What are you growing?

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

torque wrote:

a question for the masters:
my raspberries are covered with fruit, but the fruit isn't getting soft or sweet (although it's turning the deep red color). the plant is only a year old- is it because it's the first harvest that the fruit isn't ripening (some have actually dried up and turned blackish) or is there something wrong?

I've never heard of that. Are you sure they're raspberries and not a different type of berry? There is a berry that looks and is related to raspberries but they don't get soft, they stay firm but are ripe (and are still edible). What do they taste like? Sour or sweet?

couroupita · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:48 pm

This was my garden last April. We have a balcony that looks onto a creek and trees, and I love it! We built a planter to grow tomatoes and those strings in the first picture are for green beans to grow up. We also had basil, chamomile, sorrel, strawberries, lemon balm, a gingko sapling, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, and geraniums. A lot of it's dead now that it's winter :( I'll start re-planting things at the end of Feb. Can't wait!!!

hoveringdog™ · **Posted:** Sat Jan 22, 2011 9:27 pm

I'm growing old and bitter (And maybe some garlic).

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

hoveringdog wrote:

I'm growing old and bitter (And maybe some garlic).

I laughed!

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

couroupita wrote:

This was my garden last April. We have a balcony that looks onto a creek and trees, and I love it! We built a planter to grow tomatoes and those strings in the first picture are for green beans to grow up. We also had basil, chamomile, sorrel, strawberries, lemon balm, a gingko sapling, marigolds, nasturtiums, pansies, and geraniums. A lot of it's dead now that it's winter :( I'll start re-planting things at the end of Feb. Can't wait!!!

I love the lights on your balcony! It looks so lush there. Can I visit (in April)?

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

alligatordisco wrote:

Are you sure they're raspberries and not a different type of berry?

I realize that this may sound like I'm calling you a dumbpants, haha. I'm sure you know what you're growing!

Veglicious · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:42 am

Your garden is so sweet!

torque · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 2:22 pm

alligatordisco wrote:

Are you sure they're raspberries and not a different type of berry?

I realize that this may sound like I'm calling you a dumbpants, haha. I'm sure you know what you're growing!

Well, now that you mention it, I do fit the dumbpants criteria surprisingly often. ;-)
I am totally not sure because I caught the plant growing, looked at the leaves and said "damn this looks like a raspberry leaf" and dug up the seedling and "rescued" it. Raspberries are super rare here so i wouldn't be surprised if it's some fake raspberry.
They are wicked sour but look JUST like the berries and the leaves look just like red raspberry leaves, serious prickers, the whitish canes.... what kind of berry is it that looks like the raspberry but doesn't soften? maybe that's what it is.

Magpie-Grin · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 2:34 pm

torque wrote:

alligatordisco wrote:

Are you sure they're raspberries and not a different type of berry?

I realize that this may sound like I'm calling you a dumbpants, haha. I'm sure you know what you're growing!

Well, now that you mention it, I do fit the dumbpants criteria surprisingly often. ;-)
I am totally not sure because I caught the plant growing, looked at the leaves and said "damn this looks like a raspberry leaf" and dug up the seedling and "rescued" it. Raspberries are super rare here so i wouldn't be surprised if it's some fake raspberry.
They are wicked sour but look JUST like the berries and the leaves look just like red raspberry leaves, serious prickers, the whitish canes.... what kind of berry is it that looks like the raspberry but doesn't soften? maybe that's what it is.

Maybe blackberries? They look like raspberries when they are not ripe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackberry

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

Magpie- that's what I was thinking! If they're turning black, maybe they're actually ripe? Yes, the fruit can turn black and get dry, but try to catch one black and non-dry.

quinntheskimo · **Posted:** Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:37 pm

I'm going to do a little herb garden this year. I'll be growing mint, lavender, lemongrass, chamomile, sage, basil, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, and maybe a few other things. I'm excited to make my own tea.

In the garden patch, I'd also like to grow some collards, spinach, kale, chard, and tomatoes.

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

quinntheskimo wrote:

I'm going to do a little herb garden this year. I'll be growing mint, lavender, lemongrass, chamomile, sage, basil, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, and maybe a few other things. I'm excited to make my own tea.

In the garden patch, I'd also like to grow some collards, spinach, kale, chard, and tomatoes.

Tea!! Try to make sun tea with your harvest- all you need to do is get a glass container with a cover, stick your tea fodder in there with water and let it brew during a hot day in the sun for a few hours. Very delicious and possibly healthier, the boiling water may not damage antioxidants and other good things in the leaves.
I hope one day I can grow tea plants, but I have no idea if that's even possible.

torque · **Posted:** Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 am

alligatordisco wrote:

Magpie- that's what I was thinking! If they're turning black, maybe they're actually ripe? Yes, the fruit can turn black and get dry, but try to catch one black and non-dry.

nope, no go. They are def not blackberries. They go from a velvety light pink to a velvety dark pink to that nice raspberry color and then, finally, dry velvety black grey (that's rotten and hard as a rock). There's never any shine to them like blackberries get. also i'm assuming they're not ripe because i'm a bit of a berry forager and usually raspberries and blackberries release from the stem when they're ready, you know? they practically fall off. these are hard as rocks and you can't get them off no matter what you do.
it's a raspberry mystery! maybe they're like pancakes and the first year is just a waster?

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

Well, if they taste sour and hard but they look ripe, they might not be edible. Be careful!

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

Can you post a photo of them?

jessica · **Posted:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 12:39 am

alligatordisco wrote:

Jealous, Veglicious! I love the pics! It's nice to see green right now, all that is out my window is white white white. And coooold.

I'm obsessed over my garden blog and I will be updating regularly with pictures once I start sowing things! http://myheartshapedgarden.blogspot.com/

I love your blog! More PPK gardening blogs please!

torque · **Posted:** Tue Jan 25, 2011 7:44 am

alligatordisco wrote:

Well, if they taste sour and hard but they look ripe, they might not be edible. Be careful!

I ate em and didn't die yet. I'd post a pic but they look like any other raspberry you've ever seen. I'm going to write my favorite redneck Felder Rushing*** and see what he says. I'll keep you posted.

*** who has a really cool garden podcast from Mississippi

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

Hopefully he'll have the answers. I'm stumped (but no expert either). My only other guess is because you tansplanted it, maybe from that shock it didn't produce great berries but will next season.

Thanks jessica! Thanks for following me too!! :)
You'll know from my blog but hey everyone else, I planted leeks and artichokes and some herbs. OMG SO EXCITED.

Mr. Shankly · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 12:32 am

I'm planning on helping alligatordisco on her small farm this year.

No idea what exactly we're going to be planting in mine but I know this is going to be a fun growing season!

quinntheskimo · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 2:35 am

alligatordisco wrote:

quinntheskimo wrote:

I'm going to do a little herb garden this year. I'll be growing mint, lavender, lemongrass, chamomile, sage, basil, thyme, rosemary, cilantro, and maybe a few other things. I'm excited to make my own tea.

In the garden patch, I'd also like to grow some collards, spinach, kale, chard, and tomatoes.

Tea!! Try to make sun tea with your harvest- all you need to do is get a glass container with a cover, stick your tea fodder in there with water and let it brew during a hot day in the sun for a few hours. Very delicious and possibly healthier, the boiling water may not damage antioxidants and other good things in the leaves.
I hope one day I can grow tea plants, but I have no idea if that's even possible.

I've always heard about sun tea but I've never actually made it. I'm going to have to make a few batches of it this spring and summer. Why wouldn't tea plants be possible for you?

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

When I say tea plant I mean the actual bush tea leaves come from- not the plants used for herbal teas! I don't know anything about tea bushes but I it would be cool to grow your own tea leaves.

quinntheskimo · **Posted:** Wed Jan 26, 2011 9:41 pm

alligatordisco wrote:

When I say tea plant I mean the actual bush tea leaves come from- not the plants used for herbal teas! I don't know anything about tea bushes but I it would be cool to grow your own tea leaves.

Ohhh, alright. My friend works at a nursery and is really big into horticulture, and he explained to me awhile ago that growing black tea plants is a bit of work, and I believe they take a few seasons to yield anything. It would be really cool to do, though.

torque · **Posted:** Thu Jan 27, 2011 5:24 am

we grow tea here in my state and it is not simple. coffee by comparison is a lot easier (i have a coffee tree in my yard) and many people here have yerba mate trees in their yards (it's a pretty tree) but the camellia sinensis requires a lot of attention here- lots of cankers and galls and bug pests.
http://www.camellias-acs.com/display.as ... pageid=754

jessica · **Posted:** Mon Jan 31, 2011 8:06 pm

my ever growing seed list - inspired by alligatordisco:

http://austinvegangardener.blogspot.com ... -list.html

alligatordisco · **Joined:** Tue Oct 26, 2010 5:59 pm **Posts:** 425

Seed list! I love it!

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