Garden Updates

[crothmeier]

i have 4 varieties of tomatoes and 2 days ago i notice one that was turning, its still and orangish-green, but thats the only one. we need some heat. (and rain)

[toughguy]

I picked my first green bell pepper last night. No red on the tomatoes yet.

My pumpkins are flowering. Are mine slow? Should I have fruit at this point?

[croixflats]

Tomatoes are still green going to be a bumper crop this year. I to have 6 differant verieties.

Bell peppers are ready to pick had a few anahiem's but the ather verietyies are slow.

Just canned up pickeled up 8 quarts of beets - 2 quarts already eaten. And more to be pulled up.

Going on second batch of radishes.

Carrots are ready as are onions.

[KEN W]

I've picked a dozen or so tomatoes....Beaver Lodge Slicer,Glacier and a couple of yellow Taxi's.

klecker.....why aren't you eating them?I started eating new potatoes 10 days ago.

My bells and early Jalapenos are ready to eat.Lots of cauliflower,zuchinni,yellow squash,and green beans to eat.First corn should be ready Aug.1.

Peas are done and replanted for a Sept crop.lettuce done and replanted.Eating red beets and carrots.Onions ready to pull and hang in the garage in 10 days or so.

[hoggs222]

I still don't have a single tomato. I've got some flowers, but that's it. 1 jalapeno on 4 plants, a bunch of hot cherry peppers, a few poblanos on 4 plants.

[nofishfisherman]

My pepper plants are over loaded with peppers, I've got one plant that is tipping over under the weight.

Cucumbers are going good. I've picked several already and by weeks end I'll be flooded with 10-15 that look to all be pickable at the same time.

I have a ton of tomatoes but none are ripe yet. I'll probably be flooded with 100 ripe tomato's all at once. Canning supplies are standing by.

Peas and lettuce are done. I don't think I'll be replanting, I want to give the cucumbers more room to spread out.

Dug up a few potatoes this weekend but they were still pretty small, tasty but small.

Brocolli will have to be harvested in the next day or two, with some more coming shortly after that.

Onions, leeks and shallots all look to be doing well just a little small yet.

Swiss chard and Kale keeps going and going and going. I am running out of ideas for how to use it.

[crothmeier]

i have tons of tomatoes on, 1 has just turned orange, the rest are green. My chili pepper plant has about 8 peppers on it, my jalapeno has 7 peppers, but my green pepper plants have nothing, i dont know whats up with them. Have picked 4-5 cucumbers already and have a few more that are close. Handfuls or green beans, they are really going well and are TASTY!

[toughguy]

Today's warm weather should help those tomatoes and peppers a bunch. Can't wait to check them out when I get home.

[glenn57]

i will be lookin tonite also. i seen onions someone picked this weekend the size of a softball, seen them in stores to purchase but never grew any that big. someone called them big boy onions, anyone heard of them or know where to find seeds/sets for next year?

[KEN W]

Never heard of Big boy Onion.The largest onions I have grown here are Candy and Alsa Craig.Also Craig's get absolutely huge but are poor keepers.My Candy onions are between baseball and softball size.

I also work in the produce section of a Sunmart......if a store is where you saw them.....they are most likely 1015's,Vidalias,or Walla Walla's.Those are all in season now.

[glenn57]

these came from a minn garden. i was told they keep for a long time. there where 2, a yellow and one o those purple colored ones you see in salad bars.

[klecker]

Ken w

I dont know? first year with a garden since a little kid. The three little ones wanted a garden so what do I do? Make the biggest thing I could. So much fun that next year it will be bigger. I wasnt really sure how long potatoes needed to grow, planted end of may. I was digging around and noticed the skins were soft so I thought that they needed some more time. I might just have to dig in and get some. all reaady got my lay out for next year ready

[KEN W]

Yes by all means eat some of those early potatoes.Just dig only want you will eat.Scratch around with your fingers under the plants and pull them out.New potatoes always grow above the seed piece.Leave the plant to continue growing.They will have skins you can rub off with your fingers.Cook them whole and buttered.The best eating spuds you will find.Yum yum

In order for potatoes to keep they must stay in the ground a week to 10 days after the plant dies from frost.Leave them in the ground into Oct at least even if the plants have died back.They will keep the best in the ground.

When you are ready to dig them....scatter them out on the lawn and wash them with the hose.Let them dry for a few hours and put them into a dark container.....which is most people use gunny sacks.A plain old cardboard box that can be closed wiil do.

[maros91]

I have picked about 40 yellow and red cherry tomatoes so far. I even had a couple 2 days before the 4th of July. I have harvested 4 green peppers and the jalapenos are growing well. When are they ready to harvest? The tag says 72 days and I planted around May 15th so that would put them about now. I picked one a week ago and cut it up and was a little dry in the middle and I tasted it and it tasted like a green pepper and not a jalapeno. Was it to ripe or not enough? Tried one again this morning with the same result. They have been at 3" for awhile now. What do you guys think?

[maros91]

As for my dad's garden, haven't harvested a tomatoe yet but they are coming. There are about 12 watermelons that are the size of a softball and a bunch more the size of baseball's. No cantaloupe yet. Cucumbers are small but coming and corn is a mile high and should be ready soon. Habenero's seem to be a little slow.

[KEN W]

I am eating the first of my sweet corn for supper tonight.Basically the only things I haven't had yet are melons.

[toughguy]

I've been picking cukes, green bell peppers and bannana peppers. Tomatoes are close to turning red (I hope) and pumpkins are finally starting to pop some bigger fruit. My mellons were desroyed by a pack of evil rabits weeks ago.

[klecker]

Took down 6 ears for dinner, pulled up 6 taters and dug up some onions. All were very good. Nothing like fresh sweet corn an hour old. Fresh onions on a grilled t bone. Yukon were out standing. Got a few ears of candy corn ready for the picking tonight.

[nofishfisherman]

I'm arm pit deep in cucumbers right now and I only have one plant. I've got so many greens tomatoes that the plants are starting to lean over and take the cages with them. I've had a few ripen over the past week or two but with this weeks heat I expect more to ripen any time now.

Cut the last of the broccoli this week and will pull the plants and replant some more lettuce I think.

We've been picking kale and swiss chard and freezing it for this winter. Still alot more to do though.

[crothmeier]

been getting some tomatos to ripen with this heat, the romas seem to be full grown, but not ripening and ive notice some are rotton so i've pick and threw them. Jalapenos and Chilis are producing very well, the green peppers have just now started to get fruit. Green beans galore, and a few nice cukes. Onions are still small.

[KEN W]

Don't pull the broccoli.They will produce many small heads till killing frost.Last year I ate fresh brocolli till almost Nov.Just keep taking the small heads and don't let them flower.

I made the first batch of salsa on Sunday.Making 10 pints of spagetti sauce today.Just about finished with the first batch of Mirai Super Sweet corn....next up.....Optimum Super Sweet next week.

My strawberries are starting to bloom again.Should be eating some by Sept.

[nofishfisherman]

some of our broccoli never produced a single head. 2 plants did however and we've picked the main head plus several small heads after that but its been nothing for awhile now.

[crothmeier]

tried a jalapeno tonight to see what kind of heat i was dealing with, i chopped them up and was going to make jalepeno cheddar burgers, threw a small pc in my mouth and HOLY SH!T !(*@$^@*(@*#&@ was that bugger hot. my lips tingled an hour later. good heat for salsa!

[maros91]

How can you tell when the jalapenos are done? Mine seem to be full grown for awhile now and I have picked 3 at different times and tried them and they taste like a green pepper. Are they not done growing yet or are they over ripe?

[crothmeier]

i just picked mine when they reached the size i thought they should be, left them on the counter for about a week, then diced um up and froze them.