Gardening 2023

[Survivor_316]

I had something weird happen, too. I planted a ton of sunflower seeds and went back to the location o planted them this spring- all gone. I figured chickens got into them because I forgot to shut them out of the garden.

Two Weeks later, I had dozens of sunflowers coming up in a raised bed. Something must have tucked them away there, but it had me really doubting my sanity!

 

[poltiregist]

Yesterday, I checked and had enough half runner beans to cook for my neighbor. Went down to garden this morning and they were gone. the plants were all completely intact so it wasn't a deer or varmint.

Am I crazy or is someone stealing my beans.

My vote would go to the desperate unprepared , suffering from Bidenonomics . This will only worsen . At this point of the spiral downward , I have my doubts even a patriotic president could save the flush . Were too for down the craper .

 

[Mountain trapper]

I've had chipmunks eating the strawberries as they ripen. Yesterday I shot one chipper and caught another one in a trap. I keep 2 traps out and a poison bait station for the little shyts.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Finished watering and weeding the orchard and berries. We're tying the grapes up to the livestock panels we installed last week. I found a couple gopher mounds. I'll get some poison gas out later and gas the little turds.
It's hot and muggy here today, 76 degs and 32% humidity. We should be up at the lake playing on the jet ski's right now.
A little cloud blew over earlier and dropped a little rain, not enough to count though.

 

[user 7704]

Didn't pay attention during the rainy days and my okra grew and some got too hard. I need to wake up and pay attention.

All of the high winds and heavy rains knocked off my bean blooms, so now I am a few days behind. We should have 2 sunny days then more rain chances.

 

[Mountain trapper]

We got about 10 drops of rain about an hour ago. That's a lot for July. Right now it's 76 degs with a nice breeze.

 

[Cindyd]

Getting ready to do a second planting this weekend (MAYBE).. I did put some pole beans out of greenhouse a couple weeks ago and some extra tomatoe plants and a few more bell peppers from greenhouse...the rest I've already harvested all I am going to get from tomatoes, beans, corn, etc...didn't have much corn, peas or beans this year (didn't put much out). I want to put a bunch more variety of hot pepper plants out becaus we like making hot sauce for gifts. Haven't really nailed down what else I am going to put out for second planting round. Gotta be easy managing as I don't have much time to take care of full garden and Larry no longer able. Our lettuce, we can't eat it fast enough and the chickens end up with most of it. Pulled a fred flintstone size sweet potatoe out yesterday!

 

[Mountain trapper]

Today we picked some lettuce, strawberries and cherries. The dang robins are eating the cherries. They've stripped a couple trees already. I'll start shooting them too. Gassed a couple gopher mounds.

 

[user 7704]

Getting ready to do a second planting this weekend (MAYBE).. I did put some pole beans out of greenhouse a couple weeks ago and some extra tomatoe plants and a few more bell peppers from greenhouse...the rest I've already harvested all I am going to get from tomatoes, beans, corn, etc...didn't have much corn, peas or beans this year (didn't put much out). I want to put a bunch more variety of hot pepper plants out becaus we like making hot sauce for gifts. Haven't really nailed down what else I am going to put out for second planting round. Gotta be easy managing as I don't have much time to take care of full garden and Larry no longer able. Our lettuce, we can't eat it fast enough and the chickens end up with most of it. Pulled a fred flintstone size sweet potatoe out yesterday!

I filled in missing spots on the bean rows, cucumbers and squash. With the rain, they should sprout soon

 

[user 7704]

The low tonight is 70 and the blooms on beans drop at that temp. Mine are stalled after having a great start. The wind, rain and high Temps have stopped bloom growth

 

[user 7704]

Just ran across this.

 

[Survivor_316]

I'm really discouraged about my garden.

In all the places I have gardened, I've never had such a low producing garden. I don't know if it's because I got a late start, the weather, or what. I've amended like crazy and fertilized with appropriate fertizers for each plant type.

By July at our old house, we were heavy into preserving. Right now, all I am doing is fruit and pickles.

 

[user 7704]

I planted late this year, because it was cold in TN. I don't have red tomatoes yet, just small yellow.

Now it is so warm at night, I am having blossom drop

 

[Survivor_316]

I planted late this year, because it was cold in TN. I don't have red tomatoes yet, just small yellow.

Now it is so warm at night, I am having blossom drop

I don't know if that makes me feel better that it's not just me or just bad for both of us!

 

[Cindyd]

My garden has produced minimal this year..I'm disappointed with most of what was put out...we were overun with different varieties of tomatoes this year, minimal beans, peas, potatoes, corn wasn't for sh!@@++, cukes forget about it- terrible. Even radish which we are normally covered up with and bell peppers, very minimal. I complained last year and this year was no better. Not sure what we're doing wrong. Years past we've had a good garden turn out. Mothers garden about the same. I'm debating on not bothering to do a second planting.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

My garden is doing poorly this year. Never have I had such bad results. Very disheartening. The bad results have made me start putting back even more food.

 

[user 7704]

My beans started out great, then the heat and rain. They were prolific and had zero blemishes. Not now. Many of my green tomatoes have blossom end rot. They are in new soil and I use a fertilizer. They have to have calcium, but aren't absorbing it.

 

[Mountain trapper]

Everything in our garden that survived the snow and ice in June is doing great. We're getting lots of strawberries, cherries, raspberries, lettuce, herbs, and more. We had a good crop of asparagus too. Looks like we'll get a lot of grapes in another month or so too. I'm going out to water as soon as it gets light enough to look for snakes.

 

[user 7704]

Do any of you can small onions? My crop yielded golf ball and smaller onions and I was thinking about canning them whole.

Have any of you done this? If so, please comment before I attempt.

 

[Survivor_316]

Do any of you can small onions? My crop yielded golf ball and smaller onions and I was thinking about canning them whole.

Have any of you done this? If so, please comment before I attempt.

Just pickled and I don't like them much. I'm interested in the answer, too.

 

[user 7704]

Been checking on line and it suggests really small for canning whole. Guessing I would have to halve mine maybe even quarter

 

[Survivor_316]

Been checking on line and it suggests really small for canning whole. Guessing I would have to halve mine maybe even quarter

Mine are about a quarter size. They turn out mushy for me, so they just go in sauces and soups and stuff. My husband likes them with corned beef.

 

[DrHenley]

I seems to me that mushy canned onions would be just fine for cooking.

 

[user 7704]

Mine are about a quarter size. They turn out mushy for me, so they just go in sauces and soups and stuff. My husband likes them with corned beef.

Oh, you have experience. Do you parboil? Some videos say to. I'm guessing you add salt. How long do you process? I'm also guessing you can in pints.

 

[Survivor_316]

Oh, you have experience. Do you parboil? Some videos say to. I'm guessing you add salt. How long do you process? I'm also guessing you can in pints.

I don't parboil. I use the Mrs. Wages recipe, but I cut back the sugar. I think I half the sugar, if I'm remembering correctly. I'm sure I have it written down but can't find it.

It's processed 10 minutes.

https://www.mrswages.com/recipe/pickled-onions/
I think if I parboiled them, they'd be way too soft.

 

[Cindyd]

I dehydrate them and put in myler bags with oxygen absorbers..very easy to do. Going to dehydrate some more and grind into powder and put in jars for powdered onion. The dehydrated slices or chopped works fine also for soups, stews, or whatever.

I know that didn't answer your question...sorry...I've never canned onions (yet)..here is rose red video who cans walla walla onions..most of her videos I've found very helpful.

 

[user 7704]

Thanks guys

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

Do any of you can small onions? My crop yielded golf ball and smaller onions and I was thinking about canning them whole.

Have any of you done this? If so, please comment before I attempt.

No. I braid and hang mine in the barn to dry.

 

[poltiregist]

I took the lazy gardener method . I simply don't dig them up unless I need one or two . Then again these are walking onions . They are not as good tasting as the large bulbed sweet onions , but my strategy is all geared in a prepper mode for when I can't go buy a big tasty onion . Apocalypse preparations going on here .

 

[bill harrell]

My garden has produced minimal this year..I'm disappointed with most of what was put out...we were overun with different varieties of tomatoes this year, minimal beans, peas, potatoes, corn wasn't for sh!@@++, cukes forget about it- terrible. Even radish which we are normally covered up with and bell peppers, very minimal. I complained last year and this year was no better. Not sure what we're doing wrong. Years past we've had a good garden turn out. Mothers garden about the same. I'm debating on not bothering to do a second planting.

Lmk go ahead and plant , I think we all got pushed back by that late freeze by about a month and a half. Maybe the fall is the sweet spot this year