Nematode's not yet epic Hydroponic thread

[Nematode]

Mike you used to do hydro, curious why you went back to soil?

[Mike723]

I still use hydroponics indoors - absolutely love it .. But outdoors I'm very intrigued with the soil food web.. Homemade compost, brewing teas - throwing them under the scope and viewing the diversity etc.. I also noticed improved flavor when I went organic outdoors (perhaps it's just my perception, although family members have made the same comment without knowing I switched).

Edit: I picked up the book "Teaming With Microbes" and that's what really started the organic movement in my outdoor gardening life lol .. excellent read

[Mike723]

Originally Posted by Nematode

These are very tasty.
Galia melon from Johnny seed.
The plants are surprisingly compact in sq ft terms when trellised vertically.
They have a neat feature in that they slip from the vine when ripe. No more guessing if they are rjpe or not.
I have to bag them in nylons with a tomato clip to the trellis string.
Neighbor calls them panty hose melons

Just saw this! Nothing like a good panty hose melon LoL... Next year I'm going to do another trellis for a muskmelon of some sort.. not sure which yet.. Maybe I'll give those a try!

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Mike723

Those are some beautifully happy suns! I've been loving the Black cherries this year.. what a nice heirloomy flavor they have .. Heirloomy - is that a word? haha .. They taste like a sweet, larger sized rich tomato, with a welcomed bite.. The Isis were delicious too, but very disease prone.. In the first pic you can see the isis in the foreground on the left (small and sad lol).. The black and chocolate cherries are the next monsters on the left..



I'm loving the trellised cukes as well.. Unfortunately these "Mini Sweet Gherkins" are terrible.. very sour.. I'm not sure if they were mislabeled as it's my first year trying the variety, but never again lol.. The "Marketmores" were nice though..

Mike those gherkins look like and are burr gherkins.
There is also a Mexican sour gherkin that has smooth skin.
I dont think you will find a cucumber that is sweet.
The sweet cucumbers you see on the store called sweet gherkin are just immature cucumbers.
I have seen the so called sweet gherkin seeds before but I cant find them at thins time.



Worth
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...YNsI4zuryICS8g

[Mike723]

Figures worth lol. . . She had them labeled side by side - Mexican Sweet Gherkins and Mexican Sour Gherkins... Little family nursery.. Thanks for the info!

[Nematode]

A few pics.....

[MissS]

I am enjoying this thread. I love how you have managed to use your space so well. You have a very diverse garden for such limited space.

Are both your in ground and hydro potatoes the same variety?

[Nematode]

Thanks Patti,
The in ground ones are similar to the box closest to the house, they are Tom Wagner varieties.
I think magic dragons and skagit valley gold.
The box farthest from the house has bintje, la ratte, desiree(I think) and a couple russian banana.
I have started poking in the shavings, but no potatoes ready yet. I got a shamefully late start.

[Nematode]

This is an unknown wagner variety.
Impressive vine came from a single pull sprout.
Meager yield, but many small tubers just getting going. Needs more time.

[Nematode]

Poona Keera cucumber.
It has been very prolific and a good pickler.
They russet as they mature, I didnt pay much attention until my chef friend took some and raved about the mature brown ones. He was right, I let some of them "go brown" for fresh eating and they are good, better than the yellow phase, for me anyway. I peel them.

[Nematode]

Potatoes make me examine why I garden.
I like to cook(and eat!) and fresh ingredients at the ready make this a special time of year.
I could wait and go for maximum yield, but an extended harvest is much better for me.
So today I took small taters to go in a chowder. With first frost a little more than a month away, I'll be taking spuds on a regular basis now.

The 8" planting grid made it a pain to harvest, but no less tasty.
Rows may make more sense next year, the vines are huge and will take up the whole space anyway.

[Worth1]

They look great you mean clam chowder right?

Worth

[Nematode]

Originally Posted by Worth1

They look great you mean clam chowder right?

Worth

Yes it was delicious.
We had steamer clams for a family gathering yesterday.
I saved the broth( they were steamed with 1bottle of beer to get them started).
And the leftover clams.

Bacon.
Onion.
Bay
Thyme
Clam broth
Clams
Sliced taters.
Cream
Milk
Hot sauce
Add a roux if you like a thick chowder, I do.
There is more to the process, but thats the ingredients.

Add crackers and more hot sauce.
Yum.
The reviews were good

[Worth1]

Sounds good I dont really care for the carrots some people put in it.

I had no idea you could make clam chowder without a roux.
Worth

[Nematode]

Originally Posted by Worth1

Sounds good I dont really care for the carrots some people put in it.

I had no idea you could make clam chowder without a roux.
Worth

Carrots in chowder. Diffrent strokes I guess.
Grew up on chowder without a roux, I just added crushed saltines until I could eat it with a fork