Gardening pics, hacks, successes, and or failures

View attachment 96983
This is what happens when you go away for the weekend . We picked a ton on Friday too! Might have to freeze or jar some im getting over whelmed !
I stew/reduce my tomatoes and freeze portions in freezer bags. Skins, seeds, everything, when I thaw out the tomatoes I throw them in the blender with raw onion. Makes a great start to a sauce.
 
Built some new garden boxes this weekend. Gonna get more into it next year. Probably going to build one more but it’ll just be a rectangle rather than the U shape
 

Attachments

  • IMG_4492.jpeg
    IMG_4492.jpeg
    526.8 KB · Views: 59
  • IMG_4485.jpeg
    IMG_4485.jpeg
    544.6 KB · Views: 59
  • IMG_4484.jpeg
    IMG_4484.jpeg
    551.3 KB · Views: 59
Second year for this garden (new property), soil is getting better. Some things are doing (did) really well this year. Bumper crop of garlic, onions did well this year, tomatoes (always do well), pickling cukes, peas, beans, carrots and beets are all doing well. Squash and cantaloupe were a wasted effort, don’t think the soil is enriched enough for them yet and some poor pollination. Watermelon should be good, but none done yet. Sweet potatoes have lots of vines, we’ll see how they yield.

My daughter and I took this welcome dreary day to do some pickling. We’re up to 12jars of dills, 3 jars of banana peppers and a few jars of dill beans. Plenty of pickled beets left from last year so will likely skip those this year.

Texada timewarp is frosting up nicely, likely another couple weeks for it before the chop.

If I was smarter I’d post some pics of everything...but I’m not
 
Looking at planting some garlic this year. All the great crops you guys post has me jealous.
I need all the help I can get with getting started so please help a fella out .
Best time to plant
Where to get bulbs or seeds to start
Any tips on soil condition or what to use let me know .
Gonna use a raised bed garden I already have and hoping this will suffice .
Cheers !
 
You plant the cloves in October. You can get "seed " from your local garden store or a friend. Do not plant garlic from the supermarket. It is important that your seed stock is free of disease and the supermarket garlic is often from China, with no guarantee of health. I usually calculate five cloves per bulb, and usually plant 25 bulbs worth of garlic each year. This give me 100 bulbs for cooking and eating, and enough left over to re plant next year. I always select the largest bulbs for next years seed stock, and have been planting from my original seed for 20ish years.
 
Looking at planting some garlic this year. All the great crops you guys post has me jealous.
I need all the help I can get with getting started so please help a fella out .
Best time to plant
Where to get bulbs or seeds to start
Any tips on soil condition or what to use let me know .
Gonna use a raised bed garden I already have and hoping this will suffice .
Cheers !
Plant in late october, before first frost.
You plant the cloves in October. You can get "seed " from your local garden store or a friend. Do not plant garlic from the supermarket. It is important that your seed stock is free of disease and the supermarket garlic is often from China, with no guarantee of health. I usually calculate five cloves per bulb, and usually plant 25 bulbs worth of garlic each year. This give me 100 bulbs for cooking and eating, and enough left over to re plant next year. I always select the largest bulbs for next years seed stock, and have been planting from my original seed for 20ish years.
I’ve planted organic, local Red Russian from the store with great success. But it’s from a grocer I trust. I wouldn’t touch Jimmy’s or Galen’s garlic with a 10 foot
pole
 
Grew some monster beefsteaks and paste tomatoes, massive pepper bushes and a single tomatillo plant has given me about 8 lbs of fruit already, with lots left. Also growing beans, peas, cukes, on our 3rd planting of lettuce, cherry tomatoes. Put brussels sprouts, celery, broccolini, and a second round of beans in the ground in early August.

I’m growing 6 varieties of peppers. Plan on making a ton of death-level hot sauce. I usually ferment sweeter less hot peppers with some super hots (this year I have 2 very healthy ghost pepper plants that should give me all the heat I need), and then blend them with vinegar, honey, lemongrass, and maybe a couple other things.
 

Attachments

  • 558E7517-C2AA-43EF-8EFE-8697EC6A879D.jpeg
    558E7517-C2AA-43EF-8EFE-8697EC6A879D.jpeg
    242.5 KB · Views: 13
  • E7EF576E-031E-4C28-AFF5-AAB2E2ABB95A.jpeg
    E7EF576E-031E-4C28-AFF5-AAB2E2ABB95A.jpeg
    534.7 KB · Views: 12
  • B409F8CC-86A8-438C-B3A1-5562E59873C0.jpeg
    B409F8CC-86A8-438C-B3A1-5562E59873C0.jpeg
    208.8 KB · Views: 13
  • 56C20FF7-B5DE-4A5A-A2DE-EA4C3C408509.jpeg
    56C20FF7-B5DE-4A5A-A2DE-EA4C3C408509.jpeg
    218.6 KB · Views: 11
  • 1E5D3DE2-451D-4F9F-9B19-AD902F6D6572.jpeg
    1E5D3DE2-451D-4F9F-9B19-AD902F6D6572.jpeg
    265.6 KB · Views: 13
  • EB62A864-22F5-4C88-BB06-14FAB39B9E6F.jpeg
    EB62A864-22F5-4C88-BB06-14FAB39B9E6F.jpeg
    239.7 KB · Views: 13
My jalapeño plant has a ton of fruit on it and it’s far spicier than in previous years. I’d like to pickle it and need a reliable recipe/technique for doing so??
 
My jalapeño plant has a ton of fruit on it and it’s far spicier than in previous years. I’d like to pickle it and need a reliable recipe/technique for doing so??
Joy of Cooking is my go-to. Recipes are tested, and as a bonus you don’t have to read a 2000 word manifesto and view 500 ads before the recipe even starts. I use calcium chloride as a crisp enhancer
 
Try Cowboy Candy, its the only way!!

Cowboy Candy is the absolute bomb.
At least triple that recipe…it is that good.
I did 18lbs this year and am afraid I will run out.
We are giving the kids preserves this year for Xmas.
 
Some little prick was eating the carrots, so I picked the rest....13.4lbs. It’s kind of disappointing, as last year we were picking fresh carrots into the end of January. Bigs will get frozen and/or canned. Smalls, there’s likely enough to make my wife and kid sick of carrots over the next week.
 

Attachments

  • 40DBB3CB-529B-4717-B233-F491ADDF0836.jpeg
    40DBB3CB-529B-4717-B233-F491ADDF0836.jpeg
    113.7 KB · Views: 21
Pepper harvest so far. Have eaten quite a few too. Many, many more to come. I will keep harvesting and fertilizing until about a week before the first frost.

Top to bottom:
- Jalapeño
- Aji Rico: insanely high yield Capsicum Baccatum variety. Have 2 plants pushing 6’ tall that we grew from seed this year. Incredible floral/citrus flavour, and hot enough to mess you up if you chomp one in half, yet still mild enough to add half a dozen to a dish without making it inedible. I expect to get 4x the amount in the pic, maybe more.
- Black Hungarian
- Red Habanero

Also have 3 more varieties 2 of which haven’t started ripening yet: Mad Hatter, Ghost, and Super Chili (like a birdseye)

Can’t wait to start making some sauce!!!
 

Attachments

  • 7C59EE50-4704-4B6F-8AE7-5659CE3760D7.jpeg
    7C59EE50-4704-4B6F-8AE7-5659CE3760D7.jpeg
    260.2 KB · Views: 19
Was checking Windy for my local forecast. A bit of rain will help with fires and not hurt the garden plus keep the frost away a bit longer.
You islanders are in for it.
Screenshot_20230922-223631.png
 
Everything will rot in my garden if it rains all next week and season will be done for everything probably
 
Back
Top