You Reap What You Sow (Garden Harvests)

[ness]

Well, I'm getting maters of a couple Celebrity plants, and one Cherokee Purple. All my maters but the Celebrities look feeble. My beans are being devastated by the crud, getting some on the maters too.

Pulled about a third of my onions -- the red ones. OK sized, averaging about the size of a pool ball. Doesn't look like the other 2/3 will be even that big. Generally, stuff's not looking all to good.

Didn't grow cukes this year, but have bought some pickling cukes from Wal-Mart. They're pretty small. Did two quarts of refrigerator dill spears a couple weeks ago and 7 pints last night. Pickled two quarts of beets from the garden too.

[tippet7]

Easy bread & butter pickles

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup a/c vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp mustard seed

Heat to almost boiling

Slice cuks & sweet onions 1/2 in. thick - stack in jar.

Pour mixture into jar.

Let cool to room temp - put in frig - eat the next day.

Wow! My first ever attempt at pickles. I added a jalapeno pepper. The jar is already gone.

[ness]

Wow! My first ever attempt at pickles. I added a jalapeno pepper. The jar is already gone.

Ha! Bread and butters are good eats, and pretty easy to do. When you've got a fridge to store pickles in, the whole canning thing goes away and the world pof pickles opens up. Keep plugging away!

[budman]

tippet glad to see you tried adding a jalapeno pepper to your mix. You should try using the bread and butter mix with a whole jar of peppers. Cut the stems off and you will have to let them soak for about a month but they are great. Made one jar last year and once they were opened they didn't last long. Plan on making several more this year.

[BilletHead]

I got to do me some of these pickles. Peppers too. Bummer about some of your plants Ness. We all work hard to make the garden grow. Lots of time spent. Don't really know why but this season out garden is the best we have had. I know one thing I have done different is when tomato leaves and stems start to get the crud you speak of I snip them off. I heard the stuff travels from leaf to leaf right up the vine? Share some photos here,

An couple of aerial views from the roof top. Had to spread out the pepper tubs some as they are starting to crowd each other.

Some of the maters,

Peppers, peppers, peppers,

BilletHead

[Jason R.]

Latest tomato/banana pepper harvest.

Some bigguns on the way. I think these are Russian Black Krims.

[ness]

BH -- my garden started out the year better than I've had in a long, long time. The early season stuff was fantastic. Just don't know what's going on with the rest -- maters and peppers are both smaller than they should be, a couple maters are just flat sickly. At least I'm getting some.

[BilletHead]

I understand Ness. Mine might turn South too. We always take that chance if not it may be our record haul of what we planted. Good looking tomatoes Jason. We have some big ones too. Have picked a couple of early girls so far. Drooling for more. Have had three tomato hornworms. When I see plant tops being chewed on I just dust that plant top. Go out a bit later and their is the little creep laying on the ground wiggling in pain I hope.

BilletHead

[Jason R.]

Thanks billet. I havent seen a hornworm yet- had every other pest though.

[David Unnerstall]

I came out one morning this week and some of my corn stalks were laying on the ground. It must have been elephants because.......all the stalks had their ears to the ground.

Well enough of that, here is what I have going on a half-mile from the city limits:

I have picked one tomato from a plant I bought from an Amish farmer at Tower Grove Farmer's Market, one carrot and three beans. I did not grow cucumbers because I managed to put up enough pickles last year for two years. I planted the broccoli late and although the plants are large there are no florets on them, as yet. Hopefully they will get in the spirit in the fall. I do expect to be picking a lot of beans and tomatoes here shortly. My only pest problem so far is rabbits. I should fence in everything except the tomatoes.