8th Gardening thread

also, you have me wanting summer squash soup now

 

I've got squash coming out of my ears. You're welcome to some if I could get them to you.


There's one melon that I think is ripe, but I hate to pick one just to throw it away. There's a small brown speck starting to show on the stem, but the pig tail isn't brown yet. I'll see if I can get a pic for you to see.

 

ok thanks for the squash offer, all of ours drowned lol

 

cough

 

What do you want? Right now I've got cucumbers and squash galore. You're welcome to either or both.

 

Whatever you have more of than you can use or put up

 

I need to do about 24 more pints of pickles, but I'll have plenty left. I don't put up a whole bunch of squash. 2 or 3 gallon bags.

I'll have squash until September. Let me know when you're my way and I'll get some to you. My corn will be coming in within the next month or so.

 

deal

 

You are freaking awesome Jay, srs

 

You're making me blush. Thanks.

Working the land makes me feel close to my dad. Plus, I simply find it cool watching things grow and seeing others, that might not have the ability to grown their own stuff for whatever reason, enjoy the stuff I've grown.

Truth is I'm not a huge veggie fan. I have a small list that I really like- corn (by far my favorite- peaches and cream corn is a gift straight from heaven), lettuce, cucumbers including pickles, squash, okra, watermelon, onions, and certain tomatoes. I just enjoy growing things for some reason. I find that working the ground, putting seeds in it, nurturing those seeds/plants, then seeing them produce is really cool. There's also something almost spiritual about making something with your hands and providing for your family without having to buy anything. I'm gonna try more stuff as I go- strawberry pyramid boxes, blueberries, peppers for salsa. I enjoy cooking, not from a box but from scratch, to produce the same feelings.

Or I might just be following the wisdom of Garth McCaan, Michael Caine's character, in Second Hand Lions . Just substitute "old" for the word "retired":

[youtube]iqnghz_vbVM[/youtube]

 

My man

 

That's exactly it. This is why we do it. From the cattle to the crops, that's why we grow and harvest

 

Where the heck is my agree button. I need it desperately now

 

watermelons now on the porch!!! Congo and Black diamonds. they make it maybe 30 mins in the deep freezer before we have the whole fam up for a cutting party. Jay, look up the straw test for ripe watermelons on you tube. One of paps old hunting buddies showed him this and so far its worked

 

Plug melon, pour in vodka, about a fifth, or grain alky. No one will care if ripe or not,

 

Vodka melon?

 

The harvest is in full swing. I've gotten 3 sugar baby melons, 2 mush melons (cantaloupe for you city folk), & I have a ton of crimson sweets and Charleston grays that will be ripe in a week or 2. I have a monster crimson sweet on the vine. It's as big of that kind I've ever seen.

I'm still swimming in a sea of cucumbers, but my squash is petering out rather quickly. I have 2 gallon freezer bags full of broccoli, at least 12 quart freezer bags full of okra, and 8 or 9 quart bags of squash.

I picked 2 ears of peaches & cream corn yesterday and 5 today. It's just the calm before the storm. I only put out 4 20-25 yard rows of p&c, but every stalk has immature ears on them. I'm gonna have several bushels. I have 1row of silver queen. It's not ready yet, but it's as loaded as my p&c; it's just not ready. The silver queen plants are a pretty and healthy deeeep green and over 8 ft tall. I am knocking on wood as I type, but so far my 2 strand electric fence (one about 1-2" off the ground & the other about 3-4" higher) has worked like a charm. Again, I'm knocking on wood, but I haven't lost a single ear to a raccoon or any other critter for that matter. I did see 5 doe eyeballing it tonight though. I also have a higher fence around my entire garden, but I know that if the deer want in, they'll get in. I have garlic based critter repellant pellets around the perimeter too. I hope it repels the deer as well as my fence has repelled the coons. They've tore my corn up the last 2 years.

 

Mines been a colossal failure due to some personal stuff taking my attention away from it, Plum tomatoes did well, but i sat in my adirondack chair and ate them all over the course of a few hours. Summer squash were decent as well, but likewise, the yield wasn't there and they'll be eaten by the end of this week.

Then nothing left to do but dig some potatoes in the fall.

 

Hope things get better. It's good to "see" you again.

 

Agree with Jay, its great to see you friend. Crimson sweets have stated coming in, and they are the best tasting melon so far. Sugar babies are taking forever to ripen. Pulled the bean vines up after canning 105 quarts, Cukes are gone, along with squash and corn, our peaches and cream did amazing this year, we put up 70 some odd quart bags by the time we were finished. We are down to waiting on potatoes, sweet potatoes, melons and maters. Its been a good year. Jay, on the deer thing, if you could go by a salon andhave them give you done of the hair that they cut then sprinkle it around the outside of the fence that may scare the deer off