Author Topic: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019  (Read 93693 times)

Trifle

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #550 on: June 08, 2019, 05:33:16 AM »
Beautiful peas @Jon_Snow !  I have big pea plans for next year.  Love them.  And I'm now in a really good climate for them.  And I have a deer fence!  Joy.

Yes, go big with peas next year! From your comments I'm going to guess that you have moved from a warmer climate. Peas do love a bit of coolness to truly thrive. Between peas and brassicas, I'd be hard pressed to say which crop loves the cooling effect of the Pacific more. I took a tape measure to my peas today and they are mere inches away from 8 feet high! The seed pack says a trellis of 6 feet should be sufficient. I say they are mistaken. ;)

In Wisconsin (where I used to live) you get 5+ solid months of winter, and then spring is very short -- almost nonexistent some years.  Our last freeze date was end of May, and temperatures jumped up in June.
And summers were hot.  Peppers and tomatoes -- heck yes, they grow like crazy.  But crops that like mild temperatures were a challenge.  Here the spring is extremely long and gradual, and the summers aren't quite so harsh. 

Those are sugar snap peas that are getting so tall for you?  What variety?

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #551 on: June 08, 2019, 06:03:52 AM »
@Trifele a friend of mine made what he called mulberry brandy by infusing vodka with mulberries for several months. It was really fucking tasty.

Erica at NWEdible has an old article about infusions that may/may not be of value to you.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #552 on: June 08, 2019, 06:37:39 AM »
@Trifele a friend of mine made what he called mulberry brandy by infusing vodka with mulberries for several months. It was really fucking tasty.

Erica at NWEdible has an old article about infusions that may/may not be of value to you.

I may have to try that one, it's looking like I'm not going to harvest enough mulberries from our tree to make jam or wine, but infusions I can do!  Probably will use white rum instead of vodka, though, as I already have some and we don't generally drink vodka.
« Last Edit: June 08, 2019, 06:42:49 AM by Raenia »

Rural

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #553 on: June 08, 2019, 11:37:03 AM »
@Trifele I use elderberries in a lot of things. I do make pie, but also use them like blueberries in muffins or pancakes. They are too seedy for a pleasant cobbler, I've found, but a mixed berry cobbler can include them. I find it's more fun to make syrup than a tincture, so usually that's what I do - then I can make it into a drink or just put it on biscuits or pancakes. Works pretty well sweetened with stevia, but of course then you don't get syrup consistency.


I either freeze or dry the berries for storage and make tea from them (with honey and lime or lemon juice) during flu season. For me, anyway; husband usually just throws some in his coffee but then he's a heathen. :)


During the flowering season, I pick blossoms for fritters (don't eat the stems, and I don't usually use the confectioner's sugar mentioned as they don't need anything): http://www.lilvienna.com/elderflower-fritters/
« Last Edit: June 08, 2019, 12:52:27 PM by Rural »

Jon_Snow

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #554 on: June 08, 2019, 12:24:53 PM »
Those are sugar snap peas that are getting so tall for you?  What variety?

Just good ‘ol Super Sugar Snap from West Coast Seeds.. Says right on the package “5 - 6 foot tall vines”. I am heading back to the city right now, but after I filled my cooler up with a veggie bounty I took a tape measure out to get an official pea elevation. 8 feet confirmed...and there is still lots of growing and blossom formation at the top. It’s really quite something. Where will it be when I return?

« Last Edit: June 08, 2019, 12:52:27 PM by Jon_Snow »

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #555 on: June 08, 2019, 12:52:21 PM »
Inspired by our resident master urban gardener, I'm going to post a video of my garden here soon. Just a side to side panning shot, with no commentary....sorry. :)

BONUS PIC: Lots going on here....beautiful broc on the way, calendula patch, umpteenth planting of lettuce, gorgeous Swiss chard (wish it tasted as good as it looks), and the bottom of my SNOW peas. And....a random piece of brick....because...I'm not really sure. :D





What are your chard secrets?  Mine are about a third that size.  Great looking broccoli too. 

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #556 on: June 08, 2019, 02:06:58 PM »
Been harvesting a basket or more of boysenberries every day for a couple of weeks now. They’ll run out by the end of June but they are a treat!

Had to drastically prune the grapevine portion of a new plant guild—we had so many grapes and vines that it was pulling down the young walnut tree on which it was “trellised.” The whole reason for the guild is to block afternoon sun so I need a vertical growth habit. Hopefully both plants will continue to thrive. There are at least a dozen remaining clusters so hopefully we will still get a crop.


Trifle

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #557 on: June 08, 2019, 04:43:09 PM »
@Rural -- Thanks for the ideas for the elderberries!  I like the syrup idea especially.  Also interesting that you mention the flowers.  I was reading about uses for those too.  So many possibilities. . .

And yes @Buntastic -- that's what I'm talking about -- a homemade liqueur by taking vodka or another base and then infusing fruit into it.  A light bulb went on for me yesterday when I remembered having some ultra tasty homemade limoncello once at a friend's house.  And I wondered if people do that with other fruit, did some googling, and oh yes.  They do.   Mmmmm.   

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #558 on: June 08, 2019, 05:29:42 PM »

BONUS PIC: Lots going on here....beautiful broc on the way, calendula patch, umpteenth planting of lettuce, gorgeous Swiss chard (wish it tasted as good as it looks), and the bottom of my SNOW peas. And....a random piece of brick....because...I'm not really sure. :D



[LOVELY CHARD IMAGE]

What are your chard secrets?  Mine are about a third that size.  Great looking broccoli too.

I’m pretty sure my chard was once a third of its current size...so perhaps give it a few weeks? 😉

Or do you have the sense it’s maxed out?



Gorgeous pics as always @Jon_Snow!  Your chard doesn't taste good? Or you just don't like chard?   

I like it fine. Just not to the extent of other things eaten right off the vine. I don’t often wander around the garden munching on a stalk of chard. 😁 In addition to the first peas, I also had my first sungold tomato. That’s unusually early to experience that particular garden season milestone.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #559 on: June 08, 2019, 09:08:16 PM »
Wow... the speaker line up at the April Mother Earth fair in Asheville looked really good. Lots of interesting topics, especially one about beepods, a modified top bar hive. I can see why reserving a seat would make sense for the well-known speakers. It looks as if there's about a 90% agenda overlap with the PA event in September, but the timing isn't great for me. It's always fun going to farming/homesteading events to meet like-minded people. One of these days, I will make it to Asheville @Trifele and will definitely let you know.

All this convo about alcohol, berries and limoncello, reminded me of a book called "The Drunken Botanist." It has plant based, mostly infusion type, recipes. There's even a cordial recipe with elderflowers, lemons and oranges. However, the author mentions  a caution that parts of the elderberry plant can be toxic. Hadn't heard this before.

Most of the infusions we have been making are the thirst quenching kind with cucumber, blueberries, mint, and lemon balm in water.

Trifle

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #560 on: June 09, 2019, 04:17:37 AM »
So just a few weeks ago I was reading A Midsummer Night's Dream with my kids, and there's a scene where Oberon, King of the Faeries, says: 

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine
With sweet muskroses and with eglantine.


Notice the word "blow" at the end of the first line?  The footnote in our book says it means not only blow, like blow in the wind, but also "to flower."  That's a use of the word "blow" from medieval times.

And then yesterday when following up on some of the ideas @Rural mentioned, I came across a recipe for Elder-Blow Wine.  :)  Just a neat little bit of synchronicity . . .  From that little linguistic clue it looks like people have been using elderflowers for a very long time. 

There seems to be something special about elderflowers.  I've never seen flowers with such a wide variety of insect visitors.  Mine are absolutely covered with beetles, bees, wasps, stinkbugs, and ones that look like orange lightning bugs (not sure what they are).   

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #561 on: June 09, 2019, 05:39:46 AM »
Yeah, all parts of the elderberry except the flowers and fruit are toxic. There are known cases of poisonings (I believe fatal, not sure) from using hollow stems of elderberries as a drinking straw, for example.  Some species of elderberry (only found in wild, not cultivated) the fruit is toxic unless cooked. I’ve seen some debate over whether the seeds are toxic or not, they can’t be very toxic given how common pies, etc are.

Rural

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #562 on: June 09, 2019, 09:59:26 AM »
Yes, no eating leaves or stems (it's why I made a point of saying not to with the fritters - you just gnaw the fried flowers off and discard the stem).


If you want to keep the blossom head intact for berries later, you can wait until the petals are about ready to drop, put a bag over the flowerhead, and shake off the petals into the bag. That works well for wine, or so my great-grandfather told me.


I don't think I believe the seeds of Sambicus nigra are toxic, even mildly so (not an expert on other species since we don't have much other here). I've personally eaten too many of them with no effect at all.

On the word "blow" meaning flower - that's why we still call a rose that's completely opened a "full-blown" rose. Or maybe that's regional phrasing?

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #563 on: June 09, 2019, 01:47:17 PM »
So just a few weeks ago I was reading A Midsummer Night's Dream with my kids, and there's a scene where Oberon, King of the Faeries, says: 

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows
Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine
With sweet muskroses and with eglantine.


Notice the word "blow" at the end of the first line?  The footnote in our book says it means not only blow, like blow in the wind, but also "to flower."  That's a use of the word "blow" from medieval times.

And then yesterday when following up on some of the ideas @Rural mentioned, I came across a recipe for Elder-Blow Wine.  :)  Just a neat little bit of synchronicity . . .  From that little linguistic clue it looks like people have been using elderflowers for a very long time. 

There seems to be something special about elderflowers.  I've never seen flowers with such a wide variety of insect visitors.  Mine are absolutely covered with beetles, bees, wasps, stinkbugs, and ones that look like orange lightning bugs (not sure what they are).

This is such a great board. 

ender

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #564 on: June 09, 2019, 04:42:04 PM »
Irrigation setup. Yay!

Weeded some too and pulled a bunch of volunteer tomatillos from our plants last year. Too bad none of them were in spots that we could have just let them go.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #565 on: June 09, 2019, 06:47:56 PM »
On the word "blow" meaning flower - that's why we still call a rose that's completely opened a "full-blown" rose.

Cool @Rural!  I've never thought about that idiom "full blown", but that makes perfect sense!

Today DH and I were picking black raspberries from a wild patch, and he bravely waded into the middle of it to get some good ones.  He picked a few, but then came back out because the thorns were shredding him.  As he came out he said "the rest of those are for the birds."  And we started laughing, wondering if that's where that phrase came from -- "for the birds."   

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #566 on: June 09, 2019, 06:55:57 PM »
I had a productive day in the yard today.  Finally planted my cucurbits, okra, and the last few onions.  I still have a pack of leeks and two packs of peppers I picked up on impulse, and need to get in the ground. It was down to 40F a few nights ago, but set to climb to highs of 90 this week, so I'm glad I waited to plant the okra.

However, the main project for today was cleaning up the approximately 10x40' bed along the side of the house.  It was full of weeds and had a couple shrubs that needed to come out.  I got the section along the fence all cleared out and put a 3' wide strip of weed fabric in place.  The next step will be to dig rock mulch out of a couple other beds and get it cleaned and spread over there.  That will allow me to get THOSE beds tidied up, and then they will get fresh rock mulch.  The big bed will get planted with volunteer native perennials from my front yard this fall.  In the past I've used this area to grow corn and squash and things, but really need to decrease maintenance demands.

Dinner tonight was salmon graced with dill and tarragon and accompanied by baby beets and sauteed mizuna from the garden:

jengod

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #567 on: June 09, 2019, 07:37:33 PM »
Staked up the pomegranate and one of the goji berries so they grow straight, and then gave the pom and all three gojis a bucket full of beautiful worm compost from the bins.

It’s almost time to move the bins—if nothing else they’re much lower than the surrounding ground because we’ve built up the soil so much.

Serendip

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #568 on: June 11, 2019, 10:05:46 AM »

There seems to be something special about elderflowers.  I've never seen flowers with such a wide variety of insect visitors.  Mine are absolutely covered with beetles, bees, wasps, stinkbugs, and ones that look like orange lightning bugs (not sure what they are).

Agree @Trifele --elderflowers are wonderful for the creatures! My sister used the petals to flavor sparkling water kefir (with lemon)--it was one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted in my life! A botanical champagne.

If you have black elderberries in your area you are indeed lucky, we only have red which are inedible for humans.
However, I bought some dried black ones and have been experimenting with oxymels (a mixture of honey/vinegar and herbs) and a vanilla/elder flavored port.

Speaking of inspiration: if any of you are on IG--there is a man named Pascal Baudar who wildbrews beautiful drinks and ferments all sorts of veggie matter. He has a few books (one called The Wildcrafting Brewer which I am buying for a father's day gift for my dad)

In other news--the garden is doing so well. Mesclun greens, radishes, everything is so healthy since the birds haven't been able to access it. Our *cage* seemed extreme at first in the community garden..but has turned out to protect everything from annihilation. Our neighbors radishes are all eaten on the tops and everyone has bites out of their greenery. Clever creatures.

diapasoun

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #569 on: June 11, 2019, 02:37:48 PM »
Jon_Snow, after seeing your photos, I think what we have mixed in with our blackberry bush is salal! I'll have to double double check (I'm so wary of unknown berries), but this could be Super Cool. I love that so much of our (rented!) yard is edible -- roses, nasturtiums, blackberries, lemons, plums, persimmons. I'm so grateful to whoever first planted this yard years ago, because they made it so easy for me to eat from the yard with zero effort.

Our plum tree is fruiting for the first time -- it was planted two years ago and this is the first time it's just full of fruit. So exciting.

Buntastic

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #570 on: June 12, 2019, 04:57:44 AM »
@diapasoun if there’s an ag extension office for your county, they can help you with positive ID if you’re unsure after research.

———

My garden is plugging away. This is my first week of no teaching and trying to find the right balance between work on the farm and doing fun things with the kids. I decided to tackle a construction project first (building a structure to support more rabbit cages, as we will need more space soon), so the weeds are growing growing growing. But I took a garden walk yesterday to see how things are progressing.

Potatoes are setting flowers, peas just started blooming, rhubarb is ready for another cut, cucumbers are putting on first true leaves. Second sowing of green beans is germinating. First sowing has true leaves and putting on growth. Raspberries are in full bloom, hoping the ripe fruit doesn’t come while we are gone in a couple weeks. I hate leaving the farm.

New pullets getting closer to point of lay, but still probably a couple weeks to a month yet. Ended up needing to process two cockerels but I’m pretty sure all the rest are pullets.

Rabbits are doing well. The last round of litters is all past the danger zone after weaning where I tend to have mortality with zero losses. Got a first time doe due tomorrow, unsure if she took or not. Discovered the joys of making jerky, so now I really want more rabbit meat just to meet (pun intended) our own needs! The new construction will give us 8 (and I realized possibly a 9th tacked on to the end depending on how I like the roof overhang) 24x48”cages, or potentially some other sizes, unsure of final cage design yet). This will be my first time building all wire cages completely from scratch. Need to place my wire and other supplies order later today.

diapasoun

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #571 on: June 12, 2019, 10:04:41 AM »
@Buntastic, yeah, there's definitely an ag extension; I was thinking about that last night. Unfortunately, the thing that I think are salal are also completely sun-damaged at this point. The poor berries are all shrivelled up with the heat.

Buntastic

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #572 on: June 12, 2019, 10:36:19 AM »
They could probwbly give an ID with just branches/leaves. But you’re also super busy right now too, so obviously up to you :)

Serendip

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #573 on: June 13, 2019, 12:26:10 PM »
Satisfying radish haul today, three different types. I will use the greens for saag paneer or make chips out of them (similar to kale chips which I just made a heap of and they are so tasty)


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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #574 on: June 17, 2019, 06:18:48 AM »
Things are moving along in our garden.  The cabbage worms finally got the upper hand on the kale, so we did another planting, and also planted more potatoes because they are doing well this year and why not.

I also planted some onion plants that were given to me.  I'm curious about those, since they are a long-day Walla Walla, and I no longer live in a long-day location.  Our location is listed as intermediate day, and most people here plant short.   But I decided to go ahead and stick the Walla Wallas in the ground to see what happens.  Not sure if they will bulb or not, but I figure if we are intermediate there's a chance.  Walla Wallas wouldn't be my first choice of onions to grow since they are very short keepers, but we'll give it a whirl.  Next year I'll go back to my tried-and-true long storage onions where we can get 5-8 months.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #575 on: June 17, 2019, 06:33:26 AM »
Probably going to be a very good potato year for a lot of folks. They love cool and wet weather.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #576 on: June 17, 2019, 07:49:55 AM »
Trifele,

Your Long day onions should grow fine, but they will bolt a little earlier than the Short or Intermediate day.  My gardening group did a trial on all 3 types of onions and that was what we found.  I am in California and SD and ID has the same results. 

Trifle

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #577 on: June 17, 2019, 08:15:30 AM »
Thanks @birdie55 -- that's really interesting.

Serendip

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #578 on: June 17, 2019, 11:22:52 AM »
Best discovery this growing season has been mesclun greens.
For me, they are more effective to grow than lettuce, since it's like picking a pre-mixed salad when you thin them out!
We have been eating them like crazy and will continue re-sowing as they are good to grow all summer.

Potatoes in cedar box are doing well (inspired by @Jon_Snow, I hope to build sides and try to grow them vertically) and we've had our first successful batch of pak choi.

Japanese turnips are coming up nicely..hopefully won't get nibbled by anything.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #579 on: June 18, 2019, 08:51:08 AM »
Potatoes in cedar box are doing well (inspired by @Jon_Snow, I hope to build sides and try to grow them vertically) and we've had our first successful batch of pak choi.

Haven't checked in on this thread in a while having shifted my garden talk to my Journal of late. But happy to follow your "@" summons Serendip! Glad your potato box is looking promising. My own potato rig now features some incredibly healthy taters burst out over the top.

Jon_Snow, after seeing your photos, I think what we have mixed in with our blackberry bush is salal! I'll have to double double check (I'm so wary of unknown berries), but this could be Super Cool. I love that so much of our (rented!) yard is edible -- roses, nasturtiums, blackberries, lemons, plums, persimmons. I'm so grateful to whoever first planted this yard years ago, because they made it so easy for me to eat from the yard with zero effort.

Unfortunately, the thing that I think are salal are also completely sun-damaged at this point. The poor berries are all shrivelled up with the heat.

Ack. Just seeing these posts now. @diapasoun, I so wish you had given me an official @mention. If it is indeed salal, you are probably at the very southern extent of it's range....and its likely that it is struggling in the heat and dryness of your area. But still very cool that you have it (assuming that's what it is. I would have loved to have seen a picture). I am still developing plans on what I'm going to do with the salal haul. Salmonberries are just about done, and salal is next, then closely followed by blackberries.



I dropped these images in my Journal in recent days....so why not crosspost them here? My garden is looking so great. I'm starting to think my seaweed mulch technique is paying these bountiful dividends.


Look at my turnip. :) (slightly nibbled upon by an unknown critter)


My peas. The top of the trellis pole is 9 feet tall. So I estimate that my peas have reach a record 8.5 feet tall this year.


Two green cabbage are ready to harvest. I was tempted to pull at least one. But I'm going to let them swell a little bit more.



Shot from the "green wall" at the back of the garden.




« Last Edit: July 21, 2019, 10:09:39 PM by Jon_Snow »

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #580 on: June 18, 2019, 09:00:14 AM »
I am still developing plans on what I'm going to do with the salal haul.

The local tribes used to mix it with soapberry and whip it up into a frothy dessert like concoction.  You can probably find instructions/recipes online, if you're interested.  It's not exactly ice cream, but I like the idea of perpetuating specific dishes that people in our corner of the country have been eating for thousands of years.  It's like eating a piece of history.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #581 on: June 18, 2019, 10:17:38 AM »
I'm joining in! This will be my second summer gardening. Due to various reasons, both years we haven't hard the robust start for the plants that we should've, but things are growing anyways.

We added a potato bed and threw some onion bulbs in an unused area of the yard and both are coming along well. Last year we weren't able to harvest any bell peppers or watermelon, so hoping I've changed that this year.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #582 on: June 20, 2019, 07:53:15 AM »
Have any of you grown red chard next to pole beans? I have my chard growing between rows of pole beans and have just come across a guide that says that they shouldn't be planted together. So far the plants look healthy, but the beans aren't growing as fast as a different variety that I have planted elsewhere. Do you think that it's worth tearing the chard out?

I wouldn’t. I have a pretty dim opinion of “Carrots Love Tomatoes” type companion planting guides.

It could be varietal difference, soil difference, or nutrient competition. But even if it is nutrient competition, ask yourself if the beans would improve enough to justify the lost yield from removing the chard. Probably not.

Trifle

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #583 on: June 20, 2019, 10:05:40 AM »
Harvests are getting bigger.  Yesterday I picked beans, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini.  Had a lovely stir fry for dinner.   

The kale and potatoes I planted last week are off to a roaring start.  They are practically jumping out of the ground.  They are in the new in-ground bed I layered with a truckload of aged horse manure.  Boy do they like it!

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #584 on: June 21, 2019, 05:19:18 PM »
I am still developing plans on what I'm going to do with the salal haul.

The local tribes used to mix it with soapberry and whip it up into a frothy dessert like concoction.  You can probably find instructions/recipes online, if you're interested.  It's not exactly ice cream, but I like the idea of perpetuating specific dishes that people in our corner of the country have been eating for thousands of years.  It's like eating a piece of history.

Thanks for that.

The first few years of FIRE I had every intention to explore foraging opportunities in our region, with an eye to attempt to recreate some of the things the indigenous peoples did. I think I got sidetracked/distracted by other delights of FIRE. I really want to revisit this now. I know the tribes of my islands made salal based "cakes" of some sort which they like to soak (or dip) in seal oil. I have rather unique access to seals but I don't foresee exploring THAT aspect. ;)

This discussion reminds me that I think there used to be a foraging thread kicking around somewhere.
Harvests are getting bigger.  Yesterday I picked beans, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, and zucchini.  Had a lovely stir fry for dinner.   

Sounds like a wonderful harvest! It really is the fundamental reason why we put in all this work, is it not?

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #585 on: June 22, 2019, 08:17:13 AM »
Weeding season is in full swing here. Everyday the chickens get to indulge in a buckets full of weeds they can pick through.  Have been harvesting lemon balm, rose petals, mint, and oregano for drying. Keep some for cooking and some gets set aside for the chicken nest boxes.

Blueberries are slowly ripening. A few bushes weren't producing so I added 3 new Patriot bushes to the grouping protected by mosquito netting to keep the chipmunks and birds out.

Peas are still producing prolifically. It's almost time to start planning what will replace them in the raised bed when they get pulled out in a few weeks. Cilantro is going to seed. Will plant the next cilantro crop this week. It's one of my favorite herbs and is eaten almost daily. Tulsi or sacred basil has it's own dedicated hugelkulter stock tank which is overflowing with plants. In a few more inches, it will be ready for selective trimming and drying for use in tea.

All of the tomato, bean and pepper plants have flowers and small fruit on them. Pinched off the suckers on the low branches to keep the plant focusing its growth on center for the indeterminate plants. For this first time, I'm experimenting with bush tomatoes and learning if they need different care.

Bees are happily doing their thing. Had to requeen a split three weeks and she's laying in a big way. Hive inspection yesterday had three full brood frames. Other hives are still strong, though one had a lot more drone brood than the other. No worries about overcrowding in any of the hives.


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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #586 on: June 22, 2019, 11:43:30 AM »
Today’s big project is trying to weed as much of the garden as I can because most of the remaining days until we leave for a week will be rainy. Making good progress.

Peas have pods but won’t be filled in until sometime while we’re gone. No complaints, the friend we hire every year to take care of our animals LOVES snap peas. Ditto the raspberries, looks like they may start ripening while we’re gone.

Everything else is still a bit off. First planting of green beans will likely start flowering soon, second planting is up and growing, just planted third planting. Will do a 4th planting (borderline right against frost for maturity) when I pull the garlic mid/late next month to test a tighter spacing I want to see if it works.

New pullets are almost to point of lay (15.5 weeks today), curious to see when they’ll start since this is the first time I’ve used non-hybrids. I know the Jersey Giants and Easter Eggers will be slower (21-24 weeks) but I know Barred Rocks could start soon.

Rabbits are doing well, zero mortality on the last round of litters. Most of the does either needed and/or got a slight break so that we didn’t have litters while I’m gone. My “farmhand” friend has helped us for several years now, but I didn’t want to walk him through all the steps of weaning and preparing a nestbox. Nothing too complicated, but felt like it was too much to ask.

Finished up a major expansion in my rabbitry, looks really sweet. Takes me from 17 “holes” to 29. I’ve posted pics on my OMD journal and on my Buntastic Gardens FB page. If anyone’s interested I can post the link to a video I took showing it, I just hate resizing images to post here.

Unsure how many breeders I will take it up to. 8, possibly a 9th, is feasible with the cage space I have and my preferred breeding intensity, where you really want 3 cages per doe for the growouts.

coffeefueled

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #587 on: June 23, 2019, 02:13:38 PM »
Our garden is a bit of loosely organized chaos at the moment. The pumpkins are doing great. The tomatoes are almost as tall as I am and are starting bunches of green fruit. The cucumbers are putting out their first flowers. The strawberries are pretty much done so we're growing off a few runners to expand plants next year. I was really surprised that the lettuce did well enough that we've had salads a few times a week.

Our zucchinis aren't doing much at all because we didn't have a bed filled for them - they're in soil mounds on top of loosened Virginia clay. It's definitely interesting to see the difference between plants grown in our unamended heavy clay and plants in the 8-10 inch raised beds. This is the first year we've had a garden here so we're happy taking the relaxed any harvest is a bonus approach.

I'm fighting a ton of invasive Japanese stilt grass. It takes over any ground that isn't fully and heavily covered by something else - even working into the grass and chickweed between the beds. The wildflower section I tried to plant on the other side of the garden this spring was completely inundated. In the fall we're going to heavily plant with clover and grasses between the garden beds and elsewhere throughout the yard. Hopefully it'll grow in enough through the early spring that we can slowly out compete the stilt grass problem.



CalBal

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #588 on: June 23, 2019, 04:29:33 PM »
The tiny pear tree that I planted from bare roots two and a half years ago is going to have to come out, as it has some sort of blight. I had cut back half of the branches last week, but most of the remaining branches are showing signs of infection. Alas.

Fire blight is reallllllly bad this year in my area, not in Canada but maybe that what ails yours as well. It's really hard on young trees because, yeah, you have to cut ALL the infection out (and hope you got it all). A lot of people are losing trees here this year. So sorry to hear about your loss. :(

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #589 on: June 23, 2019, 05:30:49 PM »
Your garden is looking great @coffeefueled -- not chaotic at all.  Especially impressive that this is a first year location and a building year!  Great job.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #590 on: June 24, 2019, 11:55:23 AM »
Thanks @Trifele We're having a fun time with it. I have day dreams that it will one day look as clean and well kept as Monty Don's but let's be honest - it's his fulltime job and he's had over 25 years on that plot.

Spotted the dreaded squash vine borer in the pumpkin patch. I covered the base stalks of all the pumpkins so they now look like the tin foil hat club. Not sure if that trick is an old wives tale though. Anyone else had luck deterring borers?

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #591 on: June 24, 2019, 12:17:22 PM »
Thanks @Trifele We're having a fun time with it. I have day dreams that it will one day look as clean and well kept as Monty Don's but let's be honest - it's his fulltime job and he's had over 25 years on that plot.

Spotted the dreaded squash vine borer in the pumpkin patch. I covered the base stalks of all the pumpkins so they now look like the tin foil hat club. Not sure if that trick is an old wives tale though. Anyone else had luck deterring borers?

I haven’t encountered them here, but finding out their typical emergence time in your area is helpful. Then plant a trap crop to attract them while your others are not yet planted (or covered by rowcover). Burn/dispose the trap crop once you need to pull the rowcover off for pollination purposes (or hand pollinate?).

There are effective sprays.

Doesn’t help much with summer squash, which are generally all based on C. Pepo, but butternuts and other varieties based on C. Moshata are not susceptible to borers because their stems are solid, not hollow.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #592 on: June 24, 2019, 03:05:07 PM »
Anyone have suggestions for fresh basil and preserving it? I am going to have a lot coming in and I plan to make some pesto and fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. But, I think I would like to try some other things and not waste it. I really don't want to dry it. Are there any freezer methods other than pesto you know of?

CalBal

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #593 on: June 24, 2019, 03:41:11 PM »
Spotted the dreaded squash vine borer in the pumpkin patch. I covered the base stalks of all the pumpkins so they now look like the tin foil hat club. Not sure if that trick is an old wives tale though. Anyone else had luck deterring borers?

No advice, but the lack of squash vine borer in my state makes me *very* glad, so I am sorry to hear you are battling it. It's a big problem back home! We only have squash bug, which are damaging, but not so catastrophically (and you can battle them fairly effectively, whereas the vine borers seem to demolish a plant in one day!).

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #594 on: June 24, 2019, 05:09:22 PM »
I picked my first ripe sweet pepper today and it is still June.  This is a plant I rooted from a cutting last fall (best pepper plant in the garden was the donor) and it grew all winter.  My started from seed peppers are just starting to flower.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #595 on: June 24, 2019, 05:23:10 PM »
Anyone have suggestions for fresh basil and preserving it? I am going to have a lot coming in and I plan to make some pesto and fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. But, I think I would like to try some other things and not waste it. I really don't want to dry it. Are there any freezer methods other than pesto you know of?

Use just basil and olive oil like you’re making pesto, freeze in ice cube tray (takes about 90min), pop them out, and then store the cubes in freezer in a bag or container. Use just like you would dry basil in sauces, etc. To my palate one cube seems roughly equivalent to 1 tsp dry basil.

I picked my first ripe sweet pepper today and it is still June.  This is a plant I rooted from a cutting last fall (best pepper plant in the garden was the donor) and it grew all winter.  My started from seed peppers are just starting to flower.

How hard was it to grow overwinter? Did it need a growlight?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #596 on: June 24, 2019, 06:31:53 PM »
Anyone have suggestions for fresh basil and preserving it? I am going to have a lot coming in and I plan to make some pesto and fresh mozzarella, tomato, basil salad with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. But, I think I would like to try some other things and not waste it. I really don't want to dry it. Are there any freezer methods other than pesto you know of?

Use just basil and olive oil like you’re making pesto, freeze in ice cube tray (takes about 90min), pop them out, and then store the cubes in freezer in a bag or container. Use just like you would dry basil in sauces, etc. To my palate one cube seems roughly equivalent to 1 tsp dry basil.

I picked my first ripe sweet pepper today and it is still June.  This is a plant I rooted from a cutting last fall (best pepper plant in the garden was the donor) and it grew all winter.  My started from seed peppers are just starting to flower.

How hard was it to grow overwinter? Did it need a growlight?

I had to root it first, which wasn't too hard.  Then it was under a fluorescent light on the non-opening side of a sliding glass door.  Remember this was winter, so natural light was pretty pathetic.

I've overwintered whole plants in a window before, and they basically just sat there, no growth.  But when they went back outside they were much bigger than plants started that year, so they produced peppers a lot sooner.  They were basically too big to go under a grow light, so they didn't get one.

I have a short growing season, so every little thing counts.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #597 on: June 24, 2019, 06:35:04 PM »
I picked my first ripe sweet pepper today and it is still June.  This is a plant I rooted from a cutting last fall (best pepper plant in the garden was the donor) and it grew all winter.  My started from seed peppers are just starting to flower.

I should try this over winter this year for our tomatos/peppers!


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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #598 on: June 24, 2019, 07:34:06 PM »
I picked my first ripe sweet pepper today and it is still June.  This is a plant I rooted from a cutting last fall (best pepper plant in the garden was the donor) and it grew all winter.  My started from seed peppers are just starting to flower.

I should try this over winter this year for our tomatos/peppers!

It works really well for indeterminate tomatoes - take a few cuttings, root, and  then watch them grow into monsters.  I did it with a Sweet Chelsea (an F1 hybrid) this winter and had to cut the tip off and reroot it three times, it grew much too well!  It would be great if you had a greenhouse or someplace in the house where the plant could really grow.  For open-pollinated varieties I find it easier to just save some seeds and start them at the right time.   Potting them up in 1 or 2 litre milk boxes gives them lots of soil to grow extra roots in  before they go outside.

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Re: Planting/Growing Your Own 2019
« Reply #599 on: June 25, 2019, 03:21:47 AM »
That's a great idea about overwintering a tomato cutting @RetiredAt63!  Thanks.  I've never thought to do that.  Do you have any issue with the cutting actually trying to flower under the grow lights?  Or does it not get that far?

I picked my first slicer tomato of the season yesterday!  We've been snacking on the yummy little Sungolds for a couple weeks, but for me there's something extra special about the first big slicer.  Sooo delicious. 

I worked hard yesterday in the garden, continuing on my quest to kill grass.  Laid down a bunch more cardboard and shuttled 9 wheelbarrow loads of wood chips down from our chip pile.  I think I may look at getting a lighter wheelbarrow.  Ours is a heavy old construction-type monster, and is hard for me to push uphill even when it's empty.  Coming downhill with a load it's all I can do to hold on to it and balance it.  I'll add that to my tool wish list.  I have a few tools I use regularly that are just not right for me.