Saturday Gardening Thread: Pickle-O [KT]

Happy winter Saturday, gardeners! Doing some garden planning? You probably knew that you could eat nasturtium flowers and young leaves. But did you know that you could pickle green nasturtium seed pods to make Poor Man's Capers (or California Capers)?

If you didn't check back on last week's thread on Sunday, Pat* had an interesting summary from Idaho, as usual. Hyacynths showing some green already! Anyway, she and her husband are looking for a pickling cucumber they can also use for salads. Have you got a favorite?

Cucumbers for Pickling

I have grown Cool Breeze in the past as an early cuke. It is a very bumpy gherkin type, early, bitter-free and all-female. Doesn't make it later in the heat here. Seems to have been dropped by many catalogs. Homemade Pickles and County Fair are others to try. More American in style. Preppers may want to try Wautoma, an open-pollinated, bitter-free variety with multiple disease resistance.

Cucumbers for pickling: They're not all alike:

Whenever I start talking about cucumber varieties, people give me that look that says, You are weirder than I ever imagined.
Why isn't cucumber breeding a more compelling subject? A gardener can introduce every tree and shrub in the yard in mock Latin, and nobody blinks. Ordinary people talk about rose breeders by name. But what vegetable gardener hasn't suffered with disease-ridden cucumbers, bitter cucumbers, cucumbers that blow up like balloons before they reach four inches long? What cuke grower hasn't felt frustrated by inaccurate catalog descriptions and a single photo standing in for several varieties? Why don't we dirt-scratching picklers compare notes more often?

As far as I can tell, the things that make a good pickling cucumber include tight seed cavities, firm flesh prone to producing crispy pickles and youth. Pick them young. There are other criteria for commercial varieties, I think.

Here's a good summary on how to grow pickling cucumbers. Covering with floating row cover until time for pollination (for varieties needing pollination) protects from insects. Cucumber beetles, which spread bacterial wilt, are mostly a problem in the East. A big problem. Some cucumbers with less of the bitter cucumber compounds are less attractive to the beetles, but more attractive to other insects. Can't win.

I have found that you can use slicing cucumbers for refrigerator pickles. Here's a brief summary on some types of cucumbers

Some good choices for picklers are recommended by a dedicated canner.

Just to confuse things, there's a cucumber relative called the
West Indian Gherkin that was grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello.

There's also a Mexican Sour Gherkin. Not closely related to cucumbers.

AKA "Barbie Watermelon". Growing instructions here. A good plant for neglected gardens. Not so good for pickling.

Winter means sex for filberts

Kindltot has an eye for detail. He sends in the following sexy filbert photo:

Winter is here, and the one thing that happens in January is that the filberts put out their catkins, but most people don't realize these are just the male flowers, there are female flowers too: they are tiny little scarlet flowers on the fat buds.

Grape Pruning

It's grape pruning time here in the San Joaquin Valley. If you need to know more about cane vs. spur pruning and such, we can do a segment sometime. A while ago, CaliGirl, who is closer to the coast, sent in the following, our Big Machine of the Week:

I saw this today in a big wine grower's ranch. Those arms on the machine spins. They cut the vines back so when they go through to prune there's not as much to hand prune.
My husband tells me some growers have tried to just use those machines for pruning but it makes the yields lower.

Winter Cheer

Here's one of the lovely photos from Hawaii that Slowflight 17 (not JQ) sent to cheer us up during winter. Recognize the flower?

Gardens of The Horde

It rained again here in the San Joaquin Valley. Yay!

Anything happening where you garden?

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Got any bulbs coming up?

Include your nic unless you want to be a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:46 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Shall call corgis, bcz someone has too.

Posted by: professor chaos, gumdrop gorilla channel at January 20, 2018 12:44 PM (lyqKm)

2 Gimme an "N", gimme an "O", gimme a "T-H-I"!
Gimme an "L", gimme an "L", gimme an "A-R-Y"!
What's that spell?
No-o-o-o-t Hillary!
Whoo!

Nope, one full year and still not tired.

Posted by: Captain Comic at January 20, 2018 12:46 PM (c+hiY)

3 Mission accomplished.

Posted by: professor chaos, gumdrop gorilla channel at January 20, 2018 12:46 PM (lyqKm)

4 Be vewy, vewy quiet, I'm hunting wabbits....

Posted by: Elmer Fudd at January 20, 2018 12:47 PM (lyqKm)

5 professor chaos, gumdrop gorilla channel at January 20, 2018 12:46 PM

Thanks.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 12:49 PM (BVQ+1)

6 Any suggestions for fruits and veggies that can go a couple of weeks without tending? This would be for Zone 7 in Central Virginia. I'd like to be able to plant some stuff but will not be around daily to tend to it.

Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2018 12:51 PM (Sfs6o)

7 Thanks for the great content as usual KT.

The grape machines are really expensive and big.

The other machine I'll try to get a photo of is a grape harvester. They harvest the grapes at night, something to do with the sugar content.

I'm in Hawaii now on vacation. Everyone have a good weekend.

Posted by: CaliGirl at January 20, 2018 12:52 PM (ifO+t)

8 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

Posted by: Insomniac - mostly stable at January 20, 2018 12:52 PM (NWiLs)

9 Recognize the flower?

Yup. They're down here, too. Had one for a while until my brown thumb got the better of it.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2018 12:54 PM (tRaq7)

10 My aunt taught French in a public school years ago and went on a travel program where she stayed with a French family for a while one summer. She wanted to make them a traditional American hamburger dinner. It was a real challenge finding American-style dill pickles.

She finally had to substitute little French cornichons. Not the same.

Interesting how regional pickle recipes have stayed regional for so long. I'm also thinking of English mustard pickles now.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 12:54 PM (BVQ+1)

11 Bird of paradise?

Posted by: bluebell at January 20, 2018 12:55 PM (kNasr)

12 KT,

We of course are going on a farm tour on Monday. I will hopefully have some good photos for you.

The guy grows his own breed of white pineapple and he also grows lavender. That's all I know so far. My husband is excited.

Posted by: CaliGirl at January 20, 2018 12:56 PM (ifO+t)

13 Weasel at January 20, 2018 12:51 PM

Mexican sour gherkins. Citrus-y, they say.

How about root crops?

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 12:57 PM (BVQ+1)

14 Bird of paradise?

*ding ding ding* We have a winner.

Tell her what she's won, Don...

Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2018 12:57 PM (tRaq7)

15 Yay! I hope I won a way to keep my cute little rosemary tree alive. She's not looking too good. It's supposed to be 60 today so I'm going to put her out in the sun for a bit.

Posted by: bluebell at January 20, 2018 12:58 PM (kNasr)

16 Bird of paradise.

I noticed some bulbs growing in my yard. I think they are hyacinth. Or tulips I'm not sure.

Posted by: CaliGirl at January 20, 2018 12:58 PM (ifO+t)

17 CaliGirl at January 20, 2018 12:52 PM

We are jealous. I figured those grape pruners were pretty expensive.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 12:58 PM (BVQ+1)

18
How about root crops?
Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 12:57 PM (BVQ+1)
That's one of the things I'm considering. Also maybe some fruit trees.

Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2018 01:01 PM (Sfs6o)

19 Had a slight freeze here last week. Not much in the way of damage here at stately Casa Backwardio, thank goodness.

Looks like the frost cooked off some of the already weak foliage. It hasn't rained here in a long time. This winter's been drier than most.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2018 01:01 PM (tRaq7)

20 One of my old New Orleans friends keeps FB friends update on her "birds" of paradise. They are pretty and unique. I presume that is the same as the JQ's Hawaiian picture above. nice ...

I don't mind the cold much in the Midwest, but the short days and overcast winters make me consider a little place maybe Southwest, or maybe even a different continent for a couple months mid-winter.

Posted by: illiniwek at January 20, 2018 01:02 PM (otAqJ)

21 OK, signing off for now.

Y'all try to behave.

Posted by: BackwardsBoy at January 20, 2018 01:03 PM (tRaq7)

22 Well until I get moving and get my tractor fixed I decided to start collecting up leaves and piling them off under the tree line, did two loads but snow cover is on them now but will move them eventually.

Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2018 01:04 PM (aC6Sd)

23 Only problem with fruit trees is I'm more of an instant gratification guy.

Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2018 01:06 PM (Sfs6o)

24 I recognize the flower, but don't know the name

Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2018 01:07 PM (aC6Sd)

25 23 Only problem with fruit trees is I'm more of an instant gratification guy.
Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2018 01:06 PM (Sfs6o)

I know what you mean

Posted by: Harvey Weinstein at January 20, 2018 01:09 PM (ANIFC)

26 KT,

I don't know how much that grape pruner costs but I know a grape harvester costs about 300,000 new.

We have the four acres of wine grapes and when I see those machines I tell my husband we need that machine. He says we don't need them.

Posted by: CaliGirl at January 20, 2018 01:09 PM (ifO+t)

27 the flower is a bird of paradise.

Posted by: vivi at January 20, 2018 01:10 PM (11H2y)

28 I do want to start seeds I have indoors maybe around beginning of April

Posted by: Skip at January 20, 2018 01:16 PM (aC6Sd)

29 It has been a cold, not-much-snow winter in the Twin Cities. This in part due to my purchase of the SnowDestroyer XXLL Xtreme last winter; but the magic is wearing off, and we might get 6-10 inches starting tomorrow. Meanwhile I am investigating indoor gardening and let me tell you, there's a lotta folks out there growing medicinal herbs in their basements. There are so many that you find probably three sources on growing weed for every source on how to grow lettuce or herbs.

Want to get a visit from Officer Not-So-Friendly? Go buy something at the hydroponics store. You're really better off to cobble together some kind of PVC and storage bin contraption, for which one can find many YouTube videos. Solo cups are involved. But at least buying this stuff doesn't get the local garda sniffing around.

Me, I've got what are obviously grow lights sitting above my herb garden in the dining room window, glowing nice and purply 18 hours a day. I'm having difficulty deciding if I should just call the community service officer in for tea, and thus innoculate. But like vaccines, that might not work for a particular strain of SWAT-minded drug cops.

AeroGardens work pretty well for seed starting.

Posted by: Gordon at January 20, 2018 01:20 PM (TYh1g)

30 Caligirl, farmers around here will contract with neighbors who have a particular piece of fancy equipment. There are also custom harvester teams that roam the area, booked months ahead. They work all day and night.

Posted by: Gordon at January 20, 2018 01:23 PM (TYh1g)

31 Can't quite make up my mind about the Nasturtiums. I tend to like the "majus" more, but who knows? We here in the great frozen northeast are looking forward to at least three months more of winter and the playoffs.

Posted by: plum at January 20, 2018 01:26 PM (917nu)

32 Weasel at January 20, 2018 01:06 PM

Fruit trees grafted onto dwarfing root stocks often bear fruit years earlier than standard-sized trees. Choosing a root stock suited to your area can be as important as choosing a cultivar suited to your area.

Also, summer pruning of deciduous fruit trees encourages earlier bearing.

Guards to protect young trunks from rabbits and such may be important in your situation.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:27 PM (BVQ+1)

33 https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&persist_app=1&noapp=1&v=qEnVKdqbAY0

Posted by: Cosmic Charlie at January 20, 2018 01:29 PM (PUmDY)

34 some guys near me did a few acres of grapes each, but shared a harvester, which makes a lot of difference. One guy a little north of St. Louis was doing 50 acres, which I think was the largest operation in the state (for grapes). He was a former university prof' I think.

I did see IL went from 14 wineries in 1997 to over 100 today. Many have their own accommodations for a restaurant and lodging, often as an addition to their family farm.

Not many showed how many acres they were growing. Most I think are under ten, but that will make a lot of wine for visitors and local stores. Nice way to add a little vitality to rural areas.

Posted by: illiniwek at January 20, 2018 01:30 PM (otAqJ)

35 Great thread and photos, KT.

And so there's another JQ around? (Lol, I lived on Oahu-- once upon a time-- but didn't send the pic above.)

Haven't decided on garden this year. Probably will not do much, if anything, due to time constraints. Dad's health is failing and I am primary caregiver. Likely will be his last year with us.

Nasturtiums are so pretty! They're awesome even in(perhaps especially in) poor soil.

Love the little mexican gherkins, would grow them just because they're cute!

Posted by: JQ but not birdofparadise JQ at January 20, 2018 01:35 PM (yD/Pf)

36 I noticed some bulbs growing in my yard. I think they are hyacinth. Or tulips I'm not sure.
Posted by: CaliGirl at January 20, 2018 12:58 PM (ifO+t)

If they are small and pale they are probably hyacinths, if they look like a shallot they are probably tulips.

The big thing around here is the mechanical blueberry pickers. They look like a giant mechanical sliding shelving unit from Ikea with an operators' cab on top. I spent an evening with an old acquaintance who used to manage a blueberry farm and he was telling me about the acreage and production needed to make a crop like that profitable any more, especially in keeping labor costs down.

His boss didn't have the acreage under cultivation to be competitive for the canneries, so he bought a fishing boat and fishes salmon now.

Posted by: Kindltot at January 20, 2018 01:36 PM (2K6fY)

37 plum at January 20, 2018 01:26 PM

The 'majus' nasturtium has bigger flowers. I like the ones with marking in the center, and the ones with variegated leaves.

T. majus is probably a a hybrid with T. minus in its parentage. T. minus is a species that exists in the wild.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:36 PM (BVQ+1)

38 JQ but not birdofparadise JQ at January 20, 2018 01:35 PM

My Stars! Close initials, different nic! I will edit.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:41 PM (BVQ+1)

39 Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:27 PM (BVQ+1)
------
Thanks KT! Good to know. I will probably start with something like blackberries which are already growing in abundance.

Posted by: Weasel at January 20, 2018 01:43 PM (Sfs6o)

40 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.
Posted by: Insomniac - mostly stable at January 20, 2018 12:52 PM (NWiLs)

Obligatory - Call & Response

Though the fig tree should not blossom, And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail, And the fields produce no food. Though the flock should be cut off from the fold, And there be no cattle in the stalls, Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.

Posted by: Professor Chaos, Gumdrop Gorilla Channel at January 20, 2018 01:43 PM (lyqKm)

41
Fruit trees grafted onto dwarfing root stocks often bear fruit years earlier than standard-sized trees. Choosing a root stock suited to your area can be as important as choosing a cultivar suited to your area.

Also, summer pruning of deciduous fruit trees encourages earlier bearing.

Guards to protect young trunks from rabbits and such may be important in your situation.
Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:27 PM (BVQ+1)

Deer. Nature's defoliators.

Posted by: Headless Body of Agnew at January 20, 2018 01:45 PM (e1mEI)

42 My girlfriend is after me to cut down some of the filberts in my yard and put in and Asian pear and a persimmon instead. I am looking at that, and may try for a papaw or a medlar as well. I think the medlar is better for the weather here.

I also have to get the chainsaw running and take out the holly tree in my front hard and plant an elderberry in its place.

I have also been looking at grafting videos, bought a sheep-foot knife and and have cut my scions for my next attempt to do grafting. Wish me luck!

Posted by: Kindltot at January 20, 2018 01:48 PM (2K6fY)

43 Bumpout windows for starting seedlings are still a big thing in my area. When I was little, the cat took it over as his house. Anybody else have a mini-greenhouse taken over by pets?

Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2018 01:49 PM (MIKMs)

44 Kindltot at January 20, 2018 01:48 PM

You may need those grafting skills if you only plant one pawpaw. They need cross-pollination. You probably have enough pears in the neighborhood not to need pear cross-pollination.

Medlar is an interesting choice.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:53 PM (BVQ+1)

45 My parents had a couple of birds-of-paradise (bird-of-paradises? birds-of-paradie?) growing in their yard in San Diego county. I think they also had some in the garden of our house in Whittier, CA (hometown of Richard Nixon!!) when I was a youngster. Really an interesting flower - it doesn't look like a flower.

At my home now in SE Michigan today it's 41 degrees! Snow is melting quickly, which it often does around here during the January Thaw. Feels pretty good after weeks of temps in teens or single digits. In a couple of months it will be time to prune back my apple trees.

Posted by: George V at January 20, 2018 01:54 PM (LUHWu)

46 mustbequantum at January 20, 2018 01:49 PM

I've been thinking that a seed-starting structure would make a good shelter for some of the more feral of the Garden Kitties. Maybe they would spend less time on the porch and in the garage.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:55 PM (BVQ+1)

47
43 Bumpout windows for starting seedlings are still a big thing in my area. When I was little, the cat took it over as his house. Anybody else have a mini-greenhouse taken over by pets?
Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2018 01:49 PM (MIKMs)

No, but my sister bought heated mini-igloos for her cats to sleep in.
They looked...comfy. May ditch the tent.

Posted by: Headless Body of Agnew at January 20, 2018 01:55 PM (e1mEI)

48 *kicks off temporary sock*

Hawaii has some strange flora, for sure. Of all the funny flowers I saw there, thought the most intriguing was Parrot Heliconia. (origin = Greece?) Large and colorful, but looked so fake.

Could buy just about any tropical lovelies at the Kam Swap Meet for next to nothing... so I had a yard full of stuff!

Posted by: JQ at January 20, 2018 01:58 PM (yD/Pf)

49 29
It has been a cold, not-much-snow winter in the Twin Cities. This in
part due to my purchase of the SnowDestroyer XXLL Xtreme last winter;

Heh.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 01:58 PM (BVQ+1)

50 George V at January 20, 2018 01:54 PM

No Birds of Paradise in the yard in SE Michigan?

Heh.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 02:00 PM (BVQ+1)

51 What the heck is a filbert? Nevermind, I'll look it up. Oh! Hazelnut.

Posted by: bour3 at January 20, 2018 02:00 PM (KXQr+)

52 I've been thinking that a seed-starting structure would make a good
shelter for some of the more feral of the Garden Kitties. Maybe they
would spend less time on the porch and in the garage.
=====

My dad (he of the magic stomping transplant/thinning boots) got a deal on some kind of plexiglass panels and built himself a little greenhouse starting shed. He gave up on the bumpout because of the cat. His only problem was that mom thought it was too redneck. He loved it and managed to keep the squirrels, raccoons, and assorted critters out.

Posted by: mustbequantum at January 20, 2018 02:04 PM (MIKMs)

53 Thanks for all the cucumber/pickle info. We make a simple bread and butter refrigerator pickle that I can eat by the pint. They are all about taste, not texture, so we can use regular cukes.

Won't do it this year but in the future I would like to grow cukes for cornichons, my favorite. A type suitable for containers would be convenient. Since they are supposed to be small, I hope they can be harvested before the summer heat causes problems.

Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2018 02:06 PM (V+03K)

54 Autumn here was fairly mild but we've been having colder than usual temps the last few weeks. Last winter was milder than normal. Don't know if that contributed to the dismal crops.

Anyway, I cut the lilac bush mostly down to the ground after getting rid of the old and dead branches. The new wood grew well last year but with very few blooms. But now all the branches are covered with fat buds and I have hopes for a fragrant back yard this spring. I wonder if the colder temperatures have been beneficial.

Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2018 02:13 PM (V+03K)

55 KT, thank you, I hadn't realized that about pawpaws.

Medlars are an old-fashioned fruit, so I figured I should try them. I can get them from a local nursery if I am extra nice to the owner.

This winter I have to keep clearing the blackberries from the back fence. I hate Himalayas.

Posted by: Kindltot at January 20, 2018 02:14 PM (2K6fY)

56 JTB at January 20, 2018 02:13 PM

Looking forward to a lilac report.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 02:15 PM (BVQ+1)

57 Would love to have a little bumpout window in the kitchen.

One year, I bought a simple tinkertoy-like cheapo greenhouse from discount store. Worked well enough except I couldn't be home to open the vent flaps after sun up. Was good enough to keep plants protected from harsh winds, though we had to strap the whole thing down to keep it from blowing over!

Plastic corner fittings that hold the steel tubes are disintegrating now due to UV and temp. extremes. Am trying to convince hubby to weld some sturdier replacements.

My favorite funny flower-- Hanging Heliconia:

https://preview.tinyurl.com/yd87qsd8

Posted by: JQ at January 20, 2018 02:26 PM (yD/Pf)

58 Those nasturtiums in the top photo are beautiful. I should check to see if they will do well in a hanging basket in northern Virginia. I never did much with flowers but the pansy and sweet alyssum baskets Mrs. JTB got for me to enjoy after surgery were a delight. We have room for a couple more hanging baskets and nasturtiums, especially the trailing type, would be a lovely addition.

Posted by: JTB at January 20, 2018 02:45 PM (V+03K)

59 Also, I appreciate folks calling Filberts by their proper name.

Posted by: plum at January 20, 2018 02:53 PM (917nu)

60 *NOOD!*

Posted by: Slapweasel, (Cold1), (T) at January 20, 2018 02:58 PM (Ckg4U)

61 I'm also looking forward to JTB lilac report. One good memory I will take to the next world is walking out my back door to be greeted by neighbor's lilac hedge, 200 feet away. The scent carried all the way to our house. It's a shame we don't recognize the Golden Moments of our lives as we're living them.

Posted by: kallisto at January 20, 2018 03:12 PM (8IkOE)

62 Kallisto, one night I walked out the back door about 2 a.m. and was greeted by what seemed like a fog of crab apple pollen. The tree in the back yard had let fly, and there was no wind, so it hung about like a cloud of scent. I've never seen anything like it since.

Posted by: Gordon at January 20, 2018 03:15 PM (TYh1g)

63 I sent off an order for far too many cactus seeds to Mesa Garden a week or two ago. It will probably be at least a month before they arrive, which is good, because I need to rebuild my light set-up to make room for them all.

All the orchids I got back in November are still alive, and most show new roots and leaves. The two Phalaenopsis are still in full bloom despite my haphazard care. I may add a few more genera to the collection once the weather warms up enough to ship plants. While looking at the various dealers' websites, I discovered that some growers are real flakes. No, I will not order a Dendrobium kingianum "Karl Marx," nor Paphiopedilum "Ho Chi Minh," no matter how wonderful the flowers are.

Posted by: Don at January 20, 2018 03:18 PM (4espk)

64 From Wikiquote:
The kiss of the sun for pardon,
The song of the birds for mirth,
One is nearer God's Heart in a garden
Than anywhere else on Earth.
-"God's Garden" lines 13-16, Poems, by Dorothy Frances Gurney (London: Country Life, 1913).

This week, at least, Idaho's Treasure Valley is reporting in on time! Come spring, my reports are all likely to be in the evening, after the outdoor work is done. (I've been told local "spring" starts with the yellow forsythia blooming, and planting starts when the snow is off the mountains.)

The temperatures seem ridiculously high to me, for a January in southwestern Idaho. It actually hit 57F on Thursday! Husband was able to start digging the new corn rows, as the ground is definitely not frozen. (We have had frosts at night.) Fortunately my hyacinths are proceeding cautiously. The ones along the front walk haven't even peeked out; they're much more shaded than the ones behind the kitchen.

We only had 5 inches of snow before Christmas, and none since. I'm starting to wonder if it will be a drought year - but it's still early; and we did have most of an inch of rain this week.

I appreciate all the info about cucumbers - I'll pass it to my husband, who is the one driving the idea.

(At a previous home, we had what we nicknamed "radioactive white sweet alyssum", and wondered whether a vegetative WW III would happen if we planted that on one end of a bed, and nasturtium on the other, and let them meet in the middle.)

Posted by: Pat* at January 20, 2018 03:37 PM (FtfVi)

65 JQ at January 20, 2018 02:26 PM

Those hanging flowers are spectacular!

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 04:35 PM (BVQ+1)

66 JTB at January 20, 2018 02:45 PM

Nasturtiums are very easy to grow - in cool weather and poor soil. If you don't expect them to last all summer, they should be fun.

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 04:39 PM (BVQ+1)

67 Don at January 20, 2018 03:18 PM

I'm with you on the cultivar names. But all those exotic plants can be enticing, can't they?

Posted by: KT at January 20, 2018 04:41 PM (BVQ+1)

68 That grape pruner doesn't look Mexican to me deere!

Posted by: saf at January 20, 2018 04:46 PM (cS/ge)

69 Pickles! Yum
I too like bread and butter pickles, but the thing we can't keep around here is pickled okra.
None of the cukes we've ever planted resist any insect... but still produce. Go figger.

Posted by: MarkY at January 20, 2018 05:10 PM (uyrlv)

70
40th Anniversary next Saturday.

Rubies, (covered but Yikes, expensive!) and nasturtiums are traditional.

I need to find a local florist to create a red bouquet...

Posted by: Spun and Murky at January 20, 2018 05:19 PM (4DCSq)

71 KT at January 20, 2018 04:35 PM

Aren't they something? They last for weeks after cutting and are quite hefty, as if they're made of rubber.

Spun and Murky at January 20, 2018 05:19 PM

Congrats!

Posted by: JQ at January 20, 2018 05:37 PM (yD/Pf)

72

Congrats!

Posted by: JQ at January 20, 2018 05:37 PM

Thanks!

Whodathunk?

Posted by: Spun and Murky at January 20, 2018 05:42 PM (4DCSq)

73 Grew some Mexican Gherkins this year. They are sour and the skin is a little tough, they kind of "pop" when you bite down on them. They are really cute though. I throw them in salads but it is more a novelty item. I didn't realize how small they are. Most of mine are just like a big grape size. Still fun.

Posted by: weekreekfarmgirl at January 21, 2018 11:55 AM (E/GJM)

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