Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD

[Sauer Grapes]

^Thanks guys, I’ve got lettuce seeds that I was planning, maybe I’ll try some cuke seeds too. This heat wave has been crazy, although it’s been a long time since we’ve had sustained 90°s. Not climate change, just old fashioned heat waves.

 

[flippinfleck]

^Thanks guys, I’ve got lettuce seeds that I was planning, maybe I’ll try some cuke seeds too. This heat wave has been crazy, although it’s been a long time since we’ve had sustained 90°s. Not climate change, just old fashioned heat waves.

It's easy to forget what past summers were like when we have fall and winter to deal with. August 2020 was pretty warm, though there were more breaks. Not much more rain either. This year has been nasty for sure.

/ETA current weather report

 

[flippinfleck]

What a tremendous color!

You are a great contributor to this humble thread...

I'm fairly new to gardening. Maybe six, seven years in now? I don't have a whole lot to offer other than what I've done and where I'm at. Hopefully others can extrapolate from there and use it to their benefit.

Like, for instance, a few mistakes I made this year.

- plant spacing
-- no way will I plant maters at 24" again! 36" plant to plant minimum. 24" for peppers. I was excited to have such a large space this year I figured I would just fill it up.
- plant support
-- wholy heck I underestimated the weight of the plants. next year I start with ~7' stakes that are planted in the ground and secured by a ridge line. we lost two entire plants and an untold number of fruit when the smaller stakes failed under the weight and we couldn't get out there due to life and weather.
- water
-- automatic drip line would be a godsend in weather like this. especially if it was set up in such a way as to be able to water individual rows.
- speaking of rows
-- shorter rows next year! being ~15' into a row and getting stung by several angry worker bees with ~15' to go in either direction is no fun.

I'm enjoying the thread and those who also contribute. Seeing how others plan their gardens gives me ideas and hope for the future.

 

[enbloc]

 

[Boarder700]

Sauce base and salsa. WB can it mostly in pint jars with a few quarts tossed in for larger meals. We do not typically add seasoning to the canned sauce to make it more versatile.

Last year we had enough sauce base to make it through to April without buying anything from the store. We use the sauce for whatever may need sauce. Pizza, pasta, lasagna, and I'm sure a few other dishes my wife makes that I'm not thinking of at this time. We probably use about two pints a week of sauce. First year doing salsa and we already used one of those for dinner tonight.

We put up seven pints of sauce last night. Well, yesterday as I started simmering early in the day.

I’m hoping to do my first real canning of tomatoes this year. Most of my plants are slicing and cherry, but I still plan to sauce them. I would love to not have to buy any sauce this year. I originally planned on making most of it a veggie sauce because I have lots of peppers to use. But after reading your post I’m going to leave at least half as plain marinara. I will put lots of basil in everything because I have lots growing.

 

[flippinfleck]

I’m hoping to do my first real canning of tomatoes this year. Most of my plants are slicing and cherry, but I still plan to sauce them. I would love to not have to buy any sauce this year. I originally planned on making most of it a veggie sauce because I have lots of peppers to use. But after reading your post I’m going to leave at least half as plain marinara. I will put lots of basil in everything because I have lots growing.

We had a lot of cherry last year as well. Just adds to the simmer time required to thicken the sauce up. We've got a roaster my wife grabbed for processing maters. I found it tends to burn on the outer edges as the liquid evaporates. Couldn't detect any flavor change because of it, but cleanup was a b*tch. I'll stick to my crock pots and stainless pots thank you.

 

[kman]

 

[flippinfleck]

First corn from my crop. Going to water extra for a couple days to see if I can get the rest to plump up a bit. Pollination was good this year.

 

[Boarder700]

View attachment 648932

Ended up with one of those today.

 

[flippinfleck]

Ended up with one of those today.

View attachment 649068

Dang, you've got small hands!!

 

[Boarder700]

Dang, you've got small hands!!

Hey I’m really sensitive about that. As a general rule of thumb I won’t take a picture holding anything larger than a pickling cucumber, but I made this exception just for you guys.

 

[flippinfleck]

Remember all those maters?

Processed out to 8 quarts. Simmered down to ~ 5 1/2 quarts. First 8 of 10 pints done in the water bath, last two going now.

Pulled a bunch more out of the garden today as well.

Canned four pints of pickled peperoncini and two half pints of cowboy candy (lemon spice and regular jalepeno mixed) also.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

One of my cukes and one zucchini have rebounded. I supplemented calcium, ground egg shells, last week or two and found surprise veg today. Banana peppers and tomatoes are doing well.

 

[enbloc]

I like to harvest my Zucc's and Summer Squashes between 10-12 inches. They seem to taste the best when middle-sized.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Here's something interesting: I have three of these guys living on my dill (not my parsley):
View attachment 643960

 

[enbloc]

Yep. Black Swallowtail. Nice!

 

[SpaceCritter]

Yep. Black Swallowtail. Nice!

The two big guys munching away happily on my dill plants suddenly "disappeared" and a hair over a week and a half later, we have two black swallowtails

 

[enbloc]

It's a Gift... Enjoy!

PS Beautiful photo!
~Matt

 

[flippinfleck]

Tonight is pickles and salsa. Pickles are out of the canner, salsa in progress.

We had to use store bought onions. Everything else came from our garden. Looks to be about four quarts (we pack in pints, though) worth.

 

[SpaceCritter]

This morning's pickins:

 

[sig shooter]

Garden is doing so well this year

 

[kman]

View attachment 649431

Is that a Zinnia?

 

[kman]

 

[flippinfleck]

Almost didn't see this little bugger. There were some bees 'investigating' and it took me a second to realize what was going on.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Is that a Zinnia?

Yes, and the butterflies love them. I was trying to water that bed this morning, and they kept getting in the way - I had to water around them.

 

[kman]

Yes, and the butterflies love them. I was trying to water that bed this morning, and they kept getting in the way - I had to water around them.

Very cool! I haven't seen very many butterflies lately but I do have an enormous amount of hummingbirds. This was last night at 7pm


View: https://youtu.be/_OsLNcW6cKs

 

[flippinfleck]

Found another one.

 

[yanquidog]

Digging out the taters and found a bunch of these little buds attached to the roots
Think they will work as seeds for next season or no?

 

[Gidge]

More garden bounty:

Basil


Tomatoes, peppers, cukes ...

 

[flippinfleck]

Forget the variety as my wife picked it up at a farmers market. I'm told they ripen to a nice golden yellow. I think we've pulled six or seven thus far.