CANADIAN REGION: What are you doing in August 2016?

Mrs TD would never go outside if we had bears roaming around the neighbourhood. Be careful Kelejan.

TD, I am always highly aware of what is going on around me when I am outside.  I am  more concerned about the young ones who walk by in a world of their own listening to whatever is pouring through their earbuds into their little heads.

I can never ever think of walking along in that fashion especially when we all should know that these wild animals are around.  I am going to have a word with my neighbour to see if he will erect a fence between us as the bears usually pass by  right on our property line and he and his wife have a young daughter, who before we know it will be toddling then walking then running etc. 

I am thankful that years ago when my husband was dying, my dear brother-in-law built a window in that side of the house so that my DH could see more of the world and watch me gardening etc.  To this day I thank him when I look out into the garden, which is why I saw these two bears cross my space.

If I had the resources to completely enclose my garden, then the bears would only bypass it and go through other gardens that are in my row. We all back up to the ridge that runs completely along the city for about 4 or five kilometres, the result of the melt-down  of the Ice-age glaciers that formed these these features called Kame Terraces, all loose rock and gravel and silt.

The bears can easily get into the City centre, as after leaving my garden and crossing the road, then another garden and road,, then the railway tracks, then there they are.  Usually the bears veer off left and go down to the Columbia River, then return the way they came, snacking on fruit, veggies and garbage when they can. 

Today I made several pints of apple sauce, and with the cores and skins have made a try at making pectin.  It is straining right now, and when finished I will reduce it by half, then tomorrow I will test it using rubbing alcohol to see if it works.  If it does, then I will never have to buy pectin again.

I remember how Jazz would alert you to a bear. Little Invincible would have tackled one but you kept him from tearing on down the porch with a little gate.

Kelejan ... I always enjoy your posts ... your world is very interesting.

trolleydriver wrote:Kelejan ... I always enjoy your posts ... your world is very interesting.

Me too!  Love your stories, Kelejan!  

sanderson wrote:I remember how Jazz would alert you to a bear.  Little Invincible would have tackled one but you kept him from tearing on down the porch with a little gate.

I was happy that the gate foiled him. You made me smile, sanderson with your "Little Invincible"; thank you.

And thanks to you as well, Scorpio and TD. I love it when people remember my Jazz.

Hi all from a wet Ottawa. My plants are happily drinking today. Our family has been harvesting different heirloom, organic tomatoes these days. Here is a pic of my proud daughter with one of the giants.

Hi Mimi. Good to see you back on the forum. I expect you have been busy with summer activities with the children.  Thanks for the photo ... please post more of them.

Hi Mimi, hope you had/are having a great summer.  Cannot see your daughter in the picture, is she hiding in the greenery?

We  here in B.C.are having a spell now of slightly cooler weather which makes for comfortable work in the garden.

I think it's a wrong photo, kelejan, but don't you just love the pink box?

Kelejan wrote:Beetles, I tested my ripest looking Black Krim yesterday as you suggested.  It stays on the bush for now.  Lots more coming.

Later today I will be trimming off many of the leaves on my tomato bushes to let in some air and more sunshine.  The largest number of tomatoes I have been able to grow since I started.  I may even have enough to can this year.

Came across this and thought of your unripening tomatoes:
http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=91

Re-reading my advice I'd go more by the softness than by how easily it comes off; though it's really my Green Zebra tomatoes that I seem to have to (gently) wrestle with.

Kelejan wrote:Hi Mimi, hope you had/are having a great summer.  Cannot see your daughter in the picture, is she hiding in the greenery?

We  here in B.C.are having a spell now of slightly cooler weather which makes for comfortable work in the garden.

Oops, Cape Coddess is right- I posted a pic of my daughters 2 by 2 ft SFG with her big sun flower. Here she is with our biggest tomato yet.

Nice!  Also love the pink box.....

CapeCoddess wrote:I think it's a wrong photo, kelejan, but don't you just love the pink box?

Thanks- I'll tell my daughter you like it. Its hers. I made one for each of the youngest kids last year- and they painted them the colors of their choice. This year she grew strawberries, carrots and sun flowers in her squares. The little guy grew tomatoes, and strawberries in his forest green box.

trolleydriver wrote:Hi Mimi. Good to see you back on the forum. I expect you have been busy with summer activities with the children.  Thanks for the photo ... please post more of them.

Yes, the summer has been very busy, working in the garden, having fun with the kids, and travelling. We went camping, to Toronto (to see our oldest kid), to Mexico, and St Catharines. Both my husband and I have family in St Catharines. We'll be back there in October- to watch a Bills game in Buffalo, and see the family.  I LOVE your flower pics. The marigolds are amazing. Did you get the seeds at Gretas?

Hi Mimi Good photos

Love your photos as well Mimi.  Glad you found your lovely daughter. and congratulate her on the tomato; and I love that your children are taking an interest in SFG.  They will have that for life.

When I finish clearing out the majority of the compost in my 4x4x4 I leave the lowest layer and place some Yukon Gold potatoes there to grow during the rest of the season.

Today I harvested just over 16 pound of small to medium potatoes that are nicely shaped and blemish free so I am going to scrub them and then can them.  I would never consider canning store bought ones but those I grow myself I think I treasure them far more.

Then during the winter I can enjoy the fruits of my own labour. 

In the current No Frills flyer, they have ten pounds of Russets for $3.97 but mine are priceless.

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

Kelejan wrote:Beetles, I tested my ripest looking Black Krim yesterday as you suggested.  It stays on the bush for now.  Lots more coming.

Later today I will be trimming off many of the leaves on my tomato bushes to let in some air and more sunshine.  The largest number of tomatoes I have been able to grow since I started.  I may even have enough to can this year.

Came across this and thought of your unripening tomatoes:
http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=91

Re-reading my advice I'd go more by the softness than by how easily it comes off; though it's really my Green Zebra tomatoes that I seem to have to (gently) wrestle with.

Last year I ended up with many unripened tomatoes at the end of the season. I simply picked them all, brought them in- and let them ripen in the house. I had tomatoes ripening for months- a they tasted pretty good.

Mimi2 wrote:

BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:

Kelejan wrote:Beetles, I tested my ripest looking Black Krim yesterday as you suggested.  It stays on the bush for now.  Lots more coming.

Later today I will be trimming off many of the leaves on my tomato bushes to let in some air and more sunshine.  The largest number of tomatoes I have been able to grow since I started.  I may even have enough to can this year.

Came across this and thought of your unripening tomatoes:
http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu/submission.php?id=91

Re-reading my advice I'd go more by the softness than by how easily it comes off; though it's really my Green Zebra tomatoes that I seem to have to (gently) wrestle with.

Last year I ended up with many unripened tomatoes at the end of the season. I simply picked them all, brought them in- and let them ripen in the house. I had tomatoes ripening for months- a they tasted pretty good.

We also had many green tomatoes at the end of the season last year. Some were allowed some to ripen indoors and others were converted into green tomato salsa, chutney and of course green fried tomatoes.

Kelejan wrote:I would never consider canning store bought ones but those I grow myself I think I treasure them far more. . . Then during the winter I can enjoy the fruits of my own labour. 

In the current No Frills flyer, they have ten pounds of Russets for $3.97 but mine are priceless.

Priceless!

Beetle, just re-reading your link that you gave for ripening tomatoes, I had missed that.

So now I know that it is high temperatures that are delaying the ripening of my toms and that  removing leaves has little effect. 

Well, today it is a lot cooler so I will delay picking them, and if it goes up to what      it was, then that will be the time to harvest.  Right? 

Another thing learned.   Thank you.

Previously I always had to bring in my tomatoes to ripen as they always had too much shade and not enough time.  I would have sprays of toms and each day I could pick one or two to eat and they certainly lasted for weeks and tasted very good.

Kelejan wrote:Beetle, just re-reading your link that you gave for ripening tomatoes, I had missed that.

So now I know that it is high temperatures that are delaying the ripening of my toms and that  removing leaves has little effect. 

Well, today it is a lot cooler so I will delay picking them, and if it goes up to what      it was, then that will be the time to harvest.  Right? 

Another thing learned.   Thank you.

Previously I always had to bring in my tomatoes to ripen as they always had too much shade and not enough time.  I would have sprays of toms and each day I could pick one or two to eat and they certainly lasted for weeks and tasted very good.

I was trying to avoid being officious, so I guess I erred on the side of too subtle with the link.
...I've learned, and re-learned, and un-learned (as thinking changes and studies prove long-standing assumptions wrong) SO many things about gardening... And I'll freely acknowledge that sometimes things work for people that "shouldn't", and sometimes things don't work that "should."

For sowing, harvesting, and transplanting I mostly try to go by the forecast temperatures for the whole upcoming 5-days/week rather than just the next day. (Frost forecasts are the big exception.) So if you have a hot day that pauses ripening, look and see whether the next few days are also expected to be hot, and harvest if you're tired of waiting; but if it's just one day of hot, and the next few days are forecast to be just warm, I'd let them keep going on the vine. 

I didn't have many unripe tomatoes left by frost last year due to blight slowly killing the plants. I think what I did grab were pretty solid green, and I was surprised how many turned when I brought them in before the first frost/freeze.  I don't expect many green ones this year because the heat stopped a lot new ones from setting.

Good news!



Two of our grandchildren live fairly close to us so they are usually here visiting once or twice per week. They really like to go out the garden and pick the veggies (peas, cuces, tomatoes, beans, etc.). Their mother told me today that she wants them to have their own SFG at their house next year. I suggested two 2x4 boxes (one each) c/w Mel's Mix. So it looks like I will be helping to build more SFG beds next year.

Next thing you know, Mother will want a herb TT! That is so neat that you will be building them their own boxes.