The Garden Thread

[maroonandwhite]

I’m getting material purchased for a 16’x10, hoop house / greenhouse to supplement our larger uncovered garden. Two foot high side sections with cattle panels arched over the top. I’m planning to have a raised bed in one side and shelving on the other. 
 

Any tips for someone new to greenhousing? Im going to do it “right” as far as construction goes but don’t plan to go high dollar on extras. Basically just lightweight door and window frames with plastic coverings. 

[gregintenn]

I planted our garden today, except for the pepper and tomato plants. It’s supposed to be down in the 30’s tomorrow night. I’ll probably plant those Thursday.
 

First time I can remember planting without being drenched with sweat. We have had an actual spring this year! It has been nice.

Good luck to all the gardeners on the forum!

[10-Ring]

I've gotten some of mine in. I'm out of town right now, but placed several seeds in wet paper towels and put them in a box by a window before I left.  Will check them when I get back and start planting what is ready. I'm only showing a low of 41 in Lebanon tomorrow night.  Hopefully my tomatoes will be okay. 

[gregintenn]

We got our first ripe cherry tomato today.

[Jamie Jackson]

54 minutes ago, gregintenn said:

We got our first ripe cherry tomato today.

Congrats!

I've got a good bit of green Romas, Better Boy, and Best Boy but nothing ripe yet

Hopefully in a couple of weeks.

 

I am eating green beans, rutabagas, zucchini and yellow squash... but my favorite food from the garden is vine ripened tomatoes. A fresh tomato sandwich is a summer rite of passage.

[gregintenn]

We have small squash, zucchinis, peppers, green beans, and cucumbers, and lots of green tomatoes, but none are quite big enough yet. Soon.

[Jamie Jackson]

@gregintenn

You always have a beautiful garden and I look forward to you posting about it.

Just a little envious OK a lot!

You've got some great eating headed your way!

 

My little raised beds are several weeks behind where I think they should be LOL

It's been nice actually having some spring weather, but we are way behind on rain. Thankfully we finally started getting a good soak.

As my beds are raised beds, space is at a premium obviously, and I am in a constant "crop" rotational state.

My cukes are just now flowering and my squash and zucchini has just started producing.

I ate turnips and greens 5 days a week for 2 weeks (I am originally from the Deep South!) and managed to put some in the freezer. I used their allotted space to plant more green beans and they are coming up well.

I still need to work in some okra somewhere...

I sure am looking forward to that first tomato sandwich!  Soon I hope.

[gregintenn]

I’m the only one in the house who will eat turnip greens now that my older son married and moved away, so I don’t plant turnips.

You should really try canning green beans. I much prefer them to frozen. We go through a lot of those and fried sweet corn.

I was once excited to see “fried corn” on a menu somewhere. That was short lived when they brought out an ear of corn that had been dipped in corn meal and dropped in a deep fryer. Dude!!!

Edited June 19, 2023 by gregintenn

[Jamie Jackson]

Turnip greens are delicious in my South Mississippi born opinion! Love 'em.

I'm only growing bush beans at present and with my limited garden size I don't have enough production at one time to can. Buy certainly enough to eat on regularly.

I only have one 16 ft fence section (that I've grown pole beans on in the past), but that bed has my tomatoes and cukes growing at the present.

Once the cukes finish (and I make some bread & butter pickles) I may well put in some Half white runners.

I completely agree, home canned green beans are outstanding.

[Sleep profit]

At farm today tomatoes and carrots cucumbers doing well after. all the rain we have had     Had  corn but Crows pulled it out of the ground twice so no corn lol 

[gregintenn]

That was a mean storm last night. All our corn is on the ground.

[Jamie Jackson]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

That was a mean storm last night. All our corn is on the ground.

I hate to hear that Greg. Damn.

It was pretty nasty in West Knoxville too.

The blew over my "patio" container plants (tomatoes). My raised beds were mostly spared as they are on the south side of my house and the strongest winds were out on the north.

Hope you can recover, at least somewhat, from this.

[gregintenn]

44 minutes ago, Jamie Jackson said:

I hate to hear that Greg. Damn.

It was pretty nasty in West Knoxville too.

The blew over my "patio" container plants (tomatoes). My raised beds were mostly spared as they are on the south side of my house and the strongest winds were out on the north.

Hope you can recover, at least somewhat, from this.

Ain’t a big deal. The house is still standing. I’m starting to miss electricity though.

I drug out an old box of camping stuff earlier and made a pot of coffee on the grill.

Edited June 26, 2023 by gregintenn

[Sleep profit]

Bad here last night didn’t hurt plants but I have picked up small limbs all morning but I didn’t lose power thankfully. Greg I hope yours gets fixed ASAP 

[Jamie Jackson]

We only lost power for a few minutes. Just enough that several clocks needed resetting... minor inconvenience.

I have several Siege Streamlights stationed all the house.

I keep a propane canister camping stove in the garage. There will be coffee no matter what!

And from living through countless Hurricanes in SW MS and N.O. I keep a little Honda gennie in the garage and have a window unit AC in my bedroom.

I appreciate my creature comforts as I get older.

Checked my little garden beds this morning and all looks good. Gonna be cutting some zucchini and yellow squash in a couple of days. Still waiting for my green tomatoes to ripen <sigh>.

 

[gregintenn]

Lights are back on. That’s cool!

[gregintenn]

41 minutes ago, Jamie Jackson said:

We only lost power for a few minutes. Just enough that several clocks needed resetting... minor inconvenience.

I have several Siege Streamlights stationed all the house.

I keep a propane canister camping stove in the garage. There will be coffee no matter what!

And from living through countless Hurricanes in SW MS and N.O. I keep a little Honda gennie in the garage and have a window unit AC in my bedroom.

I appreciate my creature comforts as I get older.

Checked my little garden beds this morning and all looks good. Gonna be cutting some zucchini and yellow squash in a couple of days. Still waiting for my green tomatoes to ripen <sigh>.

 

We have a 7500 watt generator. It’ll run lights, the fridge, and freezers. It isn’t big enough to run the central unit though.

I’m sure glad I hung on to some of our camping gear. It comes in handy from time to time.

We have ninety something gallon water heater. It takes a while to run it out of hot water even when the electricity is off.

Edited June 26, 2023 by gregintenn

[gregintenn]

I’ll be danged if the corn isn’t starting to stand its self back up. Hopefully we can salvage at least some of it.

I’ve seen it lean and straighten back up, but this was mostly laying flat on the ground. I’ve never seen that before.

[peejman]

2 hours ago, gregintenn said:

I’ll be danged if the corn isn’t starting to stand its self back up. Hopefully we can salvage at least some of it.

I’ve seen it lean and straighten back up, but this was mostly laying flat on the ground. I’ve never seen that before.

If the corn itself hasn't really formed yet and so isn't particularly heavy, the stalks may recover if not broken. 

[gregintenn]

No corn on the stalks. That might be the difference. Thanks.

[gregintenn]

You garden guys gotta try this!

In a skillet, sauté fish fillets in oil. Season with Tony  Chachere Cajun seasoning.

In another skillet, sauté in oil one cubed zucchini and 2 or 3 cubes yellow squash with a small chopped onion, also seasoned with Cajun seasoning.

Prepare quick cook rice per instructions.

Make bed of rice on plate, top with veggies and then fish.

I just tried this on a whim, and it was delicious!!!

 

[peejman]

1 hour ago, gregintenn said:

You garden guys gotta try this!

In a skillet, sauté fish fillets in oil. Season with Tony  Chachere Cajun seasoning.

In another skillet, sauté in oil one cubed zucchini and 2 or 3 cubes yellow squash with a small chopped onion, also seasoned with Cajun seasoning.

Prepare quick cook rice per instructions.

Make bed of rice on plate, top with veggies and then fish.

I just tried this on a whim, and it was delicious!!!

 

I sautee squash, zucchini, potatoes, and onions in the skillet or on the blackstone pretty regularly. I usually use more herb based seasoning because my wife likes that better. There's a lemon rosemary that's really good. 

[gregintenn]

Wife just canned the first round of our green beans. She loves to hear those little lids pop! Thank goodness it doesn’t take a lot to make her happy.

[Alleycat72]

The next door neighbors hemp is coming up fast.  LOL

[Handsome Rob]

On 7/6/2023 at 8:11 PM, Alleycat72 said:

The next door neighbors hemp is coming up fast.  LOL

I've been meaning to visit.....

Late to the thread. All I ever plant is a few heirloom tomatoes & chili pepper varieties. Jalapeños, Datil, Aji Margariteno, Fatalii, Sugar Rush Peach & Aleppos this year. I was about 6 weeks late bringing last year's survivors outside & planting the new crop, but so far (fingers crossed) everything has survived the wind, rain, baking sun & Olivia the yard pig. All my peppers are fruiting (gonna be a bumper year for Datils!) & my maters (Amish Paste, Black Cherry, Carbons & Large Barred Boar) are about 3' tall & thriving! 

Edited July 20, 2023 by Handsome Rob