The Garden Thread

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Lester, love to see some pictures of this once it gets settled in...

 

Hi Thundersnow

 

Hopefully it will get big and bushy in another month. However, in case it up and dies, here are some (not very good) pictures of its current state. Wife started late but planted sprouts rather than seed.

 

You can click on the pictures to expand em on-screen. Taken about 9 am when still shaded. That spot gets sun from about 10 am to maybe 6 or 7 pm. We have a lot of shade and that's about as good as it gets.

 

The squashes on the right have been blooming a couple of weeks, and the only one that is struggling is the little guy on the far right. It doesn't look diseased, and has bloomed, but just isn't growing much. The mater plants on the left are approaching 2 feet high but not quite time to tie em up, AFAIK.

 

The redneck fence extension out of conduit and farm wire, was put up 5 years ago when we adopted a young coon hound who hadn't decided yet whether he wanted to stick around, before we fenced that back woodsy area for him to run in.

 

That trash down in the "valley" is the bucked remains of a big oak that fell from behind my shop (out of the picture to the left) and wiped out two sections of railing on that little deck in the valley. The wiped out rail sections can't be seen in the bottom pic. Could have been worse, as it didn't break the deck or the long run of deck steps leading down there, and then the tree laid down to the right of the van without hurting the van. I've been dragging out the bigger pieces of oak to rip into boards, and dragging the other stuff over near the back fence gate to get hauled off.

 

 

[NRA]

interesting Lester, cant wait to see if this works out.

[BrokeEnthusiast]

Anyone tried the Mittleider garden method?  Ive seen some good things on YouTube about it but wasnt sure how practical it was

[Dennis1209]

LOL. I agree Dennis. Waterbath canning can steam up the kitchen...but it's well worth the effort.

 

We picked, and blanched 7 quarts of bush beans (from the two 4x4' beds) yesterday. Those went into the freezer for now. When we have about 15-20 quarts in there, I'll pressure can them. We use the freezer as a temporary storage device, allowing for volume and time.

Our pole beans a blooming out, and with last night's rain, should kick into gear pretty well.

 

I'm starting a 5 day stretch of 12 hour shifts at work...my routine...so this system works best for us.

 

 

 

 

TrickyNicky;

 

I would definitely be interested in a tutorial and explanation of your system when the time and situation works out for you.

I'll be looking forward to the fall. Thank you. :up:

 

 

Hi Prag.

 

Many of my turnips are ready so today between the rain I managed to pick a bunch and canning them as I speak. I love turnips but the wife hates them?

 

WOW, some of you guys are getting green beans already, mine are just flowering. Between our mid May frost and the torrential flooding, I had to plant them three times. Unfortunately, I'm not going to have even one ripe tomato even close to July 4th as I had hoped. I have a bunch on the vines and a few between baseball and softball size the wife will probably grab for green fried tomato's, yum yum!

 

If at all possible, I try to grow things as organic as possible. But, I had to use some Bug-B-Gone on my cabbage, blackberries, rose bushes and fruit trees. Them damn beetles are back and damaging my plants like you wouldn't believe.

 

I know more than a plant (I thought) so I planted my zucchini at two week intervals so I don't get swamped with zucchini coming out of my ears. Well, didn't work out as I had planned, there overwhelming me. Time for zucchini bread and organic targets.

 

For some reason my sweet banana peppers are not growing well?

 

Love a garden and fresh veggies!

[Jamie Jackson]

We haven't planted any turnips, mustard, or collards yet. We usually plant them in the fall after the beans have finished. Heck, we were picking greens and pulling turnips into January this year.  :pleased: 

 

I did my second picking of bush beans today, blanched and put another 4 quarts in the freezer. I'm surprised at how productive 2 little 4x4' raised beds are...and the beans are delicious. My DW says we'll be planting more of them next year LOL.

It looks like our pole beans should be ready for picking next week. I was hoping for more blooms and less mass...maybe later. We'll see...But I'm pretty sure the missus is right and we'll invest our limited space on bush beans as they are proving more productive. Live and learn.

 

 

I canned another 24 quarts of dill pickles this afternoon as well. Obviously...this year...a 4x16' bed of cucumbers is too many.  But some years it's not enough...

 

All of out tomatoes are still green, except a few of the Moby Grape (kinda like cherry tomatoes, but grow in clusters and are indeterminate).

 

We stay as "organic" as possible Dennis. But earlier this year I had to hit the thornless blackberries with some Sevin Dust. (before they even bloomed) and I'm glad I did. My Bride had a blackberry cobbler waiting on me when I got in from work last evening. :yum:

[Caster]

I just pulled my green beans. (Bush beans). I know they'll keep bearing but I like to plant late tomatos where they are. I have a 20'x40' raised bed and I planted three (40') rows of green beans. I planted them about 60 days ago and the yield was about (5) five gallon buckets full. I find it easier to harvest them standing up anyway so I pull bush and all and pick the beans on the bench.
The leftover bushes get fed to my buddies live stock. Goats will nibble anything.

I'm canning these beans right now. I am convinced that a good green bush bean is one of the very best garden items for SHTF/survival living. The turn around time and yield is excellent. They require almost zero maintenance. Green beans may get old after a while but they are very good for you and will keep you strong while you track down a piece of meat to add to the plate.

I went on a gardening vacation for a few years but I'm back on it.

I've got about forty or fifty tomatos on the vine and just planted a dozen or so more plants this morning. Edited July 7, 2013 by Caster

[peejman]

Sounds like you guys are doing good. We've gotten some green beans and they've been delicious, though not enough to bother with canning. Still no maters yet. I wonder if all this rain isn't hurting them. My okra plants are barely knee high so got a while to wait for that too.

[Jamie Jackson]

I'm with you on the green beans Caster. As close to effortless a garden food as there is.

 

I put up another 4 quarts from our little raised beds today and plan on cutting them and replanting as we still have plenty of time for anther crop of them...we'll be planting a 4x16 ' area as well.

 

 

peejman,

 

Our okra is struggling too. We simply have had too much rain and not enough hot weather (which okra likes) for it to kick off just yet.

 

We are finally getting a few ripe tomatoes...we're loaded with green ones...just need a little sunshine... :pleased:

[Caster]

I know the rain is hurting regular gardens but mine is loving it. It's the benefit of a raised bed garden. It drains fast and tolerates cold and water better than the traditional garden.
Remind me to tell you in the August draught the bad thing about raised beds. LOL


They suck down the water and can get too hot in the summer.

[gunwhatgun]

Our beans did nothing this year. They thrived got blooms then nothing. They are hardy and cover the poles but no beans. I am going to pull them in a couple of weeks and replant to try for a fall crop.

[Jamie Jackson]

Finally...finally..the cucumbers are finished, Whew... :surrender:

 

I canned 23 pints of bread and butters pickles today...ran out of the spices for them..so canned another 10 pints of hamburger kosher dills...

 

The plants are coming down and the bed will be planted with more green beans. :pleased:

[gunwhatgun]

It is late July, I thought I would bump this up and see how everyones garden was doing. Our cukes and squash are slowing down but the tomatoes have really just stated kicking out a steady supply of reds. Peppers are rockin' as well as the okra. the second crop of beans is starting to come up and the melons are getting bigger. How are things going for yall?

[Guest USMC 2013]

Anyone tried the Mittleider garden method?  Ive seen some good things on YouTube about it but wasnt sure how practical it was

If that's the only way you decide that you can garden it is better than not gardening.  That being said, it is not sustainable, I believe there are cheaper ways to produce higher quality produce and it actually hurts your soil.  (petroleum based fertilizers kill the soil hyphae (sp?) and beneficial bacteria in your soil.)

 

Ever heard of Jason Akers?  He has an awesome book about sustainable agriculture, building systems that do not need outside inputs.  The dude is pretty smart and taught me a lot.  I highly recommend his book.  See below.  (Disclaimer, after listening to Jason's podcasts for a few months I realized we live near each other and long story short we are friends, but I recommended his podcast before I ever met and have paid money for copies of his book to give to family.  I really do recommend it.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Gather-Grow-Eat-Independence/dp/1475275412/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374887528&sr=8-1&keywords=jason+akers

 

Joe

[Guest Lester Weevils]

In wife's little squash and maters straw bale experiment (late start and not a full day's sun on the spot), the maters have got higher up near the fence top, tied off to the fence. There are 6 small green maters so far, hopefully ready to eat in a few days if something else doesn't eat them first.

 

The zucchini and yellow squashes have got big and bushy, and have been blooming steady several weeks, but no squashes yet. Its been 2 decades since I grew a garden and don't recall what little baby squash buds look like, There are some little buds but maybe they are just more blooms getting ready to spread. Can't see evidence of anything eating on the squashes. How long after they start blooming, do you expect to get squashes?

[peejman]

Cukes are finally rolling in. Maters are growing really slowly. Got a handful of okra, but a long way to go yet. Beans are done.

[thundersnow]

Just pulled some of the early season veggies that weren't doing too well in favor of some newer stuff that can take the heat of summer. Fingers crossed.

[BrokeEnthusiast]

If that's the only way you decide that you can garden it is better than not gardening.  That being said, it is not sustainable, I believe there are cheaper ways to produce higher quality produce and it actually hurts your soil.  (petroleum based fertilizers kill the soil hyphae (sp?) and beneficial bacteria in your soil.)

 

Ever heard of Jason Akers?  He has an awesome book about sustainable agriculture, building systems that do not need outside inputs.  The dude is pretty smart and taught me a lot.  I highly recommend his book.  See below.  (Disclaimer, after listening to Jason's podcasts for a few months I realized we live near each other and long story short we are friends, but I recommended his podcast before I ever met and have paid money for copies of his book to give to family.  I really do recommend it.)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Hunt-Gather-Grow-Eat-Independence/dp/1475275412/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374887528&sr=8-1&keywords=jason+akers

 

Joe

Thanks Joe, I'll check it out.  That was the one thing I didnt like about the Mittleider thing.

[Mark A]

we stayed a bit busy this weekend. I'm liking our new system this year. We decided to do 2 raised beds  and do our best to eat out of them as much as possible. For canning we would buy from the farmers market in quantity. We just can't grow enough to can a bunch of food. It seems to work for us. Anyway, 17 pints of tomato basil sauce, 14 pints of bourbon peach BBQ sauce, and 5 pints of raw packed blueberries. I have everything ready for tomorrow night which will be 15 pints of cherry, blueberry, strawberry jam... My wife likes jam and also we give a lot away as gifts.

 

 

Mark

Edited July 30, 2013 by Mark A

[Jamie Jackson]

Looking Good Mark !. :up:

 

Being able to preserve foods is a rewarding experience isn't it?

 

Maybe you can share that recipe for the bourbon peach BBQ sauce... :yum: 

[Dennis1209]

A frustrating year for production and my vegetable garden is now a weed garden. I planted more than I could keep weeded because it was much to muddy most the time to do anything.

 

A severe thunder storm came along a month ago and blew my 34 tomato plants / cages to the ground. Didn't try to upright them after the first try broke the main stem at the ground so let them lay. With all the rain we got in a short periods of time over a couple of weeks (like 5 inches, 2 inches, three inches, etc.) twenty of my tomato plants in standing water I guess drowned. Of the remaining plants, just when a tomato is "about" vine ripened and ready o pick, go out the next day and something was munching on it. A bumper crop of wabbits here this year I suppose.

 

With the exception of zucchini and turnips, nothing produced as well as last year. Canned 28 quarts of Blue Lake bush beans so far and the pickings are slimmer and slimmer (planted about 150 linear yards of them).

 

Sweet banana peppers finally started to produce fair and canned 14 1/2 pints of pepper rings. They are great on sandwiches, hamburgers, etc.

 

Watermelon and cantaloupe are molding / rotting away laying on the ground? I've noticed areas of the soil with what looks like mold on it? At least the beetles were not bad this year.

 

Next year I'm going to go smaller I do believe.

[peejman]

Looking Good Mark !. :up:

 

Being able to preserve foods is a rewarding experience isn't it?

 

Maybe you can share that recipe for the bourbon peach BBQ sauce... :yum:

 

 

Yes, do tell....  :wave:

 

 

A frustrating year for production and my vegetable garden is now a weed garden. I planted more than I could keep weeded because it was much to muddy most the time to do anything.

 

A severe thunder storm came along a month ago and blew my 34 tomato plants / cages to the ground. Didn't try to upright them after the first try broke the main stem at the ground so let them lay. With all the rain we got in a short periods of time over a couple of weeks (like 5 inches, 2 inches, three inches, etc.) twenty of my tomato plants in standing water I guess drowned. Of the remaining plants, just when a tomato is "about" vine ripened and ready o pick, go out the next day and something was munching on it. A bumper crop of wabbits here this year I suppose.

 

With the exception of zucchini and turnips, nothing produced as well as last year. Canned 28 quarts of Blue Lake bush beans so far and the pickings are slimmer and slimmer (planted about 150 linear yards of them).

 

Sweet banana peppers finally started to produce fair and canned 14 1/2 pints of pepper rings. They are great on sandwiches, hamburgers, etc.

 

Watermelon and cantaloupe are molding / rotting away laying on the ground? I've noticed areas of the soil with what looks like mold on it? At least the beetles were not bad this year.

 

Next year I'm going to go smaller I do believe.

 

 

Similar stuff here.  I think it's just been too wet for several of the veggies.... tomato and okra in particular.  The melons will mold/rot if left on the ground.  You need to sit them on some straw or something that drains to get them up out of the dirt.  We've tried cantaloupe and watermelon in the past.  We got exactly one good cantaloupe and never got a watermelon much past football sized before they rotted. 

[Mark A]

we did:

16# of peaches, blanched, peeled, and diced into chunks

1 cup lemon juice

enough canola oil to sweat the onions

4 sweet onions chopped

I also chopped up 2 jalapenos, seeds and all

30 cloves of garlic

6 cups of dark brown sugar

4 cups of cider vinegar

2ish cups of bourbon. 1ish cup for the cook... : - )

4 cups lea & perrins

1 cup tomato paste

3 tbsp ground ginger

2 tbsp chili powder


sweat the onions for a bit, add in the jalapenos and garlic.

after a few minutes add the peaches in stirring frequently. Then add the brown sugar, cider vinegar and bourbon. In about 30 minutes everything will be soft. Either puree in the pot with a immersion blender or transfer the mixture to a blender.

once it is all pureed transfer it back to the pot and bring it to a boil while adding the rest of the ingredients in.

Turn the heat down to a simmer and let it percolate along until it reaches the thickness and consistency you like. I had to cook mine on low overnight to get it to the thickness we felt was right

sterilize everything and get it in jars with about 1/4 head space

Process in a BWB for 15 minutes unless you live waaaayyyy up on the mountain. if you do you should cook it for 20 minutes

We got about 14 pints out of this, Mark

[peejman]

Garlic cloves chopped or whole? 

[Mark A]

I roughed chopped them but in the end it all gets blended together so...

 

Mark

[tennessee01tacoma]

So my in-laws have a pretty big garden that my wife and I help them with, so far we have canned about 100 quarts of green beans and have put a bunch of corn in the freezer in quart bags. Our potatoes didn't do well at all, tomato plants have some big tomatoes just not a lot of them. I started some herbs from seeds they didn't make it after I removed them from the little greenhouse, I'm new at gardening but I'm not afraid of work. So maybe next year, I'll try again.