Growing/sharing/learning to garden: 2022

[alanjh595]

Mulch them in with pine needles in the Fall. Doing so really helped our blueberries.

I have done so, will do again when I put new landscape fabric in the bed. They used to be shaded by the hazelnut bushes, now they have much more sun and are on the main garden irrigation.

Spent hours out in the garden today, weeding and finding some food ready to pick!

Aug 6 2022 harvest start.jpg

What a handsome bounty you have there lady T. Good job!

[Lady tehMa]

Thanks, alanjh!

I have fruit starting to ripen as well, but that never is left alone long enough to photograph. Well, the raspberries were but those are almost done now. I have blueberries & blackberries to pick (blackberries may be a bit tart yet) and for the beginning of September I'll be dealing with plums, then grapes.

[Catsumi]

Good job, LadyT…happy for you that garden bounty is being reaped for you and family.

Mine is good and disastrous: carrots plentiful (most are in freezer] and lots of toms although they are very, very slow to ripen. Why? Never seen this before and you’d think with nonstop heat they’d be faster. Patience, grasshopper.

Ripped up my squash vines as not a single one was producing more than leaves and flowers. Why?

Zuc stalled and slowed down. That’s ok as too many at once would point me in more recipes for using it (Pinterest has great ideas) that I’m just too lazy to do now…so, into food processor, drain, freeze for winter.

Weird cucs again this year. Look and perform nothing like seed pkg projected..,bitter, bitter…spit!!

Normally I’d be planting 3rd and last crop of carrots, but it seems like heat to continue. Keeping seeds damp would require many more trips in Skunkmobile to travel for watering. So, not this year. Will have to buy from SwanLake to have enough to carry me thru winter coleslaws and soup making.

So, this was the year that was…and I have rambled on.

Anyone else with observations that were strange this year? Btw, we (in Vernon) haven’t had rain since weeks and weeks ago. That rainfall brings down the dreaded Nitrogen that we must fear but plants love.

A friend tried this…said it was terrifically yummy

[Lady tehMa]

Looks interesting - I haven't any zucchini this year (and lost both my squash plants, apparently).

I have had a bare handful of beans so far this year :/ Not a good year for me. I still have beets & kohlrabi though. I need to trim runners on the strawberries so they'll start producing again. I hope to start using tomatoes soon, peppers are stunted and not doing well. :/

[Queen K]

I wish I could take everyone to the one garden I saw this year that is producing and producing. Beans were cited as a problem child this year though. 100 figs have been harvested, lots of peppers and carrots. This is not my garden. My garden is sadly limping along though the leeks are good and I wish I bought more boxes of shallots at half price when I could have.

[Bsuds]

Our beans have done OK and are starting their second flowering. They are in the shade in the morning so maybey that helped.

[Lady tehMa]

That is the largest sunflower head I have ever grown! Usually, they're pretty standard half a foot across or so.

[ChocolateNecessary91]

Does anyone know where I could get info on the municipal laws around having chickens in my yard?

[alanjh595]

Can you have backyard chickens in Kelowna?

Currently, the City of Kelowna allows up to ten hens on lots in the City with a minimum of one-half acre of land. Several municipalities in BC have, and continue to, consider proposals to allow chickens in urban areas, including the City of Kamloops, Vernon, Burnaby, and Vancouver.Apr 8, 2010

[Lady tehMa]

Does anyone know where I could get info on the municipal laws around having chickens in my yard?

Check with your municipality online

https://www.kelowna.ca/city-hall/city-g ... ound-bylaw

https://www.westkelownacity.ca/en/city- ... sting.aspx <--- that one click on Animal Control and it will download to your device

[Lady tehMa]

Garlic is cured and cleaned and properly put away :) First year I've done that!

[Lady tehMa]

Does anyone else get "garden fatigue" this time of year? I'm finding it really hard to go out and weed.

[Catsumi]

I hear you Lady T. If we’d had a couple of rainfalls I'd have planted more lettuces and carrots…it's such a hassle and expensive too in gasoline costs to dash up there just to water. The soil is bone dry at least 12 inches down and that huge tree beside my garden [you’ve seen it… 70 feet high pine] with roots into garden sucking up any available water. It is basically a dirty-30s dust bowl.

So, in answer to your query, yes I am garden fatigued as i cannot be there every darn day to water. But, in retrospect, not complaining too much as I had a walloping harvest of toms (not as wonderful in taste, colour as the Black Krims. ) Also had plenty of zuchs, carrots, lettuces, green beans

Cucs were a writeoff.

Probably cost me more in gas than in buying veggies, but had sweaty fun tending to the garden

Also, with the veg gifts I gave away, racked up some points for when i need a small favour.

[Catsumi]

Anyone else have their zuc plants stop blooming?

Btw, I counted four (4) bees total for the season. Where did they go?

[Queen K]

Does anyone else get "garden fatigue" this time of year? I'm finding it really hard to go out and weed.

At some point I am happy to be putting it away. This year we are taking down the raised beds and renovating the entire gardens.