This is a great forum except in the dead of winter when there is not much to report on the veggie garden. So the forum is slow then. But during growing season we are hopping here!

DavidofDeLand said:I'll probably have more to share in my November gardens down here, but am watching and enjoying!

You can keep us going, David.

I think I recall planting tomatoes out in late February when I lived in your neck of the woods. Does that sound even remotely close?

I see we have a new member asking about planting tomatoes deeply. Thread moved to our forum from the ask a question forum. I have always done it that way, plant tomatoes deeply.

The French Gold beans I planted in the greenhouse finally all came up, except maybe two. I already had soaked a new green pole bean to try, Fortex, so now I'll have both.

The beets, turnips and some lettuce I planted in the garden last week are up. I've been having to water every day. The peas Miranda helped me plant never came up. They were my second planting but I think they may have rotted because the soaker hose was on all night and the area was flooded the next day. Anyway, I couldn't find any seeds in the ground so now I have to decide whether or not to replant again!

At least you were stressful with the beans!

I think these are gonna be the last of the Burpless cukes., I may as well pull the vines.



The first cuke off the late planted Orient Express vines.




Cleaned up cucumber trellis area.




Tomatoes picked today. Rutgers, Big Boy and Beefmaster.

Wow, looks strange with the cukes gone. Nice cukes and tomatoes though.
I am getting a few tiny tomatoes from the greenhouse tomato.

It looks really empty and forlorn because not only are the cukes gone but the daylily beds all around them have been weeded and the daylilies cut back so that I will be able to work in there and plant my bulbs. Earlier this summer when the daylilies where blooming that entire area was a blaze of color.

My tomatoes are still doing really well. I don't get the boxes of tomatoes to pick each day like I did in peak season but as you can see, I am still picking plenty enough for me to eat.

Picked tomatoes again. And lots of cucumbers off the Orient Express cuke vines. It started raining slightly and I was picking in the rain. Trying to get those tomatoes picked because they don't need to soak up any more water so as to split and crack. Rained yesterday and overnight as it is.

I think I am in for the afternoon. Maybe not. We will see if it clears up but doesn't look promising.

I started my move those daylilies that were in the veggie garden to the front yard project. Will finish tomorrow if it keeps raining or this afternoon if it stops raining. Basically, I thought about this for weeks. I want to convert that one section into veggie garden space. It used to be veggie garden before TB iris and daylilies went in. The iris already left this summer. Not all my iris, don't panic, just the used to be veggie garden area iris. Then I used one section of daylilies to fill in the empty spots in the front yard. That really got me wanting to move those other two groupings of daylilies once that first grouping was outta there. So I thought and thought about it. Decided they would go in a section of front yard. Moved two roses and then dug and tossed the other few struggling roses already there. Dug out aszalea shrub. Putting in four rows of daylilies. Partially done. Then bulbs will go in between like I do in my other daylily sections.

But this gives me quite a bit of space back for the veggie garden. From veggie garden to daylily garden and now back to veggie garden. I don't know what I was thinking when I thought I could do without the veggie space. You all know I want my veggies. And I will not have to part with any daylilies as they all should fit in the new space.

It has been interesting reading about all your gardens. This is only the second year for my raised beds; I put hoops over the tops to try to start earlier but it was a real pain. I am planning for next year. New ideas are succession planting, making small raised (12" beds) in the flower gardens, setting up permanent trellises for peas and will try pole beans, spacing my tomato plants putting other stuff between and trimming the bottom leaves to promote more air circulation (had bad rot problems this year)- going back to my green zucchini planted in the ground not the raised beds (the 18" 4' x8' ones). Also spacing the planting dates of broccoli and cauliflower. Also need to remember to fold leaves over cauliflower and harvest earlier before they turn pink/lavender and are no good.

Hmmm. So many mistakes... But allowing for your different weather I still get great ideas here. And I am firmly committed to my vegies. The other topic is how to preserve over the winter. I do can jelly and jam from rhubarb, chokecherries, crab apples and I had a real apple tree planted last year. I have beautiful little 2" apples on it. Husband says I have to wait til the first freeze to drive the sugar into the apples before I pick them.

Lots of people here can and preserve. Me I only freeze stuff for the winter. Like when I Make tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes.

But really you will learn what works best for your climate and location.

Hi! Thought I'd just barge in on your thread here, Rita. I picked the oddest looking zucchini this morning. I've never seen this happen before and was wondering if any of you guys had. The flower is still open on the end of the fruit! Isn't this silly?

Hey, this is the thread for all of us to discuss veggie gardens and veggie harvests. Not just my garden going on here!

That is the oddest thing with that zucchini. Never saw that before.

I know that, but you DID start the thread. Wow, but you have a LOT of veggies! I only grow a few. But there were so many people posting here, I thought maybe someone else might have seen this weirdness before. Look quick! It's going to be dinner tonight! (Unless someone tells me that it's a mutant that's going to turn me into a Triffid! )

That is a very strange looking zucchini!

Well, I think it is a mutant but I think it is perfectly fine to eat.

Very unusual, that zucchini. Let us know how it tastes.

Okay, so my carrots have germinated, beets, turnips, and lettuce are all doing well. I have to water every day because, of course, now we have had NO rain. The replanted broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are doing well. So it looks like I may have some fall veggies! Yay!

Oh, there are tiny yellow beans on the ones in the garden I had given up on for all the bean beetles. Maybe the cooler nights is killing off some of the bugs?

A friend and fellow vendor from market stopped by today because her son is getting married next Sat. and she needs a few flowers to supplement hers. I don't have a lot and we had to wade through knee high grass but she doesn't have gomphrena or solidago and she can use foliage of rue, some sedum, some dahlias and a beauty berries and Ninebark Coppertina so she thinks she can get enough to make 24 table settings plus bouquets, bridal table and entry table. Hope she takes some pictures!

I got the mulch down in the greenhouse!