Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD

[xtry51]

Our first ever watermelon.

 

[kman]

Our first ever watermelon.

View attachment 781153

I can never seem to grow those. I do have three pumpkins that size right now though

 

[Cowgirlup]

Transitioning the summer garden to fall...





Here come the maters!



Big caterpillar poops usually = hornworms, but I haven't seen them yet.



Speaking of such, something's been munching on the pepper leaves:



Still have corn and beans coming:

I hate you and your stupid perfect and beautiful garden!!!!!
j/k

 

[xtry51]

I can never seem to grow those. I do have three pumpkins that size right now though

I have a couple of pumpkins same size. Thats the only watermelon so far. They didn't grow nearly as fast/big as the pumpkin vines.

 

[kman]

I have a couple of pumpkins same size. Thats the only watermelon so far. They didn't grow nearly as fast/big as the pumpkin vines.

I got three pumpkins and a couple kinds squash. Last year I had so many more but I'm not sure if it's the rain or what?

 

[xtry51]

I think the rain really hurt our garden. Our neighbors tomato plants definitely suffered badly. Normally they can a ton, and this year it's barely enough for weekly use.

 

[Boarder700]

I have been harvesting quite a bit these past few weeks. I even spent a couple hours weeding a couple weeks ago. It’s still pretty bad though.

I have more carrots than I know what to do with. This is probably 15% of what is out there and I just planted more that I hope will be ready for the fall. I’ll probably have to try canning some.



Lots of poblano and Hungarian hot peppers that I lightly smoked and stuck in the freezer.


And can pull a pile like this out every couple days for eating.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Dinner tonight included our

so:


And yes, ordinarily I grill, not boil - that will be the next batch, this weekend.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Everything's on schedule so far: maters are coming now, and the plan is to put up three batches (twenty-one jars) this year, and that is in addition to all the fresh being used now and over the next six weeks... at which point they and the cucurbit plants (which are fading now) will go away, and I'll be left with the fall crop: brassicas, lettuces and assorted greens, carrots, radishes, beets, ...

 

[SpaceCritter]

Oh, and I forgot to mention: my folks anniversary was yesterday so I harvested some of those swiss chard, a couple of chili peppers and one of the last of the fall kohlrabi (and some scallions and herbs from the front patch). Menu was: kohlrabi slaw from it and the swiss chard stems and chilis, stuffed shells (using the leaves from the swiss chard), and (from the freezer) medallions of venison backstrap. Sorry: no photos.

 

[kieron]

I thought the large lemons felt oddly light. Turns out the decision to process them was the right one. As of now, I have over 40 germinated seeds in damp paper towels and quart Ziplock bags.View attachment 679823

Some are going to the future mother-in-law, the rest with the bride and I back to MA in a couple days. First though, our wedding on Monday!

A bit of an overdue update.

The wedding went off very well, @Cara Fett and I are happily married.

The seedlings were distributed as mentioned, and I ended up potting near two dozen upon our return to MA. Due to an unfortunate choice in wintering location (under an in-wall A/C unit with an outside cover), only one seedling survived. Growth was slow until first transplant mid-June, but has since taken off. It's now just over 7" and budding a new leaf about ten days apart.


(That's Cara and I on the left, Cara's grandparents and planters of the original tree on the right). The only growth so far has been addition of new leaves, I'm hoping to see some branching soon.

I know this is relatively pedestrian compared to most of the effort in this thread. I've been an indifferent gardener at best and this is my first attempt at growing anything indoors (let alone citrus in NE) and the "tree" has some deep family roots.

 

[Recon 1]

Our Blueberries are doing great right now. The rest of the garden is so so. Cucumbers are slowly coming in. Zucchini also. Tomatoes are another story. To much rain. Going to be crap crop this year. Errr.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

I love summer and fresh veggies! My garden is small but doing ok now.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Stuff for the fall garden:

 

[Canndo]

A nice little harvest today.

 

[Boarder700]

I think I planted a few too many hot peppers this year. I have about 10 plants this loaded up.


Bell peppers doing good too:


And carrots for days. About 5lbs here, probably another 20lbs ready in the ground, and a 3’x12’ row that is just sprouting now.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Since I've been accused of having a perfect garden (I certainly don't)...

My cucurbits are done. The heavy rains and stretches with little sun were tough on them (and the 'maters), but then came:

Controlling a Squash Beetle Invasion

This August we were away for more than three weeks leaving the garden to mostly fend for itself. This is only possible because I compani...

gardeningsoul.blogspot.com

And, of course, these guys devouring my brassicas:

 

[SpaceCritter]

Oh, hey, here's something interesting that appeared on the northside fence (adjacent to the corn and beans):



I believe it's Apios americana (Groundnut or Hopniss). Not sure where it came from. The one viney thing over there I know full where it came from are my mother's morning glories, which are going nuts on that decorative windmill:

 

[Boarder700]

Lunch today was grilled cheese on homemade sourdough with pesto from last years garden and tomato, basil, and grilled poblano from this years garden.

 

[Canndo]

Went to Penn State for the weekend to move in my daughter. Then made my way to New Jersey for dinner with my son, who is doing some training for his new job in Tampa, Fl. Just got back and peaked in the garden and found this haul…….

 

[Boarder700]

Canned 30 lbs of tomatoes yesterday and picked 13 lbs of carrots today. Still have another 10+ lbs of carrots ready in the ground but they are definitely losing their flavor. I did plant what will amount to 50+ lbs of fall carrots but I’m not sure they will be ready in time. Lots of tomatoes still coming too.

 

[Cowgirlup]

I finally have some winter squash coming on. 1 decent size acorn and a buttercup. Then lots of small (just pollinated and the blossom dropped off) various squash. Now it's a race to see if any of them mature before a hard frost.

And my best looking squash plant is a volunteer hubbard growing in a well draining compost pile. 1 recently pollinated baby and several with unopened blossoms. Sadly I don't think they will grow fast enough to mature. But I'm mentally figuring out a way to make a mini green house around it to give it every chance.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Any tips to prevent blight on tomatoes and to keep pests from chomping my kale - much appreciated.

 

[peterk123]

Any tips to prevent blight on tomatoes and to keep pests from chomping my kale - much appreciated.

Tomatoes.... the soil gets diseased. You get one maybe two years then that soil cannot be used for tomatoes. Rotate it out and use it for another veggie. Use new soil for the tomatoes.

 

[peterk123]

We pickled the rest of our peppers, carrots and green tomatoes today. Our growing season is done. Also made apple sauce and apple pie from the wild apples we picked. Went fishing for a couple of hours and got enough for a fish fry. French fries from potatoes from the garden. A good day.

Oh, and made my poolish for French baguettes. This is my bread holy grail. My expectations are low, figuring it will take several iterations to get it right.

 

[SpaceCritter]

Any tips to prevent blight on tomatoes and to keep pests from chomping my kale - much appreciated.

Re: the kale - we're contending with imported cabbageworms: those grayish-green things, and by "contending" I mean:



What seems to be working: Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki). We're using the Safer brand Caterpillar Killer II concentrate in a sprayer.

And speaking of... the other day, I mixed up a new batch in my (admittedly quite old) sprayer. It was one of the ridiculously hot days we've been having. I made the batch, screwed the top/pump on, and pressurized it with a few pumps and hit the kales in pots on the deck. Since it looked to me like they needed some water, I put the sprayer down (in the shade), and went in for a watering can. In the middle of the watering chore, I hear BANG!





So now I have a new sprayer.

 

[Uzi2]

Re: the kale - we're contending with imported cabbageworms: those grayish-green things, and by "contending" I mean:



What seems to be working: Btk (Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki). We're using the Safer brand Caterpillar Killer II concentrate in a sprayer.

And speaking of... the other day, I mixed up a new batch in my (admittedly quite old) sprayer. It was one of the ridiculously hot days we've been having. I made the batch, screwed the top/pump on, and pressurized it with a few pumps and hit the kales in pots on the deck. Since it looked to me like they needed some water, I put the sprayer down (in the shade), and went in for a watering can. In the middle of the watering chore, I hear BANG!

View attachment 794915



So now I have a new sprayer.

My kale suffered the same thing, but I got more than enough from my plants and they're still producing.

Some dish soap and water is all that is needed to curb the worms. Make sure to get the underside of the leaves.

 

[ThePreBanMan]

Tomatoes.... the soil gets diseased. You get one maybe two years then that soil cannot be used for tomatoes. Rotate it out and use it for another veggie. Use new soil for the tomatoes.

When you say rotate it out do you mean just put the tomatoes on the other side of the garden or do you mean not grow tomatoes at all?

 

[peterk123]

When you say rotate it out do you mean just put the tomatoes on the other side of the garden or do you mean not grow tomatoes at all?

Plant your tomatoes in another location. I think the soil can recover in a few years, but don't quote me on that one.

 

[ReggieB9mm]

Plant your tomatoes in another location. I think the soil can recover in a few years, but don't quote me on that one.

I always used OxiDate. Grew toms in the same soil (in a tunnel) for 9 years. Never had an issue.