2021 gardens

[mike89]

we grew the German giants years ago and they were both large and tasty!!!   

[glenn57]

I grew daikons (tillage radishes) a few years back. They were OK but didn't keep well. Have had red meats keep well into March. The daikons tended to break off when dug & were bland flavored compared to the red meats (watermelon radishes). I liked the texture of the latter better as well. More crisp like a kohlrabi & sweeter in flavor initially with the radish bite following. Still letting them grow a while before harvesting to let them get full sized & flavored. Seems like a couple hard frosts help their cause. Also have some German giants that I'm letting enlarge.

What I've been harvesting so far are early August planted spring radishes, white globe & cherry belle. There's also a purple radish, sweet something or other, that I won't plant for fall again. Sorta woody & not anything special other than their color to me anyway. This project has been interesting. Where they're a tad too thick & I harvest those that are ready, the plants left behind come on rather than bolting with a little watering. The daylength & weather cooling down probably has a lot to do with that.     

Dotch and Roony have all the good dirt down there.

[glenn57]

Kalarbi is the only thing left in my garden. And that's gonna be out by Sunday or Monday at the latest.

Tuesday I gotz a date get nordern Minnesota. maybe Monday iffin the wife drives me bonkers.

[glenn57]

As of yesterday my garden is done.  not sure if it was the long hot and dry summer but glad it's done

I usually try to extend it for as long as I can. My mater supply is getting really low, can feel withdrawal already.

[Gunner55]

                       

[Rebel SS]

 

[glenn57]

  awe both of ya bite me
 

[Dotch]

While some have quit gardening for the season *cough* glenn *cough* we're soldiering on. Mrs. Cheviot harvested the squash & pumpkins so we had to try out a buttercup, one that had sunscald on it. Also picked some salad greens & a few yellow pear tomatoes. Prolly the biggest find tho was 3 cukes that still looked edible. They were very edible. Add some snap peas, a couple smaller radishes & a leftover pork chop; supper was served. No problem with the squash other than outward appearance. Flavor was awesome & it was relatively dry textured. The season seems to have a lot to do with the latter & we prefer them like that. They soak up more Hope creamery butter that way! 

[Rebel SS]

No problem poopin' tomorrow! 

[Dotch]

We're going on a cruise tomorrow. Better pack a roll of shop towels. Hopefully there's still a lot of corn to be picked off that direction...

[Rebel SS]

I picked up two nice acorn squash at Sekapps orchard today. Forgot to grab mater's though..... Love that squash with some bacon,lotsa butter, and a tbsp of maple surple in the center....

[glenn57]

While some have quit gardening for the season *cough* glenn *cough* we're soldiering on. Mrs. Cheviot harvested the squash & pumpkins so we had to try out a buttercup, one that had sunscald on it. Also picked some salad greens & a few yellow pear tomatoes. Prolly the biggest find tho was 3 cukes that still looked edible. They were very edible. Add some snap peas, a couple smaller radishes & a leftover pork chop; supper was served. No problem with the squash other than outward appearance. Flavor was awesome & it was relatively dry textured. The season seems to have a lot to do with the latter & we prefer them like that. They soak up more Hope creamery butter that way! 

you eat all that with your fingers??????

and no boodles??????? what the hell................... getting ready for canada????????

[KEN W]

Cold here this morning.....35 degrees. I'm going to start digging potatoes. still have them and carrots in the ground. Carrots are sweeter after some frosts. Over the course of the growing season they store up energy in the form of starches. When temperatures start to drop, they convert these starches into sugars, which act as an anti-freezing agent for their cells. Thus getting sweeter.

[deadeye]

They just won't quit. I'm pretty much burnt out on tomatoes but they just keep producing and if it doesn't freeze soon there are lots of green ones still on the vines.   

[deadeye]

I'm going in wish me luck.  I usually wait for a frost or two to dig up the canna bulbs but with the rain coming and hunting time, I will dig them today. 

That's a 6 foot chain link fence in front of them. I may use the chain saw to cut the stems.

[mike89]

hey Dotch did you ever get some of them bulbs????   

[roony]

Yesterday 5he warden said she was going to pick some bell peppers to freeze. She didn't make it too far. She got twenty of them off the first plant, that should be enough for winter she says. All our peppers did well this year. The tomatoes are still doing well also.

[Rebel SS]

Do you freeze them whole, or core and seed first?

[mike89]

I cut them up after I seed them to freeze and it works well for me...

[Rebel SS]

I froze mine whole...

[deadeye]

Finished phase one and two. Now resting rubber arms before phase three, boxing bulbs for storage.

Phase one - Cut stalks.


Phase two - Dig bulbs. This is about 1/3 from this garden.


This is from one bulb that was planted this spring. Crazy.


Cutting cannas exposed more tomatoes. 


Another garden with cannas. I cut these but don't dig the bulbs.

[LPS]

I think those Cannas are beautiful.  Do you have to go to this much work with them every year?

[roony]

I cut them up after I seed them to freeze and it works well for me...

That is what she does too.

[deadeye]

LPS,
Yes, they are beautiful and easy to grow. But they do take some work. The bulbs are not hardy and if they freeze they will rot and not grow.  You need to dig and store inside the bulbs for planting in spring after danger of frost is gone.  The bulbs usually multiply by a factor of four. Meaning if you plant a 5 gallon bucket full you can dig enough bulbs to fill four buckets.  I usually dig half and plant maybe 2/3 of them.  For the record I completed phase 3 and all the bulbs I intend to keep are boxed and in the house. I will leave the boxes open for a couple weeks to allow moisture to escape.

[Dotch]

Haven't dug any cannas here yet. They still look like they're in mid-August form as well they should. They broke the all time record for GDU accumulation at the SROC in Waseca yesterday. The record was set back in 1988, one hot SOB, which was 2956. The question is, will we break 3000? One thing I tried with the cannas this year was deadheading them once the heads were done blooming, in an attempt to get more blooms. Some reading indicated it might make them produce more & bigger bulbs too. Not that there was a problem before in that dept. but I thought it seemed to make them bloom more profusely.

Picked a gallon bag of snap peas last nite before the rain. Better than fishing them out of the mud. 

[Rebel SS]

Oohhh...crunchy sweet goodness! 

[Dotch]

I ate quite a few out in the patch for quality control purposes. Good thing it was getting dark or the bag wouldn't have been nearly as full.   

[Rebel SS]

You weren't in the bag when you were bagging, were ya? 

[Bobberineyes]

I have one big plant of Serrano's that I had to put a mater cage on it early on, with a smaller one bought by mistake.  Anyhow this sucker just keeps kicking em out, between the quarts of hot sauce lately , salsa earlier and dishing em to the neighbors I'm bringing more to work and let the southern folk fight for the rest, I left  some on yet if I can talk the mrs on making some Verde sauce. 4 plants each of bell and jalapeno yet but the rest got yanked today..

[Dotch]

Purty boober! 

Hey Barry, when do you usually plant your salad greens in the planter for fall? Might plant some this weekend for chits and grins. Have some fiberglass hanging feeders sans the hangers that might work well for that.