A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Food Garden Forum Vegetable Gardening Vegetable Garden 2018

Thanks for the information, Sunny. I will be doing the same next year !

The frost touched the top leaves of my pumpkin patch....I wonder if it going to affect the pumpkins themselves?

I would think not, if it is only the top leaves.. Can you protect them as well?

Amazing that you've already had frost Sunny. I agree with Junie that I don't think it will hurt the actual pumpkin. But that's only a guess.

I plant marigolds too. I'm not sure if they help but I always plant them. Or maybe I should say I always grow them because they reseed easily.

I have planted marigolds back on the farm, but not since. I will try to remember to do so next spring !

I will protect them now...the top leaves got frost. I had no idea it would hit so early this year.

I always planted marigold's...it is an 'old lady' favorite here

Well old lady favorite of not..if it works, I say go for it !

I am really anxious to see what winter holds for us here. Being further south I am hopeful it is much more mild.

Do you think you will garden next year there?

Making some garden boxes would be a good project to pass the time for DH.

Junie, I can save you some marigold seeds - they don't really look like seeds - but I can save some if you think you'll plant them.

Sunny, do you grow dried beans? I'm thinking of trying it next year.

Thanks, Sheri! Yes if I get to have a bed for my tomatoes I sure will plant them.

That would be very nice if you.

Do they take long to germinate? I have never seen the seeds for sale, they are only sold as plants here.

Sunny, Can I send seeds to Canada? Message me your address if I can. Marigold seeds don't look like regular seeds. Mine reseed and sometimes I keep the dried flowers and sprinkle them outside when it gets warm. My sister in West Virginia started some outside in little pots last year. Maybe you should try in pots first and see what happens.

You can send to Canada...it's I who cannot send to the U.S.

That is sweet of you but I have seed heads here from mine. I just never thought of seeding some in spring...they have never self seeded here ever.

Got a ton of tomatoes and okra out of the garden today. Froze some of the okra. Cooked the other. I might freeze some of the tomatoes rather than canning.

What I do is take a empty can of tomatoes, wash it out and set it aside to use as my measure. Then I cut an X into the skin of my tomatoes on the bottom. Drop them into boiling water for a few minutes, take them out, drop them in ice water, remove them from that bath, remove the now loose skins, cut them up and stuff a can full. Dump this into a freezer container, cover with a perfectly cut piece of wax paper, put on the lid & freeze. When you needs can of tomatoes, you have your fresh ones in the freezer ready to go.

Great idea. I never thought about freezing them....mind you, I've never had enough to do that before.

Junie I just love this quote from you "perfectly cut piece of wax paper". Reminds me of something Martha Stewart might say since everything she does is "perfect".
I'm going to steal your really good idea about using a can for measuring. You're so smart.

And Sunny, the reason I'm freezing rather canning is because it takes a lot more tomatoes to can than freeze and I'm not sure I'll have enough to can.

Well, I pulled the bean pod plants...they were delicious while they lasted.

Thanks Sheri ! and as far as perfectly goes, I wanted to get across the idea that the entire top of the tomatoes should be covered to cut down on freezer burn.

I freeze b/c to me it is safer than canning.

Sunny what kind of beans did you plant? We don't eat a lot of beans but I'm thinking of planting one variety next year. I saw where a lady takes wire and makes a big round with it bracing it with a few stakes and then plants her beans around it. She lets the pods get completely dry before harvesting all of them. I didn't realize that dry beans don't keep flowering and producing if you pick them like peas, green beans, and limas do. Do you have a favorite variety?

I planted the snake runner bean and the yellow was bush variety this year...I usually plant more but GG wanted a pumpkin patch and that took up the extra space. I plan to expand my garden a few ft more before Winter is here.

I pulled the cuke, tomato and pumpkin plants this morning..the frost done them in. I have another basket of cukes to process tomorrow

That will be welcomed this winter !

Harvested tomatoes and okra. If we get the predicted rain the tomato plants will be ruined but the okra may still be ok. The garden was full of butterflies and big bumble bees today.

Oh how wonderful !

That is so pretty indeed.

I pulled up the tomato plants today. They had a few green tomatoes and a few scattered flowers but I had a helper today so I just went for it. My helper took the green tomatoes to fry up. I don't like fried tomatoes.

I left the okra because it's still blooming and a few of the basil plants because I want to gather seeds.

I went to mom's house today. I took a few tomatoes from her plants as she will not be eating them. I will sure enjoy them. Sadly I did not think to get any green ones.

Will you be back to your mothers any time soon?

we could go on Friday but it does not look good..Otherwise I will not have a chance until October 6th

I got over 5 gallons of peppers from my garden...my DD and Mother already raided half of them

well, while I am sad for you and your DH..they must be good !

They are.

We dug up the potatoes as well...only the carrots left.

I LOVE garden potatoes...keep them fry and TRY (really hard) to store them NOT touching each other....

I like digging potatoes. Every year I say I"m not going to plant them but every year I do.

I think they are well worth the effort involved!

Don't worry...they never last long enough to spoil

LOL well good then...I used to plant enough to last us (a family of 4) from harvest until January.

Still 93° here and the okra is loving it. I'm going to try and get some lettuce in the ground this week. Maybe radishes too. I'm hoping that since it's been so hot there will be some plants left.