2025 gardens

[Sawyer Rob]

Yukon Gold potatoes, Big Boy and Roma Tomatoes,

SR

 

[sixdogs]

I put some epsom salts on my tomatoes last week and we seemed to have an overnight positive response. The leaves are much greener and the plants look stronger. The green tomatoes are bigger. It did rain overnight so the growth and tomato size might be from that but the greener plant I think is from the epsom salts.

I didn't have a sprayer so mixed two TBSP of salts into two gallons of water and saturated the roots of plant with 1/3 of that mixture. I also sprinkled some over the tops of the plants.
If three plants got two TBSP that means each plant got saturated and sprinkled with two tsp of salts in water.

Great idea and I'm glad I did it. Foliar spray is probably a better idea but I also saw mention of the root saturation method and that worked for me.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Picked another 16 pounds of green beans tonight!

Pumpkins are booming

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Picked about 120 ears of sweet corn. About 5x that to go.

 

[Sonny580]

The rest of the onions picked up and the tatoes dug, over 2,000 pounds of tatoes total.
Got a few wierd ones too.
Had quite a few that were 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. Same with the onions.
French fries now!

 

[sixdogs]

Corn was difficult this year in that a mini-burst of wind, coupled with heavy rain and a severe thunderstorm knocked down or twisted up a lot of my patch. Still, we got enough to eat by hand-pollinating the twisted mess. We should get a few dozen and here is a sample.

Look at the size of these ears compared with a large dinner plate. Variety is Delectable and I think 80 days.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I've got orders for another 5 dozen ears this week

 

[Sonny580]

I have planted that kind in the past but still go back to NK 199 myself! Thats what Libby uses. Its a commercial corn and yields over 6 tons per acre. Nice big ears too!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

I try to plant sh2 types because they have a wider harvest window and keep longer after picking. People usually buy 6, then come back for 3 dozen the next week

 

[sixdogs]

I put some epsom salts on my tomatoes last week and we seemed to have an overnight positive response. The leaves are much greener and the plants look stronger. The green tomatoes are bigger. It did rain overnight so the growth and tomato size might be from that but the greener plant I think is from the epsom salts.

I didn't have a sprayer so mixed two TBSP of salts into two gallons of water and saturated the roots of three plants with that mixture. I also sprinkled some over the tops of the plants.
If three plants got two TBSP that means each plant got saturated and sprinkled with two tsp of salts in water.

Great idea and I'm glad I did it. Foliar spray is probably a better idea but I also saw mention of the root saturation method and that worked for me.

That's my post above. I don't think I should have done the root saturation method for epsom salts and I used too much. I'm from the more is better crowd and this happens sometimes.

We've had a lot of rainfall this year and I now have 8 ft tall tomato plants. It's not as much plant growth as you would think but I have HUGE tomatoes and lots of them.



On the plus side I have way more tomatoes than ever so it's all good.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

What do you do to keep the slices from getting rubbery in storage? Whole cukes hold up OK, but if I do sliced ones they don't stay crisp. The cukes that I don't see until they're oversized get made into relish.
I'll can beans, but not pickle them. Tried it once, didn't like the result.

Wife uses pickle crisp to make em crispier. Its a lime of some sort, soakem in it for a bit then rinse em off. Can't remember if it was before pickling or after but I'd guess before. I can ask her if you like.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I planted a fall garden with snaps, okra spinach. Planted the snaps two days before a ton of rain came in they were up in 4 days from planting. So was the Okra. Snapes are taking off okra is hanging there for now.

As for epsom salts I have used it extensively in our garden. I go to Dollar genearl and get the 3-4# bag. I use about a 1/2 teaspoon per plant every 2-3 weeks. First year we used it on okra and clemson spineless got to be almost 8ft tall. WOW... Pretty much everything liked it best we can tell.

 

[Oaktree]

Wife uses pickle crisp to make em crispier. Its a lime of some sort, soakem in it for a bit then rinse em off. Can't remember if it was before pickling or after but I'd guess before. I can ask her if you like.

If you could.
We have a bumper crop of cukes this year, can only fit so many jars of refrigerator pickles in the fridge.

Garden is doing very well this year, quite a change from last! On our 3rd cutting of broccoli, as noted cukes are going gangbusters. Corn not quite ready yet, but looks like more ears than usual. Gotta put my strobe out next few days. Lots of blossoms on the squash.

Think this'll be my last year of potatoes for a while. Last 5 years or so they've been meh at best. Don't know if it's the weather or something in the soil they need that's depleted. Historically, potatoes have been a major crop around here, not so much for eating but for starch. From what I've heard, this property was mostly potato fields 100 or so years ago.

 

[drumminj]

We have a bumper crop of cukes this year, can only fit so many jars of refrigerator pickles in the fridge.

Same for us here. Cukes (for pickling) and tomatillos have been great. Actually, all peppers have done really well this year, but we're drowning in jars of pickles in the fridge!

 

[kenmbz]

We got our first invasion of armyworms on the tomatoes.
Picked off over a dozen of them and had to dispose of a number of tomatoes that they got into.
Was looking like my best haul ever, and now , not so much.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

If you could.
We have a bumper crop of cukes this year, can only fit so many jars of refrigerator pickles in the fridge.

Garden is doing very well this year, quite a change from last! On our 3rd cutting of broccoli, as noted cukes are going gangbusters. Corn not quite ready yet, but looks like more ears than usual. Gotta put my strobe out next few days. Lots of blossoms on the squash.

Think this'll be my last year of potatoes for a while. Last 5 years or so they've been meh at best. Don't know if it's the weather or something in the soil they need that's depleted. Historically, potatoes have been a major crop around here, not so much for eating but for starch. From what I've heard, this property was mostly potato fields 100 or so years ago.

Wife gave me her general instructions. it's best to start with fresh cucumbers as the longer they sit the softer they can become. Clean em, cut off the blossom end this can cause them to soften up after canning. Soak in an ice bath for at least 30 mins and up to over night.

Add pickle crisp (calcium chloride)to jars if you can find it it not grape or oak leaves can add the tannins needed. She said she has gotten away from using pickling lime (calcium hydroxide) as it takes more work. With the pickling lime though you soak them and then thoroughly wash before putting into jars and filling with your brine.

She also suggested if you use salt to use canning salt for your brine. She is a stickler for the details but her pickles turn out great year after year.

Good luck, have fun...

 

[MossRoad]

I got three (3) peaches off of my tree this year! First time I've ever beat the squirrels.

 

[Oaktree]

Add pickle crisp (calcium chloride)to jars if you can find it it not grape or oak leaves can add the tannins needed. She said she has gotten away from using pickling lime (calcium hydroxide) as it takes more work. With the pickling lime though you soak them and then thoroughly wash before putting into jars and filling with your brine.

Thanks for the tips! Oak leaves, huh? Have to give it a try...keep things in the family.

 

[Oaktree]

I got three (3) peaches off of my tree this year! First time I've ever beat the squirrels.

A bit too cold to grow them this far north, though they do grow in the southern part of the state.

Speaking of fruit trees...is anyone else (especially in the northeast) having a really bad year for apples? I've got maybe 10 on one of my trees, none on the other. Even the wild apple trees are pretty barren this year.

 

[masseyrider]

A bit too cold to grow them this far north, though they do grow in the southern part of the state.

Speaking of fruit trees...is anyone else (especially in the northeast) having a really bad year for apples? I've got maybe 10 on one of my trees, none on the other. Even the wild apple trees are pretty barren this year.

Last year all my apples were super loaded. Almost more fruit than leaves.
This year the Galas have a good crop.
The rest are spotty at best. 10% of last years crop if lucky.
We did have a cold rainy spring and a couple late heavy frosts.