2021 Garden Thread

That’s how it looks now! Thanks for that picture. So, is that plant just done then? I have to plant another or add some seed for some fresh cilantro?

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I’d say yes, plant new seed. I planted some seed recently and it sprouted pretty fast. You can try and just trim the plant and see if any new growth happens but my experience is any new growth would be super temporary.

I do believe you can dry out any of the hard little balls it develops (coriander) and use that for seed next year!

The little wispy leaves you have on your plant now that it’s bolted do still taste like cilantro and can be used but it’s obviously not a hardy leaf.

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My Purple peppers are enjoying last bits of summer-like warmth…

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They look nice! I still have some of my hot peppers coming in, and I have made a fermented hot pepper sauce with my most recent batch – my first attempt at a fermented sauce (which turned out relatively well), and I am figuring out how to tweak the recipe for the next bunch.

All of my tomato plants have now succumbed to the heat and/or end of season exhaustion, except for the lone cherry tomato plant. I am hoping to get some more eggplant when the weather cools a bit. Late season field peas are starting to pod.

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We’re still getting tomatoes, all sorts of peppers, and figs. Tons and tons of figs.

Do figs freeze well?

I’m actually not sure. We eat them and sell or give them away (pending who it is). I’ve never tried freezing them.

Sounds like a “zucchini problem”!

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My fig tree had beautiful little figs but despite watering, the tree “miscarried” them after we were hit with that awful heat wave in June. I noticed that pretty much every neighborhood fig tree did the same thing. I’m shocked my veggie garden survived the blast of hot air.

I don’t know if I’ve eaten a purple pepper though I’ve seen them - how does it taste compared to green peppers, red peppers…

I don’t think of figs being a Pennsylvania thing @Creekland - do you have one tree or many? I mean, my brother in NYC has nurtured a fig tree over the years but I thought that was an anomaly!

Funny this thread got revived because I was thinking of it earlier today! My garden is “winding down” with peppers and tomatoes still producing some but much less and slower. I will give it all a couple more weeks or so unless we get a heat wave. Kale still looks good and hoping that keeps going well into fall.

Last week I tried rooting some of my small globe basil and my 2 year old wintered over inside oregano which is still growing profusely! They both rooted so I transplanted and going to try and see if I can keep them growing for awhile in our sunroom.

Been making my mom’s shakshuka every weekend with odds and ends tomatoes, peppers and garlic. Yum. :tomato:

I’ve been

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We have two trees my permaculture lad planted for us a couple years back. Prior to that I’d have never thought of growing figs here. FIL has them in VA. FIL has to really work to keep birds and squirrels out of his. We don’t. PA squirrels/birds might not have acquired the taste for the fruit - who knows?

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Figs are not attacked by birds or squirrels in my area either. I do not think they realize that the fruit is edible. But the blasted deer munch on the trees!!

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Our trees are very near our house, so no deer damage. Unlike suburbia, farm deer usually keep their distance from human homes due to their fear of people, plus, there’s plenty for them to eat in the farmed areas (soybeans, corn, etc). Permaculture lad has planted foods they like just as well or better between us and the woods.

Our garden is basically done, except for the butternut squash which is just coming ripe now. We cleaned most of the other plants out last week. I’m considering planting our potted fig, which comes inside to overwinter each year, out in the yard. They seem to do well in this area.

Speaking of fruit, our paw paw trees are providing an abundance this year. I have given up trying to find uses for it other than just eating it, as is. Letting much of the fruit just drop to the ground and feed the squirrels, chipmunks and deer.

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Do you have a male tree and a female tree, or do fig trees work that way? How long did your trees go before the first produced fruit?

I just asked my expert… he tells me you need a cold hardy version and they will not reproduce (produce seeds) in the northern climates because they are pollinated by a certain wasp and that wasp can’t survive the cold. Therefore, you just get figs. Our tree (single tree) is three years old now. We got a few figs last year. This year it’s prolific. They’re quite tasty. It’s a Chicago Hardy Fig he said.

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Figs are self-fertile except some weird ones. So one tree is plenty! :slight_smile: We had luck with Desert King here in the PNW. Just plant it in a very sunny location.

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Thank you so much!

It sounds as if your fig tree is on the “3-year plan”: 1st year, sleeps; 2nd year creeps; 3rd year, leaps.

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I finally yanked my zucchini plants out.

Some fascinating zucchini facts here! :slight_smile:

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