How does your garden grow: 2012 Edition!

Post by **Dawgboy** » Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:40 pm

Is there a quicker way of shelling dried beans? By hand is tedious...

These are Mitla black beans from Arizona. Just 4 plants worth.

Post by **ZombieGranny** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:27 am

Thresh them?

Post by **Dawgboy** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 10:01 pm

Going to need to figure out something... Here is about 10% of the black bean patch. I was counting pods and was averaging about 100 pods per plant and that is making me very happy. Now to sort the dry ones out and put the greener ones in a net bag to dry

Post by **Dawgboy** » Tue Jul 24, 2012 11:38 pm

I found giving a good twist Before splitting is more effective. I now have 18 oz. of shelled beans and 2 lbs. greener ones to be shelled when dry enough.

This is the first time I have grown dry beans.

Edit: Autocorrect wtf

Post by **Dawgboy** » Thu Jul 26, 2012 10:45 pm

Got another nice little harvest today, yellow squash and onions I sautéed in olive oil, ants a salad of mesclun and Madori Satsumi Cucs. It's late and the mesclun is getting bitter

Post by **NamelessStain** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 7:58 am

Dawgboy wrote:Got another nice little harvest today, yellow squash and onions I sautéed in olive oil, ants a salad of mesclun and Madori Satsumi Cucs. It's late and the mesclun is getting bitter

Sounds like a recipe I make with yellow squash.

Yellow squash
Zucchini

Saute in olive oil, salt and pepper
Add white wine and allow to simmer and reduce.

Post by **Dawgboy** » Fri Jul 27, 2012 2:41 pm

Dawgboy's patented solar bean dryer...

Post by **Dawgboy** » Mon Jul 30, 2012 1:00 pm

A few more progress photos. The powder mildew is doing in my crooknecks and Cucs but I think I am getting early enough for the Hubbards, which are headed into the football sized stage. Having problems with pill bugs too, which surprised the heck out of me. Got my first tomatoes and Blue Lake snap beans too.

Lima beans

Post by **Hillbilly Homer** » Tue Jul 31, 2012 5:14 pm

NoAm wrote:New experiment! A friend told me I can grow lettuce in a plastic bag.

...How did this turn out?...

Or did i miss it in an earlier post?

Post by **FlashDaddy** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 6:21 pm

I cleared out some space in the front flower bed and planted two heirloom beefsteak tomato plants from Lowes. They grew fast, got nice yellow flowers and one or two nice tomatoes from each plant.

Delicious!

More flowers keep blooming but they aren't resulting in any more fruit, not even little green starters. It has been like this now for weeks. The flowers just dry up. I am in a severe drought area, so I have been watering every day since they were seedlings, one 3 gallon bucket of water per plant.

Any help from the hivemind?

Post by **curryman** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 8:33 pm

Sorry guys. It's been about 200 degrees here lately. No rain in a month and forecasts of 105-108. Between watering twice a day and getting less than a pound of yummies every 2 days, I've not taken any pictures.

Made a batch of 5 pepper beans tonight. 1 each of 5 peppers, 1 onion 1 cup red beans. Saute, boil simmer ect.

Cukes are about tapped out, planted new seeds today.

I'll try to post pics of the New and Improved $8 irrigation tomorrow.

Curryman

Post by **Dawgboy** » Wed Aug 01, 2012 10:40 pm

Flashdaddy, your tomatoes are not going to produce much if the temps are staying above 90 degrees. But if it's growing well, when the weather cools down you will get fruit sets again. also, there is a product called bloomset that works well.

Post by **FlashDaddy** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 5:43 am

Dawgboy wrote:Flashdaddy, your tomatoes are not going to produce much if the temps are staying above 90 degrees. But if it's growing well, when the weather cools down you will get fruit sets again. also, there is a product called bloomset that works well.

Yeah, it has been hot here, we just had the hottest July ever, or at least the hottest since the late 1800s when they started keeping records. August isn't looking any cooler. I just ordered a bottle of Bonide Tomato Blossom Set spray. I had no idea there was a product like this. Thanks D!

Post by **OTTB** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 4:01 pm

Something is nibbling on and destroying one of my lemon trees. We found a grasshopper on it but I don't know if just one grasshopper can do that much damage. What can I do before my tree gets killed?

Post by **Hillbilly Homer** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:28 pm

OTTB wrote:Something is nibbling on and destroying one of my lemon trees. We found a grasshopper on it but I don't know if just one grasshopper can do that much damage. What can I do before my tree gets killed?

Sevin dust

Post by **NoAm** » Thu Aug 02, 2012 7:34 pm

OTTB wrote:Something is nibbling on and destroying one of my lemon trees. We found a grasshopper on it but I don't know if just one grasshopper can do that much damage. What can I do before my tree gets killed?

You can also try a Neem Oil mixture.

Post by **CarolinaPeach** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 11:32 am

The okra got away from us and now we've got some pods that are just too big. I tried slicing up some for frying and they're really woody. We're keeping some for seed, of course, but I really hate to waste anything. Any suggestions? Would stewing these things (gumbo) soften them up any or are they just pretty much a lost cause?

Peach

Post by **Hillbilly Homer** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:01 pm

Shell okra and use the seeds as you would dry beans.

Post by **allofthemonkeys** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 1:14 pm

This morning I picked 2 buckets of grapes to make juice and the basil I just planted is coming in nicely. No pics, camera is packed in the hospital bag for the coming baby.

Post by **CarolinaPeach** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 2:30 pm

Hillbilly Homer wrote: Shell okra and use the seeds as you would dry beans.

Thank you so much for this suggestion! I can't believe I've never heard of this trick before now. Seriously, I'm so happy right now thinking about this that I may burst into tears. While I have always loved beans (pintos, black eyed peas, navy beans, northern beans, black beans, limas, etc.), they have been off my diet now for a couple of years because I went low-carb after being told I was a Type II diabetic. But oh how I have missed beans.

I can't wait to do this.

Peach

Post by **Dawgboy** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 2:39 pm

Some more harvest photos Clemson okra is for seed as I only had a tiny amount to plant

And my honey with the "Lumpy Squash Princess"(for seed)

Post by **Dawgboy** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 2:53 pm

CarolinaPeach wrote:
Thank you so much for this suggestion! I can't believe I've never heard of this trick before now. Seriously, I'm so happy right now thinking about this that I may burst into tears. While I have always loved beans (pintos, black eyed peas, navy beans, northern beans, black beans, limas, etc.), they have been off my diet now for a couple of years because I went low-carb after being told I was a Type II diabetic. But oh how I have missed beans.

I can't wait to do this.

Peach

Wait.. What?!?!?!

Beans are one the best things you could be eating, Ms. Peach. Cut out the refined grains and sugar, and eat the beans daily for the high soluble fiber and complex sugars!!! The more you eat them, the better you will feel too, as adding them back into your diet will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and with daily usage, most bloating and gas goes away.

http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_diabetes.htm

http://www.livestrong.com/article/27573 ... etic-diet/

Post by **Dawgboy** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 4:59 pm

Can anybody give me winter squash advice? I've never grown them so don't know when to pick them. Same goes for melons? How do I know they are ready?

Post by **ZombieGranny** » Sat Aug 11, 2012 5:04 pm

The color of the rind darkens in places like where it touches the ground, and the rind gets too hard to cut with a fingernail.
I give them a wash with vinegar-water or bleach-water and make sure they are completely dry before storing them.

Zombie Squad