Gardening Gardening

Yup, we store them in the basement also. But I just looked up curing sweet potatoes and it is a thing, mainly for flavor. Then it said to "store it a cool dry place" as the Traveling Wilburys would say. Personally, I never saw much difference myself which is why I was asking.

 

I am still harvesting kale, green onions, arugula, romain, carrots, beets and apples. I have planted 270 garlic cloves between the home and old homestead gardens.

I am also building a large new compost pile for next season, as well as starting my annual bagged leaf collection. This pile is cooking at >150f.

 

Anyone here grow mushrooms? (No, not that kind, and I said grow, not use.) Just the typical white button mushrooms, nothing fancy. I'm a creature of habit and typically have sauteed bell peppers and mushrooms every morning with my eggs (usually in a homemade burrito with salsa or green chiles and black bear sausage).

I have good luck growing bell peppers but have never tried growing mushrooms. Would rather grow my own than buy them at the store. I looked at some online 'starter' kits a couple years ago but never pulled the trigger as they had mixed reviews.

 

This was a thread in Hobbies and Interest started by metalcuttr a few years ago.
Does anybody grow their own mushrooms for home use?

 

Thanks!

 

It’s almost seed starting time. Plenty of new varieties this year (less super hot peppers too, I have a 15 year supply of dried ghost pepper ). I usually start my peppers in late February-early March. Tomatoes grow faster so they get started at the tail end of March.

 

Anything special you do with the peppers like salsa, or do you just like having them on hand for cooking with? Looks like a good lineup

 

I usually dry the hot peppers so I can have them throughout the year in chili or added to eggs, but sometimes I also make fermented hot sauce with them. As for the sweet peppers, I add them to salads, make stuffed peppers, or just have them as a snack.

 

We grew some trinidad scorpion peppers last year. I dehydrated them to use for venison jerky. If you like hot give them a go. A little goes a long way! I have half a jelly jar of them now.

My garden area is a disaster zone!! Last year was half a flop. I also lost my pump and had to use my rain bucket to pass inspection for my water runoff for the garage. I didnt even put any "black gold" aka chicken poop on it yet. Maybe this weekend.

 

After I use 30 fresh ones for my annual pepper jelly batch, the rest of my habaneros are simply put away in the freezer. I pull one out of the ziplock for cooking at least once a week. They are still in great shape and will be until my new crop comes in.

Same goe with cherry tomatoes. I pull out a cup of frozen ones once a week to add to my homemade spaghetti sauce.

 

Very late to the party but seeing weeds grow tall in my garden was unacceptable. First till complete.

 

That put the weeds in their place! Good soil addition!

 

I’ve seen a transformation in my garden when I started adding all my wood furnace ashes and a majority of the grass clippings from mowing. I used to add several cubes of peat every 2-3yrs but haven’t done that for a long time.

 

On sunday I took the ole hoe to my garden and tilled up the weeds and worked in the black gold (aka chicken $hit) I put in February. Hopefully the black gold has broken down enough.
TBH my garden area is a mess. Some sort of weed vine has taken over my fence and its a PITA to remove. My top bed needs some more soil added.
Not sure what Im planting this year. Not sure about cucumbers. Last year my cukes were a disaster. No watermelon neither.
Im sure I'll have tomatoes, peppers, and peas.
I did plant some radishes on sunday, just to get something planted and a positive feeling.

 

No comment!

 

My mind immediately went to...My wife gets really angry when I call her that!

 

I too dislike being called old(ole).

 

I knew that would get some attention.

 

Rhubarb is up!

 

Here we go again for 2026, yellow crook-neck squash and tomatoes. Plus a hummingbird feeder for the birds.