Pumpkin cross - "how to" pictorial

While I was doing a controlled cross yesterday of two pumpkins, I thought it would be fun to take pictures and make a "how to" pictorial. Hope you enjoy!

Tomatoes

Still not rotten after 5 or 6 months!
These were picked green probably in October. The quality has really gone down (squishy and pale) but I'm still amazed any have lasted this long. (In the basement at room temperature)

Even more impressive storage

As impressive as the tomatoes have been, the 'Seminole' pumpkins have them beat. I harvested these around October 2017! So, after a year and several months, it's just amazing to me that they're still okay. I will admit that they're not as sweet after such extended storage time, but otherwise they're certainly acceptable for cooking. I noticed as I cut them, that a wax was noticeable along the cuts. I scratched some up with my fingernail to see how easily it might be collected. I'll bet this wax is one of the main reasons why these pumpkins stay so fresh for so long.

Even with the sugars having been used up, they seem to have full coloration (beta carotene), and should still be good dietary source of potassium and fiber.

Still have 2018 harvested tomatoes ripening in the basement.

Still have some 2018 harvested 'Yellow Pear' tomatoes ripening in the basement. They're a little pale and squishy but still impressive for having been picked green over three months ago.

Tomatoes still

Haven't blogged anything in a while, but had to show off these Yellow Pear tomatoes ripening from being picked green waaaaaay back before frost killed the plants. It's so cool to have homegrown tomatoes in January (in Maryland) even if they aren't "vine-ripened". :)

Peppers still holding on

Got the peppers out for another aphid-blasting hose shower. The seven I started with has been reduced to six. The one on the far right looks like it might also not make it. But I'll still be happy to get the five remaining ones replanted for seed production this coming summer.

First flowers of Spring 2018

The temperature got above 80 F yesterday and didn't get below 50 F. Today was a contrasting high in the lower 40's. Crazy weather!
But yesterday I saw these flowers (crocus and winter flowering jasmine) announcing that Spring will soon be here for real.

Little helpers in the war on aphids

They're not exactly controlling the aphid outbreak in a very noticeable way but every little bit helps. Not sure of the exact identification but I'm pretty sure these little braconid wasps are why I keep finding aphid "mummies" - hollowed out brown shells of aphids that have been used [eaten from inside out] by the braconid wasp larva. Ghoulish but it's all part of the web of nature and they're helping me avoid an all-out aphid epidemic.

Little Aphidius sp. (???) wasp, maybe hunting for an aphid to lay an egg on...

An aphid "mummy" 

Closer view of an aphid "mummy"

I tried to get a picture of a fungus gnat so you could see how different they are but wouldn't you know, couldn't find one! Sometimes we have so many fungus gnats that I have to keep my mouth shut to keep from eating them. Evidently my watering schedule (letting things dry out more) and using perlite as a soil covering has reduced the fungus gnat population substantially.

learn more about Aphidius sp. - parasitizing aphids

Another bath for the peppers

The aphids were building up again and the temperatures are finally up in the 30's F, so I took the peppers out of the basement and sprayed them down with soap spray. After 5 minutes or so, I blasted them with the garden hose. They always look happier after one of these "treatments". And it takes a while for the aphids to build back up. I'm guessing there are eggs that I miss. Maybe if I did this frequently enough, I could get 'em all???

Aronia Syrup

Finally got around to processing the Aronia berries that we'd harvested back in summer. I was worried that I hadn't added enough sugar to make a thick syrup, but once it cooled, it was fine. See how well it coated the mason jar when I poured it into the syrup bottle (for easier use on our pancakes).

Merry Christmas!

Since it's supposed to be a blog about plants, here's a traditional Christmas favorite. This poinsettia was given to us in a beautiful mixed planting last year. My wife repotted it and lovingly cared for it over the past year, and this is the result.
Anyway, we hope that everyone has a great holiday season and a wonder filled new year!!!

Heron

Taking a walk around a frozen lake and saw this heron hanging out. Just thought it was cool 😎

Peppers getting a day outside

Hoping to overwinter these peppers indoors, but the aphids are getting thick on them. So, I put them outside yesterday for a soapy water spray. The temperature got pretty close to freezing by the time I brought them back in but they sure look happier every time they get fresh air and sunshine.

Hope

Here are two of the hopefuls - Easter Cactus flowers that had been pollinated by Christmas Cactus. One flower has fallen off but left the tiny fruit behind.

Arundinaria tecta

A light snow fell today and looked pretty dusting this native North American bamboo (Arundinaria tecta). It's just a small area but in my imagination I can see the large areas called "canebrakes" that were (maybe still are) covered by this little bamboo. It's about up to my armpits at the highest. Supposedly all sorts of wildlife made their homes in the vast canebrakes. Looks like a good place to hide to me.

Goldrush apple

Found this ugly looking apple hanging on our 'Goldrush' tree. The one side still was pretty tasty underneath the ugly skin. Guess I'll give it a couple more years before I decide whether it stays or goes.

Christmas Cactus cross

This pink cactus is actually a Spring-blooming "Easter Cactus" but it's got a few blooms right now. And since we've got lots of Christmas Cactus blooms right now, I figured it would be fun to try some crossing. I marked the ones I pollinated, with a black dot (Sharpie marker), so I'll know if it's worked. So far all unmarked blooms have dropped off along with the tiny fruits when they've closed. One of the marked ones is still holding on, even after closing.

This coral- colored Christmas Cactus is the pollen I used.

Fox den?

This hole is in the side of a dirt pile that I saw fox pups playing on top of twice this Spring while I was mowing. I'm betting it was a den but I plan on setting up a trail cam next year to see if I can get confirmation in the way of cool pictures.

Callery pears

Another example of the bigger sized callery pears that occasionally show up here. They're super astringent, but we found out that problem can be alleviated by crushing them and letting them sit overnight in the fridge before pressing. Then the juice is pretty tasty.

Hosta seedlings!!!

I didn't really expect these to grow, since they were so light and shriveled in appearance. I'd expected the seeds to look more like daylily seeds.
After a couple months of waiting, I'd given up. So, I was going to reuse the container for planting some strawberry seeds instead. When I started scraping the perlite covering off, I was surprised to find that the Hosta seeds WERE actually germinating!
These seeds were collected off 'Razor's Edge' and I'm not sure if they're from the x tardiana pollen I'd put in it, or if they're just from self pollinations. Either way it'll be fun to see what they look like.