2016 Garden Thread

[ness]

Pulled out the tomatoes, remaining leeks, onions and beets. Defeat. Pulled a bunch of carrots that are kinda stunted. Don't think I'll do carrots or onions again. Too good from the store to mess with. All that remain are peppers and pole beans. Did bring in about 10 banana peppers, but if the rest don't pick up I'll be pulling them too. Cubanelles, Anaheims and poblanos are too little to mess with. Beans have shut down, but they always seem to and then pick up later in the season. What a crappy year. I think my soil needs a rest and a big dose of compost. Will probably forego a fall garden. 

[tho1mas]

What a crappy year. I think my soil needs a rest and a big dose of compost. Will probably forego a fall garden. 

Except for early crops this year, this year has been a bust for me also.

[jdmidwest]

I have zucchini plants that are chest high and have the best foliage ever, but have never set a squash all summer.

My third planting of okra has finally produced its first fruit.  It is about a foot tall and made 2 piece of okra.

My third planting of green beans are up and looking good.

My zinnias, sunflowers, and wildflowers I planted amounted to nothing.  I have no flowers.

Cucumbers produced about 1 cuc a week and now have yellow blotches and are dying.

Peppers are sickly and frail.  Don't expect much there.

Tomatoes did alright.  Too wet and cold at start, then too dry and hot, now too wet again.

If I was living off the land this year, I would be robbing the neighbors.

[MOPanfisher]

My tomato plants were awesome for a while but just barely produce enough to eat.  Peppers never amounted to anything, still a few cukes and squash.  Best plant I have is a volunteer acorn squash growing from my compost pile.  Abut time to plant some fall garden in the form of turnips mostly, maybe with a mix of spinach and other greens as well.  Might even plant some winter wheat, except that just draws in deer.  My gardens need a lot of organic matter or a year or two of repeated planting green manure crops and turning it under.

[tho1mas]

Glad to hear I'm not the only one that has to buy all four items for a BLT.

[MOPanfisher]

I like bacon, cucumber & tomato sammich's.  Espcially if the cucumber slices have been marinating in some vinegar and sugar for a day or so.

[BilletHead]

   Twice on our trip so far we have had bacon,cubanelle and tomato versions. Very tasty,

BilletHead

[BilletHead]

   Well getting ready to pull the tomatoes. Pretty sad, still some green ones but the table in the house has maters on it so we are ready to be rid of the ugly plants left,

Got some lettuce started in pots plus tilled the big beds. One Bed I did direct plant some rows. The other will be for transplants,

    Then there are the peppers going strong. Cubanelles, jalapenos, chili and sweet yum-yums.

   It has been a good year,

BilletHead

[tho1mas]

Perhaps for you. Sixty miles should not make that much difference but my garden did not get it done this summer. Very small maters, almost no peppers, a few green beans & cucumbers.

Hope fall crop will produce better.

Did you have a baby setter for your pig & hum. birds while you all were out West?

[BilletHead]

  Yes we did Tho1mas,

 The pig looked sad in his dirt bed as i took his tomato canopy away from him before we left. Hummingbirds were fat and happy when we got back though. They are still swarming around the feeders but they will son start trickling out of here. As always hope they remember their free buffet and come back next Spring.

  Hope you have a good fall crop, not sure how we did so well with this garden. The pictures of this Falls planting of lettuce I took this morning. I walked by the ones started in the pots  this afternoon and they have sprouted. Do you talk to your plants? Maybe that is what you need to do. I visit with my crop everyday. Gets lonely when Mrs. BilletHead goes to work .