November gardening. Who has winter gardens? Who has micro greens in their windows? And dear friends in the Southern Hemisphere, I am counting on you to keep me going with your plant stories!!

[popmom]

19 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

I watched several you tube videos about overwintering peppers last winter.  I tried two different ways.  What I ended up with was a massive aphid infestation that I spent the entire winter battling.  I threw out the peppers mid winter and spent the rest of the winter trying to save all my other plants.  I've decided it's not worth it to try again.  I hope you have better luck.

Aphids are detestable little creatures. I have been battling them on my Aerogardens for months. I finally got control with insecticidal soap and harvesting everything. Gave the Aerogardens a rest. I have some herbs that have just sprouted. So I’m watching them like a hawk. Maybe I should overwinter the peppers in my garage under a shop light. This one is so small…I’m just going to leave it outside for now. We don’t have a freeze predicted for at least 10 days. 

[Lady Florida.]

Has anyone else's hardiness zone changed? I went from 9b to 10a. It threw me when I first saw it but after thinking on it for a bit I guess I'm not surprised. For quite a few years now our winters have been milder and our summers hotter. 

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/  You can put in your zip code or use your precise location (have to give permission first) to get a closer look.

My yellow patio tomato seeds didn't germinate and I'm not sure why. The rosella purple is growing as is my Bloomsdale spinach. I'm not going to plant more of the yellow patio seeds though I might pick up some kind of patio tomato starter next time I'm at the local nursery. My lettuce also didn't germinate though I think I figured that one out. I planted it at the right time but then we had more than a week of higher than normal temperatures. What's normal now that my zone has changed? Not sure I know anymore. I'm going to plant more lettuce seeds but I'll wait a week or two until we're hopefully, safely cooler. 

I haven't planted anything else though I plan to next week. This week is too rainy - also "not normal" in this, our dry season. 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Lady Florida.

[prairiewindmomma]

We officially stayed 8b even though there has been plenty of talk of moving to 9a. I actually plant as if we are in the Midwest now because we have been having a much wider range of temperatures through the season instead of the historical narrow band. My neighbor’s palm tree looks terrible and the other tropical stuff does too unless your yard has the right microclimate conditions. I have been running thermometers in my soil and charting sun exposure trying to get my own yard sorted. 

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

Has anyone else's hardiness zone changed? I went from 9b to 10a. It threw me when I first saw it but after thinking on it for a bit I guess I'm not surprised. For quite a few years now our winters have been milder and our summers hotter. 

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/  You can put in your zip code or use your precise location (have to give permission first) to get a closer look.

My yellow patio tomato seeds didn't germinate and I'm not sure why. The rosella purple is growing as is my Bloomsdale spinach. I'm not going to plant more of the yellow patio seeds though I might pick up some kind of patio tomato starter next time I'm at the local nursery. My lettuce also didn't germinate though I think I figured that one out. I planted it at the right time but then we had more than a week of higher than normal temperatures. What's normal now that my zone has changed? Not sure I know anymore. I'm going to plant more lettuce seeds but I'll wait a week or two until we're hopefully, safely cooler. 

I haven't planted anything else though I plan to next week. This week is too rainy - also "not normal" in this, our dry season. 

Yes. Climate change has shifted things. When I was a child, this area was 4A/B. Now it is 4B and if close to the lake for the insulation from the currents, 5A. I am not supposedly quite close enough to the lake to be 5A, however I planted this year for 5A because we had an unusually warm early and mid-April. As a child with a middle of April birthday, there was almost always still a little snow on the ground and no one put plants in until Memorial Day. This year it was short sleeve weather by the end of April. All my plants went in around May 1st, and I just watched to see if I would need to cover them at night.

[ikslo]

2 hours ago, Lady Florida. said:

Has anyone else's hardiness zone changed? I went from 9b to 10a. It threw me when I first saw it but after thinking on it for a bit I guess I'm not surprised. For quite a few years now our winters have been milder and our summers hotter. 

https://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/  You can put in your zip code or use your precise location (have to give permission first) to get a closer look.

I also have gone from 9b to 10a. Thanks for posting - I hadn’t seen the update. I’m not surprised, though. I’ve been able to grow tropical fruit trees without issue and no special actions on my part.

[Faith-manor]

On 11/9/2023 at 2:30 PM, Rosie_0801 said:

My life is a tragedy because the snails have eaten my rockmelons AGAIN.

But I have my first ever asparagus spear, so maybe claims of tragedy are overstated.

Ouch! That stinks. Stupid $##@+#-$@@#$%&%%$$#@ things!

[Faith-manor]

HOLY cow! I put my zip code into that, and it has us upgraded to 6A!!!! Faint. This is so scary. Most maps for the nurseries have us listed at 4B/5A. It am just flabbergasted. And yes, it might mean we increase our growing season a good bit in the next few years. But, it also means that climate change is now amped up even more than we thought, and I find that rather scary given that we thought we had a bit more time before we would see that jump. 

[popmom]

I’m still 8b. It doesn’t look like much changed in my state. Need to pull up the before map to compare. 

[Arcadia]

On 11/4/2023 at 9:42 PM, maize said:

I tried dehydrating jujubes for the first time (it's the first year I've had more than a handful that we ate fresh)--they really do taste surprisingly like dates when dried!

Leave a little bit of moisture. A one pound bag of dried jujube (California grown) cost about $6.99 at the Korean supermarket, not cheap. They do taste like dried dates. You can make red date tea with the dried jujube (red dates).

On 11/4/2023 at 9:57 PM, Rosie_0801 said:

Really? I've only ever bought them from the Chinese grocer and they taste like dried apple.

What kind of apple? They look like giant raisins when dried and taste similar to dried dates. They are sweet.

[Rosie_0801]

3 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

What kind of apple? They look like giant raisins when dried and taste similar to dried dates. They are sweet.

Apple-y apple. I don't know. The kind they use to make dried apple commercially.

[popmom]

I sowed chard, carrots, and buckwheat (cover crop) today. The weather is spectacular. Sunny, breezy, super blue skies, and upper 70s (about 25c). I want to be outside as much as possible today. 

The stuff I sowed last week is coming up nicely. Turnips mostly. And cabbage. I have had terrible luck with cabbage, so I'm not optimistic.

Edited November 16, 2023 by popmom

[Arcadia]

9 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Apple-y apple. I don't know. The kind they use to make dried apple commercially.

Then it is probably granny smith, the green one.

[Arcadia]

On 11/4/2023 at 1:28 PM, Faith-manor said:

I have not been able to buy bean sprouts for my stir fries. No one is stocking them locally, and have not had them for over six months. I love bean sprouts. 

I don’t like bean sprouts but my relatives do. You can sprout them indoors from green/mung beans. 
https://www.almanac.com/video/how-grow-bean-sprouts-indoors

[Halftime Hope]

On 11/15/2023 at 11:40 AM, Faith-manor said:

Yes. Climate change has shifted things. When I was a child, this area was 4A/B. Now it is 4B and if close to the lake for the insulation from the currents, 5A. I am not supposedly quite close enough to the lake to be 5A, however I planted this year for 5A because we had an unusually warm early and mid-April. As a child with a middle of April birthday, there was almost always still a little snow on the ground and no one put plants in until Memorial Day. This year it was short sleeve weather by the end of April. All my plants went in around May 1st, and I just watched to see if I would need to cover them at night.

Eh. Our local plant guru (the one with radio shows and books) is very skeptical of the changes to the zoning map, and I don't remember the reasons why, but they were well-thought out.

He is thoughtful, very much an environmentalist, well plugged-in with the science/ag crowd in our state A&M establishment, so he's not an anti-evidence or a denialist person at all.

I think we have to watch our own micro-climate carefully, keep our own records, and adjust accordingly. I'm clearly still an A although the map would have me believe we've change to a B. (ETA: I'm watching carefully to see if this winter we act more like a zone lower than normal due to a harsher winter. I've planted accordingly, and so far, my cilantro says I'm right! 🙂 )

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Halftime Hope

[Halftime Hope]

On 11/9/2023 at 1:12 PM, popmom said:

I would like to overwinter my pepper plants. This one—a cayenne—I started in late summer. It probably needs to be potted up, but should I prune it? Cut the top off? Would that encourage it to be shorter and bushier? 

Popmom, I "watch" (listen, really, while working around the house) and there are numerous videos on YT about overwintering pepper plants. The general recommendation is to repot, cut back to about one third or one half the size, strip the leaves, place in a cool and dark place, and keep the soil from drying out during the winter. Then bring it out to sun and warmth several weeks prior to hardening off and then after hardening off for 10 days - 2 weeks, plant it outdoors.  Before our next freeze, I'll dig mine out of the garden, put them in a 6inch pot, strip them down, and then put them into dormancy (cool/dark). 

[Arcadia]

My condo complex entrance 

ETA: mexican bush sage

Edited November 22, 2023 by Arcadia
resize photo

[Faith-manor]

I ordered some seeds today. It made me feel better about snow heading for Michigan.

[Ausmumof3]

Tonnes of strawberries and Logan berries here. Also loads of broccoli and cabbage that are sadly riddled with caterpillars 

[Rosie_0801]

I got to eat my first boysenberry last night. Many thanks to the sparrows for leaving me one.

[popmom]

@Arcadia what is that? I love the bright color!

[Arcadia]

15 minutes ago, popmom said:

@Arcadia what is that? I love the bright color!

My ipad visual look up tool says its mexican bush sage. It was planted by landscaping in 2005/6. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvia_leucantha

[Faith-manor]

9 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Tonnes of strawberries and Logan berries here. Also loads of broccoli and cabbage that are sadly riddled with caterpillars 

Evil things! I hate critters in the garden.

[Faith-manor]

7 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

I got to eat my first boysenberry last night. Many thanks to the sparrows for leaving me one.

Just one? Bad birds, very bad birds!

[popmom]

6 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

Evil things! I hate critters in the garden.

My deer is back. Ate all of my celery and half of the peas. I suppose I should also be thankful for the remaining peas. I’ve got to kick this stupid viral thing so I can go throw some netting over those beds. I also ordered one of those motion activated sprinklers. 

[Faith-manor]

32 minutes ago, popmom said:

My deer is back. Ate all of my celery and half of the peas. I suppose I should also be thankful for the remaining peas. I’ve got to kick this stupid viral thing so I can go throw some netting over those beds. I also ordered one of those motion activated sprinklers. 

Venison. Venison can be quite tasty. Just sayin'!

[popmom]

Just now, Faith-manor said:

Venison. Venison can be quite tasty. Just sayin'!

Listen…😂😂😂 don’t tempt me! 

[Faith-manor]

3 minutes ago, popmom said:

Listen…😂😂😂 don’t tempt me! 

Recipe:

1.Someone not you shoots and butchers it.

2. Chop it up, brown in a pan with butter, olive oil, onion, and garlic.

3. Pack pint jars with hot meat, drippings, and hot water up to the neck of the jar.

4. Wipe of rim so it is clean of debris.

5. Place lid and ring on jar, tighten ring.

6. Place in pressure canner and add 2-3 inches of water, however much the manual indicates is optimal for that canner. Put lid on, add jiggler.

7. Process for 70 minutes at 12 lb pressure while maniacally cackling like Yosemite Sam.

😁😁😁

[popmom]

5 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Recipe:

1.Someone not you shoots and butchers it.

2. Chop it up, brown in a pan with butter, olive oil, onion, and garlic.

3. Pack pint jars with hot meat, drippings, and hot water up to the neck of the jar.

4. Wipe of rim so it is clean of debris.

5. Place lid and ring on jar, tighten ring.

6. Place in pressure canner and add 2-3 inches of water, however much the manual indicates is optimal for that canner. Put lid on, add jiggler.

7. Process for 70 minutes at 12 lb pressure while maniacally cackling like Yosemite Sam.

😁😁😁

I live in a suburb. 😭😭😭We do have the occasional poacher… 🤔

Edited November 22, 2023 by popmom