Josh's Vegetable Garden

[josh223]

Well, my camera finally croaked. Bad timing because my girl just lent her camera's patch cord out. I took a lot of pics, but these are the only ones that I'm able to upload.

Sun Flower

Cilantro and Dill

Tried getting the whole garden but it's too big.

Green Beans.

Jalepenos and Anaheim Peppers, Sweet Basil, a little runt Parsley, Chives, Thyme, and Rosemary.

One of the Tomatoes. Not sure which kind. There's Heirlooms, Beefsteak, and Black Cherry varieties.

 

[Coke420]

+reps for that awesome garden of vegetables

 

[josh223]

Thanks brother. Seriously looks better in person. I'll get a new camera next week.

So, everything in the garden is certified organic, no GMO junk. Off the top of my head there's four rows of Gotta-Have-It corn, 3 1/2 rows of green bush beans, 11 tomatoes, four eggplants, zucchini, English and pickling cucumbers, rainbow chard, green bell peppers, removed all the radishes last night, oregano and more sweet basil, carrots, scallions, beets, a "gourmet" lettuce mix, habanero peppers, 21 strawberry plants.

I also have some interesting peppers going of an unknown variety. A Hispanic gentleman gave me a big Ziplock back of these peppers last summer. He said he didn't know what kind they are, just that his brother in Mexico mailed him some seeds. They look like a short Serrano, but about 10 times hotter.

There's never been a garden on this property until this year. With the price of food being so outrageous, we decided to try and can, vacuum seal, freeze, and dehydrate all we possibly can. It's already paid for itself. I also want to try making my own hot sauce. Not sure if anyone has tried Mezzetta habanero sauce. It's one of our favorites. I think I could make it at home. (I do 99% of the cooking. My mom has owned several successful restaurants. Her and my brother currently have a catering business.)

 

[Coke420]

lots of vegetables for sure!
i grew like 6 tomato plants 3 bell pepper plants a cucumber plant and some chives this year

 

[josh223]

It got down to -30 here last winter. Our chives survived.

 

[josh223]

I just realized my Ipod has a camera. The screen is cracked so it's difficult to use as a camera.

At any rate, does anyone have an identification for this species of beetle? They're 5/8"-1' long and wield a nasty looking probocis. They love chewing into the stalks of my sunflowers and sucking them dry. I've never seen them before but I haven't lived in this area for too many years.

 

[runewulfsong]

Props on the garden, my girl and I are doing it as well. Just add a bunch of berries and a few mellons and we're right there with you. I'm also setting up for indoor veggies for the winter too. GMO is horrid and you nailed it on the head with food prices. We're canning and dehydrating this year and will be getting vaccum sealer as well.

 

[josh223]

Yeah, food prices suck. I live in a very rich agricultural area, one of the most diverse in the country. The price of fuel for the farmers is passed to the consumer. It's getting impossible for a person to live. I have an Associate Degree and my girl has a Bachelor's. You'd think two college educated people could afford to feed themselves.

Wishing you much success with the garden, runewulfsong. I have a feeling things are going to get tough come winter time. I'm trying to be more of the ant as opposed to the grasshopper (Aesop).

 

[runewulfsong]

I totally agree with you there. I'm in NW Wash. and it's odd here. Some things are a bit pricey, but if you catch the farmers markets and farm stores, you can get good deals and the CSA's around here are a killer option for a LOT of fresh produce for pennies on the dollar as opposed to the store. Over the next couple months, I'm setting up our utility room as an indoor garden and growing our winter fruits and veg in there. If we have a mild enough early winter, I'll have a few outside in covered beds as well.

What's odd is how much I forgot the difference between heirloom fruits and veg that I gardened as a kid. Too many years in business and too busy to garden, I forgot how GOOD those taste when done right. We only do heirloom now when possible. I love some of the mix cherry tomatoes on salads and in veggie pasta with a good red pepper and cream sauce

 

[josh223]

I currently reside in SE WA. So different than where I grew up in SW WA.

I'd love to grow vegies inside. I just don't have the room. Our basement is less than 10'x10'. With 2'x4' and 4x4' tents, the water heater, and my chair, just not enough room. Still, I'm going to attempt to grow a sweet basil plant and possibly a tomato plant inside in 2 Liter Hempy Pots. Id it works-then great. Won't be out much if it doesn't.

 

[runewulfsong]

I would try using 3L or 1Gal for the tomato, but I get ya there... I'm going to use our utility room since the rental didn't come with a washer and dryer and we've gotten used to using the local laundry up the road. I can't stand eastern WA or OR, too dry and hot, but I love western on both... I love SW WA and NW OR... love the Astoria area on both sides of the river. I plan on takin my fiance out there in the next couple months as she has never seen that area.

 

[josh223]

I hear yeah. My family used to have a cabin in Long Beach. I'd love to live there.

Crappy weather over here. No Spring or Fall. It is either 100F or -30F. The thing I like is the slower pace to life. I get all stressed out if I drive on I-5 anymore.

 

[runewulfsong]

ROFL, true dat... I'm on the OP and like it for the same reason, slower, more relaxed... less "city stress" from everyone crammed too tight together and oblivious to eachother... I-5 is a cluster until you get 30 minutes south of Portland and goes to crap again once you pass SanFran... Kind of like I-10, mostly crappy road with a few nice stretches, lol.

 

[josh223]

LOL. I was born in Vancouver, raised in North Clark County. I think it's funny how a half hour drive from the city, it's nice.

I was a super duper salmon and steelhead fisherman over there. Don't want to drop any names, but many of my friends are professional guides. My sister lives next to the man that invented the modern graphite rod. Living in the desert...ugg. No sea food. Yeah, I catch fish over here, but it's not the same.

Hoping to fulfill some goals this upcoming year. Maybe I'll wind up back on the coast. The girl wants that to happen. But life is complicated.

Cheers to the beautiful Pacific Coastline.

OP...I haven't been all the way around, but am familiar with Hood Canal-Bremerton, Union, Shelton, North West of Olympia on the canal.

 

[runewulfsong]

Hood canal would be closest to me, I can see Canada from a few miles away... yeah, this area is beautiful. I never found Vancouver to be bad, but it did seem to be stuck between nice large town and wanting to compete with Portland or Tacoma, so wasn't as laid back as it could/should have been. I lived outside Salem, OR for a while and agree, it's interesting how just a few miles away, it's relaxed and beautiful.

 

[runewulfsong]

Actually, Straight of Juan would be closest, lol... I do love this area of the country though, mellow weather, beautiful, lush, lovely place overall

 

[josh223]

Some sunflowers that were over seeded from last year.

We received three nursery flats of root bound strawberry plants. I divided them into around 22 plants and planted them like plugs to fill in an area. They have all survived.

I culled down to three zucchini plants, on a small mound, protected by a small section of fabric cloth.

Surprised the cilanto hasn't flowered yet. But it is starting to bolt.

Eggplants.

Tomatoes. Hard to see, but there is 19 or 20 plants.

Most of the rest of the garden.

 

[josh223]

A couple of my sunflowers. You can see the Alkali Bees pollinating.

Dog guarding the young strawberry plants.

One strawberry in a 3 gallon nursery pot with peppers, thyme, rosemary, and chives in the background.

Some shots of the rest of the garden.

 

[josh223]

Been real busy as of late. With the vegetable garden, I think we are at 60 pints of green beans canned. There's an additional 20-15 oz servings that were blanched, iced bathed, drained, and vacuum sealed.

Too many beans, but they are of very fine quality. Been putting up roasted-vacuumed sealed beats and portioning out zucchini for zucchini bread.

I just love these over-seeded sunflowers.

 

[Lester Freeman]

Why I was not exposed to this garden earlier, Its Beyond Me, I'm glad I found this place. VERY lovely garden mate, Wow... I'm blown away at your cilantro!!!! My god... I really will be going back through these pics and getting caught up again. I noticed you have the black netting too! Very cool, also noticed Walt and Jesse's RV in the background

Rock On, Radical Garden Josh!!