Beemaster's International Beekeeping Forum

ALMOST BEEKEEPING - RELATED TOPICS => GARDENING AROUND THE HOUSE => Topic started by: bwallace23350 on June 03, 2016, 09:28:32 am

Title: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 03, 2016, 09:28:32 am
Post what you are harvesting.
So far this year, I have had radishes, asparagus, squash, banana peppers, cayenne peppers, green beans, blueberries, and my first tomato yesterday.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 03, 2016, 02:54:43 pm
I got a late start with my garden. We got "a" zucchini squash and a couple of cayenne peppers.

I got another tractor a couple of months ago so next year I'll be more timely.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 03, 2016, 04:38:17 pm
I am looking at a 600 dollar increase in my fruit and nut tree production.  Will probably equal about 10 new fruit and nut trees apiece.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: BeeMaster2 on June 04, 2016, 07:15:19 am
My wife just picked 45 pounds of cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peppers, egg plant and green beans. She has pulled about that much each week for the last 3 weeks. She also has watermen, pumpkins, cantaloupe, corn and all finds of spices growing.
Jim
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 05, 2016, 07:42:22 pm
That sounds wonderful. Yall must have a huge garden. I have a pretty large herb garden also. I am soon going to be trying my hand at some pesto sauce. Also got two artichokes this year going. I hope they do well. Have you ever tried to grow them?
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: BeeMaster2 on June 05, 2016, 09:52:15 pm
This past fall I plowed a new garden for my wife next to our new house. It is 36, x 60'. I was going to make it bigger but she did not want it bigger. Had to put an electric fence around it to keep the deer, cows and pig out of it.
Tomorrow morning my wife is going to pick everything she can before we get the 8" of rain we are expected to get. It will be raining for several days. TS Collin is coming straight over us.
Jim
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: PhilK on June 06, 2016, 03:35:48 am
What do you do with that much fruit and veg? Sell it? Preserve it?
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: BeeMaster2 on June 06, 2016, 09:31:37 am
What do you do with that much fruit and veg? Sell it? Preserve it?
My wife cans a lot. Makes pickles, relish and salsa. She also gives a lot today our neighbors, friends and family.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 06, 2016, 11:45:23 am
I used to can but now I have to much so I have decided this year to find some elderly women and give them a bunch of stuff.

My first tomato is ready today. It truly is a joyous day.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 06, 2016, 02:08:05 pm
You just about can't beat a tomato from your garden.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: cao on June 06, 2016, 06:40:39 pm
+1 on what GSF said.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 07, 2016, 11:14:19 am
Tomatoes and okra from the garden with hot peppers sliced up in them all stewed together is the perfect side dish
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 09, 2016, 02:29:51 pm
I am putting up gallons of blueberries as we speak.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 10, 2016, 08:25:29 am
Same here, ever since we got bees the blueberries have went off the chart. We freeze ours and mainly make blueberry smoothie - awesome!
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 10, 2016, 02:19:27 pm
I eat them raw and put them in my morning oatmeal. My tomatoes are starting to come in heavy. Next year I am venturing into blackberries.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on June 10, 2016, 05:58:58 pm
Have not gotten tomatoes yet. Hoping the blackberries hold on. Need little more rain. I have two plots of them. One six acres and one 12 acres.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: minz on June 10, 2016, 09:02:51 pm
spring peas, blueberries starting, red raspberries, asparagus is done. corn is 3" tall
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: BeeMaster2 on June 10, 2016, 11:54:01 pm
Have not gotten tomatoes yet. Hoping the blackberries hold on. Need little more rain. I have two plots of them. One six acres and one 12 acres.
John,
Do you pick them all your self or do you allow people to come and pick them?
Jim
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 11, 2016, 11:03:37 am
That is a pile of blackberries. I am thinking of stating to grow some next year. Do you have varieties to recommend?
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on June 11, 2016, 08:33:45 pm
They are all wild blackberry fields. One 6 across from house. One at my outyard the owner cuts rows thru them for me. They are there for the picking. Last year I made ten cases of seedless  no sugar jam. Gave most as gifts some customers wanted to buy for gifts for their families.

John

Hoping to get some red plums from farmers market. Over ripe ones. I made some plum jam that tastedjust like cranberry sauce. I'm out of that and want to make me couple cases to have all year.crazy good. Make it low sugar to give it that twang.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 13, 2016, 09:10:47 am
bwallace, My neighbor ventures into blackberries a couple of years ago. I'll try to get you some names and info on what he has. I want to say he got most of them at "Petals from the Past" up in Jemison. Dr Powell is a retired professor(?) from Auburn. He's basically a fruit scientist. If it won't do good around here they won't sell it. I've never been to a nursery who's staff were so knowledgeable. Most of the staff has been there multiple years. www.petalsfromthepast.com
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 14, 2016, 12:48:16 pm
I have heard good things about them. I have always wanted to stop by. Thanks
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 14, 2016, 04:48:42 pm
My tomatoes are starting to come in heavy. I grow about 8 different varieties but I prefer the cherry tomato of any variety for eating because they are just so good straight off the vine.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 15, 2016, 10:16:11 am
Right now I'm starting to get the first fruits in my garden. Couple of cayenne, zucchinis'(sp), squash, bell pepper, and looks like the other stuff may be a week or so off. We got a ton of blue berries already. For some reason the blueberries didn't taste as good as they did last year.

Now that I got a decent tractor I should be able to get the garden in early. We just haven't been getting the rain either up here.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 15, 2016, 11:30:22 am
I agree my blueberry taste was off this year. It was odd.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 15, 2016, 03:14:42 pm
I Google d "How to tell if your blue berries are ripe." Somewhere out there in cyber space I read someone else saying the same thing. Love me a good blueberry smoothie.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 16, 2016, 08:29:23 am
Update on blueberries. Background info; It's been dry around here for the last month. I watered my blueberries twice. In the last week we've got about an inch and a half of rain. I am always impressed what rain does for a plant. Water will sustain a garden but rain will make it thrive. My blueberries are bigger and better tasting now. Nothing's changed in our picking schedule. The flavor difference is awesome!
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 16, 2016, 10:26:29 am
I have watered mine once a week when it was dry and even the rain has not improved the flavour. Perhaps my last two bushes just now starting to get ripe will have a robust good flavour
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 18, 2016, 10:16:00 am
In the storms last night I lost pretty much most of my corn and some ripe tomatoes but with 60 mph winds that was about as good as could be expected.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on June 18, 2016, 07:23:48 pm
Picked my first 5 gal bucket of blackberries. Made two pints of no sugar just berries for sister in law. Good but very tart. Who she likes it. Made 2 cases of jam .one with 1/3 less sugar and one with wisteria/ honeysuckle honey. Both taste great. Now just cooling on counter. Waiting to put labels on. This should last till next year or when I sell them. When people find out I made them they want to buy them because it's ten times better than the store ones they say.

John

Now waiting for my black walnuts to get ready. That's the slow ones. And hard to shell.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Maggiesdad on June 18, 2016, 07:28:46 pm
I shell my walnuts with a big shop vise. Easy to control the cracking pressure and not press shell pieces into the nutmeats.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on June 18, 2016, 07:33:04 pm
Still slow and tedious to do.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: gww on June 18, 2016, 09:28:28 pm
Divemaster
How do you keep the blackberry jam from crysalizing?  We make Blackberry and grape but both have to be ate with in a couple of months or the have a gritty taste.
Thanks
gww 
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on June 18, 2016, 10:36:44 pm
Divemaster
How do you keep the blackberry jam from crysalizing?  We make Blackberry and grape but both have to be ate with in a couple of months or the have a gritty taste.
Thanks
gww
I use the ball pectin. Follow to the tee. Use the hot bath.  Then store in cool dark pantry. We keep ours at  62- 67 degrees. Cane keep jams a freeze dried goods for year or more.

John
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: gww on June 18, 2016, 11:18:22 pm
Divemaster
Thanks for the responce.  My storage might be a couple of degrees warmer. 
gww
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on June 19, 2016, 01:50:00 am
Divemaster
Thanks for the responce.  My storage might be a couple of degrees warmer. 
gww
Also with small seed fruit I use a juicer to remove seeds. Just use the the juice so their could storage problem with having seeds in jams. Don't quote me on this just a thought. I had heard of that problem but have not had it because I don't have the seeds in my jams.

John
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: gww on June 19, 2016, 09:56:35 am
Divemaster
I get the crysalization on the grape jelly also.  I have read a couple of tips on the internet about leaving the juice in the fridge for a day or two and skimming/straining it and such but must admit I haven't followed through.  I think mostly we are just going to freeze the juice and make jelly as and when needed.  I don't know how welches does it though and am always looking for tips.
Thanks
gww
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 20, 2016, 02:27:04 pm
Squash is coming in pretty good now. We'll pick and store it in the A/C for about 2-3 days until we get a good mess. Then we'll pressure can it and put it up.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 23, 2016, 03:39:43 pm
This is probably going to be the 2nd best year for my garden ever if things just stay about the same. Tomatoes are making huge good tomatoes, the squash is still going strong, the peas did great, the corn has been mostly salvaged, the green beans did great, my peppers are loaded. The only downside has been lots of less than tasty blueberries.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on June 23, 2016, 07:50:25 pm
I lost most of my tomatoes. Something in the soil is making them dry up. I have never had this problem before. Sent off a soil sample to be tested. Luckily the couple that owns one of my outyards has had a bumper crop this year. Picked bushel of peaches. Bushel plums. Bushel of cucumbers. They have muscadine coming in strong. He wants me to help him make wine this year with them .should be enough for 15 gals.his black walnut trees are loaded. And he wants me to have them all. He says he has 20 gal bags of nuts still in his freezer. So I'm lucky enough to have some crops to eat this year.l'v picked two five gal buckets of blackberries. They are drying up fast so lucky to get that much. But the ones I got are still plump.crushed most the packed five one gal bags  to freeze for pies or cobler.

John
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 24, 2016, 10:55:27 am
Sorry about tomatoes but the rest sounds awesome. I am hoping to expand the orchard out next year with blackberries, a few more nut trees, and some grapes. I am researching the grapes I want to grow right now.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on June 28, 2016, 09:23:49 am
Petals from the Past, Dr Powell, has a good video on blackberries. My plans are to put some in the ground within the next year. Other than that, mostly dry here. In the last 10-15 years the rain fall has change in about a 2-3 mile radius of where I live. Around here you just about have to water your garden at least once or it'll either die or won't make. I use to write on the calendar when it rained outside of the 2-3 mile radius and compared it to my rain. 7 to 1 was the ratio I got. Oh well, adapt, improvise, and overcome.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on June 30, 2016, 12:45:21 pm
We have been lucky on the rain. I am sure my garden right now is rotting on the ground. We have had some rain but I have had to stay away from the garden and work because of a baby with pink eye. Oh well I will yank the over growth and rotten tomatoes off and hopefully pick on Friday when I should be able to get back to it. Thanks for the video.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on July 05, 2016, 02:53:36 pm
That pink eye is going around Montgomery.

Spent most of the 4th of July weekend harvesting from the garden and pressure canning. Lots of peas, also some tomatoes, squash, egg plants, zucchini, and various peppers. We're hoping the tomatoes will cooperate and come off as a big batch instead of several little ones. I'd like to put some up as well.

Folks who don't garden & preserve just can't realize the amount of time that's put into it. It's about time for the figs to get ready - love me some fig preserves!
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on July 07, 2016, 08:26:45 am
I'm about through with the peas and squash. The tomatoes are in the cross hair now. Ain't nothing like homemade pressure canned tomatoes!
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on July 07, 2016, 12:43:35 pm
What is even more fun now is that daycare is also closed for this week. The peas and green beans are gone and squash is on the way out but the peppers, okra, and tomatoes are still booming.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: jalentour on July 07, 2016, 05:04:49 pm
So far just a few cherry tomato and strawberry.
More to follow I hope.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on July 08, 2016, 10:06:26 am
My garden is not just reduced to the wildflower, peaches, tomatoes, and peppers. It has been a very good year. My next year projects are blackberries, grapes, and hopefully some blight resistant chestnut trees. First I have to build a new fence in the winter.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on July 10, 2016, 05:39:12 pm
I'm fixing to put the bush hog to my peas. I don't want to feed rats from now to fall. cucumbers and squash are the next target.

bwallace, They are almost at the point of making the American chestnut resistant to the blight. They are crossing it with the Chinese chestnut and have came up with a species that is "almost" all American chestnut.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on July 11, 2016, 03:39:01 pm
Yeah I found some that claim to be resistant and I think I am going to try them. The Dunstan Chestnut
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on July 13, 2016, 08:27:40 am
Well I couldn't help myself. I took my box blade off, put my bush hog on, and bush hogged my peas. It took longer changing implements than it did bush hogging. I'm at the stage where I want to get a lot of tractor time so I can sharpen/develop my skills.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on July 15, 2016, 11:50:36 am
I have pretty much given up on my garden this year except to get tomatoes, okra, and peppers to eat. It is just to hot and I am just to busy now to work it properly
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on July 25, 2016, 08:26:00 am
I did a bulk (lol) harvest of cantaloupe yesterday - apx 17, three watermelons, and some tomatoes. I'd imagine by next weekend all that will be left will be the tomatoes and sugar cane.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on July 25, 2016, 08:58:50 am
I have never had luck with watermelons although my father loves them and he helps me with the garden. All I have left are Okra, pepppers, and tomatoes but all are still doing ok.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on July 27, 2016, 01:52:44 pm
I pulled up some plants yesterday doing a check. Only two of them had root knot nematodes. My money is on they had them when we bought them. No other plants in their area was infected. One was a tomato in a heavy clay soil. RKNs go mainly for sandy to loam soil. A year or two ago I had them real bad so I didn't grow anything last year. The bulk of the infestation was in the sandy part of my garden. I will be out there in the next evening to turn the soil over. That'll cut short their reproductive cycle.

Often I wish I had a greenhouse just for the sole purpose of raising my own plants. Gardening is hard enough work without paying someone to contaminate your ground with pests and diseases.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on July 29, 2016, 09:52:16 am
I start most of my tomatoes by seed but that is mainly because I like to try out different varieties. I bought a few tomatoes though this year and they did pretty good though. I have had no diseases to report except for a few worms.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: gww on July 29, 2016, 09:09:38 pm
What is in my garden?  Japanese beetle.  I figured just today to get some benefit from them.  I took a coffee can almost full of water and shook/picked a couple hundred of them and feed them to the chickens.  My wife is wanting to spray poisen badly.  I figure I will hit them and feed them to the chicken for a couple of days and see if it makes a differrance in the garden.  The chickens love them and I might not kill as many bees.  I had three or fruit trees compleetly deleaved before I notice them.  You can collect a lot pretty fast and the chickens love them and get lots of protien from them so it is kinda fun collecting them right now.
Cheers
gww
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on July 29, 2016, 10:46:14 pm
I did a bulk (lol) harvest of cantaloupe yesterday - apx 17, three watermelons, and some tomatoes. I'd imagine by next weekend all that will be left will be the tomatoes and sugar cane.

I want to plant watermelons, cantaloupes, and pumpkins next year. I have the perfect place to plant them. I have a rowof trees with llow hanging limbs right there. My mom and grandmother taught me to grow them under low hanging limbs and let them grow into the trees.they would get perfectly round Mellon's with no flat spots and no rot from wet ground. Plus it was the funniest thing to see people stop and  look in amazement at the melons hanging from trees.



John
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on July 30, 2016, 09:07:32 am
I would stop and look at melons hanging from trees for sure. How do you grow them like that?"
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on July 30, 2016, 12:24:14 pm
I would stop and look at melons hanging from trees for sure. How do you grow them like that?"

Plant them as normally would and and trilus like u you would grow beans on to the low hanging tree limbs they will start climbing the limbs. That's all there is to it. Sweetgum tress have lots of low hanging limbs. They grow into tree just like cudzu does.


John
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on August 01, 2016, 09:15:54 am
I've seen cucumbers hanging from limbs, kinda cool, definitely creative.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on August 01, 2016, 10:53:06 am
Now I got to try something like this next year.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on August 02, 2016, 08:23:37 am
Well, the birds have beat me to the Elderberries. I got my grapes in early Sunday morning. Now I'm harvesting gala apples. Folks don't know what an apple tastes like until they pick it from a tree. I have Gala, Granny Smith, & Arkansas Black. Gala's are an early apple, Granny Smith's are probably September-ish, and Arkansas Black brings up the rear in October.

If I didn't have bird netting I wouldn't have any apples or grapes. I guess I'm going to have to rig up something for my elderberries as well.

We (my wife) put up 15 more quarts of tomatoes yesterday. I helped pick them but I wasn't able to do much of anything else due to time constraints.

I don't know why but the birds don't mess with the scuppernongs, and they are dang good.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on August 05, 2016, 09:37:39 am
My garden is done except for pears now. It is done because I have just given up on it. I could harvest more pepper, tomatoes, and okra but I just don't feel like it now. I am on to expansion in my fruit production.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on August 05, 2016, 03:52:50 pm
Chomping on my gala's now..,
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on August 06, 2016, 10:29:25 pm
I should try some gala's in the near future. I am also fixing to get ready for my winter garden. Nothing like fresh collards, radishes, arugula, broccoli, and cabbage.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: jalentour on August 08, 2016, 02:50:14 pm
Grew some pickling cucumbers and now that they are in my frig I need a good recipe for pickling, cold and long term.
Any suggestions.
As you can tell I am not an experience canner. 
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on August 12, 2016, 03:38:12 pm
My wife has a recipe. I'll try to remember to ask here when she gets home.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: divemaster1963 on August 12, 2016, 07:13:44 pm
I made 4 qts and 4 pints of b&b Spears and chips. I just used the recipe on the ball jar mix. Has everything in it and just added vinegar. Use hot water bath and good for year.

John
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on September 01, 2016, 08:55:08 am
Well the scuppa-nines (scuppernongs) are coming in full force. We've done produced 17 quarts of juice. We'll pick them, wash, put them in the steam juicer, put the juice in quart jars then hot water batch the juice for 15 minutes.

This product is awesome. During the winter if I feel a little bug coming on I'll start chug a lugging on a quart. It pretty much kicks the bug in the but.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on September 01, 2016, 04:17:33 pm
I have no been able to grow scuppernongs yet but I do gather them wild.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on September 02, 2016, 08:31:44 am
Some of them require another type to pollinate. An example; some of my bronze/purple requires the either a like variety or the other color to pollinate. I say this every year, next year I'm going to take pictures.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on September 06, 2016, 09:45:44 am
Thanks for that tid bit of information. I will look more into it now.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: BeeMaster2 on September 06, 2016, 12:15:45 pm
I just found  scuppernongs growing on my front fence. I did not know what they were other than some kind of grapes. My wife was the one that knew what they were. I tasted them and they are a little sweet. We did not have time to collect them, maybe next week.
Jim
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on September 06, 2016, 12:31:11 pm
That reminds me, While harvesting "some" of them I noticed something I've seen before but a little different. A lot of them had a long cut down the side, others somewhat a little tare, and some had a perfect little hole. I've seen sugar ants coming and going out of these small holes so I presumed they were the guilty parties. It has been very dry around here everything's wilted, leaves falling early, and the grass is brown. Maybe because of all this but I'm not sure, anyway I noticed bumble bees, honey bees, a butterfly, and a couple of yellow jackets working the fruit. I'm wondering if they are the reason for all the damage. They were serious about working it too.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: BeeMaster2 on September 06, 2016, 12:39:00 pm
That reminds me, While harvesting "some" of them I noticed something I've seen before but a little different. A lot of them had a long cut down the side, others somewhat a little tare, and some had a perfect little hole. I've seen sugar ants coming and going out of these small holes so I presumed they were the guilty parties. It has been very dry around here everything's wilted, leaves falling early, and the grass is brown. Maybe because of all this but I'm not sure, anyway I noticed bumble bees, honey bees, a butterfly, and a couple of yellow jackets working the fruit. I'm wondering if they are the reason for all the damage. They were serious about working it too.
A lot of fruits will split when there is a sudden increase in rain while they are growing. Did you have a good rain fall a couple of weeks ago?
Jim
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on September 06, 2016, 01:53:31 pm
We had a pretty decent rain around two weeks ago. I knew tomatoes would split but it never entered my mind that scuppernongs would.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on September 06, 2016, 05:45:05 pm
We have also been dry but not nearly as dry as you. Our grass is still a little green and nothing is wilted. Although I was lazy today and did not water my new blackberry bushes I planted.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on October 03, 2016, 08:19:43 am
Pomegranates coming off now. 
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on October 03, 2016, 09:31:40 am
I got two pomegranates but they are only 2 years old but growing really well. How old are yours?
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: GSF on October 03, 2016, 03:16:40 pm
One's about 5 and the other two are about two. The younger two hasn't had any fruit yet.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Acebird on October 03, 2016, 07:32:50 pm
Most gardens up here are toast but we have peppers we have yet to harvest, beets and brussel sprouts,cabbage and still some more tomatoes.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on October 04, 2016, 09:06:10 am
Mine are both two. I got them from Petals from the Past. I thinking I am going to go back up there on the 16th for a few hours mainly to stroll my son and to also look at persimmon trees.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on October 10, 2016, 09:51:10 am
With this heavy drought I have lost one blueberry bush out of the three I planted this year and one of 8 blackberry bushes. I count that as not to shabby
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: 220 on April 10, 2017, 05:12:22 pm
Well into autumn down under, the only thing left in my vegie garden is some peppers and jalapenos. Tomatoes have been finished for over a month. Different story at the farm 20 miles away, you would think an extra 1500 feet in elevation and cooler temps would mean a shorter season but while they take longer to start producing they keep producing for longer.
Plants are heavy with fruit and still flowering well over 6' high and beautiful and lush, picked over 100lbs last week.
(http://madmick3006.com/ahngallery/upload/files/2017-04/7e18cff7.jpg)

Chestnuts are going strong as well
(http://madmick3006.com/ahngallery/upload/files/2017-04/0e4c0487.jpg)
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 11, 2017, 10:06:58 am
Looking nice. I am just planting my garden now. I am kinda behind this year. I only ahve 19 tomatoes planted and 12 pepper plants. I have some beans and green beans planted with one row of radishes. My asparagus have come up but I have done nothing with it this year I am sad to say.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: minz on April 11, 2017, 04:50:05 pm
220, are those grafted tomato plants? They are huge!
Just got my spring garden in here (peas, radishes, carrots, Kale, beets, onions).
In the house Tomato?s were up-potted, eggplant, basil, rosemary all up and getting ready to raise the light stand a notch.
Fruit trees are getting a little late but did some grafting for a coworker yesterday.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 11, 2017, 05:50:37 pm
220, are those grafted tomato plants? They are huge!
Just got my spring garden in here (peas, radishes, carrots, Kale, beets, onions).
In the house Tomato?s were up-potted, eggplant, basil, rosemary all up and getting ready to raise the light stand a notch.
Fruit trees are getting a little late but did some grafting for a coworker yesterday.

What kind of tomatoes? I can't remember my varieties except for brandywine and Cherokee purple.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: minz on April 12, 2017, 05:03:53 pm
Lets see if I can do a cut and paste from my excel spread sheet:
started seeds: eggplant in 3" square pots, added cherry tomato's (sweety) since I did not have enough trays set up.  Tray 1: Tomato:Martino Roma (MR) Siletz (sil), Legend (Leg). Tray 2: Wopper (W), Sungold (SG), Stupice, Red Brandywine, Oregon Spring, Beefsteak
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: 220 on April 12, 2017, 08:17:19 pm
Not 100% on the varieties mainly from seed mum kept from last year. 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes, yellow pear, one that looks like a mini black russian and a red. A few romas and a heirloom variety that produces a large pear size and shaped red fruit.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 13, 2017, 09:58:57 am
Not 100% on the varieties mainly from seed mum kept from last year. 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes, yellow pear, one that looks like a mini black russian and a red. A few romas and a heirloom variety that produces a large pear size and shaped red fruit.

I always enjoy a good brandywine but in general I prefer the black tomatoes but I do hear that for fresh eating that orange tomatoes are the best.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 13, 2017, 09:59:21 am
Best as in healthiest.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: minz on April 14, 2017, 06:41:48 pm
Not 100% on the varieties mainly from seed mum kept from last year. 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes, yellow pear, one that looks like a mini black russian and a red. A few romas and a heirloom variety that produces a large pear size and shaped red fruit.
My wife has her opinion on what a tomato should and will look like. Black ones look like end rot and she will neither pick or eat them.
Sungold is by far the best small (cherry tomato) there is. She relates it to Pear tomato's and insist I grow the small red Sweety. Side by side nobody would pick the Sweety but I still an required to grow some.
The nice thing about tomatoes is that the seed lasts forever. Each year I pick up a new packet of a variety. I only plant about 3 seeds of each variety per year an that gives me about 9 types of tomatoes for about $2 a year.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Acebird on April 14, 2017, 07:57:37 pm
My wife has her opinion on what a tomato should and will look like.
That is why we have so many bad choices in the supermarket.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 15, 2017, 09:05:39 am
Not 100% on the varieties mainly from seed mum kept from last year. 3 varieties of cherry tomatoes, yellow pear, one that looks like a mini black russian and a red. A few romas and a heirloom variety that produces a large pear size and shaped red fruit.
My wife has her opinion on what a tomato should and will look like. Black ones look like end rot and she will neither pick or eat them.
Sungold is by far the best small (cherry tomato) there is. She relates it to Pear tomato's and insist I grow the small red Sweety. Side by side nobody would pick the Sweety but I still an required to grow some.
The nice thing about tomatoes is that the seed lasts forever. Each year I pick up a new packet of a variety. I only plant about 3 seeds of each variety per year an that gives me about 9 types of tomatoes for about $2 a year.

That is rough sorry about that. Yeah some people just want a red bland tomato. Cherry tomatoes are my favorite as they are just the easiest for me to eat. Tomatoes could be my favorite food and I like them just about anyway they are grown or served when in season.,
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 15, 2017, 09:06:04 am
My wife has her opinion on what a tomato should and will look like.
That is why we have so many bad choices in the supermarket.

I have heard that they have made improvements with a tomato called the Tasti-Lee
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: minz on April 19, 2017, 05:03:38 pm
Went down and looked at my tree grafts. All but one of the apples has green growth on it. The apricots whips are all new growth (not unwrapped the buds yet). My parson Prunes to the Italian and big red went 0%. Going to have to see if I need to do something different for a Parsons prune. I am told my pears at one location went 95% but I have not visited to see.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Acebird on April 19, 2017, 05:35:09 pm
Quote
I have heard that they have made improvements with a tomato called the Tasti-Lee

They are chemically treated, picked green and bounced half way around the country before they get here.  No way they can compete with what comes out of my garden.  Not even the locally grown.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 21, 2017, 09:23:30 am
Quote
I have heard that they have made improvements with a tomato called the Tasti-Lee

They are chemically treated, picked green and bounced half way around the country before they get here.  No way they can compete with what comes out of my garden.  Not even the locally grown.

I agree. Nothing can compete with a fresh tomato from the garden. I just hope they are an improvement on the regular store bought tomato. I heard they have a lot of lycopene in them also.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Acebird on April 21, 2017, 09:48:06 am
If you want lycopene make sauce and add olive oil.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 21, 2017, 12:38:43 pm
If you want lycopene make sauce and add olive oil.

I have never made sauce. You got a good recipe for that? I would be interested to know the nutrient contents of black, yellow, red, and orange tomatoes. That about covers all the colors that I grow. Canning the different colours together sure does make a good looking jar.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Acebird on April 21, 2017, 01:46:43 pm
We do it two ways.  One way is to freeze the tomatoes whole in wax cartons.  This allows us to can the tomato sauce at a later date when we have more time like fall or winter.  When you thaw them out the skins just about slip right off the tomatoes so you don't have to precook.  From scratch we rinse the tomatoes off and boil them maybe 20-30 minutes.  Then everything goes through the Squezo which looks like a meat grinder with a screen over the screw.  This separates the seeds and skins from the pulp.  After that they are boiled 3-4 hours reducing the heat over time.  The sauce should reduce by 1/2 to 2/3.  Then they are canned in qt ball jars.
The actual use of the sauce is when we add spices and that is just anything you prefer.  We use basil, fresh when we have it but we dry many jars of basil for future use.  You can put garlic, oregano, salt, pepper any hot stuff if you like it and sugar.  Of course we use honey instead of sugar.  Meats can be hamburg, pork, chicken, veal, venisen, baccon, or shrimp.  And don't forget extra virgin olive oil.  If you like chili then add any of those spices you like.  Experiment, that is what cooking is all about.
lots of times we throw kale, spinach, swish chard or beet greens in our pasta.  These are other vegetables you just wash and freeze usually in zip lock bags.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 21, 2017, 02:20:06 pm
We do it two ways.  One way is to freeze the tomatoes whole in wax cartons.  This allows us to can the tomato sauce at a later date when we have more time like fall or winter.  When you thaw them out the skins just about slip right off the tomatoes so you don't have to precook.  From scratch we rinse the tomatoes off and boil them maybe 20-30 minutes.  Then everything goes through the Squezo which looks like a meat grinder with a screen over the screw.  This separates the seeds and skins from the pulp.  After that they are boiled 3-4 hours reducing the heat over time.  The sauce should reduce by 1/2 to 2/3.  Then they are canned in qt ball jars.
The actual use of the sauce is when we add spices and that is just anything you prefer.  We use basil, fresh when we have it but we dry many jars of basil for future use.  You can put garlic, oregano, salt, pepper any hot stuff if you like it and sugar.  Of course we use honey instead of sugar.  Meats can be hamburg, pork, chicken, veal, venisen, baccon, or shrimp.  And don't forget extra virgin olive oil.  If you like chili then add any of those spices you like.  Experiment, that is what cooking is all about.
lots of times we throw kale, spinach, swish chard or beet greens in our pasta.  These are other vegetables you just wash and freeze usually in zip lock bags.

I might give it a shot. Do you only use red tomatoes?
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Acebird on April 21, 2017, 05:36:14 pm
We don't normally can blood tomatoes we just eat them.  So yes just red and mostly Roma but my wife doesn't throw anything away so at the end of harvest all the dang cherry tomatoes go in along with any orange or yellow that haven't gone to rot.  Eating tomatoes are more watery so you have to cook them longer to get thicker sauce.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: Captain776 on April 22, 2017, 02:09:39 am
My house has an 8 foot wall around it and on the inside, I stopped the grass 18" back.
In that space we grow a lot of Thai Chili's, 2 kinds of Basil, Corn, Watermelon, Okra, garlic, bell pepper, potatos, some other Thai fruit and veg I don't know the name of.
Very hard to have success here, so many insects and I won't use poison. I do spray with dish soap and lime juice to distract the leaf eaters and I do get natural products from the large commercial farm supplier here.
We have a Malaysian apples, 4 kinds of Mango, coconuts, and I have 4 pineapples planted, they are growing but no fruit yet. The lime tree is prolific, so many limes from a small bush and we have Pomelo's. I love nice cold Pomelo, it is like a cross between an orange and grapefruit. Gets bigger than a grapefruit, very thick skin, hard to peel but the rewards are tasty.
Title: Re: Garden updates.
Post by: bwallace23350 on April 24, 2017, 09:37:58 am
My house has an 8 foot wall around it and on the inside, I stopped the grass 18" back.
In that space we grow a lot of Thai Chili's, 2 kinds of Basil, Corn, Watermelon, Okra, garlic, bell pepper, potatos, some other Thai fruit and veg I don't know the name of.
Very hard to have success here, so many insects and I won't use poison. I do spray with dish soap and lime juice to distract the leaf eaters and I do get natural products from the large commercial farm supplier here.
We have a Malaysian apples, 4 kinds of Mango, coconuts, and I have 4 pineapples planted, they are growing but no fruit yet. The lime tree is prolific, so many limes from a small bush and we have Pomelo's. I love nice cold Pomelo, it is like a cross between an orange and grapefruit. Gets bigger than a grapefruit, very thick skin, hard to peel but the rewards are tasty.

Pomelos are good. They are selling them in the states now when in season. I would love to hear more about the Thai fruit and veggies you don't know the name of.