Ducks4you for 2022

[ducks4you]

She lives/eats on the living room rug. Pyg still wants to go outside to do her "chores"--Eva does them now.
Yesterday Pyg was licking up the broiler (after I made hamburgers) and growled to Eva that it was hers.
NOT DEAD YET!

 

[flowerbug]

...Guess we better plant tomatoes next year!

we plant them every year and for good reason as they are so versatile and also easy compared to how much we get in return.

as a kid Mom made something she called chili sauce and i really liked it, sweet and sour with cloves, tomatoes, celery and maybe onions and garlic too, but i've never been able to replicated it and she doesn't remember either and it wasn't a written down recipe. i could eat that stuff right out of the jar.

you do know that ketchup used to be made out of many other things besides tomatoes right?

 

[ducks4you]

I had heard that in the 18th century many sauces were made without tomatoes, and small tomatoes were grown just for sauce.
Here was yesterday's surprise--an okra that should have died.

 

[ducks4you]

Forgot that I planted some sugar snap peas, now up (below) There Just might be enough good weather to get a small harvest from them.

 

[ducks4you]

"Peas are able to do just fine in temperatures as low as 28 degrees F. (-2 C.) If temperatures don’t fall below this mark, peas and pea seedlings will be just fine.
When temps are between 20 and 28 degrees F. (-2 to -6 C.) peas can survive the cold but will suffer some damage. (This is assuming that the cold happens without an insulating blanket of snow.)

If snow has fallen and has covered the peas, the plants can tolerate temperatures as low as 10 degrees F. (-15 C.) or even 5 degrees F. (-12 C.) without suffering too much damage."

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/peas/how-low-of-a-temperature-can-peas-stand.htm

So far, we haven't dropped below 33 degrees F, and nothing below 38 degrees F for the next 10 days. This weekend is mild, mid next week in the 70's, and this is November:

Nov 1-7	Rain and snow, then sunny; chilly
Nov 8-16	Showers, cool
Nov 17-22	Snow, cold
Nov 23-25	Rain, mild
Nov 26-30	Snow, very cold

This YEAR has been full of gardening experiments. I have PLENTY of sugar snap peas to planty in 2023--seeds viable for 2 years, but I have discovered that seeds older than that will often sprout. Probably have to start them indoors, then transplant.
Don't think We will get snow. My "area" , #6, looks like this, which is a large area of real estate. Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvaniua and New York will get their usual Lake Effect Snow, and we will probably be dry, but it Might happen.

"The sugar snap peas will be ready to harvest in six to eight weeks from sowing. "

How to Grow Sugar Snap Peas

Harvest sugar snap peas and pop them in your mouth, toss them into salads or cook them as a healthy side dish.

www.hgtv.com

Peas sprouted about 2 weeks ago.
LOVE that red fencing!
I have some short and green plastic covered fencing which hooks together and I Could, in the future, try peas on those. Great! bc I didn't know what to do with it.

 

[ducks4you]

Some FYI from other growers re: Winter Harvested crops.

Scheduling Winter Harvest High Tunnel Crops | Johnny's Winter Growing Guide

Based on our extensive winter trials, this guide offers specific planting charts and guidelines for a successful winter harvest in the high tunnel / hoop house.

www.johnnyseeds.com

 

[heirloomgal]

Forgot that I planted some sugar snap peas, now up (below) There Just might be enough good weather to get a small harvest from them.View attachment 53023View attachment 53024

Lucky you! Peas growing!

I remember a couple years ago we were having gorgeous, almost hot weather in early May I think it was, possibly late April. I eagerly planted up all my raised pea planters. Within 2 days we had a very thick blanket of snow fall, and everything got covered. For a week. I thought for sure all was done for. Turned out most of the sweet tasting peas with wrinkled seeds did die, but all the smoother seeded peas grew just fine.

 

[ducks4you]

Peas have grown 3 more inches. Guess this will be a "peas primer" for me. More tomatoes ripened for canning, even though we:
1) ate 5, put them on cheapo frozen pizza, which REALLY makes the pizza taste good
2) threw away 5 rotten ones this weekend.

 

[ducks4you]

When we had a freeze scheduled last week I removed the plants from DD's 3 planters out front. Earlier in the month I protected them from the frost with lawn/leaf bags, and they worked very well. I folded the bags up for future fillings.
The other plant (?) is a perennial and it comes inside this week to my basement bc it wasn't planted in time to develop good roots.

 

[ducks4you]

More jars filled, now a total of 75
Funny, the pint's lid was popping and I had to re heat it this morning for a proper seal, NOW sealed correctly, but all are now put away in the pantry.
This weekend I have thrown away 5 tomatoes, cut up and ate 6 more on top of two frozen pizzas, which makes a cheapo pizza taste TERRIFIC, btw. We have two more frozen pizzas and one more oppotuniity in the next few weeks to have the same meal.