it was possible, as I have always used chemical fertilizer in the past.


I make anaerobic compost by packing plastic drums with succulent plant material (comfrey, nettles, ragweed tops, etc), cover it with water, and let it ferment. Fermentation needs six months or more, depending on the weather. This method was used by the Chinese for a thousand years (oufei). It is popular with home gardeners in the UK. The advantage to anaerobic compost is that it is free fertilizer, whereas chemical fertilizer is expensive. The disadvantage is waiting time and some odor. This is composting by the septic tank principle, and while fermenting, it smells like a pig pen. Properly covering the fermentation container eliminates most of the odor.


The potatoes did well. Minimal disease and insect damage. Their vitamin and mineral content should be greater than potatoes grown with chemical fertilizer.

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Garden House Queen (06-16-2017)

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## tiny1

> Today I dug the last of my potatoes, about a bushel, which will last me into the fall. The soil is this spot is depleted, sandy field soil. Last year I attempted parsnips there and had a crop failure. I think I do not have the climate for parsnips. The parsnips were covered with the knots of root-knot nematodes. My treatment for nematodes is wood ashes. I put several bushels of wood ashes on the area last fall and lightly raked it in. These potatoes were grown solely with anaerobic compost. I did not know whether or not it was possible, as I have always used chemical fertilizer in the past.
> 
> 
> I make anaerobic compost by packing plastic drums with succulent plant material (comfrey, nettles, ragweed tops, etc), cover it with water, and let it ferment. Fermentation needs six months or more, depending on the weather. This method was used by the Chinese for a thousand years (oufei). It is popular with home gardeners in the UK. The advantage to anaerobic compost is that it is free fertilizer, whereas chemical fertilizer is expensive. The disadvantage is waiting time and some odor. This is composting by the septic tank principle, and while fermenting, it smells like a pig pen. Properly covering the fermentation container eliminates most of the odor.
> 
> 
> The potatoes did well. Minimal disease and insect damage. Their vitamin and mineral content should be greater than potatoes grown with chemical fertilizer.


I am pretty much a square foot gardener.  I use less land, and get maximum yield.  And, I plant 3 crops.  Early spring, I do brassicas, lettuce, sugar snap peas, etc.  Late spring I put in summer crops.  I plant about 8 rows of corn, and when a foot  tall, I plant a pole bean next to each stalk, and let the bean climb up the corn stalk.  Squashes/eggplants next to the corn and beans, and peppers, hot and mild, next to them.  Melons, and cukes, and tomatoes round out the bulk of my garden.  I have an asparagus bed next to my garden, been producing for almost ten years.  5 or 6 more seasons, and I'll have to plant again.  I do herbs in a planter on my back deck.  Peaches, pears, apples and Pomegranates also grow back there.
I struggle with tree rats.  Pests can be cumbersome here.  But, we eat good.

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Garden House Queen (06-16-2017)

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## tiny1

> Being Irish I never met a potato I didn't like. Had baked potatoes with rib eye and asparagus just last night.


Each potato type has a different application.
High Starch potatoes, like Russets, are great for mashed 'taters, fries, and baked potatoes
Medium starch, like yukon gold and white potatoes, are great for au gratins, and all purpose use.
Reds are low starch, and are great for potato salads, stews, and such.

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Garden House Queen (06-16-2017)

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## tom

> I am pretty much a square foot gardener.



How do you square foot garden? I am under the impression that square foot gardening involves raised beds, annual replacement of artificial soil to avoid weeds and soil-borne plant diseases, and very close spacing.





> when a foot tall, I plant a pole bean next to each stalk



Six inches from each stalk? I've had bad luck with that. Beans and cowpeas form a tangled mess in corn, making weeding and harvesting difficult. This year I am using cylinders of old stock fencing for bean support. Each cylinder fits over a tire. The beans are planted _inside_ the cylinder. An A-frame piece of stock fencing tops the cylinder. So far, looks good.

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## tiny1

Thomas HoodIII




> How do you square foot garden? I am under the impression that square foot gardening involves raised beds, annual replacement of artificial soil to avoid weeds and soil-borne plant diseases, and very close spacing.


Square foot gardening is simple close quarters gardening.  Each square foot can be used to grow certain amounts of food you wish to eat.  Cabbage is planted 1 per SF, while you can get 16 radishes in the same space.  Lots of folks DO use raised beds, but mostly because they don't have adequate ground to put in a garden, or because raised beds heat up quicker.  This method was perfected with space challenged people in mind.   I have never replaced my soil.  I amend, but I never replace.  Weeds, are best handled by Mulching.  I use wheat straw about 6 inches thick.  Holds moisture in, helps control weeds, and helps nitrification.  I put a couple of boxes of fishing worms under the straw, and they deposit worm castings and aerate the soil.  I seldom have to pull weeds, and never turn the soil over.  I just push back the mulch, and plant, then pull the mulch back in place once established. 




> Six inches from each stalk? I've had bad luck with that. Beans and cowpeas form a tangled mess in corn, making weeding and harvesting difficult. This year I am using cylinders of old stock fencing for bean support. Each cylinder fits over a tire. The beans are planted _inside_ the cylinder. An A-frame piece of stock fencing tops the cylinder. So far, looks good.


I never have any trouble.   The beans climb the stalks, and as I go collecting the beans, I manage the corn.  Legumes set Nitrogen in the soil, and replace what the corn stalks use.  Squash next to the corn, Indian Style
It is a very interesting method.  My main area is about 30 ft square.  Not a raised bed.  I feed my family of three, (my 29 year old autistic daughter lives with us still), and have plenty for my Mom and some of her friends.
I am aware that SFG seems counterproductive, but it works.  Once you've got your plan set, things get easier.  You learn how to do things a bit different, use less space, and work less.

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## tom

> I use wheat straw about 6 inches thick.


For a 30 X 30 foot area, isn't that expensive? Don't you need to recover with straw every year or two? But you would save on water, fertilizer, and weeding.

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## tiny1

> For a 30 X 30 foot area, isn't that expensive? Don't you need to recover with straw every year or two? But you would save on water, fertilizer, and weeding.


How expensive is your *time*, and your back?  
It takes about 7 bales to cover.  4 bucks a bale.  I replace about 4 a year.  I never water, since the rain is kept in the soil by the mulch.  I never till the soil.  I never weed.  Saves about 10 or 12 hours a week.  
DO NOT try to save money by substituting Hay for Straw.  Hay has hay seed.

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## tom

My Yankee relatives ask me what I do for excitement. One thing is garden. A gardener can play at Luther Burbank. Every open pollinated plant is an individual with features that can be enhanced through selection over the generations to produce a distinct strain. At one time, families here would have their own strain of seed -- the Burkette collard, the Thomas collard, etc. These seed had been in the family for a hundred years or longer. Anyone can do the same now. I have selected out a savoyed yellow collard of mild flavor.

In addition to cross-breeding, there are sports -- sudden and striking changes in genetics. White seed turn black. Black seed turn white -- all unexpected. A few years ago I was surprised by a sport that emerged from Kentucky Wonder bush beans --a red seeded half runner.  I've no experience with half runners, and it has taken me several years to learn how to grow it. It has a sturdy hull, and I am hoping it will work out as a shelling bean.

Then there are  volunteers dropped by birds or wind. Last year there was a cypress vine in the yard. The closest source of cypress vine seed I know of is twelve miles off. The watermelon I grow comes from a mysteriously deposited volunteer. The nearest source of Verbena bonariensis is a mile and a half off.

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Garden House Queen (06-22-2017)

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## Garden House Queen

My Mom always planted white half runners. The taste is superb and the bean itself is loaded with lots of kernels...but...the strings are an aggravation! It seems, as try as I might, I always wind up with a mouthful of strings! Good luck!!!

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## Sheldonna

> I'll post all things garden related here.Anywho.....who here likes red potatoes? I planted about 20lbs back in the first week of May.They are already blooming.If the tops are any indication of the yield it's going to be a good crop.Red potatoes are not as meaty as the white variety's and they do not keep as well over the winter.I like them for their flavor though.They'll be ready to harvest around mid July.Nothing like a veggie meal of fresh potatoes and green beans.Top that off with a sliced garden tomato,a big wedge of cornbread and sweet tea.
> 
> We be talkin' chomp......got any other gardeners here?


I have never grown potatoes.   Always grow tomatoes and peppers and herbs and a few veggies like squash, zucchini, onions and am growing beets (yech) this year cause they're supposed to be good for ya.

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East of the Beast (06-22-2017)

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## Sheldonna

> @hawktheslayer research has established that men enjoy gardening more than sex. I read newspaper articles about it 30 or 40 years ago. There would be less trouble in relationships if the man would warn the woman up front: "don't make me choose between you and gardening."
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> http://www.gardenersnet.com/fun/gardeningvs.htm


lmao @ #1!

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## Sheldonna

> Each potato type has a different application.
> High Starch potatoes, like Russets, are great for mashed 'taters, fries, and baked potatoes
> Medium starch, like yukon gold and white potatoes, are great for au gratins, and all purpose use.
> Reds are low starch, and are great for potato salads, stews, and such.


I use the Yukon or white for lemon potatoes (greek) and serve with ham, spinach boudan casserole and asparagus every Christmas.

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## tom

> I always wind up with a mouthful of strings!


They call them string beans for a reason  :Smile:  The best tasting snap bean I have grown is the Rattlesnake pole bean, but strings must be carefully removed, so preparation takes longer.

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## East of the Beast

> They call them string beans for a reason  The best tasting snap bean I have grown is the Rattlesnake pole bean, but strings must be carefully removed, so preparation takes longer.


Blue Lakes are stringless they are also a bush bean.Tenderettes are my fave.

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## tiny1

> I use the Yukon or white for lemon potatoes (greek) and serve with ham, spinach boudan casserole and asparagus every Christmas.


I use them for gratin, or home fries, etc.  All around great all purpose potatoes.  At times, I mix them with russets in Mashed Taters.

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## Garden House Queen

My favorite green bean is Roma II. A flat green bean that allows you to harvest for more than a few days on the vine.......(long pick life) .....is very tasty and has nooooooo strings! Yes!!!!!

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## tom

> My favorite green bean is Roma II. A flat green bean that allows you to harvest for more than a few days on the vine.......(long pick life) .....is very tasty and has nooooooo strings! Yes!!!!!


Roma II is the bush type of the Romano pole bean, isn't it? This year I am trying purple podded pole beans. They are pretty. In the shade under the leaves, the beans look black, but in the sunlight they are purple. They turn green when cooked. This year I had a good small (one tractor tire) crop of bush yellow wax beans. They retain the yellow color when cooked and make a beautiful dish when mixed with cut green beans. I have grown yellow wax beans from a seed gift for the last five years. They have always made beans but not so heavy a yield as Blue Lake. This year they produced as well as Blue Lake, so it takes years of experience to judge a bean.

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## Garden House Queen

> Roma II is the bush type of the Romano pole bean, isn't it? This year I am trying purple podded pole beans. They are pretty. In the shade under the leaves, the beans look black, but in the sunlight they are purple. They turn green when cooked. This year I had a good small (one tractor tire) crop of bush yellow wax beans. They retain the yellow color when cooked and make a beautiful dish when mixed with cut green beans. I have grown yellow wax beans from a seed gift for the last five years. They have always made beans but not so heavy a yield as Blue Lake. This year they produced as well as Blue Lake, so it takes years of experience to judge a bean.


 @Thomas HoodIII
Ooooh.....I would like to try the purple podded pole bean! Do you think it's too late to plant them? What is the exact name and where did you purchase them?

.....and yes the Roma is a bush bean. We like them so well we plant them every year! Another interesting vegetable we plant is pole limas. The seed was a gift from my neighbor and he told me it is a seed that has been handed down in their family since before the Civil War. The are a large white lima. It's hard for me to know when to pick them green...so I wait until they dry .....they're easier to pick then and I can take my time to shell them....put them in a container and use as a dry bean throughout the winter! Another pole lima we like is the "red speckled"....but ...they do have a bit stronger flavor.

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## tom

> @Thomas HoodIII
> Ooooh.....I would like to try the purple podded pole bean! Do you think it's too late to plant them? What is the exact name and where did you purchase them?


It's almost July. I doubt you would get much of a crop, if any, this late in the season. The name is "Purple Podded Pole Bean." I got the seed from Baker Creek.


Purple Podded Pole Bean  | Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds






> Another interesting vegetable we plant is pole limas. The seed was a gift from my neighbor and he told me it is a seed that has been handed down in their family since before the Civil War. The are a large white lima. It's hard for me to know when to pick them green...so I wait until they dry


You are missing something if you do not pick your limas green. Fresh limas are served in Heaven, if there is one. It takes judgment to pick green limas. Feel the pods. The seed should be well filled out with a distinct separation between each seed, a bump at each seed. Maybe the seed feel just a little loose. If limas are picked too early, the pods are hard to shell, the seeds are small, and yield is low.

I plant butterpeas as a succession crop after bush beans, cabbage, and other early crops. The butterpea is a small-seeded bush lima. They flourish in summer heat, and yields can be exceptional. I am aware of two types of butterpeas -- the white and the speckled. I have gotten better yields from the speckled. The butterpea is a standard vegetable, and standards are cheaper to buy from a local feed and seed store than from mail order sources.

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Garden House Queen (06-23-2017)

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## tom

Strange to the gringos, that is. I grow Italian edible gourds. This is a soul food of southern Italians, especially among Americans of Italian descent, which they grow and consume with the seasoning of passion. It is an excellent vegetable once one learns how to grow and prepare it. I have had very bad luck with mail order seed, but once you get one to grow, you have good seeds forever. My edible gourd vines are running now. I have neighbors who dismiss them as "goose necks" and will not eat them. They won't eat eggplant, either.


Yesterday in Dr. Mercola's newsletter, there was an article on Malabar spinach, which Dr. Mercola grows himself and recommends to fellow gardeners. I grew Malabar spinach 40 year ago, but no one in the family would try this strange food, so I stopped growing it. In researching Malabar spinach, I discovered that it contains no vitamin K -- at least, none was reported in any internet site -- though it is very high in vitamin A. This vitamin K connection is important for the million or so of us on warfarin. In effect, vitamin K neutralizes warfarin, making a reoccurrence of blood clots possible. Healthy people, though, need all the vitamin K they can get. Among other things, it prevents brittle bones as one ages. Standard garden greens (mustard, turnip, beet, cabbage, collards) are too high in vitamin K for a person on warfarin to eat without special precautions. I was warned by the nurse whose responsibility was to educate me in warfarin that a single serving of collards could kill me. Apparently I can have Malabar spinach and plan to grow this vegetable in the future.

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Dave37 (06-24-2017),Garden House Queen (06-24-2017)

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## tom

Among the things that unexpectedly emerge in a garden are sterile sports. These are plants with special properties but which cannot be reproduced by conventional means. I think they happen wherever there are plants, but a garden is a place of close observation, and they are more likely to be noticed there. This year's sterile sport was an elephant garlic. It had a huge flower -- larger than a softball but smaller than a volleyball. The typical elephant garlic flower is about the size of a baseball. This plant made no cloves. It was all flower. Energy that would have gone to the reproductive cloves had been diverted to the flower.

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Garden House Queen (06-26-2017)

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## tom

When you buy produce, you get seed or other reproductive parts for free. I have grown butternut squash, jalapeno, and sweet potatoes that way. I have habanero from grocery store seed in the garden now. Late last fall it occurred to me that I possibly could grow grocery store garlic. An advantage to grocery store garlic is that the cloves are small and more convenient to use than the large elephant garlic. The taste is also sweeter. In early December -- much too late to start garlic -- I bought grocery store garlic to plant. The yield from two heads was 2/3 lb, and I plan to do it again on a larger scale. If you try this, start much earlier than December. My late planting meant that the garlic did not make scapes (flower stalks). Also, beware Chinese garlic. It may be sterile from processing and may have been grown in polluted soil.

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## tom

> My Mom always planted white half runners. The taste is superb and the bean itself is loaded with lots of kernels...but...the strings are an aggravation! It seems, as try as I might, I always wind up with a mouthful of strings! Good luck!!!


You are right, @Garden House Queen. I got around to cooking half runner beans today, took extra care to remove strings, yet still there were strings. Basically one eats the meat off the strings and then discards the strings, much like eating meat off bones. The flavor is superior, though. I suspect that strings are in all half runner beans.

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Garden House Queen (07-03-2017)

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## tom

As a consequence, as some believe, of plant breeders attempt to improve shipping and shelf life, or as a consequence, as I suspect, of seed production being  out-sourced and off-shored to growers in Chile and elsewhere who do not maintain proper field separation -- commercially available strains of beans are polluted with genes for toughness and have lost flavor.

Some green beans flat and tough

The problem is apparently worse with runner and half runner beans. The solution is to get beans from a pure source and then save your own seed. Otherwise, I have figured out how to make-do with tough, stringy beans:

1. With no other food in the mouth, shovel in a tablespoon of tough, stringy beans.
2. Chew the beans until only the indigestible strings are left.
3. Place this cud on the edge of the plate.
4. Get another spoonful of beans, etc.

In the two weeks I have been doing this, my health has improved, and I may be losing weight. (People will die to lose weight.) Apparently enough fiber will be eaten anyway to improved digestive function. Fecal impaction -- not an uncommon human problem -- may be impossible if one eats tough, stringy beans, and other intestinal conditions may be eliminated or improved, too. So, eat your tough, stringy beans and live long and prosper.

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Garden House Queen (07-07-2017)

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## Garden House Queen

@Thomas HoodIII


What do you know about "fava beans"? I just planted some....got on Youtube and found some really interesting videos. Apparently they take quite a long time to produce but are able to withstand colder temperatures. The other thing I liked was they are chock full of protein. The way I figure it...hopefully I will be picking my "fava" beans in November!

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## tom

> @Thomas HoodIII
> 
> What do you know about "fava beans"?


Not much about growing them. I have tried growing them two or three times but without much luck. I think they need a long cool season, like winter in the Mediterranean area. Here it's either too hot or too cold, without a cool transition. Probably they would do well in the Pacific Northwest or wherever celery does well. I grew them mostly for cultural experience. They are associated with the souls of the dead. This symbolic association is why Thoreau, who was in mourning for his brother John, grew beans (not favas) at Walden. They brought back memories of John. Good luck with your favas. Let us know how they turn out.

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Garden House Queen (07-09-2017)

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## tom

I have found four plant mutations in the garden this year and am begining to wonder whether this area is radioactive or whether there is an increase in cosmic rays. One volunteer tomato plant had white tomatoes. I kept waiting for the tomatoes to ripen red, but they never did, and most of them rotted. White tomatoes are an establish class. One internet seedsman offers 16 varieties, and I may try a heirloom variety next year. Some like them and say they taste creamy. Germination may be difficult, and it is hard to tell when they are ripe. Mine turn slightly yellow and then a light pink blush on the bottom. When they've gotten to pink, they are overripe, I think. Before they are ripe, they have a sour taste that I think could be useful in cooking.

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## 2cent

Been fun reading about y'all's gardening.  @Thomas HoodIII, I'd never heard of white tomatoes.  Good luck w/the germinating.  Takes a green thumb and patience.  (So you can quit wondering why I have such little luck. lol)

Y'all should see this corn we planted. It's so _cute!_ (A second planting, where we harvested our 'taters.)  A hybrid called Early Sunglow.  "Early" is right!  It came up in 4 days, and was tasseling, before it even got taller than I am!  
We planted on 07-17, and is already near ready to pick.  Yes, gonna be short, 7" ears, like the pkg says.  It did eventually get taller than 5'.

We didn't think to plant more where we harvested our (normal, bi-color),corn 'til yesterday.  Put in 4, short rows.

*FWIW, these second plantings are more for the cows.  If they produce, fine.  We'll put up the corn.  If not, that's okay.  Either way, the cows still get a treat.  

We're doing things a little differently this year.  *Our garden is inside the cow pasture w/an electric fence around it.
Except for where the peppers and corn are, we're letting the weeds/grass grow.
Our point?  Once the garden is done, take down the electric fence, and let the cows clean it up.  And yeah, even fertilizing it some.
So, yes, it does make sense.  But that doesn't mean I won't be on anxiety pills before all is said and done. lol.
Weeds?  In _my_ garden?  That does not happen.

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## East of the Beast

My garden has just about played out.Heres  what my little garden produced.

Red Potatoes........planted 5lbs....yield, 60 lbs.

Big Boy Tomatoes.............10 plants.......yield, 20 qts of juice,salsa, and marinara sauce.Some eaten with meals after picking

Half Runner Green beens......2- 20 rows......yield, 17 qts canned not counting those eaten after picked.


Cucumbers,Zuchini,Squash.....minimal yield.A lot of rain caused a fungus to kill them out early.


Silver Queen Corn...........2 rows........yield 12 qts freezer bags.Not counting those eaten at meals .

All in all not too shabby for a 20X12 garden.

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## tom

> Once the garden is done, take down the electric fence, and let the cows clean it up.  And yeah, even fertilizing it some.


Sounds like a good plan. Ever tried cowpeas for fodder? But they might interfere with the electric fence.  Last year I was given an old fodder pea from neighbor Robert. Robert's peas have small black seed. No matter when planted, they do not make seed until about the fall equinox. Robert's instruction was to plant them by the 4th of July. Root system and vine growth are remarkable. I was told that twelve plants was all I needed, and that was right. Small seeded cowpears are difficult to shell, and I thresh them when dry with a two-pound sledge.

I may not need to grow corn (black bird food) next year. Nephew has taken up growing corn commercially and is giving me more than I need. I have found a simple way to process corn. I shuck the corn outside, and as I pull down the shucks, I pull the silks off too. A stiff-bristled pot brush works good for removing the remaining silks. I used to use a corn cutter to remove the corn from the cob, but I have found that a serrated-edged knife (heavier that a steak knife) works better.

It's sad that the gardens of some members might be underwater.

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## tom

> My garden has just about played out.


I am still getting shanty pea cowpeas, Beck's okra, green walking onions, sheepnose pimentoes, and an occasional small tomato and eggplant. I grow figs -- an unreliable crop -- but this year they have half made, and I have them with each meal.This week I planted walking onion bublets and coriander. It has taken me years to learn how to grow and used them. Regular onions do not do well here, but green walking onions can be had most of the year. I prefer coriander seed to the leaf (cilantro), lightly crush them, and put them in most everything I cook in a frying pan. Found how to make sausage-flavored hamburger today:

1 lb. crumbled hamburger
2 tablespoons of coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds crushed
1 clove elephant garlic
leaves from a 6" stem of rosemary
2 sheepnose pimentoes
1/2 teaspoon jalapeno pepper powder added at table

Garlic, rosemary, and pimentoes are diced and added to the hamburger when it is half cooked. There are several internet recipes for sausage-flavored hamburger.

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East of the Beast (08-31-2017)

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## tom

That's Italian edible gourd. It has a bland, off-flavor taste and needs to be cooked with other foods. It's good in soups. For supper I steamed it with eggplant and covered the two with a chicken hash made with pimentoes. It was excellent. This is a good vegetable to have because it produces late and will continue to produce until frost.

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## Iron

My tomatoes suck this year. Usually I have so many they are rotting on the vine before I pick them. Not many are ripe this year, taste isnt great on the few that do ripe.

Is there anything behind this? Maybe my soil is deficient in something?

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## tom

> My tomatoes suck this year. Usually I have so many they are rotting on the vine before I pick them. Not many are ripe this year, taste isnt great on the few that do ripe.
> 
> Is there anything behind this? Maybe my soil is deficient in something?


Plant diseases have been especially bad here this year, and I've been told that most gardens flopped early. Generally, plant diseases build up as the season progresses. I plant a variety so that if one thing fails, another will make. I'm still finding just a few cherry tomatoes.

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## tom

> My Mom always planted white half runners. The taste is superb and the bean itself is loaded with lots of kernels...but...the strings are an aggravation! It seems, as try as I might, I always wind up with a mouthful of strings! Good luck!!!


I just found that pressure cooking eliminates the strings in stringy green beans. The beans were half runners. They were cooked for 8 minutes in an old-fashioned pressure cooker at the lowest possible temperature. The safety plug was up, but the jiggler wasn't allowed to jiggle.

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Garden House Queen (11-09-2017)

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## tom

I'd like to recommend the website and blog of Theresa Martz. 

Organic Gardening Blog with a common sense approach

She is the widow of a talented but starving artist, and necessity compelled her to learn to garden. Her ideas are based on experience and research.

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Garden House Queen (11-23-2017),Kris P Bacon (02-11-2018)

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## Garden House Queen

> I'd like to recommend the website and blog of Theresa Martz. 
> 
> Organic Gardening Blog with a common sense approach
> 
> She is the widow of a talented but starving artist, and necessity compelled her to learn to garden. Her ideas are based on experience and research.


Super nice site...thanks!

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## valley ranch

Garden is a must ~ Most is grown in Nevada so to keep the rabbits and other rodents out ~ I use a fence charger ~ a very hot one```

Tomatoes are a must~ onions ~ squash, several kinds ~ Purslane (Perper) watermelon ``` Haven't had luck with corn yet ~ radishes ~ lettuce ~ mustard ~ you know I can't think what else ``` Start most in the greenhouse ~ the earth is alkaline here ~ I'll have to do some raised beds ~ to grow certain other things ```

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Kris P Bacon (02-11-2018)

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## Kris P Bacon

> I'll post all things garden related here.Anywho.....who here likes red potatoes? I planted about 20lbs back in the first week of May.They are already blooming.If the tops are any indication of the yield it's going to be a good crop.Red potatoes are not as meaty as the white variety's and they do not keep as well over the winter.I like them for their flavor though.They'll be ready to harvest around mid July.Nothing like a veggie meal of fresh potatoes and green beans.Top that off with a sliced garden tomato,a big wedge of cornbread and sweet tea.
> 
> We be talkin' chomp......got any other gardeners here?


Got a good crop of tomatoes coming in. Got cherry tomatoes as big as golf balls. Would rather grow reefer but I don't like watching TV with 20 "grown" men yelling over each other :Yawn: 

City pickers grow box, 3 gallon resivoire that wicks up. Added fertilizer and lime. Sprayed with neem oil and copper sulphate.P1010111.JPG

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valley ranch (02-12-2018)

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## valley ranch

Well ~ you're in the banana belt ````

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Kris P Bacon (02-12-2018)

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## Kris P Bacon

> Well ~ you're in the banana belt ````


Got a few of those trees.

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## tom

> Sprayed with neem oil and copper sulphate.


Do you mix neem oil and copper sulphate? Does it keep off white flies?

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## Fly Paper

I have a large garden but never make use of it growing anything, just all grass.

Apparently, to get the same goodness from a tomato in the 1940's, you have to eat 8 of todays tomatoes from the big shops. So growing your own is healthier.

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