Post by mogal on Oct 29, 2023 13:12:48 GMT
We have freeze warnings with hard freezes for the next 4 nights, one low forecast to be 22o. DH spent last week visiting family out of state but decided to come home a day early to help me finish the harvest before these freezes. Due to the drought, we hadn't finished digging the potatoes. This was the first time I've ever had a successful crop using mulch ala Ruth Stout but they were beautiful potatoes.
I'd planted 5 Cherokee Tan pumpkin seedlings in spots I thought had rich soil away from the garden itself because I figured each would be pretty invasive. Well, squash bugs or rabbits destroyed 4 but the fifth was in an old compost pile. That one vine took off and by now is easily 30' east and west and 50' north south in an oval. One saving grace of the CT is that at each leaf node, it sends down roots so if bugs should kill part of it, those roots will support the rest of the plant. I lost count of the # of pumpkins we brought in to store until I can process them. I have been feeding some to the goats and chickens and our new dog who is now teething likes them as a chew toy. I also gave away enough to fill a garden cart well mounded.
Last spring, I was late getting my seeds started so ended up buying tomato seedlings. These were marked "Beefsteak" but they were unlike any beefsteak tomatoes I've seen. They were usually a bit malformed with a bad spot in the middle despite nothing on the exterior. The flavor wasn't that great to eat fresh but I made tomato powder from some that tasted fine. I got plenty of my favorite field peas, plenty of peppers but everything else in the garden was so-so.
Apples and blackberries outdid themselves. I had the best blueberry harvest ever since I covered the plants to keep the birds away from the fruit. Don't have that many plants since DH isn't fond of blueberries if you can imagine someone who doesn't like blueberries! My aronia bushes would have done better if the deer hadn't defoliated them in mid season before the fruit was ripe. All in all, despite the drought, I can't complain.
How did your garden produce for you?
I'd planted 5 Cherokee Tan pumpkin seedlings in spots I thought had rich soil away from the garden itself because I figured each would be pretty invasive. Well, squash bugs or rabbits destroyed 4 but the fifth was in an old compost pile. That one vine took off and by now is easily 30' east and west and 50' north south in an oval. One saving grace of the CT is that at each leaf node, it sends down roots so if bugs should kill part of it, those roots will support the rest of the plant. I lost count of the # of pumpkins we brought in to store until I can process them. I have been feeding some to the goats and chickens and our new dog who is now teething likes them as a chew toy. I also gave away enough to fill a garden cart well mounded.
Last spring, I was late getting my seeds started so ended up buying tomato seedlings. These were marked "Beefsteak" but they were unlike any beefsteak tomatoes I've seen. They were usually a bit malformed with a bad spot in the middle despite nothing on the exterior. The flavor wasn't that great to eat fresh but I made tomato powder from some that tasted fine. I got plenty of my favorite field peas, plenty of peppers but everything else in the garden was so-so.
Apples and blackberries outdid themselves. I had the best blueberry harvest ever since I covered the plants to keep the birds away from the fruit. Don't have that many plants since DH isn't fond of blueberries if you can imagine someone who doesn't like blueberries! My aronia bushes would have done better if the deer hadn't defoliated them in mid season before the fruit was ripe. All in all, despite the drought, I can't complain.
How did your garden produce for you?
