The Garden Thread

[gregintenn]

We’ve got lots of tomatoes and cucumbers now. Corn should be ready in a week or two. Green beans are starting to produce. I picked a bucket full yesterday. The wife canned them today. Deer are still raping my peas.

[ReeferMac]

How does the missus can the beans? I've blanched and frozen a bunch, but read you have to pressure can beans (just enough of a PIA more than water bath canning I hate doing it!)

[RED333]

7 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Deer are still raping my peas.

That image can not be unseen!

[gregintenn]

5 hours ago, ReeferMac said:

How does the missus can the beans? I've blanched and frozen a bunch, but read you have to pressure can beans (just enough of a PIA more than water bath canning I hate doing it!)

We used to can them in a water bath canner. Now she uses a pressure canner. I think it takes 25 minutes.

I don’t like the frozen ones, but love them canned.

[Alleycat72]

12 hours ago, gregintenn said:

We’ve got lots of tomatoes and cucumbers now. Corn should be ready in a week or two. Green beans are starting to produce. I picked a bucket full yesterday. The wife canned them today. Deer are still raping my peas.

I have one field of peas that are gone. Deer got all of them.  Second field is waist high, well most of it. My corn didn't germinate like it should. I've got about 1/2 of what I planted. Got to get a two row corn planter. May do 4 acres of peas next year. I am interested in seeing how the Egyptian wheat does this year though. 

[gregintenn]

Holy cow! We’ve got a bunch of corn! I picked all I think we can put up tomorrow. Maybe 1/4 of it. Gonna be a long weekend.

[ReeferMac]

I've been grabbing an ear to test every night. Tasty stuff, I think some of mine is ready. For 3 years I've been trying to get a patch to come in, this year is the first I've actually eaten any. The local wildlife has really enjoyed my efforts.... 

[gregintenn]

2 hours ago, ReeferMac said:

I've been grabbing an ear to test every night. Tasty stuff, I think some of mine is ready. For 3 years I've been trying to get a patch to come in, this year is the first I've actually eaten any. The local wildlife has really enjoyed my efforts.... 

Best I can come up with is to plant more than they can eat. We had some for supper last night. Sweet corn is good!

[Hozzie]

This was my first year to plow up and prep a garden.   It has went fairly well as my okra, corn, cucumbers, and watermelon all have done well.  Time will tell on my asaparagus and horseradish as it needs a year to get started.   My beans weren't great but I did get some.  My peppers didn't do great, but I also planted late.

I went over the top a usual and put a 4 strand electric fence around it or I am confident I wouldn't have had anything.  By rough calculations I think I have about $50 in each ear of corn at this point.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Hozzie

[Ronald_55]

So we had squash coming on with the biggest at 3 inches and all of a sudden they rotted almost over night. Cucumbers are ok at this point as are tomatoes. 

 

Any idea on the squash? Last year it just sorta shriveled up. 

[ReeferMac]

There is a worm/caterpillar that bores into the stem/vine on squash, have seen that same thing happen before as well. Seems to impact the winter squash more than summer type. Short of weather induced, or physical damage (stem broken upstream), thats about all I can think of? Squash are usually pretty tough.

[gregintenn]

3 hours ago, Hozzie said:

By rough calculations I think I have about $50 in each ear of corn at this point.

Sounds about right. I drove by a guy yesterday melting to his tailgate with a sign that read “sweet corn $3 a dozen.” I said to myself “Greg, you are a dumbazz for raising a garden!”

Edited July 28, 2021 by gregintenn

[peejman]

3 hours ago, ReeferMac said:

There is a worm/caterpillar that bores into the stem/vine on squash, have seen that same thing happen before as well. Seems to impact the winter squash more than summer type. Short of weather induced, or physical damage (stem broken upstream), thats about all I can think of? Squash are usually pretty tough.

The squash borer... one day they look fine, then they turn yellow and die in a day or two. 

Usually takes asparagus several years to yield enough to make meal. 

[Ronald_55]

3 hours ago, ReeferMac said:

There is a worm/caterpillar that bores into the stem/vine on squash, have seen that same thing happen before as well. Seems to impact the winter squash more than summer type. Short of weather induced, or physical damage (stem broken upstream), thats about all I can think of? Squash are usually pretty tough.

I know growing up we raised more than we could eat with next to no upkeep. We have cucumber and watermelon close. Does it bother those?

I had something bore into my ornamental pumpkins last year. One day good, next full of tiny holes. Did not seem to mess with the vines though. 

Edited July 28, 2021 by Ronald_55

[gregintenn]

We put up 23 quarts of corn today. Mrs. Tenn wants to put up more Saturday.

[gregintenn]

21 quarts of corn today plus a few dozen ears put up on the cob. We’re now out f the corn business for the year.

[ReeferMac]

I like corn that comes from a mason jar, but 23 quarts would last me a couple years!

[Jamie Jackson]

That's outstanding Greg! Congrats on a great garden.

I agree @ReeferMac, but that's the good part about being able to can or freeze whatever we have an abundance of in a given year.

We were hit with squash borer and powdery mildew this year, but still managed to put up about 20 quarts of green beans, 30 quarts pickles and a ton of zucchini. Eating fresh tomatoes every day...awesome!

We're trying a late crop of crook neck squash and our butternut squash is coming up well. Okra is just beginning to set pods and a 3rd planting of green beans is coming up well.

The best part is eating something from the garden every day.

We still have tomatoes and sauce in the freezer from last year.

We're trying to grow rutabaga for the first time and have turnips coming up. Time will tell.

[Quavodus]

A lot of our garden is about done. A few squash, zucchini, maters and okra still coming but, just about done. Rain hasn't been coming when it needs to and we've watered some.

[gregintenn]

4 hours ago, Quavodus said:

A lot of our garden is about done. A few squash, zucchini, maters and okra still coming but, just about done. Rain hasn't been coming when it needs to and we've watered some.

Sorry to hear that. We’ve been getting rain pretty much as needed over here. Got a good rain last night in fact.

[gregintenn]

Now the green beans are producing, and producing, and producing.

The Rona may get us, but starvation ain’t likely for quite a while.

[peejman]

12 hours ago, gregintenn said:

Now the green beans are producing, and producing, and producing.

The Rona may get us, but starvation ain’t likely for quite a while.

We've only got a couple bean plants, but they've been making beans like crazy. I think we've eaten them nearly every night for 2 weeks. Had I expected this much yield, I would've saved them for canning. 

[Ronald_55]

So still WAAAAYYY behind everyone else, but had the first tomato getting ripe day before yesterday. Came home yesterday and .. gone... along with one of the ping pong size watermelons. No leftovers or any mess. Plant not beaten down or anything. No tracks to be seen around the raised bed. 

I thought I had a groundhog under the deck and set a live trap. Something got in it and tore up the ground until it broke the hinges on the exit side door. So not sure what I am dealing with. I know I see what I think is a skunk digging in the yard because it has dug out 2 or 3 yellow jacket nests. No aroma left behind though. 

All I need is something stealing the little bit of stuff we managed to get to grow this year. 

 

[Raoul]

So for me I put a bunch of peas in the freezer. Tomatoes are starting to keep me busy and I'm enjoying the green beans. I planted less than usual this year. Just wasn't quite as motivated as usual.

[TennesseeCamper]

I planted two small above ground frames, filled it with miracle grow garden soil.  Actually started a few weeks later than usual. Tomatoes, cucumbers and a few peppers.

I never did above ground before, I thought it worked pretty well. Next year I would like to add beans and okra.