Author Topic: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017  (Read 105632 times)

ender

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #550 on: September 11, 2017, 12:58:13 PM »
Are cherry tomatoes any good if dehydrated?

The fall garden has started popping up. Yay! I still need to get the materials to make low tunnels. It's on my to-do list for today, though.

We froze a bunch this year. I've heard of people deydrating them though, too.

FerrumB5

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #551 on: September 11, 2017, 12:58:36 PM »
@This Prior.
We are in same location, so I'll share my experience here relative to Chi land.

Dill - mostly done (the one I planted in spring). Great seeds outcome for next year and lots of it dried and frozen for winter. And of course used all summer long in meals and tomato canning.
Basil - still OK. Early plants are done, the ones I planted later in summer are still good.
Same with parsley - good.
Miserable fail with cilantro. No idea why. 2 years ago it was great

Cucumbers - done. Summer was not warm so I'm somewhat glad I could get like 70 from 6-7 vines.

Jalapenos - turning red! Excited to pickle them with this extra spiciness

Bells - meh, cool summer. Still green and low outcome

Tomatoes - still OK. Lots of green ones on vines (I only plant indeterminates. Never going back to determ)

Re raspberries - there are two types: june-bearing and everbearing. The june ones produce on 2-year canes (so if it grew this year, next year it will give you berries. and you cut down the ones that produced - they are done). Everbearing - produce on new growth only. You can cut to ground in fall/winter.

My blackberries did absolutely nothing again for the second year so I decided to remove them (and will fight with roots for next 10 years)

Tris Prior

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #552 on: September 11, 2017, 01:58:13 PM »
I too dried a lot of dill, as well as thyme and oregano. One of my purple basils dropped dead but the other one, and all the regular basil, are still hanging in there; since it's gotten chilly overnight I was concerned but so far so good.

My cilantro was doing OK for a while and then it started tasting awful, though it didn't visibly bolt. ??? Tried again, and the second try quickly dropped dead. Oh well. It's 69 cents for a huge bunch of it at Aldi so I am not that upset.

I got a lot of chives.... but realize that I don't really eat chives. I don't dislike them; I just don't cook much that uses them. Wondering if I should pull it and make room for something else.

I cannot grow anything in the cucumber or squash families. I get male flowers only and then the whole thing drops dead. (Though, maybe next year I'll try a couple in the backyard; although it is not far from the community garden conditions seem totally different between the 2, at least based on what grew well where.)

I think I might get some sweet banana peppers before it gets cold - I've got a bunch and they're large but still unripe. The regular bells are maybe 2 inches big right now. Boooo. Honestly, I think next year I'm going to do mini bells only; I got a yellow mini bell at Home Depot and that one did well and ripened quickly. Maybe 15 peppers off of the one plant? Given my track record with peppers (poor), that's pretty good.

I googled my raspberry varieties - is midsummer-bearing the same thing as June-bearing? That's what one of mine is (the one that did make some berries). The other one's a purple brandywine and I cannot find any info as to when it bears - and it did not bear this year. I did read that it's supposed to make long canes rather than filling out width-wise and you're supposed to trellis it. Oops. Live and learn. And, I guess the fact that it's long and skinny is normal for this bush. Hmmm. If I'd known that I probably would've picked something else. Oh well.
(ETA: Found it. Purple Brandywine is "late summer bearing." Which I am assuming is not the same as everbearing, so I guess I should leave it be as none of its canes produced berries.)

You know what else is really stunted this year? My mint. Weird! I thought that was a plant that's supposed to go insane. But, nope. It doesn't look unhealthy, just small, and last year the same plant got huge.
« Last Edit: September 11, 2017, 02:00:37 PM by Tris Prior »

horsepoor

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #553 on: September 11, 2017, 02:00:33 PM »
Are cherry tomatoes any good if dehydrated?

The fall garden has started popping up. Yay! I still need to get the materials to make low tunnels. It's on my to-do list for today, though.

Yes, they are very sweet.  They make a great addition to pesto when the basil has gotten a bit bitter.

FerrumB5

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #554 on: September 11, 2017, 02:39:55 PM »
@This Prior: I'm still fighting my mint. Who created this plant?? it's insanely tough - dug out root, sprayed lots of chems there. Still coming up. Man.

Cucumbers - I had 12-13 vines planted, only 6 or 7 survived our cool spring/summer. And no bees - this is how cukes are growing. I had lots of small ones in the beginning of summer but with no pollen they died. I even started hand pollination with male to female flowers - felt like I'm ... you know

Tris Prior

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #555 on: September 11, 2017, 10:28:35 PM »
Haha, that's why I keep my mint in a pot and not in the ground.

I do have a LOT of bees in the backyard. Maybe cukes and zukes would do OK there? Hmmmm. Though, that doesn't solve the male flowers only problem.

SisterX

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #556 on: September 13, 2017, 05:32:42 PM »
Thanks for the advice about dehydrating cherry tomatoes! Now I know what to do with the glut and will feel a bit less overwhelmed.

Another question: I've been mulling the idea of getting backyard chickens for a long time now. Like, years. I have some very minor experience with them, as a family member raises them. I've even looked into the local ordinances to know what I am even allowed to do as far as flock size and all of that.

I have an area in mind for making into a rather large run, but I want to make sure it would be suitable before I talk my (incredibly reluctant) spouse into letting me go for this. There's a raised corner of the yard that a previous owner propped up with boulders and topped with ground cloth and gravel. However, this has not stopped the invasive weeds (blackberry, bindweed, a few others) from taking over that area. I was thinking of building a coop up on the raised part, taking over that entire corner of the yard, and having the run go down into the lower part of the yard.

My questions are: would those weeds be a problem for the chickens, or would they scratch them enough to keep them at bay? Could this be used as effective weed control as well as delicious eggs? Also, would the pebbles and rocks be a problem for the chickens? I don't care if they scratch up all the pebbles in that area, I just want to be sure they wouldn't be hurting little chicken feet and causing problems.

horsepoor

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #557 on: September 13, 2017, 09:04:11 PM »
Thanks for the advice about dehydrating cherry tomatoes! Now I know what to do with the glut and will feel a bit less overwhelmed.

Another question: I've been mulling the idea of getting backyard chickens for a long time now. Like, years. I have some very minor experience with them, as a family member raises them. I've even looked into the local ordinances to know what I am even allowed to do as far as flock size and all of that.

I have an area in mind for making into a rather large run, but I want to make sure it would be suitable before I talk my (incredibly reluctant) spouse into letting me go for this. There's a raised corner of the yard that a previous owner propped up with boulders and topped with ground cloth and gravel. However, this has not stopped the invasive weeds (blackberry, bindweed, a few others) from taking over that area. I was thinking of building a coop up on the raised part, taking over that entire corner of the yard, and having the run go down into the lower part of the yard.

My questions are: would those weeds be a problem for the chickens, or would they scratch them enough to keep them at bay? Could this be used as effective weed control as well as delicious eggs? Also, would the pebbles and rocks be a problem for the chickens? I don't care if they scratch up all the pebbles in that area, I just want to be sure they wouldn't be hurting little chicken feet and causing problems.

That sounds like a fine place to me.  The chickens should scratch out the bindweed.  I think if you cut the blackberries down to the ground before the chickens go in, they'll kill it eventually be immediately eating any sprouts that try to come up.  Of course, your ratio of pen area to chicken numbers will be a factor in whether they can kill everything.  You might want to have a strategy for hemming them into one part of the run at a time, so they can control weeds, and then move to the next place, if the area is too big for your flock to kill all the weeds at once.

SisterX

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #558 on: September 13, 2017, 10:02:48 PM »
Thanks for the advice about dehydrating cherry tomatoes! Now I know what to do with the glut and will feel a bit less overwhelmed.

Another question: I've been mulling the idea of getting backyard chickens for a long time now. Like, years. I have some very minor experience with them, as a family member raises them. I've even looked into the local ordinances to know what I am even allowed to do as far as flock size and all of that.

I have an area in mind for making into a rather large run, but I want to make sure it would be suitable before I talk my (incredibly reluctant) spouse into letting me go for this. There's a raised corner of the yard that a previous owner propped up with boulders and topped with ground cloth and gravel. However, this has not stopped the invasive weeds (blackberry, bindweed, a few others) from taking over that area. I was thinking of building a coop up on the raised part, taking over that entire corner of the yard, and having the run go down into the lower part of the yard.

My questions are: would those weeds be a problem for the chickens, or would they scratch them enough to keep them at bay? Could this be used as effective weed control as well as delicious eggs? Also, would the pebbles and rocks be a problem for the chickens? I don't care if they scratch up all the pebbles in that area, I just want to be sure they wouldn't be hurting little chicken feet and causing problems.

That sounds like a fine place to me.  The chickens should scratch out the bindweed.  I think if you cut the blackberries down to the ground before the chickens go in, they'll kill it eventually be immediately eating any sprouts that try to come up.  Of course, your ratio of pen area to chicken numbers will be a factor in whether they can kill everything.  You might want to have a strategy for hemming them into one part of the run at a time, so they can control weeds, and then move to the next place, if the area is too big for your flock to kill all the weeds at once.

Thank you! I knew there'd be at least one person in this thread who'd be able to help advise me. :)

Tris Prior

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #559 on: September 17, 2017, 09:02:08 PM »
Isn't it way late in the season - in the Chicago area, anyway - to get aphids?

I assume that's what the tiny black insects are that, literally overnight, have COVERED all the tomato plants in the backyard.

I'm leaving town in a couple days and have a crazy long to-do list beforehand, so I'm tempted to just let them have it, to be honest, since there's less than a month until frost anyway. I don't know of any natural remedies other than ladybugs and it's too late in the year to buy those.

FerrumB5

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #560 on: September 17, 2017, 10:24:00 PM »
Isn't it way late in the season - in the Chicago area, anyway - to get aphids?

I assume that's what the tiny black insects are that, literally overnight, have COVERED all the tomato plants in the backyard.

I'm leaving town in a couple days and have a crazy long to-do list beforehand, so I'm tempted to just let them have it, to be honest, since there's less than a month until frost anyway. I don't know of any natural remedies other than ladybugs and it's too late in the year to buy those.

Just let them be. We are very close to the first frost, and we are enjoying our 80 degree weather today, right? I'm still expecting 5-8 cucumbers unless cooler weather kills them (already lost 3 vines). Tomatoes still OK. Jalapenos - what do I do with so many? Bells - mediocre to bad

Tris Prior

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #561 on: September 17, 2017, 10:41:50 PM »
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking. I'm satisfied with my yield of tomatoes this year, and there are still plenty of tomatoes ripening. The tomatoes are definitely enjoying this warm weather! It looks like it's going to be warm through the next week so hopefully most of them will finish ripening before the aphids take them out.

I got so many jalapenos last year, I didn't grow any this year, because I STILL have some in my freezer! They freeze well, BTW - just chop them up (wearing gloves - learn from my error!) and throw them in a freezer bag.


Threshkin

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #562 on: September 18, 2017, 05:00:42 PM »
Finishing up the garden here on Northern Colorado.  We had a major pumpkin haul this year, 12 from 3 plants and the largest was over 38 pounds!  We will let them finish ripening in the basement and then they will mostly become soup.  All of our pumpkins are volunteers from the compost bin.

Other big winners this year included: Peppers (Hungarian Wax, Santa Fe Yellow, Anaheim and Bell), Eggplant (Italian did better than Japanese), Pineapple Tomatillos (so yummy to eat raw) and Chinese Cucumber.

Tomatoes were a mixed bag.  We got LOTS (Brandywine Pinks are to die for) but we also suffered from blight (TMV?), blossom end rot and hungry mice.

We have not decided if we will do another big garden next year.  Now that we have time for ourselves we are contemplating extensive slow travel for the next few years.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #563 on: September 19, 2017, 05:32:51 AM »
I have been away for a long weekend after traveling for work so had neglected my little garden.  Was pleasantly surprised to find a dozen green peppers ready for harvest.  I planted three watermelon seeds and harvest one tiny watermelon.  Tomatoes are doing poorly but got a few cherries.  Some of the lettuce is coming along for a late fall harvest. 

The greenhouse is working out ok.  I am getting more cherry tomatoes from there than my front lawn. Most of the peppers came from there.  The only thing that was a bust was the cukes - and they were a bust all around. I am now scheming how to improve productivity for next season. 

pekklemafia

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #564 on: September 20, 2017, 12:21:52 PM »
It snowed here yesterday.

That is all.


(I've plucked all of my tomatoes/anything sensitive to frost, but it's all mucky out and really hard to do yard cleanup!)

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #565 on: September 20, 2017, 12:25:53 PM »
It snowed here yesterday.

That is all.


(I've plucked all of my tomatoes/anything sensitive to frost, but it's all mucky out and really hard to do yard cleanup!)

OMG - I am so sorry. 

We have had four patchy frosts already but the last two weeks have been summer - it is so hot I had to water the plants that I protected from those first frosts.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #566 on: September 23, 2017, 12:28:49 PM »
DH's grapes, planted in front of a wall on the southside of our garden are still sour. They need some more days with sunny weather and I'm not sure it will come. The summer as a whole was not warm enough.

Trifle

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #567 on: October 10, 2017, 07:17:15 AM »
Haven't posted in a while, but here is our update:

I waged war with the deer all season, and finally gave up on some items.  (I used high hoops and deer netting early on, but gave that up after I found one dead black snake caught in the netting, and one injured one.  I really hated that because I like snakes a lot.)   DH and I are hatching a plan for an 8 foot deer fence next spring. We are planning on woven wire for the fencing material, which should allow the little critters safe passage.  Move to a new area and live and learn!  It is weird though.  Friends of ours just a few miles from here have no deer, and we have loads.   

My most exciting development is that I planted three paw paw trees, and I just bought four persimmons to plant.   Our orchard is filling up nicely!

horsepoor

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #568 on: October 10, 2017, 07:56:06 AM »
Well, we had a light frost on Sunday night, so all the warm weather crops are done.  I harvested a wheelbarrow full of green tomatoes and about three gallons of various peppers yesterday, then set about pulling out plants and taking down tomato cages.  The chard, collards, broccoli and cabbage are all growing nicely, but the latter aren't really forming heads yet, but should have another six weeks or so to get it done.

I'm off work this week and starting on some raised bed reorganization.  Right now it's kind of a garden Tetris figuring out where to put the piles of soil and compost so I can work in a specific area.  I have another week off in November, which is when the actual bed building will probably happen.  There is enough to do just in prepping things this week.

Rosy

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #569 on: October 23, 2017, 06:44:02 PM »
So excited to see the first fig ever on our fig tree. Took almost five years!

Started in with fall gardening here in sunny Florida. Planted three new peppers and managed to save one from the summer crop which already has a nice size pepper and is looking quite healthy now. Now I'd like one more plant that has just a little bit of spice, but isn't too hot - any suggestions?

Seeded lettuce which has begun to sprout, but the hot weather is a deterrent to the cabbage, it is not looking happy - although the celery seems to do fine, my first go at celery ever.

Next are radish seed, three tomato plantlings (two roma and one cherry) and I can't wait for swiss chard - the nursery didn't have any yet and I forgot to buy seeds.I've had good luck with that in the past.

I did some serious planter scrubbing and am using new moisture soil for the tomatoes. By mid July they all had a white powdery ashy something on their leaves and the leaves just died - so I am hoping via diligent cleaning to keep this blight from returning.

All my rosemary is doing so well that I think I may buy two more as a nice border near my veggie garden seating area. One orange mint and the spearmint survived - yay, all the other mints died at the end of summer - too hot, not enough attention i.e. water. I need some Mojito mint:) - may have to wait for the plant fairs to find some.
I don't understand why mint is so difficult for me to grow - everyone always talks about what a nuisance it is, I struggle to keep it alive in the summer heat.

I think I may plant two lemon verbena, two dill and two lemon grass - hoping they'll have some nice geraniums and tall marigolds too. My African basil survived the summer and the Italian basil is recovering. Already planted two lemon balm which are looking fine.
Attempting to grow some African basil babies from the mother plant...worked before.

My sweet potatoes are looking good too, but I thought they died off in the cooler months? They seem to be wanting to start over?
I'll try to find some of that japanese egg plant that did so well for me in the past.

I can't believe I actually have a lavender that survived the summer by some miracle (lavender does not like tropical heat) - it should be enough to make sachets for my undie drawers and a couple for Christmas gifts - if I sew up a couple of fancy pouches:)
I just bought one, because I love the scent, expecting it to never bloom - just goes to show ya, you never know when it comes to gardening.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #570 on: October 27, 2017, 10:58:23 AM »
Currently we have four bottles of wine that are clearing. DH had to buy a few kgs of commercial grapes on sale, to combine with his 5 bunches of homegrown grapes.

Rural

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #571 on: October 28, 2017, 01:49:07 PM »
Looks like I'll have to pick the rest of the tomatoes still green tomorrow as we have first freeze forecast for tomorrow night.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #572 on: October 30, 2017, 02:22:18 AM »
Looks like I'll have to pick the rest of the tomatoes still green tomorrow as we have first freeze forecast for tomorrow night.

Yesterday we found out that we also have real tomatoes growing in the garden. They are very small and green. And since it is the end of October, the chance of tomatoes ripening while it is below zero C at night, are very small.

Our strawberry plants still produce strawberries. We planted an unusual species that produces small strawberries the whole season, rather than some big ones during 1-2 weeks like normal strawberry plants.

StarBright

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #573 on: October 30, 2017, 07:39:02 AM »
We're almost done. I cleared out almost everything last week but left all the peppers as they seemed to be having a second wind. This week ended up donating another couple of pounds of sweet peppers to a local mission with a large hot meal program.

We've dropped below freezing last night so I'll have to clean up the peppers and marigolds that I had left.

For our first community gardening experiment I felt like it was really successful! We ended up with enough cherry tomatoes that I didn't need to buy any for three months (my kids go through several pounds a week), got just enough summer squash and zucchini to actually use and not waste, had enough green beans that I got tired of them, got one gorgeous butternut squash that I turned into ravioli and lasagna this weekend, and ended up with lots of frozen pesto and various types of tomato sauces.

We also ended donating lots of greenbeans and peppers.

I'm already forming my plan of attack for next summer! So far my plan includes no mortgage lifter tomatoes, and definitely some early girl tomatoes and more sauce tomatoes next year. I went overboard on late producing slicing tomatoes and ended up with pounds and pounds of pineapple and cherokee purples in September and early October and had almost nothing in July.

Am also planting garlic over winter because the mission has specifically requested garlic and onions from our community garden.

This thread has been great to read this summer and I found it very helpful! Thanks y'all.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #574 on: October 30, 2017, 08:04:39 AM »
I harvest a few more cherry tomatoes from the greenhouse and hoping for a few more to ripen before it gets too cold in there.
I planted seed garlic in a new bed I made at home.
I have given notice that I won't be returning to my garden plot and have been harvesting the last of the greens and carrots there. I am hoping to transplant all the strawberry plants that never seem to have enough water down there up to my home garden where the problem will be sunlight and squirrels instead.
Overall this season has really been mixed.  My tomatoes, potatoes and strawberry harvests were disappointing while garlic, onions, asparagus, greens, herbs, zukes and cukes were pretty good.  I think the biggest issue is loss to squirrels.
Next summer my garden is going to be at the neighbours in full sun just in front of the green house.  They have four raised beds that don't produce well and lots of additional space around them that is currently turf and too narrow to mow with their big mower.  I have already started killing the turf with cardboard and mulch on top and will be pulling the raised beds apart, adding more manure and making it into a traditional on ground garden.  The deal is I can garden all I want and I will share the harvest.  They have a dog so I just have to keep the dog out of the beds and he will keep the squirrels on their toes.  I am going to invest in some soil tests at the local ag-lab so if there is something in the soil that is preventing growth then we can amend.  I think it is mainly a watering issue.

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #575 on: October 30, 2017, 11:38:56 AM »
We've had frost, but it hasn't really knocked anything back at this point.

Let's see - the tomatoes were so-so. August was really cool, and really dry, and dh didn't water while I was gone, plus one bed got knocked back by blight. I still have a few green Romas out there that I should bring in to ripen, and then pull the rest of the vines.

The herbs all did well, though again, dh shoulda water the basil.

The raspberries were crazy. I didn't get as many as if it had rained more regularly, but we had plenty and the freezer is stuffed. I'm working on cutting back that patch and making it generally tidier before it takes over the world.

I've still got quite a bit of kale.

We had two small volunteer pumpkins, which are sitting on the front porch looking fall-ish. We had a billion, or about 30, butternut squash, and 3 random acorn squash that I thing came from the compost.

The strawberries were pretty good - May and June must have been just right for them.

My friend has given me a ton of apples from the old trees at her house, and so the spots in the freezer not full of raspberries and squash are given over to jars of applesauce.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #576 on: November 14, 2017, 05:40:06 AM »
I pasteurized some straw I got from my dad to inoculate with the oyster mushroom that stopped producing.  In August I attended a workshop and came home with a bucket of inoculated straw.  In September and October we harvested a good amount of the mushrooms.  Then nothing.  So I did some research and found some more buckets and made a mess in the kitchen and now I have three buckets of hopefully healthy oyster mushroom innoculated straw in the bathroom where it is pretty bright and very humid.

I didn't get the strawberry plants moved from my alotment garden before the temperature dropped well below zero for three days.  Hopefully I can get them in the spring to move to my new location.  I also left some carrots and beets in the ground.  I am wondering what the rules are for clearing off the allotment.  Hopefully it will not be so wet this weekend I can go and collect all the fencing and stakes. 

Part of me what to bag up a bunch of the soil - I have really worked on improving it for four or five years but then part of me is saying not to be petty.

My new garden will be starting at square one again in the spring.  It is accessible to a hose and I can drive right up beside it so it won't be as hard to amend and care for as lugging everything by wheel barrow and hauling water up the bank from the river.  I am thinking I should see if I can get a load of manure on this winter while the ground is frozen so that I can just drive right up to it without compacting the soil.  I am also planning to seed the large areas in green manure.  I am thinking about beans and peas for the green manure.  Since the area is about ten times bigger I am also planning to grow a ton of flowers. 

horsepoor

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #577 on: November 14, 2017, 07:13:58 AM »
Close to wrapping things up here.  There are still half a dozen cabbage plants, broccoli, kale and collards going.  The broccoli plants are just now putting out 1.5" crowns, so I'm hoping they'll produce something worth harvesting.  A couple of the cabbages have decent heads, but others are just kind of hanging out, so if they don't produce soon, I'll probably just mound them up with straw and see if they make it through winter.  A couple weeks ago I dug up and moved my asparagus to an area where they'll get overspray water from the lawn.  Most of the crowns are ~6 years old now, and have never been harvested, so I'm hoping next year is the year.  That bed also got a nice layer of partially composted manure.  On the vacated side, I planted garlic, shallots and fingerling potatoes.  Fall planting the potatoes is a new experiment.  I just used the ones that were a little green when I dug them up.  However, I have volunteer potato plants every year from little spuds I miss when harvesting, so I don't see why this won't work.

For the most part the other beds are topped up with manure and will be ready to plant in the spring.  I still have a 4x16' empty space where I need to build new beds and fill them, but I doubt I'll get ambitious enough to do that before spring.  Next year I think I'll be focusing on growing lots of chiles.  This year my green chiles came out nice and hot, and nearly as good as authentic Hatch chiles.  I saved lots of seeds and may just dedicate an entire garden bed to them next year.

G-dog

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #578 on: November 14, 2017, 04:23:30 PM »
Fall planting potatoes - hmm, I like this idea. Seems like it should work. We definitely get a hard freeze, so not sure for my area. But I think it should still work.  People get volunteer tomatoes in this zone, so maybe another fall planting option?

G-dog

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #579 on: November 14, 2017, 04:30:37 PM »
Another big year for tomatoes and peppers! I got so many jalapeños. And the freezer is full of various tomato products (fresh diced, whole roasted sauce, pasta sauce, dried) and tomato jam in the fridge.

Peppers (all) - what wasn’t eaten fresh is pickled (sweet or regular), dried, or chopped and frozen. ETA: and hot sauce - forgot about tgat.

I didn’t even harvest mint since I have a ton from last year.

Oh, a bunch of kohlrabi too - thinking of trying pickling. Anything can be pickled, right?
« Last Edit: November 14, 2017, 04:33:40 PM by G-dog »

Linea_Norway

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #580 on: November 15, 2017, 03:13:37 AM »
We have a small problem. I put garlic feds in a pot of earth and they grow nice long greens which I can use in food. I cut it off and next week there is a new long green. So far to good.

But recently we were getting a lot of fruit flies in the kitchen. Killing them off didn't seem to help, there would be new ones every day. They clustered around the pot of garlic. Putting the garlic outside and then killing the fruit flies helped. When taking it back inside, the flies started to reappear around the garlic pot.

So I like to have a put of garlic in the kitchen. It also works with spring onions, they also grow back very fast. But I want to avoid the flies. Outside we currently have winter and snow, so planting it in the garden is not an option.

How to prevent this? And why would they suddenly appear from the garlic if we earlier didn't have flies there? I did have fruit in the house when we started getting the flies. The fruit have been eaten now. But maybe the flies layed their eggs in the wettish earth. Maybe I should try again getting the pot inside and putting in some new spring onions that I bought.

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #581 on: November 15, 2017, 07:23:00 AM »
Fall planting potatoes - hmm, I like this idea. Seems like it should work. We definitely get a hard freeze, so not sure for my area. But I think it should still work.  People get volunteer tomatoes in this zone, so maybe another fall planting option?

We had a really cold winter last year and temps got down around -10F a few times, and I still have volunteer potatoes.

G-dog

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Re: Planting / Growing Your Own - 2017
« Reply #582 on: November 15, 2017, 01:27:05 PM »
Fall planting potatoes - hmm, I like this idea. Seems like it should work. We definitely get a hard freeze, so not sure for my area. But I think it should still work.  People get volunteer tomatoes in this zone, so maybe another fall planting option?

We had a really cold winter last year and temps got down around -10F a few times, and I still have volunteer potatoes.

Data!

And, I usually like to think that "wild" potatoes (or plant X) had to propagate season after season, so they are more resilient than our crop practices might suggest at first glance. Of course, there is good reason to buy new seed or stock too (disease resistance, selfing issues, etc...)