Your 2024 Garden

[NanaK]

I used to harvest huge batches of greens to blanch and freeze in fall.

Collards, mustards, kale and most other leafy greens can be harvested many times over fall and winter here. By picking outer leaves and leaving the bud they continue to grow.

Now when I pick for a meal for us I pick some extra to freeze. I do this several times and we usually have plenty. Not so much to pick and process all at once. I do most of the growing, picking and processing. It can be a lot of work for 1 person.

When I take them from the freezer, I warm them in a cast iron skillet. No work and very tasty.

 

[Nomadicus]

I wish we had greens this fall to harvest but it was not to be. The well aged bodies can do just so much and mine has gone on strike for the year. Our fall crop for peppers and tomatoes have died early from unknown disease. I'm going to pull and burn and plant peas and beans there come spring. We are in the process of planning out a small green house that we can use grow lights in on our deck. Large enough for some herbs and 3 tomato plants and 3 squash plants. Maybe 6 squash is I can find some good bush Acorn. If anyone has a favorite bush acorn that is a strong grower and bears tasty squash please post about it. Long ago we grew a lot of Table King Acorn but I have not seen seed for them in a long time. I did pick some okra and eggplant today and soon there will be purple hull peas to pick. In a couple more days there is a hefty crop of Poblano peppers to pick and I think some will be dried into Ancho peppers to grind into Ancho powder that can be used to make spicy ketchup with. It's raining off and on today so it is a great day to rest one's body here to day. If I can make my mind rest it's a win win.

 

[fuzzi]

I looked for seeds when I ran my errands this morning. No one has them. I even tried TSC and asked the clerk if they had any vegetable seeds. She looked confused and said "It's not planting season."

Guess I will have to find them online.

 

[Nomadicus]

I looked for seeds when I ran my errands this morning. No one has them. I even tried TSC and asked the clerk if they had any vegetable seeds. She looked confused and said "It's not planting season."

Guess I will have to find them online.

We have farmers cooperatives that have seed year round. Each county has a store that is part of the state's network. It was the same in TN too. Maybe you have one in your county similar.

 

[NanaK]

We have farmers cooperatives that have seed year round. Each county has a store that is part of the state's network. It was the same in TN too. Maybe you have one in your county similar.

Wow, that's nice!
I don't know of anything like this in NC. I have a couple retired farmers in the family. I will certainly ask them.

 

[Smokerbill]

Scarlet Emperor Runner Bean is one of the pole beans we planted today. Just a packet as a trial as this is a first time growing them and I really don't know what to expect. The seed varied from being shaped like a Kentucky Wonder to more like a Lima or Butter Bean. Most were like a big Fat Lima Bean. I hope that we like the taste of them when shelled at the green shell stage.

https://growhoss.com/products/scarlet-emperor-runner-beans?variant=47689283698998

@LTAY1946 , how did your runner beans do this year? I'm thinking about planting some next year, mainly because they are a perennial type of bean. In some zones the tuber can be left in the ground and will grow the next year. Or the tubers can be dug up in the fall and replanted the next year.

 

[fuzzi]

So...last night I checked out two seed companies recommended to me by @Sally PB . The first one, Sow True Seed, had some website issues. Every time I clicked on a variety to find out more information I was redirected to the home page, which was very frustrating. When I tried to access their retailer list it wasn't organized in any manner, I had to scroll down a long list. One retailer was listed in my area, but when I checked out the address it was actually in SC, not NC. Finally I tried using their map function to locate a retailer, and that didn't work either.

I wound up ordering seeds from Seed Savers, whose website was user-friendly and they also had a 40% off sale. I'll let you know how I like them.

I did leave feedback for Sow True Seed, to let them know how they lost a sale.

 

[Sally PB]

Ah, sorry you had a bad experience with Sow True. I've ordered several times from their print catalog, back when they had one. I've ordered online from them for the past couple of years. I think they have had some change in ownership/employees. Maybe their website person has changed or left. They are a small company.

We stopped by when we happened to be close enough on one of our trips to Charlotte, NC. Very nice people there, and they gave me a tour of their seed storage area. Back then, they had just one store in Asheville, NC.

Growing pains...?

 

[fuzzi]

Ah, sorry you had a bad experience with Sow True. I've ordered several times from their print catalog, back when they had one. I've ordered online from them for the past couple of years. I think they have had some change in ownership/employees. Maybe their website person has changed or left. They are a small company.

We stopped by when we happened to be close enough on one of our trips to Charlotte, NC. Very nice people there, and they gave me a tour of their seed storage area. Back then, they had just one store in Asheville, NC.

Growing pains...?

It could be growing pains.

I wanted to order seeds now, to sow within the week. I already have to deal with so many dysfunctional entities in my professional tasks and personal duties, so I don't want to add one more.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

Maybe 6 squash is I can find some good bush Acorn. If anyone has a favorite bush acorn that is a strong grower and bears tasty squash please post about it. Long ago we grew a lot of Table King Acorn but I have not seen seed for them in a long time.

I’m not a big squash eater so I can’t suggest anything in particular, but Botanical Interests looks like it has your Table King Acorn squash. MIGardener stocks Table King Acorn too (at a better price, at least before shipping) but it looks like they’re sold out.