# Harvest time



## MrHiggins (Jul 31, 2020)

Anyone else want to share pictures of their home garden harvests?

I have a raised bed garden that I've been working on for about 7 seasons. This year is the most successful yet (gardening is hard! There is so much to learn, but lessons can't be applied until the next growing season). I enjoy the process quite a bit, though. 

Anyway, harvest season is ramping up, so I'm super excited.

Here's the garlic I harvested and cured and my first slicing tomatoes of the year.


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## RonB (Jul 31, 2020)

Funny you should ask - I picked these yesterday:


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## MrHiggins (Jul 31, 2020)

Fresno chiles...


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## MrHiggins (Aug 15, 2020)

Jeez, I went three days without tending my garden, and I'm overwhelmed!


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## Barmoley (Aug 15, 2020)

They were going bad so I figured why not stick them in the ground. Some time later....


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## Keith Sinclair (Aug 18, 2020)

Yeh with this covid19 we are doing more gardening, kale is easy to grow gets big fast. Tomatoes all kinds of fresh herbs, green onion, cilantro. I want to try watermelon the seedless ones in stores are not sweet.


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## Barashka (Aug 19, 2020)

Here's mine from this week!

Plot twist .. I can only eat two habaneros per week without burning up .. but another thread had a sauce recipe, maybe.
(I planted two of each hot pepper Home Depot had .. didn't read every label)


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## MrHiggins (Aug 19, 2020)

Barashka said:


> Here's mine from this week!
> 
> Plot twist .. I can only eat two habaneros per week without burning up .. but another thread had a sauce recipe, maybe.
> (I planted two of each hot pepper Home Depot had .. didn't read every label)
> ...


Nice! You've just gotta make a fermented hot sauce. I use the Cooks Illustrated recipe as a jumping off point and go from there (e.g., I up the amount of chiles and add a few mango chunks). Have fun!


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## Caleb Cox (Aug 19, 2020)




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## sethm (Aug 20, 2020)




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## Twigg (Aug 22, 2020)

Picked some Aji Pineapples this morning


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## MrHiggins (Aug 22, 2020)

Harvested some Fresno and Thai Bird chiles this morning and started a fermented hot sauce.


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## Lars (Aug 25, 2020)




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## Barashka (Aug 31, 2020)

Last weekends' crop ...
We didn't even finish stuff from the previous weekend, that's after giving away all the ghost peppers ..


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## Twigg (Sep 1, 2020)

Strung up some Bueno Mulatas, Aji Pineapples & Arroz Con Pollos last night.


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## tgfencer (Sep 1, 2020)

Twigg said:


> Strung up some Bueno Mulatas, Aji Pineapples & Arroz Con Pollos last night.
> View attachment 92738


Any special requirements for drying peppers in this fashion?


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## Twigg (Sep 1, 2020)

@tgfencer Rinse off the peppers and pat dry with towel. I use a needle and thick thread and run the needle through the green part on the stem/cap area. It is good to hang in low humidity, well ventilated and in light. They will take several weeks to dry out completely. You just need to make sure the pepper you use is suitable for drying. Chilis generally have thin walls and are very good for this method. You can hang them outside to dry as well, if you have a covered porch and your climate is not similar to a sauna.


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## MrHiggins (Sep 4, 2020)

MrHiggins said:


> Harvested some Fresno and Thai Bird chiles this morning and started a fermented hot sauce.
> 
> View attachment 91291
> View attachment 91292



All done! So good!!


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## Barmoley (Sep 4, 2020)

What veggies or herbs grow well in the shade?


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## Slim278 (Sep 4, 2020)

I have been able to grow mint in the shade as long as it is a damp area. Around the water faucet is a good place.


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## Barmoley (Sep 4, 2020)

Slim278 said:


> I have been able to grow mint in the shade as long as it is a damp area. Around the water faucet is a good place.


Thanks, I already have mint growing well there. Anything else?


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## Michi (Sep 5, 2020)

Barmoley said:


> Thanks, I already have mint growing well there. Anything else?


Watercress comes to mind.


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## MrHiggins (Sep 5, 2020)

Barmoley said:


> What veggies or herbs grow well in the shade?


Full shade or partial shade? Chives grow about anywhere, but they'll need at least some sun throughout the day.


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## Barmoley (Sep 5, 2020)

MrHiggins said:


> Full shade or partial shade? Chives grow about anywhere, but they'll need at least some sun throughout the day.


Only some sun in the morning and end of the day. Maybe 1.5-2 hrs max.


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## MrHiggins (Sep 5, 2020)

I'd try chives. They're one of my favorite herbs.


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## Lars (Sep 6, 2020)




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## Caleb Cox (Sep 7, 2020)

This bowl o' sunshine is in the dehydrator currently


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## camochili (Sep 8, 2020)

Twigg said:


> @tgfencer Rinse off the peppers and pat dry with towel. I use a needle and thick thread and run the needle through the green part on the stem/cap area. It is good to hang in low humidity, well ventilated and in light. They will take several weeks to dry out completely. You just need to make sure the pepper you use is suitable for drying. Chilis generally have thin walls and are very good for this method. You can hang them outside to dry as well, if you have a covered porch and your climate is not similar to a sauna.



just wanted to ask how you fix them to dry this way. I usualy take a thread and one chilipepper, tie it with a knot and take the next one, tie it up, etc. Hell of a work, even having to admit that i have maybe half of the number you have on your pic.
Will try it the way you did, next time. 
Thanks


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## Twigg (Sep 10, 2020)

Picked some carrots today..


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## Bert2368 (Sep 12, 2020)

In the last week, parsnips, carrots, 2 kinds of squash, cabbage, about the last of the tomatoes (looks like some virus is killing off their leaves) and lots of the hotter chilis.














Also picked a bunch of finished ears of flour corn and the first dry pods of some pole type drying beans I grew out to make seed for next year- Painted mountain flour corn and true red cranberry pole beans. Planning to try the traditional "three sisters" mixed planting of corn, beans, squash & pumpkins next year. I tried to do it this year but lost most of the corn to crows, wild turkeys and squirrels- as soon as a kernel would sprout, they pulled the sprouts up and ate the kernel attached to the root.


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## Bear (Sep 13, 2020)

I'm getting a half gallon of sun golds a day now, tried some salsa today, not bad.


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## Twigg (Sep 14, 2020)

Figs are coming ripe. Decided to make a spread with brown sugar slow cooked, will finish with lemon zest and juice.


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## Bert2368 (Sep 15, 2020)

I protected my peppers from frost the two nights it might have frosted last week, will do so again this week. Peppers are accelerating production of some of the later, hotter chilis. Plus more mild shishitos than I can use as fried peppers.

Last time I planted shishito, I ended up using them in place of bell peppers in a variant of Paul Prudhomme's creole sauce (which I also canned). Takes longer to dice up a few quarts compared to big, bland thick walled bell peppers but that batch was very tasty, made with ripe home grown tomatoes and fresh thyme.


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## Bear (Sep 15, 2020)

Bert2368 said:


> I protected my peppers from frost the two nights it might have frosted last week, will do so again this week.




We had our first frost last night, I can't put them in the garage so I make one






It's almost the end up here


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## Bert2368 (Sep 18, 2020)

Frosted hard here last night. And a black bear came by & tried a few bites each out of a number of pumpkins and squash. So I brought in a few unmolested ones I wanted for myself.

Later, I may invite the bear to dinner...


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## Twigg (Sep 18, 2020)

They are great! Just be sure to cook to proper temperature, trichinosis is a *****.


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## Bert2368 (Sep 21, 2020)

About 60 lb. of "Golden Spice" pears and some apples. A few Macoun and Empire but mostly Haralson. It's a light year for apples but the pear trees nearly broke their branches.

I think I need a cider press. No way I can use that many pears except maybe juice and ferment them. Pear wine?


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## Caleb Cox (Sep 21, 2020)

Pear cider is fantastic, I like them dry and carbonated.


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## Bert2368 (Sep 21, 2020)

I've got the makings for EdWort's Apfelwein on hand, plus carboy, fermentation locks & etc. but that recipe starts out with commercial, clear apple juice as USA little children expect it to be. I need to figure out how to do a clear wine from cloudy home made juice... Reading about "fining" now.





__





Apfelwein







www.homebrewtalk.com


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## Twigg (Sep 21, 2020)

Why not just filter or strain at the end?


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## Caleb Cox (Sep 21, 2020)

You should get some clarification with time/fermentation, beyond that isinglass and gelatin are both easy to use. Beyond that, it's a pump/filter apparatus.


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## lowercasebill (Sep 21, 2020)

And i thought tomato season was over


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## ian (Sep 21, 2020)

Time to rip up the basil...


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## Twigg (Sep 25, 2020)

Okinawa Sweet Potatoes, slips sourced from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.


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## Twigg (Sep 27, 2020)

Dried and ground Aji Charapita in short jar, Aji Pineapple in tall jar.


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## juice (Sep 27, 2020)

ian said:


> Time to rip up the basil...


Carefully, so it doesn't end up Fawlty...


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## Caleb Cox (Sep 27, 2020)

Twigg said:


> Dried and ground Aji Charapita in short jar, Aji Pineapple in tall jar.
> View attachment 96448






Yessss, more yellow chile powder! This is a blend of sugar rush peach and scotch bonnet.


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## Twigg (Sep 28, 2020)

Look what arrived today! I will post the pics at harvet time. Adding to my crocuses, so will definitely have some in December again.


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## MrHiggins (Sep 28, 2020)

Twigg said:


> Look what arrived today! I will post the pics at harvet time. Adding to my crocuses, so will definitely have some in December again.
> View attachment 96620


That reminds me to buy some garlic! I grew it for the first time this year, and it was phenomenal.


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## lowercasebill (Sep 29, 2020)

Twigg said:


> Look what arrived today! I will post the pics at harvet time. Adding to my crocuses, so will definitely have some in December again.
> View attachment 96620


Good luck with saffron. I planted once and the squirrels got every one ( or maybe it was a skunk) either way i didn't get any.


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## Twigg (Sep 29, 2020)

lowercasebill said:


> Good luck with saffron. I planted once and the squirrels got every one ( or maybe it was a skunk) either way i didn't get any.


I grew it last year for the first time and had good luck. I have a fenced garden and a dedicated raised bed for these. They are a fun distraction. I did learn that 25 plants will get you enough for one meal. Going for 2 meals this year!


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## M1k3 (Sep 30, 2020)

Twigg said:


> I grew it last year for the first time and had good luck. I have a fenced garden and a dedicated raised bed for these. They are a fun distraction. I did learn that 25 plants will get you enough for one meal. Going for 2 meals this year!


How long did it take to harvest the stigmas? Did you use tweezers? Damascus ones? Or your hands? Seems like a very tedious plant to grow and turn into edible. But I'm curious about it.

EDIT: Serious inquiry. I'm not trying to troll or poke fun of you.


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## ma_sha1 (Sep 30, 2020)

Just made some Grape Jam this past weekend. I had about 5-6 lb of grapes from a single Concord Grape Vine that’s year 2 into bearing.

Unfortunately, the squirrels got to it just before harvesting. They raided everything except those that I protected in mesh bags, about 1.5 lb harvest which I made two jars of organic low sugar Grape Jam.


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## Twigg (Sep 30, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> How long did it take to harvest the stigmas? Did you use tweezers? Damascus ones? Or your hands? Seems like a very tedious plant to grow and turn into edible. But I'm curious about it.
> 
> EDIT: Serious inquiry. I'm not trying to troll or poke fun of you.


I harvested all over a 3 week period. They bloomed in mid December last year. Have to pick mid morning after the flower opens all the way. Tweezers work great. No Damascus tweezers, just stainless. I set them to dry on a small bowl in my kitchen then save them in a jar. The plant is only a few inches tall. I am traveling for work, but will post a picture when I get home tomorrow. It isn't too bad, not tedious. I mean, its December, so its the only thing I have to harvest then and certainly the only flower I have blooming at the time.


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## Twigg (Sep 30, 2020)

M1k3 said:


> How long did it take to harvest the stigmas? Did you use tweezers? Damascus ones? Or your hands? Seems like a very tedious plant to grow and turn into edible. But I'm curious about it.
> 
> EDIT: Serious inquiry. I'm not trying to troll or poke fun of you.


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## Caleb Cox (Sep 30, 2020)

Due to a combination of cold stress and storm damage I had to harvest pounds of peppers, in all states of ripeness. This is a sampling of what's going through the dehydrator.


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## MrHiggins (Oct 2, 2020)

The green chile harvest is a HUGE deal in New Mexico. Typically, you buy a 40# sack and have it roasted, then take it home and freeze it in 1# zipper bags. I went to the farm store today and got my supply.


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## rmrf (Oct 2, 2020)

30/bushel? Thats amazing! A bushel is huge! ... It occurs to me that my definition of bushel might be biased because I buy bushels of apples. Still, I'm so jealous. They look so fresh.


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## Barashka (Oct 6, 2020)

Here we go again ..

We don't know what to do with all the hot peppers, we eat as much as we can, we pickled more than enough, we made sauce ... seriously, if anyone wants some near Chicago, pm me.


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## Bert2368 (Oct 13, 2020)

I took a few more squash, there are probably at LEAST this many more left out in the garden for wildlife. Now that the green forage is going away, the deer are getting more interested in eating squash/pumpkins. The recent bear was quite full of squash/pumpkin too. Chickens enjoy some as well, gives them summer-y dark yellow egg yolks in winter when they munch squash.


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## Kgp (Oct 31, 2020)

Last harvest before first frost. Late for us this year. Best year ever for green peppers.


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## ian (Nov 4, 2020)

Harvested kale today.


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## juice (Nov 4, 2020)

ian said:


> Harvested kale today.


EWWWWWWW


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## cotedupy (Nov 5, 2020)

juice said:


> EWWWWWWW



I assume you're talking about the Cali Malbec there mate...? Kale is feckin' ace!


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## Twigg (Nov 5, 2020)

Kale can be a decent substitute for spinach, depending on variety. Some, are just horrible though. You have to try a few to see what you like.


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## ian (Nov 5, 2020)

I’ve generally been a fan of the wines we’ve been getting from Naked Wines. Works out pretty cheap, probably $10 or less per bottle, and many of them are tasty. Probably people who have wine related usernames wouldn’t be content with them, but we are.


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## alterwisser (Nov 5, 2020)

Never ever had a garden. Now have a nice one.... apples, pears, walnuts, cherries, grapes, strawberries, tons of sage, mint and rosemary...

i still have a small space available to plant something in the spring. Gets PLENTY of sunshine (south facing).

it’s maybe 10 feet by 3 feet of space (or roughly 3x1 meters for the metric folks).

Any recommendations what to grow there that’s EASY (foolproof)?

sorry if this is a bit OT


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## Kgp (Nov 5, 2020)

Tomatoes and green peppers. In that space, you could supply all the neighbors and yourself. Lay it out in 1 sq. ft. grid, one plant per square. Maybe couple of cabbage. Find a copy of the book "Square Foot Gardening". It amazing how much you can grow in a small amount of space.


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## alterwisser (Nov 5, 2020)

Kgp said:


> Tomatoes and green peppers. In that space, you could supply all the neighbors and yourself. Lay it out in 1 sq. ft. grid, one plant per square. Maybe couple of cabbage. Find a copy of the book "Square Foot Gardening". It amazing how much you can grow in a small amount of space.



i could “find” more space, but I kind of like the way the garden was laid out and I don’t want to mess with it too much ...


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## Bert2368 (Nov 5, 2020)

If you like making salsa, add a couple of tomatillo plants to the tomatoes and a few kinds of chili peppers and some mexican oregano. All pretty productive per square foot, the tomatillos as long as they get full sun and water will bury you.


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## alterwisser (Nov 5, 2020)

Bert2368 said:


> If you like making salsa, add a couple of tomatillo plants to the tomatoes and a few kinds of chili peppers and some mexican oregano. All pretty productive per square foot, the tomatillos as long as they get full sun and water will bury you.



apparently the snails here love chili’s and are killing them like nothing. But I’m sure there’s a way to avoid that.


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## Bert2368 (Nov 5, 2020)

alterwisser said:


> apparently the snails here love chili’s and are killing them like nothing. But I’m sure there’s a way to avoid that.



Snails? Sure you don't mean slugs?

Put a layer of crushed glass, particle size like coarse sand on the ground around plants stem for several inches, refresh glass occasionally if watering or rain fall mixes it into the dirt. Would you crawl on your stomach through broken glass?

Put a small glass or ceramic bowl near your plants, set into ground so top edge of bowl is just at ground level. Put an inch or two of cheap beer into bowl. They will drown themselves trying to get a drink (really, slugs are incredibly bad alcoholics, none of them have EVER kept a drivers license)


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## spaceconvoy (Nov 5, 2020)

As a bonus, you get a bowl full of fermented slugs


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## Kgp (Nov 5, 2020)

Great for stir fry will all those vegatbles!


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## Twigg (Nov 5, 2020)

Bert2368 said:


> Snails? Sure you don't mean slugs?
> 
> Put a layer of crushed glass, particle size like coarse sand on the ground around plants stem for several inches, refresh glass occasionally if watering or rain fall mixes it into the dirt. Would you crawl on your stomach through broken glass?
> 
> Put a small glass or ceramic bowl near your plants, set into ground so top edge of bowl is just at ground level. Put an inch or two of cheap beer into bowl. They will drown themselves trying to get a drink (really, slugs are incredibly bad alcoholics, none of them have EVER kept a drivers license)


You don't need to crush glass. Buy some of this stuff. It is fossilized diatoms. This stuff is like a powder with very sharp edges on the particles. Cuts the bellies open and kills them.


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## Twigg (Nov 5, 2020)

Kgp said:


> Tomatoes and green peppers. In that space, you could supply all the neighbors and yourself. Lay it out in 1 sq. ft. grid, one plant per square. Maybe couple of cabbage. Find a copy of the book "Square Foot Gardening". It amazing how much you can grow in a small amount of space.


This is a great suggestion. Also look into Mel's mix. I do a modified version and have had great success with it.


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## Bert2368 (Nov 5, 2020)

I've got diatomaceous earth, works well on hard shelled crawly insects. I put a few cups into my chickens "dust bath" area to help them out with any bugs trying to live on their skin too.

Had not heard it worked on slugs, been using crushed glass sold as cheap sandblasting media in the garden, puts a hurting on subsoil dwelling cutworms.


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## Twigg (Nov 5, 2020)

I have had good luck with it in my raised beds. It will kill slugs, same as the others. If the sand blast media works for you, great! Its not worth changing if you have a good system in place.


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## Staystrapped (Nov 6, 2020)

Barashka said:


> Here's mine from this week!
> 
> Plot twist .. I can only eat two habaneros per week without burning up .. but another thread had a sauce recipe, maybe.
> (I planted two of each hot pepper Home Depot had .. didn't read every label)
> ...


If you dry your peppers in the oven at 180f you can grind them up and have a sprinkle whenever want.


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## Keith Sinclair (Nov 6, 2020)

We use keystone beer in cat food cans. After rain have a pole with large nail skewer them. 

Have couple types of kale this large leaf have to cook it just cut it bite size pieces put in stews & soups. Smaller curly kale goes good raw with miso salad dressing. Have several types of Basil too. Just made a shrimp & Broccoli dish with lemon basil.

Planted Tangalo tree 7 years ago. Up in the valley Lichens grow on rocks & trees. Bromelads have attached to tree also. Going to have a good batch this year Had so much thinned the green fruit when small, that gives larger super juicy fruit when ripens to orange color.


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## Twigg (Nov 22, 2020)

Look at what came in the mail this week!!!


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## Twigg (Dec 13, 2020)

Winter gardening. Just picked Tatsoi and Broccoli for dinner.


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## Michi (Mar 20, 2021)

Just harvested my first Purple UFO chilli.


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## MarcelNL (Mar 20, 2021)

it looks dangerous! Most chili we've grown never grew...bushy plants taking forever to blossom but hardly a chilli on them, I suspect global warming needs to advance a bit further before we can grow them really well over here.


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## Michi (Mar 20, 2021)

MarcelNL said:


> it looks dangerous! Most chili we've grown never grew...bushy plants taking forever to blossom but hardly a chilli on them, I suspect global warming needs to advance a bit further before we can grow them really well over here.


Where is "over here"?

The Purple UFO are reasonably hot, about the level of a tabasco pepper, 30,000 to 50,000 Scoville. Flavour is reminiscent of green apples.


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## MarcelNL (Mar 20, 2021)

Netherlands, our mild sea climate makes growing tomatoes, chili's etc. outside tricky, with a greenhouse (unheated) it's possible.


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## Keith Sinclair (Mar 20, 2021)

Chili's grow well here. Tomatoes are tricky. Cherry grow wild. Did find a tomato could grow about size of ping pong ball. Super sweet. As they ripen have to cover or the birds get them.

It has been raining hard couple days ago got 5 inches in one day. Some local vegetable can't get like bitter melon too much rain. 

There are greenhouse tomatoes grown here. That is how you can get larger flavorful tomato at farmers market. That's where I buy veg. & fruit. Also Chinatown that sells local produce & fish. 

Much that is shipped from mainland are bred for looks & easy shipping with no taste.


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## Keith Sinclair (Mar 20, 2021)

Bert2368 said:


> About 60 lb. of "Golden Spice" pears and some apples. A few Macoun and Empire but mostly Haralson. It's a light year for apples but the pear trees nearly broke their branches.
> 
> I think I need a cider press. No way I can use that many pears except maybe juice and ferment them. Pear wine?
> 
> View attachment 95569


Revive old post. Bert you could probably find a old hand crank press. We had apple orchard when I was a kid. My father would make hard cider.


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## Michi (Apr 23, 2021)

Chilis are starting to happen. (I was very late in the season getting the seeds started.)

Aji Rojo, Numex Orange Spice, and Purple UFO.


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