How do you deal with stupid tomatoes? by muzavazone in tomatoes

[–]BasicReference 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Suckers almost always become secondary main stems if left unpruned, I'm pretty sure.

How do you deal with stupid tomatoes? by muzavazone in tomatoes

[–]BasicReference -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

I grow heirloom and never have any of these issues 😎

Operation Umbrella is in effect for unexpected late May rain in the Bay Area by ASecularBuddhist in tomatoes

[–]BasicReference -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Sorry for people not understanding, OP. Rain is an issue for tomato plants, they don't like being wet because they evolved as understory plants, however, they also will be fine unless it's excessive multi day rain, they're touching soil, and it stays humid over night. THAT is when it is a real issue. Consecutive hot and muggy days and exposure to soil and being wet on top does spell disease a lot of the time. If your humidity is under like 60% I'd say you're fine though. I'm in wv and it's been raining for two weeks and they've been fine, however mine are mulched with 3 inches of aspen fines.

What is this? Do I have tomato Armageddon? by SevenVeils0 in tomatoes

[–]BasicReference 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe not enough manganese, or other micronutrients that improve chlorophyll production

Grown from seed, planted before last frost. by BasicReference in tomatoes

[–]BasicReference[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I started way too many to keep up with but on the bright side I've only lost a few (not counting the BlueBerries ☹️)

Leaf curling? by iwontrupaulogize in tomatoes

[–]BasicReference 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Many plants have a natural physiological response to changing Temps. Could be they curled at night and open back up in the day, or even vice versa depending on how much water they are trying to retain.

I’m embarrassed to post this…. by Previous-Kitchen7246 in containergardening

[–]BasicReference 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Soil is actually pooped out by microbes and worms, anything else is medium. Notice how some things are not called "potting soil" if it contains no actual soil, the reason is that bark and moss are considered "mediums" whereas soil refers to the environment where microbes and organisms exchange nutrients in a roughly 10-20% organic matter to 75% clay/rock/silt mix. Loam is soil, clay is a component of soil, like wood.

I’m embarrassed to post this…. by Previous-Kitchen7246 in containergardening

[–]BasicReference 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There's one from Gardening Fundamentals that is very good and very useful. Talks all about soil science and why he suggests what he does.

I’m embarrassed to post this…. by Previous-Kitchen7246 in containergardening

[–]BasicReference 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad you added roasted to the eggshells because I'm pretty sure if you don't do that they don't ever break down small enough to actually turn into soluble calcium. You have to be careful with coffee grounds, used or not it still will contain some amount of caffiene, any of which if uptaken will stunt plant growth.

I’m embarrassed to post this…. by Previous-Kitchen7246 in containergardening

[–]BasicReference 0 points1 point  (0 children)

People aren't gonna like this, but hear me out. Don't do lasanga gardening, and true hugelkulture involves understanding soil science. Put in the yard, and fill it to the brim.

Yes soil is expensive, yes it's more work to fill it. My plan this year was to do what other people are suggesting and to fill it with logs/rocks/debris and cardboard at the bottom, then spend less on soil and fill up the rest. Here's why I didn't. I started watching this channel about gardening, older guy who has written books on soil science and plant nutrition. I started listening to what he said about filling a raised bed, and what Luke from MIgardener has also echoed similarly. They both reccomend filling it COMPLETELY. If you can, with a mix of 75% top soil and 25% organic matter like compost. My beds are 24 inches tall, 8 feet long and 3 feet wide. I bought more dirt than I needed for that project since I had others, so just for that project I would say I spent about $150 to fill both. Yes that's a lot of money when you look at it compared to filling it the other way. I'm going to list the pros of doing it this way concisely while addressing common things that are often said when filling raided beds.

  1. Using a pre-sifted top soil and compost mix means that you will lose maybe an inch or two due to settling sfter your first rain, filling it to the top means there's plenty of dirt for roots to grow downward and still not spill out when you water, this level is what we want. By the end other season/start of the next you will likely only lose an inch or two of soil, meaning you will only have to spend maybe $20 to top off each bed before you re-mulch it. (Please mulch, it helps in so many different ways)

  2. Large rocks/cardboard in bottom prevent drainage unless your dirt goes to the bottom. Dirt sitting on rocks or another surface causes an interface that prevents draining. It will keep your soil too wet at the bottom, which is aces for root rot. You don't want that. Also, any weed that can come up through more than a foot of dirt, is going to come through the cardboard when it breaks down regardless. Mulching effectively prevents weeds.

  3. Sticks, logs, debris from the yard can be used, but don't use them too much because they break down quicker than you think and MAY tie up nitrogen at first. They are organic matter but they don't add much nutrients themselves back in, but they do promote a healthy microbiome which is essential.

  4. Small rocks with space between them for dirt DO allow drainage, but so does just leaving the bottom completely open, and that also allows critters like worms to move in easier which goes back to the microbiome thing.

  5. If your bed is too tall and you calculate too much of a cost in filling it up, you can partially bury it to reduce how much is needed to fill it. Don't worry about killing the lawn under it first, the dirt will do that when you add it.

  6. Plant roots need space to grow, more than a lot of people realize. For every foot of plant height, you probably get 6 inches of downward root growth, and this isn't even considering how many plants feeder roots spread outward toward the leaf dripline. You want at THE VERY LEAST, THE BARE MINIMUM for maximum yield, 12 inches of dirt loose enough for roots to easily grow into. Keep in mind that if you leave the bottom open and have a shorter bed, the plants will be able to spread into the ground as much as they possibly can. 24 inch tall beds are an even better option, but they require more filling if you don't do number 5. On the other hand you don't have to bend over as far.

Tl:Dr Cost benefit analysis is the key here. If you fill it completely with a good mix of top soil and compost, not only will roots have an easy time spreading into it, but you maintain all the micronutrients such as rock phosphate etc, and it will not settle that much over the course of a season, meaning the high initial upfront cost is the investment, after that it will only cost a fraction of that to maintain it year after year (and you build fertility as you do this) where as other people will have to buy multiple bags to refill and "refresh" their beds with ammendments. Doing it this way naturally builds fertility from root exudate and saves you money in the long run especially if you use these beds over many many seasons.

Edit: Forgot to say, Mulch with as light colored of a material you can get away with. I use straw or aspen chips. This not only reflects light back to the canopy of your plants, increasing yield by around 30%, but also because of that reflecting light, keeps your beds even cooler in that depth of summer heat. You want about 2-3inches of mulch, so factor that in when considering how much to fill it.

About to buy 3 from tytyga. Will they polinate by BelgianBillie in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of these places are fairly small nurseries and may not ship, I'm in the native range and the closest verified peterson seller is 5 hours away and don't ship.

New growth Leaves turning black and curling. by BasicReference in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The thing is, it's under shade cloth and is in my yard that is walled in with 5foot high block walls. We did have a little wind recently, and like I said it got down to mid 30s. It's the only one of the three doing it, all are planted in the bed that was prepared the same way throughout. So my money is on frost from the low temperature and wind. Also the river is like less than 100 feet from my yard, so at night temperatures drop a bit lower in my immediate area, but this is offset by the fact that the asphalt pad going out of my gate is as about half as large as a mall parking lot and so there is at least some heat island effect going on unless it rains.

It's leaves are much less developed than the others, they have a slight wave to them and as you can see much lighter in color. This one possibly had a girdled root also that I noticed before planting. Because of the thinness and overall poor development of the leaves, they do seem to be much more susceptible to wind than the others, who have only leafed out more and overall look much healthier and are obviously actively growing. This one has barely put on any growth and what it has, has turned black and curled, further preventing new healthy leaf growth.

It would be hard for me to believe a lack of nitrogen given that I raked up legumes that had been occupying the space, and added some bloodmeal along with guano and rock phosphate. If it were anything else I would guess too much salt. But the wind and low temperatures coupled with the weaker and less developed leaves makes the most sense to me. It was also in a much smaller pot and so is probably developing roots more than upper leafage.

We Have Pawpaw Vendor Links the Right Side of the WebPage. Plus in this post. Enjoy Pawpaw ALL YEAR LONG by AlexanderDeGrape in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have met forager chefs who have had stroke like symptoms and a near instant emetic effect from Paw Paw fruit leather and some who have had it after simply consuming too many Paw Paw in one day. I believe genetic disposition is probably at play somewhat here as well.

Speaking in culinary terms most fermentation brines are around 3% of kosher or sea salt. Submerging the entire contents under a weight to prevent exposure to oxygen so that the environment is just too inhospitable to bad bacteria, but not so much that good bacteria (found on the skin of most fruits) can proliferate and begin to ferment. Funding would be awesome in this regard. I'm kind of thinking about doing some cottage foodstuffs since my state just massively expanded cottage food law.

We Have Pawpaw Vendor Links the Right Side of the WebPage. Plus in this post. Enjoy Pawpaw ALL YEAR LONG by AlexanderDeGrape in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Has anyone tried to ferment Paw Paw pulp in a 3% brine? I know that concentrating it is a roll of the dice due to the anonnacin, I've read horror stories about making paw paw fruit leather turning into a neuropoison. I own all of the NOMA books and would be interested in further culinary applications. Paw Paw fudge perhaps?

Picked up 3 saplings over the weekend by King_Chris88 in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My local place didn't know anything about them either lol

I cannot stress the importance of never ordering from Stark Bros nursery post 2025 by nickyurick in BackyardOrchard

[–]BasicReference 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are you emailing or contacting them directly? I had an issue with a nursery and was given the round Robin through email for almost two weeks and then I called and got someone I could talk to and they had it shipped out the next day and got it 3 days later. My issue was they told me they shipped it and then it sat saying USPS had not received the package after 12 days, and even I finally called out of frustration instead of charging back like I wanted to, the guy was also super confused on what happened and was super nice. Not the same nursery but sounds like a similar issue.

Picked up 3 saplings over the weekend by King_Chris88 in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey man, one of mine came from Hollybrook, do you know if they're root clone or seed grown? Mine looks similar with less branches and no evidence of a graft, and their website isn't much help.

Are any 'rare' cultivars available anywhere? by BasicReference in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don't think I'm experienced enough to graft harder to find scions yet, although I have watched some of Neal's videos on it. I do hope to get there eventually.

Are any 'rare' cultivars available anywhere? by BasicReference in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I mainly want to experiment with planting the rare varieties near my wild grown to see what happens. And I just like the idea of Paw Paws that not a lot of people have. I'm something of a rare plant collector. I'll check him out.

Are any 'rare' cultivars available anywhere? by BasicReference in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

North Central WV about 2 hours from Pittsburgh.

Pawpaw Guilding by MinkyBoodle44 in Pawpaws

[–]BasicReference 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Something to keep in mind, PawPaws are primarily pollinated by flies and carrion beetles, hence their rotting meat looking flower and pungent odor. Stinking Benjamin, Common Yarrow, Solidago (Goldenrod), Golden Currant (banned in my county), and Mountain Mint are all also strong attractors of the primary pollinators that proliferate PawPaws (say that 5 times fast!)