Author Topic: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020  (Read 61650 times)

Roadrunner53

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #600 on: July 18, 2020, 08:52:03 AM »
Been making good use so far of our harvest. We didn't plant many veggies this year, but we have been enjoying fresh cucumbers, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Only one larger tomato so far, but many green ones so we should have an abundance soon.  I also only have one green pepper so far. boo.

Sad to report that I found three horn worms on the tomatoes yesterday.  They completely ruined our tomatoes last year and we fought them for about six weeks straight before they finally stopped showing up and then we got tomatoes late for around here at the end of August, September, and early October. I thought we may have made it this summer without them so I was so bummed to find a few. I will have to be diligent to look for them every morning now.

I'm baking zucchini bread right now and also making zucchini meatloaf tonight. Both for the first time. :-)

Will be replanting some Cilantro probably next week to replace the first batch.

I had those damn worms towards the end of my tomato growing season last year. I read that there are several natural things you can plant around the tomatoes to ward off the worms. Dill, basil or marigolds. This year I planted marigolds around the tomatoes. I can't say it worked but have not seen any worms yet. It is early yet for us in CT. I have tomatoes on the vine but not abundant yet.
« Last Edit: July 19, 2020, 04:39:55 AM by Roadrunner53 »

horsepoor

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #601 on: July 18, 2020, 04:19:09 PM »
Finally we're starting to get a slow trickle of tomatoes.  Most of the plants have just small green fruits so far, although the plants are big and robust.  Not sure if it was the weather, or too much N in the compost I added to those beds this spring.

However, the eggplants and peppers are taking their sweet time setting fruit as well.

Of course we're bombarded with summer squash.  My spaghetti squash quickly set and sized up fruit, and then promptly died.  I harvested the squash and I'm hoping they're mature enough to keep for a while.  Meanwhile the butternut type growing 5' away looks perfect.  Winter squash always seem to be a crapshoot in that way.

We're getting some hot weather now, and the okra are finally starting to grow and not look like they're at death's door.

Cukes coming in as well, so I'll be starting a pickle ferment soon.

Snap peas are done, and green beans are getting going.

Seeded some beets, and need to try starting some fall cole crops indoors this weekend.  Typically if I can get them out under shade cloth in early August, there's hope for a fall harvest.

Still kicking myself for getting lazy and not putting in leeks.  However, I do have probably 30# of garlic harvested.  Dug up a few blue potatoes last night too (4# or so) and picking a quart of raspberries every couple days.  Apparently giving them some compost and water helped!


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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #602 on: July 18, 2020, 06:37:19 PM »
Been making good use so far of our harvest. We didn't plant many veggies this year, but we have been enjoying fresh cucumbers, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes. Only one larger tomato so far, but many green ones so we should have an abundance soon.  I also only have one green pepper so far. boo.

Sad to report that I found three horn worms on the tomatoes yesterday.  They completely ruined our tomatoes last year and we fought them for about six weeks straight before they finally stopped showing up and then we got tomatoes late for around here at the end of August, September, and early October. I thought we may have made it this summer without them so I was so bummed to find a few. I will have to be diligent to look for them every morning now.

I'm baking zucchini bread right now and also making zucchini meatloaf tonight. Both for the first time. :-)

Will be replanting some Cilantro probably next week to replace the first batch.

I’ve had good success with dipel and diatomaceous earth on horn worms.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #603 on: July 18, 2020, 07:50:05 PM »
I'm eating my first summer squash tonight.

The tomatoes are flowering but seem to have stopped setting fruit.  It has been hot and humid but little rain, they are looking healthy, just no baby tomatoes.  There are tomatoes that set a few weeks ago, the race is on between Candyland and Indigo Rose to be ripe first.

Beans are growing well but no flowers yet, peppers have buds but no flowers yet, cucumber and winter squash are male flowers.  I expect to see a big change over the next week or two for them.

Trudie

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #604 on: July 19, 2020, 03:22:19 PM »
First year gardening in a community plot, close to home.  When not working in my plot I live in a condo in a renovated historic building in the city, close to a university campus.  I am FIREd 2 1/2 years now.

My plot recently doubled in size when my garden neighbor threw in the towel, so now I have 800 square feet to explore and putter in.  So far, so good.  Nearly everything we have grown has turned out well.  The tomatoes are producing like crazy, onions and shallots ready to harvest, and potatoes seem to be growing happily in grow bags.  I also think my plot is beautiful.  I’ve planted generously with edible flowers and am getting pollinator friendly perennials on end of the season sales.  I’ve invested considerable time in trying to make soil improvements, opting for no till and covering large swaths with cardboard and a thick layer of mulch.  Because I don’t have access to compost (working on it and wondering if I should buy stuff grown in bags from an adjacent municipality?) I use milorganite (organic slow release fertilizer) and rabbit poo, when I can get it.

I am learning to garden in a slightly warmer zone (5A) and trying to develop ways of extending the season.  Because this was our first year, we didn’t get in early to do cool weather crops, and I have missed them.  Cruciferous vegetables are my favorites, so we are preparing to second crop and I will grow things I don’t have much experience with.  We also need to get better fencing up on the small inherited plot.  I’m putting up a mini poly tunnel this week.

I’ve always been a massive gardener.  I am a Master Gardener in my state and also volunteer on a few gardening projects.  I just enrolled in an online urban agriculture certificate program, partially to have something to do right now, and particularly because I am absolutely smitten with the process.  I want to learn all I can and continue to develop my space.  I like the idea of taking vacant, disused areas and making them productive and beautiful.  It seems that when I’m not actually gardening I’m either reading about it or watching videos on it.  In my working life I was an accountant and financial manager, and I’ve managed people and projects, so I know I have the skills to build a business with it if I wanted to and I’ve thought about it, but I don’t think I want to.  Even though I enjoy garden people a lot.  I think this is because the whole enterprise is basically a creative process for me.  My late working career was all about making difficult people happy at the expense of my own happiness, and now I just want to make myself happy.  I’m not used to doing things for their intrinsic value.


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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #605 on: July 19, 2020, 04:42:20 PM »
Great update @Trudie!  So glad it worked out for your gardening space this year.   

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #606 on: July 19, 2020, 10:16:20 PM »
These are truly the halcyon days for my garden. Once I pick my first cuke in a day or two it will mean that pretty much everything I planted this year will all be harvestable at the same time. Peas are still hanging in there pretty well, the lettuce too. But the writing is on the wall for both as the heat has arrived. Well, what passes for heat in the PNW...ticked 30 Celsius in the shade of my garden today.

Wouldn’t know where to begin in describing just how well the garden has been this year....with the exception of tomatoes slower to ripen than normal, this has been my best garden since I started doing this 6 years ago.

Pictures do a better job I think.











That’s my DW posing with the cauliflower in the last shot there. Had not the local Harvest Festival been cancelled, I do believe that magnificent curd of cauli coulda been a contendah.


Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #607 on: July 20, 2020, 09:43:04 AM »
I love your update @Trudie  - I totally feel the same way about gardening.  I am not FIRE'd or I would be spending more time and growing more food in my garden.

@Jon_Snow - veritable garden porn those photos.

Farm Report
I spent a good chunk of time Sunday morning sweating out at the farm.  I was a weeding machine. (By 11 am, it was 25C but with the humidex, it was 31C)
Everything is coming along nicely.  We got a torrential rain at lunch that was about 1/2 an inch. It was so badly needed.  I was hoeing dust.
I picked my first half -basket of pickling cukes and they are now soaking in brine.  The two larger ones are in a vinaigrette in the fridge to make a quick pickle (or cuke salad).  The balance will become dills.  I am only going to do three bottles of dills in attempt to match storage with consumption.  I am the only dill pickle eater.  I make a nine day sweet gherkin type recipe that the kids love.  It doesn't take much each day to do the step, but there is a step or two every day for nine days.  If I am going to the effort for this, I want to have at least four baskets of cukes (12L in total).  Last year I did 7L of cukes into gherkins and had to ration them.  I paid $27 for the basket.  I spent about $5 on two different types of seed because neither said they were specifically for sweet gherkins.  (Last year I grew one hill and turned them into dills and relish - as I missed picking them small).  There are so many cucumber beetles - but I killed as many as I could by hand but they are certainly going to be a problem.  And I hope the plants will be bountiful all at once!
The black beans are coming along really nicely - I hope they start flowering soon.  I did a good hand weeding.  There is still a lot of twitch grass in the bed.  I am hoping I can keep on top of it and then this fall get it tilled again and pull out the roots. 
The raspberry canes were neglected last year as it was our first year without my Dad cracking the whip on raspberry maintenance.  The crop is going to be way less as a result.  I have been keeping them weeded a lot better this year and have a plan to get them back in top performance.  I think we let them get to thick and did feed well enough.  I am keeping them from suckering and am going to feed them heavy with a thick layer of rotted manure once they are finished picking.  I didn't get to that in the early spring and thought that I shouldn't.  There are large sections of rows that have completely died out.  I plan to do some propagating once I get the weeds under control.  The golden berry canes are almost entirely died out.  I also suspect that we have a pollination problem - this spring the beekeeper moved his four hives off the farm so we didn't have the same number of pollinators. 
The potatoes are all up over a foot high and I did not see a potato beetle.  I have gotten them really well hand weeded.  I need to keep working on the hilling.
Tomatoes are fruiting nicely or have an astonishing number of flowers.  This is good because the plants in my city garden are 50% withering with wilt.  I am coming to the conclusion that the soil in the city garden is contaminated with wilt in the soil and it is going to be 10 years before I should be growing tomatoes there again.  Next spring, I am going to plant 6 plants on my front lawn for day to day eating and go big at the farm with the rest.  I will just have to commit to going to the farm twice a week to pick.  This might also mean that I could grow beets and carrots out at the farm as well.  And reserve my garden in town for peas, herbs, greens and beans.

Another frustration or novice mistake.  I have a huge harvest of basil right now.  But no paste tomatoes for sauce making.  I have all the pesto I need in the freezer. I have dried all the basil I need for the spice cupboard.  I need to get the planting of the basil timed better so that the harvest coincides with canning time.


robartsd

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #608 on: July 20, 2020, 10:12:17 AM »
Thinking about using my chrome cart which has about 5 shelves in April to start growing seeds. The only problem is that it is very cold in CT at nights and I can't figure out how to keep them warm. I can buy a plastic cover that will fit the cart and it has an opening in the front for easy access. It is clear in the front but not sure about the sides or back. I have read that some people put a container of boiling water on a shelf to keep some heat in the 'greenhouse'. I don't think boiling water would last too long in cold weather.
dchild=1&keywords=shelf+cover+30x14x62&qid=1594744102&sr=8-2
Water is the best known substance for retaining heat - water would retain about 3000 times more heat than dry air it displaces (the thermal capacity of the air would increase with humidity, so it might only be 1000 times better than humid air in a greenhouse) - so using water for thermal mass is a great idea. The more thermal mass you add, the more heat can be absorbed during the day and lost at night without changing the temperature too much. I don't know that putting boiling water in in the evening is too great of an idea though - most of the heat would be released quickly, then lost during the earlier night hours - more thermal mass is much better than hotter thermal mass. Fill that bottom shelf with water. Dark containers (or dyed water in clear containers) could help absorb more daylight as heat.

Your husband is right - a light could be a good source of heat and once your seeds sprout, they should have more light than they would get through the cover. Figure out how you will provide right intensity of light without worrying about the energy efficiency since making lighting more energy efficient is all about reducing the heat the light puts off. Run your lighting during the coldest hours to provide extra warmth. I think the types of heat sources your husband would be worried about would be way too intense for such a small space.

The idea of covering at night is great. I'd also pay attention to sheltering it from the wind.

Indio

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #609 on: July 22, 2020, 09:45:30 AM »
These are truly the halcyon days for my garden. Once I pick my first cuke in a day or two it will mean that pretty much everything I planted this year will all be harvestable at the same time. Peas are still hanging in there pretty well, the lettuce too. But the writing is on the wall for both as the heat has arrived. Well, what passes for heat in the PNW...ticked 30 Celsius in the shade of my garden today.

Wouldn’t know where to begin in describing just how well the garden has been this year....with the exception of tomatoes slower to ripen than normal, this has been my best garden since I started doing this 6 years ago.

Pictures do a better job I think.











That’s my DW posing with the cauliflower in the last shot there. Had not the local Harvest Festival been cancelled, I do believe that magnificent curd of cauli coulda been a contendah.

@Jon_Snow  that's some fabulous looking veg you've got there. I can't get over that summer squash plant -- so compact with so many veg on it. what seed did you use for it?

Jon_Snow

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #610 on: July 22, 2020, 12:06:14 PM »
@Jon_Snow  that's some fabulous looking veg you've got there. I can't get over that summer squash plant -- so compact with so many veg on it. what seed did you use for it?

I believe it’s the “Goldy” variety of yellow zucchini. It’s been my go to for many years now. It’s prolific-ness is often quite alarming. 😦 And you’d think I’d learn my lesson and not plant so much of it. There are...several more such plants just like that one scattered about my garden. And that’s just the yellow ones. Then there are the green ones, which are just as prolific. But I know I’m not the only gardener out there drowning in a cascasde of zucchini. But I do like shredding and freezing the excess for use in all sorts of recipes throughout the year.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #611 on: July 26, 2020, 08:52:14 AM »
Thanks, Boris.  Thankfully we have not spotted any more horn worms.  I'm checking every morning for them.

Yesterday I harvested more of our fresh herbs and dried some, as well as froze some in oil and stock for future use.

Today we made refrigerator pickles and tomorrow we are planning to make fresh pesto and fresh salsa.  While I have the processor out for the pesto, I'm going to shred up some more zucchini and stash in the freezer for another day. We really enjoyed the zucchini bread a week back, but don't want to overdo it and I plan to make another two loaves next week probably.  I'll also freeze a little of the pesto for future use.

I did also replant some cilantro. We'll use the rest of our first harvest in the fresh salsa tomorrow. 

All this at-home time has really allowed us to take better care of our veg and herb plants and make sure none is wasted.  This is a major win for us.

Trudie

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #612 on: July 26, 2020, 06:14:55 PM »
This week I started second cropping — beans, peas, beets, carrots, fennel, and brassicas.  We just got our plot this year, and by the time we were able to get in it got hot super fast, so our first cool season crops failed.  I am learning to grow in a warmer zone, in an urban area (heat island effect), and in new soil (sandy loam... good stuff).  So, I figure that some of these failures are learning opportunities in disguise and will help me learn more about succession sowing and season extending.

I also rescued three six foot tall by 18 inches wide wire panels from the trash heap at a local business.  They must have been used as shelves.  Took them right across the street and power washed them and they are perfection for trellises.  They are now firmly affixed to t-posts, awaiting to be used.

I love the whole garden ethos of rescuing other people’s trash and up cycling it in the garden.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #613 on: July 29, 2020, 04:42:28 PM »
I am getting some beds ready for second crop.

My tomatoes in my town garden are suffering from wilt.  I think I am going to have to just give up.

Pickling cukes are coming along nicely.  I am going to match a batch of bread and butters.

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #614 on: July 30, 2020, 05:00:47 AM »
Me too @Frugal Lizard -- I did several hours of bed prep yesterday.  Later today I'll start planting the fall crop of carrots, peas, turnips, cabbage, and broccoli.  The spring cabbage and turnips did fantastic; looking forward to round 2.  I've never done peas in the fall so that is a total experiment.     

Tomatoes are coming along very nicely.  We're getting 3-4 ripe slicers a day plus a couple handfuls of Sungolds.  Once production takes off and we start getting buckets full of big slicers, I'll start canning and/or freezing. 

Pepper crop is pretty sad again this year.  :(   Again it's the one-two punch -- the plants are small and slow growing, then when they finally produce fruit the weevils spoil at least half of them.  It's been four years of this.  I have to either come up with new ideas (test the soil for some deficiency?  covered beds to deal with the weevils?  mini greenhouse?) or just give up on peppers here.  So frustrating! 

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #615 on: July 30, 2020, 10:15:09 AM »
late shelling peas are ready!

And I harvested the fava beans last night.  I had an upset tummy so I just picked them and hope to eat them tonight.  Something had started to eat them so I needed to get them into my fridge.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #616 on: July 31, 2020, 07:14:39 AM »
My wife has a large garden, even more this year with covid.  We have had a greenhouse for over 20 years, I'm the handy man. I think some may be interested in how we protect our greenhouse plants from frost. We get from zero to 5 or 6 frosts a year, but we have tropical fruit trees and must protect them from the frost. The method I use; I pump water from a shallow well into the greenhouse and spray it out through 3/4" pvc pipe that I have installed misters every 12" along both sides of the green house. I have a thermostat in the greenhouse that controls the pump, it is set at about 36*F.  When the pump starts, it pumps 55*F water into the greenhouse to warm it and prevent any
frost. We only cover the greenhouse with plastic Nov 15 to the end of Feb.
BTW, for years we bought plastic film from Lowes, it only lasted one season. One year we tried the 6mil greenhouse plastic from an online Mega greenhouse store and it's been over 10 years and we are still reusing the same piece.
 
« Last Edit: July 31, 2020, 07:16:33 AM by BTDretire »

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #617 on: July 31, 2020, 10:46:51 AM »
@BTDretire I am definitely interested in how your manage your greenhouse. 
I am hoping to gut the inside of my (neighbour's) greenhouse to make it more functional this fall after I get ready to take a winter break. One of the things I was thinking of doing was making mini hot beds within the house for the winter to further limit how much heat is required.  We get much colder than you but it is usually really sunny during the coldest weather so if I had more thermal mass and a smaller area to keep warm, it might be doable.  The reason is: I long to grow figs. 

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #618 on: August 01, 2020, 05:07:33 PM »
  I don't do much management, I have the water (heat) wired so that just a flip of a switch and rotate a valve or two and it's ready for winter, flip it back and she can water the plants.
 The greenhouse we have is 25ft x 40ft. I have the 3/4" pvc pipe with misters, running the full 40ft length on both sides, set in about 4ft from outside walls
  My wife has sugar apple, starfruit, lychee, longan, and more that I don't know the names of. Plus some herb'y stuff in smaller pots.
 If you want to use heated beds, I have several ideas, but they all seem very involved. Run plastic tube in coils under the beds. Flow pumped water through them. But, pumped water is not really warm, it just prevents our trees from freezing. You could paint several 50 gallon drums black and let them heat by the sun and greenhouse warmth, then have an inline heater to heat the water anytime it is not at the desired temperature to pump to the heated beds. I our greenhouse, the water just falls to the ground, and is absorbed, not sure where your water would go, unless you just have a sealed system heated my solar.
  I'd be happy to help, but not sure what info you need.
 

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #619 on: August 02, 2020, 02:43:21 PM »
A challenge with growing stuff, is that you need to be homebound when it needs to be harvested. I still have my squash plant which had one young squash. Then som male flowers appeared open. I collected the spores and waited forcthe female flowers to open before I went on vacation. But no luck, we ate the young vegetable, but I am affraid the female flowers won't be pollinated while I am gone.

horsepoor

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #620 on: August 02, 2020, 05:16:04 PM »
Dog days of summer here, and still so few tomatoes.  I found one Kellogg's Breakfast today, and it was less than 1/4 of the average size for this variety.  One partly ripe black krim is about 1/2 the normal size.  My black cherry and other cherry variety have very few fruit, and I've only gotten a handful of the black cherries so far.  Can't figure out what the deal is, but hopefully it will turn around.  At least my canning tomatoes have a pretty decent fruit set on right now, so I should be able to put up some sauce and canned tomatoes in September.

On the upside, getting some okra now, and had a bumper cauliflower harvest.  Now that the cukes have started, they are really cranking.  I found a couple big'uns hiding in the greenery today that I'm thinking I'll hollow out and stuff with tuna salad.


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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #621 on: August 03, 2020, 04:05:42 AM »
That is beautiful @horsepoor!

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #622 on: August 03, 2020, 12:41:55 PM »

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #623 on: August 04, 2020, 07:41:43 AM »
What a beautiful harvest @horsepoor!

Fresh from the subtropical garden, various greens, pineapple, and monstera deliciosa (the weird prehistoric looking pinecones). Monstera is one of the best fruits I've had, a tropical fruit salad blend of strawberry/pineapple/banana. Best of all, its completely toxic and critter proof until ripe!


Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #624 on: August 04, 2020, 09:30:14 AM »
wow @Roots&Wings

I just love this thread!  I have never heard of so many things.  When I have traveled I have tasted really fresh pineapple....man that is good stuff.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #625 on: August 04, 2020, 08:56:05 PM »
Tomorrow is a big harvest day.  It’s been in the mid seventies, which is very comfortable for Iowa in August.  I’ve had tons of snacking tomatoes, kale, onions, and herbs.  Other than kale and tomatoes nothing has been producing heavily.  I suspect it has to do with our hot, dry weather.  Since this is our first year on our garden plot, we’ve spent a lot of time preparing the site.  Next year we can grow more efficiently and take better advantage of cool season spring weather.

I harvested a few Brussels sprouts today and roasted them.  This is the first time I’ve grown them.  They tasted okay, but I’m wondering if I should wait until cooler temps to harvest them in the hope that they will be sweeter.

Also, my Malabar spinach is doing well?  Any noticeable differences in how it tastes compared to regular spinach?


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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #626 on: August 05, 2020, 08:35:01 PM »
This is my favorite time of year when you plan dinner based on what's ripe and abundant in the garden. Cucumbers, toms, zucchini, new potatoes, and lots of basil are in almost every meal. Breakfast was leftover cucumber feta salad, lunch was cucumber mint smoothie with a dash of yogurt and I'm making ice tea with cucumber slices in it. Eggplants will be ready for picking in the next 10 days. Been browsing Italian recipes to figure out how I should cook/prepare the eggplant. Haven't grown it in years so want to make sure that its put to good use. If anyone has receipe suggestions, pls send them over.

Saw an IG challenge to preserve veg from the garden everyday so I've been drying herbs, dehydrating cherry toms and saving seeds.  I've been drying mint, chamomile, lemon balm and tulsi for winter teas. The more I harvest the faster these plants regrow. Infused 1/2 gal of olive oil with fresh calendula, chamomile and comfrey to use in soap. It takes about 6 weeks to be ready but it will very soothing with all the handwashing that's going to be happening in a few weeks.

I hope everyone's gardens are getting the right amount of water to keep them growing away.

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #627 on: August 07, 2020, 08:47:35 AM »
For another fun way to preserve your mint, I highly recommend freezing mint-cilantro chutney in an ice-cube tray. It's a heavenly Indian condiment that I put on everything other than oatmeal.

That sounds delicious @Sun Hat!  Care to share the recipe?

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #628 on: August 07, 2020, 02:12:59 PM »
Just wondering if anyone has tried this before. I bought store bought scallions and cut the root end off but leaving a little stub of white attached. Then I soak the roots in water till a green sprout appears. Then I plant them in potting mix. I have some giant scallions grown this way. I kept buying store bought ones and kept planting them. They grow so easy and pretty quickly. Love them. You can keep using the same ones over and over! All these years I have been throwing them away!

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #629 on: August 08, 2020, 05:35:46 PM »
Thanks @Sun Hat!!  What kind of mint works best?  I've got peppermint and spearmint in the garden.  Would either of those work?

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #630 on: August 08, 2020, 07:21:35 PM »
@Sun Hat

Sounds delish will have to try it out. I agree with you about garlic. I always load pesto up with garlic because it tastes better. The spicier the garlic the better.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #631 on: August 09, 2020, 05:28:21 AM »
Would you believe it?  We got four inches of rain last weekend and none since and the soil is drying out again.  (nervous already because I did a whole lot of planting just before the rain and not everything is up yet)

I am feeling pretty chuffed:  I made a traditional cornichon recipe with my own cukes, tarragon and onions.  I probably don't need to harvest another cucumber this season!  Donated another 8 pounds of cukes to the food bank.

Some of the potatoes are now bigger than golf balls.
Tomatoes are starting to ripen.

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #632 on: August 09, 2020, 10:00:48 AM »
Thanks for the tip @Sun Hat -- I'll try it with the peppermint!  I actually just picked a bunch this morning.   DD wants to use it to flavor homemade toothpaste, and DH drinks it as tea. 

I'm really enjoying the garden the past couple of weeks.  Grateful to my past self for planting a big variety of things this year.  Just when the kale is finally succumbing to cabbage moths, the chard and the Malabar spinach (which seem to be immune) are looking beautiful.  I just ate a delicious lunch entirely from the garden/chickens -- stir fried French Fingerling potatoes, Malabar spinach, Sungold cherry tomatoes, and eggs.  Yum!   

My fall plantings are doing well so far.  Sugar snap peas are up about two inches, as are the turnips, broccoli and lettuce.  Carrots were a little slower -- they're just peeking above the soil.  Those carrot seeds were old (5 years), so even though they were pokey I was just happy to have germination. 

Roadrunner53

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #633 on: August 09, 2020, 10:22:08 AM »
I am interested in a dwarf cherry or slightly bigger type (Roma) tomato plant that is early bearing for next year. Does anyone know a variety or place to buy maybe two plants? I want to put it on my deck and don't want it to grow 12 feet tall. Something like 24 inches tall would be ideal.

I am looking for something that will bear tomatoes early while waiting for the later tomatoes to become ripe.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #634 on: August 09, 2020, 10:36:57 AM »
My pony express roma types seem to be staying short but some have so many branches they are six feet in diameter.

I harvested 3 liters of purple beans and another 3 of orca beans.  These orcas are the tastiest and have started to rebloom.

Beets are struggling...tomatoes and eggplants and peppers too.  Gave everything a generous dose of fertilizer.  It is supposed to rain today!

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #635 on: August 09, 2020, 11:46:47 AM »
I am interested in a dwarf cherry or slightly bigger type (Roma) tomato plant that is early bearing for next year. Does anyone know a variety or place to buy maybe two plants? I want to put it on my deck and don't want it to grow 12 feet tall. Something like 24 inches tall would be ideal.

I am looking for something that will bear tomatoes early while waiting for the later tomatoes to become ripe.

I'm  growing a dwarf cherry on my balcony.  It is a hybrid, Siderno.  Seeds are expensive but easy to start.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #636 on: August 09, 2020, 02:27:34 PM »
Where did you buy the Siderno seeds?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #637 on: August 09, 2020, 05:53:22 PM »
Where did you buy the Siderno seeds?

William Dam at damseeds.com   They are pricey but I had 100% germination, 2 of 2 planted.  Hybrids so I  can't save the seeds darn it.

FireAnt

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #638 on: August 09, 2020, 06:35:25 PM »
Just wondering if anyone has tried this before. I bought store bought scallions and cut the root end off but leaving a little stub of white attached. Then I soak the roots in water till a green sprout appears. Then I plant them in potting mix. I have some giant scallions grown this way. I kept buying store bought ones and kept planting them. They grow so easy and pretty quickly. Love them. You can keep using the same ones over and over! All these years I have been throwing them away!

Yes! Mine are going on their third year :) They started flowering this year so I thought they would go back, but new scallions are growing!

Trifle

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #639 on: August 10, 2020, 04:12:57 AM »
Also, my Malabar spinach is doing well?  Any noticeable differences in how it tastes compared to regular spinach?

Hey @Trudie -- To me, cooked Malabar tastes very similar to spinach.  It holds up much better in stir fries and soups, thanks to its meatier texture.  I sometimes eat it raw, but it took me a while to get used to the semi-succulent-ness;  I'm not used to eating leaves like that, and at first I felt like I was eating a house plant.  It's a fantastic vegetable -- it thrives in the heat, so it fills in that gap between spring and fall greens for us.  And!  From what I read it has a great nutritional profile -- very high in vitamin A and C, iron and calcium. 

@Roadrunner53 -- that's great about your free scallions!  I do that with celery and turnips, works great. 
« Last Edit: August 10, 2020, 04:14:42 AM by Trifele »

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #640 on: August 10, 2020, 05:03:12 AM »
Where did you buy the Siderno seeds?

William Dam at damseeds.com   They are pricey but I had 100% germination, 2 of 2 planted.  Hybrids so I  can't save the seeds darn it.

Thanks for the information!

In regard to scallions, does anyone grow them inside during the winter? I do not have a covered porch and don't really have any good windows to put them in. I have florescent lights under my kitchen cabinets that basil seems to like but not a lot of room either. Any ideas on what people do to harvest a little bit of stuff in a small amount of room? I was thinking about doing something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s4hDJcPMiw

Roadrunner53

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #641 on: August 10, 2020, 05:57:19 AM »
Where did you buy the Siderno seeds?

William Dam at damseeds.com   They are pricey but I had 100% germination, 2 of 2 planted.  Hybrids so I  can't save the seeds darn it.

I went to damseeds.com and it seems they only ship to Canada. I am in USA. Do you know if they ship to USA? That Siderno tomato plant looks perfect!

RetiredAt63

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #642 on: August 10, 2020, 09:16:04 AM »
Where did you buy the Siderno seeds?

William Dam at damseeds.com   They are pricey but I had 100% germination, 2 of 2 planted.  Hybrids so I  can't save the seeds darn it.

I went to damseeds.com and it seems they only ship to Canada. I am in USA. Do you know if they ship to USA? That Siderno tomato plant looks perfect!

I looked and they talk about supplying Canadian farmers and gardeners, so I am guessing no.

Check out victoryseeds.com   they are in the US and have OP tomato seeds.  They are sold out for this year.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #643 on: August 10, 2020, 09:19:46 AM »
Where did you buy the Siderno seeds?

William Dam at damseeds.com   They are pricey but I had 100% germination, 2 of 2 planted.  Hybrids so I  can't save the seeds darn it.

I went to damseeds.com and it seems they only ship to Canada. I am in USA. Do you know if they ship to USA? That Siderno tomato plant looks perfect!
I don't think they do.  I am sure you could find something very similar at a USA supplier.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #644 on: August 12, 2020, 08:20:14 PM »
Two days ago we were in the path of a derecho — basically an inland hurricane.  For about three hours we had pelting rain and 80 mph straight line winds.  The destruction was horrendous, but fortunately our home (a condo in a brick historical building) was fine.  And surprisingly, my garden was fine...even my little poly tunnel wasn’t too mangled and could be put back into place.

The tomatoes are producing like crazy.  I’m trying to decide if I should just start canning in small batches, or if I should stockpile my paste tomatoes for awhile and do canning in about a week.  I was excited, but these past couple of days of heat have me wondering how much hot indoor work I want to do.  I don’t have much freezer space, so canning and drying  are my best options.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #645 on: August 13, 2020, 11:14:58 AM »
@Sun Hat I know what you mean about standing around a pot of boiling water. The humidity is so high the last thing I want to do is heat up the house. I tired canning outside using the gas grill but it isn't hot enough to get the water boiling. Thought of trying to can on my camping cook stove but the fuel is so hard to find in my area, while propane is easily available.

I'm out of freezer space so I'm using the deydrator to preserve some of the veg. Set it up in the basement since it's so much cooler than the rest of the house. Made zucchini chips with olive oil and fajita seasoning. They were so tasty that they were eaten right away. The bland, unseasoned zucchini chips will be used in soups this winter.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #646 on: August 13, 2020, 12:16:32 PM »
My paste tomatoes are just starting to come....

I hear y'all about the hot kitchen.  I bought a gas ring for maple syrup and it is fantastic for canning - I just need a heavier bottom canning kettle to be truly set.  I have also used a fairly inexpensive IKEA pot on my induction cook top.  Again, to be good for tomatoes, I need to get a lower rack inside to allow for enough water over the jars.  The brilliant part of the induction cook top, I can plug it in on the front porch.

I ordered a dehydrator off amazon.  It is going to take ten days to arrive.  I need it now - the second crop of basil is perfect, right now.  The first attempt at drying in a paper bag in the greenhouse resulted in a light brown/grey herb.  It seems ok but doesn't look particularly appetizing.

I made salsa verde out of 8 tomatillos.  It is so fresh and delicious.  I have had really mixed results with cilantro so I am trying again.  It would be a shame to have too many tomatillos and no cilantro.
The green beans are the much vaulted orca beans.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #647 on: August 13, 2020, 08:22:35 PM »
Here in northwest Indiana, my tomatoes are starting to come in full force. I'm growing roma and tasty treat this year, and it will probably be the last year for romas. I get that they are primarily used for sauces, but goodness are they ever bland compared to the tasty treats.

Also, after three years of trying we've finally got pumpkins growing in the yard. Planting pumpkin starts in the yard resulted in lots of pumpkin leaves, but no pumpkins. Last fall, we just let the Halloween pumpkins rot where they were (deer ate them too), and now we've got at least a dozen pumpkins in three separate pumpkin patches.

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #648 on: August 14, 2020, 03:38:28 PM »
We did our second harvest of pears today, and they are looking good.  The red ones are Ayers, and the green ones are Kieffer.  We'll keep picking, a basket at a time until we can't keep up with them.  Then I'll start puree-ing, freezing, and -- in the case of the Kieffers -- wrapping them for root cellar storage.  If I get really ambitious I'll try making pear cyser.  I've been meaning to do that for years. 
« Last Edit: August 14, 2020, 03:40:02 PM by Trifele »

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Re: Planting and Growing Your Own - 2020
« Reply #649 on: August 16, 2020, 06:35:48 AM »
Tomorrow is a big harvest day.  It’s been in the mid seventies, which is very comfortable for Iowa in August.  I’ve had tons of snacking tomatoes, kale, onions, and herbs.  Other than kale and tomatoes nothing has been producing heavily.  I suspect it has to do with our hot, dry weather.  Since this is our first year on our garden plot, we’ve spent a lot of time preparing the site.  Next year we can grow more efficiently and take better advantage of cool season spring weather.

I harvested a few Brussels sprouts today and roasted them.  This is the first time I’ve grown them.  They tasted okay, but I’m wondering if I should wait until cooler temps to harvest them in the hope that they will be sweeter.

Also, my Malabar spinach is doing well?  Any noticeable differences in how it tastes compared to regular spinach?

There is a kind of spinach flavor, with a overlay of being thicker and some Okra characteristics.