Gardens 2021

[Mountain trapper]

Yesterday the wife planted some carnation and foxglove seeds. She also transplanted a bunch of annuals in to pots, an old wash basin and a cream separator on the back deck. She planted a Stevia plant too. She dries the leaves and grinds in to a powder to use as a sweetener.

 

[Brianna]

I'm not in NM anymore, moved last year to Kansas. Kiwanos like heat, but I don't know about humid. It'll be interesting to find out. We had so many of them, our son decided to make wine with them. He got a carboy going to ferment, didn't put a fermenter cap on the top, added the sugar and stuff. Capped the top. Unbeknown to me, put it in our upstairs guestroom walk in closet and closed the door.
Weeks later, husband and I heard an explosion. Kiwano seed and gunk everywhere. Everything was covered. I could of killed him.

Haha, oh no! I can only imagine how awful that must've been to clean up.

 

[Amish Heart]

For our son, it was. Ha

 

[user 7704]

Yesterday the wife planted some carnation and foxglove seeds. She also transplanted a bunch of annuals in to pots, an old wash basin and a cream separator on the back deck. She planted a Stevia plant too. She dries the leaves and grinds in to a powder to use as a sweetener.

AD if she starts grinding the fox glove, keep your food and drink away from her. Lol

 

[tmttactical]

For all our gardening GURU's--- How many square feet of garden is required to provide enough produces to feed a family of two? I plan to build raised beds for next years garden but I don't have a clue as to how many square feet of raised bed I will need to feed the wife and myself. I am currently located in the 8a -8B growing area. I would like to grow enough to have some left over for canning for the future crop failures or nasty weather. Mother Nature does have a mean streak and is best friends with Mr. Murphy, of Murphy's Law. Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Any and all suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I guess our garden space is about 10,000 - 12,000 sq ft. This is the first year that we planted the whole space. I'm guessing that we'll get far more stuff than we can eat. The wife will can as much as possible and freeze a lot. A lot of the fruit and berries will be made in to juice. This year our garden is looking good, but in the past we've rain and hail storms that wiped out the garden completely. Frost is possible any time of year too. Its always a risk.

 

[Mountain trapper]

I picked our first strawberry this morning. It was good. Will go out later and pick some more.

 

[dirtdiva]

Currently picking black currants and yellow plums. Gooseberries all frozen up. Figs have small figs on them now. Blackberries are turning red. Waiting on blueberries to ripen. Elderberries are loaded with blooms.

In the vegetable garden we are picking squash, zucchini, cabbage and will be picking green beans probably next week. Another round of beets coming on as well as purple hulls. Fall cabbage started from seeds last week.

 

[GaRp58]

the first cucumbers, turnips, beans and pumpkins are sprouting. Tomatos are getting bigger but not yet coloring. Put up a 2000 gallon swimming pool today for cooling off in as we are going over 100°F daily here. I would also serve as emergency watering for the garden....also used some rebar to erect an A-frame with strings for the beans to crawl up and hang from.

 

[user 7704]

Missed ONE day in the garden and I had 9 squash, 3 overgrown, 5 cucumbers overgrown, 3 tomato plants completely devoured by horned tomato worms. Nothing but stems. The worms were big and juicy chicken snacks.

 

[Mountain trapper]

We have a new garden pest for me to eliminate; snowshoe rabbits. We have a pair of them hanging around the barn and garden area. I was going to shoot them but instead the wife wants me to trap them and put them in a cage so she can make pets out of them. Right, and soon we'd have 20 of them. I have to admit they are fun to watch and they have no fear of us. They should be good eating......

 

[Acdoctor]

Copper plated hollow point and a good stew pot sound about right , but not tick off the wife Arctic. Lol

 

[dirtdiva]

High today forecasted 87degrees. Picking green beans, squash and beets today early to hopefully beat the heat. Will can green beans and pickle beets.

Fourth of July chicks doing well but separated chicks and old hen from flock because of a large snake lurking about out there around them.

Large container of plums picked up and cleaned and frozen. Picked black currants as well and are freezing on sheets. Picked blackberries and made a gooseberry and blackberry crisp for the holidays.

Finished painting woodshed.

Rain chance Wednesday and Thursday. Hope we get it.

 

[user 7704]

You busy little bee. My gooseberries are already gone and I will have maybe one or two pints of blackberries. At least the bird netting saved those for me.i have some baby bean that will be ready soon. I saw one okra.

 

[Mountain trapper]

The birds got all our cherries, except for the pie cherries. There wasn't many to begin with. We're not getting any plums this year because of the snow we had in May. The strawberrys are producing well. The blackberry and raspberry plants are loaded. We'll cover them soon.

 

[dirtdiva]

3:30 this morning Mr. DD was shooting rabbits out of the bean patch. 50 yard shot hit both rabbits with clean head shots, half asleep with no glasses. Not bad for a guy in his 70's. Guess that cataract surgery was successful

(Using the little 410 he bought 40 years ago to teach the boys to shoot with )

Both cleaned and in the freezer.

 

[Amish Heart]

Hooray. And not eating your beans.
I'm battling squash buns, and although I can't shoot them, the food grade DE is working ok.

 

[dirtdiva]

Hooray. And not eating your beans.
I'm battling squash buns, and although I can't shoot them, the food grade DE is working ok.

I hate squash bugs! try throwing some cut dill around them. I interplant dill with my squash because I think they don't like the smell. No squash bugs so far for me.....knock on wood

Japanese beetles are another story.

 

[user 7704]

I have so much squash. All the neighbors are reaping my benefits too.

 

[user 7704]

I hate squash bugs! try throwing some cut dill around them. I interplant dill with my squash because I think they don't like the smell. No squash bugs so far for me.....knock on wood

Japanese beetles are another story.

Since I am growing my squash vertically, I'm not having any squash bugs. Knock on wood.

 

[backandbeyond]

My gooseberries are already gone and I will have maybe one or two pints of blackberries.

Gooseberries, I only know of one person down here that grows them, an old farmer living in the suburbs. He makes jam from the leaves -I think- and jelly from the ball in the middle? Unless I am confusing that with his Rosella fruit. He also has a kumquat tree and makes jam out of that too. Vile things to eat off the branch but stewed up with lots of sugar they are great

 

[user 7704]

I hate squash bugs! try throwing some cut dill around them. I interplant dill with my squash because I think they don't like the smell. No squash bugs so far for me.....knock on wood

Japanese beetles are another story.

The Japanese beetles love my beans. Those little boogers are always doing the dance with no pants. I never see singles.

 

[Amish Heart]

Am dehydrating all my extra squash. Have two machines going each day.

 

[user 7704]

Am dehydrating all my extra squash. Have two machines going each day.

For soups and casseroles??

 

[user 7704]

What do you do with dehydrated squash? Soups/casseroles?

 

[Amish Heart]

Yep! Soups, stews, casseroles. I also shred the zucchini before dehydrating and can rehydrate to make zucchini bread. I can't tell the difference after it's baked. Just unloaded a dehydrator full of kale this morning. Loaded it back up with sliced zucchini, yellow summer squash, and patty pan squash. I loaded a different dehydrator with sage, a second cutting. I think I have alot more cuttings to do with that.

 

[user 7704]

Having my first green beans from my garden. They aren't really full yet, but if you don't pick, they stop producing blooms.

 

[user 7704]

My black light came in today. I'm waiting for dark so I can look for tomato worms. It's the small things in life that give me pleasure.

While waiting, I went into the bathroom and oh my goodness. It's not a good thing. Surely those are not all body fluids. Lol

 

[user 7704]

Wow, I went through my tomatoes this morning and picked the worms and tonight I found close to 30. Could not believe it. I still have 11 more plants to check tomorrow.

 

[Amish Heart]

I bet your chickens were happy