gardening

I've got three itsy bitsy tomatoes on one of my two plants. Had to stake and tie it up. My hill of cantaloupe plants are each about two inches tall. This is my first shot at raising cantaloupe. *grin*

 

I don't have any real experience gardening, except for helping someone else with some flowers & tomatoes; but I'm giving it a shot this year. Our new landlord has just tilled us an area in back of the building.

I'm trying tomatoes in one of those hanging planters that lets them grow down & not need any staking. It LOOKS like a great idea. I guess I'll find out.

The hard part for me has been deciding what to grow, because I want some of everything There's only so much space, & I'm an amateur. Would have loved to do asparagus, but I looked it up & it does take 2 years. Definitely okra, squash, onions, cucumbers. Maybe potatoes & spinach, but I doubt I'll have enough space.

I want to learn to can stuff. Anybody know how complicated that might be? What you need to do it & how expensive it is? Any good books for beginners?

 

I know a little about canning... When you're ready, let me know and I'll offer up what little I do know.

 

I might need that info sometime as well.

 

If you guys want to do bean canning, you need to go ahead and find one of those huge kettles with a lid. They're usually made out of that speckled metal.
If you want to do it faster with the pressure cooker kind, you're on your own if you use those. I can tell you everything up to and after that point, but I won't use one.

Tomatoes and tomato sauces, jellys and jams is where it's at and I can help you with that easily.

You can start getting supplies now while they are cheaper.

Canning jars (you should look at Walmart, they're cheaper and if Target carries them it's the fancy kind that's not meant for real canning in my opinion) Canning jars are hard to find sometimes, start looking now.

Canning Rings (Ball)
Canning Lids (Ball)

All this should be in the Canning Section.

Other supplies to get at this time:

Sugar
Salt
(if you're doing jellies and jams, get a few boxes of Sure Gel)
Dry seasonings you may want depending on what you want to can

 

I can help if you want to can green beans. Water bath method like Plu, no pressure canners for me either.
I have an old book, I don't know if it's still available Ball Blue Book, Guide to Home Canning and Freezing.

 

They got them pre-canned at Junior's store

 

fro's a lucky fellow

 

I said a little bit.

 

You know what I can't find at the store, canned butter and/or lima beans. I wanted to fix some with fatback or strip of lean, and couldn't find the beans. Made me want to kick ass.