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Tildes Gardening Group: Week 3/8/26
This is the tildes gardening group, feel free to post any observations or questions on gardening
This is the tildes gardening group, feel free to post any observations or questions on gardening
@nukeman @vord @zenon @crialpaca @Aran @thecakeisalime @tyrny @pekt @rosco @dustylungs @lackofaname @neonbright @monarda @tanglisha @Esteebestee @mimic @Zenon @lynxy @monarda @gourd @sparksbet @patience_limited @arctanh @Zorind @TheInflatableKayak @Akir
(Let me know if you want me to stop pinging you!)
Balcony plants have not been doing well.
I think it got too hot here for a solid week+ and we probably didn’t water them enough during that time, and we didn’t start them inside like we did last year.
One of our shishito and biquinho plants is now finally growing a bit taller and bushier, but we’re really gonna be in a relaxed against time to see if they’ll produce before it hits too late in the fall.
I have found some luck with the inverted wine bottle method to help keep the soil moist when I'm busy and can't keep watering consistently everyday. There are also terracotta spikes you can put them in but I haven't bothered with that this year.
I used terra Cotta spikes with big bottles this year and have been really happy with how they've worked out. The main difference is that the spikes go deeper into the soil, they aren't needed if your bottle reaches the depth you needed. I was given some of those tall pocket pots this year, I stacked two spikes to water all the way down to the bottom pockets. Can't tell if it's working because I've had terrible starting seeds in the pockets.
It’s been a mixed bag for me, in the UK there’s been very poor rainfall, and this has definitely affected my plants. I’ve been trying to water them where I can, but my plants within grow bags and troughs are not doing nearly as well as those in the soil.
The sunflowers are doing really well despite this, and I’m starting to get some green tomatoes on my tomato plant. The peas were good, but I have now died off. The rhubarb I planted is doing incredibly well, and seems to be taking over part of the garden that’s nothing else can grow in.
I have lots else going on in my life, and I’ve lost interest in gardening slightly, but it’s nice to see my earlier efforts still paying off!
I tried grow bags for the first time this year and have been less than impressed. It seemed like a great way to grow potatoes without having to worry about nightshade rotation, but they need watering almost every day.
Perennials are so good for this. My spring turned into absolute chaos, but I got nice crops of rhubarb and raspberries.
I do have the exact same perennials actually! What I would really like to do one day (and perhaps not in my back garden!) is a seven layer forest garden (here,here). It sounds really lovely from an ecosystem point of view, it requires little upkeep, and has some good outputs! To be honest, agroforestry, wild pantry and permaculture agriculture do really appeal to me, maybe I'll get to it one day.
My latest garden bed I set up is getting consistently demolished by dang raccoons! They seem to be interested in my ollas which they keep ripping out. I put up netting but they keep finding ways to get under it despite my best efforts
Of all the destructive critters, that's got to be the worst. Intelligent AND those dexterous little fingers!
This year I've learned that not all corn silk or tassels (the part growing from the top of the plant) are yellow. All the varieties I'm growing this year are open pollinated, most are locally developed, and one is a variety traditionally grown by the Mandan tribe it is North Dakota. So far my silks and tassels have ranged from a fiery red to dark purple, one looked like a very expensive hair dye had been done on it with strawberry blonde tips.
This is second year in a row that my Seascape strawberries, which are a daylight neutral variety, have stopped producing in July and probably will stay that way for most of August. I'll then get constant strawberries until the temps drop in late fall.
Sungolds are my favorite tomatoes to grow, but they're an F1 variety so they don't breed true. A local seed seller offered California Sungolds this year, which are a very young open pollinated variety that came from the same parent varieties, will probably breed true, but may not be completely stable. I wanted to compare them side by side to see if I want to make the switch. The Cal Sungolds produced first, they were mealy and kind of bland. I'm hopeful that was a first flush thing and that they'll get better.
I'm really happy with my garlic harvest this year. I did amend the soil in fall and early spring with alfalfa meal and my bulbs are considerably bigger than they were last year. I also labeled both ends of the rows and didn't get the varieties mixed up, so I can do an actual taste comparison. I'm open to ideas on how to best do that.
I just harvested the first viable fig off the tree that was here when we moved in last year. I've been learning that we have fig flies which lay their eggs in your figs and ruin them, and about fig mites which can carry a disease... About 2 months ago a couple ripened but had already been damaged by the fly. I bought 100 tulle bags and started bagging them.. bought another 100...and another. I think I won't need any more as the tree is finally slowing down growing lil baby figs.
Anyway, I have this fig now, it's a monster at 129g, and I'm hoping it will taste okay when I open it tomorrow. I'm a bit nervous because I've read it should smell good, but it barely has any odor at all.
I have a fig tree and never know when to pick them. It seems like I always choose overripe or underripe. Any pointers?
I'm new to all this. On Reddit r/figs I was pointed to a video where a guy would take a needle and poke the stem (not too deep) just above where the fig neck is attached. If sap comes out the fig isn't ready. I can't find the video in my watch history but I'll look further and post it here when I have it.
The neck of the fig should be soft. A lot of folks on r/figs say to wait until the skin is cracking a bit. IMO that seems a bit overripe, but what do I know.
Edit: here's the videos. Millennial gardener and Ross were the 2 names to search for on Youtube.
Comment on my thread:
"The neck of the fig should be soft. The fig should be drooping down and also feel soft like a bag of jelly, maybe have some cracking or wrinkles. You can also prick the neck with a needle to see if sap is still flowing before picking it. You wouldn't do it for every fig obviously, but just so you get more experience in picking them. You definitely don't pick a hard fig, and if you picked it and there is sap oozing out it was definitely early and not going to taste the best.
See this for drooping:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-lVKT47QjU
See this for needle test:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6tLgtYzmXA
Overall:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CpPCehRibvU
"
Oh my gosh, thank you for the videos! I’m going out with a needle later today to check my figs. I’d pretty much given up on ever understanding when they are ripe.
You're welcome and good luck! We're learning it together.
I left the fig on the counter for 2 days and I think it did get very slightly more scent. But overall it was fairly band just slightly sweet. I have another one ripening soon. They're weird, they'll sit there looking green and a bit over walnut size for weeks and weeks, like they went into stasis, then suddenly they get fat and start changing color. In a few the days they're suddenly huge.
I had another fig coming ripe, gave it the poke, and no sap came out yesterday or the day before. I pulled it this morning and it still smells like nothing. I can feel the skin is more delicate - it does have a crack, and when I pulled it I broke some skin at the neck. Has the bag of jelly feel. I'll try eating it tomorrow. IDK -- maybe this tree just grows enormous bland figs, which would be rather disappointing. :/ Hope your tree is better!
Edit: eating it right now: still not a lot of smell but much, much sweeter and has definite figgy flavor