2018 Garden Thread

[tho1mas]

BH - You will need a chain saw to clean up your garden this fall. Looking good, better start stocking up on bacon.

[BilletHead]

             Question for the OAF gardening brain trust,

  Yes I could probably look it up but value your guys expertise. So tomatoes going wild still. Getting too tall IMO. The ones with very few tomatoes I don't care but the ones loaded I do. Actually have one I counted 36 growing on it. I also know there will be sometime in the season when green tomatoes will not turn but stay green. When is that cut off time? The loaded plants, should I just top them off letting all go to the tomatoes already on there? I am doing this with the cherry and need to top them every few days. So far no ill effects on the topping of those plants.   The Jolly green giant called yesterday and asked if I needed help picking. Told him I have a step ladder and apple picker on a pole .

   Starting to get and eat cherry and the angled trellis is working well for the cucumbers. Had a couple four inchers and we picked and ate one right next to the plant last Evening. 

   I also feel like a bum,   I can't slow this one down. Goes all week at work and then wants to do stuff like this. Isn't  even on our place but across the fence. Kind of like our place as landowner says do anything you want. Makes for better wildlife viewing. 

  BilletHead

[Terrierman]

I may have seriously overestimated the need for 14 tomato plants to feed the two of us and have some to can.  They are going crazy.  We'll wind up putting up whole tomatoes, tomato juice, salsa and spaghetti sauce.  Going to eat the last of the broccoli later tonight.  Didn't think I could ever get tired of asparagus but I did.  Same way with wilted salad.  First two rows of sweet corn are tasseled out now.  Next two rows are a bit over knee high.  Pole beans have bloomed and are setting on.  A row of bush beans is about two weeks behind.  Bell and jalapenos are setting on too.  Canned six pints of pickles yesterday.  More to come for certain.  Nice to have a real garden again.

[Lancer09]

Billet

I'm a bit north of you up in KC and I've got a ton set, getting ready to ripen. 

I was getting tomatoes that would ripen all the way until halloween last year. 

I lost a few of my tomatoes this year, but so far about 40 of the 48 I got out and alive are setting fruit like crazy. Peppers are taking a bit longer but the jalapenos and anaheims are starting to set a bunch. Poblanos, cubanelles, and california wonders are taking a bit longer. It's interesting, the plants at home are tall, little lanky, but fairly full. The plants out at the garden are about half the height, but about 4 times the number of leaves. Definitely better sun at the farm than at home so I think that's what's helping.

I'm sure I'm going to get hit with a bumper crop all at once, but I'll figure out something to do with it all. Though, the watering is about to kill me. 140-160 gallons of water 4 to 5 times a week all carried in five gallon buckets makes for some 

[BilletHead]

36 minutes ago, Lancer09 said:

Billet

I'm a bit north of you up in KC and I've got a ton set, getting ready to ripen. 

I was getting tomatoes that would ripen all the way until halloween last year. 

I lost a few of my tomatoes this year, but so far about 40 of the 48 I got out and alive are setting fruit like crazy. Peppers are taking a bit longer but the jalapenos and anaheims are starting to set a bunch. Poblanos, cubanelles, and california wonders are taking a bit longer. It's interesting, the plants at home are tall, little lanky, but fairly full. The plants out at the garden are about half the height, but about 4 times the number of leaves. Definitely better sun at the farm than at home so I think that's what's helping.

I'm sure I'm going to get hit with a bumper crop all at once, but I'll figure out something to do with it all. Though, the watering is about to kill me. 140-160 gallons of water 4 to 5 times a week all carried in five gallon buckets makes for some 

               Eating cherry tomatoes, a couple cucumbers with more coming on quickly, banana peppers on and snacking on those too. Have several green jalapenos that can be picked. Some mild jalapenos getting good sized. Cubanells , big bells have good size too. As I watered early this morning noticed some tomato leaves missing. After further scanning found three hornworms. Plucked them off and the fish in the garden pond got a snack out of the garden too. Have dried oregano, Mexican oregano, sage and red and green basil. Tray after tray of it. Jars are full. Waiting for the rosemary to get larger and I will start drying it too. 

   Bummer about carrying so much water. I have a good long hose for the main garden. Other outskirt plants Use a trailer and four wheeler. Five gallon buckets and a siphon hose. My smaller berry plants just started this spring I water by the small siphon hose slowly to soak in and not run off. I also caution anyone from ordering from direct gardening. I will never do it again. I ordered six giant red gooseberry plants. Took forever to get them in. They were dry with crispy roots. I called and finally got through to them. They said plant them and wait at least six weeks. Two out of the six came through. So six weeks later I went through the process to get the four replaced. They looked worse than the original four. None came out of it in the next six weeks. I asked for a refund and I would order elsewhere.  No refund? I said not happy. Well sir you have 14 days to return plants the first time. I said how am I going to know that if you say to give plants six weeks to start. You have to read the fine print was the answer. So I said I guess I will keep ordering until I get six living plants. Then he said no sir you will not. You can reorder just for a year from original purchase. This is one ElCheapo outfit so never again and I caution all who read this,

   BilletHead 

[ness]

Honestly haven't paid a lot of attention to my garden this year. Maters are doing as well as they can given their lack of attention. Getting a few SunGold cherries. Two 4x4 squares of bush beans are a total loss. One variety barely germinated and they both succumbed to some kind of disease when they still had just the two cotyledons. 

Sucks about your Gooseberry order. I Googled them and they've got a 1.5/5 rating on Google, so you're not the first to get screwed. I got my Gooseberries and currants from Stark Bros, if I remember correctly. I lost all but one in the next couple years, and replanted more in 2015 of which only 1 survives for a total of 2 (1 gooseberry, one currant). Just haven't had great luck with them. The best one is a Hinnomaki Red gooseberry.

[BilletHead]

8 minutes ago, ness said:

Honestly haven't paid a lot of attention to my garden this year. Maters are doing as well as they can given their lack of attention. Getting a few SunGold cherries. Two 4x4 squares of bush beans are a total loss. One variety barely germinated and they both succumbed to some kind of disease when they still had just the two cotyledons. 

Sucks about your Gooseberry order. I Googled them and they've got a 1.5/5 rating on Google, so you're not the first to get screwed. I got my Gooseberries and currants from Stark Bros, if I remember correctly. I lost all but one in the next couple years, and replanted more in 2015 of which only 1 survives for a total of 2 (1 gooseberry, one currant). Just haven't had great luck with them. The best one is a Hinnomaki Red gooseberry.

             Yes found out about that rating after the problem. Lesson learned. I tried the Hinnomaki last year. Had one live out of four. I should of stayed on top of that too but did not. It had berries this season and I think they were very tasty. Actually a grape taste. Who knows what the ones are actually from direct gardening, might be the same. I have always had luck with green gooseberries in all I have ordered. Next time I will pay a bit more and order from a nursery that specializes in gooseberries. They are out there! We did at one time order a variety current assortment. I think four plants. They made it two years and fruited the second. Interesting flavor, liked it but I did not take care of things like we do know and they died out. MAy try again some time. As we fish out west we forage and feast on wild red and black currents. Picked enough one time I added them to my homemade granola cereal Pat makes. Yowza it took it up a notch ,

   BilletHead

[Quillback]

Well my rather modest garden has certainly been turning out the cukes for the last couple of weeks.  Been eating a lot of Greek salads (cukes, black olives, onion and feta cheese).  If my cherry tomatoes ever ripen I'll add those to the salad, assuming the cukes are still coming in.  I am once again trying to lose weight, eating all those salads helps.

Got some nice sized tomatoes on a couple of plants, can't wait for them to ripen.  

Found a couple of those hornworms on my plants too.  I throw them in the street and let the birds have them.

[Terrierman]

So far we've put up six pints of Amish (sweet) dills and nine pints of bread and butter pickles.  And the pickling cucumber avalanche is just starting.  Next up will be some hot dill spears.  And soon enough, the tomato avalanche will start too.  Go long in Ball Jar is my hot stock tip of the day.

[ness]

Welp, getting some rain today.