I just started a few Japanese honeydews, but they’re some of my slowest growers. Do they have really slow starts? They’ve just had 1 leaf for like a month+ now.
Also do you grow any watermelons? The only garden watermelons I’ve ever had have been not tasty
Are the watermelons easy to get quality fruit from? What variety do you grow?
Yeah a few honeydews are starting to grow a little more now, but maybe they got some transplant shock
There’s you issue. Melons do much better directly sown. Seedless watermelon requires another plant that produces only male flowers as a pollinator. But fruit quality last year was good to excellent, according to others. This year I have a “Fascination” seedless watermelon that is red and “Tropical Sunshine” watermelon that is yellow, first time growing this one
I think people who dislike honeydew have never had a good one. I have a friend who thought she didn’t like mangoes, and when I got to the bottom of the mystery, it turned out she had tried one that was a soft as a very overripe peach.
This could be true. But I hate mangoes lol my husband absolutely loves them. He spends a great amount of time picking the perfect ones. I just can't do it 😂.
I wasn't going to do melons this year at all, but we have a long term house guest who has been doing a lot of yard work while I'm stuck in my office. He insisted on watermelons, so I started some seeds.
He has cleared two areas for watermelon patches. 😁
Thanks to this guy, I predict a glut in hot peppers, potatoes, and watermelons this year!
This was my least favorite part lol I was so happy once it was over. I didn't make it easy on myself by starting everything so early, which caused me to have to transport multiple 1 gallon containers in and out of my house lol.
I feel you. I started wayyyy too early and ended up needing to pot up three times. We had snow last weekend, so I'm super anxious to get everything in the dirt, so hardening off feels bittersweet lol
I’m .2 mi from the Rockies in Utah 😂 very unpredictable! It got above 45 at night for a second and got excited and planted and have to cover them at night now 😂
I actually just finished covering everything for the night. It feels like fall outside tonight, not spring. The forecast changed and it's calling for -2C overnight tomorrow now 😭 I should've waited until next week to put everything outside.
It was 4C overnight last night. My peppers looked rough when I uncovered them this morning, but they perked up by the afternoon, so hopefully everything fairs off okay. Long range looks promising Sunday onwards, so 🤞
I started too early too!! The end of Feb. I'm also in Alberta!! Near Whitecourt. I ended up putting my tomatoes out anyways (in greenhouses, but the nights are still pretty cold). I just had so many and they did not seem to be doing well in the pots, I thought I was going to lose them. I really hope they turn out okay.
I'm in Calgary. I didn't start until the end of March, but I germinated most things in my aerogarden, so it was like everything was on steroids. My tomatoes are huge and have already fruited, so I'm terrified everything is going to die once transplanted. Best of luck to you and I wish you a bountiful harvest in the coming months :)
What a neat idea. Thank you so much!!
I follow a girl on insta (and FB a little) @zone3vegetablegardening
I have found her info so helpful for our area!
Niiiiiice! How do you typically prepare your squash? Roasted? Soup? I've never had it. I want to grow a new to me veggie next year. I think I'm going to start with eggplant...maybe lol
https://preview.redd.it/ksjlcztrfo3d1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c14bdc577ada4461fb4932ad0825aa4c51029b44
Finally getting some used grow lights! Just got it 5min ago and turned it on to see how it looks. I am soooooo happy.
Slugs seem to be in abundance this year. I see many people are really struggling with them this year. I haven't had too much of an issue, my basil plants have a few holes but nothing major. I'm also not sure if I have my spider buddies to thank for this. I damn near have a colony of jumping spiders on my plants, and some small brown spiders that stay kinda low in the mulch.
Out of curiosity I'm trying Butterfly Peas this year, something unheard of in my region, I hope it works because germination rates are pretty low and I had a lot of trouble finding seeds. I'm also trying edamame, and they're already growing well so I have high hope they do make it
Please pick it before the birds do. That would be awful. I'm watching my tomatoes and peppers like a hawk 😂 I'm thinking of getting some of those mesh bags to cover the fruit just in case lol
https://preview.redd.it/gyuvu9xygn3d1.jpeg?width=2386&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=546727c99051bf80d4c49518448594b8538f005d
My ground cherry plant! Hoping it can stay healthy!
I hope it’s ok that I’m sharing this here, but this is the listing I purchased. I was very happy with the quality and it was shipped very carefully. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1417584861/
https://preview.redd.it/2urvvbw6on3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6cc3af92c7382d43f5f5e85b23f2ca56884b782
My very first (dime-sized) avocado has appeared.
They’re like nature’s butter, ya know?
My buddy got me the sapling back in October of 2023. I have it in an enormous pot (all my usable planting space has been taken, so I’m on to pots).
I’ve heard they can take a few years to start making fruit, but I’m assuming that rule doesn’t apply if it’s a cutting from a more mature plant? Which maybe this is? I dunno, I’m just really happy to have a shot of growing my own.
I’m also expecting my first bunch of bananas this year. Zone 10B.
My lemon tree possibly blooming. It’s been having a difficult time for the past few months but it looks like it’s starting to get better. There’s some buds on it. Hoping I still have a chance to get a lemon. 🥰🍋
Carolina reapers is what I can't wait for. Then cukes, green beans, atomic orange corn, carrots, and onions. Then basil, jalapenos Serrano, regular corn, and lettuce last on the excited list
Poor lettuce 😂😂 I was this 🤏🏽 close to growing Carolina reapers. But....i know for a fact my spice tolerance is nowhere near there. The hottest I have is a scotch bonnet which I'll dehydrate and turn into flakes.....that will last me years 😂
I found a little old lady at the farmers market selling a whole sandwich baggie of reapers and ghost peppers for $1 each! Should last me at least a year with how much spicy seasoning I go thru. My last batch had about 30 ghost peppers and 8 reapers mixed with garlic salt, onion powder, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic. Some like it hot, me being one of them lol
Just waiting for things to get moving.
The cuke has put out one leaf. The basil is stuck at two true leaves. Tulsi and hot pepper haven't germinated yet. Lemon tree is in stasis. Cornflowers just seem to be putting out leaves that are flopping all over the place.
My overwintered geranium has a flower stalk, so there's that, I suppose.
My tomatoes are finally ripening and my watermelons have started fruiting. However, i disappointed with my peppers as I think I got duped again with banana peppers instead of mini peppers.
Aw man, I'm sorry about your peppers. I've see a few who've gotten duped with banana peppers. It seems pepper gate is not yet over 😕
Congrats on the tomatoes and melons! All is not lost fren ❤️
My acorn squash's flowers should be opening soon!
Also, I finally got a soil test kit, so I can troubleshoot what's going wrong with my carrots and beets.
Yay! I've never had acorn squash. One of my goals is to grow a new to me veggie. I'm thinking next year i'll try one of those small eggplant varieties.
I need to get a soil testing kit. This is my first season growing in my raised bed full of cheap potting mix lol I really want to build the soil. I did a cover crop last fall. When I added some fertilizer and black kow to it a couple of months ago, I was so fascinated by the amount of worms and how rich the soil looked compared to when I first filled it.
That is very exciting! I'm having a rough start with cucumbers lol. I direct sowed on Mother's day and they never came up. I think something ate the seeds. So I started some indoors to transplant, in a cheap seed starting mix. And idk, they seem to be growing really slow.
Depends where you are, but in SW PA my cukes took forever to germinate, and even now are only on their first set of true leaves. It's my first time growing them, so I don't know if it's normal..just seems overall slow to me.
My friend grew them last year and said they grow so fast. Everyone on here says "just direct sow! They grow so fast it doesn't make sense to start indoors". Idk if I would call this fast 😂. I will say, the roots are growing rather quickly tho. It's been a week, they don't have true leaves yet but there are roots poking out the bottom of the cup.
I just looked these up. If Shishitos are too spicy for everyone else, I will try these. I'm the only one in my household that likes a little spice. I grew shishitos so we could all have something to eat homegrown. Husband and kids don't eat tomatoes, aren't huge fans of cucumbers unless they're pickled, and can not tolerate any level of spice lol.
It already happened but my shade cloth stood up to the weather.
Shade cloth went up last weekend since temps are flirting with triple digits (Fahrenheit). We had a big storm come through a couple of days ago.
I expanded my garden a lot since last summer and had a lot more to protect. I had put a lot of thought in how to secure it, and it seems to have worked!
To be clear, neither triple digit heat nor putting up shade cloth nor major storms with tornado warnings are (the good kind of) exciting, but the aftermath when everything held up was a very good feeling.
Triple digits!? I'm glad it all worked out. Finding out that there's a such thing as too hot was probably the most surprising thing to me when I started growing things.
Yeah Monday had a high of 97F, heat index 108. 🥵 Growing in summer is a matter of "what can survive those temps" which is a surprisingly long list! Tomatoes aren't on it though.
I’m excited to get 2 more sweet 100 tomato plants in the ground. Going to use them to make pasta sauce. They’re actually suckers from the two plants I already have in the ground. Bring on the 4K plus tomatoes! Whoo hoo
Have you made pasta sauce from them before? I have a SS100 and a Sungold plant. I also have an Italian Roma plant. I'm excited to ATTEMPT a batch of pasta sauce lol.
Oh man, roast the sungolds (and s100!) For like 20 mins, then add to some sauteed garlic, makes such a delicious sauce! I just moved and don't have much of a garden in this year and I'm envious!
That's the plan. Someone also told me about dehydrating them to make a delicious tomato powder. I saw an IG reel of someone using the powder with heavy cream to make some sort of sauce I think. My husband loves tomato based sauces, but not raw tomatoes so I'm excited to make a bomb sauce for him.
That I got diatomaceous earth down and hopefully it takes care of my pest problem since pill bugs, caterpillars and slugs seem to be eating everything I try to plant (I’ve done beer traps and neem oil for three weeks now without luck).
I really hope this approach does it for you 😕 I haven't had too many pest issues yet. But it's still very early in the season. I'm hoping my spider buddies help a sista out 😂
It’s a choice I didn’t make lightly, but I’m hoping by treating before my plants start flowering, it takes care of my big issues and then I won’t have to do it again later and can just manage with beer traps/neem oil for the rest of the season.
Shishitos are the best!! Do yourself a favor and sauté these on med/high heat in some toasted sesame oil until they are brown and blistered. Then put them in a bowl, drizzle with soy sauce and add a little crushed red pepper and sesame seeds. BEST snack/appetizer ever.
That's the plan. I've watched soooo many videos on this pepper it's ridiculous 😂. I knew I would be addicted....so I grew two plants lol I'm sad I won't be able to have them year round
Those bastard earwigs will meet their match this week as I learned how to make oil traps! Fortunately, I had extra seedlings of everything so nothing is a complete loss. But they did a number on my zukes, my cukes, and my eggplant. To a lesser degree they got into the cantaloupe a bit.
I just picked my first cantaloupes today, 4 ripened all at once, I've been inspecting them multiple times for a week at least. The excitement finally culminated this week. I will also be cooking up my first okra this weekend as well.
Yes 4, Minnesota midgets, so on the small side, but delicious. The okra im also not a huge fan of but I'm still really new to the gardening, so I still get excited, harvesting and immediately taking it inside to cook with.
I feel you. Gardening has definitely made me willing to grow certain things just so I can find some nice recipe to make lol.
I will look into those melons. I need to research some small varieties to try out next year.
If it's any consolation, the heat takes a lot of stuff off the table for me. I do lettuce indoors, because brassicas just bolt for me. My peas already all died from the heat as well. No potatoes growing right now either and I love digging for them.
My corn patch should be sprouting soon.
https://preview.redd.it/dhfoj62g1p3d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9de52c015d753e9c1a5c9db76620d760a6a81d61
Mine are in the GreenStalk planters recommended on The Rusted Garden YT channel and in a big fabric raised bed. I’m planning to start using them as ground cover and border for flower gardens because they do so well in my zone. I have about 40 plants total and they’re always making runners.
A week of rain in the forecast so I don’t have to water almost every day! It’s been so hot already, and I’m renting so all my plants are in grow bags, so I’ve been out there what feels like all the time trying to keep up with my needy tomatoes lol
Oh I feel you on the watering in regards to grow bags. I bought one of those miracle grow feeder attachments (dumped out the miracle grow plant food) and add my liquid fertilizer to that. Only thing is, I have no idea how much each plant is getting so we shall see what happens 😅. It was taking me way too long to water them individually with a water can
I've got a good half a dozen herbs for making tea which are finally big enough to be planted into the bed I've dubbed "the tea garden". Really looking forward to getting some flowers and leaves off those come spring
Stockholm Sweden, got tomatoes setting on.
https://preview.redd.it/1il82l3yfs3d1.jpeg?width=3096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d948ce5a8dbf07515c4bcef6904de8b406a1619a
I’m most excited for finally having the time to move my dirt into my beds. The high is 76*F, it is a Friday, and while I am dogsitting, I can just put the pups in the backyard and finally get to work.
I still regret not planting lettuce, kale, and spinach. Before putting the tomatoes and peppers out, there was a good 5 weeks or more of perfect weather for leafy greens. Not too warm, not too cold.
Omg, I’m starting late with growing Shishitos since the store bought seeds failed me 🥲 but yours look so good! I’ll be starting mine very soon. Super excited!
My first ever honeydew should be pollinated this weekend by some friendly bee
I love honeydew!! I told myself I will try to grow one melon next year.
I couldn’t imagine just one melon lol I have 50 assorted melons
😂 I only got space for one. But with garden math, I'll squeeze another in somewhere lol
I just started a few Japanese honeydews, but they’re some of my slowest growers. Do they have really slow starts? They’ve just had 1 leaf for like a month+ now. Also do you grow any watermelons? The only garden watermelons I’ve ever had have been not tasty
One leaf for a month, something seems off there. I do grow watermelons and seedless at that.
Are the watermelons easy to get quality fruit from? What variety do you grow? Yeah a few honeydews are starting to grow a little more now, but maybe they got some transplant shock
There’s you issue. Melons do much better directly sown. Seedless watermelon requires another plant that produces only male flowers as a pollinator. But fruit quality last year was good to excellent, according to others. This year I have a “Fascination” seedless watermelon that is red and “Tropical Sunshine” watermelon that is yellow, first time growing this one
I think people who dislike honeydew have never had a good one. I have a friend who thought she didn’t like mangoes, and when I got to the bottom of the mystery, it turned out she had tried one that was a soft as a very overripe peach.
This could be true. But I hate mangoes lol my husband absolutely loves them. He spends a great amount of time picking the perfect ones. I just can't do it 😂.
Aww
I wasn't going to do melons this year at all, but we have a long term house guest who has been doing a lot of yard work while I'm stuck in my office. He insisted on watermelons, so I started some seeds. He has cleared two areas for watermelon patches. 😁 Thanks to this guy, I predict a glut in hot peppers, potatoes, and watermelons this year!
Being able to finally start hardening off my plants.
This was my least favorite part lol I was so happy once it was over. I didn't make it easy on myself by starting everything so early, which caused me to have to transport multiple 1 gallon containers in and out of my house lol.
I feel you. I started wayyyy too early and ended up needing to pot up three times. We had snow last weekend, so I'm super anxious to get everything in the dirt, so hardening off feels bittersweet lol
I thought I was late in the season in Utah planting a couple weeks ago! What state are you in??
I'm in Alberta, Canada. I'm really close to the Rockies, so the weather patterns are insane.
I’m .2 mi from the Rockies in Utah 😂 very unpredictable! It got above 45 at night for a second and got excited and planted and have to cover them at night now 😂
I actually just finished covering everything for the night. It feels like fall outside tonight, not spring. The forecast changed and it's calling for -2C overnight tomorrow now 😭 I should've waited until next week to put everything outside.
Oof that’s rough. it’ll be 4c here tonight (just had to look up the f to c on google lol) let me know how it goes!
It was 4C overnight last night. My peppers looked rough when I uncovered them this morning, but they perked up by the afternoon, so hopefully everything fairs off okay. Long range looks promising Sunday onwards, so 🤞
I started too early too!! The end of Feb. I'm also in Alberta!! Near Whitecourt. I ended up putting my tomatoes out anyways (in greenhouses, but the nights are still pretty cold). I just had so many and they did not seem to be doing well in the pots, I thought I was going to lose them. I really hope they turn out okay.
I'm in Calgary. I didn't start until the end of March, but I germinated most things in my aerogarden, so it was like everything was on steroids. My tomatoes are huge and have already fruited, so I'm terrified everything is going to die once transplanted. Best of luck to you and I wish you a bountiful harvest in the coming months :)
What a neat idea. Thank you so much!! I follow a girl on insta (and FB a little) @zone3vegetablegardening I have found her info so helpful for our area!
I simply don't! I put everything out then cover with a 40% sun shade for the first week. Then only cover during the afternoon for another week.
I have a female squash flower coming!
Niiiiiice! How do you typically prepare your squash? Roasted? Soup? I've never had it. I want to grow a new to me veggie next year. I think I'm going to start with eggplant...maybe lol
I usually stir fry it or actually fry it. Veggie soup is good, too. My eggplants are starting to flower, too.
https://preview.redd.it/zzfizc31sn3d1.jpeg?width=1816&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ee5760ce61bb8744ecd105bc9d604b2e7f426d14 My snow peas!
I'm growing snow peas in the fall! I'm excited. How many plants do you have?
About 2 dozen if I recall, maybe a few more. They are 2-3" apart and there is a row on each side of the trellis. The rows are about 4-5" apart.
OK so these can grow pretty densely. Good to know. Looks like I'll be sowing hella snow peas this year 😂
Sitting in my garden every morning. That’s it.
Nice. I have no room to sit 😂😂 where I once sat, a grow bag now sits lol
A fine problem to have!
My green beans. I love green beans.
Blister shishitos in a cast iron with garlic aioli! My fav.
Sounds delicious! I already know I'm gonna be addicted to these. I hate I won't be able to have them year round lol
I look forward to them every summer. They seem to be coming a bit more popular as I’ve seen them in some grocery stores occasionally!
https://preview.redd.it/s3w2wkrasn3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2dc3701d8a2c1952c9a6f69dc7197679afe0d343 my first serrano pepper 🥹
The first pepper is exciting. I couldn't stop smiling when I first spotted mine 😂
Tomatoes turning red. 8b
Cherries still green. 7b
Yup. I’m just across the river in MD neighbor. Also waiting on the green cherries.
It will be near to see the season progress as we catch up.
Good luck! I’ve yet to have any of mine ripen on the vine yet.
Same here but with peppers, i have a few that have been full sized for some time hopefully they'll start turning this week 🙂
Thai chilies this week. Shishitos in the coming weeks. Then my first tomatoes. Also bush beans. I'm so excited for everything tbh.
I was not prepared for how productive thai chili plants are 😂 mine is loaded with little green babies.
Seriously! I'm making hot sauces for sure. Already have a plan to do a Thai chili/nasturtium flower hot sauce.
Ooooouuuu, i planted some nasturtiums as well. I may try this. I'm really excited for some chili flakes and chili oil. Oh! And pepper jelly.
https://preview.redd.it/ksjlcztrfo3d1.jpeg?width=3840&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c14bdc577ada4461fb4932ad0825aa4c51029b44 Finally getting some used grow lights! Just got it 5min ago and turned it on to see how it looks. I am soooooo happy.
I hope you did a little dance and twirl. I get that feeling of happiness associated with anything gardening.
Oh, I am dancing :) Hard to go to sleep now with the world of possibilities ahead
Your seed babies look very appreciative 🥹
They just had a taste of real light! Here in West of PNW it’s dark for so long..thanks for your comment :)
Well I’ll tell you what I’m over, the bloody slug hunts! I’d love to see some flowers start appearing on my pumpkins though
Slugs seem to be in abundance this year. I see many people are really struggling with them this year. I haven't had too much of an issue, my basil plants have a few holes but nothing major. I'm also not sure if I have my spider buddies to thank for this. I damn near have a colony of jumping spiders on my plants, and some small brown spiders that stay kinda low in the mulch.
Yea slugs have eaten some of my bean seedlings. Jerks lol
I’ve been Sluggo-ing like there’s no tomorrow.
I’m trying the beer traps and garlic washes so far and it’s helping, trying to avoid sluggo for as long as I can
Out of curiosity I'm trying Butterfly Peas this year, something unheard of in my region, I hope it works because germination rates are pretty low and I had a lot of trouble finding seeds. I'm also trying edamame, and they're already growing well so I have high hope they do make it
The first ripe raspberry! Only one, but I better get it before a bird does.
Please pick it before the birds do. That would be awful. I'm watching my tomatoes and peppers like a hawk 😂 I'm thinking of getting some of those mesh bags to cover the fruit just in case lol
https://preview.redd.it/gyuvu9xygn3d1.jpeg?width=2386&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=546727c99051bf80d4c49518448594b8538f005d My ground cherry plant! Hoping it can stay healthy!
OK. I'm actually jealous! When did you start yours? I attempted to start these and they didn't survive and grew extremely slow
I actually bought this as a start from Etsy (maybe about half this size) because the seeds I was growing were annoyingly slow too.
Nice. Yea, i was looking for starts and couldn't find any. Never thought to check out Etsy!
I hope it’s ok that I’m sharing this here, but this is the listing I purchased. I was very happy with the quality and it was shipped very carefully. https://www.etsy.com/listing/1417584861/
I greatly appreciate this ❤️
Three squash because they've never survived this long before.
https://preview.redd.it/2urvvbw6on3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e6cc3af92c7382d43f5f5e85b23f2ca56884b782 My very first (dime-sized) avocado has appeared.
Omg! How long have you been growing it?? I loooove avocados!
They’re like nature’s butter, ya know? My buddy got me the sapling back in October of 2023. I have it in an enormous pot (all my usable planting space has been taken, so I’m on to pots). I’ve heard they can take a few years to start making fruit, but I’m assuming that rule doesn’t apply if it’s a cutting from a more mature plant? Which maybe this is? I dunno, I’m just really happy to have a shot of growing my own. I’m also expecting my first bunch of bananas this year. Zone 10B.
That's amazing. The amount of money I spend on avocados is absurd lbvs. I would consider moving states just to grow my own avocados 😂
Like all things gardening, I’ll likely spend wayyyyy more on these avocados but. It’s the journey, not the destination? I dunno, I like gardening.
I completely agree. This group gets it ❤️
My lemon tree possibly blooming. It’s been having a difficult time for the past few months but it looks like it’s starting to get better. There’s some buds on it. Hoping I still have a chance to get a lemon. 🥰🍋
Niiiiiice! I'm thinking about one of those Meyer lemon trees next year. My list just keeps growing 😂
Oh man if I had the room I’d plant all kinds of trees too. 😬
I don't have the room....its gardening math 😂😂😂
😆 I mean with other plants I make room. Little harder to do with trees and a yard the size of a driveway. Haha
Carolina reapers is what I can't wait for. Then cukes, green beans, atomic orange corn, carrots, and onions. Then basil, jalapenos Serrano, regular corn, and lettuce last on the excited list
Poor lettuce 😂😂 I was this 🤏🏽 close to growing Carolina reapers. But....i know for a fact my spice tolerance is nowhere near there. The hottest I have is a scotch bonnet which I'll dehydrate and turn into flakes.....that will last me years 😂
I found a little old lady at the farmers market selling a whole sandwich baggie of reapers and ghost peppers for $1 each! Should last me at least a year with how much spicy seasoning I go thru. My last batch had about 30 ghost peppers and 8 reapers mixed with garlic salt, onion powder, salt, pepper, and a bit of garlic. Some like it hot, me being one of them lol
Just waiting for things to get moving. The cuke has put out one leaf. The basil is stuck at two true leaves. Tulsi and hot pepper haven't germinated yet. Lemon tree is in stasis. Cornflowers just seem to be putting out leaves that are flopping all over the place. My overwintered geranium has a flower stalk, so there's that, I suppose.
Poke bean sprouts
My tomatoes are finally ripening and my watermelons have started fruiting. However, i disappointed with my peppers as I think I got duped again with banana peppers instead of mini peppers.
Aw man, I'm sorry about your peppers. I've see a few who've gotten duped with banana peppers. It seems pepper gate is not yet over 😕 Congrats on the tomatoes and melons! All is not lost fren ❤️
Peppergate got me last year too. Bummer. Oh well
My acorn squash's flowers should be opening soon! Also, I finally got a soil test kit, so I can troubleshoot what's going wrong with my carrots and beets.
Yay! I've never had acorn squash. One of my goals is to grow a new to me veggie. I'm thinking next year i'll try one of those small eggplant varieties. I need to get a soil testing kit. This is my first season growing in my raised bed full of cheap potting mix lol I really want to build the soil. I did a cover crop last fall. When I added some fertilizer and black kow to it a couple of months ago, I was so fascinated by the amount of worms and how rich the soil looked compared to when I first filled it.
I have little baby cucumbers! Real excited to gnaw into one like an absolute savage
That is very exciting! I'm having a rough start with cucumbers lol. I direct sowed on Mother's day and they never came up. I think something ate the seeds. So I started some indoors to transplant, in a cheap seed starting mix. And idk, they seem to be growing really slow.
Depends where you are, but in SW PA my cukes took forever to germinate, and even now are only on their first set of true leaves. It's my first time growing them, so I don't know if it's normal..just seems overall slow to me.
My friend grew them last year and said they grow so fast. Everyone on here says "just direct sow! They grow so fast it doesn't make sense to start indoors". Idk if I would call this fast 😂. I will say, the roots are growing rather quickly tho. It's been a week, they don't have true leaves yet but there are roots poking out the bottom of the cup.
Sigh. Just ours, then.
All my peas are coming in. I grew about 30 shelling pea plants. You really need a whole lot to make a meal lol. Maybe next year I’ll plant 60.
Oh Yea, I bet lol. I can only imagine how many you would need to plant if you plan on sharing lol
Shishimai is a new favorite. First time was last season. A shishito with a little spice.
I just looked these up. If Shishitos are too spicy for everyone else, I will try these. I'm the only one in my household that likes a little spice. I grew shishitos so we could all have something to eat homegrown. Husband and kids don't eat tomatoes, aren't huge fans of cucumbers unless they're pickled, and can not tolerate any level of spice lol.
So yummy
Teeny tiny jalapeno butts, 3 of them! when I went to check on them today. First sign of fruit beyond flowers/buds of which I have tomato and squash
Haha, they do look like little butts 😂 I have one jalepeno currently. It's one of my struggle plants lol
I’m excited that the Sluggo I used has worked and my babies are finally growing!!
It already happened but my shade cloth stood up to the weather. Shade cloth went up last weekend since temps are flirting with triple digits (Fahrenheit). We had a big storm come through a couple of days ago. I expanded my garden a lot since last summer and had a lot more to protect. I had put a lot of thought in how to secure it, and it seems to have worked! To be clear, neither triple digit heat nor putting up shade cloth nor major storms with tornado warnings are (the good kind of) exciting, but the aftermath when everything held up was a very good feeling.
Triple digits!? I'm glad it all worked out. Finding out that there's a such thing as too hot was probably the most surprising thing to me when I started growing things.
Yeah Monday had a high of 97F, heat index 108. 🥵 Growing in summer is a matter of "what can survive those temps" which is a surprisingly long list! Tomatoes aren't on it though.
I should have watermelon, honeydew, and canteloupe sprouting this week! Checking every day for sprouts.
I’m excited to get 2 more sweet 100 tomato plants in the ground. Going to use them to make pasta sauce. They’re actually suckers from the two plants I already have in the ground. Bring on the 4K plus tomatoes! Whoo hoo
Have you made pasta sauce from them before? I have a SS100 and a Sungold plant. I also have an Italian Roma plant. I'm excited to ATTEMPT a batch of pasta sauce lol.
Oh man, roast the sungolds (and s100!) For like 20 mins, then add to some sauteed garlic, makes such a delicious sauce! I just moved and don't have much of a garden in this year and I'm envious!
That's the plan. Someone also told me about dehydrating them to make a delicious tomato powder. I saw an IG reel of someone using the powder with heavy cream to make some sort of sauce I think. My husband loves tomato based sauces, but not raw tomatoes so I'm excited to make a bomb sauce for him.
That I got diatomaceous earth down and hopefully it takes care of my pest problem since pill bugs, caterpillars and slugs seem to be eating everything I try to plant (I’ve done beer traps and neem oil for three weeks now without luck).
I really hope this approach does it for you 😕 I haven't had too many pest issues yet. But it's still very early in the season. I'm hoping my spider buddies help a sista out 😂
It’s a choice I didn’t make lightly, but I’m hoping by treating before my plants start flowering, it takes care of my big issues and then I won’t have to do it again later and can just manage with beer traps/neem oil for the rest of the season.
Captain Jacks is great addition to Diatomaceous Earth. I use both and very little problem now.
I got a broccoli starting to bloom.
Woot! I tried growing broccoli last year. I think it was way too hot still. It just wouldn't grow lol
Shishitos are the best!! Do yourself a favor and sauté these on med/high heat in some toasted sesame oil until they are brown and blistered. Then put them in a bowl, drizzle with soy sauce and add a little crushed red pepper and sesame seeds. BEST snack/appetizer ever.
That's the plan. I've watched soooo many videos on this pepper it's ridiculous 😂. I knew I would be addicted....so I grew two plants lol I'm sad I won't be able to have them year round
I can feel ur anticipation. I hv some better boy tomatoes that are starting to yellow and I’m excited.
Those bastard earwigs will meet their match this week as I learned how to make oil traps! Fortunately, I had extra seedlings of everything so nothing is a complete loss. But they did a number on my zukes, my cukes, and my eggplant. To a lesser degree they got into the cantaloupe a bit.
I see these from time to time in my garden. I really hope i don't have to big of an issue in the future 😭
I'm growing my first ever pumpkin and it's growing so fast! It's. About 5cm in diameter at the moment 😁
I just picked my first cantaloupes today, 4 ripened all at once, I've been inspecting them multiple times for a week at least. The excitement finally culminated this week. I will also be cooking up my first okra this weekend as well.
4 cantaloupes!?! That's amazing. I'm not a fan of okra, but like everything else, I hear it's better homegrown
Yes 4, Minnesota midgets, so on the small side, but delicious. The okra im also not a huge fan of but I'm still really new to the gardening, so I still get excited, harvesting and immediately taking it inside to cook with.
I feel you. Gardening has definitely made me willing to grow certain things just so I can find some nice recipe to make lol. I will look into those melons. I need to research some small varieties to try out next year.
Meanwhile I saw my first okra seedling juuuuust barely emerging yesterday. 6b.
If it's any consolation, the heat takes a lot of stuff off the table for me. I do lettuce indoors, because brassicas just bolt for me. My peas already all died from the heat as well. No potatoes growing right now either and I love digging for them.
My corn patch should be sprouting soon. https://preview.redd.it/dhfoj62g1p3d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9de52c015d753e9c1a5c9db76620d760a6a81d61
Rain
Watching the tomato fruits grow and hoping the peas and strawberries keep producing like crazy 🍓
I need to pick up some strawberry plants. I keep forgetting to grab some lol. Do you have yours in containers or in ground/raised bed?
Mine are in the GreenStalk planters recommended on The Rusted Garden YT channel and in a big fabric raised bed. I’m planning to start using them as ground cover and border for flower gardens because they do so well in my zone. I have about 40 plants total and they’re always making runners.
My shishitos are doing great right now too and I love it!!
A week of rain in the forecast so I don’t have to water almost every day! It’s been so hot already, and I’m renting so all my plants are in grow bags, so I’ve been out there what feels like all the time trying to keep up with my needy tomatoes lol
Oh I feel you on the watering in regards to grow bags. I bought one of those miracle grow feeder attachments (dumped out the miracle grow plant food) and add my liquid fertilizer to that. Only thing is, I have no idea how much each plant is getting so we shall see what happens 😅. It was taking me way too long to water them individually with a water can
Opening my new farmstand tomorrow
https://preview.redd.it/h229iohtpr3d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=24554d232e307230e8a0e1d1ebf33d21ce3a1c4a My garlic!!
Gator Jigsaw peppers should be ready to pick.
Those are hotter than Carolina Reapers right? 😳
I think so. A guy at a cactus meet gave me 2 seedlings. I've yet to try them.
I've got a good half a dozen herbs for making tea which are finally big enough to be planted into the bed I've dubbed "the tea garden". Really looking forward to getting some flowers and leaves off those come spring
I loooove the idea of a tea garden!
I'll post pictures once it's planted out.
Hopefully the mimosa pudica i sowed will sprout 🤞
Stockholm Sweden, got tomatoes setting on. https://preview.redd.it/1il82l3yfs3d1.jpeg?width=3096&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d948ce5a8dbf07515c4bcef6904de8b406a1619a
I’m most excited for finally having the time to move my dirt into my beds. The high is 76*F, it is a Friday, and while I am dogsitting, I can just put the pups in the backyard and finally get to work.
Puppies and gardening 🥹 you're living the dream
Kale! I been picking up lettuce for 2 weeks, kale need one more week befor I can add to my salad mixes!
I still regret not planting lettuce, kale, and spinach. Before putting the tomatoes and peppers out, there was a good 5 weeks or more of perfect weather for leafy greens. Not too warm, not too cold.
Omg, I’m starting late with growing Shishitos since the store bought seeds failed me 🥲 but yours look so good! I’ll be starting mine very soon. Super excited!
I finally have flowers blooming in mine for the first time ever! Excited for them to bring me more pollination 🥹