While it's fresh in your mind, what improvements will you make on next year's garden?

[lazy gardener]

Quote: MC, I use a kid's plastic sled in the winter. Works much better over snow than wheels.

 

[chickadoodles]

Microchick maybe you could use a sled or a to-boggin type thing to pull your feed and water buckets in the snow?

I Wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a very Happy New Year! And I hope you all get everything on your wish list!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I havent met a radish yet straight out of the garden that didnt have a bit of spice to it. Hotter in dry times when not watered. I can take some heat but hot radishes are like eating a raw jalapeno pepper! Only the radishes from the grocery have been the mildest and those still have a bit of spice to them. Try again-- if still to hot to eat fresh, cook them. Just another root vegie with its own unique flavor then.

We use kids plastic sleds over snow in the winter.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: MC, I use a kid's plastic sled in the winter. Works much better over snow than wheels.

I should have read all the posts before replying.

 

[Arielle]

I need to plant fewer tomato plants next year BUT I want to try EVERY tomato I see, well maybe only half....;

 

[lazy gardener]

Quote: I havent met a radish yet straight out of the garden that didnt have a bit of spice to it. Hotter in dry times when not watered. I can take some heat but hot radishes are like eating a raw jalapeno pepper! Only the radishes from the grocery have been the mildest and those still have a bit of spice to them. Try again-- if still to hot to eat fresh, cook them. Just another root vegie with its own unique flavor then.

We use kids plastic sleds over snow in the winter.
Arielle, you are simply growing the wrong radish! Have you tried French Breakfast? Otherwise known as D'Avignon? They are a long radish, red top, white bottom. And they are very mild. The secret to growing a good radish is to grow them in cool weather, best if you plant them just as soon as the soil can be worked. I take my cue from the garden it'self. When those very first weed seeds start to sprout, that's when you know those cold weather crops will just jump out of the soil when you plant them. No harm done planting them sooner, but the weed seeds tell the story! Radish likes it cool and they hate dry soil. They also like to grow fast, so give them some compost or other fertilizer. It's also fun to let them go to seed, and then pick the seed pods, and use them in stir fries. Those pods (also called rat tails) are also good in salads. I never plant a row or patch of radish. I use them as row markers. every time I plant something, I toss a couple of radish seeds in the seed bed. They help mark where the slower sprouting seeds will come up. By the time the other crop is up, and growing well, the radish has already been harvested. Always keep a packet of FB in my pocket, and use it often. Also, harvest them young. Just as soon as they have a bit of size, start harvesting. The little bitty ones you pick today, will be almost twice as big tomorrow. So pick often, cause they grow fast.

I need to plant fewer tomato plants next year BUT I want to try EVERY tomato I see, well maybe only half....;

I need to plant more tomatoes next year. If you do any canning, you might want to try Amish Paste. Awesome canner. Heirloom.

 

[microchick]

Yes, I've tried a plastic sled. Our ground is so hilly (my garden area and chicken coop are both uphill from the house) that whatever I'm toting on it usually winds up on the ground from roll overs...several times. The wagons with big wheels work perfectly for us. Even the radial flyer size with the balloon wheels would be perfect.

What I remember the best radishes I've grown were Early Scarlet Globe. They would get a bit spicy if you let them get too large but I've gotten large harvests from them in the past. For some reason I grabbed this 'fire in the hole' variety this past spring and even tried picking them small but I honestly think they were even hotter than the big ones.

I was really disappointed in my onion crop this year. I dug them late when the tops were dry, dried them but the darned things either rotted or dehydrated to husks on me. Last year, no problem. This year problems. So I've added 'grow more onions' to my list. I bought these from either TSC or Orscheln's instead of my usual place which is the local Amish general store. Back to the store I go next spring.

 

[microchick]

Almost forgot!

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I havent met a radish yet straight out of the garden that didnt have a bit of spice to it. Hotter in dry times when not watered. I can take some heat but hot radishes are like eating a raw jalapeno pepper! Only the radishes from the grocery have been the mildest and those still have a bit of spice to them. Try again-- if still to hot to eat fresh, cook them. Just another root vegie with its own unique flavor then.

We use kids plastic sleds over snow in the winter.
Arielle, you are simply growing the wrong radish! Have you tried French Breakfast? Otherwise known as D'Avignon? They are a long radish, red top, white bottom. And they are very mild. The secret to growing a good radish is to grow them in cool weather, best if you plant them just as soon as the soil can be worked. I take my cue from the garden it'self. When those very first weed seeds start to sprout, that's when you know those cold weather crops will just jump out of the soil when you plant them. No harm done planting them sooner, but the weed seeds tell the story! Radish likes it cool and they hate dry soil. They also like to grow fast, so give them some compost or other fertilizer. It's also fun to let them go to seed, and then pick the seed pods, and use them in stir fries. Those pods (also called rat tails) are also good in salads. I never plant a row or patch of radish. I use them as row markers. every time I plant something, I toss a couple of radish seeds in the seed bed. They help mark where the slower sprouting seeds will come up. By the time the other crop is up, and growing well, the radish has already been harvested. Always keep a packet of FB in my pocket, and use it often. Also, harvest them young. Just as soon as they have a bit of size, start harvesting. The little bitty ones you pick today, will be almost twice as big tomorrow. So pick often, cause they grow fast.

I need to plant fewer tomato plants next year BUT I want to try EVERY tomato I see, well maybe only half....;

I need to plant more tomatoes next year. If you do any canning, you might want to try Amish Paste. Awesome canner. Heirloom.
Yes, we love those radishes. I plan to only plant those . Lots of edible root for the space. Held in the row long after frost too. Dug just before the ground froze into a 4 inch crust.

Like your method of using radishes for row markers---I put the radishes in the fall infront of the peas to help keep the roots cool in the last summer sun.

Forsome reason, the spring radishes were a failure. The summer was dry and I could not keep up with watering----much died back. But the fall yeilded well: radished, baby collardd, and bok choy.

 

[Arielle]

Thanks for suggesting amish paste. I do want to can. Not enough last summer. Bought the jars, then the garden just died in the drought.

The san marzano , not sure on spelling, produced a HUGE harvest of GREEN tomatos. THe ducks liked those!!

Just didnt ave the energy to find green tomato recipes at that point. Maybe Ill be better prepared.

Happy Holidays to everyone!! FOr me tomorrow is the big day----tree up, late, then dinner and presents.