let's see your veggie garden {pics} 2021-25

[green_bean]

I got rid of our pear tree last year. Got tired of the squirrels and deer scattering food (rotting pears) all over the yard. Brought in lotza mice and then came the snakes to eat the mice. Over it.

That Persian Star is hardneck? Our winters here are too mild for hardneck, unfortunately. But I had good success with our usual softneck. Planted 3 varieties last Fall. Bought seed garlic from an outfit in Idaho the past year, Garlic Gods. It did really well, considering the super wet Spring we had.

 

[Anders A]

Harvested my onions today, very happy with the result. Should last until Christmas anyway
I think onions are one of the very best and easiest vegetables to grow, and also something we use in our food very often.

 

[GreenDragon]

Pumpkins, okra, and peppers doing well

 

[GreenDragon]

A few things that I did NOT plant in the garden, but are doing well anyway


Peppers and tomatoes - don’t know what varieties they are yet, fruits still too small.


Some tobacco from seeds that fell last year.


Mulberry tree.


Assorted mushrooms! (No, I’m not eating them, just thought they looked neat, and are an indicator of soil quality).


Watermelon

 

[green_bean]

We've still got peppers coming in. I have to pull them off the bushes and let them ripen inside or else the bugs eat holes in them.

Okra is still coming in. Can't believe how tall it's getting this year. Last time we measured the tallest one was a bit over 12'.

 

[Knucklehead]

Does chlorine in tap water affect beneficial microbes in soil? My guess was wrong. Short article on the subject.

1548 – Impact of Watering Lawns and Gardens with Chlorinated Water – PlantTalk Colorado

planttalk.colostate.edu

 

[Knucklehead]

I'm planted out. Fingers crossed.

 

[StoneCarver]

Does chlorine in tap water affect beneficial microbes in soil?

I think the pH of the water is more important. My tap water has a ph of about 4.5. So I use pHUp to increase the pH. Even the water from my spring has a pH of 4.5. I'm under the impression that most plants absorb nutrients best when the pH is 5.5 to 6.5. At least for my cactus plants, that's the pH I shoot for. They really do respond best in that pH range. I use paper test strips to measure the water's pH.

 

[Knucklehead]

I have a visitor in my back up onions. He dug himself a nice, snug little hole. He found out bugs are attracted to the porch light.
There was a tree frog bathing in the dish under my begonia pot a few days ago.
A deer fawn followed me across the yard to check on the raised beds and I caught him giving my peas the side eye hoping I wasn't paying attention. I told him to forget about it.

 

[deluxestogie]

My confused Golden Delicious apple tree has decided that September 15 is a good time to blossom (again).

Bob

 

[StoneCarver]

I think that toad is having an existential crisis:
"Why did I have to be born a toad? I wanted to be a flower. I know. I'll practice ancient meditation technique to manifest my desired reality.
Om mani padme om... I am a flower....I am a flower.... Om mani padme om...Ribbit"

 

[StoneCarver]

This is a picture of a small section of my muscadyne vines. I've been training them to grow along the top of my fence for about 10 years. This year I've gotten a lot and strangely the racoons haven't been eating them this year. I have been bringing some to work to share with my coworkers. However, most will just go to waste. I've made wine from them the past couple years and haven't even gotten around to drinking any of it. I don't want to make any more this year.

 

[deluxestogie]

You can pick a few dozen nice grape leaves, and pickle them in citric acid. Yaprak (dolmades—singular, dolma) are stuffed grape leaves. You stuff them just like stuffed cabbage, only they are much smaller. Great in a tomato sauce. (In my version, often using leaves from my own grape vines, the stuffing is a mix of ground beef and rice.) The expensive part of making yaprak is if I have to purchase the grape leaves.

Bob

 

[StoneCarver]

That's interesting. I can't say I've heard of pickling with citric acid. I've been aware of cooking with grape leaves but have never tried it. I'm pretty sure I have some citric acid. Its likely not food grade but I'd probably use it anyways. If its pure citric acid, what's to worry about? I have done a fair amount of pickling though via lactic acid fermentation. I haven't done it in a awhile. I was getting fed up with my ferments getting contaminated with kahm yeast. Sauerkraut that tastes like bread just isn't right. Usually, if I want something pickled, I just go to the local Asian grocery store and get some Kimchi. Mango Lime pickle from the Indian grocery store is pretty good too but more of a condiment.

 

[Sergey Ukraine]

 

[GreenDragon]

It’s okra season! Plants are 8-10 ft tall right now and are guarded by Beauregard the tree frog. Picking about a gallon bowl every three days. Pumpkins are starting to turn color. Going to have a massive pepper harvest in a few weeks.

 

[StoneCarver]

Green Dragon, what variety of okra are you growing? I don't remember what mine is but it never gets taller than 4' and I barely get anything from them. The seeds also have a low germination rate.

 

[GreenDragon]

Green Dragon, what variety of okra are you growing? I don't remember what mine is but it never gets taller than 4' and I barely get anything from them. The seeds also have a low germination rate.

Clemson and Emerald. I planted them in July as the seeds really do not like cool soil and germinate best (~80%) with soil temps above 75F. Last year I planted too early and also had poor results - stunted plants and poor yield. Full sun and fertilize every four weeks, especially if you get a lot of heavy rains.

This was taken about two weeks ago. Okra is in a 4'x4' bed on the left, total of 9 plants. (The wife is 5'8" for scale.)

 

[Knucklehead]

We have viable seed. Yay. Everything but strawberries. Those will be coming from Johnny's Seeds in a couple of weeks.

 

[deluxestogie]

What a refreshing sight at this time of the year.

Bob