Saw the second picture first, and was wondering what kind of fruit that was!
5 Likes
One of my dogs either likes the taste or texture of these, or both. She’ll wait patiently until one crash lands near her, then pounce.
4 Likes
I know at least some (including mine) are self pollinating. I’m not sure if that is true for all species.
4 Likes
Mine certainly is self-pollinating. But, like you, I cannot say that is universally true.
4 Likes
ya had to go and point it out! really shows with your lovely hops vines growing so straight up the side. like a green plumb line!
nice going on those vines!
5 Likes
That is definitely different from my Mulberry experience. I am pretty sure mine is a weeping variety of Morus alba (came with the house, grafted onto a acer palmatum root stock) and the ripe berries are small (vs google images of your variety) and solidly “OK”.
It needs a little haircut but the kids love the tree as they can hide inside the weaping branches (And we like the look in the garden).
Yields have been pretty low the last couple years, but we have had some unusualy cold summer starts here, and I don’t even have tomatoes on my vines yet this year…
Although I did find some berries starting yesterday. Maybe if I watch closely I’ll get one 
Now I’m tempted to plant an everbearing one too
9 Likes
It’s a pretty large tree. I will post a pic later on, at work right now. But the production is crazy heavy. Apparently, if you want to harvest in quantity, you are supposed to spread a tarp under it and shake the branches. I have never done that, but they fall on me when I mow under it all the time!
7 Likes
What a great idea.
Here in the UK, we would say “That’s the bollocks!”
4 Likes
Monty Don? I saw him do that on Gardener’s World. Do women even wear pantyhose these days?
1 Like
Hells no! You go put a pair on each work day for a month, starting from when you get dressed in the morning until you return home in the evening. Oh, and at least one day each week, those hose have to stay on until 9:30 p.m. to account for school functions.
7 Likes
[pantyhose] wear them? no, but
i keep knee-high nylons to use as melon slings in the garden and to use in the kitchen to strain liquids and for hanging yogurt to drain the whey off to make cream cheese. . also have used them to hold orchids along with a bit of medium when we mount the orchids to trees.
one more use is stuffing about 1/2 oz cannabis flower into [one] and then double-boiler simmer around 180F in a pound of butter to make green butter that… well, it works a charm, let’s say.
[edits] for clarity
10 Likes
So, something is eating my amaranthus.
I tried spraying it with neem oil but to no avail. I saw a couple of little beetle-like bugs with orange or brown wings, so I am guessing that’s what’s feasting on the plants. Maybe just as well. I only just realized how invasive this plant could be. But the plan is to pour a concrete patio where the plants grow.
The hibiscus love the heat. And black-eyed Susan, grown from seed. I planted these in many spots around the backyard. It’s thin this year, but I can see the eventual drifts of yellow in the future, punctuating the yard.
So I ordered some live plants through the mail late in the spring. I was probably pushing my luck, but the package I got from one of those 1¢ sales … (Buy one at full price, get 1 for a penny). Most of the plants I ordered just didn’t make it. I ordered some hostas and I ordered a couple of butterfly bushes. All of the hostas and one of the butterfly bushes must have gotten overheated, but they didn’t make it. I’ve managed to keep one butterfly bush going.
On the other hand, I got some good deals on a bunch of plants from Burpee. Several different varieties of ferns and a couple of others. They all arrived fine, and while I haven’t put them in their permanent spots in the yard, I did get them potted up, and I’m already seeing lots of new growth, despite the heatwave.
I don’t know if it’s a sign of climate change, but all of lilacs are greatly distressed this year. I’ve already lost two bushes, and the two trees are not far behind. I knew I was at the upper zone limit when I put them in 10 years ago, but I was 7a then, and I’ve slid into 7b now. And I guess that’s enough for them to start bowing out.
10 Likes
But they sometimes won’t tell you and in any case actual position is meaningless. Our council has to give each person one week to respond (accept or refuse) to an email telling them they have hit the top of the list, and after a week can assume a refusal and ask the next person on the list - and give them a week - and so on. It is surprising how many people do not reply to the email - how many weeks can pass before someone says ‘yes’, but it bumps some people up the list fairly fast.
And the frequency with which new plots become available varies, too.
But you are right that most sites will typically have a couple or more of ‘high turnover’ plots, waiting for the right person to come along and make it a long term project.
3 Likes
So i have a makrut lime tree that I’ve had going in a pot for about a year now. I transplanted it from the tiny pot i got it in (with as i recall about 8 leaves on it) and it nearly died from transplant shock combined with relatively cool temperatures in my basement under a grow light. Well it made a slow recovery and then formed what seemed to be a very happy and vigorous low bushy habit. About 3 weeks ago it started sending up a new branch, straight vertical. In that time it has grown by approximately 15 inches!
Not quite sure what to make of it, other than assess the need for a bigger pot soon!
12 Likes
Darn squirrels have figured out that Tomatoes are ripe, and yummy
In previous years they’ve left the garden alone. This year they seem more daring.
13 Likes
Got my second 5 gal bucket of elderberries today. Those that stay on the (bunch?) go into the juicer, those that fall off go into the dehydrator. Productivity on these things is amazing, and lots to share with birds, who pay by planting more. Great stuff! Elder mead is easily one of my favorites, plus always make some syrup to ward of viral evils.
13 Likes
Hmm. How is this accomplished? Asking for a spouse
4 Likes
So according to Mr Growit on YouTube, putting Mycorrhizal Fungi Inoculant liberally on the rootball and the hole (or pot), you reduce the chance of transplant shock. I’ve used it and my plants seem to respond well when I transfer seedlings to bigger containers.
4 Likes
3# honey
1 gallon elderberry juice
1 lemon quartered
1 tsp blacktea leaves
1 tsp yeast hulls (optional)
1/4 tsp yeast (i use EC 1118 or 71B from Lalvin)
(i like it oaked, so 1 oz oak chips for me, but not necessary)
Into a brew bucket for a few weeks, backsweetened as you like. Rack and age for a couple months, bottle and age again. Best after a year or so. Not at all tricky if you are at all experienced in home brewing.
9 Likes
