Hows everyone's Gardens doing?

[Riverrose28]

I can't stop laughing, my computer won't let me do quotes, smilys or pictures, but growing beers is too funny. Wish I could post pictures cause I asked hubby if he was planting beer trees cause he has beer cans tied to posts so they clang around to keep deer out of the garden. We also use horse fencing a electric post and twine to tie up peas and tomatoes. Been out picking peas this morning. Been cutting colliflower for weeks, broccoli didn't come up. Have a few green tomatoes, peppers showing. Pumpkin plants ane squash are looking good, can't wait for egg plant,yum. Needless to say I do a lot of canning. Speaking of witch I need to buy more lids.

 

[Minimor]

My beers....must be lucky as the garden is all growing really well. Yes, that was beets, not beers....I don't like beer do no point growing any!!!

My citrons--last thing planted--are now up, as are a lot of weeds and some grass. Have to get busy and do some weeding.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Attended a garden club meeting today. Many of them are market gardeners and have very large gardens. Got some good tips and we visited one of the gardens. Tomato plants 4 feet high and already with reddening fruit. Squash with large fruit, green beans, onions, garlic--

My brussels sprouts are getting close to pick. I had no idea they were 110 days!! They are taking up so much of my garden space. Dug a few potatoes to put on the kabobs for Father's Day dinner.

All the cherries are off. I put panty hose on the peaches. I've found this works to keep insects off.

 

[chandab]

I have a black thumb, so don't garden; but nothing goes outside til at least Mother's Day around here, we are just too cold. And, this year, that might have been too early, we had 34 over night just this week.

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Wow, Marsha, you are sooo far ahead of us. Our climate is far more like Chanda's, even Mother's day is likely too early except for cool weather crops like peas and brassicas (cabbage, cauliflower etc.) I lost my zucchinis to frost at the beginning of the month and haven't replanted because it has been so cold at night. I might get some tomorrow and plant them, hopefully it is late enough in the season to not freeze them out again.

 

[Riverrose28]

I spent two hours yesterday picking peas, then hubby and I watched sci-fi and spent hours shelling them. This morning after breakfast I'll get them canned for winter. Tomatoes are still small and green, but soon it looks like I'll have romas first. Haven't dug up any potatoes yet, maybe should take a peek. cucumbers are vining but none yet, zuccinni plants are flowered but no squash yet, I'm getting impatient for it as I so love to make bread. Pumpkins plants are up so should have plenty come fall. Been waiting on blackberries, lots of flowers but no berries yet.

 

[lucky seven]

This year I put in strawberry plants and most died. We have had so much rain lately that even my rose bush died, all the leaves fell of and when I dug it up, I discovered that the dirt around the roots had turned into a very wet mud. I noticed that my neighbor has put their garden in deck railing pots. Their last garden was destroyed by rabbits and voiles. Thought this year I would visit the farmer's markets when they start. A doe has eaten down most of the shade plants I put under a tree. Oh, the fun of country living.

It would be nice to photos of all of your gardens!

 

[Shari]

Panty hose over the fruit is a wonderful idea Marsha!

Would love to see garden photos too.
Glad to hear how everyone's gardens are doing. VBG

We have some tiny green beans, think one zucchini ready to pick, onions ready to go as needed.. Tomatoes, peppers, cantaloupe and the peas will be awhile longer yet.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I'm trying to hand pollinate my squash. So few pollinating insects this year, that my vegetables are not setting fruit. I've spoken to a few other gardeners in my area and they are seeing fewer pollinators also. Do not know if it is the recent drought, or some other reason. So, I'll let you know if my hand work makes a difference.

 

[Debby - LB]

Ours is coming in and yay more work for me, as if I don't have enough to do! LOL I have to laugh or I'd cry. Right now my kitchen is over run with potatoes, tomatoes, okra, snap beans, eggplant, and now peas are ready to pick. I froze blackberries over the weekend plus made a blackberry pie and a cobbler yum! I canned 14 qt's of potatoes yesterday and have everything set to do some of the tomatoes this evening when the kids leave. Got another 5 gallon bucket full of green tomatoes sitting under the table. Glad some of the garden stuff waited until VBS was over, last week was hectic!!! not enough hours in the day.

I'll try to get a photo or two of our gardens and post them.

 

[Debby - LB]

PS made a amazing bowl of salsa last night with some of the tomatoes OMG it was good, that is what I ate for supper.

 

[Riverrose28]

Debbie your garden is really producing. I dug up a couple of potatoe plants yesterday, and they are really not ready. Peas are done, zuccinni is coming in, I have frozen 16 quarts and made six loaves of bread. Tonight we are having zucinni spagetti. I'm having a bad time with my free range chickens, they are peeking at our tomatoes, I put them in the hen house yesterday and they got out so I need to solve this problem.

 

[Debby - LB]

our chickens haven't bothered the big gardens yet but they ate ALL my darn blueberries.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Dug up one potato plant today and got enough potatoes for our Fourth cookout tomorrow. I experimented with the potato salad recipe, using my new dill pickles, fresh onions, and fresh egg.

Found a giant zucchini--how do those things hide so well? I am going over those plants every day with a fine tooth comb, hand pollinating. It was still edible, but that surprised me because of the size.

We ate some brussels sprouts this week. I cut them into quarters and sauteed them with a slice of cutup bacon.

The little peaches in the stockings are getting a good size.

Grasshoppers are fewer this year. Partly the chickens, and partly, we think, due to the recent rain. I think they are getting that wonderful fungal disease that kills them. The ones I find are soft and mushy and not hard. My neighbor said her husband is practicing his marksmanship on them with a bb gun. That boggles my mind. He must have a scope for it.

We are so grateful this summer has been moderate so far. Nice rains, cooler temperatures, not many flies or mosquitos.

 

[Riverrose28]

I have found that with zuccinni you need to check it daily aS one day its not ready the next day its huge! I'm freezing it right now, got it sliced and in the freezer then I'll get it out and bag it for winter. I wish I had a way to post pictures here from my android phone as you guys would be amazed at our pumpkin plants that are awesome.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I have found that with zuccinni you need to check it daily aS one day its not ready the next day its huge! I'm freezing it right now, got it sliced and in the freezer then I'll get it out and bag it for winter. I wish I had a way to post pictures here from my android phone as you guys would be amazed at our pumpkin plants that are awesome.

I like to grate my squash into muffin cups. Freeze a few hours, then remove the 1/2 C servings into quart freezer bags. Easy to take out one serving at a time for use in the winter.

 

[Debby - LB]

that's a good idea. I'll try putting my zucchini up like that! Also good about the stockings for the peaches. Do any of you have a really good recipe for zucchini bread?

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

We have eaten our first cucumber and had broccoli for dinner last night. Green onions are ready (what survived the nasty huge hail that pounded all my plants a couple of afternoons ago anyway

) lettuce is big enough to eat but since its romaine it hasn't finished growing yet. My radishes are bolting to seed this year instead of making root and it looks like I'll be digging my garlic early because of a project that we are doing that means they have to move. Oh well, I'll plant more in the fall.

 

[Riverrose28]

HELP! Squirrels are stealing our tomatoes. I have two cat littler boxes in the house so I'm taking the used litter out tomorrow morning and scattering it around as many plants as possable. Do you think it will work? Is there something else I can do?

 

[Debby - LB]

spray them with hot pepper/soap or wax mixture cat litter I would not put out there no way yuk LOL