They are so good fresh that I've been unable to make any pickled beets from my last few harvests. I just started harvesting my beet seeds. I'm carpet bombing one of my beds with them for a fall/overwintered crop. I have some already started but I'm planting a ton more. They overwinter well and give you an early harvest in the spring.
Roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper is preventing "Harvard Beet" making. My favorite version. May follow your lead on the seeds. TY.They are so good fresh that I've been unable to make any pickled beets from my last few harvests. I just started harvesting my beet seeds. I'm carpet bombing one of my beds with them for a fall/overwintered crop. I have some already started but I'm planting a ton more. They overwinter well and give you an early harvest in the spring.
I'm as focused on harvesting seeds as I am harvesting produce. I want to stop buying seeds.
We harvest seeds every time. Only small space so few things get repeated. Hence seed purchases. My boy is curious about foods.
That sucks. What kind of worms?
Hornworm ass holes
When Sister was getting ready to have me niece, Mamma and Daddy went out to Colorado, leaving me in charge of the farm. It rained everyday they were gone, and the cucumber patch went crazy. I sold to all the neighbors, the grocery stores, to anyone who would buy a bucket of cukes. In the end I fed way more to the cows than I ever sold. But some good came out of it. I wrote Cucumber Blues. It goes something like this.The cucumbers are kicking my ass. I can't keep up with them.
I used BT once a week on my tomatoes and could never got on top of the worms. I had the little army worms. I hate to do it, but I ended up spraying with insecticide twice. I've only seen a couple three since then.
I've never had them. I do have lots of predatory insects and birds in the backyard though. I do spray a few times with a sesame oil+ spray I mix up. All organic and bee friendly. Pretty much no bug issues at all. I leave all those small wasp nests intact they build under the roof overhang. I think there's a half dozen or so. The juveniles eat caterpillars and other bad bugs. And the birds are all over the garden looking for a meal. One predatory insect I'm worried about is the Dragonfly. I saw some early in the spring but with this drought and no rain there isn't the small puddles of standing water they need for their nymphs to grow in. I haven't seen them like I have in the past.
I bet if you had enough of them you could collect that poop and use it like EWC.
THATS A GOOD THING!
They eat so much faster and produce more castings than red wriglers that's for sure. If you could keep a population in rotation for long enough, but I think the seasonal life cycle would be hard to maintain the population.
