FBG Gardening Thread - 2025 (1 Viewer)

[Scoresman]

My sole tomato plant that I grew from seed is doing amazing, producing a ton of fruit. The two I bought from the nursery are kind of not. One is producing fruit about half the size it should be and the other has these weird brown burnt or rotting looking spots on the sides.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Woke up to the raspberry patch full of red berries. It always amazes me how they seem to pop overnight. Love raspberries so this is always exciting.

https://imgur.com/a/3ruhPuG

 

[berndog]

I love reading all the success stories!!

I was off to a good start with plenty of blueberries, cukes and beans. My tomatoes and peppers were starting to pop when I went on vacation at the beginning of July and I haven’t laid eyes on it since.
My vacation was interrupted when my father in law was hospitalized and we headed to western New York and don’t think I’ll be back home until late August.
My son drive a couple hours and harvested a 5 gallon bucket of peppers(Marconi, jalapeño and hot wax) and a bunch of tomatoes.
I had him pull everything except the peppers and hope for a strong second bloom for canning.
Keep sharing your stories so I can live vicariously.

 

[heckmanm]

My zucchini is producing, but the blossom ends aren't closing up - most of them look like this.

Anybody familiar with this? Never had it happen before, and I'm trying not to let them get 2 feet long waiting for the blossom to fall off.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Had some rabbit issues and got some liquid fence spray and low and behold they stopped nipping stuff. Didn't really think it would work, so pleasantly surprised.

Got a bunch of cucumbers today. Feels good to start getting some payoff.

 

[Wingnut]

My banana tree snapped under the weight of the rack of bananas so I had to cut them earlier than I wanted. They were due to start ripening any day, and it only took 2 days for them to start turning yellow. I hung them in my garage and I counted 82 bananas. Because they didn't ripen on the tree, I feel like the flavor and aroma is a tad bit lighter than they wouldve been had they not had to be cut early, but man are they delicious.

Rack after cutting:

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2 days later:

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[Cowboysfan8]

My zucchini is producing, but the blossom ends aren't closing up - most of them look like this.

Anybody familiar with this? Never had it happen before, and I'm trying not to let them get 2 feet long waiting for the blossom to fall off.

I’ve never seen it. I believe I’d just pick them like normal and cut that end off

 

[heckmanm]

My zucchini is producing, but the blossom ends aren't closing up - most of them look like this.

Anybody familiar with this? Never had it happen before, and I'm trying not to let them get 2 feet long waiting for the blossom to fall off.

I’ve never seen it. I believe I’d just pick them like normal and cut that end off

I'm used to them keeping for a week or two after picking, but these seem to start rotting from that end really quickly. We actually didn't get enough good zucchini this year. May need to get some other folks' surplus to make muffins and such.

 

[Phil Elliott]

We have some nice spider lily plants but for some reason something decided to start eating the leaves. Looks like a deer just chomped the leaves off but they are suppose to not like them. Grasshoppers maybe but haven't seen any. Sprayed them with neem oil just in case. Good thing is they will come back next year just fine.

 

[Peggy]

Peas all done
Potatoes all done
Corn all done
Tomato's all done
Beans all done
Cucumbers all done
Squash all done

Still have beats in the ground and we need to dig up the onions.
Peppers are going wild, lost count how many bags have been vacuum packed and put into the freezer and the habeneros haven't even started to turn yet.
After that it's just pumpkins and giant marijuana plants.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Peas all done
Potatoes all done
Corn all done
Tomato's all done
Beans all done
Cucumbers all done
Squash all done

Still have beats in the ground and we need to dig up the onions.
Peppers are going wild, lost count how many bags have been vacuum packed and put into the freezer and the habeneros haven't even started to turn yet.
After that it's just pumpkins and giant marijuana plants.

Which part of the country?

 

[heckmanm]

Peas all done
Potatoes all done
Corn all done
Tomato's all done
Beans all done
Cucumbers all done
Squash all done

Still have beats in the ground and we need to dig up the onions.
Peppers are going wild, lost count how many bags have been vacuum packed and put into the freezer and the habeneros haven't even started to turn yet.
After that it's just pumpkins and giant marijuana plants.

I'm in a similar boat with cukes and squash. Basil starting to flower out so it'll be done in a few weeks.

Tomatoes just starting to ripen. My serrano and Anaheim are still green, and my poblano has juuuuust started putting on fruit.

Location: NE Indiana

 

[Wingnut]

I ended up freezing the majority of the recent banana harvest, giving some away and still have more than we can eat. It's crazy how many damn bananas it produced.

And now my new banana flower is pumping out hands of bananas like crazy...the rack I just harvested had 6 hands. This one has 8 already and it's nowhere near done yet. Looking good!!

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[The Longtime Lurker]

I ended up freezing the majority of the recent banana harvest, giving some away and still have more than we can eat. It's crazy how many damn bananas it produced.

And now my new banana flower is pumping out hands of bananas like crazy...the rack I just harvested had 6 hands. This one has 8 already and it's nowhere near done yet. Looking good!!

20250807 153255 1

Image 20250807 153255 1 hosted in Freeimage.host

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20250807 153333 1

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Do these produce like this annually?

 

[Dezbelief]

Had some rabbit issues and got some liquid fence spray and low and behold they stopped nipping stuff. Didn't really think it would work, so pleasantly surprised.

Got a bunch of cucumbers today. Feels good to start getting some payoff.

Does that stuff work for raccoons? Those little thieves are running off with my watermelons.

 

[Wingnut]

I ended up freezing the majority of the recent banana harvest, giving some away and still have more than we can eat. It's crazy how many damn bananas it produced.

And now my new banana flower is pumping out hands of bananas like crazy...the rack I just harvested had 6 hands. This one has 8 already and it's nowhere near done yet. Looking good!!

20250807 153255 1

Image 20250807 153255 1 hosted in Freeimage.host

freeimage.host

20250807 153333 1

Image 20250807 153333 1 hosted in Freeimage.host

freeimage.host

Do these produce like this annually?

Each plant produces once and dies. They make pups that turn into the next producers, and each of those will make pups, and so on. I started with one plant a year ago and right now there's about 8. I cull most of the pups and only keep what will give me a harvest or 2 per year, all the trees are varying heights/age so hopefully the harvests will be staggered. So far so good.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

Had some rabbit issues and got some liquid fence spray and low and behold they stopped nipping stuff. Didn't really think it would work, so pleasantly surprised.

Got a bunch of cucumbers today. Feels good to start getting some payoff.

Does that stuff work for raccoons? Those little thieves are running off with my watermelons.

It's supposed to. This scares me to hear. I've got a few almost ready and have been spraying them along with the corn and so far so good.

 

[The Longtime Lurker]

I ended up freezing the majority of the recent banana harvest, giving some away and still have more than we can eat. It's crazy how many damn bananas it produced.

And now my new banana flower is pumping out hands of bananas like crazy...the rack I just harvested had 6 hands. This one has 8 already and it's nowhere near done yet. Looking good!!

20250807 153255 1

Image 20250807 153255 1 hosted in Freeimage.host

freeimage.host

20250807 153333 1

Image 20250807 153333 1 hosted in Freeimage.host

freeimage.host

Do these produce like this annually?

Each plant produces once and dies. They make pups that turn into the next producers, and each of those will make pups, and so on. I started with one plant a year ago and right now there's about 8. I cull most of the pups and only keep what will give me a harvest or 2 per year, all the trees are varying heights/age so hopefully the harvests will be staggered. So far so good.

That's really cool. I had no idea how bananas grew.

 

[Peggy]

Peas all done
Potatoes all done
Corn all done
Tomato's all done
Beans all done
Cucumbers all done
Squash all done

Still have beats in the ground and we need to dig up the onions.
Peppers are going wild, lost count how many bags have been vacuum packed and put into the freezer and the habeneros haven't even started to turn yet.
After that it's just pumpkins and giant marijuana plants.

Which part of the country?

SW Virginia.
Next year I'll start more crops later, maybe get in two of some.
Onions done. Not real great. I think it was a little too wet and too many damn weeds.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Peas all done
Potatoes all done
Corn all done
Tomato's all done
Beans all done
Cucumbers all done
Squash all done

Still have beats in the ground and we need to dig up the onions.
Peppers are going wild, lost count how many bags have been vacuum packed and put into the freezer and the habeneros haven't even started to turn yet.
After that it's just pumpkins and giant marijuana plants.

Which part of the country?

SW Virginia.
Next year I'll start more crops later, maybe get in two of some.
Onions done. Not real great. I think it was a little too wet and too many damn weeds.

There’s still time for lettuce, peas, greens etc

 

[Cowboysfan8]

My cukes croaked. It was not a good year for them for me.
My tomatoes are going wild. Most including my Early Girl are over 6 ft tall. Some are starting to turn we are one earlier this week and will be having another tonight.
My Anaheim’s and poblanos and hot and sweet Hungarians are doing well. Lunch box pepper plants are big , no peppers yet

 

[Peggy]

Peas all done
Potatoes all done
Corn all done
Tomato's all done
Beans all done
Cucumbers all done
Squash all done

Still have beats in the ground and we need to dig up the onions.
Peppers are going wild, lost count how many bags have been vacuum packed and put into the freezer and the habeneros haven't even started to turn yet.
After that it's just pumpkins and giant marijuana plants.

I'm in a similar boat with cukes and squash. Basil starting to flower out so it'll be done in a few weeks.

Tomatoes just starting to ripen. My serrano and Anaheim are still green, and my poblano has juuuuust started putting on fruit.

Location: NE Indiana

I've frozen a bunch off poblanos already, a ton more comming. The hot peppers: red pepper and habanero haven't turned yet. I've got some habaneros that are 3 inches long and still green.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Next year I'll start more crops later, maybe get in two of some.

You should be able to get at least two plantings of tomatoes in, and three in a good year. Lag planting by 4-6 weeks, depending on weather.

 

[Desert_Power]

My cukes croaked. It was not a good year for them for me.
My tomatoes are going wild. Most including my Early Girl are over 6 ft tall. Some are starting to turn we are one earlier this week and will be having another tonight.
My Anaheim’s and poblanos and hot and sweet Hungarians are doing well. Lunch box pepper plants are big , no peppers yet

We got so many cucumbers this year. Thought it was done but saw a smaller one a couple days ago.