Well we've just dug up half our yukons and half our russets and here is what we got plus a few other pics. We are going to dig up the other 4 rows tomorrow, hopefully those rows did as well.
yukons
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture324.jpg[/img]
The biggest of this batch he weighed in at 1 lb 9 oz
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture318.jpg[/img]
As you can see we have several more close to that size and we have already harvested about 12 that size.
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture319.jpg[/img]
Russets
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture316-1.jpg[/img]
The biggest one at 1 lb 5 oz
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture320.jpg[/img]
DH with our 12 ft sunflowers, He is 6' 3"
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture322.jpg[/img]
One of our several giant butternuts, They are not ripe yet, but they will be huge!
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture326.jpg[/img]
Still waiting to see what we have in the potato buckets but they are still growing new foliage. So they will have to wait. Or I guess we will have to wait LOL
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Thanks we're pretty happy so far. DH and I love digging them, it's like looking for buried treasure
gix..sorry you didn't get much for tators this year. We had some plants that had nothing or just a couple of marbles.
g5, our heads on these ones aren't as big as the ones last year, but like you I don't care they still are very pretty.
gix..sorry you didn't get much for tators this year. We had some plants that had nothing or just a couple of marbles.
g5, our heads on these ones aren't as big as the ones last year, but like you I don't care they still are very pretty.
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We just toss them onto the garden after our fall tilling, they sit there all winter, and I think being buried under the snow somehow helps break them down a bit. The stalks take some time. We break up the stalks before our spring tilling and just till it all in. We do harvest the seeds and roast them.
That butternut looks unique, is it a special variety?
About the sunflowers, do you plant then each year, or do they seed themselves? I've found that once you have sunflowers in a path.....you'll readily have sunflowers there each year......which is why I'm now wondering if it was really such a good idea idea to plant them in my garden .
About the sunflowers, do you plant then each year, or do they seed themselves? I've found that once you have sunflowers in a path.....you'll readily have sunflowers there each year......which is why I'm now wondering if it was really such a good idea idea to plant them in my garden .
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Their roots also dig WAY down. I cut them off at ground level with loppers at the end of the season for the roots to break down and add OM to the soil.
I mostly bury the stalks in the beds where I need more soil/OM.
As sturdy as they seem, they actually break down pretty quickly when kept moist. I tried saving them in the shed and using them a supports the following season, but they softened by mid-summer and fell over during a heavy storm. If I had a chipper/shredder, I suppose I would dry them and shred them to add to the compost pile, mulch, etc.
I mostly bury the stalks in the beds where I need more soil/OM.
As sturdy as they seem, they actually break down pretty quickly when kept moist. I tried saving them in the shed and using them a supports the following season, but they softened by mid-summer and fell over during a heavy storm. If I had a chipper/shredder, I suppose I would dry them and shred them to add to the compost pile, mulch, etc.
applestar wrote:Their roots also dig WAY down. I cut them off at ground level with loppers at the end of the season for the roots to break down and add OM to the soil.
Thanks, Apps, for validating my decision to plant them in the garden . I totally forgot about the OM that would be added to the soil by the root-mass.
You know, I wonder what would happen if you just left the potatoes that grew on the potato plant in the ground to add OM? (since "potatoes" are what started this whole thread ). Althouh, I'd have to admit that it would indeed take a lot of will-power to leave all of those tasty potatoes in the ground.
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Count yourself lucky....butternut is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, I did not get as many as expected this year, but I'm getting better each year.
Soil, I never thought about that! You would get more potatoes....lot's of 'em. Suddenly, leaving them in the ground doesn't sound like the best idea anymore .
Soil, I never thought about that! You would get more potatoes....lot's of 'em. Suddenly, leaving them in the ground doesn't sound like the best idea anymore .
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400lbs...... .Hispoptart wrote:G5 last year we got over 400lbs of butternuts I am thinking we will get lots more this year as long as they ripen before the frost. We have always read to pull out all potatoes, even the marbles. Could be wrong though.
How big is your butternut patch? That must be at least 100 squash or 75 really large ones. If you like butternuts, you should look into the argonaut variety....it's like a giant butternut!
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Wow, all that from only 4 plants. That's amazing. Since you are saying that the squash were big (thus, heavy), perhaps you got about 50-70 butternuts (assuming 8lbs. or so each), which would translate to about 15 per vine. Does this sound accurate?Hispoptart wrote:Last year it was 4 plants we'll see what 2 plants do this year, but ya they were very big compared to the ones you buy at the store.
Not to be a pain, but how far apart were the plants from each other and the other crops? I love squash, but have yet to get a good harvest, so I'm eager to learn all I can.....especially methods that work.
Thanks for the advice.
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Yea that sounds about right, and from the looks of the 2 plants this year we are going to get about that many again. As for spacing, they are about 4 ft apart and well they started out about 4 feet between the rows of the other vegies. But now they have run over everything including the Zuc plant LOL. It's crazy. They keep trying to come out to play on the lawn but we just mow them over. I will take a pic and post it later this afternoon. We are supposed to hit close to freezing tonight and tomorrow, so I will have to dig out the sheets and figure out a way to cover the mass.garden5 wrote:Wow, all that from only 4 plants. That's amazing. Since you are saying that the squash were big (thus, heavy), perhaps you got about 50-70 butternuts (assuming 8lbs. or so each), which would translate to about 15 per vine. Does this sound accurate?Hispoptart wrote:Last year it was 4 plants we'll see what 2 plants do this year, but ya they were very big compared to the ones you buy at the store.
Not to be a pain, but how far apart were the plants from each other and the other crops? I love squash, but have yet to get a good harvest, so I'm eager to learn all I can.....especially methods that work.
Thanks for the advice.
Thanks for the info, I'll be looking forward to the pics.
OK, so 4 ft. equidistant, pretty much. I think my problem is I just simply plant my squash too close.....way too close. That's probably why I got such a low yield, this year.
Don't mow the butternut plants! train them back into the garden....more butternuts .
OK, so 4 ft. equidistant, pretty much. I think my problem is I just simply plant my squash too close.....way too close. That's probably why I got such a low yield, this year.
Don't mow the butternut plants! train them back into the garden....more butternuts .
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Yea maybe they need more room, but mine don't ask for more space they just take it LOL, Thats why I mow them, gotta keep them in line some what. Not doing a very good job of that though, heres the pics.garden5 wrote:Thanks for the info, I'll be looking forward to the pics.
OK, so 4 ft. equidistant, pretty much. I think my problem is I just simply plant my squash too close.....way too close. That's probably why I got such a low yield, this year.
Don't mow the butternut plants! train them back into the garden....more butternuts .
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture434-1.jpg[/img]
Close up of butters and zucs
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture435.jpg[/img]
Close up of butters and peppers
[img]https://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k278/HisPoptart/Picture438.jpg[/img]
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We store them in the basement over winter. I dip the vine end in wax and then use a paint brush to dribble a bit of wax on the flower end and they keep all winter long. To bake them I cut them in half, clean out the seeds then pack them with butter and brown sugar, wrap tight in tin foil then bake for about an hour. I have also made pie out of them and it's really good.
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Back to potatoes,---we planted some that had been given to us, really late. In july I think it was. Anyway they are growing like crazy and are a good foot tall or more.---But now I'm wondering, Will they have a chance to flower before frost?----Just curious to know IF we might actually get some little potatoes?--We are in Alberta, where it seems the weather can, and does almost anything at times!!!!--How long does it take for them to flower, after planting?
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Yeah, really. It seems I do have a tendency to take a thread way off topic. I have to get in the habit of just starting my own thread. Being up so far north, I think if you get potatoes, you'll be close.Green Mantis wrote:Back to potatoes,---we planted some that had been given to us, really late. In july I think it was. Anyway they are growing like crazy and are a good foot tall or more.---But now I'm wondering, Will they have a chance to flower before frost?----Just curious to know IF we might actually get some little potatoes?--We are in Alberta, where it seems the weather can, and does almost anything at times!!!!--How long does it take for them to flower, after planting?
I'm thinking you may get lots of little ones.
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I'm not sure when the first frost is? I think pretty much anytime. We just did this as an experiment. But am hoping??? that Maybe we will get something. It's going to be close!!!! We just don't have any flowers, on any of the plants yet. This is the first year we have tried gardening in Alberta. Not impressed with the weather here though!
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Or you could just go all the way and put up a [url=https://www.noble.org/ag/horticulture/RaisedBedGardening/mini_tunnel.html]low tunnel[/url].applestar wrote:Is the upper foliage huge? Maybe you could stave off the end by covering with floating covers. Double-layer cover works well if it gets really cold. I did this with Edamame last year when they weren't ready to harvest but the frost had arrived.
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