What's Growing In Your Garden? Horticultural Science

[Moontanman]

On the tomatoes, a fella visiting told me tomato blooms won't release their pollen until vibrated at a frequency of beating bee wings. Ever hear of this? I haven't seen any honey bees on my tomatoes (or any flowers for that matter), but something is pollinating them. Also after hearing about the vibration and sharing that with another visitor, they said they knew someone who hand-pollinated the tomatoes when no bees were around.

 

I just eat the stuff. :confused:

 

That's bull butter, the wind is all you need to get tomatoes to set fruit, in a greenhouse I always touch each bloom with a soft brush but tomatoes don't need pollination like most plants. Just a physical touch of each bloom by wind, bees or your finger will do it.

[Turtle]

That's bull butter, the wind is all you need to get tomatoes to set fruit, in a greenhouse I always touch each bloom with a soft brush but tomatoes don't need pollination like most plants. Just a physical touch of each bloom by wind, bees or your finger will do it.

 

Thanks. The fella is definitely a bull butterer, but I opted not to batter him in battle before better bets betook my bastion. Bellicosity; can't live with it, can't bury it in the garden 'til Fall. :confused:

[Moontanman]

Thanks. The fella is definitely a bull butterer, but I opted not to batter him in battle before better bets betook my bastion. Bellicosity; can't live with it, can't bury it in the garden 'til Fall. :confused:

 

Of course you can, just make sure you bury him deep at night when no one is watching:naughty:

[Turtle]

Of course you can, just make sure you bury him deep at night when no one is watching:naughty:

 

Sounds like the makings of a horror screenplay; the gentle gardener who 'recycles' his neighbors to brighten his posys. :) :D :eek: :D

 

Meantime, my Winter-wheat crop is about ready and I expect a bountiful harvest of .0234375 bushels. (more new veggie pics here: >> Science Forums - Turtle's Album: More Plants );)

[Moontanman]

Sounds like the makings of a horror screenplay; the gentle gardener who 'recycles' his neighbors to brighten his posys. :) :D :eek: :D

 

Meantime, my Winter-wheat crop is about ready and I expect a bountiful harvest of .0234375 bushels. ;)

 

Cool wheat plants Turtle, do you plan to expand this crop next year? You could us the seeds from this to grow quite a few more next year and so on. I used to help grow oats when I was young, about 20 acres. Lots of oatmeal in there for sure! we used them as feed. As for the burial, life was hard where I am from, the only person who knew where all the bodies were buried was the farmer with a tractor and a backhoe attachment! More than one miscreant ended up in the john pit. Kind of a ironic way for a thief or other wise less than ideal citizen to end up.

[Turtle]

Cool wheat plants Turtle, do you plan to expand this crop next year? You could us the seeds from this to grow quite a few more next year and so on. I used to help grow oats when I was young, about 20 acres. Lots of oatmeal in there for sure! we used them as feed. ...

 

Indeed I do. My new lease assures me another season here & I plan to replace the backyard turf with all garden. Gonna go with a lot more garlic too. These over-Winter plantings will hold the soil during the rains, if this past season was any indication.:) By making the place more green, I think I am adding to the property value as well. I may tap the gutters this Winter with a multi-rain-barrel bypass with an overflow back into the well-designed drainage setup. ;) We'll see how the ol' back stands up.

 

Whats the quickest way you know to separate the wheat from the chaff on a small scale? After I have the seeds separated out, do you think a blender will work well enough to give me a coarse flour?

[Moontanman]

Indeed I do. My new lease assures me another season here & I plan to replace the backyard turf with all garden. Gonna go with a lot more garlic too. These over-Winter plantings will hold the soil during the rains, if this past season was any indication.:) By making the place more green, I think I am adding to the property value as well. I may tap the gutters this Winter with a multi-rain-barrel bypass with an overflow back into the well-designed drainage setup. ;) We'll see how the ol' back stands up.

 

Whats the quickest way you know to separate the wheat from the chaff on a small scale? After I have the seeds separated out, do you think a blender will work well enough to give me a coarse flour?

 

You got me on that, I really don't know how to seperate the wheat from the chaff, but a blender should be able to provide some course flour.

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

To obtain the grain, further processing, such as milling or pounding, is needed to remove the hulls or husks. In contrast, in free-threshing (or naked) forms such as durum wheat and common wheat, the glumes are fragile and the rachis tough. On threshing, the chaff breaks up, releasing the grains.-Wikipedia

Aparently it depends on what kind ya got. The type that has fragile hulls could be harvested and hulled in a manner similar to the technique used by native americans to harvets rice. (probably could use the same method for the harder husks)

 

This involves beating the heads between two sticks and catching the rice in a basket. You like percussion instruments right?

[Turtle]

Aparently it depends on what kind ya got. The type that has fragile hulls could be harvested and hulled in a manner similar to the technique used by native americans to harvets rice. (probably could use the same method for the harder husks)

 

This involves beating the heads between two sticks and catching the rice in a basket. You like percussion instruments right?:shrug:

 

Turtle like bam-bam. :) ;)

 

Roger the info. I got my original seed from some wheat I found growing volunteer, and I basically 'threshed' it by working out the individual seeds with my fingers. From now on, I be thumpin'. :hyper:

[Michaelangelica]

OK

Here is aproblem

I want to grow about 6 "Miracle Fruit" plants in pots this spring

They need a VERY acid soil 4.5+ !!

How do I make that?

There is no real peat available.

Coconut Peat is Ph 6. Most "acid" potting mixes the same.

 

I have purchased a little Sphagnum Moss (supposed to be very low Ph)but it is SO expensive

I am presently trying to encourage it to grow (Anyone have any suggestions on this?)

[Chacmool]

I'm very keen to start my own little vegetable garden. I live in an area with hot summers and mild winters. I love gardening, but I'm not particularly knowledgeable. My plant survival rate was about 50% a year ago, and I'd say I've improved to about 70%.

 

Which veggies are easiest to grow? They need to be strong and resilient to survive in my novice garden! :)

[freeztar]

OK

Here is aproblem

I want to grow about 6 "Miracle Fruit" plants in pots this spring

They need a VERY acid soil 4.5+ !!

How do I make that?

There is no real peat available.

Coconut Peat is Ph 6. Most "acid" potting mixes the same.

 

I have purchased a little Sphagnum Moss (supposed to be very low Ph)but it is SO expensive

I am presently trying to encourage it to grow (Anyone have any suggestions on this?)

 

What about sulphur?

 

The pH of an alkaline soil is lowered by adding sulphur, iron sulfate or aluminium sulfate, although these tend to be expensive, and the effects short term. Urea, urea phosphate, ammonium nitrate, ammonium phosphates, ammonium sulfate and monopotassium phosphate also lower soil pH.

Soil pH - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Turtle]

I'm very keen to start my own little vegetable garden. I live in an area with hot summers and mild winters. I love gardening, but I'm not particularly knowledgeable. My plant survival rate was about 50% a year ago, and I'd say I've improved to about 70%.

 

Which veggies are easiest to grow? They need to be strong and resilient to survive in my novice garden! :shrug:

 

For just sticking-seeds-in-the-ground-&-then-watering ease, I recommend radishes, cucumbers, beans, squash, & sunflowers. :naughty:

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Don't forget cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and wata-mellons:) I always have luck with them....also asparagus, rhubarb, rasberries, blackberries, cantaloup, corm, and wheat.

[Turtle]

Don't forget cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and wata-mellons:) I always have luck with them....also asparagus, rhubarb, rasberries, blackberries, cantaloup, corm, and wheat.

 

:eek: I see we neither mentioned carrots as easy. :hihi: I never have good luck with carrots. :D They take a long time to sprout, long time to grow, and they always turn out small and/or misshapen. Any tips? :) :hyper:

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

I've never attempted carrots I don't like them enough to justify the effort. Brussels sprouts are supposed to be pretty easy too but you'll never see me growin' 'em. (BLECHK!!!!)

[Turtle]

I've never attempted carrots I don't like them enough to justify the effort. Brussels sprouts are supposed to be pretty easy too but you'll never see me growin' 'em. (BLECHK!!!!)

 

I like carrots; just can't seem to grow 'em. I did Brussels sprouts a couple years ago but lost them to aphids. I like them too. :( No worries; I have a fresh batch of beans in tonight ready for the steamer. Little drizzle of olive oil, a sprinch of Kosher salt, a grind of black pepper....mmmmmmmmmmmmm. L) :lol: :hihi: