What did you do in the garden today?

[Sueby]

Thinking about the best way to winterize my vertical strawberry beds. These are way too heavy to move anywhere. Our winter night time temps are regularly in the 20s and 30s with occasional dips into single digits. Rarely, and I mean very rarely, does it get below zero although it did last year.

Laying out some options -

1. Do nothing and see if they survive.

2. Cover all 3 beds with a single tarp.

3. Wrap each bed individually with an insulation blanket (like you put around a water heater) and cover with a tarp.

4. Use tree covers individually over each barrel.

5. Cover/wrap the beds with visqueen.

Thoughts anyone?

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I think they'll be fine. I didn't cover my strawberries last year & they were fine. Strawberries can take some good cold. I'd imagine we have much longer cold spells here than you do, but it was a mild year. Now if they were mine I'd trim them to the crown after they start to die back & then surround them with chicken wire & stuff with leaves. Not sure if you have leaves, I have TONS so that's why it's my first thought.

I'm thinking I might have to try a different model, or something else. Right now, it removes most of the air, but not much more than you could hand squeeze the air out.

I think it's probably your machine too. I do know that if I stuff the bag too full it has a harder time sucking all the air out - like when I seal up chicken breasts. It works better with more room.

Save the seeds, but maybe buy a packet of seeds too. The ones from the squash might be a hybrid, and not grow true. But, they might be, or they might grow something new and weird and wonderful!

I was just going to say that too, you never know what you're going to get!

Morning all. Raining here but much warmer than yesterday. Not a thing happening in the garden!

 

[Sueby]

Oh & speaking of vacuum sealers...I ordered a jar vacuum sealer. I have one on my FoodSaver, but it's too much of a pain to drag it out for a jar so I never do. Can't wait to get it & make some avocado mayo!

 

[igorsMistress]

Oh & speaking of vacuum sealers...I ordered a jar vacuum sealer. I have one on my FoodSaver, but it's too much of a pain to drag it out for a jar so I never do. Can't wait to get it & make some avocado mayo!

Where did ya get it? Brand?

 

[igorsMistress]

G’morning everyone. I’m currently watching a terrible movie on Prime and hiding under a blanket, it’s chilly here this morning. My arm and back are finally starting to feel better so definitely will be doing yard stuff over the weekend. It’s hell getting old lol, takes so long to recover. I haven’t been able to come up with logs that I feel good about using in the raised beds so I’m doing the lasagna method in two of them. I have plenty of litter from the coop and contractor bags I can put on top to help heat up the beds. I’m only doing the two bigger, deep ones this way and using my own mix of soil for the others. I asked hubs for the twin pack of small circular beds from VegoGarden and some bags of soil. We’re going to a farm to table event next month at the worm farm, I’m dragging hubs with me so we but in a separate vehicle so we each bring home compost and mulch. After those beds are all set I can work more on the shade garden. Also ordered three packets of scarlet Nantes carrots, one of broccoli rabe, some sunflowers and one wild tomato packet.

 

[MarkRainbolt]

Getting ready to harvest carrots and cauliflower and cabbage and broccoli in about a week. My garlic and onion plants are doing well this winter. Will be starting my seeds the first of February.
Mark

 

[jerryse]

Joints ached this morning and my balance was off. My shirt fell and I was wearing it. Two of my medications say may cause dizziness. Scuffed an elbow but ok now. Made cranberry sauce.

 

[igorsMistress]

Joints ached this morning and my balance was off. My shirt fell and I was wearing it. Two of my medications say may cause dizziness. Scuffed an elbow but ok now. Made cranberry sauce.

Ouch! Glad you’re just scuffed and not broken. I just got done making cranberry orange relish.

 

[WthrLady]

Questions on vacuum sealers. When I use the vacuum sealer bags in my vacuum sealer, it removes a lot of the air but not everything. The bag does not collapse completely around the food like I might see in some commercial vacuum sealed products. There are air pockets left around the food, like air pockets around chunks of zucchini. Is this normal for a home vacuum sealer, or is my sealer not performing 100%? If the vacuum sealer does not remove all the air in the bag, is there any benefit to using those bags over just a plain zip lock bag?

Any help appreciated. Thanks.

It depends on the flexibility of the bag and the firmness of the food inside. That said, I DO try to spread out my food so it can do its best. AND my gasket does dry out a tad and doesn't want to suck as hard as it should. A simple rinse and shove it back in the machine before use helps a lot.

 

[WthrLady]

Oh & speaking of vacuum sealers...I ordered a jar vacuum sealer. I have one on my FoodSaver, but it's too much of a pain to drag it out for a jar so I never do. Can't wait to get it & make some avocado mayo!

I hope you love it! I do mine. I keep it right on the counter.

 

[WthrLady]

Joints ached this morning and my balance was off. My shirt fell and I was wearing it. Two of my medications say may cause dizziness. Scuffed an elbow but ok now. Made cranberry sauce.

"My shirt fell and I was wearing it." CLASSIC!
Glad you're ok.
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pumpkin pie is out of the oven - dregs of filling are in a tiny glass jar cooking for ME for with lunch
Laundry is going.
Molded chocolates are halfway done.
Press cookies on the books for later.
Truck is still in the shop, again. Battery was totally shot AGAIN.
Puttering on the bathroom remodel.
Hens are out, but hiding under the coop. Dorks.
Odds and ends to do.
Steak for supper tomorrow. Quick and easy.