Oh, brother. I guess I should fess up! We have the small freezer below our fridge, the small freezer about our extra summer fridge, a huge upright and a smaller chest (unplugged for now). We're also in the middle of processing 100 meat chickens, so the 2 farm freezers are on now, too! Yikes!
They are the easiest things I grow! I tossed them in the ground a few years ago, one year my husband accidentally completely mowed one off, and yet they thrive. Never pruned, rarely fertilized or watered, but very productive.
HiDelight--That is the coolest story EVER of how you learend to forage!!
I had the luck to marry into a family that knew morels. They are the only shroom I feel comfortable eating since they're the only one taught me by living humans :)
Happy mushrooming to you! Michael Pollan's description...
I don't know the entire life cycle of hte stinkbug, but those babies look just like it and the adult photo looks like the adolescent stinkbug. They get larger, harder and brown-gray. They suck the juice out of the plants and make them wilt and die. I crush every one I see and smush the eggs...
Usually I can count on my herbs to stay healthy and bug free. Not this year!! I have a small bug, perhaps a bit smaller than a lady bug, black and fluorescent green vertical stripes, soft bodied but looks like a beetle. They are all over my mint, sage, oregano, bee balm and lemon catnip--pretty...
I consider winter squash as absolutely necessary as spring asparagus and summer tomatoes :). I do whatever it takes to get a good crop, including picking stink bugs off all summer. I've been growing the huge heirloom squash/pumpkins to get loads of meat for freezing and using all year long in...
I grew it twice. Nice plant, great growth, comes back from seed even when I didn't realize it had seeded itself, good for hot time of year. I've had it raw and cooked. It is fine but not super impressive. I didn't care too much for its sprawling growing habit. :P
Hi--I'm in WI, too. I'm doing second plantings of a ton of things for fall that you could use to keep weeds out--carrots, beets, green beans, summer squash, basil, lettuce, spinach, etc. Of course, the greens would need pretty consistent water to germinate and keep from frying.
Otherwise, rye...
I haven't tried plastic bags, just some thick black plastic left over from building our house (maybe moisture barrier?) Anyway, it grows nice melons for us :) Good luck!
Yes--Black plastic will warm the soil and help the melons ripen in time before frost. It is how we finally started getting great melon crops here in zone 4 in WI :) Awesome for weed control, too!
Hi--wow. Must be nice to have that even a consideration down there! Mine haven't even bloomed yet. :rolleyes:
All winter squash and pumpkins are ripe when you can no longer gouge into the skin with a thumbnail. Good luck!
Oh, that stinks. I really agree that they will come back hardier than ever, assuming there is a little life left at the base. It reminds me of the time I weeded out all of my mom's raspberry transplants :(
As for the deer, have you tried tying Irish Spring soap in your trees in nylons and/or...
Wow--That is SO TRUE, Hattie! I was appalled at how my son's eating habits changed when he started kindergarten, but he has popped right back out of it. Still love his greens quiche, salads, peas, really everything!
I believe, and always have, that kids will enjoy anything you feed them. I...
I've actually done it both ways successfully. We hang it in the fruit trees in panty hose. It lasted about 2 years, then we started getting problems again, sniffed the soap, realized it was completely scentless and put new soap in.
My beans were getting chomped this year, so I walked down the...
Here's my pepper jelly recipe, then 2 tomato jam recipes from my aunt that I have not tried yet:
Hot Pepper Garlic Jellyrecipezaar.com
1 cup hot peppers, chopped (habaero, jalapeno, cayennewhatever is available)
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
to cup garlic, chopped
1 cups white vinegar...