WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD OCTOBER 14, 2017

freerepublic | October 14, 2017 | greeneyes

[Black Agnes]

What a great yield from six slips in your growing area! Those look delicious!

If you take one of the choice sweet potatoes and put it in a container of some sort and plant it you can slip it next year for your own slips. They are way more productive if you cut the slips and plant them that day or the next (store them in damp peat moss overnight if you can’t plant them that day). Keep them watered for a week or 10 days and you’re good to go.

I’ve slipped my own sweet potatoes for several years now. Will be maintaining 10 varieties this winter in containers in my unheated (but doesn’t freeze) garage.

I’m interested in learning about the honeynut squash. I STARTED to order those from jungs this year but got sidetracked and just didn’t add them to the cart. Were they really viney or more compact? How large did the individual squash get for you? etc.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for the tips on the slips! ;)

I have grown Honeynut butternut squash for three seasons now. Super productive. I put in 6 plants and we’ve easily got 50 squash. We’re going to harvest them next week, sometime.

They’re about 6-8” long and 4-5” around. Very small seed cavity, so it’s all MEAT, Baby! The smaller size is much more manageable for me, and one or two at a time is more than enough for a meal. I like to peel it and cut it into chunks, then put it in a bowl with EVOO, salt, pepper and chopped garlic, toss well, then onto a parchment-lined cookie sheet and into a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes, stirring from time to time.

And while they’re supposed to be a more compact PLANT - that hasn’t been my experience. They roam. But, where we plant them, it doesn’t matter. No problems with bugs or disease, even though we had an overly wet growing season this year.

Highly recommended. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

P.S. I’m making Black Bean and Sweet Potato Chili for lunch, today.

[Black Agnes]

The chili sounds yummy.

Good to know about the honeynut squash. I grow an OP pumpkin variety that’s sort of a myona variety LOL that we use for pumpkin cake/pie/dessert. They’re 10-15lbs each so each one is a commitment for fridge/freezer space when I bake them. I’m looking for something similar that’s a perfect size for ‘sides’ with a meal. The vineyness isn’t really an issue other than a where do I put them in the garden one.

Have you tried the container watermelon variety I saw this past year:?

https://www.jungseed.com/P/04069/Mini+Love+Hybrid+Watermelon

I saw somewhere, maybe in pinterest, that someone had grown those in a large container on their patio. I’m thinking of growing them similarly on my driveway starting early & covering with remay.

Was the plastic covering you used for your sweet potatoes difficult to get up & out of the soil?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Was the plastic covering you used for your sweet potatoes difficult to get up & out of the soil?”

It takes the two of us to move it, though smaller pieces can be handled by one person. It’s super-heavy & thick plastic that Beau salvaged from a work site; it insulates sewer pipes and he’s used this particular batch for over 10 years, so it’s pretty tough!

We’ll clean up that lower garden in the spring, remove the plastic sheeting (we also grow Sweet Corn, Popcorn, potatoes, melons and leftover tomato plants down there) then he brings in the Bobcat to till it up and works in composted manure from the mule.

I’ve not tried that smaller watermelon you mentioned. We got four nice ‘rattlesnake-type’ watermelons this season. I don’t care for watermelon, but Beau loves it. Those are HIS babies. ;)

[greeneyes]

HI.

[greeneyes]

We have had some really pretty weather here - wish I had been able to take more advantage of it for the garden.

Cold front is moving in. It’s been raining today, so no forms were set. Hope it clears tomorrow so the green house project can progress.

[greeneyes]

It usually doesn’t take long here, if the weather is warm enough.

[greeneyes]

Sounds really nice.

[greeneyes]

Sounds good to me. I am thinking about trying out some recipes for pumpkin soup instead of pie for this winter.

Of course we will have to have pie for Thanksgiving.

[Califreak]

I’m figuring maybe a month or so?

If I can get anything to grow I want an electric tiller for Christmas.

I’ll till up everything!

Seriously, I want to learn how to grow food before I die.

I couldn’t grow a fungus right now.

[SkyDancer]

Hi back :)

[Augie]

Cool and damp this morning here in Central Missouri. It started raining early Sunday morning and sprinkled most of the day. I didn't check the gauge this morning, but there was a bit over half an inch in it around lunchtime yesterday.

Been getting ready for Mrs. Augie's annual halloween party. She has the place looking like a set from a cheap horror movie, and still isn't done with her decorating. lol

Pops and I put the bush hog away on Saturday and hooked the moldboard plow to the big Minneapolis so we're ready as soon as the ground dries out. If it hadn't rained yesterday the plowing would be finished.

Mrs. Augie and I picked tomatoes and peppers yesterday after the rain stopped and made a couple gallons of salsa. Still have taters to dig and dry beans to pick and shell out. I also noticed some eggplant that is ready to pick.

Rocket spent three days and nights out being a wild coon, but the free groceries and dry coondo were too much for her to resist.

[greeneyes]

For sure within a month IIRC. I don’t tiller anything. My first success growing anything came in 2010 with my sq. foot gardening mix(Mel’s mix) and raised bed.

Before that, nothing ever grew for me, and eventually died. I think because I was too kind with the water. Here’s a link to get started with.

http://www.melbartholomew.com/what-is-square-foot-gardening/

[greeneyes]

We had rain all day Sunday too, and some today. I may try to pull up the corn stalks, and add compost to the spot where I want to plant my garlic.

Should already have my potatoes out of the ground, but garlic is more important right now - we still have plenty of taters from Hubby’s garden.

Low carb for me, means I don’t eat taters like I used to.

[Califreak]

Oh thank you.

I’ll check it out.

I’m trying different things to see if something will eventually work.

Thanks again. :)

[tob2]

Harvested my last eggplant for the season yesterday. Colder weather is supposed to be with us this week and with the time change coming, seemed like a good idea. Going to use it in my spaghetti sauce this week. Pulled up my one and only basil plant for the same reasons I did for eggplant. Made some pesto sauce and will use it on my grilled cheese and tomato sandwich. Caladiums dying back and will replace them with pansies. Roses continue to bloom profusely. Transplanted the lettuce and kale seedlings. Hoping for a nice salad by Thanksgiving. Hope all is well with everyone in the group.

[greeneyes]

You are welcome.

[greeneyes]

I am further behind with fall and winter gardening than ever this year. However, once the green house is up, I might get a few fresh things going. Pots will be sitting on tables or shelf, and I won’t have to bend over to tend them.