Double Dog Farm Harvest 2011

[DoubleDogFarm]

Here's another bowl of goodies.

August 3rd 2011

Copra onions, Belstar broccoli, Red Russian winter kale and Yukon Gold potatoes.

Very little if any wire worm damage on the potatoes. Not sure if I can credit the used coffee grounds or just crop rotation. Last year I had major wire worm and some rodent damage.

Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

August 7th 2011

First Millionaire Eggplant for the year. I have a few eggplants growing in the greenhouse.




Eric

[lakngulf]

August 7th 2011 First Millionaire Eggplant for the year. I have a few eggplants growing in the greenhouse.
Eric

Looking good, Eric. This year has not been so good for me with eggplant. For some reason the plants looked good but little fruit. However, I planted some of the same plants in my Mom's garden and she is getting an abundant crop (plants from the same seed). We do not eat a lot of eggplant but I think it is one of the prettiest fruits, such a rich color.

Did a little work in my greenhouse over the weekend. I have a half dozen tomato plants that have taken over all the space. The vines grew and grew trying to find some sunshine. During the winter the leaves will be off the trees and there will be more light. For now the sun passes over the greenhouse, but is blocked during the morning by the front building, and in the late afternoon by trees. But the little house is serving its purpose.

I took out all but two of the viney tomatoes to do a little more work on the greenhouse and to make room for some fall / winter items. Not sure what those will be just yet. I do have a few tomato seed sprouting. And may try some lettuce. Any other suggestions?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Greenhouses help with extra warmth but we still have the short day light hours issue in the winter.

I will be growing mostly lettuce and Asian greens. Maybe spinach and beet greens.

Eric

[applestar]

Looking good!
I love hearing about how well the greenhouse is working out for you.

[bogydave]

Looking great.
Awesome eats!!!
you guys are getting a nice summer now, you earned it.

[gardenbean]

DoubleDog I eny your garden and the veggies that come out of it However, I know someday mine will look like that too

[DoubleDogFarm]

DoubleDog I envy your garden and the veggies that come out of it However, I know someday mine will look like that too

You keep dreaming! I'm kidding. You know I'm kidding right? Why doesn't anyone believe me.

Harvest August 24, 2011

I picked a few things from the garden this evening. Frost peach, still a little green, Straight Eight and Alibi cucumber, Yellow crookneck and Sunburst patty pan squash.



Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

Do you have a favorite recipe with eggplant and basil? I pick these this afternoon Aug 26 2011. I also have onion, garlic and Golden Nugget tomatoes. Anything come to mind?


Eric

[applestar]

First I thought you're almost there for ratatouille, but I think I'd go Asian -- Eggplant, onion, and Garlic with Pork or (in your case maybe duck ). I would go ahead and add the tomatoes and basil (also green onions for more green) at the very end-- just enough for the tomato skins to slip and green onions and basil to wilt. I think I prefer Japanese miso or Chinese Ten Men Djan (black bean) but you could go with Tobanjan (hot pepper paste) if you like hot/spicy.

[garden5]

Great pics, Eric....you're onions look fit for the cover of a magazine. I got a decent onion harvest this year, but they were smaller than usual. I'm thinking this is either due to planting them too close in a grid-like formation, or else it's because they were planted in sandy, marginal soil.

Anyway, I didn't know you had peach trees as well! Do you grow any pawpaws?

How have your blueberries done this year?

[DoubleDogFarm]

Apple, Thanks for the suggestions, I'll see what I can do with them.

Great pics, Eric....you're onions look fit for the cover of a magazine. I got a decent onion harvest this year, but they were smaller than usual. I'm thinking this is either due to planting them too close in a grid-like formation, or else it's because they were planted in sandy, marginal soil.

Anyway, I didn't know you had peach trees as well! Do you grow any pawpaws?

How have your blueberries done this year?

Grid like pattern. http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... 848#192848
I'm thinking it's your sandy, marginal soil. How far apart did you plant them?

Peaches and ducks. http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... 829#220829

No Pawpaws and my blueberries are to embarrassing to show off

Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

and here are some of the Golden Nugget tomatoes.


They are like candy.

Eric

[lakngulf]

and here are some of the Golden Nugget tomatoes.


They are like candy. Eric

Wow, those look great. I have always favored the Sweet 100s but may have to venture out a bit in the future. Great pictures of all your harvest. Thanks for sharing with us, and making us folks down this way remember when.....It is has been too hot for anything other than okra, eggplant and pepper...But, hey, those are pretty good too.

[garden5]

I plated mine just like you did (well, I didn't have a handy spacer grid), 4 in. apart. However, when I look at yours in the picture you linked to, mine looked like they were closer than that...so perhaps your 4 in. was farther than mine .

However, I'm inclined to agree with you that it's probably the sandy soil.

I know how you feel about the blueberry bushes. I had one and the deer ate it in the summer and winter, so I moved it to the garden....when a loose dog came by and munched on it (I have no idea why).

This year, the animals left it alone, but I was hoeing and accidentally knocked off a branch .

Still, I did mange to get a blueberry or 2 off of it .

[DoubleDogFarm]

but I was hoeing and accidentally knocked off a branch .

sheesh, If isn't one animal, it's another.

Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

Here are a few Frost peaches that I harvested this evening. It was a little dark at 8:15 so I shot in high sensitivity / low light without a flash. The picture is a little washed.


I will probably slice and vacuum seal this bunch.
Any favorite peach recipes.

Nom Nom
Eric

[lakngulf]

Any favorite peach recipes. Nom Nom
Eric

Well, peaches are a June/July thing down here and we have some good ones in Chilton County, Ala. My favorite recipes go something like this:

(1) Pull ripe peach from tree, hold in hand at stem and bottom, eat

(2) Cut up ripe peach (skin on, skin off, does not matter) in thin slices, place slices on top of blue bell ice cream, eat

[DoubleDogFarm]

So I picked a couple more peaches today Sept. 6th 2011. I believe this is a 16 quart bowl, so a 5 gallon bucket of ice-cream will be needed.


Eric

[lakngulf]

So I picked a couple more peaches today Sept. 6th 2011. I believe this is a 16 quart bowl, so a 5 gallon bucket of ice-cream will be needed.
Eric

Works for me !!

[j3707]

Man oh man, I can't wait until my peach trees start producing! Never had a peach fresh from the tree. Hope I get a few next year anyway. I have a 4 in 1 that has Frost. Is it just the picture, or do they always have a bit of green tint?

[DoubleDogFarm]

j3703,

Welcome to the forum. Where in SW Washington are you? I was born In Longview and moved to Auburn in 1969.

I tried 3 in 1 and even grafted some of my own 2 in 1. I have to say, I don't like them. One variety always seems to try to out grow the others. One is usually more accessible to diseases and affects the others.

The green tint on my Frost Peach is my fault. I should be more selective while picking. If they are too ripe, they bruise very easy.


Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

Onion Time!
A 3ft x 8ft space can grow a lot of onion. 6" on-center. Copra onion, a very good long storage onion. Looks like I will have about 3 1/2 buckets full. These will be laid out to dry, then stored in mesh bags.

Sept 9th 2011



Eric

[gixxerific]

Nice Eric.

I am probably going to try some Copra next year.

[soil]

very nice, i wish i could plant onions. they are gopher food #1 here. planted about 500 a couple years ago. i ended up with 3 and a patch nicely tilled by the gopher.

[applestar]

Gopher with onion breath!

[DoubleDogFarm]

very nice, i wish i could plant onions. they are gopher food #1 here. planted about 500 a couple years ago. i ended up with 3 and a patch nicely tilled by the gopher.

soil, I'm wonder if you mixed coffee grounds into the bed, that would deter them.

How about one of these. http://www.safehomeproducts.com/shp2/pr ... gwodSiBmtg

Does anyone know if they work or not?

Eric

[soil]

the ground is far too rocky for those things to work. the only thing that truly works is pure natural polyculture. i may loose one or two of one plant, but there is never pure devastation. like i experience in the conventional garden.

i top dress with coffee grounds all the time, no effect.

they do loosen up my real hard clay soil though, i plant in the pockets of soil they pop up to cover the holes they make as its real loose and well drained.

[garden5]

DDF, great onion harvest!!

Wow, all that from only a 3x8 space? I'm impressed. I guess, looking at your onions I should really space mine farther apart next year. Also, growing them in sandy soil probably didn't help much either.

Do you use any fertilizer on your onions?

[DoubleDogFarm]

they do loosen up my real hard clay soil though, i plant in the pockets of soil they pop up to cover the holes they make as its real loose and well drained.

Gophers are good for something.

DDF, great onion harvest!!
Wow, all that from only a 3x8 space? I'm impressed. I guess, looking at your onions I should really space mine farther apart next year. Also, growing them in sandy soil probably didn't help much either.
Do you use any fertilizer on your onions?

This side of the garden had horse manure tilled in in fall 2009. During this summer 2011 I sprayed the whole garden with one bottle of hydrolyzed fish fertilizer. This bottle made one garbage can full. I mixed and sprayed using a submersible pump, 50ft hose with a ball valve on the end. Two other times I watered with algae water from the duck pond.

Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

More pictures



Eric

[j3707]

j3703,

Welcome to the forum. Where in SW Washington are you? I was born In Longview and moved to Auburn in 1969.

I tried 3 in 1 and even grafted some of my own 2 in 1. I have to say, I don't like them. One variety always seems to try to out grow the others. One is usually more accessible to diseases and affects the others.

The green tint on my Frost Peach is my fault. I should be more selective while picking. If they are too ripe, they bruise very easy.

Eric

Thanks Eric, glad to be here. I'm in Longview...was born just across the river.

One of the grafts on that tree is a Hardired nectarine and I've already noticed it's more susceptible to peach leaf curl than the other varieties.

Do you preserve any peaches? Canning?

This harvest thread is a great idea!

[DoubleDogFarm]

susceptible

This year I'm trying the vacuum sealer and freezing. I also did this earlier with strawberries.

Thank you
Eric

[garden5]

Eric, I'm sure that my lack of nutrients also had to do with my very small sized onions this year (and your nice ones ).

I've another onion-related question for you. I see that you are preparing them for storage. How long do you dry them for?

I've got mine in a single layer on 10/20 flats, but I'm not sure how long the let them "air out" for. 2 weeks maybe?

[DoubleDogFarm]

garden5,

I will probably let them dry for a week or more. I need to get them out of the full sun. This is a fun video, take a look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J9AfUjg ... re=related
His temperatures are higher than ours, but the growing technique and harvest storage are good.

Eric

[jal_ut]

I've got mine in a single layer on 10/20 flats, but I'm not sure how long the let them "air out" for. 2 weeks maybe?

Good question. I think it has a lot to do with your relative humidity. The ability of onions to keep in storage also is dependent to some extent on your relative humidity. Here with our relative humidity around 20% much of the time, a week of drying the onions is enough. They will also keep all winter hung in an onion bag down the basement.

If the tops seem very dry and papery and the roots are brittle, you are dry enough.

[jal_ut]

Growing onions:
I plant in April. By mid August they have their size and some of the tops are falling down. I go ahead and knock all the tops down so the tops will begin to dry up. I don't pull the onions until the tops are looking pretty wilted and drying up quite well. If pulled with good green growing tops, the onion will want to give its leaves water and dehydrate the bulb. This will limit the storage time.

I like to knock the tops down mid august and get them drying up, because sometimes September becomes rainy and I can't get them dry.

By the first week of September the tops look dry enough to pull the onions. If the weather is good and more good weather expected, I just pull them and let them lie in the garden to dry. If rain is eminent, I will put them in the tractor shed and spread them out one layer thick. They will spend 2 weeks in the shed, maybe more. When it is time to pick them up, I will clip the top and brush the roots (which are dry and brittle by now) off. I store them in a mesh onion bag.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Thanks James, all good information.

Eric

[garden5]

Eric, thanks for the tips. Great video!

Jal, thanks for the great info as well.

[DeborahL]

James, this is definitely off topic, but in that low humidity, how is it that all the ladies in your family have such beautiful skin?