Food & Drink

Hows your 2021 harvest.

  • Last Updated:
  • Jun 20th, 2022 12:44 am
Tags:
Deal Expert
Feb 7, 2017
27765 posts
27805 upvotes
Eastern Ontario
Kiraly wrote: I grew some San Marzano tomatoes. They were doing really well. Someone stole 15-20 of them overnight recently. Such is life in an urban community garden box.
Gardening theft sucks …
Esp as the gardener usually has put so much time & effort into nurturing their plants thru thick & thin

Don’t know where you live (apt, condo, house)
But you should consider container gardening if you have even the smallest bit of outdoor space

Esp if there are plants you really really want to keep their harvest unto yourself
Member
User avatar
Dec 8, 2015
401 posts
230 upvotes
Scarborough, ON
bernieyee wrote: I hear you.

First year gardener over here and while my cherry tomato plant is loaded with ripening tomatoes, my larger tomato plant only has about a dozen fruit despite having lots of flowers.

I always see bees around that plant too when I go out for watering.
Tip: add some cracked eggshells to your tomato soil, tomatoes love calcium. Finally reaping tomatoes, salads for everyone, yay!
Member
User avatar
Dec 8, 2015
401 posts
230 upvotes
Scarborough, ON
PointsHubby wrote: Nope.

Most we use on our garden is soapy water.

We try to stay fully organic … cuz we believe in growing like our ancestors did.

Lol means many of our fruits & veggies are blemished or misshaped etc … but I don’t let that bother me.

I like leaving our annual outcome to Mother Nature … some years are great … others not so good (had a very rainy summer a few years back … that was a horrible harvest )

It is what it is.

Some things work / thrive … others don’t. Overall it’s a hobby / learning experience. And that’s a big part of the attraction / why we do it
Good for you, lets all get back to basics...
Member
User avatar
Dec 8, 2015
401 posts
230 upvotes
Scarborough, ON
Probably a squirrel, they just help themselves to dinner with no shame.
Member
User avatar
Dec 8, 2015
401 posts
230 upvotes
Scarborough, ON
KevinM56081 wrote: We did some peppers and tomatoes this year.

Going to pickle these guys.
Lovely, just pickled my chili peppers in a pretty jar. Will give as gifts, great pepper harvest this year.
Deal Expert
Feb 7, 2017
27765 posts
27805 upvotes
Eastern Ontario
jemjem9 wrote: Tip: add some cracked eggshells to your tomato soil, tomatoes love calcium. Finally reaping tomatoes, salads for everyone, yay!
ORGANIC TIP …

Incorporating Eggshells into the soil mix is good
Mixing up a light potion of powdered milk water is even better
Calcium is what Tomatoes need to grow strong
And ward off Black Bottom / Blossom Rot
Deal Guru
Nov 15, 2008
12993 posts
8360 upvotes
PointsHubby wrote: ORGANIC TIP …

Incorporating Eggshells into the soil mix is good
Mixing up a light potion of powdered milk water is even better
Calcium is what Tomatoes need to grow strong
And ward off Black Bottom / Blossom Rot
Dolomitic lime will do the job too.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Feb 10, 2010
1803 posts
1303 upvotes
Toronto
Harvest is going great so far this year ...
Images
  • 20210828_141526.jpg
  • 20210828_140916.jpg
  • 20210828_141012.jpg
  • 20210828_141023.jpg
Moderator
May 28, 2012
12485 posts
5278 upvotes
Saskatoon
jemjem9 wrote: Tip: add some cracked eggshells to your tomato soil, tomatoes love calcium. Finally reaping tomatoes, salads for everyone, yay!
It's usually the tomato plant's inability to uptake the calcium that leads to blossom end rot, not that the soil is lacking it...so adding calcium in the form of egg shells or anything else doesn't fix the issue. Consistent, deep watering is what the plant needs as it's fruiting. I add egg shells to my compost but it's because of the organic matter more than anything. I put in a drip system in my vegetable garden a couple years ago and I haven't had one issue with blossom end rot in that area. lecale's tip about adding lime is good if you have acidic soil (that can affect a plant's uptake of calcium too).
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 20, 2009
10168 posts
8297 upvotes
Toronto
Mars2012 wrote: Did you have problems with powdery mildew? That's what usually does in my squash plants. This year I ordered some potassium bicarbonate from Amazon (1 lb bag for $20). I've sprayed the squash about four times now and hardly any mildew and the plants are still producing lots. This is different from baking soda which may slow down mildew, I think this actually kills the spores. Strange that you hardly have any bees....I have a very diverse garden with lots of perennials and annual flowers so there are lots of bees around. Look into plants that attract bees like borage, Joe Pye Weed, etc.

My garden has been producing a lot...the only failure has been the lettuce and spinach that bolted in that long stretch of intensely hot weather we had in June/July. I do have tomatoes ripening but the larger ones are still green. I went through the plants and did some trimming of excess foliage to hopefully speed up the ripening. Most of my tomato plants are over six-seven feet tall.
Yeah - I'm fairly certain it was powdery mildew. Was reading up on it a week or so ago.
Did you mix the potassium bicarbonate only with water, or other things (milk, soap, oil)?
What other things did you spray?
Is this something I should spray the area with now, or wait til next season?

The issue with lack of bees was more spring/early summer.
This spring, there seemed to be a larger than usual consumption of early growth shoots/leaves when things were planted.
Seemed like Aphids. As such, used a DIY insecticide spray (water and Dr. Bronner's Pure Castile Soap - combo of peppermint and citrus) on many things.
I suspect that using this may have caused less bee's to come near, due to not liking smell.
Stopped using it months ago, and things improved.
Could also be that many flowers and whatnot blossomed, thus attracting more bees.
Will definitely be looking into some companion planting - ie something that blossoms very early and attracts bees.
"When someone is burning a book, they are showing utter contempt for all of the thinking that produced its ideas, all of the labor that went into its words and sentences, and all of the trouble that befell the author . . .” ― Lemony Snicket
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 20, 2009
10168 posts
8297 upvotes
Toronto
PointsHubby wrote: ORGANIC TIP …

Incorporating Eggshells into the soil mix is good
Mixing up a light potion of powdered milk water is even better
Calcium is what Tomatoes need to grow strong
And ward off Black Bottom / Blossom Rot
There seems to be some debate on how much good it does.
With that said - I still do it.
Pro - tip: Grind the eggshells into a powder (I use my blender).
Otherwise, eggshell takes forever to decompose.

This year, I've been collecting all of my coffee grinds. Have filled up two large buckets (which I obviously keep outside).
Will use it to amend some of my soil in the fall.

I've also been collecting my banana peels. I cut them up into small pieces, and keep in a bucket (with lid) indoors.
Every few days, I dump them out onto a drying rack that is kept in my diy greenhouse/shed.
Once dried out sufficiently by the sun, I also blend into a powder.

A mix of all 3 should be a massive booster!

For experimentation purposes, I also collected orange rinds, and also dried them out and made a powder.
I have 7 blueberry bushes that I planted a couple of years ago, and will mix it into surrounding soil.

I keep a compost bin for grass cuttings, but stopped putting vegetable scraps in as it seemed to attract too many vermin.
"When someone is burning a book, they are showing utter contempt for all of the thinking that produced its ideas, all of the labor that went into its words and sentences, and all of the trouble that befell the author . . .” ― Lemony Snicket
Deal Guru
Nov 15, 2008
12993 posts
8360 upvotes
shikotee wrote: There seems to be some debate on how much good it does.
With that said - I still do it.
Pro - tip: Grind the eggshells into a powder (I use my blender).
Otherwise, eggshell takes forever to decompose.

This year, I've been collecting all of my coffee grinds. Have filled up two large buckets (which I obviously keep outside).
Will use it to amend some of my soil in the fall.

I've also been collecting my banana peels. I cut them up into small pieces, and keep in a bucket (with lid) indoors.
Every few days, I dump them out onto a drying rack that is kept in my diy greenhouse/shed.
Once dried out sufficiently by the sun, I also blend into a powder.

A mix of all 3 should be a massive booster!

For experimentation purposes, I also collected orange rinds, and also dried them out and made a powder.
I have 7 blueberry bushes that I planted a couple of years ago, and will mix it into surrounding soil.

I keep a compost bin for grass cuttings, but stopped putting vegetable scraps in as it seemed to attract too many vermin.

If you have a plastic blender jar, grinding eggshells in it will scratch it & make it foggy & harder to clean. It is better to let them dry out thoroughly & crush them with a pestle.

There is debate about using coffee grounds in the garden as caffeine is a growth inhibitor in plants.

I do not compost outside because of pests too, but the municipality gives away free compost from their composting program. Something to check on.
Deal Expert
Feb 7, 2017
27765 posts
27805 upvotes
Eastern Ontario
shikotee wrote:
There seems to be some debate on how much good it does.
With that said - I still do it.
Pro - tip: Grind the eggshells into a powder (I use my blender).
Otherwise, eggshell takes forever to decompose.

This year, I've been collecting all of my coffee grinds. Have filled up two large buckets (which I obviously keep outside).
Will use it to amend some of my soil in the fall.

I've also been collecting my banana peels. I cut them up into small pieces, and keep in a bucket (with lid) indoors.
Every few days, I dump them out onto a drying rack that is kept in my diy greenhouse/shed.
Once dried out sufficiently by the sun, I also blend into a powder.

A mix of all 3 should be a massive booster!

For experimentation purposes, I also collected orange rinds, and also dried them out and made a powder.
I have 7 blueberry bushes that I planted a couple of years ago, and will mix it into surrounding soil.

I keep a compost bin for grass cuttings, but stopped putting vegetable scraps in as it seemed to attract too many vermin.
lecale wrote: If you have a plastic blender jar, grinding eggshells in it will scratch it & make it foggy & harder to clean. It is better to let them dry out thoroughly & crush them with a pestle.

There is debate about using coffee grounds in the garden as caffeine is a growth inhibitor in plants.

I do not compost outside because of pests too, but the municipality gives away free compost from their composting program. Something to check on.
Agreed

We crush our eggshells with a pestle too.

But even crushed they are slow to decompose … but we still mix them into the soil for our tomato plants.

I read about Powdered Milk last winter in the off season … and tried it this Summer. It definitely cut down on our black bottom / blossom end rot issues. So will do it faithfully going forward every year.

We also have always been deep root waterers with our tomato plants … something I learned off my dad who used to use the big tomato juice cans (1.36 Litres) placed in the garden next to each plant. When I plant in containers / pails … I use a tube / pipe alongside so as get water to the bottom of the plant. And we are consistent waterers so I don’t think that’s the issue. So much as it being an early season issue for us … probably caused by a combo of quick growing / setting fruit … and the transplantation from indoor smaller pot to larger outdoor one

https://www.canr.msu.edu/resources/blos ... _tip_sheet

Other natural soil amendments …

I too have had mixed results with coffee grounds in my garden.

Haven’t done anything with Citrus or Bananas tho
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 20, 2009
10168 posts
8297 upvotes
Toronto
lecale wrote: If you have a plastic blender jar, grinding eggshells in it will scratch it & make it foggy & harder to clean. It is better to let them dry out thoroughly & crush them with a pestle.

There is debate about using coffee grounds in the garden as caffeine is a growth inhibitor in plants.

I do not compost outside because of pests too, but the municipality gives away free compost from their composting program. Something to check on.
I used to regularly grab Leaf Compost from Etobicoke's Disco Transfer Station.
It used to be that on Saturday mornings, you could drive up and fill up whatever you want from the huge outdoor mounds of compost.

Since Covid kicked in, the only way to get free Leaf Compost is during community environment days.
It is prebagged, with 2 bag limit per car.

Here is the schedule, for anyone from Toronto who is interested.
They do ask you to show ID to prove you are a Toronto resident.
https://www.toronto.ca/services-payment ... -schedule/

For the one closest to me, the dates are Oct 17 and Oct 31.
I very much miss the old system.

I can understand that they would not want or allow people to bundle together and shovel compost (due to Covid), but why not make getting prebagged more frequent? With such stingy date limits, I imagine there will be insane line-ups of cars.
"When someone is burning a book, they are showing utter contempt for all of the thinking that produced its ideas, all of the labor that went into its words and sentences, and all of the trouble that befell the author . . .” ― Lemony Snicket
Deal Expert
User avatar
Dec 22, 2006
44565 posts
44973 upvotes
Economy, NS
jemjem9 wrote: Terrible year, my tomatoes still haven't ripened. Low yield too.
bernieyee wrote:
I hear you.

First year gardener over here and while my cherry tomato plant is loaded with ripening tomatoes, my larger tomato plant only has about a dozen fruit despite having lots of flowers.

I always see bees around that plant too when I go out for watering.
KevinM56081 wrote: Our cherry/grape tomatoes rocked this year. My wife has been pulling a few beefsteaks a day. Our romas haven't done well though.
Starting at about 1/2 way down, cut all the branches off right to the soil. This will push the plant to bear more fruit.
Works for peppers too.
Don't take life too seriously.
No one gets out alive anyway.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 20, 2009
10168 posts
8297 upvotes
Toronto
Mars2012 wrote: Did you have problems with powdery mildew? That's what usually does in my squash plants. This year I ordered some potassium bicarbonate from Amazon (1 lb bag for $20). I've sprayed the squash about four times now and hardly any mildew and the plants are still producing lots. This is different from baking soda which may slow down mildew, I think this actually kills the spores. Strange that you hardly have any bees....I have a very diverse garden with lots of perennials and annual flowers so there are lots of bees around. Look into plants that attract bees like borage, Joe Pye Weed, etc.

My garden has been producing a lot...the only failure has been the lettuce and spinach that bolted in that long stretch of intensely hot weather we had in June/July. I do have tomatoes ripening but the larger ones are still green. I went through the plants and did some trimming of excess foliage to hopefully speed up the ripening. Most of my tomato plants are over six-seven feet tall.
It was actually tricky to find (for a reasonable price), but I did purchase some Potassium Bicarbonate, with the hope of preventing/treating powdery mildew. I am curious - how/when/what did you spray? Did you spray as a preventative, or only when you saw signs of Powdery Mildew? What mix ratio did you use? Internet seems to say 1tbsp PB, 1/2 tsp Castile liquid soap, and 1 gallon water.

Did you spray everything, or only certain things? I sprayed all my roses, zucchini, and cucumbers. Will later spray tomatoes. Still need to buy and plant squash, so will spray eventually. How often would you reapply spray?

Is there anything you shouldn't spray with this? I guess I'm feeling the urge to spray everything, because I have a pretty large supply (I purchased direct from an Industrial company).

Is there any other good use for it besides treating Powdery Mildew?

Fingers crossed this will be the season where zucchini and cucumbers make it to fall!
"When someone is burning a book, they are showing utter contempt for all of the thinking that produced its ideas, all of the labor that went into its words and sentences, and all of the trouble that befell the author . . .” ― Lemony Snicket
Moderator
May 28, 2012
12485 posts
5278 upvotes
Saskatoon
shikotee wrote: It was actually tricky to find (for a reasonable price), but I did purchase some Potassium Bicarbonate, with the hope of preventing/treating powdery mildew. I am curious - how/when/what did you spray? Did you spray as a preventative, or only when you saw signs of Powdery Mildew? What mix ratio did you use? Internet seems to say 1tbsp PB, 1/2 tsp Castile liquid soap, and 1 gallon water.

Did you spray everything, or only certain things? I sprayed all my roses, zucchini, and cucumbers. Will later spray tomatoes. Still need to buy and plant squash, so will spray eventually. How often would you reapply spray?

Is there anything you shouldn't spray with this? I guess I'm feeling the urge to spray everything, because I have a pretty large supply (I purchased direct from an Industrial company).

Is there any other good use for it besides treating Powdery Mildew?

Fingers crossed this will be the season where zucchini and cucumbers make it to fall!
I just mixed it with water in one of those plastic spray bottles from Dollarama - about a tsp (internet suggests 1 Tbs per gallon of water). Powdery mildew doesn't show up right away but it certainly won't hurt your plants to spray it preventively. I like knowing that if it does show up, this spray helps keep the powdery mildew at bay...once mildew starts, it'll still spread but a lot less quickly than without it. Be proactive about placement of the vegetables that are prone to mildew...lack of air circulation encourages it so clean up diseased foliage throughout the season and prune excess foliage. I only spray my squash plants because they are the only veggie that gets powdery mildew in my garden. I had my cukes planted right next to the zucchini last year and only the squash had it. I don't think it's worth it to mass spray everything because not everything is affected by it. I sprayed about once a week when I notice the mildew spots on the foliage. As for other uses...it is used in the brewing industry to lower acidity. I actually called around to some wine supply stores locally before buying it on Amazon. I don't think there is a shelf life/expiry date to the product as long as it's stored in dry conditions.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Mar 20, 2009
10168 posts
8297 upvotes
Toronto
Mars2012 wrote: I just mixed it with water in one of those plastic spray bottles from Dollarama - about a tsp (internet suggests 1 Tbs per gallon of water). Powdery mildew doesn't show up right away but it certainly won't hurt your plants to spray it preventively. I like knowing that if it does show up, this spray helps keep the powdery mildew at bay...once mildew starts, it'll still spread but a lot less quickly than without it. Be proactive about placement of the vegetables that are prone to mildew...lack of air circulation encourages it so clean up diseased foliage throughout the season and prune excess foliage. I only spray my squash plants because they are the only veggie that gets powdery mildew in my garden. I had my cukes planted right next to the zucchini last year and only the squash had it. I don't think it's worth it to mass spray everything because not everything is affected by it. I sprayed about once a week when I notice the mildew spots on the foliage. As for other uses...it is used in the brewing industry to lower acidity. I actually called around to some wine supply stores locally before buying it on Amazon. I don't think there is a shelf life/expiry date to the product as long as it's stored in dry conditions.
Curious if you heard about this, or if you have tried this.
https://www.newsweek.com/gardening-tip- ... es-1707795

Besides my war on Powdery Mildew, I am also declaring war on all garden insect pests, but am looking for reasonable diy non toxic armaments. Using citrus rinds is intriguing, but would really have to use lots for watering. My guess is this makes more sense in places where oranges grow and can be obtained for cheap. With this said, I plan on collecting rinds, then freezing, til enough is gathered for boiling. I made a small batch which I am using in a spray bottle.
"When someone is burning a book, they are showing utter contempt for all of the thinking that produced its ideas, all of the labor that went into its words and sentences, and all of the trouble that befell the author . . .” ― Lemony Snicket

Top