Garden Thread 2023!

[NHWS]

We're winding down in the garden here too. Fall weather arrived right on the calendar date. The weather has taken an abrupt change to cooler and damper. And our north slope garden is getting shaded more and more. It only gets about 6 hrs of sun now, when it's out. I harvested all tomatoes that were blushing and will watch the plants closely for any sign of rot or blight. If it shows, they will get pulled. The zucchinis are just producing a few veggies a week. I harvested all the remaining potatoes. We have a lot of peppers on the plants but are waiting for them to redden. They got planted late along with the tomatoes and eggplant due to our cold spring. Lettuce, chard, kale, beets, and cabbage are thriving. Th second planting of corn has yielded some nice ears this week. The real surprise has been the YuHo green beans. I stopped picking them a month ago to let the rest go to seed for next year. There are lots of pods developing seed now. But they have continued to grow and we have been picking fresh beans too now for a few weeks. This is the longest and most prolific bean season we have ever experienced.

Corn? Didn't think that western Washington was a good climate for it. How has it worked out for you?

Beans seem to grow very well in the PNW. I've mostly planted pole beans in the past, but harvesting them is a lot of work, and the store bought ones are nearly as good. If I can get the additional raised beds done for next year, I'll try some green beans. Any particular varieties you'd recommend?

 

[Dan Freeman]

Finally got the greenhouse put back together after that project. I think I'll just enjoy it for the next week or two before I move onto the next phase. (You think I can hold out that long?) 🤣

 

[NHWS]

Finally got the greenhouse put back together after that project. I think I'll just enjoy it for the next week or two before I move onto the next phase. (You think I can hold out that long?) 🤣

View attachment 315831

Impressive! Even a hot tub and a diving board

 

[begreen]

Corn? Didn't think that western Washington was a good climate for it. How has it worked out for you?

Oh my yes. Corn grows fine in Western WA. All it needs is good soil and sun. I've been growing it for 20+ yrs. You are lucky if good store-bought green beans are good. I have never liked them in comparison to Blue Lakes or our new YuHo beans. We've grown both Blue Lake pole and bush beans. Both have been very productive, but the bush bean takes up more garden space so I usually grow pole beans. It's a good crop to follow potatoes or garlic if those crops are harvested early.

 

[NHWS]

Oh my yes. Corn grows fine in Western WA. All it needs is good soil and sun. I've been growing it for 20+ yrs. You are lucky if good store-bought green beans are good. I have never liked them in comparison to Blue Lakes or our new YuHo beans. We've grown both Blue Lake pole and bush beans. Both have been very productive, but the bush bean takes up more garden space so I usually grow pole beans. It's a good crop to follow potatoes or garlic if those crops are harvested early.

Actually, I wasn't thinking of green beans. I have mostly grown pole beans and dried them. Store bought dried beans are almost as good (after drying, then re-hydrating and cooking) as home grown. But I may try some green beans next year.

Re corn (thx for the info) - the soil in my raised beds is good, but the general ground soil is not as good. Too much clay and glacial till. OTOH, my septic drain field is not far away, and I'm sure that it has improved the soil. Sun is an issue - I'm surrounded by 100+' trees, so part of the garden space is shaded early morning and late afternoon. Might still be worth trying some corn, though. Takes a lot a space per amount of harvest, but corn picked and put in a pot to boil within minutes is an entirely different vegetable than store bought.

Haven't planted potatoes. My root crops so far have only been carrots, radishes, onions, and garlic. Carrots and radishes have done well. Onions and garlic not as well, but I may not be planting / maintained them in the best way yet.

Tried leeks this year. Got some very nice ones, but not as many as expected.

Also planted asparagus for the first time this year. Looking very good so far, but the first (smallish) harvest won't be until next year; more the following year.

 

[begreen]

Got it. I have only grown dried beans a couple of times for varieties not sold at the store. Now we just buy them also.

Let a couple of the leeks go to seed. They will self-plant next year's crop. Corn and onions are sun lovers. Plant them in the sunniest beds.

 

[EbS-P]

Here is my new hydroponic table. Eight - 11 liter buckets will be fed and drain to 47 gallon tote below the table. a trellis support (for plants and or lights) will be added just high enough that it will still roll (casters being added soon) inside for freezing weather.

I have 8 tomatoes starting from seed that will eventually get planted with a few other fair weather crops for the winter. I will take some cutting of my tomatoes that are growing now and get those rooted before they find a bucket.

 

[clancey]

Lots of work and nice looking bench and I am so glad that you are adding casters. Wonderful project for winter time...good job...clancey

 

[EbS-P]

I bumper crop of tomatoes in a week or two!

 

[begreen]

Nice. That is the advantage of southern growing. Now, you have the right amount of heat. As long as they get enough sunlight they should be happy campers. Our tomatoes are checking out. It's too cold and the full sun hours are shortened due to shading. I have a most of them picked and finishing ripening in the greenhouse.

 

[EbS-P]

Nice. That is the advantage of southern growing. Now, you have the right amount of heat. As long as they get enough sunlight they should be happy campers. Our tomatoes are checking out. It's too cold and the full sun hours are shortened due to shading. I have a most of them picked and finishing ripening in the greenhouse.

I’m considering a 100$ Amazon greenhouse for the patio. But here is a clipping I took 2-3 months ago of one of my dads dying tomatoes on his patio. I just stuck in in the salad rack. It’s a container oriented determinate. And it has tomatoes! I really just wanted a I keep it alive to get some clippings rooted in the buckets.

 

[NickW]

Here's my jalapeno harvest for the year (less 32-35 used for poppers already...). Big ones on the left will be halved and gutted for poppers, little ones on the right will be for adding to cooking.



Tarped the melons last night due to possible frost. Hybrid honeydews are getting better (riper & sweeter). Ate a couple that weren't ripe enough dipped in sugar. Crenshaw's are delicious. I feel like the weather started to turn cool too soon and slowed them both down before they were all ready. Planted seeds as soon as the danger of frost was gone. Might start indoors earlier next time. Still have 6 Crenshaw's that are green and about 20 honeydew in the garden.

Harvested somewhere in the area of 350 zucchini.

Garden is doubtful next year with the move to the Northwoods looming at some point next year. Probably sometime April-July...?

 

[NHWS]

Here's my jalapeno harvest for the year (less 32-35 used for poppers already...). Big ones on the left will be halved and gutted for poppers, little ones on the right will be for adding to cooking.
...
Tarped the melons last night due to possible frost. Hybrid honeydews are getting better (riper & sweeter). Ate a couple that weren't ripe enough dipped in sugar. Crenshaw's are delicious. I feel like the weather started to turn cool too soon and slowed them both down before they were all ready. Planted seeds as soon as the danger of frost was gone. Might start indoors earlier next time. Still have 6 Crenshaw's that are green and about 20 honeydew in the garden.

Harvested somewhere in the area of 350 zucchini.
...

Very nice. The peppers, I mean, not the zucchini. In this area peppers are prized, but zucchini almost have the status of pests.

 

[NHWS]

Still processing tomatoes - three weeks work and still counting. Making headway, though. Down to six 18" x 48" shelves of tomatoes (mostly romas) ripening under lights. Freezer is almost full of containers of boiled down tomato.

Re-watched "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes" over the weekend.

 

[begreen]

Harvested somewhere in the area of 350 zucchini.

That's enough to start using them for building material.

 

[armanidog]

All my determinate tomatoes died back in August.
I'm still getting lots of cherry tomatoes though. The cool weather seems to sweeten them or maybe it's the idea of fresh tomatoes in October that makes them taste so good.

 

[NickW]

That's enough to start using them for building material.

We've shared quite a few, eaten several meals worth, and have lots in the freezer...

It takes 8 or 9 small ones to fill a gallon baggie with zoodles for spaghetti, 3 medium ones for a meal of stuffed, and anything else gets shredded...

Pretty sure we won't be short zucchini if we don't have a garden next year.

 

[begreen]

Things are definitely winding down here. The Yuho beans had a nice new flush of green beans but they are at the end now. We are getting some nice late broccoli heads, some late peppers, and have some golden beets that need harvesting. Lettuce is still doing good too. Most of the tomatoes have been picked and have been processed or are finishing off ripening in the greenhouse. Butternut squash still needs to be picked. The greenhouse cakes have woken up and are producing again. I need to plant garlic soon.

 

[NHWS]

Things are definitely winding down here. The Yuho beans had a nice new flush of green beans but they are at the end now. We are getting some nice late broccoli heads, some late peppers, and have some golden beets that need harvesting. Lettuce is still doing good too. Most of the tomatoes have been picked and have been processed or are finishing off ripening in the greenhouse. Butternut squash still needs to be picked. The greenhouse cakes have woken up and are producing again. I need to plant garlic soon.

Similar here. Harvested chard, late broccoli, kale, leeks, and carrots, and had some very nice fresh salads. The asparagus is tempting, but it's only the first year, so they shouldn't be harvested yet. Still have plenty of sugar-snap pea pods in the freezer. I'm already starting to miss fresh-picked salads. Frozen or store-bought veggies are not the same.

Still waiting for the last large batch of roma tomatoes to ripen. It's just barely possible that I overdid it when I planted tomatoes. Of course, I said the same thing just about a year ago. Hard to resist the thought of chili or Italian sauces during the cold/wet fall and winter.

It's time to plant indoor spices and herbs.

 

[begreen]

Yes, I need to get some indoor plants started. We have Swiss chard, perpetual spinach, and kale for winter greens along with January King cabbage but fresh greens for salads are a real treat in the winter. I just ordered a second iDoo just for tomatoes. It has 7 holes but I'll only put in 2 plants so that they have a lot of room to expand. The larger iDoo will get basil and lettuce.

 

[NHWS]

...I just ordered a second iDoo just for tomatoes. It has 7 holes but I'll only put in 2 plants so that they have a lot of room to expand. The larger iDoo will get basil and lettuce.

Haven't done much indoor gardening yet other than starts, herbs, spices, and carrots, but I want to do more this winter. Kale would be especially welcome, and if I could also grow broccoli and cabbage I'd be fairly well set for salads. Out of curiosity, why do you use the iDoo instead of pots + lights? From their web site, it doesn't look like any of the iDoo models would have nearly enough height for tomatoes.

 

[begreen]

Kale will grow thru the winter here. If it is tented it will thrive, same with Swiss chard. January king cabbage gets planted in July. It laughs at cold weather, even in 20º temps. We harvest it in Jan-Mar. It is sweet and delicious.

Last year was my first at growing in the house. I grew in pots and the iDoo. You need to grow specially small patio varieties of tomatoes. Last year I grew Tiny Tim and you need to stay on top of pruning. Think bonsai tomatoes. I'm still learning this skill but I got really good at it with basil. It loves proper pruning. I also grew some Tatsoi in the greenhouse and it did pretty well. I'll be growing a larger crop this year.

 

[NHWS]

I have harvested smaller amounts of kale, broccoli, and chard thru the winter in the past. Haven't tried a winter cabbage yet. Some of the plants are more tolerant of the cold, rain, and lack of daylight than I am.

 

[begreen]

Likewise. I envy the folks in Hawaii and Medellin Colombia that can grow year round.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Soon, I will be planting lettuce, spinach, kale, Swiss chard, cabbage, broccoli, etc. in my greenhouse under grow lights. I want to see if I can keep them growing all winter.

I am very happy that my new greenhouse tends to be 15-20 degrees warmer than the outside temp overnight and in the morning. The passive heat sinks are paying off. In my old greenhouse, the temperature would be the same or maybe 1 degree warmer on a cold morning.

It would be ideal if I didn't need to use a source of heat in my greenhouse until the outside temperature dropped below 20F.

I plan to cover the Phase Change Material panels with a darker color to assist in them absorbing more heat during the day, so the inside night temps may even get higher.