Lots of tomatoes

Been out of town for a couple of weeks, got back Fri night. 

Now I have lots of tomatoes that have to be processed into tomato paste. This pic is about 15 lbs of tomatoes. Still a whole lot more on the vines. 

Giant pumpkins are still growing. One vine took some damage from bugs while I was gone but the vines have tapped auxiliary roots, so they're still going strong. I also haven't had time to weed since I got back.

Not nearly as much time to work the garden now. Working 40 hours a week and sun going down earlier. Still, should have a good rest of the season.

Canning

Corn and bush beans are down now. Have tons of corn to freeze. Cooked and in the fridge because it was too hot to work with until morning.

Canning about 15 lbs of green beans this weekend. Should get 2-3 qts of pickles from the cucumbers so far. I suspect the dogs have chewed a couple of the cucumber vines. Luckily, they didn't care for them much. 

Tomatoes hit a lull because the heat a few weeks ago made them stop flowering for a while. Had a huge run of ripe tomatoes. Now hundreds of green fruit hanging. So, I should see another cycle of ripe tomatoes in a few more weeks. 

Because of circumstances, not going all out for much greater numbers of tomato plants this year. Some more vines are maturing and putting out more fruit. I also had to do some major tying off for support today. Some vines had so much fruit they sank to the ground. Awesome! So, we will have a continuing large crop in the future. Just slowed down right now. 

I very nervously changed the position of the largest pumpkin a couple days ago. Trying to make it grow in a more normal shape, rather than flattened sideways. Think I did some minor damage to the vine in the process but it's recovering. My guess is current weight is about 40 lbs. There's another on the same vine just behind it, at about 30 lbs. I know, one vine supporting two giants limits the size on both. However, I'm not shooting for over 1000 lbs. This year. 

 Melons still aren't doing so great this year. Not sure what the problem is. Then again, I don't recall when they really ramped up last year. They weren't flowering very well during the heat a few weeks ago, now forming more flowers again. Could be what flowers there were during that time were sterile. Daughter and I have spotted a few small melons here and there. 

So, the garden is producing really well this year. Just a different balance than last year. 

Downsizing

A few influences have come together at the same time, making it necessary to downsize the garden a bit. Or at least thin it out.

For one, I was hired for a job which will require me to go out of town for two weeks of training. (I have no shortage of security measures in place.) The same job, after training, is at home but will require me to work 40 hours a week. That means less time and flexibility in working the garden.

So, started taking down the bush beans yesterday. Most of them were done for the year, any way. Going to cut the pole beans down near the ground before leaving town. I also planted new seeds. Not sure they'll have time to grow but worth a try. All depends on how early first frost is. 

Going to take down some of the corn, just to thin things out. Temps are cooling and lower crops need more sunshine. 

All that makes it easier to clear weeds in some places. 

Had to give in and apply some insecticide to the pumpkin plants again. Squash bugs made a return. Also got some herbicide to kill weeds on some traffic areas. Rain and improved soil conditions brought dormant weed seeds to life in huge numbers. 

I have a couple of contenders for giant pumpkins now. I'm excited to see just how big they get!

 

Canning

Started canning green beans tonight. Pic below is from one bag of green beans. I have two more the same size. 

I also canned two jars of tomatoes the other night, so the large bowl of tomatoes is a different bowl than the last picture. Just rotating them out. 

Cucumbers and peppers are coming in. I'll teach daughter how to make pickles this weekend.

Cooked and froze about a dozen ears of corn tonight. Plus cooked and froze the carrots which remained. 

So, now able to start taking down some of the corn stalks. Stacking them up to dry for later shredding. 

Now, something I have to figure out how to handle. I may have to go out of town for two weeks in the future. Most things will be okay. However, pole green beans won't. It only takes a few days for a pod to go to seed. Once a single pod goes to seed, the whole vine stops producing. I'm going to plant some new seeds tomorrow, so they have a chance to grow while these vines are still producing. Though I'm considering cutting these vines down a few inches from the ground. Maybe if I do that and leave just one or two sets of leaves, these will grow back in more quickly than new seeds would. I'll try both, just for insurance.