What did you do in the garden today?

[CNJ]

Thanks for the follow up! I may try the wicking rope in my buckets this fall. We are so dry and I think this will work well for my starts so I don’t have to water at first.

We can start them early with the wicking ropes and it doesn't prevent the roots from following the water level down. In addition, the bottom of the net cup doesn't have to be touching the water or nutrient solution at the beginning as long as the wicking rope is in the nutrient solution, so I didn't really need to install an on/off valve on the bottom of my connected buckets, but it's good to have for cleaning and changing plants.

Once the roots reach a certain level, its best to set a constant level with a float valve and nutrient reservoir. Because the water level can go down, but it cannot increase over an inch. A professor did research on this, and I also found it to be true.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CLNGBRL?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

 

[Sally PB]

I planted sweet potatoes this year -- second try. The first time I got nada. This time they are in different soil, sandy and loose.

I had to know... will there be any? So I dug up the smallest plant, the one that didn't seem to do anything until August, while everything else has vines all over. I pulled the plant and...Yes! There are 4 very small tubers!

I'll let the rest of the plants go until we're threatened with some frost, then pull all the vines. I'm going to cure them up in the green house, where it can be nice and warm, and I'll do what I can to raise the humidity.

If that little vine can make something, I'm betting the rest will have more, better, bigger tubers.

 

[muddy75]

I picked 4 tomatoes today and a couple of cucumbers for the piggies yesterday
Ive still got a couple bell peppers almost ready

 

[gtaus]

I had read that if you freeze your beans unblanched, you should make sure they are dry before freezing. Not sure. I always blanch beans, peas, etc. (except zucchini or other things that don't require blanching). My SIL doesn't blanch her carrots. Maybe a way to find out would be to do some both ways. I think if I were to do green beans (etc), I would blanch most but freeze a couple batches without blanching. The reason I say this is so that if I didn't like the unblanched beans, I wouldn't ruin a whole bunch of them... Then if we didn't mind them unblanched, I could do more the next year.

I don't have a vacuum sealer, but would like one some day.

Dear Wife has a friend who told her how much she likes her vacuum sealer. So, we had to get one, too. I found a Deni vacuum sealer at the Thrift Store for only $1.50 and picked it up. Today, Dear Wife vacuum sealed and froze 4 bags of white gourd (upo). So we are off and running on the sealer. Next on the list is bitter melon for the freezer. I am looking for an extra zuchinni to vacuum seal and freeze.

It will be fun to see if there is any taste difference months from now between the vacuum sealed and frozen bags of food compared to just frozen food.

 

[Sueby]

I also have a Foodsaver vacuum sealer. It does take a little practice to get it right. I have learned to leave a bit more room at the top or it doesn't seal. & I always double seal both ends. I have never used the jar thingie. I buy non brand bags from Amazon & don't have any issues.

Took my Mom to lunch today & it's 9000 humid degrees out so I only got out to collect eggs. Got some good rain & storms come through, we needed some rain. Planted another level of lettuce in the greenstalk. Got the mutant squashes shredded, drained & frozen in 1 cup balls. Glad that's done.

 

[gtaus]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CLNGBRL?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1

Thanks for the link on that wicking rope. I saved it to my wish list. I am thinking about giving it a try.

BTW, I live in northern Minnesota and our winters can be 6 months or longer. I would love to grow veggies in the winter inside the house. I tried a few years ago but the plants got infested with aphids and gnats. I was told my failure was using topsoil and compost from the gardens outside. Too much life in the soil. Evidently, I need to use a sterile growing medium or some kind of hydroponic system so the bugs won't infect the plants.

 

[gtaus]

I also have a Foodsaver vacuum sealer. It does take a little practice to get it right. I have learned to leave a bit more room at the top or it doesn't seal. & I always double seal both ends. I have never used the jar thingie. I buy non brand bags from Amazon & don't have any issues.

We seem to be doing OK with the vacuum sealer. However, how do you double seal the bags? When we press down on the top to activate the sealing wire, it melts the plastic fusing it tight. It seems that if I tried to seal it again for a double seal, it would only melt off the first seal. Or, is there a trick to doing that second seal?

We are just using the Great Value baggies from WalMart at this time. Considering the cost of buying a roll of material for bags, it's probably better for us to just use the Great Value baggies for now. They seem to work fine - except I don't know how to double seal them.

 

[karenerwin]

@gtaus some companies make vacuum seal baggies that state that they can be cooked in a boiling pot of water.
Also by double sealing I think she means that they make a seal and then slightly above that seal they seal it again ( but hopefully @Sueby will clarify what she means).
My hubby got to come home today from the hospital! He now has gout too but he’s glad to be home.
I picked a couple of partly ripe tomatoes but the tomatoes at my House garden are pretty much finished. I still have a lot of green peppers to pick. Oh, and I picked about a dozen jalapeños too.

 

[gtaus]

My hubby got to come home today from the hospital! He now has gout too but he’s glad to be home.

Good to hear you hubby is back home. Gout can be very painful. I hope he has some good medication for the gout flare up and then the daily medication to keep it in check. Gout runs in my family among us guys. So, we know how painful it can be.

Also by double sealing I think she means that they make a seal and then slightly above that seal they seal it again ( but hopefully @Sueby will clarify what she means).

I understand the concept of double sealing. I just don't know I can do it on my machine. When I press the lid to create a seal, it melts off the plastic and everything above the wire is cut off. Also, my instructions for my machine do not mention any option for a double seal.

A double seal sounds like a great option, but I don't know if it's possible on my sealer.

 

[WthrLady]

Some machines run very hot and seal the edge so completely that the bit without food in it comes off, making a second seal 1/4 of an inch from the first seal impossible.
If your machine is making solid seals, a double row of seals should not be needed.
Many of the bags now available are boiling water ready as many are sealing and then cooking with the sous vide method.