Garden Thread 2023

[MigraineMan]

Pulled the last of the crop ahead of tomorrow's freeze. Anybody know what to do with 15lbs of green tomatoes?

 

[gforce]

Pulled the last of the crop ahead of tomorrow's freeze. Anybody know what to do with 15lbs of green tomatoes?

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Salsa Verde? might never need to buy salsa again

 

[jr355]

Make a couple of quarts of pickled green tomato's. Great snacking food .

 

[MigraineMan]

Had some reluctant to pickle green tomatoes using the standard water-bath method. All of my previous tomato experience has been either "fridge" or "pressure canning." This U of Wisconsin Ag Extension document was insightful re: acidity in tomatoes.

Exec Summary: Green (unripe) tomatoes are "high acid" (pH < 4.6) and can be safely processed using boiling water. Tomato acidity decreases (pH goes up) as the fruit ripens, and pressure canning is required to prevent growth of botulism.

Pickles and salsa sound like winners. We've done the fried slabs ... don't like them.

 

[Blacksmith101]

Since it was only for two nights of freezing temps you could have covered a few plants with plastic with an incandescent light (drop light works) inside left on all night to prevent freezing open them up after sun up when the temperature moderates the 7 day forecast is for above freezing temps into at least next week.

 

[MigraineMan]

Since it was only for two nights of freezing temps you could have covered a few plants with plastic with an incandescent light (drop light works) inside left on all night to prevent freezing open them up after sun up when the temperature moderates the 7 day forecast is for above freezing temps into at least next week.

Yeah, not this year. The Wife wanted to run indeterminate tomatoes, so we built a trellis structure. The cross bar at the top is 7 feet above ground; the round green vertical poles go 8 feet up. The plants went up and over, flopping onto the cross bar on the next row. They were yuge. This pic is from when they were only about 5 feet tall. Don't think I have a more recent photo.

 

[Blacksmith101]

Yeah, not this year. The Wife wanted to run indeterminate tomatoes, so we built a trellis structure. The cross bar at the top is 7 feet above ground; the round green vertical poles go 8 feet up. The plants went up and over, flopping onto the cross bar on the next row. They were yuge. This pic is from when they were only about 5 feet tall. Don't think I have a more recent photo.
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Well to hedge your bets pick one row and cover the other with a tent of either clear or black plastic sheet with a couple of light bulbs as a heat source and you could keep them frost free overnight without a problem. Of course covering and uncovering is a chore but frequently in the Maryland area you will get a night or two of freezing temps then several weeks of above freezing weather. It is just a simple way to extend your growing season.

 

[Alphabrew]

Frost out here this morning!

 

[Archeryrob]

Got some from freezing and fresh into jars to experiment with fermentated hot sauce.

All cayenne
All jalapeño
Mix sweet pepper, ghost pepper and topped with jalapeno

Last pic all cayenne from cleaning the plants for frost. Will be off color if it works. Got to sit two months

 

[MigraineMan]

Harvested the potatoeoes this afternoon. Pretty decent haul, considering that we put little effort into them this year. "Yay! We have enough food to survive until next month."

The Wife found this interesting insect larvae while potatoeing. Cicada, maybe? Momma Chicken gave it a crunch before inhaling it.

 

[Cool_Moo5e]

dam I didn't think of taking photos of the few plants I grew this year, either way I grew a zucchini plant, 3 tomatoes, a bell pepper, and a bean plant, which gave me a couple of freezer meals threw together a veggie soup bag, a sliced pepper bag, and packed a couple gallon bags of beans now I just need the deer to fill the rest of it.

 

[Blacksmith101]

The USDA has issued an updated map of average minimum temperatures. Think growing season and plant hardiness.

https://www.npr.org/2023/11/17/1213600629/-it-feels-like-im-not-crazy-gardeners-arent-surprised-as-usda-updates-key-map?ft=nprml&f=191676894