Here's an update on this year's garden.
Potatoes
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/potatoes-June27-2020.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/potatoes-bloom-June27-2020.jpg)
Like I said, the ND hermit ain't no further ahead on them than me. Mine planted a month later when the ground is warm enough to grow stuff. ;)
Corn fenced in. At the foot of the fencing is some small green plants. Those are carrots thinned and spaced with some trans-planting. They came better than that earlier, but animals tramped them to death and the drought killed a lot. She ain't dry now. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/corn-fence-2020.jpg)
The big picture. The row that looks sparse by the taters is beats, I replanted. Again the animals tramping and the drought. I did notice some radish poking up after several weeks. Water does wonders. I put 240 gallons of creek water on it this week. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/garden-june27-2020.jpg)
Upper garden
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/upper-garden-june27-2020.jpg)
Green house mater sets in bloom. The smaller ones I started in May. There is another bed with the same sets in tomatoes and some lettuce from seed, to the left of these. They had an early struggle in the cool temps, but going gang busters now with all the watering. I also planted seeds all around in groups to transplant into any spaces. ;D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/tomato-sets-June27-2020.jpg)
Cukes I started in May, struggled to in the cold. But blooming now. I also panted some seed in the garden, the smaller green things in the first photo.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/cukes-sets-June27-2020.jpg)
Nice looking garden👍👍👍
Yes it is.
Are using any pesticides or just fortunate? My potatoes are covered in shotholes.
I don't use anything on the plants. I pick any beetles and crush them and any eggs. There have been very few this year and have not seen any for 3 days.
I did notice the cucumber beetle arrived yesterday on the squash plants in the main garden. I covered them with floating fabric and that kept them away today. I just removed it again tonight. It's been overcast and showery today, so probably slowed them down some.
I did forget to mention, no weeds either. I drive by some gardens and it's an ocean of green. ::)
I use cardboard and straw for a weed control. But it takes time to put down. I can walk out to my garden with my good shoes on and pick veggies for my friends when we go to visit.
Yeah, I don't get much for weeds. I never let them seed and I use well composted manure to mix in the soil, plus peat for mulch on top.
I see some corn down the road all full of weeds, that takes water and nutrients from corn. ;)
Garden really jumped last couple days. Got some little cukes coming along. :)
July update
Main garden:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/main-garden-July-2020.jpg)
Cukes:
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/cukes-July-2020-1.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/cukes-July-2020-2.jpg)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/cukes-July-2020-3.jpg)
Two week old beats on the right (planted 2 weeks).
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/beats-July-2020.jpg)
Squash, still smooshing cuke beetles on them. Flower buds are starting to appear, not blooming yet though.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/squash-July-2020-1.jpg)
Beans in blossom, carrots there to.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/beans-July-2020.jpg)
Corn tassels coming and ears starting.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/corn-July-2020.jpg)
That all looks good!!!
My cukes just sat for about 2 weeks. But I see yours did not. I planted my 2-3-4 times, about a week apart each time. Hope they all don't come at once.
My younger cukes on the left side of that bed are not in blossom yet, but the leaves are just as big. I had to thin out some tomatoes, too much for the bed with all the ones I planted from seed. My own tomato sets have not bloomed yet, but buds are out. But the green house ones I got have maters 2-1/2 across in diameter and some like your thumb. The mater fruit really grew this week.
July 18
Squash and corn. The squash is beginning to run.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/squash-beans-corn-Jul18.jpg)
Flower bud with ovary
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/squash-run-jult18-2020.jpg)
Mother said she never saw winter squash plants so huge. That stem is over an inch and only begun to run. Wait 'til it's 20 feet long. :D
The younger beats with parsnip in between. The parsnip have only been up a week, they grow slow for a bit then jump up.
Beans in the background. That's solid green. When them squash get running I don't know how the beans are going to get picked. Sacrifices may have to be made. :D
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/beats-beans-july18-2020.jpg)
Youre doin something right!
Whats in your dirt?
Sheep manure, Miracle Grow soil additive, peat moss on top for mulch. Water from the creek and a couple weeks ago I added Miracle Grow soluble fertilizer. It's an old garden that got neglected, so I had to work at it to bring it back. The folks never put much on it, so it was getting a bit run out. Without the water wagon though, stuff would be looking pretty sad. We don't get any rain this summer to wet your whistle. :D
July 25:
2 and 3 cob corn, not ready for a couple weeks.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/2-cobb-corn-July25-2020.jpg)
This 3 cob stalk has a secondary stalk to the side with the 3rd ear.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/3-cobb-corn-jul25-2020.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1595710834)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/corn-jul25-2020.jpg)
String beans, and bushels more on the way. ;)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/string-bean-Jul-25-2020.jpg)
Dug one hill of taters, 9 under it. Biggest are big as a fist in ~67 days. Photo next time.
Made our first hodge podge with beans, new carrots, and taters. Fried up some ground beef. Some good, mmm. Probably be making pickles real soon with beans for mustard pickles and cukes for 'lady rose'. double mmm mmm!! ;)
Your corn looks good. I am behind. I lost about 3 weeks right during planting season. :( Still have plenty of time before the first frost. We are getting peppers, and picked about a half bushel of beans. Two people picked today and I plan on another picking tomorrow of beans. Broccoli was big, but the grandkids will like it.
Yes, surprising since the corn seed in the envelope it came in was like corn meal mixed in. If I tried to sell seed like that I would be run out of town. :D It's also very pricey for something heavily subsidized. I'll get any corn seed next time from bulk or at least plastic baggy so I can see the quality. Coop has it locally. Yes lots of time, no frost for 2 months yet. We hope. I'm anxious to get into them grapes, they are starting to show color now. I have not got a lot this year because of the late frost this spring that followed an unprecedented heat wave. So hopefully no frost for a few more weeks. With this crazy drought it might be snow'n mid September. Oh well, the wood is all in. ;)
Dad's aunt would say, 'don't let me die in garden time'. :D
p.s. I think I need to do a run of pickled veggies next week: carrot, beans, onion, cuke slice. I use a spice mix from the store I really like. :)
At the hardware store I work at we can not get regular canning lids from our supplier. Garden hoses too. We have gone to other suppliers but other store are doing the same thing. The spice mixes we stocked up on, hope we have enough. I have no idea about canning jars. One inch holes chicken wire is out too.
I won't need jars or lids I don't think. But I'll also check the shelves to see if there is any. I have the spice for the veg pickles. I know there are lots of garden hose, and the good rubber kind, not plastic. I already have a top of the line one and a cheaper one, but both made in USA. The cheaper one is not ribbed, so it does kink, much like the plastic ones, but at least it doesn't go stiff when using cold water. Some hot sun and the hose loses them kinks. But still toted as a good hose, I'd give them 3 out of 5. I had a real good one here for 30 years, but I needed a short hose to drain a hot water tank, so I cut it. :DThat was when I had to get it out of the house for the power company to take.
Walmart.ca says Bernardin canning lids are in stock, jars to.
And checked grocery store online and they have the pickling spice in stock.
July 26:
A hill of spuds I dug this afternoon. Two more weeks should make a difference in the size, but they are just right for me. A couple there like a fist. I have noticed 2 or 3 nubs on the roots for new taters on this hill and the previous. So definitely 2 weeks of life left in them. Tops still lots green, but getting more like vines, long. These usually die down a lot earlier than a russet when they ripen.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/taters-July-26-2020.jpg)
Well done!
Aug 1
Tiny Tims
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/tiny-tim-Aug1-2020.jpg)
Some medium sized maters
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/tomato-Aug1-2020.jpg)
Wish they would ripen up.
Beats. I thinned them last weekend. The right hand side are the younger ones. The parsnips in the middle really jumped to.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/beats-Aug1-2020.jpg)
Lettuce, dill weed and basal. We have lots of lettuce and another 10 heads in the main garden for later. I love dill in salad and sandwiches. The basal will go into this year's tomato sauce.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/lettuce-dill-Aug1-2020.jpg)
There be giants.
Cukes, be pickling those up real soon.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/cuke-Aug1-2020.jpg)
Squash a growing.....
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/squash-corn-Aug1-2020.jpg)
Your squash looks great. Mighty great!!
Cukes are just starting. Had maybe 10 tomatoes too. Corn has just started to tassel.
Like I said I lost about 3 weeks right at the beginning of planting season.
Oh well, it will make it.
I have a row of basil about 30 feet long. We put ours under crop cover to keep the bugs from eating it before we do. ;D
Cfarm, that's "a ton of basil" as the Aussies would say. ;D Yep, a lot of stuff I start now under the floating fabric. It kept the cucumber beetles off the squash, and when it got large enough I took it off. Then had a few beetles for awhile, but I kept picking them off and squishing them, now we have none at all. We had hardly any potato beetles, would see a couple once and awhile and they got squished along with their eggs to. I have learned that a well watered healthy garden keeps them bugs away when the plants are not under stress. The beets have no leaf spots or bug holes. :)
I think I have 10 squash plants and probably 40 squash on them. Gotta keep at the watering. :)
I'll be picking corn next weekend. The stalks are 7 feet tall now on the tallest ones, maybe a couple inches more. Them posts are 5 and 6 feet high above ground level, not in the ground very deep.;)
I planted a dozen pepper plants this spring (6-bell, 6-Jalapeno), I ended up pulling the bells out a couple of days ago!
They had peppers started (about the size of a large egg) and I noticed that the bottoms of them (about 4 inches from the ground) were turning tan/gray colored, so I just pulled them.
Were they starting to rot, or was this something of a type of disease to peppers?
The Jalapeno's are doing good!
Never seen that on my peppers. I've been growing them for 20 years. But I do trim mine up about 4-6 inches too. I want fruit not leaves. ;D But maybe calcium?? I don't know. I do lay down a piece of black plastic for the peppers. Wet the ground first, don't need to make mud, but wet, lay down the black plastic. I put rocks around the edges to hold the plastic down. I make a small "X" in the plastic and put the peppers plants in the "X". I put more rocks between the plants so the plastic won't blow up in the air and cover the plants when I plant them. My plants get so big, I have to put tomatoes cages around them. The fruit will tip the plants over. I get big woody stalks too, as big as my thumb. The stalks cannot be composted because they are like a stick of wood. You are in the same climate as me, peppers need all the help, heat, that they can get. Helps out on weeds too. I do that with tomatoes too, But don't notice much of a yield difference with the plastic, just no weeds.
I am getting peppers now too.
The peppers I have was given to me, the size of a thumb in height, so they won't be anything. I never got none started this spring. I usually put an old black plastic pot, bottom cut out, put around to make heat and keep from falling over. But yeah, they need heat and water, lots for sure. ;D
Grinding up cukes, and veggies to, today for them pickles. :)
We grow a bunch of different peppers. There is a greenhouse about 15 minutes from us that grows a bunch of peppers. Most time we only get a couple of each kind. The ace we buy by the 6 pack and get about 5-6 of them. They produce right up until frost. Some of the peppers maybe small, golf ball size is Sept, but they get picked and put away. I like peppers plants big, when I plant them. A foot high, if I can find them. With the virus this year, one green house that we like did not open. :( No foot high ones this year. I have even planted ones that had blossoms on the plants.
I usually plant jalapeno, but couldn't get any this year. We was shopping first of June. Green house lady said was sold out 2 weeks ago, not even a tomato. Said to myself, they are all dead now then, had frost first 3 days of June. Even in the 'big' city south of us. :D Got some tomatoes at the store, 2 given to us and I started a lot, even had to cull/weed out lots. Found one ripe on the vine this morning, I suspect lots by next weekend hopefully off some of them fat ones. ;D
Blossom end rot on tomato is typically calcium. Not sure on peppers.
I learned this year that pepper and bean seeds dont last very long since ive had no sprouts from leftover seeds.
Swiss chard on the other hand, im growing from 2013 seed.
My cucurbits were pretty sad, but a lot of troubleshooting later i figured out its a lack of bees. Hand pollination got them pumping out cukes and hanging butternut. My first red tomatoes are coming in now. Late start on those. Kale broccoli arugula spinach pumpkins etc are all in for fall.
Aug 6
Fresh picked corn from the garden tonight.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/corn-Aug6-2020.jpg)
Heck ya. I hope you boiled em in buttermilk.
Aug 14:
Been into the maters this week. Soon be sauce time again. :)
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/tomato-Aug14-2020.jpg)
Squash are doing good, but they sure did get a bit dry this week with 90 degree heat every day. Put 40 gallons on them Friday night, putting more on Sunday. I'm going to have one of them soon. They are the dry winter squash type. 8)
Aug 15
The winter squash are getting there.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/squash-Aug-15-2020.jpg)
Tiny Tims
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/tomato-Aug15-2020.jpg)
Made a couple 16 oz jars of spaghetti sauce yesterday morning, home grown, except the salt and sugar, the garlic was fresh local to.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/spaghetti-sauce-Aug30-2020.jpg)
Man i have serious mater envy
I'm hope'n for another batch next weekend.This little warm up will ripen up a bushel more, I hope. :)
The missus and I have the best garden we've ever had in 34 years. Everything in the house is full of jars. Took 80 jars to the shop last weekend. Now she's got the kitchen counter full again. I think another 55 jars. She said a few more and she's done!
You're in it for the long haul. ;D :)
Almost got this kale into the garden 2021 thread! Harvested today with sleet froze all over it. High of 28F today.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/43722/1217201825a_Film3.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1608251231)
You guys like kale. ;D
Never tried til last night. Its food but i sure aint makin a smoothie out if it.
Being on a blood-thinner, that's one food I'm not allowed! ;D
Quote from: mike_belben on December 18, 2020, 02:02:37 PM
Never tried til last night. Its food but i sure aint makin a smoothie out if it.
:D :D :D
One thing we leave in the ground up here is parsnip. Much sweeter in the spring before green up. :)
Quote from: SwampDonkey on December 18, 2020, 05:50:32 PM
Quote from: mike_belben on December 18, 2020, 02:02:37 PM
Never tried til last night. Its food but i sure aint makin a smoothie out if it.
:D :D :D
I would 😂😂. I've got a vita mix blender. I would throw some in add some water, tomato 🍅, garlic clove. Mix it then put a big plastic straw in and down the hatch 🙄
Quote from: SwampDonkey on August 30, 2020, 09:14:03 AM
Made a couple 16 oz jars of spaghetti sauce yesterday morning, home grown, except the salt and sugar, the garlic was fresh local to.
(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11009/spaghetti-sauce-Aug30-2020.jpg)
I bet your enjoying all the stuff you canned 😋
Yep, had a couple jars of sauce already and downed 4 bottles of berry juice already. ;D
The kale I had did good too. Lasted until the first snow storm. Brenda did something with it?? I know I did not eat it.
Quote from: Chuck White on December 18, 2020, 02:14:45 PM
Being on a blood-thinner, that's one food I'm not allowed! ;D
No no.. Kale is a stool thinner. Youre mixing them up again chuck
;D
If it's got vitamin K in it, it thickens blood. It's a coagulant for free bleeders,
Vitamin K that is.