Gardening Thread - Show me your gardens!

Probably over filled my space with two of each: early girls, better boys, Cherokee purples and cherry tomatoes. Again, just experimenting.

 

Last pic was a six weeks ago. It's now go time!!!

 

Typical every other day harvest. I'm giving away tomatoes to my neighbors, freezing all the cherries for sauce this winter (started on my 4th gallon bag this evening). Now I've started drying any that I don't think will be eaten before going bad. Then vacuum seal and freeze. Dried tomatoes are like candy to me.

 

One more, (swear I'm not trying to take over this thread, just kinda proud of my very first attempt). A few dried packs, the one in the zip-lock bag came off the dehydrator less than an hour ago.

 

Peppercinis. I'll be canning them in the next day or 2. First time for them. They should be good.

 

I gotta admit I'm pretty jelly!! Its been a super dry monsoon in phoenix so pretty much watering my crop just enough to promote life let alone flowering fruit lol

 

One (or more) of you experts tell me why my jalapeños didn't produce squat. Again, new gardener here.

 

what does the plant look like? By that I mean does it look sick or healthy? Maybe bugs got the buds. They take a while to sprout flowers.

 

A perfect miniature, they bloomed, and are producing. But the plants are only 10 inches tall.

 

Not too overcrowded, but a little. Tomatoes actually grow best when their branches/leaves overlap a bit. If that's a 4X8 bed then 8 plants is probably about the right number.

Nice. Love dried tomatoes. I see you peppered some of them; try soaking them for an hour or so in some balsamic vinegar before you dehydrate them.

Might need more fertilizer. Probably not, though, if they're in the same sort of soil you grew your tomatoes in. And contrary to popular belief, peppers actually like a decent amount of water while the plants are still growing. It's once they set fruit that you should give them drier soil, to help up the spicy factor.
Another trick you can use in the future is if they start producing blooms while the plants are still small, clip the blooms off with a pair of pruning scissors. Once the plants set fruit they're going to put their energy into fruit growth rather than into plant growth. Just don't keep clipping blooms for too long, or you'll run into a point of diminishing returns where you've got a 3 foot plant with only a few fruit on it.

 

something with the soil is lacking, or space is small perhaps. Could just be an off year.

Our temps this spring/summer have been low than normal so I think our pepper plants are stunted in a manner of speaking. They love the hot sun but overnight temps are keeping them from growing good. could be the same for you too.

 

Certainly been hot here, and ours grew like nuts until they started blossoming and had fruit set on. I've got plants that are easily 2-3 feet tall and are absolutely covered with blossoms & fruit. In addition to the hot weather they got started in cold frames in the sun this year, so they had hot conditions earlier in the season, and I'm sure that probably helped.
April 25th-bare dirt with frames just installed and seeds planted:

As of July 9th (peppers in front, sunflowers in back):

 

I'm not sure, must be the soil. I used a bought mix of 50/50 compost and organic humus. The peppers are in 5 gallon buckets. I'm in N. Alabama, so we've had no lack of heat. Lows barely breaking into the 70's at night.

 

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/jalapeno-peppers-like-acidic-alkaline-soil-47910.html

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/stunted-pepper-plants-coffee-grounds-80762.html

couple articles...possibly low nitrogen in the soil. You dont really know the condition of the soil unless you get it tested.

 

Shouldn't be having problems with that soil mix; the compost should ensure enough nitrogen. I'm guessing they set fruit on too early and stopped growing. You could try starting a fresh batch; you guys should have plenty of growing season left down there.

 

This is what I'm thinking. I saw some seedling at Lowes that were as big as my plants, plus they were marked down.

 

If they've got a bunch of blossoms don't buy 'em.

 

the homedepot/lowes peppers usually grow quite well.

 

I started mine from seed.

 

They usually are smaller unless you get the right soil, at least from my experience.