What did you do in the garden today?

[akroberts1085]

My cherry tomatoes never make it to house. I need to defoliate the cukes so I can see them.! I pick a few green beans every day to pickle / eat or freeze. I need to soak cukes in brine for my kosher pickles once I have a day free until then they'll be in fridge.

Mine are only making it in the house because I want to get enough to make a stew. I have to get some hot peppers, onions, garlic, green beans and mushrooms. I also need sweet peppers. Then I will be set for a few days.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

My garden is small and densely planted so cross pollination is inevitable for me. I usually save seeds, it makes replanting a bit of an adventure... Sometimes it works out great, other times not so much.

Yeah I knew it was a possibility, it’s why I don’t usually plant bell peppers. My mistake was thinking that the anaheim had some heat on the basis that they came in a spicy pepper mix. I’d’ve been fine with them crossing if the result had been appropriately hot.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

Congratulations! Home grown garlic is wonderful!

Those holes are the work of a pest, possibly garlic mites. Unless you nicked them with whatever you dug them up with....?

Here's what I do with my garlic. When the hard stem in the middle and the roots are dry, I break the cloves off the stem. I know a lot of people store the heads intact, especially with softneck garlic, so that they can braid them together.

I like to separate the cloves so that I can sort them. I sort according to size (the biggest ones are saved for planting), and to see if any have any pest damage or are in danger of spoiling before the rest.

Any clove with any kind of damage is not going to store as well, so it gets eaten first. I just cut off the damaged part when I use that clove. So, to answer your question, yes, eat those cloves up first.

If you find any pests in the clove, throw them in the garbage or burn them. Don't toss them in the compost.

If you plant garlic again, plant it in a different spot. I'll be choosing another spot for next year's garlic, as I've found some damage from garlic mites.

Thanks so much for your help! One last question: Do you store the cloves you separated off the head in the same way you would a full head? I currently have mine in a mesh bag in a dark, cool, dry place. Will that work for the cloves too? I'll probably end up breaking those ones effected by pests apart.

But btw, it's funny, I don't remember seeing all those holes in the garlic when I strung it up and hung it. I feel like it happened while they cured. I had them on my screened-in porch though...

 

[Sally PB]

Simply adding other hot chillies, in addition to the jalapenos, to the salsa would certainly spice it up.

Oh, he makes it blowtorch hot. The jalapenos are to cool it down.

Seriously, it's a couple of habaneros, jalapenos, tomato, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and vinegar run through a food processor, then cooked down to about 1/2-2/3 original volume.

 

[Sally PB]

I currently have mine in a mesh bag in a dark, cool, dry place. Will that work for the cloves too?

That's how I store my cloves, once I'm sure the outer wrapper leaves are dry and papery.

In case you don't know, never store cloves garlic in the refrigerator. The cold temperature and darkness will simulate vernalization and can trigger sprouting.

I just recently read that if your garlic starts to sprout, remove the green tip, as it's bitter tasting. The clove is still useable.

 

[HenriettaPizzaNolan]

That's how I store my cloves, once I'm sure the outer wrapper leaves are dry and papery.

In case you don't know, never store cloves garlic in the refrigerator. The cold temperature and darkness will simulate vernalization and can trigger sprouting.

I just recently read that if your garlic starts to sprout, remove the green tip, as it's bitter tasting. The clove is still useable.

Thanks so much!

 

[Sammster]

All of my winter squash have been killed by squash vine borers, even after using BT, injected, as a preventative measure.
Almost all of my cabbages were decimated by a groundhog - just as they were about ready to harvest, even though they were fenced and netted, with logs holding the netting in place. Stupid groundhogs! They got into my neighbor's garden, too.
Each sowing of peas and pole beans were thwarted by some kind of insect. I gave up after 3 attempts.
Our tomatoes are lack-luster. Very few fruits and they don't seem to want to ripen. I'm not really sure what's up, there. The plants seem otherwise healthy.
I coddled my summer squash along and got "some". Much more yellow squash than zucchini.
I had better results from my greenstalks. Not great, but better. Learned some lessons, there. Got lots of lettuces, cucumbers and bush beans. I'm making plans to improve results, next year.
My garlic did fantastic - but, garlic probably doesn't have a lot of pest-foes. I'm processing them for the freeze-dryer.
Overall, it's been a rather disappointing garden-season. I'd like to say it's because of something I could fix, next year. The pest-pressure was just too much. I couldn't keep ahead of it.
It may be time for me to give up on winter squash, altogether. I spent more trying to grow it than it would have cost just buying full-grown.
I'm hoping for a decent harvest on the potatoes and carrots. I have some celery growing, and it's looking puny, but not inedible. I replanted a couple of the greenstalks, so hopefully....

 

[Sammster]

In case you don't know, never store cloves garlic in the refrigerator. The cold temperature and darkness will simulate vernalization and can trigger sprouting.

I didn't know, thank you!

 

[chicken opey]

In between showers I did a lil mowing- to create boundary for dh who mows w zero turn.
Bc of all the rain everything has grown a foot or more!
Found these small sunflowers while mowing- forgot I planted them!
I am so ready to turn chickens loose in garden bc of all the bugs!!

 

[chicken opey]

Someone reassure me I didn’t ruin my basket
I had to rinse it out bc I carried watermelon pieces in it to chickens!
It turned a reddish color - cedar color?
I have it hanging to dry.
Is there a chance it was just that dirty?