Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2 - Page 41

Barb_FL · November 21, 2015

Kay, What are you growing the beans in? How many plants are needed?

A neighbor gave me a small bean plant (purple beans) and I transplanted it and used one of those really crappy cages. Plant is big now and healthy but I don't know what I am doing.

---
Masha - Need updated pictures.

Ginny - I would not spend $40 either. Master gardeners sound like a great idea. At one of the local nurseries here, you can bring diseased leaves in a baggie and they identify what is wrong. Does you area have anything like this.

kayrobbins · November 21, 2015

I have my beans in a 3x8 raised bed but it is only taking up the back section. I think I planted about 40 plants because I wanted lots of beans. I use the same thing for beans that I do for tomatoes. It is just the concrete reinforcement wire.

ginger2778 · November 21, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Kay, What are you growing the beans in? How many plants are needed?

A neighbor gave me a small bean plant (purple beans) and I transplanted it and used one of those really crappy cages. Plant is big now and healthy but I don't know what I am doing.

---
Masha - Need updated pictures.

Ginny - I would not spend $40 either. Master gardeners sound like a great idea. At one of the local nurseries here, you can bring diseased leaves in a baggie and they identify what is wrong. Does you area have anything like this.

Barb- everything I have is just green bunches of tomatoes. Too boring.

Zone9b · November 21, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

Larry I can't say enough about Kentucky Wonder. I have grown Contender for years mainly because I did not want to have to trellis the beans. I had some fairly good crops but always had issues with pests and disease. I planted Kentucky Wonder this year and am having the best bean crop ever. Because the leaves don't touch the soil so many problems are avoided. I am still harvesting constantly.

If you decide to buy those seeds, I recommend you get them from High Mowing. When you buy the little packets there is hardly enough to plant and shipping is high for the amount you get. High Mowing has free shipping and I bought 1/2 pound which is enough for two seasons.

My possible choice of bean varieties to grow is currently in continual flux. I have 15 bean poles in raised beds and an 18 bean pole structure in native soil. Rattlesnake has been a real work horse in native soil. But Rattlesnake while tolerant of poor soil and heat doesn't seem to be particularly disease resistant. Also, almost all commonly grown pole beans appear to have quite poor disease resistance. This appears to include Kentucky Wonder Pole variety, which at least has a resistance to rust but not much else.
After many searches for information on disease resistance of pole varieties I found a post that I'm sure I have read in the past but didn't remember. The post is by Fusion_power (Dar Jones) and addresses this issue of disease resistance including nematodes and heat among pole bean varieties. The information in this post seems to me to be of great value to folks like me who are trying to do their best to grow pole beans in a difficult environment such as Central Florida.
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discuss...ur-suggestions
I am thinking of giving Blue Marbut a try in compost raised beds and Blue Marbut and Tobacco Worm a try in native soil.
And the search goes on.
Larry

kayrobbins · November 22, 2015

Since my lights were free I tried an experiment with the rocoto seeds. Those things are so hard to germinate. I soaked some overnight in buttermilk because that is what my grandmother did with okra seeds and it work. I soaked some in plain water over night and did scarification on some. The buttermilk treated seeds germinated first and have a higher germination rate than the other two. All three methods did better than just planting them like other pepper seeds. It makes sense when I think about it since the seeds are large and have a hard coating.

Gardeneer · November 23, 2015

I have grown Rocot and Manzano. They are the only peppers I know that have big black seeds.
I have never had germination problem. Sometimes I soak in lukewarm water wit few drops of peroxide.
The key is to keep the seeds moist and warm. 85F is optimum. Pepper seeds need warmer temps than tomato seeds to germinate. BUT even in lower temps they will eventually germinate but will just take longer.
Gardeneer
It might take anywhere from 7 days to 12 days, depending on the age of the seeds. My average was 7 days.
Gardeneer.

kayrobbins · November 23, 2015

This is the only pepper I have ever had a problem with and I grow over 100 plants each year. I will be growing more this year since chile peppers are the herb of the year and my friend that owns an herb farm want me to grow some unusual varieties for her. She loves rooting cuttings but hates starting seeds. I always use a seedling heat mat and do keep them moist.

Fiishergurl · November 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

This is the only pepper I have ever had a problem with and I grow over 100 plants each year. I will be growing more this year since chile peppers are the herb of the year and my friend that owns an herb farm want me to grow some unusual varieties for her. She loves rooting cuttings but hates starting seeds. I always use a seedling heat mat and do keep them moist.

Kay,

What kind are you growing this year?

Ginny

Barb_FL · November 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

Since my lights were free I tried an experiment with the rocoto seeds. Those things are so hard to germinate. I soaked some overnight in buttermilk because that is what my grandmother did with okra seeds and it work. I soaked some in plain water over night and did scarification on some. The buttermilk treated seeds germinated first and have a higher germination rate than the other two. All three methods did better than just planting them like other pepper seeds. It makes sense when I think about it since the seeds are large and have a hard coating.

More variations to try:

Buttermilk with scarification

Miracle Grow (I use Foliage Pro) with scarification

===
Scarification works wonders on hard seeds. When I use to grow the jacaranda trees, (germination was always low - got to 50% soaking the seeds in fertilizer)

Barb_FL · November 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by ginger2778

Barb- everything I have is just green bunches of tomatoes. Too boring.

OK......but I don't think it is boring. It doesn't need to be a close up. I need to see what my plants SHOULD look like vs what they do look like.

Zenbaas · November 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

More variations to try:

Buttermilk with scarification

Miracle Grow (I use Foliage Pro) with scarification

===
Scarification works wonders on hard seeds. When I use to grow the jacaranda trees, (germination was always low - got to 50% soaking the seeds in fertilizer)

Jacaranda trees with the purple flowers Barb?

Zone9b · November 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayrobbins

This is the only pepper I have ever had a problem with and I grow over 100 plants each year. I will be growing more this year since chile peppers are the herb of the year and my friend that owns an herb farm want me to grow some unusual varieties for her. She loves rooting cuttings but hates starting seeds. I always use a seedling heat mat and do keep them moist.

Kay
That's quite a lot of peppers. It will be interesting to see which varieties preform the best for you..
I have maybe close to 30 Carolina Wonder plants. Some are starting to produce peppers. Peppers are a hit and miss proposition with me, like most everything else. A few plants do quite well, some do ok, some plants survive but don't produce much and some just completely wilt in one day and then die. I have never sprayed them with anything. If someone wants to take a shot at why they wilt and die, I would truly be interested.
I started planting Charleston Belle and Carolina Wonder because they are said to be nematode resistant. While Carolina Wonder was said to have trialed better than Charleston Belle, I can't actually tell one from the other. The only fairly good crop I grew was when I grew Orange Blaze, which is a smaller pepper which isn't nematode resistant but still did fairly well.
At the beginning of the Fall season I debated with myself over whether I should just leave the Spring Crop pepper plants, some of which still looked ok, or pull them and plant new plants. I pulled them and planted anew, but it surely takes a long time for the new plants to produce anything. Another question, Do you think one should pull spring peppers in the fall and start anew or just continue on with the old plants?
Larry

Zone9b · November 23, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

More variations to try:
Buttermilk with scarification
Miracle Grow (I use Foliage Pro) with scarification
===
Scarification works wonders on hard seeds. When I use to grow the jacaranda trees, (germination was always low - got to 50% soaking the seeds in fertilizer)

Barb,
Buttermilk did alright by me too. I remember my grandmother used to make butter from cream and of course what was left over was buttermilk. They would use rope to hang it in a bucket down a 110' hand dug well. They didn't have electricity. This would keep the buttermilk cool. I remember drinking it when I was around 6 years old and thinking it tasted sooo good.
Larry

kayrobbins · November 24, 2015

I don't get to grow as many varieties as I want since growing for Baker Creek makes it necessary for me to isolate the Datils. I am on the fence right now about growing for them again next year.

For my own use I will grow:
Ancho
Bullnose
Datil
Jalapeno
Lipstick
NuMex Heritage 6-4
Rocoto
Sweet Datil
Serano
Shi★★★★o

I don't know yet what I will be growing for Cunningham's Herbs yet because she is too busy getting ready for for December festival to even order seeds. A few of my friends and I have been over there stepping up 1000 herbs. I really enjoy stepping up the lavender and dill since they are both so fragarant.

It has been cold here, down to the high 30s two nights in a row. Some of my tomatoes do not look happy.

Barb_FL · November 24, 2015

It went from HOT to sweatshirt weather in one day. Really windy too.

Kay - that is really cold.

---
Zenbass - Yes, Jacaranda with the purple flowers. They have feathery seeds; the red royal poinciana have really hard seeds.

Larry - For peppers, I've had several that were 2+ years old. I leave them if they still produce. I mainly grow Charleston Bells, Marconi - Red and Yellow, and Shish****. This fall I'm not growing anything hot. I would think if you are having problems that they aren't getting enough sun. If they wilt and die, not enough water? whiteflies?

November 21, 2015	#601
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	Kay, What are you growing the beans in? How many plants are needed? A neighbor gave me a small bean plant (purple beans) and I transplanted it and used one of those really crappy cages. Plant is big now and healthy but I don't know what I am doing. --- Masha - Need updated pictures. Ginny - I would not spend $40 either. Master gardeners sound like a great idea. At one of the local nurseries here, you can bring diseased leaves in a baggie and they identify what is wrong. Does you area have anything like this.

November 21, 2015	#602
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	I have my beans in a 3x8 raised bed but it is only taking up the back section. I think I planted about 40 plants because I wanted lots of beans. I use the same thing for beans that I do for tomatoes. It is just the concrete reinforcement wire.

November 22, 2015	#605
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	Since my lights were free I tried an experiment with the rocoto seeds. Those things are so hard to germinate. I soaked some overnight in buttermilk because that is what my grandmother did with okra seeds and it work. I soaked some in plain water over night and did scarification on some. The buttermilk treated seeds germinated first and have a higher germination rate than the other two. All three methods did better than just planting them like other pepper seeds. It makes sense when I think about it since the seeds are large and have a hard coating.

November 23, 2015	#606
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,916	I have grown Rocot and Manzano. They are the only peppers I know that have big black seeds. I have never had germination problem. Sometimes I soak in lukewarm water wit few drops of peroxide. The key is to keep the seeds moist and warm. 85F is optimum. Pepper seeds need warmer temps than tomato seeds to germinate. BUT even in lower temps they will eventually germinate but will just take longer. Gardeneer It might take anywhere from 7 days to 12 days, depending on the age of the seeds. My average was 7 days. Gardeneer.

November 23, 2015	#607
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	This is the only pepper I have ever had a problem with and I grow over 100 plants each year. I will be growing more this year since chile peppers are the herb of the year and my friend that owns an herb farm want me to grow some unusual varieties for her. She loves rooting cuttings but hates starting seeds. I always use a seedling heat mat and do keep them moist.

November 24, 2015	#614
kayrobbins Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Jacksonville, Fl Posts: 820	I don't get to grow as many varieties as I want since growing for Baker Creek makes it necessary for me to isolate the Datils. I am on the fence right now about growing for them again next year. For my own use I will grow: Ancho Bullnose Datil Jalapeno Lipstick NuMex Heritage 6-4 Rocoto Sweet Datil Serano Shi★★★★o I don't know yet what I will be growing for Cunningham's Herbs yet because she is too busy getting ready for for December festival to even order seeds. A few of my friends and I have been over there stepping up 1000 herbs. I really enjoy stepping up the lavender and dill since they are both so fragarant. It has been cold here, down to the high 30s two nights in a row. Some of my tomatoes do not look happy.

November 24, 2015	#615
Barb_FL Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Indialantic, Florida Posts: 2,000	It went from HOT to sweatshirt weather in one day. Really windy too. Kay - that is really cold. --- Zenbass - Yes, Jacaranda with the purple flowers. They have feathery seeds; the red royal poinciana have really hard seeds. Larry - For peppers, I've had several that were 2+ years old. I leave them if they still produce. I mainly grow Charleston Bells, Marconi - Red and Yellow, and Shish****. This fall I'm not growing anything hot. I would think if you are having problems that they aren't getting enough sun. If they wilt and die, not enough water? whiteflies?