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Just an odd observation I've noticed over the years, in how some plants can change greatly, depending upon the season & day length. This has been most notable in the "Zebrina" mallow (Malva sylvestris) which I've allowed to naturalize in my vegetable gardens. The seeds will sprout all season...

The USDA hardiness zones are most useful for nursery stock & long-lived perennials; but are of little relevance for growing seasons. The best climate info I've ever seen was the Sunset magazine's Western climate zones. Those took into account more than just winter low temperatures. GDD is much...

2024 garlic, continued: Ron's Single Center (a.k.a. Trueheart) (soft neck / artichoke type). Very sensitive to wet feet, but bulbs can be very large if soil is well drained. Consistently large cloves with tight skins even in the center, with very few of the 'mini cloves' so common in most...

Garlic was one of the few bright spots in my garden this year... and now that I've opened all bulbs to prepare for planting & dehydration, I'm finally getting around to posting photos. German White (hard neck / porcelain type) Consistently large bulbs which break open easily. Large cloves...

Yes. Wind (or less likely insects) can cause crossing between different varieties. One of the biggest potential problems with growing grains is keeping birds & rodents from harvesting before you do. Here, since my neighbors on both sides have bird feeders, I would have to cover the ripening...

To judge by my neighbor's cedars, which had severe deer damage (from the one year he did not wrap them in burlap over the winter) the chances for recovery are few. Even then, the tree is unlikely to recover a symmetrical shape. :(

Bright auroras last night. Not as bright as those in May; but to the camera, even more colorful.

:epAn impressive accomplishment... but personally, I refuse to grow anything that requires a forklift. Or a chainsaw. :lol: Serious bragging rights though.

I re=grew the hyacinth beans which were smothered by weeds in the rural garden last year, to see what they would do under better conditions. Like everything else this year, they were planted (from transplants) in mid-July. They still took the entire 6' trellis, and were reaching for more...

The "Dolgo" crab planted 3 years ago is finally beginning to bear in respectable numbers. It looked more impressive before deer snatched (snacked") all the low-hanging fruit. :mad: Crab apple "Dolgo". These (along with the crab apples from another tree elsewhere) will be cooked for jelly. OK...

Stunningly beautiful hydrangeas, @Shades-of-Oregon . I haven't posted much this year, so playing a little catch-up. Some of the flowers from this year: poppies, and "Moly" alliums Iris, and peony. The peonies looked better than ever this year. Day lilies (which were phenomenal until the...

They might be fragrant.

Don't be surprised to see some Chinese lanterns emerge next year. I fought that battle a few years ago. Thought I had them wiped out, but apparently some roots went dormant, and the battle resumed the following Spring. The wild ground cherries that popped up in my rural garden were even worse...

I agree. Much too large to be ground cherries.

The pods on mine were mostly 9-12" long, with 8-9 seeds. I grew Kentucky Wonder White last year, which is virtually identical in appearance; but not the flavor of the dry beans. Since KY 191 is widely available commercially under several aliases, I won't grow it again, and try to maintain...

I'm still alive & lurking occasionally, but the weather & my personal life have not been kind to me this year. I'm only today (!!!) putting in my Phase 3 garden - which is no seed crops, no sweet corn, and nothing harvested mature. No trials or experiments, no plan, just plopping things into the...

A very late 2024 bean list, and a very late garden thus year. The weather has not been cooperative, so these (and everything else I intend to grow this year) have only today been started in pots: Common beans: - Bosnian Pole (pole snap) - Emerite (pole snap) - Giant Red Tarka (bush shelly) -...

If the favas are in pots, they might benefit from wrapping the outside of the pots with aluminum foil, to reflect heat & keep the soil cool(er). Based upon my experiment of mulched vs. unmulched last year, favas are more likely to be damaged by warm soil than warm air. And to echo @heirloomgal...

That should be really pretty when the Insuk's Wang Kong starts flowering. This is how they look in bloom:

I think that worked @digitS' - the tornadoes all broke up before they reached me. No hail either (which didn't matter anyway, since nothing is planted yet). It undoubtedly helped that the squall line arrived late, as the storms were weakening... had they arrived an hour earlier, things might...