Posted on 06/20/2014 12:30:26 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.
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Busy week. Haven't been on line much, barely had time to water the garden. Have to get out later and pull some weeds. I had a couple of sections that weren't planted, so the weeds started.
Have made some sort of sour dough bread every other day. Trying different recipes and techniques to see which we like best.
Have some nice medium size green tomatoes going, some peppers starting on the pepper plants, and some peas are still alive in the containers.
Have pulled most of the garlic. I did finally get some good size bulbs and I dried them in front of the fan, since it started raining shortly after they were pulled. I usually just let them lay on the wooden timbers at the edge of the garden for a while.
The washing machine sprang a leak, the dryer quit working, and the apartment washer quit right in the middle of a load. So I have done laundry the old fashioned way. Really got the muscles in my hands and fore arms a workout. Was able to dry them in the dryer, so I didn't have to hang a clothes line.
Repair man came and fixed the main washer and dryer. The apartment unit needs a new motor, but they have quit making the part, so that's it. The dryer still works, and the unit is attached together, so we probably won't replace it for a while.
I have some mystery plants coming up in the midst of the lettuce containers. Looks like a melon or squash vine. I'll be backtracking last week's thread to catch up on what I missed this week.
Hope everyone is doing well, and wishing you all a great weekend. God Bless
Pinging the List.
What is the preferred home recipe for something to spray on plants to keep the bugs off? Ants seem to be a problem on my peach trees. Not sure what is eating the topmost leaves of my pear trees. The nutria in the pond behind my house has discovered my small sunflower plants.
I’ve been thinking Tabasco and dish-soap but freepers give the best advice. What do you suggest?
It’s an all out war here: Me vs. bunnies. I’m using tactics unapproved by the Geneva Convention. I lure them into the Hav-A-Heart trap, and then take them away from neighbors’ prying eyes and dispatch them with my air rifle.
Although I have no experience with fruit trees, I spray neem oil on everything for every issue: slugs, cabbage moths, blight, you name it. It works on everything except large critters.
after some late snows, my potatoes are coming up.
As goodwithagun stated, neem oil is good, but tabasco and soap also works. If you are overloaded with bugs and are careful, malathion will take care of them.
Bunnies are good eatin’! Easy to clean, too.
I’m thinking that would work. I have an all purpose spray that works on most of the insects around here:
Chop up an onion and a handfull of garlic cloves and put them in a quart jar. Add a few tsp of cayenne pepper, and fill the jar with hot boiling water. Let it sit overnight.
Strain and add a couple of drops of dish washing liquid and a couple of drops of oil to the liquid. Put it into a spray bottle and shake it up before using.
I was very skeptical of this when I tried it. Just after I filled the spray bottle the first time, I saw a bug running across the basement floor, squirted him, and 30 seconds later he was laying belly up dead as a doornail.
SSSSHHHHH! NSA is listening and watching.LOL
Thanks for the ping, worked great.
Another awesome day in Central Missouri. Garden is rocking!
My romaine lettuce has all bolted in the past couple days, along with most of my radishes, so I’ve been feeding that stuff to the chickens. One more picking on the snow peas and I think they’ll be chicken food as well.
Kentucky Wonder beans have vined to the top of the fence, cucumbers are halfway there.
Garlic is turning brown and falling over so I’ll be digging that in the next few days.
I can start digging spuds any time now. I uncovered one plant and it that one is any indication I’m going to have a nice crop.
Broccoli and cauliflower are ready to harvest.
I’m not sure how much of that I’ll accomplish this weekend. Mrs. Augie is out of town so I’m going fishing tomorrow morning and to the dirt track races tomorrow night.
Greeneyes sent me this one back in May:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3154134/posts?page=225#225
Great news. I usually don’t even plant potatoes, because they are so cheap at the grocery.
However, I like potato skins, but I don’t like to eat pesticides, so I thought I would grow some of my own just so I could feel better about eating the skins.
They were so easy, I expanded this year. My favortie thing to plant so far. Just put them in the ground April 1 - 15. Cover with straw, and forget them till they grow a little and add some more straw.
Collect a few small ones to sample after they are blooming, and dig them up later for storage. Easiest planting, harvest, and preservation of anything I have every grown.
You are welcome.
Sounds like a fun weekend. You got a lot done last week, so it’s a good time to have a little fun - Yes?
I was sorry to read about you selling your herd, but I do know that I too wouldn’t miss all that work. I’d do it if I had to, put right now we don’t have to, so no animals except the dog for us.
I’d love to have my own pastured chicken eggs, but even that’s too much trouble.
My wife lets me dispatch the tree rats but not the bunnies. When a dog comes around they will run to her for protection. Luckily we have enough wild grass and violets to keep them from eating too much out of the gardens.
Life is awful when the W/D goes out. I’ve had to do just what you did, way too often.
Good to hear about those tomaters and peppers.
When you get the sourdough recipes sorted through, let me know! lol
Well, the whole wheat biscuit recipe is pretty much done. Now I am trying different ways and sorts of baking pans.
Still working on the bread. Last batch was doing great, taste and texture is good, just didn’t rise quite high enough to suit me.
Recipes so far use a mixture of the home grown, ground wheat, and all purpose flour, but I do have a recipe for a 100% sourdough that I want to try at some point.
I’m probably going to make some traditional sandwich bread tonight since we are out of store bought. It’ll be a kind of french type bread- not sour dough. I love sour dough, but hubby would rather have the other.
When we first got married, I used to bake all our bread, and we never bought bread from the store, but my skills are a bit rusty, so I thought I’d practice.
Going to teach the children how after I’m back up to speed.
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