Garden 2021

[WVDragonlady]

My sweet peppers did a good job of giving me peppers then they took a break and now are starting to get more buds on them. I don't if its been the weather or what. I water them when we don't get rain and I feed them every 2 weeks, so I don't know if that has anything to do with it. I don't remember the plants doing this before

 

[WVDragonlady]

How do you save the seeds? I have ghosts, habaneros and serranos that are full of seeds, but I have no idea how to successfully save them so that they will grow something next year.

Like Amish said just take them out of the pepper and dry them on a paper towel or paper plate or something.
Are they heirloom? If not they may not grow true next year if they're hybrids. Only heirlooms grow true from the seeds. Thats why you save those

 

[herbalnewbie]

Cut the pepper in half long way. Just take the seeds out and dry them. I use cardboard flats in the basement for this, just mark on the flat what it is.

Thank you!

 

[herbalnewbie]

Like Amish said just take them out of the pepper and dry them on a paper towel or paper plate or something.
Are they heirloom? If not they may not grow true next year if they're hybrids. Only heirlooms grow true from the seeds. Thats why you save those

I don't think so. They are Bonnie's organic plants from Lowe's.

 

[joel]

herbalnewbie how many years have you been saving seeds?
Do you freeze seeds so they will last more than 3-4 years.

 

[UrbanHunter]

The tomatoes are bouncing back with new blooms. We are eating the potatoes and wife says "more"...
Today, we got a gully washer, over 6" of rain in less than an hour... The over flow on my rain barrels is running for the first time this year This will make the lawn and everything green up..... that will lead to mowing the lawn....

Well we are eating squash for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I guess I shouldn't complain with my mouth full.

From the look of things I am about to start getting an assortment of peppers in large quantities.....

I think tomorrow we will be having green beans and something....

 

[Neb]

The tomatoes are bouncing back with new blooms. We are eating the potatoes and wife says "more"...
Today, we got a gully washer, over 6" of rain in less than an hour... The over flow on my rain barrels is running for the first time this year This will make the lawn and everything green up..... that will lead to mowing the lawn....

Well we are eating squash for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I guess I shouldn't complain with my mouth full.

From the look of things I am about to start getting an assortment of peppers in large quantities.....

I think tomorrow we will be having green beans and something....

Congrats on the full rain barrels!

Since you generally get my left over rain, expect another five days of evening rain.

Ben

 

[Tank-Girl]

Made up my mind that I'm planting Bantam corn in the back yard this Summer.
This is going to be a huge undertaking because I have done nothing to the backyard because of the Landshark.
The first thing that needs to be done is build a sturdy tall electric fence.
Then use a mattock to pull up all the old overgrown weed matting, lay down new weed matting, mark rows, lay dripper tape....
I'm worried about rats getting my corn because we've had an infestation.
A cheap way I found to deal with them is to fill a garbage bin one thirds full of water. Dot peanut butter around the rim and put larger smears a little above the water line.
I got 6 in one night in my semi enclosed laundry room outside.
The chickens ate well that morning.
I also have to build a ginger bed because ginger is selling a over $45aus per kilo in the shops ATM.
Trim up some trees that are blocking the light.
Hopefully my seed order turns up soon.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Congrats on the full rain barrels!

Since you generally get my left over rain, expect another five days of evening rain.

Ben

Thanks @Neb , it makes me wish I had about 500+ gallons more storage, I could water everything for almost a month off 2 days like this. It makes me realize how the intensity is impacting everything. It rains so much that you can't hold or use it, then nothing for weeks. I bet it is driving farmers crazy... The only thing it does is flush out the storm drains....

 

[Amish Heart]

It does drive farmers crazy around here, those that only rely on rain for their crops. Grandson is out right now helping a neighbor bale. Right after it was cut and dry, the baler broke and then the next night it poured. I thought the humidity was a bit high today for baling, but guess not. He'll be home really late. We have squash and cucumbers and tomatoes and watermelons for days. Am thankful for the dehydrator so I can save this stuff for later in the year. Am just leaving out the folding table with the canner stuff out at this point. Have dehydrated gobs of tomatoes, might as well start canning them. One really weird thing around here that drives me bonkers is the amish need for a precisely neat and perfect garden. We kept up with the weeds in the beginning, but with no tiller or tractor, our huge garden was done by hand. So if their weeds get away from them or if plants start drooping at all, then they get rid of the garden. I am at the biggest harvest level at the moment in our garden. I was shocked when at Sunday dinner I saw my cousin's garden was all plowed under. She didn't want it to look messy with a reunion coming up. Our neighbor, same thing, but I had thought it was mostly because she's expecting and due in December. Wow. I stretch my garden for that very last piece of vegetable it'll put out. This is a totally weird amish thing.

 

[UrbanHunter]

It does drive farmers crazy around here, those that only rely on rain for their crops. Grandson is out right now helping a neighbor bale. Right after it was cut and dry, the baler broke and then the next night it poured. I thought the humidity was a bit high today for baling, but guess not. He'll be home really late. We have squash and cucumbers and tomatoes and watermelons for days. Am thankful for the dehydrator so I can save this stuff for later in the year. Am just leaving out the folding table with the canner stuff out at this point. Have dehydrated gobs of tomatoes, might as well start canning them. One really weird thing around here that drives me bonkers is the amish need for a precisely neat and perfect garden. We kept up with the weeds in the beginning, but with no tiller or tractor, our huge garden was done by hand. So if their weeds get away from them or if plants start drooping at all, then they get rid of the garden. I am at the biggest harvest level at the moment in our garden. I was shocked when at Sunday dinner I saw my cousin's garden was all plowed under. She didn't want it to look messy with a reunion coming up. Our neighbor, same thing, but I had thought it was mostly because she's expecting and due in December. Wow. I stretch my garden for that very last piece of vegetable it'll put out. This is a totally weird amish thing.

Wow!!! I would die...
In the past I have had plants like my tomatoes "fail" early and then spring back in August in September, one year we were still canning tomatoes at Thanks Giving (I finally just pulled the plants because I was tired, I'd harvest expecting them to die and POOF more green tomatoes). No my plants look sad but I don't give a S... I will keep them going and only remove what appears to be done or sick...

Now, come October I would prefer to ignore the garden and change my focus...

 

[UrbanHunter]

Went out and checked the garden after the rain, some plants got blown over, found vine borers in the process As I was checking I noticed water dripping... oops, when I checked my water levels last night I left the supply valve open and it siphoned over to give my low plants an extra 125 gallons of water... Note to self, don't do that... We have a reasonable chance of afternoon rains for the next 3 days so from a water storage perspective we are fine... I see a few dozen tomato's have turned red, so time to start filling a bucket... If I get to can tomatoes every other week we should be fine come October... This will be the first year that I have to can my hot peppers, we don't plan to do Salsa as we still have too much from last year. If I end up with a period of large output I may do paste, but that requires a lot of stove time and heat's up the house.....

Did I ever tell you that for a few years I was a control room operator at a tomato processing plant, yep the most I ever processed was just over 18 truck and trailer loads of tomatoes in a shift... It only took me 30 years to get where I could stand the smell again....

 

[herbalnewbie]

herbalnewbie how many years have you been saving seeds?
Do you freeze seeds so they will last more than 3-4 years.

I haven't been saving seeds. I want to start. So I should freeze them after I dry them?

 

[joel]

My Father kelp seeds in freeze & my siblings used those seeds for years after my Father pasted.
But do not take just my word for it, here is a link:

Whether you are storing seeds for just a few weeks for succession plantings or to use a year or two from now, there are some steps you must take when using seeds that are frozen. First, make sure seeds are clean and dry before freezing. Silica gel can help thoroughly dry seeds. When placing seeds in an airtight container for cold storage, you should label and date the container to avoid confusion when it’s time to plant. It’s also a good idea to start a seed journal so you can learn from your own successes or failures. Lastly, when it is time to plant, take seeds out of the freezer and allow them to thaw at room temperature for at least 24 hours before planting them.

Read more at Gardening Know How: Does Freezing Kill Seeds? – Information On Using Seeds That Are Frozen StackPath
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/propagation/seeds/does-freezing-kill-seeds.htm

 

[Amish Heart]

My seeds from the veggies I just harvested are in cardboard flats drying out in the basement. It is very important to label those flats. Ha. Or you'll be guessing.
I got a 50 percent sprout rate from Dollar Tree seeds that were 7 years old and just thrown in a non temp controlled bin.

 

[WVDragonlady]

For whoever asked which pepper that was, its a California Wonder.

 

[Newbri]

Well, one of the watermelon plants died. I'm bummed about it but I'll try again.
I planted some lettuce and flax flower.
I'll have to get some potting mix for my carrots. I think the soil I had was too compact for it.

 

[Neb]

Well, one of the watermelon plants died. I'm bummed about it but I'll try again.
I planted some lettuce and flax flower.
I'll have to get some potting mix for my carrots. I think the soil I had was too compact for it.

Check out this guy.



He has grown award winning carrots. Carrots will fork in a blink of an eye if they dont have an easy path to grow.

Ben

 

[LadyLocust]

What do you do about earwigs in Brussels sprouts?

 

[joel]

What do you do about earwigs in Brussels sprouts?

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/garden-pest-hacks.12959/#post-362591

 

[LadyLocust]

https://www.homesteadingforum.org/threads/garden-pest-hacks.12959/#post-362591

Thank you. I didn't realize you could put beer out for earwigs too. They are actually in the sprouts but maybe it will lure them away from the smaller/younger ones.

It does drive farmers crazy around here, those that only rely on rain for their crops. Grandson is out right now helping a neighbor bale. Right after it was cut and dry, the baler broke and then the next night it poured. I thought the humidity was a bit high today for baling, but guess not. He'll be home really late. We have squash and cucumbers and tomatoes and watermelons for days. Am thankful for the dehydrator so I can save this stuff for later in the year. Am just leaving out the folding table with the canner stuff out at this point. Have dehydrated gobs of tomatoes, might as well start canning them. One really weird thing around here that drives me bonkers is the amish need for a precisely neat and perfect garden. We kept up with the weeds in the beginning, but with no tiller or tractor, our huge garden was done by hand. So if their weeds get away from them or if plants start drooping at all, then they get rid of the garden. I am at the biggest harvest level at the moment in our garden. I was shocked when at Sunday dinner I saw my cousin's garden was all plowed under. She didn't want it to look messy with a reunion coming up. Our neighbor, same thing, but I had thought it was mostly because she's expecting and due in December. Wow. I stretch my garden for that very last piece of vegetable it'll put out. This is a totally weird amish thing.

I can't even imagine going through all the work then pulling when the veggies are on.

 

[WVDragonlady]

Went to the farm market this morning for some cantaloupe since mine didn't grow this year.
They had Sugar Cube mini loupes so I bought 4 of those.
I'm saving some of the seeds from the biggest. I want to try to grow them in containers next year. See how they do

https://www.reneesgarden.com/products/sugar-cube

 

[joel]

WVDragonlady
I have used Renee's garden products & I think I first saw her on a video or T.V. show.

 

[Newbri]

Nothing major to report.
I'll be away from home for a few days, so I'm asking my sister to take care of my plants. Giving them the minimum care. I just have to show her how to water them without drowning them.

 

[UrbanHunter]

With the irrigation system working the garden is now on auto-pilot. I go out turn on the water wait 15 minutes (while checking for anything that needs harvesting) turn off the water and that's it. Right now there are other priorities.

 

[LadyLocust]

Once upon a time, I found a site that would determine the hardiness zone using longitude and latitude. Of course, now I can't find it. Do any of you know what site it might have been. It was really handy - especially now as we are looking for property.

 

[GrannyG]

Hubby has been watching the peaches ripen on our tree...waiting...waiting..decided today was his day to pick them for jam...but someone else wanted our peaches and took them all off the tree....2nd time this has happened...do not plant your trees where they can be seen from the road...we share what we have, so all you would have to do is ask for some....enjoy them...

 

[LadyLocust]

Hubby has been watching the peaches ripen on our tree...waiting...waiting..decided today was his day to pick them for jam...but someone else wanted our peaches and took them all off the tree....2nd time this has happened...do not plant your trees where they can be seen from the road...we share what we have, so all you would have to do is ask for some....enjoy them...

Just a couple days ago, I watched a young gal (college age-ish) walk into someone's yard pick 2-3 peaches and walk back out and continue down the sidewalk. (Grrrr.)

 

[LadyLocust]

Hubby has been watching the peaches ripen on our tree...waiting...waiting..decided today was his day to pick them for jam...but someone else wanted our peaches and took them all off the tree....2nd time this has happened...do not plant your trees where they can be seen from the road...we share what we have, so all you would have to do is ask for some....enjoy them...

PS - I would put an add in the local paper "To the person who stole our peaches. You owe us $$$ for our fruit and we will forego the trespassing charges!"
Sorry for the rant - theft doesn't bode well with me.

 

[herbalnewbie]

PS - I would put an add in the local paper "To the person who stole our peaches. You owe us $$$ for our fruit and we will forego the trespassing charges!"
Sorry for the rant - theft doesn't bode well with me.

Add that you have a trail camera on the tree as well. May deter, May not but worth a shot. Or actually put a trail camera where it catches most of the tree and find out who is doing it.