PNW-are you getting any veggies?

hi fellow PNW-ners



im curious how your gardens are doing......are you guys getting any squash?....pumpkins?.......any red tomato's?......how are your carrots doing?......cucumbers?.....peppers?.....is it a dream to ask about watermellons?



am i just in a hurry or are these veggies behind?



on the bright side



we just pulled up two more cauliflowers and another broc today......we are very happy with those results.....cauli's and brocs are doing awesome!



we did ok so far with the potatoes....still have one garbage can and one wine barrel to go.....



our onions were ok...a bit small....very sweet and yummy...made homemade onion rings tonight along with home made fries for dinner



our peas were doing great.....they are almost spent.....we got ton's off the plants though....so very happy with them.....



our beans are just now coming in found two this after noon that i could have picked .....and our corn is growing nice, bright and tall with tassels....



we had a good harvest of spinach and lettuce before it bolted .....we replanted some more spinach and lettuce and they are just starting to sprout!



how is everyone else doing?.......am i just rushing things?....or is our weather going to play a part on what we get this year?......i know we never know.....i just wanted to know what you all are harvesting so far



hugs

rose

I have never done a full garden update before but here it is. I cannot edit anything that I post so I will try and keep the typo's to a minimum.

Alaska and Progress #9 peas are done and gone. Very happy with the yield and I have a pint jar of seed for fall planting. Oregon Sugar pods are just starting to produce and are yummy as usual.

Harvested 3 Hungarian hot wax peppers and several little ones are growing. Nothing on the banana peppers yet.

Two yellow crookneck squash harvested. The black beauty and round zucchini are producing but still too small to pick. I have flowers on the pumpkin but I don't know if there will be time for it to produce.

I canned 4 pints of Dilly Beans today along with 14 half pints of raspberry jam. The beans are just starting to produce and it looks like it may be a bumper crop this year. Had two meals from the Scarlet Runners and too early for the Kentucky Wonders. The Roma, Top Crop and Harvester beans are the ones producing now.

Turnips are done, gone and eaten. Spinach is same but I have a second crop about 3 inches high that is looking good, I love spinach and grow alot of it.

The lettuce still has not bolted (weird) and I had planted two successive crops and have ALOT of lettuce. Arugula is going to seed, Kale is doing well also.

The Malibar spinach is doing well.

Parsnips looking good, carrots from carrot week, still only an inch tall (I have no idea why).

Watermelon growing but still small, lots of cilantro and parsley. Basil not doing well however.

Lots of tomatoes this year and the plants are nearly six feet tall.

Strawberries were great this year and I have been eating all the Blueberries when I am in the garden lol.

Herb garden is bountiful and has been keeping the dehydrator very busy.

I have lots of teeny tiny cucumbers this year unlike last year so I hope they will continue to grow.

I have already started some fall crops and forgot to start the brussel sprouts so maybe next year on those. So far, not a bad year despite the lack of summer so far.

HappyCamper-- Sounds like should be a truly happy camper. My question would be what herbs do you do well with in the dehydrator and are there some that don’t do so well in your dehydrator. Thanks. Stevia was a pleasant surprise here.

Peppers are doing suprisingly well. The plants, all grown from seed, may not look like much, but the peppers are gorgeous. We have already eaten 4 Sweet Banana Peppers

ANAHEIM MULATO

EARLY JALAPENO, SORRY ABOUT THE WEEDS BETWEEN THE SFG AND THE TOMATO BED

KUNG PAO PEPPER

SWEET BANANA PEPPER



We also have Aji Amarillo, Black Czech, California Wonder and Gypsy with a few peppers starting.

Eggplants were not happy when transplanted out into the SFG and I lost several. The main problem was I kept them in the seedling station until they had already bloomed, then took out to the semi enclosed porch where they languished before being transplanted. Now they are trying to bloom. We will see if they produce any fruit here in our cool coastal climate. Not much hope, but who knows? Will try Boffer's H3 next year.

Sugar Snaps are slowing down, so probably will be pulled in about a week and some pole beans planted. Still waiting for the cabbages planted in April. Broccoli is all gone, but it was great. Lettuce still producing. Basil is growing, but not as nice as in years past.

No squash or cucumbers yet, but they were planted late. Male blooms on most, so hopes are high.

ETA: Forgot, I harvested 14 Montmorency Pie Cherries from my two year old tree.

This was a Sunday harvest in mid-July...2009.


The weather was a little hotter than average, and I was able to put up enough corn, tomatoes, winter squash, cukes, and beans to last us nearly a year.

Last year, 2010, it was cooler than average, and although we got to eat some fresh harvests, I didn't have enough of anything to put up.

This year is cooler than last year. My beans are maybe 3 feet tall. Squashes and cukes are retarded. Tomatoes have some fruit, but are the sickliest looking plants I've ever grown. It's almost that time of year when optimistic gardeners are wont to say: 'Oh well, there's always next year'.

My springtime cool crops did well, and I've started planting heavy for a fall crop. But that elusive summer harvest is just killing me!

boffer wrote:... and I've started planting heavy for a fall crop.

Can you share what you're planting now for your fall crop?

It's a little early to be planting, but I'm betting we're not going to have a serious heat wave to finish the summer.

My spring broccoli didn't get very big this year so there was nothing to put up. Last week I planted 75 broccoli seeds. My spring cauliflower was very productive, so I didn't plant any for fall.

I'm certain I won't be able to put up dilly beans or crock pickles this year, so I put on my crazy hat and planted 162 kohlrabi seeds last week. I'm thinking kohlrabi has the crispy texture to substitute in those recipes. If not, I'm going to need to get real creative to use them all!

Spring carrots and potatoes did well and will last till next spring. Spring beets were oddly erratic for me this year so I'm a bit short, and therefore I'll be planting another 8 squares this week or next.

Sometime in October, I'll plant a box of potato onions and a box of garlic.

I'm going to try planting and over-wintering some brussel sprouts; I haven't done that before.

Last week I also planted some lettuces, radishes, green onions, and peas. All my cool crop boxes have hoops on them to extend the season a bit. I'll be using one heated hoop house to try and keep lettuce going well into winter.

Last year, I accidentally let some broccoli heads freeze solid on the plant. Before they thawed, I used some loppers to cut them off and stick them right into the freezer. Then, it was out of the freezer and right into a steamer. That was the best broccoli we've ever eaten; it was 'buttery'. It didn't need any seasoning at all. I'm going to try to do it again this year, but you watch, it will be a mild winter!

I have a beautiful garden for sure...but I am thinking I may not see a lot of it ripen before the first frost. Thank goodness for next year.

So far, we have four kinds of kale, and lots of it. Continuous lettuce, some radishes, onions from sets were a bust--but seeded onions looking worthwhile, lots of carrots (until those wascally gwandkids visited), snow peas and sugar peas, broccoli, cucumbers (Agnes cukes really a winner for taste), garlic--and their scapes, elephant garlic, chives, basil, raspberries and strawberries. Coming on: tassles just showing up on corn in bale bed, scarlet runner beans blooming, winter squash setting fruit all over, trombocino zuchetta summer squash within two weeks, several eggplant fruits to tease us, and the Black Sea Man tomato plant has around 40 fruits on it....all green. Guess that's about it for now. BTW, has anyone out there harvested their male squash blossoms to stuff and eat? Nonna

wow Nonna sounds like you are getting a good harvest!!


Boffer i about fainted when i seen your pic then i read what you wrote a few times...until it sunk in that the pic was from 2009

middlem....im thinking the same thing....i may have to try fried green tomato's!....and try eating more leaves and flowers of other plants


Furb your peppers look great!.....we are seeing more male flowers on our squash and pumpkins as well...

Happycamper......congrats on your harvesting!!...it all sounds yummy!



hi gwen!
hugs

rose

Westie42,

Oregano, sage, marjoram and parsley, especially parsley work very well in the dehydrator. Nothing like fluffy parsley dumplings (chicken and dumplings) during winter. The parsley stays green and smells 10 times better than the store bought stuff even after being in a jar for a few months.

Rosemary has not worked for me. I have better luck tying them together with twine and hanging upside down like the mints.

If my stevia plants decide to grow more I look forward to drying them also.

If you have any suggestions, experience or drying methods that work well for you I would be happy to hear them. Take care.

happycamper, perhaps you should consider planting a rosemary bush and harvest fresh rosemary year around. Living in St. Helens (a short bike ride north of you), we've had an Arp variety (from Nichols Garden Nursery) for over 25 years, and a lovely semi-trailing variety along a retaining wall for over 10 years. Not only does a well-grown bush provide tasty needles for cooking, but try cutting branches, strip off most of the needles, and use the stems for kabobs. Very tasty, especially if you have used a rosemary-infused marinade for the meat and/or vegetables. Nonna

Thanks Boffer - I'm grateful for your thorough respose. Love hearing the reasoning behind your plantings too. And hi Rose!



So, I have this brand new 4'x6' bed full of Mel's Mix just sitting there that I did not complete in time for the summer veggies. So it's totally empty and waiting for fall planting. I've been watching the forums, hoping I'd see people talking about what they were planting now. I think I kind of blew it! I looked up the first frost date for my zip code and it's listed as September 26th, which is less than 9 weeks away. I checked Mel's fall planting guide and realized I should have been doing stuff already. Being the total garden newbie that I am (this is why I was seeking a mentor!) it just didn't occur to me to think about fall plantings during the hottest part of summer.



I had wanted to plant peas and carrots. Looks like from the chart on page 259 that I should have direct sowed them from seed outdoors 1-1/2 and 2-1/2 weeks ago, respectively.



I'd love to try broccoli and cauliflower, but I can't go back in time and start the seeds indoors, and the chart is saying now is the time to be transplanting them in the garden. Are these veggies available as starts at garden centers the way the peppers and tomatoes are in the spring?



Looks like it's not too late for me to try lettuce, spinach and radishes. If anyone is going to do those for fall, can you keep me posted?



If you've read all this so far, you're a trooper. Thanks!

i just planted some more lettuce, kale and spinach for the fall...they are just coming up....we are going to plant more broccoli and cauliflower tomorrow direct seed into the garden.....



I read that Boffer just planted a bunch of broccoli last week and i think it was him that said last year his broc got a bit of frost before he pulled it and froze it for the winter and it was the best tasting broc he has had....so he wanted to try it again this year



i think you could put in onions and carrots and have them go thru the winter to harvest them in the spring.....



i just planted some purple bush beans a couple of days ago and they are just now popping up they take 52 days to harvest......so you could try some shorter growing times and do some beans and i know you can plant peas too...just find the shorter growing time ....maybe bush type....



sorry if i just repeated what others already said....i didnt read back before replying



i have never planted for the fall.....so im new to all this and im going to give it a try....nothing to gain with out trying



hugs

rose

A familiar mantra on the forum is: "It's only seeds, and seeds are cheap, go for it".

Our weather in the PNW is so variable year to year, you just never know if the weather is going to be accommodating.

Next spring, you'll know when the perfect time to start planting is, about 30 days after it's come and gone! It's a crap shoot...plant something and enjoy the game!

i agree Boffer!



if i would have listened to people at the stores who all said.....oh you cant really grow cauliflower in WA weather....we would not have had 5 wonderful heads to eat this summer!!....they have turned out to be the best veggies this year....well...i guess they share the spot with the sugar snap peas...cuase those treats have been awesome!



i say grow for it!!



next year i cant wait to try a bunch of differnt things....im sooo thankful to have this wonderful forum!



hugs

rose

Well this is all very encouraging, thank you everyone! It's true, seeds ARE cheap! That's what I was thinking when I went ahead and had the kiddos help plant six squares of Oregon Sugar Pod II peas and two squares of Rainbow Blend carrots before dinner.

So I figure the carrots should pay off either way. Even if the frost hits before they reach maturity, they aren't killed off by frost and can still be eaten, right? They may just be smaller?

I have some free seeds (now that's as cheap as it gets!) from the farmer's market for cauliflower, so by golly Rose, I'm going to plant some tomorrow too! We'll have to compare notes. I did see Boffer talking about direct seeding his broccoli just last week... I guess if I can find some seeds to plant in the next couple of days, I'll still try it. I do love broccoli and I need to learn to grow it, so I'll at least get a learning experience in if nothing else.

You guys are great!