More Bounty

I only ever canned things that were high enough acid to be processed in a hot water bath. Mostly I have frozen things. I have made jams and jellies as well.

I have learned to can from asking for help here this year. I love this site just for that reason. HAPPY POSTINGS FROM GRANDPA BOB !!~

I've only done pickles a couple of times one year and then a few jars of salsa, so I'm certainly no expert. I don't have any of my canning equipment any longer so I can't do any now either.

Container gardening is a lot less work. You might to look into that if time is a factor.

Thank you for giving me this idea. I think I will try it. Do you know if it too late for me to try some container gardening this season, or if I would do better to wait until next year?

I think freezing is so much easier, but it works better for some things than others. I would love to have some fruit trees, and hoping to plant some when I finally get into my own house again.

We have done some freezing it is easier than canning and drying I think. Need to look into canning more as we are going to have a big bounty in the next couple yers (fingers crossed). We ae lucky enough to have a relative nearby with a lot of space who allowed us to plant fruit trees last fall. They seem to be doing good now. Keeping insects and vermin away using organic means alone may be a challenge. I used to use non-organic ferts and pesticides but am no longer going to use. Looking around mylot for some good first-hand tips as these are the best!

I have a couple of bell peppers in containers, a green one and a chocolate one. They've got fruit, but never got very big and I don't know if they will at this stage or not. Sure did get some nice looking banana peppers, though, and more still coming in. I've got loads more tomatoes in varying stages of growth. Good thing my husband loves fresh tomatoes, because I don't.

Aww, I love tomatoes! My son doesn't care for them though. I think I only have enough for myself anyway. I only planted three plants and only one of them is producing so far. If the other two start up I can freeze them. I just got a new seal-a-meal and I love it! I've canned them before but that is so hot! I just hate heating up the house.

You didn't have a way to water other than rainfall? My little stuff is right here by the water hose and I leave buckets out to catch rain water and try to use that most of the time. Since it is all right here close by, it's no problem to dip a little to give them a drink.

did water it but it has just been so hot & dry it couldn't do well. plants are burning up.

I guess I'm a quick study. Give me a 'real' garden and I probably wouldn't have known what to do with it. I did have several of the tomato plants in 5-gal buckets and they did great and produced fruit, but I didn't realize that the variety I got were indeterminate, so they weren't the best choice to do in smaller containers. The few that I put into the ground ended up over 6ft and there are dozens of tomatoes on each plant, whereas the few in the buckets only produced 2-3 edible tomatoes so far and didn't get about 3ft or so. When I saw how big those in the ground were getting, I decided to give it a shot and put one of the bucket plants into the ground, even though it already had a couple of tomatoes on it, one that had grown quite large but just wouldn't turn red. The very next day it had a bit of a blush on it, and the plant perked up like you wouldn't believe. That was the first tomato that Tom ate and there are several more coming in on that plant that will be even better. The plant itself has grown taller and bushier as well. It's amazing. Tomatoes can definitely be grown in containers, but I'll be sure to pick a smaller variety if I go that route again. I still can't believe I even got any tomatoes from those plants at all, but I did, so I must have done something right. Tom said there was no difference in the taste between the smaller and larger plants, they were all awesome.

A friend gifted me a wonderful book on square foot gardening and I think that is what I will do next year when I'm in my own home. It would be easily adaptable to raised beds too.

It has been fun, and I vow that next year I will have a proper garden, no matter where I end up.

I don't like tomatoes or peppers, but my husband says banana peppers are real sweet and he eats them by themselves straight from the plant. I stick with the beans, snap peas and cucumbers, the tomatoes and peppers are for him.

I'm sure they'll be fine. I started some at various times too, and I've got one in a big tub now that is growing like mad and just started flowering, so I don't know if it will make it in time. The tub is heavy so I can't move it into the house at night or anything, but I could probably cover it somehow.

Oh, that would be wonderful to have a garden large enough to sell some things too. I'd love that! I'll have an abundance of tomatoes this year for sure, but I only planted a small amount of a few other things. The cukes, peppers and tomatoes are the only things still producing.