2023 Garden Thread

Mark Yoshida said:
Planted about 150 garlic on Monday and this morning I found about a dozen dirt piles where something dug around. I saw a squirrel running across the bed. Not sure he ate or just buried something. The lil shits made a mess. Gonna put some wire mesh over them till they sprout. Never had that issue before with garlic.
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Been planting grid wire over my beds for years. In the last 4 years I have bought 36”and 48” x 120” and 60” rolls to deal with the annoying little bastiches. Much layed over the plantings many more folded wire mesh boxes I made big structures like giant aviaries too. I have probably bought a couple hundred feet. Did not know I would be using so much for the urban squirrel batallions.
 
Time for grape harvest.
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My dol has never done preserves so today I started passing along my how to to the next gen. Two little destemmers and smashers helped before we turned up the heat.
20231008_103610.jpg20231008_113131.jpgI watched then helped my mom and grandma when I was little. Still processing with granny's sieve. Made a few jars of juice concentrate too.
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Tom Butler said:
Time for grape harvest.
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My dol has never done preserves so today I started passing along my how to to the next gen. Two little destemmers and smashers helped before we turned up the heat.
View attachment 85091View attachment 85092I watched then helped my mom and grandma when I was little. Still processing with granny's sieve. Made a few jars of juice concentrate too.
View attachment 85093
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Jeanne’s moms place is being watched . She has been in a care facility for a year and a half. She has fruit trees and a lot of purple grapes we picked a week ago and made 4 batches with about 16 lbs.. very yummy. We made some juice too . Added some sugar solution mixed and A bit over ice and seltzer. Refreshingly great!
 
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Winter king and queen watermelon. Like, will plant this one year after year. Crisp fine flesh all the way to the edge of the rind. I did not like the early moonbeam, yellow personal sized watermelons, they had tons of seeds and nothing exceptional to make dealing with them worth it.
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Freckles cantaloupe. Good, fine grained flesh. Flavor wasn't amazing like a vine ripe home grown cantaloupe should be, but still good. Maybe pass on this next year.
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Oregon delicious cantaloupe
Left till they fell off or came off the vine with the slightest tug. Softer flesh then the freckles and good, but not intense flavor, like a vine ripe cantaloupe should be. Maybe try something else next year. Still haven't found that dream cantaloupe .
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i have a 12” box full of pepper, tomato and bean seeds… all labeled and folded packages of paper towel. In the greenhouse. Some tomatoes still maturing in the next 3 days of rain. Watching them for a sign of rain stress and potential splitting- if I pull the pick trigger I will put in the greenhouse with some fruit for the ethylene gas to speed up their ripening. Lettuce, biennial broc, mizuna, kale, leeks, fava beans, peas, Dutch corn salad, wasabe raddishes, carrots, potatoes and chiogga beets growing. Waiting on potatoes and carrots left for Lilly to dig. She loves harvest time
 
Flymph said:
Does anyone do hydroponic growing like lettuce for salads available all year round?
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No, but you could. Would have to invest in lights, and some sort of system. I was thinking about going the microgreens route instead for winter greenery. If you have some south facing windows all you would need is some trays and seed. There are varieties that do well outdoors all winter in the PNW but I didn't get anything planted in time. Kale, winter romaine, miners lettuce, etc. If only I had a greenhouse, I would grow all sorts of lettuce all winter.
 
TicTokCroc said:
No, but you could. Would have to invest in lights, and some sort of system. I was thinking about going the microgreens route instead for winter greenery. If you have some south facing windows all you would need is some trays and seed. There are varieties that do well outdoors all winter in the PNW but I didn't get anything planted in time. Kale, winter romaine, miners lettuce, etc. If only I had a greenhouse, I would grow all sorts of lettuce all winter.
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I’ve done it
Also found the lettuce grown hydroponically in the greenhouse was some of the most expensive lettuce ever.
Heating costs
Lighting
It is really cold and dark in the winter around here
 
Dutch corn salad will grow all winter here as will many other veg. However, if the winter temp gets below 20-25 for extended periods not likely. Biennial purple broc gets planted in Sept and is reliable for mid to late spring harvest if winter temps stay above about 15 degrees( including wind chill)
 
It is final pepper harvest time for me soon- Holy Moly’s, cherry bomb, picking white stripe stage fish peppers for hot sauce, more corno di toro, corbaci to go, maybe 10 days. The low temps here are in the low 50’s so I have some time. This weather climate change is an adjustment for me considering I started this veg gardening thing in about 1978. Same area in Sw wa but change for sure.
 
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