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Post by scarfguy on Aug 4, 2023 9:29:47 GMT -5
Ahhh... a dining room... I remember those now. Thanks, slw!  |
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Post by gingercat on Aug 4, 2023 14:39:54 GMT -5
slw Yes, all from one AG pod! I'm planning to use the the Be the Bee pollinator and/or a small makeup brush. And, this time, I thinned out my Marvel of Four Seasons so there was just one plant growing in the pod--not sure if that made a difference.
That is great info about the cucumber varieties, scarfguy . Actually, I stand corrected. I assumed the AG cucumber pods needed to be pollinated because the Aerogarden website tried to get me to buy them in a bundle with the Be the Bee Pollinator.
However, I got thinking about it, and the cucumber seed pod description doesn't mention that, so I wrote to AG customer service to confirm. I got this reply:
This is excellent news since there are A LOT of blossoms on my five plants!
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Post by lynnee on Aug 4, 2023 15:33:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the cuke update, gingercat! I wasn't looking forward to pollinating my AG cukes (too little time). My pair finally started growing again after an R&R and an injection of nutrients. They just sat there looking at me when I delayed the nutes for a week or more. I don't know how long the delay was, because I kept hitting the "remind me tomorrow" button.  |
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849 
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Post by slw on Aug 4, 2023 16:22:22 GMT -5
gingercat --that is GREAT news about the cucumbers. I almost didn't buy the AG cuke kit because the product description used to say that they need pollinating. I checked the website and see it has been changed; no mention of pollinating now. Yippee!
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Post by scarfguy on Aug 4, 2023 16:31:44 GMT -5
A note on the subject of hand-pollinating...
SO... As many of you know, I've been hand-pollinating melons of late. I've learned something I think is important to pass on to those interested. When you select a specie to hand- pollinate, research and pay attention to the number of fruit the plant usually produces in nature. Just because a plant forms a plethora of female flowers, doesn't mean you should run down first thing in the morning and pollinate all that are open. The plant has evolved to produce enough flowers to ensure that their natural pollinator will pollinate the right amount of flowers. We humans are far more efficient pollinators than your average bee. With the bee, it's rather hit and miss.
What has happened with my current Kajari melon and my Galia melon is that I pollinated more flowers than the plant can support. I thought I'd get 9 Kajari melons. 9 started to develop but have since wilted. I've got 4 melons, 2 are larger and 2 are smaller. I think that is all I will get and I hope those continue to ripen. Similarly, the other melon that I started a month later, a Galia melon, started to grow 4 melons and 2 have since withered. So I hope to get only 2 melons from this plant.
I would think this would apply to the non-parthenocarpic cucumbers mentioned here lately.
As my grandmother would say, "don't bite off more than you can chew!"
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Aug 8, 2023 23:45:13 GMT -5
Today I harvested all my remaining lettuce, cleaned out the AG, and started a new lettuce variety (to me)... "Little Caesar." It's a small romaine variety and I hope it will have some body to it. I'm tired of wimpy lettuce.
Tomorrow I will harvest and terminate the bok choy. Not sure if I'll restart a crop or just clean the Harvest and take it out of service till I start my outdoor fall seedlings in a couple of weeks. My Iznik is growing like a weed and has a lot of small cukes; so far none have fallen off but I'm sure some will.
UPS notified me that my Farm has been delayed and ETA is Friday. I am still on the fence about whether or not I really want a Farm. |
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Post by tatmia on Aug 9, 2023 4:32:15 GMT -5
Quick note on the wimpy lettuce. When I harvest my lettuce, I put the leaves on ice water and let them sit there for a bit (usually 15 minutes to an hour). I usually just use the salad spinner for the soak before spinning off. Crisps the lettuce up and it stays that way for days.
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Post by birdsatflight on Aug 9, 2023 14:23:13 GMT -5
After Labor Day, school will start back up for me. So I’ve been going in early to set up and prepare myself. I am arranging three Bounty units at the student work space located outside my classroom. I’m planning on mini roses, tulips, and some kind of pepper. All the units need a good cleaning.
I’m trying to figure out a way to force tulip bulbs with the existing baskets and sponges. I’ll keep everyone posted with a blog post. I’ll be using the older Ultra LED model. I like the spacing of the deck openings.
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Post by scarfguy on Aug 9, 2023 14:41:07 GMT -5
I was just thinking about tulips today. I'm thinking select bulbs that are a little bigger than the hole so they fit well. Put the bulb on a basket with a sponge and, perhaps, try to secure the bulb to the basket with a couple of tooth picks pushed up thru the basket and sponge and into the bulb at an angle. The sponge should keep the roots wet until they can grow to reach the water level.
One thing that might be an issue is that tulip bulbs available for fall planting are harvested this year. Tulips need a period of cold before they will come out of dormancy. I saw an article about growing tulips in water and they suggested putting the bulbs in the refrigerator for 2 months before planting.
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Post by lynnee on Aug 9, 2023 14:47:40 GMT -5
Forcing tulip bulbs is a fascinating project, birdsatflight! I'd love to have tulips in my front patio display (see icon at left), so am really looking forward to hearing about whatever you figure out! 🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷 |
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Post by birdsatflight on Aug 9, 2023 17:31:59 GMT -5
I was just thinking about tulips today. I'm thinking select bulbs that are a little bigger than the hole so they fit well. Put the bulb on a basket with a sponge and, perhaps, try to secure the bulb to the basket with a couple of tooth picks pushed up thru the basket and sponge and into the bulb at an angle. The sponge should keep the roots wet until they can grow to reach the water level.
One thing that might be an issue is that tulip bulbs available for fall planting are harvested this year. Tulips need a period of cold before they will come out of dormancy. I saw an article about growing tulips in water and they suggested putting the bulbs in the refrigerator for 2 months before planting.
@scarfguy scarfguy You do have a point about keeping them cold. But for 2 months? Oh jeez. The tulip bulbs I have are from this spring and they have been in my cold AC classroom for 3 months. I wonder if a few weeks in the fridge would do the trick. Let’s share notes if you try it too. |
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Post by scarfguy on Aug 9, 2023 18:13:06 GMT -5
I'm not sure how significant the idea of keeping them cold. Just saw that was a recommendation. I would think a few weeks in the cold should be good. You are just trying to emulate the winter dormancy period.
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Aug 11, 2023 11:32:10 GMT -5
My new Farm is out for delivery.  |
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Post by lynnee on Aug 11, 2023 14:52:57 GMT -5
slw, where did you find that adorable gif? 
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Aug 11, 2023 15:48:26 GMT -5
slw , where did you find that adorable gif?  Lynnee--I actually have no idea. I have had it for years... I have collected some favorites and keep them on my harddrive. You can save it and use it, too. |
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Aug 12, 2023 15:54:22 GMT -5
Today I pruned tomatoes and watered. I'm still debating what my first crop will be in the new Farm. Maybe a patio tomato variety. I'd like to have a slicing tomato even if small. For some reason I'm not overly thrilled with cherry tomatoes grown in AGs.
My Iznik is the star of the show; getting really big and has circled the Bounty trellis one lap. There are many baby cukes; one is about as large as my finger so I'm thinking it will mature. Not sure about all the smaller ones so far.
I'm considering what I want in my fall outside garden but it's so hot outside (101 on the shady patio and 80 at night) that I can't get enthused about it.
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Post by ricksgarden on Aug 13, 2023 16:14:20 GMT -5
Today I pruned tomatoes and watered. I'm still debating what my first crop will be in the new Farm. Maybe a patio tomato variety. I'd like to have a slicing tomato even if small. For some reason I'm not overly thrilled with cherry tomatoes grown in AGs.
My Iznik is the star of the show; getting really big and has circled the Bounty trellis one lap. There are many baby cukes; one is about as large as my finger so I'm thinking it will mature. Not sure about all the smaller ones so far.
I'm considering what I want in my fall outside garden but it's so hot outside (101 on the shady patio and 80 at night) that I can't get enthused about it.
Here are my Homeslice and Little Sicily varieties of slicing tomatoes at just over 2 weeks. |
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Post by ricksgarden on Aug 13, 2023 16:29:58 GMT -5
Today I pruned tomatoes and watered. I'm still debating what my first crop will be in the new Farm. Maybe a patio tomato variety. I'd like to have a slicing tomato even if small. For some reason I'm not overly thrilled with cherry tomatoes grown in AGs.
My Iznik is the star of the show; getting really big and has circled the Bounty trellis one lap. There are many baby cukes; one is about as large as my finger so I'm thinking it will mature. Not sure about all the smaller ones so far.
I'm considering what I want in my fall outside garden but it's so hot outside (101 on the shady patio and 80 at night) that I can't get enthused about it.
Here are my Homeslice and Little Sicily varieties of slicing tomatoes at just over 2 weeks. |
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slw
AGA Bounty
Posts: 849
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Post by slw on Aug 13, 2023 18:13:30 GMT -5
_________________________________________
Today I pruned the Iznik and changed the water in an herb garden. I don't know why I planted dill... guess I was optimistic about the Iznik production so now I have a giant dill plant that's all dressed up and no place to go.
I got the platform with wheels from Amazon (for my new Farm), but now that it's here I'm not sure I want to bother with it after all. I may just let the Farm sit on the carpet and call it a day. (I have the unfortunate trait of trying to make things more complicated than they need to be and sometimes I exhaust myself.)
I think I'm suffering from AG Burnout; I seem to have bitten off more than I want to chew with all of them. My enthusiasm is on the wane right now, especially after a power blip yesterday... grrrrrrr.
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Post by scarfguy on Aug 13, 2023 18:32:11 GMT -5
slw, don't worry about buying stuff and then changing your mind about using it as you had intended. AGs are an evolution. I have a bunch of stuff that I'm not using and a bunch of stuff that I'm using in a way I didn't intend when I bought it.
I've also found myself being a bit burned out of late. It's easy to do. Back off to the point where it's comfortable and fits into your life without dominating it. Remember AGs are suppose to be fun not a chore.
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