December Gardens! How are our Southern Hemisphere gardeners doing? Any harvest yet? Northerners making plans?

[Faith-manor]

I ordered a book on Michigan soils and micro-climates, and I picked up a pamphlet from the Extension office on encouraging my blueberry bushes that struggled this summer. Apparently yelling at them and telling them they are a disappointment, and stop loafing around like a teen on Saturday morning just isn't cutting it! 😂 So I will read these in January when the holiday insanity has subsided and I am staring at 3 ft snow drifts outside.

I know with hoophouses and growing lights indoors, some of our Northern folks might still be harvesting. I am curious how our Southerners are doing. Are plants flourishing? Has anyone had their first ripe tomato?

Edited December 2, 2023 by Faith-manor

[Eos]

The rain has saved my procrastinating rear-end.  It rained enough the last few days to thaw the beds so I just put my garlic in the ground.  I picked some fresh kale and thyme from under the leaves too.

[cjzimmer1]

I still have parsnips out in the ground that I have to pull soon and I'll have to unburying the kale from under the snow to see how it fared.  I'm guessing it's done but it has surprising durability so who knows.

I'm still picking cherry tomatoes from the indoor plants I planted last January and round 2 (planted in early August) is hitting it's stride.  I am struggling with many of the plants getting yellow and then the plants dry up.  I'm going to have to do a second planting of cucumbers as the ones I have are struggling mightily. I mostly use city water (and it's loaded with chlorine) .   I've been learning about, testing for, and remediating issues related to high chlorine and lack of iron intake.  Also having to make some modifications in fertilizing (I don't do near enough for my indoor stuff).  I'm learning lots of the nitty gritty and then just playing around with stuff in the house.  My kids adore purple cauliflower and since it's a cool weather crop, I'm thinking it will like my basement temps under the lights.  So I think that will be my new experiment soon.

I did buy myself another grow light on Black Friday so I just rearranged all my spaces and got the new light up today.  I currently have growing cherry tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes and ginger.  

With the new light, I have 2 new planters.  One will get an assortment of greens (probably spinach and arugula and maybe endive).  The other will get the second planting of cucumbers in the back row.  I'm thinking of putting the cauliflower in front but not sure if it will get too big.  Otherwise I could put a couple in 5 gallon buckets off to the side.  I don't think they will care if they aren't under the light directly.  But then I have to think what else to put in with the cucumbers.  Maybe I'll keep it simple and just put some more greens in there.  It seems like we crave salads more in the winter than any other time so I'm sure whatever assortment I get growing will get eaten.  Just went through my seeds and was realized I have no herbs growing.  So for sure I'll add cilantro to the cucumber bed.  I think it might be too cold for basil in the basement but I may try it anyways.  I don't have any more soil and would need to go buy some if I want to have any more planters in the upstairs area.

I really want to try peppers again, but the aphids from last winter have me hesitant on that.  Although I know a lot more about using beneficial insects to combat them and we have a group that does group buys every 2 weeks so at least I know I can bring it under control much quicker.  

 

Edited December 2, 2023 by cjzimmer1

[Rosie_0801]

It's too early for tomatoes in my part of the world! I've had a few flowers. Not sure if they'll come to anything.

I caught a snail *leaning over* the eggshells I had around my zucchini early one morning, so I bought a larger plant at the local market and the snails haven't touched that. It's producing two flowers a day and I am pretty sure there's only been one female. 

I couldn't eat the broad beans in time, so they've dried out. I'll pull them up soon and stash them away for future eating.

I'm getting four or five loganberries a day! My midyim berry is flowering. My banana plant has thrown its third leaf on its brave attempt to live after the frost just about killed it. My curry tree is sitting there with buds that refuse to grow. I still have silverbeet. My friend's turmeric is growing leaves and mine isn't. My dwarf pomegranate looks as though it is loving life. Otherwise, between the borage and the spinach going to seed, it looks like a jungle out there. I cleared one bed of borage, which I'd left for the bees, and it turned out to be only two plants trying to take over the world. 

[Faith-manor]

34 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

I still have parsnips out in the ground that I have to pull soon and I'll have to unburying the kale from under the snow to see how it fared.  I'm guessing it's done but it has surprising durability so who knows.

I'm still picking cherry tomatoes from the indoor plants I planted last January and round 2 (planted in early August) is hitting it's stride.  I am struggling with many of the plants getting yellow and then the plants dry up.  I'm going to have to do a second planting of cucumbers as the ones I have are struggling mightily. I mostly use city water (and it's loaded with chlorine) .   I've been learning about, testing for, and remediating issues related to high chlorine and lack of iron intake.  Also having to make some modifications in fertilizing (I don't do near enough for my indoor stuff).  I'm learning lots of the nitty gritty and then just playing around with stuff in the house.  My kids adore purple cauliflower and since it's a cool weather crop, I'm thinking it will like my basement temps under the lights.  So I think that will be my new experiment soon.

I did buy myself another grow light on Black Friday so I just rearranged all my spaces and got the new light up today.  I currently have growing cherry tomatoes, radishes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes and ginger.  

With the new light, I have 2 new planters.  One will get an assortment of greens (probably spinach and arugula and maybe endive).  The other will get the second planting of cucumbers in the back row.  I'm thinking of putting the cauliflower in front but not sure if it will get too big.  Otherwise I could put a couple in 5 gallon buckets off to the side.  I don't think they will care if they aren't under the light directly.  But then I have to think what else to put in with the cucumbers.  Maybe I'll keep it simple and just put some more greens in there.  It seems like we crave salads more in the winter than any other time so I'm sure whatever assortment I get growing will get eaten.  Just went through my seeds and was realized I have no herbs growing.  So for sure I'll add cilantro to the cucumber bed.  I think it might be too cold for basil in the basement but I may try it anyways.  I don't have any more soil and would need to go buy some if I want to have any more planters in the upstairs area.

I really want to try peppers again, but the aphids from last winter have me hesitant on that.  Although I know a lot more about using beneficial insects to combat them and we have a group that does group buys every 2 weeks so at least I know I can bring it under control much quicker.  

 

Could you harvest snow, melt, and water plants with that to avoid the chlorine? Ya. I know. A pain in the neck to do it!

[Faith-manor]

5 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

It's too early for tomatoes in my part of the world! I've had a few flowers. Not sure if they'll come to anything.

I caught a snail *leaning over* the eggshells I had around my zucchini early one morning, so I bought a larger plant at the local market and the snails haven't touched that. It's producing two flowers a day and I am pretty sure there's only been one female. 

I couldn't eat the broad beans in time, so they've dried out. I'll pull them up soon and stash them away for future eating.

I'm getting four or five loganberries a day! My midyim berry is flowering. My banana plant has thrown its third leaf on its brave attempt to live after the frost just about killed it. My curry tree is sitting there with buds that refuse to grow. I still have silverbeet. My friend's turmeric is growing leaves and mine isn't. My dwarf pomegranate looks as though it is loving life. Otherwise, between the borage and the spinach going to seed, it looks like a jungle out there. I cleared one bed of borage, which I'd left for the bees, and it turned out to be only two plants trying to take over the world. 

I had no idea notate is so prolific!

Jealous of your dwarf pomegranate.

I say find the snail and feed it to a bird, relishing the thought as you do. Stupid thing. I really get peeved with the bad invaders in my garden. You have no idea how viciously I ended cabbage beetles that went after our eggplant!

[Halftime Hope]

Just now, Faith-manor said:

I had no idea notate is so prolific!

Jealous of your dwarf pomegranate.

I say find the snail and feed it to a bird, relishing the thought as you do. Stupid thing. I really get peeved with the bad invaders in my garden. You have no idea how viciously I ended cabbage beetles that went after our eggplant!

At one point, one of my kids said I garden "with extreme prejudice"...especially toward the birds that take one peck out of each green tomato. 😞 I can't end the birds, of course, but if I spy a grasshopper...it's had a nice life. (We have large grasshoppers that love green beans, but I love them more.) And yes, I now have a lovely birdbath and feeder. Both are away from my garden. 

[cjzimmer1]

57 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Could you harvest snow, melt, and water plants with that to avoid the chlorine? Ya. I know. A pain in the neck to do it!

Actually I do that!  I have a line of buckets on the top of my rock wall.  I've used up all the rain water (and melted the ones that froze) but we've only had a few inches of snow so it's not enough to do anything with.  Later in the season I will have more but we are in between precipitation events right now.

[Faith-manor]

1 hour ago, Halftime Hope said:

At one point, one of my kids said I garden "with extreme prejudice"...especially toward the birds that take one peck out of each green tomato. 😞 I can't end the birds, of course, but if I spy a grasshopper...it's had a nice life. (We have large grasshoppers that love green beans, but I love them more.) And yes, I now have a lovely birdbath and feeder. Both are away from my garden. 

I feel this. The insecty things really should steer clear of my garden. What we really need is for someone to figure out bug language, and then create a bill board for them. 😁

[Halftime Hope]

4 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

It's too early for tomatoes in my part of the world! I've had a few flowers. Not sure if they'll come to anything.

I caught a snail *leaning over* the eggshells I had around my zucchini early one morning, so I bought a larger plant at the local market and the snails haven't touched that. It's producing two flowers a day and I am pretty sure there's only been one female. 

I couldn't eat the broad beans in time, so they've dried out. I'll pull them up soon and stash them away for future eating.

I'm getting four or five loganberries a day! My midyim berry is flowering. My banana plant has thrown its third leaf on its brave attempt to live after the frost just about killed it. My curry tree is sitting there with buds that refuse to grow. I still have silverbeet. My friend's turmeric is growing leaves and mine isn't. My dwarf pomegranate looks as though it is loving life. Otherwise, between the borage and the spinach going to seed, it looks like a jungle out there. I cleared one bed of borage, which I'd left for the bees, and it turned out to be only two plants trying to take over the world. 

Just sayin': it's no fun that we can't like your posts. Apparently snails are the same the world over, and I'm happy your pom is loving its life. My lime tree sends it a warm hello.  🙂

[Faith-manor]

Is there some way to protest the "Can't Heart Rosie's Posts" rule? If we send SWB a pallet of chocolate chips will she relent?

[Rosie_0801]

I think you'd have to send the chocolate chips to the programmers. 🙂

Hey! You've just reminded me! A friend gave me some chocolate the other day and I forgot about it!

*dives for her handbag*

[ikslo]

Patiently waiting for my passionfruit to ripen. Also have some gooseberries I’m waiting on. And while round 1 of tomatoes did okay this year until the heat hit, I started round 2 same time as last year but this year it was too early and the extended extreme heat killed them. So now round three is starting to fruit, but I’m not sure they’ll produce much before we get cold weather. Fingers crossed. Greens are doing well but I should have planted more.

[Halftime Hope]

OK, so clearly I'm hijacking this thread since Faith-manor asked for southern hemi boardies, but in spite of about 6 hours of 27 degrees (F) last week, my fall tomatoes seem to finally be ripening in zone 8a.  I thought they were goners! Hooray!

[popmom]

14 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

OK, so clearly I'm hijacking this thread since Faith-manor asked for southern hemi boardies, but in spite of about 6 hours of 27 degrees (F) last week, my fall tomatoes seem to finally be ripening in zone 8a.  I thought they were goners! Hooray!

That’s funny! I had pulled all of mine and tossed them on a pile to compost. A couple of days ago I went out to break down the dried vines and found two perfectly ripe small tomatoes. They probably won’t taste very good, but I brought them in. 
 

I have also gotten two tomatoes from my Dwarf Rosella Purple. They are about 4 oz each. I ate the ripe one, and it was pretty tasty considering it was out in the cold up until last week. I brought the plant in and put it under a light. It’s got one more good sized fruit and a couple babies. 

[Rosie_0801]

15 hours ago, ikslo said:

And while round 1 of tomatoes did okay this year until the heat hit, I started round 2 same time as last year but this year it was too early and the extended extreme heat killed them. So now round three is starting to fruit, but I’m not sure they’ll produce much before we get cold weather. Fingers crossed. Greens are doing well but I should have planted more.

Here they'll survive 104f+ if I cover them during the day and give them plenty of water at night, maybe morning and night.

[ikslo]

18 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Here they'll survive 104f+ if I cover them during the day and give them plenty of water at night, maybe morning and night.

I’d have to cover my whole garden! I had them all over the place. I should try less plants and more attention next year is what you are saying? It’s an idea. I tried the lanai one year, but then they just ended up getting stressed and getting bugs and I lost them anyway. Vegetable gardening in Florida is hard, lol.

ETA: I do water well every night. I might be able to get my husband to water mornings too. Hmmm.  

Edited December 3, 2023 by ikslo

[Rosie_0801]

4 minutes ago, ikslo said:

I’d have to cover my whole garden! I had them all over the place. I should try less plants and more attention next year is what you are saying? It’s an idea. I tried the lanai one year, but then they just ended up getting stressed and getting bugs and I lost them anyway. Vegetable gardening in Florida is hard, lol.

ETA: I do water well every night. I might be able to get my husband to water mornings too. Hmmm.  

Ah. The Tropics...

I'm afraid I'm a temperate girl, but capsicum and eggplant will get sunburnt here. That hole in the ozone layer...

[Halftime Hope]

1 hour ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Here they'll survive 104f+ if I cover them during the day and give them plenty of water at night, maybe morning and night.

We have the watering thing nailed with drip line, and with about 60% shade cover, they survived the summer (5 weeks of 105 - 110) but although they bloomed profusely, they didn't set fall fruit until nights were cool (in the 60s) again. In prior years, I've grown in self-watering tubs--from a bottom reservoir-- and I think the soil stayed cooler; as soon as fall shoulder season began, I had production, even without shade cover.  This year, in beds with thick mulch, I didn't get production until 8 weeks into fall. Sigh...it's always something.

[popmom]

I planted garlic today. I have never grown garlic before, so I hope I don't mess it up. It is German Extra Hardy and has been in my refrigerator since the beginning of October. 

I have daffodil bulbs to plant, too--another first for me. I hope I'm not too late. 

[Faith-manor]

21 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

I think you'd have to send the chocolate chips to the programmers. 🙂

Hey! You've just reminded me! A friend gave me some chocolate the other day and I forgot about it!

*dives for her handbag*

😁

[Faith-manor]

20 hours ago, Halftime Hope said:

OK, so clearly I'm hijacking this thread since Faith-manor asked for southern hemi boardies, but in spite of about 6 hours of 27 degrees (F) last week, my fall tomatoes seem to finally be ripening in zone 8a.  I thought they were goners! Hooray!

It is for everybody! I just wanted to make sure I got to hear from Rosie and Melissa! 😁

[Ausmumof3]

Anyone want to pick cherries? Arms are sore, all the boxes are full and no one in our house is game to eat anymore! Rain means they are a bit lower quality but still delicious.

we are getting a trickle of strawberries, have discovered that people are actually happy to eat cabbage that’s homegrown because it tastes so much better than shop cabbage. Tomatoes are loaded but just looking for a bit of heat to ripen. We are picking dribs and drabs of broccolini, the odd snow pea and bean and there’s also loads of capsicum (bell pepper) just waiting for some heat to ripen them.  The corn has ears, just have to see if they actually fertilise this time!
 

Any tips on storing and grinding coriander seed? 

[Ausmumof3]

We picked the garlic and onion too early so they are still tiny but pretty tasty. We’re just about ready to start ripping out old stuff and maybe put some new things in. But it might not be worth it seeing as we’ll be away when it’s at its peak.

[Faith-manor]

17 minutes ago, Ausmumof3 said:

Anyone want to pick cherries? Arms are sore, all the boxes are full and no one in our house is game to eat anymore! Rain means they are a bit lower quality but still delicious.

we are getting a trickle of strawberries, have discovered that people are actually happy to eat cabbage that’s homegrown because it tastes so much better than shop cabbage. Tomatoes are loaded but just looking for a bit of heat to ripen. We are picking dribs and drabs of broccolini, the odd snow pea and bean and there’s also loads of capsicum (bell pepper) just waiting for some heat to ripen them.  The corn has ears, just have to see if they actually fertilise this time!
 

Any tips on storing and grinding coriander seed? 

If I were near, I would pick cherries.

I have no idea about coriander. It is something I need to learn more about.

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, Ausmumof3 said:

 

Any tips on storing and grinding coriander seed? 

Admittedly I've never done this but if I had I would probably pick the seeds when they are well dried, spread them out for a day or two just to make sure they are fully dry and then pack them away. I'd grind them when I wanted to use them for maximum flavor.  I have a little coffee grinder than I use for grinding all my whole spices.

[Faith-manor]

I received these two books for Christmas. I like the premise which is not some ridiculous "you can be self reliant in your yard" kind of thing, but more "here is help for the production skills you would like to have as a hobby" type advice. The one book is especially community oriented, and cultivating relationships within your neighborhood through gardening, sharing produce, working with other like minded people on pollinator gardens, etc.

So I am happily reading while I very impatiently wait for the end first week of March when I will start seeds indoors.

[Kalmia]

Got some Sili-seedlings brand silicone, re-usable seed-starting pots for Christmas. This will replace the annual Jiffy peat-pot cost and avoid supporting the peat mining that goes into making those. Even though I live in the north and gardening won't start until April, I will be planting some greens in them under the lights to supplement salads this winter until seed-starting season starts in earnest and I will need them for tomatoes and peppers.

Edited December 27, 2023 by Kalmia

[Rosie_0801]

I have given up on my curry leaf tree and ordered another for myself and a friend because I know hers didn't survive the winter either.

Eventually one of us will hit on the right formula for curry leaf tree worship.