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WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 29 JULY 19, 2013
Free Republic | 7/19/2013 | greeneyes

Posted on 07/19/2013 12:45:12 PM PDT by greeneyes

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.


TOPICS: Gardening
KEYWORDS: agriculture; food; gardening; garlic; hobby; squash; strawberryrocks
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To: greeneyes
Are the rest of you texans getting any good rain?

Heck no. We got some sprinkles, but that's it. Everything seems to avoid the Hill Country.

41 posted on 07/19/2013 1:44:34 PM PDT by Sarajevo (Don't think for a minute that this excuse for a President has America's best interest in mind.)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks
I bought “purple beauty” seeds from a Missouri seed store. They resemble jalapenos but are not nearly as hot. Anyone know a good use ? Salsa ? Also; my pimentos are big and green. Do they eventually turn red ?

I did a little research and it seems that purple beauty peppers are very good in salsa.

They really are beautiful peppers:

I've never grown pimentos, but as they mature they should turn red. They should be sweeter at that point, too.

42 posted on 07/19/2013 1:47:34 PM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Lol! I was wondering! Canned vegetable items, even those preserved with acids such as vinegar, are not permitted for sale. I can sell jams, jellies, and homemade and home baked goods (i.e. bread, cupcakes, fudge), but not homemade and canned hot pepper butter (ground hot peppers, sugar, vinegar, water, mustard, flour, salt) and hot pepper relish (ground hot peppers, sugar, vinegar). I can sell salsa ingredients, but if I chop them up and mix them together I’m in violation of the health code. Silly isn’t it? They’re from the government and they’re here to help!


43 posted on 07/19/2013 1:47:59 PM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
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To: rightly_dividing

My melons are finally taking off. At least half are around 60 DTM, so I am hoping that there is plenty of time for them to mature.

Our local save a lot has had some really great round watermelons available, so we have been buying a couple every week. If I hit a lull in the cukes and beans, I am thinking about making some pickled watermelon rind. The nutritional value of the rind is really good.

All hubby’s melons died - spring was too cold. I planted my seeds indoors and waited till the weather was reliably warm before transplanting - that actually gives me growth that is behind where I would have expected in a normal season, but it is better than if I waited to plant them till the weather got warm enough to plant outdoors.


44 posted on 07/19/2013 1:48:32 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: mlizzy

What a lovely garden! I’m sorry about your squash. :(


45 posted on 07/19/2013 1:49:35 PM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: fwdude

Hope you get what you need to get a good harvest and fill up the reservoirs.


46 posted on 07/19/2013 1:49:44 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

NO it’s always the food safety excuse around here. Well, I know who I would trust to can food, and who I wouldn’t, and I don’t need some government dude or dudette telling me buyer beware.

I can beware all on my own.


47 posted on 07/19/2013 1:52:54 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: mlizzy

Butternuts are (mostly) immune to SVB’s. Especially if started early enough to really get a good ‘running start’ prior to the emergence of the SVB’s.

They do take much more room than ordinary yellow squash and zucchinis though. You can trellis them but they lose part of the resistance if you do that because they can’t put down roots at each leaf node along the running vine part.

If you’ve got someplace to let them run (mine run in my yard and I just weedeat ahead of them to give them an easier time of it) and depending on the length of your growing season you might try regular old waltham butternut or seminole pumpkin. My squash and zucchini plants are always SVB magnets. When they get afflicted I pull them up and burn them and replant.

YMMV.

I grow 500-700+lbs of winter squashes every summer. Organically for the last couple years. C. Moschata (the family that butternut is in) is the one that’s ‘resistant’ to SVB’s. If you go to the rareseeds site (baker creek) they will list the variety in the description of the various winter squashes.

If you want a c. moschata type ‘summer/zucchini’ squash try ‘tromboncino’(sp). You can eat those like summer squash or zucchini when they’re young and when allowed to mature they’ll keep long term (several months) just like regular winter squash.

Lovely little garden patch, BTW. Ants took over my geraniums this year and I eventually gave up. There’s something about those particular containers and ants.


48 posted on 07/19/2013 1:53:53 PM PDT by Black Agnes
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To: rightly_dividing

Oh gee whiz that is painful to even think about. That’s almost 2 feet. You might be better off with conainer gardening.


49 posted on 07/19/2013 1:54:59 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes

I recently read what looks like a good idea in a magazine. Before your strawberries ripen and turn red, paint some strawberry-sized ROCKS “strawberry red”. Birds are supposed to peck on the hard-rock “strawberries” and go away mad and not come back any time soon. Saw this in “Living the Country Life” magazine. Gonna try it. - We put some beer in the red plastic lids that KFC puts out in their chicken meals. Just the right size and height to put around the strawberries. Slugs had a beer party.


50 posted on 07/19/2013 1:55:46 PM PDT by Twinkie (John 3:16)
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To: trisham

You are welcome.


51 posted on 07/19/2013 1:56:30 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes

Thanks. We need a good fall harvest.


52 posted on 07/19/2013 1:58:24 PM PDT by fwdude ( You cannot compromise with that which you must defeat.)
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To: mlizzy

Leaves that yellow at the bottom are a common issue here. We pull them all off and destroy them, since soil borne problems are not unusual.

Sometimes yellow leaves mean a shortage of nitrogen, or one of the trace elements/minerals.

There’s just so many things it could be, it’s hard to pin down. I usually check for aphids and bugs first. Then I pull off the yellow leaves and give it a good dose of fertilizer, and watch to see if it recovers.

If hubby has to use an insecticide, he uses one that is dispersed by morning, so that it won’t hurt the bees, and he won’t use it on anything once blooms are all around. I just stick to pepper/onion/garlic mix.


53 posted on 07/19/2013 2:03:35 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: Arrowhead1952
You're lucky. Medina Lake is 5.0% full as of 2013-07-19

http://waterdatafortexas.org/reservoirs/statewide

54 posted on 07/19/2013 2:10:08 PM PDT by Sarajevo (Don't think for a minute that this excuse for a President has America's best interest in mind.)
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To: Arrowhead1952

We bought some regular trash cans once to use in a pinch, and lots of 5 gallon buckets, which are a nice size to use. When they are full, we can put the lid on and stack them up, and put out others to catch the new rainfall.

Our plan is to set up a swimming pool and collect runoff from the roof. Use mosquito dunks and cover the pool. We should be able to adjust the filter to back hose setting and pump water to the garden with some adjustments.

We’d really like a cistern, but that’s pretty expensive, so the pool is a good step for now. It’ll hold 4000 gallons.


55 posted on 07/19/2013 2:11:53 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Turbo. It wasn't very good, but then again, I'm not 6 years old. I was there more for security than to enjoy the movie. Daughter has 3 that are 6 and under. Easier to have 2 adults ride herd.

/johnny

56 posted on 07/19/2013 2:17:48 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: rightly_dividing

Birds are a big help keeping incsects and bugs under control. Werns in particular perfer bugs to plants, and they are territorial, so will chase other birds away from your berries etc.


57 posted on 07/19/2013 2:18:04 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: Sarajevo

So sorry to hear it. You may have to garden like the desert southwest.


58 posted on 07/19/2013 2:19:29 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes
She sends them home for me to use. I'm too far away for her to frequent my pantry. I do tend to send them home produce, though. Son-in-law sent a special request for more tomatoes. ;)

/johnny

59 posted on 07/19/2013 2:21:19 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: Twinkie

Beer works every time!


60 posted on 07/19/2013 2:24:18 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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