Here is how my loquats look covered up. There are lights underneath.
I plan to leave them covered up until March
2 Likes
Looks great!
Annnnnd the GFS model is back to showing a very severe multi-day freeze for Dec 1 ā Dec 3rd. Seems to be trending colder and longer duration over the last few model runs.
Obviously the usual caveats apply (this is a supercomputerās model output, not an actual weather forecast), but if anyone needs more string lights or frost covers, this weekend might be the time to do that! Black Friday deals maybe?
Next Thursday night (a week from tomorrow):
Next Friday night:
Next Saturday night:
And hereās the āsoundingā for the immediate Seattle area on Friday night, which is way too technical other than to look at what it says the surface temperature will be (17Ā°F):
3 Likes
I am starting to see mid 20s in the forecasts with snow. I can take mid 20s but snow is horrible.
1 Like
I went ahead and dug up my only yacĆ³n plant this morning, figuring Iād maybe add some slices to a salad. It had a couple smallish roots and one huge one. I peeled the small ones and ate them. Very mild flavor, not at all sweet yet, but Iāll let the big one sit in the sun for awhile to see if it gets sweeter. Here it is, over a kg:
5 Likes
apple pie made with redlove calypso apples. picked mid September and kept in the fridge since then. Iāve said this before but donāt judge this apple right off the tree, it needs fridge storage to sweeten (breeder says 1-3 weeks)
11 Likes
Hello Chris,
Iāve changed my opinion somewhat,after tasting some fruit this year.They are fairly sweet,except for one,which may be Onslow.
But,because of limited space,Iām offering them,if wanted.They really need to be planted in the ground.The plants are healthy and about four feet tall.
Brady,
Thanks so much for the generous offer! I already have 15 highbush and 5 rabbiteye ā¦and canāt keep up with (and sometimes dread!) the picking. But they sound perfect for a new blueberry grower.
On another topic, I was about to send out an inquiry re: the best outdoor/covered determinate tomatoes. My 4X20 outdoor covered tomato plot is only 5 ft high so, after battling a tomato jungle this year, Iām intent on switching to determinate types. The covered aspect made for very clean growth (unblemished tomatoes are still on the vine)ā¦ but I need shorter plants. Do you have any suggestions?
Btw, loquat seedlings from your seeds are still growing strong. Ready to graft to them next summer. Thanks!
1 Like
Iāve only grown Tomatoes a few times,through the years,so donāt have a lot of experience.I did look it up though and Swansonās,a Seattle nursery,has some suggestions.
Black Sea Man,Tumbling Tom Red Cherry,Taxi and Bush Goliath are recommended for small spaces.Here is the complete article.
1 Like
Quince makes a good rootstock for loquats in our area. The trees stay small so it is easy to cover them during the winter. Our temps are expected to get into low 20s and teens in surrounding areas. Loquat blooms will be absolutely destroyed at these temps unless covered.
1 Like
A work of art almost too pretty to eat! Hope to do something like that with my Pink Pearl apples next year 
Thanks for doing the research! Swansonās graphic is great.
BTW re greenhouse tomatoes, Big Dena (from Johnnyās Selected Seeds) is the very best Iāve tried -although itās too late a variety to make make it outside.
Perfect sweet/tart balance. I start them under lights in Jan and am eating them by June. Friends have asked me to start extras for their greenhouses.
1 Like
Iāve got quince rootstock in the ground that I planted last spring. After success grafting your Shambala scion (thank you!) onto an established loquat cultivar, Iām more confident grafting some Intāl Dist. loquat scions onto quince next summer. Also maybe use the Intāl Dist. as rootstock for some named varieties.
Meanwhile, Iāve got all my established loquats under their Christmas light/blanket lockdown.
Thanks to @swincher for the temp drop heads up. Here we go!
Shopping for more Christmas lights to protect a handful of Feijoa varieties also. Just to make sure I can taste them.
It appears to me that barring the NZ varieties, nothing else will ripen this far north.
At my local Goodwill today I found 2 strings of colored Christmas lights that looked like they were from bygone days. Plugged them in and, sure enough, they were too hot to handle - a memory of my youth!
Even though new lights are labeled incandescent and have a filament inside the bulb, for safety reasons they will only get slightly warm, not hot.
I snatched up the hot ones for my outdoor protection racket.
3 Likes
The old C9 Christmas bulbs use at least 7 watts per bulb, making such small objects hot.
It is one reason Mr. Griswoldās circuit breakers kept tripping.
1 Like
You can still buy them at Fred meyer. Same 175w per strand.
2 Likes
Looks like the forecast has once again backed off on the hard freeze, now just showing a āwintry mixā and milder frosts a few nights this week, at least for my zip code:
Iām sure the bad freeze will just wait until Iām out of town for the holidays, as usual, leaving my plants unprotected.
2 Likes
This is exactly what Iām afraid of.
1 Like
A couple questions to all of you PNW garlic-growers:
- What is your favorite cultivar for robust flavor?
- What is your favorite cultivar that lasts the longest in storage, but still tastes excellent?
- What is your best cultivar that tastes great and has an especially early harvest?
ā¦Iām only a couple years into garlic growing, but Spanish Roja has had a markedly earlier harvest than any of the other cultivars Iāve tried (which is nice in my small yard ā I can reliably get a good second crop of veggies in the same spot after the garlic harvest). Unfortunately, it doesnāt keep super long (a sizable percentage of the remains of my summer harvest are already starting to sprout in storage). I also find the flavor to be fairly mild). Anyhow, any suggests for next year would be much welcome!