Homestead mailing list

[EarthNSky <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

We've been eating a lot of beans, but still haven't canned any yet.  The
varieties I planted first were new to us and I only planted a pack or
so.  The canning varieties won't be coming in until later.  I don't have
toms yet either, but soon.  All mine are green, but there are lots of
them.  I've lost almost all my cukes to the refrigerator, which was
getting too cold in the back and freezing the cukes before I could can
them.  I have lost at least 10-15 pounds of pickling cukes to the
fridge...grrrr...the vines are still producing, so maybe I will get
enough for pickles soon.
Mostly, I'm writing about your onions.  Last fall, I bought yellow onion
sets and planted them in the ground on Nov 4.  I got them at the feed
store and they are short day.  They never have bulbed up, so I am eating
them as scallions.
In early Spring, late winter, I planted a flat of Red Burgundy seeds.
They came up fine and I transplanted them fine, but the largest one is
only slightly larger than a quarter.    I'm not sure what I did wrong.
I guess I will plant more red onions in a month or so and hope that by
this time next year they will make bulbs.

My beets did well.  I ate some baked/roasted, and I pickled the rest
and gave them to my mother.  She said it was great.  I'll be planting
more soon.  The variety I planted was Tall Top early wonder.  I actually
like the greens more than the beets.
We've had a good lettuce year, with almost a constant supply since early
Spring with the exception of about 3 weeks.  On the Fourth, I cut a
large salad bowl full of Mesclun mixed greens and lettuces from the
strip of lettuces planted in the shade of one of my Monster Beds.
My failure has been the first run of sweet corn.  It just never did well
and I am thinking that due to the rain in Spring, the soil never really
got super warm.  I planted some Bloody Butcher in early June, and it is
growing like gangbusters.  DH has decided to resow some Early and Often
Hybrid corn, so he took the dog kennel and planted a small patch inside
the dog kennel out behind the barn.  All this from a man who did not use
 to like corn on the cob.  I'm grateful that his taste buds changed, for
sure.


Robert Walton wrote:

> Garden is giving. Been eating good and putting up some stuff. Still
> no tomatoes. I think they take longer when they are not staked, but
> the vines are good and full of green tomatoes. My onions are great
> this year. I swear by growing them from seed, the only ones that are
> not great are the ones from sets. I'm just eating them green.
>
> Melons look good, have some more green beans that will be in soon. I
> also finally planted some soybeans, so if they do ok will be eating
> endame. I like that. It's good frozen. Beets were mostly a bust, but
> I have a few. Carrots were mostly a bust, but they always are.
> Lettuce did not do well for me this year.


--
"Never expect magic from no where"  Baringo (Kenyan) working motto
http://erthnsky.blogspot.com/
EarthNSky Farm, NW Georgia, USA