Posted on 04/11/2014 12:34:19 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.
All of the plants I started last week have at least one (some have more) that has produced some teeny green leaves barely poking through the seed starter.
So I went to see the Governor today, at a nearby town, and was able to give a brief comment. I focused on the success in maintaining our AAA bond rating. And challeneged the state government to continue to be fiscally responsible.(Enough of the politcs on to the gardening).
Since this town has a Lowe's I was able to swing by that store to get some mushroom compost at a reasonible price. Of course I also ran across some large bags of vermiculite, a gardening book on Gardening in Missouri, and some slow release fertilizer granuales to restock my dwindling supply.
Mr. Tomato Plant in a six inch pot has grown two main branches. One is about 3 1/2 feet, and the other is at least 6 feet. It's water requirements are such that I am now watering it 3 times/day. Will be rigging up a ceramic holder for watering using a 1 liter soda bottle, so that it gets a continuous supply daily.
Lemon tree has some large lemons that are still green, some pea sized lemons from the last blooming, and is now putting on more blooms, so the air will be heavy with fragrance soon.
Here's a link to a thread about planting tomatoes, in case anyone is interested.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3142431/posts
Have a great weekend. God Bless
Pinging the List:
Ahhh...How nice to have a gardening thread here. Such a nice, benevolent break for the incessant politics. This site is FreeRepublic, which is what America is created to be. And after all, America is really what the joy of gardening is about, much more than what an out of control federal government is about.
Thanks for the kind words. I am just trying to keep alive and relearn the ways of my grandparents who made it through the great depression in a shack on a tiny farm where they were able to take care of themselves and their children.
In addition trying to help as many who are interested to be able to provide great quality food and nutrition for their families.
My tomato plants that I set out three weeks ago have doubled in size. Most of them have a few blooms.
My green beans are about 3 inches tall.
I planted three hills of cucumbers and only two plants came up. So I replanted.
My purple hull peas weren’t coming up so I dug them up, watered the seeds and re-covered them. They’re now coming up.
For some reason only one of the two rolls of okra came up and it won’t need to be thinned.
I guess it just hasn’t been hot enough.
Beautiful weather here in Central Missouri this week. I noticed yesterday that two of my plum trees have started to bloom. Asparagus is coming, rhubarb is coming, broccoli and cauliflowers all got froze and killed a couple weeks ago, so I’ll be replanting some of that stuff over the weekend. Maybe put out another orchard tree or two. Mrs. Augie wants a HoneyCrisp apple but I haven’t been able to find them locally so I guess I’ll have to go the mail order route on that.
Almost all plants germinate better at temperatures above 70 degrees, as long as it’s not scorching hot. Planting in soil outdoors in the spring at temps lower than that, means much slower germination - even for the so called cool crops.
That's one guzzling, high maintenance 'mater plant. What river can you tap into when it really gets hot? (;
Our fruit trees are beginning to bud also. We planted them in 2010 and 2011. The extreme drought killed on of the apple trees.
Last year we did have peaches that started to grow, but they were so stunted, that we decided to pull them off, and allow the tree to regain it’s vigor from the drought.
We are hoping to get some fruit from the trees this year.
The real issue is all roots and not much soil. It’a cherry tomato, and I planted it in a 6 inch pot intending to replant it into a larger pot, which I never got around to.
I am planning on burying the pot in the ground, and then digging a trench to the side for the large stalk which is hanging down, pulling off the leaves, and covering at least 18” with soil. I’ll put the continuous watering as needed bottle/ceramic gizmo in the pot, and water the trenched part as normal.
Which just proves that you are indispensable. Thanks for starting the thread every week.
/johnny
Yes you mentioned that long hanging down ‘mater stalk a few threads back. I have a few ‘maters started in Feb with real long stalks so when I plant them next week going to dig a deep hole and cover just below the branching leaves and add in compost too plus crushed egg shells since they like calcium. I’m hoping this will develop a shorter but thicker stalk. What do you think ‘mater expert?
Plus we wound up utting out 4 other pots and 3 whiskey barrells. We have everything out and growing. The cucumbers, tomatoes and carrots have really sprouted. All are about 6" tall after 2 weeks. The only thing still under ground are the poblano peppers. The leeks, rosemary, sage, thyme tomatillos (we had to go plants as the seeds wouldnt germinate)are all growing well. Our Lemon tree has put on about 10 buds. Its still pretty small only about 4 feet tall. Hopefully we will get some fruit this year. Will post some pictures when I get out from behind this coporate firewall :)
No one person is indispensable, but thanks.LOL
Nice pictures. I hope my crops will start producing soon.
None of my cherry tomato seeds have sprouted. Not one.
It’s beautiful!
Well, since each little joint will put out roots I was planning on picking off the leaves, starting at the place where the plant naturally strikes the ground after planting the little pot.
From that point I am picking off the leaves for about 18 inches in lenth. Placeing that lenght in a trench of several inches deep (my soil starts to clay up after about 6-8 inches.
Once the roots have developed they will decide how deep they need to go all on their own. YMMV
Thanks for sharing the pictues. Those are some good looking veggies.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.