Lupara

It takes 6-8 weeks to grow  peppers to transplant size. It takes 9-14 days to germinate peppers. So count back that many weeks from May 30 which is our last frost date.  Germinate at 68-85 degrees F.
Tomatoes  take 5-7 weeks to transplant size. The seeds take 6-12 days to germinate. The germinate at the same soil temperature as peppers.  
Both should be put out after the last frost date. 
I tend to start stuff a bit early but I do it in a heated greenhouse and then move them to an unheated one. This makes it possible to slow growth and harden them off at the same time. Leeks get started in the last week of February. We've had great years for leeks and years where we got nothing. Last year I found some leek seeds that were supposed to be able to be direct sown but they came to nothing. Weather has been weird lately. 
 

What seeds are you planting inside soon?  Mine will be onions, leeks and pansies for the street pots in DuBois.

Looks at though it is the same color as the "Sun Gold" but bigger. If you can go by the color in pictures.  I like the name Orange Holdover. Hope you get something good next year. I'm still betting on "Sun Gold" being the parent plant. 

I sprayed a few times with a homemade solution of Dawn detergent, water and vegetable oil. More for aphids and other tiny  pests. I'm skeptical it kept the beetles away. Formulas available online.

Did you do anything special to not have seen Japanese beetles? Every year we're inundated with them, I'm not a violent person, but when it comes to beetles, those disgusting horn worms, snakes and anything NE Patriot.....I just get the urge to hit something

Grow Your Own Blueberries!
Marianne Augustyn, Certified Master Gardener
Blueberries are part of the latest rage in health foods today because they are the richest food source of phytonutrients called flavonoids esp. anthocyanins. These purple and dark red pigments are natural antioxidants that are strongly anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antiviral and anticancer agents. Flavonoid-rich foods improve the function of the cells that line the blood vessels (endothelial cells) enabling the cells to produce more nitric oxide. Blueberries in particular have been found to protect against cardiovascular disease specifically by relaxing the blood vessels & improving blood flow.
Wild or low bush blueberries were a staple in the Native American diet long before the colonists arrived. Blueberries were eaten fresh or dried then mixed with meat to make pemmican or mixed with cornmeal, honey and water to make a pudding. The juice was used to make cough syrup while the leaves were made into a tea meant to fortify the blood.
Blueberries are one of the 3 fruits native to North America. There are more blueberry species native to North America than any other continent—they are northern and southern high-bush, low-bush, half-high and rabbit-eye. The blueberry is in the genus Vaccinium and is closely related to the azalea, cranberry and rhododendron. Blueberries are sometimes mistakenly referred to as huckleberries, which are actually a different genus—Gaylussacaia.  America now grows over 90% of the blueberries in the world. The problem with domestic blueberries is that they are ranked 14th in the most chemically laden food by the Environmental Working Group.
Blueberries are a deciduous shrub that are widespread in pine, spruce and beech forests. They ripen from June to August. The leaves in fall become a vivid red making it very decorative in any home garden. The low bush varieties prefer colder conditions while the high bush prefer more moderate conditions so be sure to check which varieties grow successfully in your area. Blueberries will live and produce for 40 to 50 years but it will take 3 to 4 years to produce after planting and they need to be maintained by watering, fertilizing and pruning when necessary.
Blueberries are resilient but will not produce well unless they are in ideal conditions. The soil pH is the single most important factor in selecting a blueberry site. It is best between 4.5 and 5.5 (even down to 3.5). If the pH is above 6 or the soil is heavy clay it will take time, effort and money to improve the location for blueberries.
Choose a site that gets full sun at least ¾ of the day and is not located near cement sidewalks or walls that might leach lime into the soil & raise the pH.
Blueberries thrive best in a rich soil so dig in an acidic humus such as peat moss to a depth of 8 to 10 inches and let sit for several weeks. Then do a soil test from several spots to make sure the pH is in a good range for the blueberries. You can increase the acidity of the soil with an application of acidic nitrogen fertilizer like ammonium sulfate, sulfur granules, iron or magnesium sulfate depending on the Penn State Soil test. In home gardens, it helps to plant blueberries in mounds or raised beds because it is easier to regulate watering and soil characteristics to insure healthier plants. The raised beds are easy to cover with wood chips (pine, spruce, beech) that help keep the pH in range, reduce weed growth, prevent moisture loss and overheating during the summer heat. The blueberry root system is very shallow, compact, intertwined and develops in a small area. Therefore hand weeding is better than cultivating. Add mineral fertilizers more often in smaller amounts to avoid spikes in nutrients and to lessen root burn—adding humus and mulch enriches soil gradually.
Space the plants 4 to 8 feet apart depending on the variety. The first year remove flower buds. In the following years remove old, weak and diseased branches. After fruiting the 3rd year prune to open up the inside of the plant and remove the oldest, darkest branches to promote new vigorous branching and flowering. Blueberries have a large numbers of flowers and so many bumble bees are needed for pollination to get good fruit set. Some varieties of blueberries are less attractive to bees (Duke variety) than others (Weymouth variety), depending on the quality and quantity of nectar, flower color and sugar content. It is recommended to mix several varieties for better pollination, larger berries,longer harvesting season and varying tastes of the blueberries. Whether fresh or frozen, the pale, powder-like coating on blueberries called “bloom,” should remain until just before eating, as it helps protect the fruit from damage and disease.
Certified Master Gardeners are local volunteers trained by Penn State to answer Horticulture questions with properly researched information. For a “best practices” answer to your question, call Penn State Jefferson County Extension at 849-7361, Ext 508, e-mail JeffersonMG@psu.edu, or mail your question to 186 Main Street, Suite 3, Brookville, PA 15825. 
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2020 Master Gardener Classes will begin in October 2019. Call for details.
Penn State is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer, and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

Some tomatoes will cross pollinate and others are only self pollinating. Generally tomatoes self pollinate unless deliberately crossed.  San Marzano, purple Cherokee and yellow pear are  heirlooms and the seed is stable. If you save the seed you will get the same tomato if they self pollinate which they do.    Sun Gold is an F1 hybrid which means that even a self pollinated seed will not match the parent. Celebrity tomatoes are hybrids and I don't know if the seed is stable or not. Some hybrids are back bred until the seed stabilizes. Tomato breeders generally keep this a deep dark secret. From your description here I'm guessing that the F1 Sun Gold self pollinated and the resulting seed had some of the characteristics of whatever was crossed to produce the hybrid thus the larger size. What you have may or may not produce the same tomato from he saved seed. F2 hybrids are rarely stable.  I hope it tastes good!

Natural selection will almost always produce a stronger (if maybe strange) plant.  There would be no problem saving the seeds and testing them next year.  Just squeeze the seeds out of the tomato into something like a cottage cheese container.  Cover it against bugs, and let it set at room temperature till it begins to grow a layer of sludgy stuff on top.  Then scoop off what you can and dump the seeds into a sieve.  Wash them off and dump the cleaned seeds onto a dry paper towel till they are dry.  Maybe overnight.
A waxed paper envelope works great to store them for the winter.  Label them with the date and any other info that you may need. Store in an old refrigerator or a sealed container in a very cool basement for the winter.  In the spring, if you need help germinating them, just ask here again or contact a Penn State Certified Master Gardener at JeffersonMG@psu.edu.  That works no matter which county you live in.
One Master Gardener grows lots of bush string beans, and has received pole beans for the second year.  Sometimes what you grow yourself can be more to you liking, definitely cheaper and more rewarding.

I've found the same thing. "Volunteers" are much healthier than the plants that we grow from bought seed. The problem is that they get such a late start that they often don't produce fruit. I get early blight each year but it comes so late that it doesn't seem to have much effect except for a lot of the lower leaves brown off. This year the Celebrity tomatoes have septoria leaf spot and those are the only plants that are producing anything. Last year it was something, I forget what, that was rotting the tomatoes, peppers and egg plant stems at ground level. I think that was our fault though because we mulched with grass clippings that evidently brought whatever it was in. I identified it but can't remember what it was. Fungicide got rid of it but it was too late for many of the plants.  It seems to be gone this year. 
The newer tomatoes are pretty much self pollinating so unless you are growing a hybrid it should come pretty much like the parent. It will be interesting to see what you get. 

I have an upper and lower garden. Both suffer from early blight. Last year, the tomatoes in the upper garden were plentiful while I battled the blight. This year the tomatoes were rotated to the lower garden. The upper got  peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and cucs. Here is where it gets interesting. Some tomato seeds from last years crop germinated and grew in the upper garden along side the peppers I had planted. I left a few grow to observe. The peppers and zucchini were attacked by the same fungi as usual while the over-wintered tomatoes were completely impervious to it. One plant is touching a Cheyenne pepper plant with yellowed leaves and remains green from ground to tip. It appears the seeds that were impervious were the only ones to germinate. One tomato plant has several clusters of fruit I'm hoping will ripen enough to save the seeds and see if the genetics carry over to the next generation. I'll plant resistant varieties now but they are just that, resistant. They still succumb to the blight eventually. I've never seen plants this impervious to the blight.

I have an upper and lower garden. Both suffer from early blight. Last year, the tomatoes in the upper garden were plentiful while I battled the blight. This year the tomatoes were rotated to the lower garden. The upper got  peppers, zucchini, summer squash, and cucs. Here is where it gets interesting. Some tomato seeds from last years crop germinated and grew in the upper garden along side the peppers I had planted. I left a few grow to observe. The peppers and zucchini were attacked by the same fungi as usual while the over-wintered tomatoes were completely impervious to it. One plant is touching a Cheyenne pepper plant with yellowed leaves and remains green from ground to tip. It appears the seeds that were impervious were the only ones to germinate. One tomato plant has several clusters of fruit I'm hoping will ripen enough to save the seeds and see if the genetics carry over to the next generation. I'll plant resistant varieties now but they are just that, resistant. They still succumb to the blight eventually. I've never seen plants this impervious to the blight.

Sure, why not?

We have a new rule here. Zucchini at every meal. Try this one. Slice zucchini very thin like with a mandoline or a food processor. Marinate on the counter with lemon juice. When it softens layer it on toasted crusty bread. Sprinkle with olive oil and parmesan cheese. I'm going to try it as a salad here shortly. I think it would be just as good on lettuce. 

Pennsylvania Great Outdoors: Ghost Towns of the Clarion River Corridor: Lily Pond
July 15, 2019 12:30 am· Author: exploreJefferson   Pennsylvania Great Outdoors submitted the following blog on ghost towns along the Clarion River.
This history is the ninth in a series of articles drawn from the writings of John Imhof in his book Elk County: A Journey through Time published in 2003 describing the ghost towns that once existed along the Clarion River from Ridgway to Hallton and adjacent to Ridgway.
Mr. Imhof’s book is very popular, and the first printing was sold out but is available again through Amazon.com.
Lily Pond – 1840’s to 1904, perhaps the least documented site along the Clarion corridor is the small settlement of Lily Pond.
To call this site a town could be considered a misnomer since it was most likely more of a logging and rafting camp that was used only when work was available. What little is known about Lily Pond comes primarily from this writer’s association with a resident of Portland Mills, Mr. Harry Fulmer. Harry grew up in the Lake City area on the plateau above the Clarion River and Lily Pond. His father, Aaron Fulmer, was a well-known lumberman and raft pilot and is believed to have worked at Lily Pond from time-to-time. This conclusion was drawn from Harry’s memories and from a discovery made many years ago by Ron Cleaver, then also a resident of Portland Mills. Ron, while exploring in the Lily Pond area located a large metal log stamp with the initials A. F., or Aaron Fulmer. Harry recalled his relatives speaking of the area, and physical evidence served to confirm the recollections.
Other sources of information on the site come from accounts, albeit brief, in the classic book “True Tales of the Clarion River.”
One account, by the aforementioned Mr. Oliver Meddock, states that “Aaron Fulmer and other parties were located at Lake City.” This again confirms Harry’s recollections. The account comes from a gentleman named L. G. Reynolds who had spent most of his life working on the river.
Reynolds recalled that, “I saw the giant raft of square timber that was put in at Lily Pond by Andy Rhines. It was cork pine timber and contained fourteen thousand five hundred cubic feet. It was run by Andy Rhines in about 1867.” Meddock further states, “Andrew Rhines was the man who built that splendid lumber camp Lake City, situated two miles above the river in Spring Creek Township. He lost nearly all the timber he had piled along the river.”
(Click on image for a larger version.)
Based on topography, this seems to point to Lily Pond as a shipping point for the Rhines operation. It follows that others would have used this area since it is the most convenient to the Lake City area.
A final account from March 1904 states: “At Lily Pond, between Arroyo and old Beech Bottom and Hallton, David Moore of Summerville put in 25,000 cubic feet of hemlock timber the past winter David Moore has one winter more on his lot.”
One other possibility exists for Lily Pond, but it provides little in the way of additional information. It seems possible that Lily Pond was also known as Middletown, at least to the people in the Lake City area. To this day, the road that once led to Lily Pond from Lake City is still marked as Middletown Road. Since Middletown was such a common name, perhaps Lily Pond was adopted to distinguish the site from the numerous other Middletowns. The name would have made sense, since Lily Pond was located midway between Arroyo and Irwintown or between Hallton and Portland Mills.
A similar naming was applied to a town in Northern Elk County.
That Middletown sat midway between the towns of Sackett and Corduroy. However, this is only a theory and not without alternative explanation. One very good source, Curt Olson of Lake City, has stated that it is his belief that the road was named simply because it was located in “the middle of the town” of Lake City. Lily Pond today is a scenic gem at any season of the year.
The Clarion is particularly beautiful near the site and the hills are steep and covered with large hemlock, laurel, and rhododendron. The grade of the Clarion River Railway makes for easy access, particularly from the canoe launch at Irwintown. It is another site worth visiting.                                                                                                                                                                                                                           https://www.explorejeffersonpa.com/pago-ghost-towns-of-the-clarion-river-corridor-lily-pond/

Here is my new leading man for this season, I just moved him to his own pen with 5 girls last weekend. He is my best rooster of last year, and has the best shape and color of any 8 month old I've ever bred. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he throws this year
The color in his saddle and shoulders will keep coming in, he's still young. His shoulders will eventually be a deep copper, with only a black triangle at the tips of his wings, and those copper feathers coming in behind his saddle will get long, draping down over his haunches. He has a long, broad back, wide shoulders, and the most full breast of any rooster I've had yet. He's a beefy boy, and what I have been breeding for. I've been using heavy bodied hens to get a larger rooster, and I'm so proud of this one. I think your daughter's Captain is very similar. I'm very happy wiith the direction the genetics are heading, and I'm hoping that they produce many more of these larger birds this year. I'm looking forward to a great season at the farm. My waiting list for chicks is already booked through March 20th
 
 
 
 

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Right click into any message form.
This will come up:

Now just select Emoji and you'll see this:

Notice the bottom row, there is a search and it also has 7 different categories. 
Click what you want and close the X out when finished.
😉❤❤ 🍗🎂👀😆💪🍕
 
 
 
 

That dish you look forward to each year when the garden is producing. If its more than one, please feel free. 
Mine used to be summer squash, sautéed in olive oil and garlic, with fresh tomatoes over penne. Now though it has to be a simple bruschetta. Artisan bread brushed with olive oil, fresh minced garlic and basil, toasted a bit, then topped with fresh chopped tomato, toasted again then topped with good Romano cheese. 

One of my favorite experiences here was the avatar change, I lost a bet on a football game. It was so appropriate that I kept it. I miss Watoos 

I'm sure that we all agree that you had the best of intentions and we appreciate the knowledge that you shared in helping us understand how this tragedy happened and how it could have been avoided. You are not to blame for anything at all, you've been a breath of fresh air with a great sense of humor that the vast majority of members appreciate. 

Fresh Eggplant Parmesan.  Or Zucchini Parmesan. 3 types of cheeses. Parmesan. Mozzarella, Romano.

Fresh tomato sauce with garlic for over spaghetti.

Another classic. In my top five for sure.
 
 

meet Bella.....she doesnt sit real still so pic is fuzzy

Its been a very good year so far. Plenty pf pickles and relish put up( both cucumber and zucchini). I'm enjoying the new tomato varieties recommended on here. Sun Gold, Purple Cherokee, Celebrity and Yellow Pear will be planted again next year. Still waiting to sample the Green Zebra, Atomic Grape, San Marzano and Ox Heart. The dehydrator will be in full swing for the next month. 
My son has been making an excellent salsa with smoked Hungarian Wax and Sweet Hot Peppers.