Experiments

So this year the husband and I have been conducting a few experiments.  Hubbybunch has been working on growing edible mushrooms in our basement.  It has been a process of trial and error over the past few months... we want to grow them from spores, not the expensive prepackaged kits.  I think he may have figured it out, because this morning we had a delicious breakfast of homegrown eggs with garden onions and cheese with a side of sauteed pearl and phoenix oyster mushrooms. 

They REALLY like growing out of the bucket.  We tried some in bags as well with limited success, but the bucket seems to be key.

I experimented with growing some new veggies in baskets in the greenhouse.  I planted Reisentraub cherry tomatoes, Table Dainty squash, and Italian frying peppers in hanging baskets.  Initially, they were growing beautifully.  And then the heat of the summer hit, and despite watering on a daily basis, the baskets simply dried out too fast.  Everything but the peppers shriveled and died.  The peppers, however, seemed to love the heat and tolerate the drought very nicely.  They didn't get really big, but produced quite a few fruits on a small plant. 

I also experimented with growing beans and peas up a string teepee in the greenhouse.  We had issues with mice getting in there and eating the seeds before they germinated.  However, those that did germinate flourished.  From only two black bean plants, I got about two cups of dried black beans.  I'll take that yield any day. 

Our Roma tomato plants in the garden are going gangbusters.  They busted the square tomato cages I used to try to support them (cheap pieces of junk!), but still managed to produce an absurd amount of food.  I've been harvesting consistently since early July, and picked an over-flowing half-bushel box last week.  There's more out there today that need attending to.  They are not the tastiest for fresh-eating, but I am LOVING them roasted with olive oil in the oven on low heat.  I've canned about 6 quarts so far as well. 

Our Black Sea Man tomatoes got a late start, as the first batch of seedlings got killed off by a frost when I forgot them outside in the spring.  But even being late-bloomers, they were doing very well through the dry heat of July.  Earlier this month, we got two days of heavy rain, and all of the almost-ripe fruit on the vines split open and rotted.  Very sad.  They are by far the tastiest eating tomato I've had, with tons of acid and a great texture... and I was disappointed that we lost so many.  Next year!

Our potato harvest was not as large as it could have been due to my neglect... I failed to mound them up properly and just kind of let them do their thing.  Even so, we got a nice big heavy paper sack of yukon gold taters from a very small bed of plants, so I have to say that I'm pretty happy.  I've never grown potatoes before, so I'm calling it a success.