How is your vegetable garden coming along??

[Stryder50]

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I've got a mystery squash that looks like the Howden pumpkins I planted there two years ago. No pumpkins there last year. The new pumpkins look like the ones in the photo, kind of, but then I have an explanation -- one hardy seed that lasted over two fierce winters, in a raised bed. I'm talking the winter that was often between -30° and -40°.

It's a really prolific plant too!


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Squash will cross-breed and produce hybrids that may not look too strange but often won't have good flavor.
If you get such, and like it's flavor, than keep the seeds and you may get more next year.
Heck you may luck into a new breed that is marketable.

 

[Stryder50]

We garden partly to do something with the land other than lots of lawn to mow.
Actually we like making our own produce, and gardening is great exercise, fresh air, etc.

This summer has been a bit warmer and drier than usual. The tomatoes are starting to ripen some, with lots more green developing. Tomatillos have busted out, one of our volunteer species. Speaking of volunteers, we've a hundred plus sunflowers, mostly for the birds to feed on though.

Figs have been the first real crop and a fairly good sized one this year. We're crossing our fingers that the warm weather last long enough for the second crop the trees are putting on. Kiwi berries look to be ripe in a couple more weeks. Have harvested quite a few beans already, mostly cranberry, some fava, but more are on their way. Peppers not doing too bad. Cucs a bit dicey still.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

We garden partly to do something with the land other than lots of lawn to mow.
Actually we like making our own produce, and gardening is great exercise, fresh air, etc.

This summer has been a bit warmer and drier than usual. The tomatoes are starting to ripen some, with lots more green developing. Tomatillos have busted out, one of our volunteer species. Speaking of volunteers, we've a hundred plus sunflowers, mostly for the birds to feed on though.

Figs have been the first real crop and a fairly good sized one this year. We're crossing our fingers that the warm weather last long enough for the second crop the trees are putting on. Kiwi berries look to be ripe in a couple more weeks. Have harvested quite a few beans already, mostly cranberry, some fava, but more are on their way. Peppers not doing too bad. Cucs a bit dicey still.

You're lucky to be getting your tomatoes to ripen. Mine have just started forming. Not sure why it's taken them so long and I'll be lucky to get any to ripen before fall. Beans have done well so far as well as the squash. Seems to be a good squash year. Most anything else has been iffy

 

[Stryder50]

We garden partly to do something with the land other than lots of lawn to mow.
Actually we like making our own produce, and gardening is great exercise, fresh air, etc.

This summer has been a bit warmer and drier than usual. The tomatoes are starting to ripen some, with lots more green developing. Tomatillos have busted out, one of our volunteer species. Speaking of volunteers, we've a hundred plus sunflowers, mostly for the birds to feed on though.

Figs have been the first real crop and a fairly good sized one this year. We're crossing our fingers that the warm weather last long enough for the second crop the trees are putting on. Kiwi berries look to be ripe in a couple more weeks. Have harvested quite a few beans already, mostly cranberry, some fava, but more are on their way. Peppers not doing too bad. Cucs a bit dicey still.

Totally forgot to mention the other fruit (apple pear) trees and berry bushes, grape vines. We've jammed a lot into our half-acre lot.
I figure my vertical flora biomass is about 3-4 times what a flat, grass lawn only would provide.
Thing that peevees me, is that with these billions of self-expanding, self-replicating, biological Carbon sequestering units, cranking out about 3-4 times coverage of our "Carbon footprint", I don't get a huge credit on my property taxes.

 

[Stryder50]

You're lucky to be getting your tomatoes to ripen. Mine have just started forming. Not sure why it's taken them so long and I'll be lucky to get any to ripen before fall. Beans have done well so far as well as the squash. Seems to be a good squash year. Most anything else has been iffy

Don't know your location so hard to comment about your results.

We start our tomatoes from seed, saved heirloom, in small trays about late Feb.-early March, indoors on racks under grow lights and by the South windows. When they are about 8-12" and overnight temps above 40 we shift them outside into small portable "greenhouse" on the deck (about mid April~May). Usually planted about mid-late May.

We do layer/'lasagna' garden method. Two layers of corrugated cardboard, covered with compost then a couple inches of dirt/topsoil*. Lay down the soaker hose lines and place cages fairly early. Fresh layer of cardboard every 2-3 years, depending on weeds condition.

We rotate planting plots and try to use the micro-climes around our yard, but the early indoor start seems to be a big factor.
Only a few handfuls of smaller, 'cherry' ones have ripened so far, but plenty of big green ones on their way. We've had a slightly warmer and drier than usual/average this year so that may also be a factor.

* Our local waste treatment plant has this process/project where they grind, mulch, and 'cook' limbs, yard waste, other flora "refuse" to produce what they call bio-solids. Looks some where between compost and topsoil, we use it as topsoil. With plenty of earthworms around and a season or two it becomes to look like regular rich dirt/topsoil.

Most of our lot faces South, so we get lots of Sun in most places. Where our trees (mostly oak and maple) haven't grown too tall.

Oh yeah. Organic here. No harsh, artificial chemicals used. Some "Miracle Grow" for fertilizer, boaster.

 

[Compost]

Not many cucumbers, squash are coming but not in abundance, tomatoes are starting to ripen, ho hum. Now, let me tell you about the boysenberries- fat and plentiful!

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Don't know your location so hard to comment about your results.

We start our tomatoes from seed, saved heirloom, in small trays about late Feb.-early March, indoors on racks under grow lights and by the South windows. When they are about 8-12" and overnight temps above 40 we shift them outside into small portable "greenhouse" on the deck (about mid April~May). Usually planted about mid-late May.

We do layer/'lasagna' garden method. Two layers of corrugated cardboard, covered with compost then a couple inches of dirt/topsoil*. Lay down the soaker hose lines and place cages fairly early. Fresh layer of cardboard every 2-3 years, depending on weeds condition.

We rotate planting plots and try to use the micro-climes around our yard, but the early indoor start seems to be a big factor.
Only a few handfuls of smaller, 'cherry' ones have ripened so far, but plenty of big green ones on their way. We've had a slightly warmer and drier than usual/average this year so that may also be a factor.

* Our local waste treatment plant has this process/project where they grind, mulch, and 'cook' limbs, yard waste, other flora "refuse" to produce what they call bio-solids. Looks some where between compost and topsoil, we use it as topsoil. With plenty of earthworms around and a season or two it becomes to look like regular rich dirt/topsoil.

Most of our lot faces South, so we get lots of Sun in most places. Where our trees (mostly oak and maple) haven't grown too tall.

Oh yeah. Organic here. No harsh, artificial chemicals used. Some "Miracle Grow" for fertilizer, boaster.

I am in the South end of Puget Sound. I try to start my tomatoes and peppers inside about the same time as you do, and also heirloom, but don't have grow lights, heat mats or even a southern window. Since my yard is sloped, I use berm/swales, plus containers and have an ongoing compost pile.......whatever comes out of the ground, goes right back in. I know alot of my struggles have alot to do with the soil, that I am always working on to improve. I garden as natural as possible by replicating nature and also rotate, and companion planting methods.

Is the local waste treatment plant stuff called Tagro, I think it is?? I've never used it before, but may do that in the future. I've heard alot of good things about it. House faces west with the garden on the north side, so it gets atleast 10-12 hours of sun and not alot of trees. That in itself could contribute to alot of my problem as well.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Not many cucumbers, squash are coming but not in abundance, tomatoes are starting to ripen, ho hum. Now, let me tell you about the boysenberries- fat and plentiful!

Kinda surprised about your 'lack' of cucumbers and squash, just because it seems to be a vining & briar crop kind of year. I don't have boysenberries, but my raspberries and the Himalayan blackberries that grow wild here have all exploded this year like I've never seen before.

This year my winter squash has grown and nearly taking over the whole garden and this is the first year for them to do so in over 10 years.

 

[Compost]

Kinda surprised about your 'lack' of cucumbers and squash, just because it seems to be a vining & briar crop kind of year. I don't have boysenberries, but my raspberries and the Himalayan blackberries that grow wild here have all exploded this year like I've never seen before.

This year my winter squash has grown and nearly taking over the whole garden and this is the first year for them to do so in over 10 years.

I suspect that my cucumbers and squash suffered from a hot dry spell. I don't have an irrigation system set up other than me lugging watering cans.

We have some wild black raspberries here and they were lovely. A berry good year!

 

[JustAnotherNut]

I suspect that my cucumbers and squash suffered from a hot dry spell. I don't have an irrigation system set up other than me lugging watering cans.

We have some wild black raspberries here and they were lovely. A berry good year!

I don't have irrigation either. I just haul out the hose and either hand water everything or hook it to a sprinkler.

 

[Compost]

I don't have irrigation either. I just haul out the hose and either hand water everything or hook it to a sprinkler.

We have lots of trees on the property so the garden is located some ways from the spigot. At least there's a rain barrel fairly close to the garden...

 

[toobfreak]

Mine have just started forming. Not sure why it's taken them so long and I'll be lucky to get any to ripen before fall.

Check your nitrogen. An over-abundance of nitrogen can delay the onset of fruiting.

 

[toobfreak]

Not many cucumbers, squash are coming but not in abundance,

Do you have enough bees in the area to pollinate the fruit? Another thing to check for are damping off conditions which can harm the flowers and cause them to die and fall off before they get pollinated.

 

[westwall]

Our garden has done really well this year. Tomatoes out the wazoo, cucumbers that would make stormy Daniel's blush, strawberries in abundance. Our carrots did real well, so did our potatoes, no squash because I hate it!

The only thing that didn't do well were our peas. We got one good harvest, figure enough for about 30 meals, but usually we get triple that.

Our peach tree is doing great, but the apples are struggling this year.

The plums and cherries are always bonkers though.

 

[toobfreak]

Our carrots did real well, so did our potatoes, no squash because I hate it!

Nothing beats a good, fresh carrot. They are so sweet and tasty that if everyone had fresh carrots instead of those woody, starchy things sold in the supermarket (a few days after picking, the sugars turn into starch), no one would ever need a candy bar.

The thing with squash though is that the squash is meant to pick up and absorb the flavor of whatever you cook them in, by themselves, they have little flavor.

 

[Compost]

Do you have enough bees in the area to pollinate the fruit? Another thing to check for are damping off conditions which can harm the flowers and cause them to die and fall off before they get pollinated.

I have lots of bees and other pollinators too. To further attract them, I keep a big catmint in the corner of the garden- it is in bloom from early spring to late fall, so that, along with some zinnias and 4 o'clocks, help keep the traffic levels of pollinators up.

It's kinda funny you ask that though, because they are many many flowers on the squash and I've been tempted to take a Q tip and do some pollinating of my own. LOL

I'll double check on the damping off but I don't think that's the problem. Thanks.

 

[toobfreak]

It's kinda funny you ask that though, because they are many many flowers on the squash and I've been tempted to take a Q tip and do some pollinating of my own.

It couldn't hurt though it is probably too late in the season now to get good size fruit.

LOL I'll double check on the damping off but I don't think that's the problem. Thanks.

Offhand, it sounds like it might be an environmental problem, perhaps too much nitrogen or not enough phosphorous in the soil, or it could be weather related. It has been a long time since I studied this stuff, but I think heavy rain at the wrong time can screw the flowers up on the squash.

You might also check on the soil pH, and the variety of squash planted. It probably wouldn't hurt to dig in a lot of bone meal into the soil this Fall for next year's crop. While nitrogen encourages leave and stem growth (delaying onset of flowering), phosphorous is essential for the flowers.

 

[westwall]

Nothing beats a good, fresh carrot. They are so sweet and tasty that if everyone had fresh carrots instead of those woody, starchy things sold in the supermarket (a few days after picking, the sugars turn into starch), no one would ever need a candy bar.

The thing with squash though is that the squash is meant to pick up and absorb the flavor of whatever you cook them in, by themselves, they have little flavor.

I hate the texture.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Our garden has done really well this year. Tomatoes out the wazoo, cucumbers that would make stormy Daniel's blush, strawberries in abundance. Our carrots did real well, so did our potatoes, no squash because I hate it!

The only thing that didn't do well were our peas. We got one good harvest, figure enough for about 30 meals, but usually we get triple that.

Our peach tree is doing great, but the apples are struggling this year.

The plums and cherries are always bonkers though.

My peas did well but not so much on the cucumbers. Only one plant of several seeds came up, took it's own sweet time but did produce a few fruit. I had grown 'spacemaster' and thought I'd get something closer to a slicer type, but instead they were more of a pickle. I won't grow that variety again. But the last time I picked one, the whole plant came with it.


Most winter squash are great baked with butter and brown sugar, but you can also make pies and other recipes with them as well. Just think of them like sweet potatoes, that are similar texture.

With one exception, that I'm aware of, and that is the spaghetti squash. Cut them in half, scoop out the seeds & membranes and onto a cookie sheet or pan with a little water and into the oven to soften. Then after they cool a bit, scrape out the meat with a fork to get the 'spaghetti strands'. They are very mild and little to no flavor of their own, but are great to add whatever sauce or other recipes you like that call for pasta.

A great alternative for diabetic or grain or gluten allergy


IDK about other summer squash but those huge zucchini baseball bats are great for stuffing with any number of fillings and I was really disappointed when my zukes didn't do well this year. I do have some yellow straightnecks that I keep picked though as I'm not aware if they are as crazy as zucchini

 

[JustAnotherNut]

Nothing beats a good, fresh carrot. They are so sweet and tasty that if everyone had fresh carrots instead of those woody, starchy things sold in the supermarket (a few days after picking, the sugars turn into starch), no one would ever need a candy bar.

The thing with squash though is that the squash is meant to pick up and absorb the flavor of whatever you cook them in, by themselves, they have little flavor.

Store bought carrots always taste musty or moldy to me, even though they're not. Completely different than home grown, same with tomatoes. Nothing like them