Gardening

[pilferk]

I feel like fresh meat out there.     The mosquitos are really bad.  Do you put poison on yourself or spray it around the yard?  I was reading that mosquitos are the most deadliest animal in the world.

Mosquitoes hate:

Lavender

Peppermint

Basil

You can either use a little essential oil dab to keep them way, or just plant a crap ton of that stuff around the gardens (even if it's somewhat hidden....though I don't recommend mint because, as I'm sure you know, it will just take over).

We have Basil and Lavender everywhere (because it repels other pests, too) and it has made a huge difference!

You could also plant Marigolds.

There's not a lot of mosquito predators, unfortunately.  And most of them are aquatic (turtles, fish, etc).  If you can attract birds (which can be counterproductive to a good garden), they can help out, too.

We just try to make the environment as hostile to them as we can!  It's worked pretty well so far, and I've seen a HUGE drop in the population out there since we've really started companion planting the basil, lavender, and marigolds.

[cineater]

What I really need is a bat.  I have the box but not a good place to put it.  It's the one draw back to using leaves as mulch, they hold a lot of moisture and the bugs love it.

We've had so much rain there has been no need for the plants to send their roots deep.  We're headed for two weeks of extreme heat with no rain.  I don't waste the water on my flowers in ground or the grass.  Beautiful now but everything may look like shit in a couple of weeks.

[cineater]

How do you cook eggplant?  I guess I have to try it.  Marsha threw the plants out the back of the greenhouse because they had bugs on them.  They laid out there about a week refusing to die so I planted them.  And they grew up to produce so I guess I'm obligated.  I'm going to give them a try but I really think Marsha should have to first. 

[cineater]

A little olive oil, some garlic, pepper and sea salt, little cheese, wasn't bad.  I wouldn't say anything great and it looks a little weird but eggplant is edible.

[cineater]

Damn it, damn it, damn it!  Not that we don't need the rain but I was so enjoying myself out there this morning.  It's around the first of the month, I weed all my beds.  Something about weeding that is so relaxing.  The heavens opened up and poured on us.  Kind of funny to watch everybody scramble.  I would have stayed and worked under the eaves but it started lightening.  Hopefully it clears up this afternoon.

[pilferk]

Took about 10 lbs of tomatoes out of the garden this morning.

threw them in the smoker for a bit to roast them.

Pureed them with some garlic and some onion.

First batch of "sauce base" going into the freezer this morning.

Next up: Salsa with the Black Cherry Tomatoes and our freaking gigantic jalepenos (and onions, and garlic, and some of our rainbow peppers).

[cineater]

Those black cherry tomatoes are good.  I recently had a tomatillo tomato, tasted like a granny smith apple.  I've only had my cherry tomato producing.  Not a single tomato on my Better Boy.  It's blooming again.  Haven't checked at the garden but I don't think they are getting many tomatoes either.  I just pulled out my Tomato and Onion Soup with Rosemary recipe.  Guess I'm going to the produce stands this year.

[cineater]

Paul saved me.  He had some tomatoes.  Made my tomato soup, good stuff.

[Mal Brossard]

How do you cook eggplant?  I guess I have to try it.  Marsha threw the plants out the back of the greenhouse because they had bugs on them.  They laid out there about a week refusing to die so I planted them.  And they grew up to produce so I guess I'm obligated.  I'm going to give them a try but I really think Marsha should have to first. 

Eggplant parm, man! Slice it, peel it, bread it, and fry it; add tomato sauce and cheese, eat it by itself or on a roll or atop pasta. I also like grilling it with a little olive oil and rosemary.

I don't grow anything myself anymore since it's tough to do in a one-bedroom apartment. But I used to grow chile peppers when I had a yard. I plan to again eventually. Right now my wife and I just have a few flowering plants in containers on our balcony. Her lantana is ridiculously huge.

[pilferk]

Eggplant parm, man! Slice it, peel it, bread it, and fry it; add tomato sauce and cheese, eat it by itself or on a roll or atop pasta. I also like grilling it with a little olive oil and rosemary.

I don't grow anything myself anymore since it's tough to do in a one-bedroom apartment. But I used to grow chile peppers when I had a yard. I plan to again eventually. Right now my wife and I just have a few flowering plants in containers on our balcony. Her lantana is ridiculously huge.

Jalapenos seem to LOVE apartment balconies.  Just sayin'.

[Mal Brossard]

Eggplant parm, man! Slice it, peel it, bread it, and fry it; add tomato sauce and cheese, eat it by itself or on a roll or atop pasta. I also like grilling it with a little olive oil and rosemary.

I don't grow anything myself anymore since it's tough to do in a one-bedroom apartment. But I used to grow chile peppers when I had a yard. I plan to again eventually. Right now my wife and I just have a few flowering plants in containers on our balcony. Her lantana is ridiculously huge.

Jalapenos seem to LOVE apartment balconies.  Just sayin'.

They do, I had a plant a couple years ago here. But it's cheaper and easier just to buy them by the pound at the local Mexican grocery store haha. Back when I had space I tried a few habanero varieties, ajis, fataliis, even got a few out of my ghost pepper plant.

[cineater]

Holy shit!  I got the biggest TV station in St Louis wanting to scout the gardens for a possible live weather location.  Got us in a magazine and now maybe on TV.  I only have one big goal left to go, get a partnership with the Missouri Botanical Gardens.  I want them to use our location to teach some of their classes.  I got a little inside information, their biggest participants in their classes come from the zip codes in my county. Why not use our gardens for some of their classes?

[cineater]

https://umsystem.zoom.us/rec/share/s0whwMtndExF2TZg-QBFnWYVftqFoe-i2A3W67m-WfCxResyGi6t7J_-QY1CN1ES.BZ4oKYZh1DKI29e8
Access Passcode: Produce1#

This is a really good class on how not to contaminate what you are growing in your garden and then putting in your mouth.  It's only available for a short time so if you are interested, don't put off watching it.

[cineater]

They are called pole beans for a reason.  Grown them on a pole!  Probably wouldn't help my aching back anyway.  I'm beginning to think raised beds should be at about waist height.  Tomorrow I'm going to try the crawl along the ground method of harvesting. 

[pilferk]

Our summer garden is pretty much done.  Tomatoes and Peppers still going strong.  But the various berries, cucumbers, and squash (after VERY LARGE HARVESTS!) are slowing down or are done.

We're starting our fall garden now.  More radishes and carrots, brassicas are coming back, and a fall pea crop that SHOULD just produce before first frost.

Our corn is almost done....most of it is about 13 feet high!

We've had TOO much water this year.  It's been a struggle keeping stuff dry and making sure there is enough air flow.  Tomato plants LOOK like hell, but keep pumping out fruit so....just a lot of pruning to be done.

[cineater]

We have the same problem with tomatoes but we're not getting as much fruit.  Fall garden going in here too.

The garden did make the magazine.  We got a whole page with an ad.  Not really happy with the pictures but it turns out the guy who did the story is the editor for the magazine and the owner.

[pilferk]

We have the same problem with tomatoes but we're not getting as much fruit.  Fall garden going in here too.

The garden did make the magazine.  We got a whole page with an ad.  Not really happy with the pictures but it turns out the guy who did the story is the editor for the magazine and the owner.

Congrats!!

We have about 20 tomato plants going.  I'm pulling probably 5 to 10 lbs of full sized tomatoes off every week, and 2 big colanders (at LEAST) of cherries.  WAY more than we could ever eat.  And they are STILL setting fruit toward their tops.

Thank god for water bath canning and a 2nd freezer (for sauce).  We've put up a ton of diced/chopped tomatoes and salsa so far.  We have about 10 gallon sized bags of sauce in the freezer.  We are gonna be SET for the winter!   I might have to start giving some away here, coming up quick.  Between pickles, squash, jalepenos, and the tomatoes...we are starting to run out of room on our canning shelves!

[cineater]

Try making tomato soup.  I do this one:  https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/tomato-and-onion-soup-with-rosemary-recipe-zmaz08aszgoe  It's a nice summer soup, freezes well too.  Tastes better the second day.

[cineater]

Turn on the hose full force.  Decide I can use a drink too.  Aim it right up my nose!  Damn that hurts.   

[cineater]

Peppers and tomatoes are done.  They're out of here. 

It's nice to clean up some of this mess.  I throw everything out in the yard and then mulch it up with the mower.