Garden Pic thread

[monkeybird]

I'm envious! How did you get such a large amount of produce?

[610Alpha]

Here are some new pics:











The cucumber bush is doing well, green beans should be producing pods soon, green onions are pretty much ready, baby carrots (dunno first time growing them), tomatoes are up in the air this year (i think the weather has had an impact on them), lettuce is awesome, peas have pods and will be watching them closely to harvest.

[610Alpha]

Are beans this size ready for harvest?


I believe these are the correct size to harvest.


Can't get the other 2 pics to upload so I will try again in another reply.

[Rmplstlskn]

Those are two different beans, but both look ready to pick... The GIRTH is what I look more at... properly formed beans.
I usually pick what is needed. I don't can yet...

Rmpl

[610Alpha]

Some cucu*mbers that I picked.


About 70 pea pods produced 1 1/4 cups of peas. About 6 - 8 plants. Either I need to find another type of pea plant, plant more peas, or plant a different legume. Thoughts or suggestions?

[610Alpha]

@Rmpl - you are correct. I have a pic of green beans and a pic of peas. The peas were very filled out in the pod, the green beans aren't as big as I have seen them get which is why I am asking.

[Matt In Oklahoma]

I lost several of my squash due to unforseen circumstances where i didnt water for 2 days. The other plants look ok. The kicker is it rained 1/4 inch during this time and lightening took out my tree and freezer. It has been 100+ degrees going for 4 weeks now going on our 5th. It no longer drops below 79-80 degrees at night, watersheds/ponds are down 6-7ft. I am running at 5am and having to monitor myself for signs of heat. Cattle are being moved to places with water and are dying because they are drinking themselves to death. There wont be a fall wheat crop from here and hay is down to about 1/4 production. Ok, old disgruntled farmers rant over

[Rmplstlskn]

Well I have been pondering a disgruntled GARDENER post of my own (as my garden doesn't make me a FARMER)... I'll share some lowlights, but the summary is if this was FOR REAL, I'd be starving RIGHT NOW and probably DEAD sometime in the winter...

1. My corn, for some reason, grew tall and healthy looking, but the CORN EARS are small, stunted and the silk turned brown and dry early on in the ears growth. I let them alone for awhile, hoping they would get bigger, but they have not and the top kernels have rot... So basically all my corn is barely fit for survival, let alone good eats...

2. A freak storm knocked over my corn last month and I salvaged them (or did I????) by staking up every single one. Then another storm last weekend blew over the later planting stalks (attempt to stagger my corn production) and after seeing the corn ears I now have, all I did was stand them up and lean them on each other... Didn't even bother to stake them or tie them...

3. Heat has brutalized my tomato plants, especially the ones that take the brunt of the sun exposure. Leaves curled up and started to turn black on the edges, which I have been told is due to the heat. Some of the other tomato plants have more withered looking branches than I'd like to see. I am getting a good quantity of tomatoes (still green, but large), but until they turn RED and I harvest them I am not getting excited. Last year I lost almost all of them to disease and blossom end rot.

4. My onion stalks have fallen over and do not look good. They are to early to be full size, but will have to take them as they are. Not sure why... Heat?

5. Beans are climbing the stunted corn stalks but no beans yet.

6. Watermelon plants seems to be OK though...

Basically, this is now the THIRD YEAR of crappy crops and I admit I am getting very discouraged. I have put a large amount of HARD WORK into this, and for what result? I am going to give this "farmer crap" another year as I plan to have a good analysis of my soil done by a lab this fall to see what is wrong and what is lacking... Come next year, with tested soil, if I fail to produce even a HOBBIEST level of crops, let alone a LIVEABLE amount, I am going to deem myself a BLACK THUMB and focus my attention elsewhere... To develop skills and supplies that a FARMER would want to trade crops for... Cuz' it looks like I can't grow squat...

The only thing that keeps me from being pissed about it is that the large farms of corn around here don't look good either...

Which gets me to ponder things SPIRITUALLY... The Scriptures say that STARVATION will be GLOBAL and a day's wage will only buy a loaf of bread in the Latter Days, so I wonder if we are entering those times, as I see crop problems and failures all over the US and globally. And if a form of a CURSE is coming on the land, what makes us think WE as survivalists, will fair any better than anyone else when it comes to food crops? Something to ponder...

Rmpl

[jwalk]

onion tops fall over when they are done growing. Size is a poor indicator of ripeness, soil fertility and proper onion type for your area is VERY important. Some of the new hybrid corns taste fantastic but lack the vigor to withstand high winds. If your area is prone to winds, try planting some dent (cattle) corn for cornmeal instaed of sweet corn. Look into some of the older open pollinated varieties. They are heirlooms for a reason, usually because the old time farmers could not "afford" to lose a crop. I have had a couple garden failures this year as well. Fortunately we are still in the trial and error stage so, persevere.