2023 Garden Thread

Salmo_g · Jul 15, 2023

Green beans and onions, help lern me 'bout them please.

I think I'm gonna' really succeed with my green bean crop this year. As in having more than we can eat fresh. In previous seasons I seem to recall members posting about "blanching" beans and then freezing them for later use. Will one of you please provide a detailed explanation about how to do this. I think I'm going to begin picking some green beans today.

Now onions. Last year onions (and most of my gardening efforts) were a near total failure. I started onions in a windowsill tray and transplanted them outside in the raised bed when they were about 4" tall. Some of those survived the transplant, but hardly enough to call a crop. So I started another row or two in my raised bed. I planted lots of seeds because not all of them germinate. Well, more of them came up than I expected, so I need to thin them. However, I was wondering if I can let them grow a while and use the "thinnings" as green onions. These are Spanish sweet onions if that makes a difference.

Overall I'm just really happy not to have a bunch of barren space in my raised beds this year. Still working on achieving green thumb gardener status.

Mossback · Jul 15, 2023

How To Freeze Green Beans (for the best texture!)

Freezing fresh green beans is easy and a great way to enjoy homegrown veggies for months to come. Here is my step-by-step guide for How To Freeze Green Beans plus recipe ideas for how to use them!

thenaturalnurturer.com

You can use onions anytime as far as I am concerned. Depending on type, the storage onions can be cured in a cool dark spot for use all winter. Walla Walla and other sweet onions ade best used relativsly quickly. We carmelize and freeze what ae cant eat right away, and also dehydrate and freeze.
The green foiliage isn't to my taste, but some dehydrate and use...we do not.

Gary Knowels · Jul 15, 2023

My tomatoes took off over the last couple of weeks. The support arm sticking out is 7.5 feet off the ground (6' above the raised bed). I have to get out the step ladder to tend to them, but they are loading up with a lot of good looking fruit.

We've been battling black spot on this rose, but it's still being it's showy self.

Mossback · Jul 16, 2023

Took out the Garlic and Shallots, then renovated the soils for Cuke planting, while the storage onions are coming along nicely

Some of the perennials

Bagman · Jul 16, 2023

A little over two months in the ground, from a 3 inch pot.

Richard J · Jul 16, 2023

jact55 said:
I'm officially overgrown. Out of control chaos.
Said I wasn't going to plant heavy and let it get like this after it happened last year, but then I get excited in the spring.
But it's all in good fun

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Your tomatoes are set up perfectly for string trellising in the greenhouse. I discovered this method this year and it is awesome. Lots of videos online. Super cheap. Just need plastic clips and twine. Great gardens by the way!

jact55 · Jul 16, 2023

Richard J said:
Your tomatoes are set up perfectly for string trellising in the greenhouse. I discovered this method this year and it is awesome. Lots of videos online. Super cheap. Just need plastic clips and twine. Great gardens by the way!

Thank you, I'll look into that.
Last year they went wild, so this year I did 3' stakes and chicken wire, but they way over grew that.
Have a hard time buying a million tomatoes trellises, which seem too small anyways.

I'll look into this method, need to do something moving forward

jact55 · Jul 16, 2023

Aji amarillos coming ready. Ate a ton of these when i traveled go peru, they were the best pepper i had. Good heat, but not too much. Good fruity flavor.

here in the ole usa, mine have Ok heat, good flavor.
Made a pineapple salsa, only put in half of what I wanted to for peppers, so the wife could have it, but it's lacking lol.

Kilchis · Jul 16, 2023

jact55 said:
Thank you, I'll look into that.
Last year they went wild, so this year I did 3' stakes and chicken wire, but they way over grew that.
Have a hard time buying a million tomatoes trellises, which seem too small anyways.

I'll look into this method, need to do something moving forward

Lowes, Home Depot and the like carry concrete reinforcing wire panels that can be shaped into tomato cages by rolling them into circle. The diameter is your choice, cut the excess off each panel with side cutters. With needle nose pliers I formed hooks on some of the cut horizontals and used them to hold the cages closed. Cutting the bottom round of horizontals left vertical legs that just push into the ground. They are pretty durable. I'll try to remember to post again when mine wear out. They're about 20 years old now.

Gary Knowels · Jul 16, 2023

My pole beans are just getting the first few ready to pick, but we're going out of town and they would be larger and less tender than we prefer by the time we return. I picked what needed to be picked and started a tiny lacto ferment with dill, bay, onion, and garlic from the garden. These will probably be ready when we return considering my current basement temps.