Gardens anyone?

[Johnnh]

Gardens are done. Recent couple of frosts and a hard freeze did them in.
I plan on mulching this week and hope my 20 year old shaft drive cub cadet 2500 series garden tractor is up to the challenge. I rebuilt the rear drive axle this spring.
Motor is getting tired and sounds like me - old and ugly
Might make a good winter project = find a new motor and get another 800 hours out of it.

[piscesman]

Hey, question here guys. Our garden also winding down. Wife keeps bringing potted peppers inside at night to help stretch it out. We took a 20-year vacation and dove back into gardening this past spring. I see many here talking about planting garlic. Is it too late to do that? Also, if we have them in potted plants will they survive the winter. Thanks for any help in advance.......
      Kim

[rgfixit]

You’re right on time to plant garlic. Mine  goes in when the leaves really start to fall. I use 6-8” of leaf mulch to cover the beds. It’ll settle over the winter. I’d say it’ll go in sometime in the next two weeks. Got the beds prepped today. I use my own seed and plant around 120 a year. I generally harvest mid June to early July when the bottom 4-5 leaves brown out.

If there’s a stretch of warmer weather and it starts to send up shoots before winter,  don’t worry about it. It’s a good sign that it’s getting established. The deep freeze of winter won’t hurt it a bit.

Plant cloves (preferably with the skins on) point up, 4-6” deep. Keep watered during the dry months.

Don’t know how it would do in containers.

[Raquettedacker]

Kim are you talking about the potted peppers or planting garlic in pots?

[piscesman]

Yes, I'm talking about planting garlic in potted plants containers. If that's not correct, we have good soil toward the back of the yard and can plant there. Just may have to transplant in spring because it's near spruce trees.
      Kim

[Raquettedacker]

Sure you can. Google it there’s a lot of info on it..



 And as far as your potted peppers you can bring them in. They won’t reflower over the winter but will go dormant and you can put them back out in the spring..  Look that one up also..

[piscesman]

Thanks for the info, everyone. Going to try the potted method. Wife brought the garden in today. Left Rosemary and Basil out. They will be in shortly. Can't wait until next year to become more self-sufficient.
      Kim

[Raquettedacker]

These are hot, hot , hot Vietnamese peppers that I will put in the house for the winter.   Did I mention there hot..

[rgfixit]

Dry some of those and put them in a cold smoke. Make smoked hot peppers. I did that a couple years ago with some cayenne peppers. Had to wear my organic vapor mask to grind them up in the coffee grinder. Still have most of the jar. Really good on potato chips. Oh yeah….wear gloves.

HOT!

[Raquettedacker]

I do dry a bunch but usually grind them. Never thought of smoking them first.. thanks for the idea..✌️

[rgfixit]

Cold smoked some dehydrated garlic this last season…..all I can say is awesome. Adds a whole dimension to the flavor.

Perfect time for cold smoking. I use the “Amazin Smoke Tube” on my Weber. Does cheese and such just beautifully with pellets.

Dehydrator came from Goodwill for $5.

[piscesman]

Isn't also so that when you grow HHHOOOTTTTT PEPPERS you always have an abundance of them? But when you grow the non-hot ones, they are smaller and less of? WTH!!! Garlic this weekend and thoughts on next years winners...
      Kim

[MILLERMANKT]

I've still got a few tomatoes and some raspberries to pick, then good night garden.

[rgfixit]

Garlic is going in the ground today. Got plenty of leaves to make mulch. I’ll run them over a few times with the mulching blades on then switch to the high lift blades and put the bagger on and mulch all the beds.

I’ll be bagging leaves for at least a couple of weeks.

[Raquettedacker]

Nice Bob. I don’t have a bagger so I just keep going around in a circle till I get a pile than rake them up..