Growing/sharing/learning to garden: 2023

[SuperMom]

I picked the last jalapenos the other day; my three little plants gave me more than 120 jalapenos! I don't think I've even bought that many jalapenos in my lifetime.

I think I just harvested the last tomatillos. There are still some babies on the plants and plenty of blossoms, but I don't think there's enough growing season left to make it worthwhile to try to harvest more. I got a little more than 11 pounds which resulted in more than 25 cups of salsa verde.

For someone with black thumbs and my first real time trying to grow some veggies, I am calling this a success. My whole reason for giving this a go was to be able to stock up on homemade salsa verde. Now I have a good supply in the freezer. To use up some of those jalapenos, I purchased a bunch of roma tomatoes which have been turned into roasted tomato salsa and put in the freezer.

[normaM]

good for you, did you have fun? That's the main thing
I just checked my front entry - no canning :(

[SuperMom]

good for you, did you have fun? That's the main thing
I just checked my front entry - no canning :(

Yes, I did have fun! It would have been more fun if my husband had finished setting up irrigation for my garden, but it wasn't so big that watering it was too onerous.

[Queen K]

We were at a yard sale and bought two huge pepper plants loaded with pepper, pot, soil and plant were $5 each.

Cheating I know.

But we will do something with them.

[DANSPEED]

I would love to see a pic of your passionflower, DANSPEED. And does it produce fruit? What is the best canteloupe, do you find? For sweetness and productivity - looking for a better yield. The one watermelon I planted did not do great, but I hear they can be difficult. Also, I had a honeydew but the flavour was not as good as the canteloupe.

Passion flower vs snowball bush...

Passion_snowball.jpg

This passiflora is over 25 years old and potted. End of season it gets cut back and tossed into the greenhouse. This year it came out in full bloom. No fruit, just exotic looking flowers.

The best cantaloupe I grew this year are labeled Cantaloupe Muskmelon. I bought the starters from The Greenery. Hales best jumbo I started from seed, planted in May, and are just ripening now. So not the best variety for our somewhat short melon growing season. I gave a muskmelon to my neighbor who are from India. The father said his young daughter doesn't like cantaloupe but was surprised when she almost ate it all. Seriously I don't know why the Okanagan valley isn't growing this variety for export.

I had no luck with watermelon! One plant shriveled up. A mole ate some roots. Some fruit went brown and fell off. The two small melons I got were deformed. One was reddish inside. The other one took months to grow to about a bowling ball size and stopped. I cut it open and it was white inside. Rats ate my neighbors watermelon. I think there's a reason we don't see local watermelon for sale! ... $4 in the store. Think I'm done with watermelon.

Anyone grow pumpkins? I didn't, but I passed by the pumpkin patch on Old Vernon Road just up from the driving range and noticed all the leaves have powdery mildew and are now dead. Thousands of huge pumpkins and Halloween is still some time away.

[Lady tehMa]

I grew pumpkins, I have 2 small pumpkins of the sugar variety on the vine.

It seems as though powdery mildew is inevitable with curcubits.

[Catsumi]

Danspeed said

The best cantaloupe I grew this year are labeled Cantaloupe Muskmelon.

Thank you for that tip. I’ll try that next year.

I’ve decided not to do garden box 2 next year (tired of feeding deer) so will instead take 2 boxes at garden 1. It’s a hassle hauling water from water-cube to garden boxes, but at least the fences are high enough to discourage the ruminants.

The green bean seeds that were planted about Aug 15 have really pushed out their offspring in a hurry, a good late harvest but see that very few flowers are showing up today. I expect their lifespan days, short as it was towards winter, governed by hours of daylight and night temperatures, are coming to an end. Fair enough.

[DANSPEED]

Just picked another Hales Best Jumbo, 5.6 pounds! That's a dinner plate in the pic...

Hales Best Jumbo.jpg

[Queen K]

Fantastic photos DanSpeed! Thanks for the Passion Flower lesson. Might have to try it next Spring. As for the Cantaloupe, that is another "must try" for the QKHQ. Are you seed saving from that one?

Watermelon did zip here too. Two tiny ones I am saving for a joke. $6.99 per melon at Independent, I wonder how much the farmer gets? I devote far too much land to sunflowers for discussion. Birds love me though.

The pumpkin issue and this years heat is a disaster for Halloween. A full on disaster.

[Queen K]

I've got tonnes more green beans to pick. Anyone else?

[Catsumi]

The tom plants I pulled up a week ago had a load of greenies that i packed into a box with newspaper. Today, went to turn and reposition them and found 6 ripe ones. One thing about Black Krims that has proven true over the years is that the first ones are enormous, but also have splits. These later ones are round, medium sized with no defects. Just can’t beat the rich, sweet tom flavour of this variety except the “other” heritage that I can’t recall at this moment

Probably have one more picking of green beans left. Nights longer, cooler and few flowers now. Time to call it a day (for my last garden box) and turn my attention elsewhere.

Japan is getting closer daily.

[Bsuds]

I've got tonnes more green beans to pick. Anyone else?

Yup!

[Catsumi]

Did the carrot experiment turn out for you, BSuds?

[Babba_not_Gump]

I've got tonnes more green beans to pick. Anyone else?

We probably do but we're too far away.
I left a note for other gardeners to help themselves.

[DANSPEED]

Fantastic photos DanSpeed! Thanks for the Passion Flower lesson. Might have to try it next Spring. As for the Cantaloupe, that is another "must try" for the QKHQ. Are you seed saving from that one?

Watermelon did zip here too. Two tiny ones I am saving for a joke. $6.99 per melon at Independent, I wonder how much the farmer gets? I devote far too much land to sunflowers for discussion. Birds love me though.

The pumpkin issue and this years heat is a disaster for Halloween. A full on disaster.

I only used three seeds from the package so I have lots for next year. They say seed saving from melons can be dicey because they cross pollinate with other varieties of melons and don't always grow true again.

I'm still picking long english cucumbers. One vine said adiós but the producing one is still healthy. I can't believe stores never dropped the price of cucs, lettuce and tomato's all summer. I refuse to pay COVID prices for fruit and vegetables. I gave away 60 pounds of tomato's to my neighbor for his restaurants.

So it wasn't just my grapes that were early this year...

Okanagan Valley wineries rush to work with early grape harvest

My green seedless are always ready second week in September and not always sweet. This year I picked them first week in August! That's a first in 30+ years.