Gardening 2023

[user 7704]

I am running out storage space and have been checking out crawl space storage. In the summer, the area is very cool and in the winter, it is cold.

I stored potatoes in a plastic container there last year, but was wondering if I packed boxes with straw to keep from freezing, could I store glass canning jars (full) there?

 

[Survivor_316]

I am running out storage space and have been checking out crawl space storage. In the summer, the area is very cool and in the winter, it is cold.

I stored potatoes in a plastic container there last year, but was wondering if I packed boxes with straw to keep from freezing, could I store glass canning jars (full) there?

Did your potatoes freeze?

 

[user 7704]

Did your potatoes freeze?

They did not and last year was the super freeze.

 

[Survivor_316]

They did not and last year was the super freeze.

Oh, cool. It definitely sounds like that would work! I hope the world holds together long enough for us to hear the results!

 

[EastenerWesterner]

My parents used to get 2-300 lbs of potatoes a year. 1 bag in the fruit cellar. Rest in the attic. I know they froze up there. We ate them anyway.

 

[Cindyd]

I pretty much cleaned everything out of my raised beds yesterday eve. I have 2nd round of green beans going I put out of greenhouse few wks ago, a few hot pepper plants, but other than that my 1st. Round garden is over. I think this eve I'll put some seed in to start new in greenhouse, and see if next round goes any better. I got mostly overwhelmed with tomatoes this year, not a whole lot of anything else did well, and some things ended up not worth planting.

 

[user 7704]

This year, tomatoes are $60 a box. Last year $25. I said no thanks. I'll keep open kettle cooking one quart at a time. I'll have mostly yellow cherry this year. They are a pain to peel.

 

[user 7704]

I powdered some cucumbersort and made a paste for my face. It feels really cool and refreshing. I'm sure I don't look a day over 64.

 

[Survivor_316]

I powdered some cucumbersort and made a paste for my face. It feels really cool and refreshing. I'm sure I don't look a day over 64.

You're beautiful at whatever age you look!

I might have to try doing that with some of these cucumbers. My husband and I joke that if shtf tomorrow we could survive on rice and pickles until Jesus calls us home.

 

[user 7704]

You're beautiful at whatever age you look!

I might have to try doing that with some of these cucumbers. My husband and I joke that if shtf tomorrow we could survive on rice and pickles until Jesus calls us home.

Yep, here it is tomatoes and green beans.

 

[Survivor_316]

Yep, here it is tomatoes and green beans.

That's it, I'm moving to your neighborhood! Lol

 

[user 7704]

That's it, I'm moving to your neighborhood! Lol

I always have to buy tomatoes to can, but this year at $60, I'm just canning a few yellow ones. Luckily, I haven't touched any of last year's jars.

I planted so late this year because it was cold, mine are just getting tomatoes on them.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

My daughter, who lives in a little warmer climate always grows a ton of tomatoes, squash, green beans and peppers every single year! She is one of those that sing to her garden! LOL

 

[user 7704]

Update on tomato trellis after the storm. We had really hard straight line winds and many of the flowers are laying on the ground. I checked the tomatoes and beans and every plant is still standing with zero damage.

This thing really works.

 

[user 7704]

Missed 2 days in the garden due to weather and I have 26 okra that are too large to eat. What a waste

 

[DrHenley]

Missed 2 days in the garden due to weather and I have 26 okra that are too large to eat. What a waste

Seeds

 

[Survivor_316]

Just came in from the garden and the rain has made all the cauliflower and broccoli double in size! But I did have a few giant okra and zucchinis, too.

 

[GaRp58]

We got lots of tomatos and potatos, just mostly smaller ones. The garlic was good. Okra was only one plant and it will give us seeds like Doc said. Pickles were ok, cucumbers ok, beans were weak but enough to replant next year. All together a weak year also.

 

[user 7704]

Seeds

I couldnt leave that many on the plant long enough to go to seed because it signals the plant to stop producing.

At the end of the season, I leave 6 or 7 on the plant until they get dry and split. Those make great seeds.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I've never seen so many grasshoppers before. Just walking through the garden thousands of grasshoppers are all over everything. On a couple of our apple trees they've eaten every single leaf on the tree. They're now starting to eat the bark. The leaves on our raspberry bushes look like skeletons. They've pretty much eaten our garden too.
They don't seem the like the blackberry plants or the grape, cherry, plum or peach trees yet. I found several tent caterpillar nests on our cherry trees. I sprayed them this morning. Gophers are pretty bad this year too. It hardly seems worth it at times. At least the Mormon crickets haven't made it up here yet. They make the grasshoppers look like amateurs.

 

[user 7704]

I've never seen so many grasshoppers before. Just walking through the garden thousands of grasshoppers are all over everything. On a couple of our apple trees they've eaten every single leaf on the tree. They're now starting to eat the bark. The leaves on our raspberry bushes look like skeletons. They've pretty much eaten our garden too.
They don't seem the like the blackberry plants or the grape, cherry, plum or peach trees yet. I found several tent caterpillar nests on our cherry trees. I sprayed them this morning. Gophers are pretty bad this year too. It hardly seems worth it at times. At least the Mormon crickets haven't made it up here yet. They make the grasshoppers look like amateurs.

Grasshoppers are bad here too. No where near as bad as yours. They seem to love marigolds. They strip them down to the stem

 

[DrHenley]

I thought marigolds repelled insects.

 

[user 7704]

That's what they say, but mine are being eaten along with sweet potatoes, kale, radishes

 

[Psalm7]

Finally got a day off . Tilled up most of the garden . I left the pepper plants and couple of tomato plants that are still doing good . Waiting a while before I dig the sweet potatoes . Going to plant cabbage , collards and maybe something else in the tilled area.

 

[GaRp58]

Pulling down the sunflowers for harvest, pulled the weeds from around the potatos so the last 2 rows can be harvested. We got about 200lbs. this year. Helped harvest 14 tons of onions with a neighbor and got another bag of onions (30 lbs.) Canning tomatos and pulled the okra down for seeds for next year.

 

[Mountain trapper]

This has been a hard year for gardening. First we had snow and ice on June 22nd, then the birds wiped out the entire cherry crop, chipmunks ate all the strawberries, then the grasshoppers are just about everything else. We're going to make up a mixture of garlic oil and spray whatever is left.

 

[rainingcatzanddogs]

This has been a hard year for gardening. First we had snow and ice on June 22nd, then the birds wiped out the entire cherry crop, chipmunks ate all the strawberries, then the grasshoppers are just about everything else. We're going to make up a mixture of garlic oil and spray whatever is left.

Same here. Honestly, I gave up in about June. First was the bugs, then the dogs, then the drought, then the blazing sun.(107 in the shade today)...gotta keep an eye on the well too. We didn't have a problem in the last drought but others in the area did and our population drawing on the aquifer has tripled since then. Why I turned my eye to east Tx for a viable retreat.

 

[EastenerWesterner]

Last year my fruit trees over produced. Plums,lemon,Orange. This year Nada. Even the ornamental plum, nothing. We must have had a windstorm at blossom time.
Apple and persimmon seem fine.

 

[Survivor_316]

We seem to be doing ok now but it still wasn't a great year. I'm learning the soil here in the new place and it needs a lot of amendments.

My one crop that just went crazy was lima beans. So strange! My regular beans didn't do well at all but the limas produced like crazy.

 

[poltiregist]

Most folks in my area , are like many of you , seeing their gardens slowing down or stopping . However I simply don't get too jumpy and do not try to get in an early garden . A lot of my garden hasn't hit its peak yet and is producing heavier as the days go by , There is an exception though , I am a worried that my okra may have peaked out and is declining .