Pics of my 2013 Gardening Season in NJ.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

Thanks Marsha

Did you already plant out your tomatoes for your growing season? How's everything growing?

I started planting out yesterday and hope to finish today. They are thick stemmed and gorgeous. This year I did 3 things differently, first, I dense sowed, but waited 3 weeks to transplant. Next, I started hardening off almost right away, but they were in shade for almost a week, and while that was happening, I used Texas Vegetable Food at half strength even while shaded. I used it 3 times only. I have to say the results are impressive. I have never had such beautiful strong, thick stemmed, tall seedlings to transplant.
Thank you for asking.

Marsha

Alfredo,

I'm very, very, very impressed with your garden. I'm amazed that you can even grow many of the plants you posted in New Jersey. I've always thought of New Jersey as one of the last places to thaw in the spring and one of the first to freeze in the fall. I don't know how you do it so well. I love your elephant ears. I used to grow gigantic elephant ears in Louisiana and was amazed at their size. You do it in a relatively small container. They consume a lot of water in hot weather. You must water them three times a day.

Ted

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by tedln

Alfredo,

I'm very, very, very impressed with your garden. I'm amazed that you can even grow many of the plants you posted in New Jersey. I've always thought of New Jersey as one of the last places to thaw in the spring and one of the first to freeze in the fall. I don't know how you do it so well. I love your elephant ears. I used to grow gigantic elephant ears in Louisiana and was amazed at their size. You do it in a relatively small container. They consume a lot of water in hot weather. You must water them three times a day.

Ted

Thanks Ted.

That's funny, I always thought I could grow a good variety of things up here in NJ, though not everything of course.

I amend the garden several times throughout the year with a good amount of compost, a monthly dose of Garden-Tone or Flower-Tone, and a diluted solution of Fish/Seaweed fertilizer and/or some homemade Garden Tea (Borage+Dandelion) every other week, maybe it's helping.

The Elephant's ear foliage does get pretty big, love how striking they are. I actually only have to water them once a day. I don't have the containers in a spot that gets blaring sun all day, maybe 6-8 hours of sun at most early in the day and usually they get some mid-day or afternoon shade. So during heatwaves watering thoroughly once early in the morning has been sufficient for them. I've made 2 other smaller Elephant's Ear plants off of the initial Bulb I bought a couple years ago. Looks like a 3rd new plant is growing off the original main plant too. I'll split it off the main plant/bulb next spring to make a new plant (and not now, as I've brought all my Elephant's Ear plants along with my other houseplants indoors to go dormant over winter). How has your season been?

I've had a very good season with my fall garden now growing. While I have many tomato plants growing, I've really emphasized cool weather greens in my garden this fall growing many I've never grown before.

I used to dig all my Elephant Ear tubers after the first freeze caused the leaves to wither. I would let them dry with the dirt still attached for a few days. I would then separate the attached tubers retaining only the largest which were stored for the winter wrapped in newspaper. Each successive spring, I was able to plant larger and larger tubers which produced larger and larger plants.

Ted

[Got Worms?]

Alfredo, your photography has impressed the Dickens out of me ("more please"), and the subject matter is a testament as to why New Jersey is called "The Garden State" Thank you, as you share what you have created.
Charlie

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by tedln

I've had a very good season with my fall garden now growing. While I have many tomato plants growing, I've really emphasized cool weather greens in my garden this fall growing many I've never grown before.

I used to dig all my Elephant Ear tubers after the first freeze caused the leaves to wither. I would let them dry with the dirt still attached for a few days. I would then separate the attached tubers retaining only the largest which were stored for the winter wrapped in newspaper. Each successive spring, I was able to plant larger and larger tubers which produced larger and larger plants.

Ted

Ah ok, which cool weather greens? My experience with those has been limited to Kale, spinach, and swiss chard. They usually survive the winters up here in NJ somehow and continue to grow once it warms up again in spring.

I need to try that technique of drying/storing the tubers for the elephant's ears, especially as the main original Elephant's Ear plant I have has become the biggest houseplant I now have ...I can't imagine taking it indoors over winter again next year as a houseplant since there will be several of them at a pretty big size. My DW already thinks it's a jungle inside the house with my 60 houseplants.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by Got Worms?

Alfredo, your photography has impressed the Dickens out of me ("more please"), and the subject matter is a testament as to why New Jersey is called "The Garden State" Thank you, as you share what you have created.
Charlie

Thanks Charlie. I know it's a lot of pics to go through, glad some of you are enjoying them. I'm a Freelance Fine Artist ( I specialize in Logos, portraits, landscapes, and oil paintings) so I'm really into composition, lighting and color. It's probably affected the way I take photos.

How has your gardening season been?

[Alfredo]

A few more pics:
IMG_1924.jpg Pruden's Purple tomatoes.

IMG_1927.jpg Jaune Flamme tomatoes.

IMG_1928.jpg Red and Orange Habaneros.

IMG_1930.jpg Pruden's Purple tomato.

IMG_1940.jpg Dwarf Sweet Sue tomatoes.

IMG_1944.jpg San Marzano Redorta tomatoes.

IMG_1945.jpg San Marzano Redorta tomato.

IMG_1979.jpg Guatemalan Blue Banana Squashes.

IMG_1981.jpg Guatemalan Blue Banana Squashes.

IMG_1989.jpg Belle Blanche Datura seed pods, they break open by themselves revealing the seeds inside.

IMG_1990.jpg San Marzano Redorta tomatoes.

IMG_1992.jpg Pruden's Purple tomato.

Alfredo,

I started growing a few leafy greens last winter as both ground cover and edible greens. This year, I am growing Swiss chard, beets, Chinese cabbage, two varieties of mustard greens, two varieties of spinach, broccoli, collard greens, carrots, kale, arugula, lettuce, onions, and a variety of herbs which seem to over winter well. My tomatoes will be producing again soon and my yellow squash is producing well again. My five or six varieties of peppers are producing well as the weather has cooled. Eggplants are heavy with fruit. That's all I can remember right now.

Ted

[ginger2778]

The Belle Blanche Datura looks very much like what we have here that they called a lipstick tree. Those seeds are very staining and are used in cosmetics. Is it the same?

Marsha

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

The Belle Blanche Datura looks very much like what we have here that they called a lipstick tree. Those seeds are very staining and are used in cosmetics. Is it the same?

Marsha

Hey Marsha...no it's not the same plant, I wish! I looked up how the treestick seedpods look online, they do look strikingly similar, but the Belle Blanche Datura seedpod doesn't turn red, and only grows into a small bush.

In the caribbean and south america, that lipstick tree's seeds are used to color certain foods (like rice for example). They call it annatto/achiote. I use the spice to add some color to my soups/stews usually. It's used as a more affordable alternative to saffron. Have your tried achiote before? I'm sure it's fairly easy to find in Florida.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

Hey Marsha...no it's not the same plant, I wish! I looked up how the treestick seedpods look online, they do look strikingly similar, but the Belle Blanche Datura seedpod doesn't turn red, and only grows into a small bush.

In the caribbean and south america, that lipstick tree's seeds are used to color certain foods (like rice for example). They call it annatto/achiote. I use the spice to add some color to my soups/stews usually. It's used as a more affordable alternative to saffron. Have your tried achiote before? I'm sure it's fairly easy to find in Florida.

Yes, annatto is in every store here. Hispanic is our largest population in the Dade, Broward, Palm Beach area, but I bet you already new that.

What I didn't know was the achiote was the same as the lipstick tree. Really interesting.
My tomatoes are in earthboxes now, and have just about doubled in the 10 days since I planted out. Some already have blossoms forming, and I don't want them too yet, still too hot overnight. The cold front that is chilling the rest of the country is stalling out before it gets here, just bringing humid heat.:-( thrips are too active too.
I put out a bunch of yellow and blue sticky traps.

Marsha

[Got Worms?]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

Thanks Charlie. I know it's a lot of pics to go through, glad some of you are enjoying them. I'm a Freelance Fine Artist ( I specialize in Logos, portraits, landscapes, and oil paintings) so I'm really into composition, lighting and color. It's probably affected the way I take photos.

How has your gardening season been?

I've had a great season, Alfredo. Like last year, this year I've again grown too many of everything.

I have to tell you that my eldest sister was an artist, and really quite good. She tried to get me interested, when I was young, but I was always more comfortable holding a wrench then a piece of charcoal or a brush. All through the fifties she was the one that supported the entire family (nine of us) by doing commercial art, as our father slowly drank himself into oblivion. So, I guess I have a genuine appreciation for art, and enjoy the photos you post. Thanks again for putting them up here.

[MrsJustice]

Originally Posted by Alfredo

Some pics:

Attachment 39340

Attachment 39341

Attachment 39342 Castor Bean Gibsonii

Attachment 39343 Grandpa Ott's Morning Glory.

Attachment 39344 Castor Bean Gibsonii.

Attachment 39345 "Costoluto Fiorentino", "Jaune Flamme", "San Marzano Redorta", "Red Brandywine", "Sophie's Choice", "Sweet & Neat" tomatoes.

Attachment 39346 French Heirloom Jaune Flamme tomatoes.

Attachment 39347 White Zinnia.

Attachment 39348 Canadian Heirloom Sophie's Choice tomato.

Attachment 39349 Marigold.

Attachment 39350

Attachment 39351

Your White Zinnia is just beautiful, I grew them too for the first here at Angel Field Heirloom Tomatoes. It's the first heirloom flower I planted here. But there were other Heirloom Flowers growing on my historical property before I took over this historical property. Most were lost during Hurricane Isabel. One of the flower that was destroyed open up and closed during the day. I can not replace those flowers because I never know the name of it. All other's where replaced with the help of a local nursery. By adding the Heirloom White Zinnia this year, hopefully that will work-out. I was born in New Jersey, but could not wait to spend summers "down south" and help my Aunt with her garden. She taught me so much. I think I have found the Tomatoes she grew " The Arkansas Traveler because they were in fact heirloom tomatoes: but they did not grow over 5 feet along with other research on the large yields they produced for her each summer. For years I tried to find the tomato I help her grow each summer. Her children didn't save the seeds she kept from generations because only she know what they was. I am truly a "Country Girl From the City". You have great planting passion, love your pictures.

[Alfredo]

Originally Posted by MrsJustice

Your White Zinnia is just beautiful, I grew them too for the first here at Angel Field Heirloom Tomatoes. It's the first heirloom flower I planted here. But there were other Heirloom Flowers growing on my historical property before I took over this historical property. Most were lost during Hurricane Isabel. One of the flower that was destroyed open up and closed during the day. I can not replace those flowers because I never know the name of it. All other's where replaced with the help of a local nursery. By adding the Heirloom White Zinnia this year, hopefully that will work-out. I was born in New Jersey, but could not wait to spend summers "down south" and help my Aunt with her garden. She taught me so much. I think I have found the Tomatoes she grew " The Arkansas Traveler because they were in fact heirloom tomatoes: but they did not grow over 5 feet along with other research on the large yields they produced for her each summer. For years I tried to find the tomato I help her grow each summer. Her children didn't save the seeds she kept from generations because only she know what they was. I am truly a "Country Girl From the City". You have great planting passion, love your pictures.

Thanks MrsJustice

Did you ever get to take a photo of that unknown flower you had on the property before Hurricane Isabel? Sure would be nice to figure out what it was so you could get some seeds again to regrow it. Do you remember if it was a bush or vining flower? That would help narrow down what it could be a bit.