u/Other_Cell_706

Did anyone else get this on their phone this morning? WTH?

UPDATE: You all are my favorite reddit community for a reason. Thank you for the quick input. I had to transfer it all to a smaller bowl, but I finally got it to fit in the fridge and I am done for the night 🌙. I can rest easy thanks to you all!

Look, I'm tired. I got in over my head and started making too many things at one time. I don't know why my to-do list is always 5 more things than I can handle, but it is. I have a problem.

Now that you've all accepted me as I am, please help me.

I am making the Hot Pickle Mix from the 38th Edition Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving. It's a water bath canning recipe. It says to combine all (minus one ingredient) of the vegetables in the recipe in a large bowl and pour 4 quarts of salt water over it, then let stand for 1hr.

What happens if I go to bed? And finish this in the morning? So instead of standing for 1hr, my vegetables stand for more like 15hrs? Should I instead pack the vegetables up (I already cut them up and have them in a giant bowl) and put them in the fridge until tomorrow before soaking them in the salt water?

Vegetables in question: cukes, pearl onions, variety of hot peppers, bell peppers, carrots, and cauliflower.

None of the others are like this. Main character syndrome I think. VT/NY border.

Edit: I want to thank everyone for chipping in with their pepper growth update! I feel less panicked and Ill wait another week now that this heat wave has passed. I am going to do another soil test just in case because that never hurts. Also, congrats to those who are already getting major growth on their plants (teach us your ways 🪄🎩✨️🔮). Fingers crossed we will ALL have some added spice to our lives in the coming weeks. Happy gardening! 🌶 ❤️

Trying to find out from a more local group how everyone's peppers have been doing in the heat. My plants are huge (many over 2ft tall) and lush, most are flowering, but none are fruiting.

I'm hoping it's just from the heat wave and theyll bounce back. My fertilizing has been conservative but consistent (all organic) and watering has been on schedule.

If everyone else has peppers growing but me, then I know Im the problem. Which really sucks because I have 3 beds just like this one.

EDIT 1: ADDED IN A COMMENT BUT TLDR I DID COLD STRAT ALL BUT THE CHIVES

EDIT 2: Please find the comment from me. It's got the updates. At this point, I've narrowed it down to the topsoil being the culprit. Any input on that would be really helpful.

This area was excavated as part of a lawn/driveway redo. I ordered topsoil from a local supplier who swore up and down it was screened (and also had compost in it). In late April, I planted thousands of native seeds: Coneflower, rudbeckia, columbine, etc. I also threw in chives as filler and some QIS bowling ball poppies in one small area.

I have been checking on them regularly. Two weeks ago (so about 3 weeks post seeding), I saw seedlings popping, but they were uber tiny. Yesterday, I went out to weed the area, figuring they'd be big enough now that I could tell the difference between the actual wildflowers vs. any weeds that might be in the top soil.

This is statistically impossible, yet not ONE flower seedling has germinated. The area is entirely overrun with invasives that could only have come from the topsoil: lady's thumb, hairy crabgrass, velvet leaf, black locust, etc. I almost started crying, and Im not a cryer.

This is the most discouraging thing. I think I need to start all over. Ill cover the whole area around the existing plants (native bee balm, violets, prairie dropseed, ferns, cat mint...the trees are lilacs - i know, I know- i grabbed and moved from the property) with cardboard to smother out the invasives, order garden soil in bags in bulk to make sure this doesn't happen again, mulch over the entire thing, and then just carve out pockets where I want to plant new seeds this fall for spring germination? And for this season, just carve out spots in the mulch and plant some native self seeders.

I don't know. If this were my only project, I might not feel overwhelmed. But im doing an interior home reno, a large vegetable garden, and several other fairly major outdoor projects right now.

I was also planning on seeding tons of sunflowers on the back row of this area. Do I even bother?

My ostrich ferns are starting to pop! I mowed down a large area next to this patch last autumn where a crowd of multiflora rose had taken over. This spring, my ferns have doubled, covering the area where the MFR was. Win! (I still have tons of removal to do, but not there at least.)