Let's see those '11 gardens!

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

My garden is winding down quickly. Have sweet potatoes to dig when I feel like it. Okra just hitting stride, greenbeans still producing every other day. Cucumbers still putting out new fruit. I planted 2 weeks before Good Friday, and pretty much everything made it and I was a good 4-6 weeks ahead of the curve. Have all the peas, butter peas, squash, greenbeans, corn, tomatoes, pickles (cucumbers), onions, red potatoes and peppers I need for the next 12 months already canned or frozen or otherwise stored/processed. Only thing I will be putting up now is okra, and won't need much more to reach the needed level of okra. Veggies that are still producing are being used fresh and/or given away to family and friends. My corn was harvested 6 weeks ago. Thought about planting a second crop, but no where to put end product, and already have more than I will use! Actually plan on plowing all but okra under this weekend. And then, getting efforts underway to take part of the garden area into a herb garden, and another section into an asparagus bed. Will definitely go for a raised bed for these projects. Plan on planting some greens and other cool weather crops in coming weeks.

Cliff, reading your post reminds me of my dad and most of my immediate kin. All are rural or semi-rural and have big gardens with freezers and cabinets full of veggies. My mom keeps me in constant supply of field peas, corn on the cob, corn off the cob, butterbeans, pickled beets, canned tomatoes, and canned string beans. Our stand up freezer in the garage is full of garden goodies. Nothing like butterbeans and okra in January!

[jjirons69]

Wait until 4 p.m.! It miserable feeling outside already! I'll water the garden about sunset.

Clear
91°F
Feels Like: 111°
Wind Chill: 91°
Heat Index: 111°
Dew Point: 81°
Humidity: 71%
Pressure: 29.95"

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by jjirons69

Cliff, reading your post reminds me of my dad and most of my immediate kin. All are rural or semi-rural and have big gardens with freezers and cabinets full of veggies. My mom keeps me in constant supply of field peas, corn on the cob, corn off the cob, butterbeans, pickled beets, canned tomatoes, and canned string beans. Our stand up freezer in the garage is full of garden goodies. Nothing like butterbeans and okra in January!

A big advantage I got this year from planting early, and harvesting early was (except for tomatoes) an amazing lack of pests on the plants. I had probably less that 5% of my corn with worm damage, almost no pea or butterpea damage from bee/wasp stings, and had zero tomato worms. The only problem I had in large scale was a heavy aphids covering on my tomato plants about half way in. A couple applications of home-made "soap insecticide" took care of that! It used to be that you could buy soap insecticide from stores. Now, aphid control comes in a multi-pest spray that isn't really that veggie friendly, unless you have two weeks to wait to harvest!! So I fall back to an age old remedy told to my mother in the early 1970's. Wash a sink full of greasy pots and pans in a sink full of water. (The way things were done before built-in dishwashers) Take the resulting soapy, greasy water and apply it to the affected plants. If one application doesn't do it, try a second.

[wayner123]

Originally Posted by SvilleKid

A big advantage I got this year from planting early, and harvesting early was (except for tomatoes) an amazing lack of pests on the plants. I had probably less that 5% of my corn with worm damage, almost no pea or butterpea damage from bee/wasp stings, and had zero tomato worms. The only problem I had in large scale was a heavy aphids covering on my tomato plants about half way in. A couple applications of home-made "soap insecticide" took care of that! It used to be that you could buy soap insecticide from stores. Now, aphid control comes in a multi-pest spray that isn't really that veggie friendly, unless you have two weeks to wait to harvest!! So I fall back to an age old remedy told to my mother in the early 1970's. Wash a sink full of greasy pots and pans in a sink full of water. (The way things were done before built-in dishwashers) Take the resulting soapy, greasy water and apply it to the affected plants. If one application doesn't do it, try a second.

That sounds great! And your tomato's have a hint of BACON!