WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 37 SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

freerepublic | September 11, 2015 | greeneyes

[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. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - 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.

[USMCPOP]

I didn’t serve in the military, just the Peace Corps. I got my username when my older son joined the USMC and I was supporting him. Thanks for the thoughts.

I passed through some nice country on 9/11 between Richmond, VA and Culpeper. Many lovely patches of tickseed sunflower (bidens aristosa) along the roadside in bloom now. The most cheerful bright yellow.

In Mineral, VA the main street was lined with flags. Mineral is very close to the epicenter of the 2011 earthquake that cracked the Washington Monument.

[Augie]

It’s been a busy last two weeks at my house.

#1 Marine Daughter and her Marine boyfriend flew in for a visit on the 31st of last month. BF had never been to this part of the country so he was given the whirlwind tour. Camping, canoeing, farmer stuff, wood chopping, fence painting, state parks, boat riding on the Missouri River, our favorite local eateries, etc.

I got a bunch more work done on the pond. Pasture mowing is wrapped up for the year so I’ll be switching that tractor over to the moldboard plow this week and get the first strips turned over for the commercial tomato patch.

I picked another five gallons of green beans and barely made a dent in what was there. Started some green salad seeds to transplant into the cold frame for fall. The greens I planted in the garden a few weeks back are up and looking good.

I got into a nest of ground hornets on Saturday while taking down a temporary fence around a row of orchard trees. Fortunately I was only stung one time on my right ankle, but I had quite a bad reaction to it. There’s a blister the size of a pencil eraser at the sting, and my foot and ankle are swollen so badly it’s difficult getting a shoe on. Within an hour of being stung my lips started to tingle and swell so I downed a double-dose of Benadryl and managed to avoid a visit to the ER. I’ve had literally hundreds of bee stings over the years and lately it seems that each time I’m stung the reaction is worse than the time before. I think it might be time for me to start keeping an Epi-Pen nearby when I’m working outdoors.

[Ellendra]

This was a more profitable weekend than I was expecting.

There were 2 family reunions this weekend, for different branches of the family. The first one was at my aunt and uncle's tree farm. While I was off exploring, I saw that one of the medicinal herbs I'd been looking for was growing all over the place. I asked, and they didn't know anything about it, but said I could take as many weeds as I wanted to. My aunt even loaned me her shovel and gardening gloves.

In less than an hour, I had 2 grocery bags so full of poke root that I could hardly carry them! Poke root is a low-dose botanical, good for clearing the lymphatic system. It's also one that is easy to find buyers for on the herbs market. One of the roots I got was the size of a mangel!

Then on Sunday, we went to a relative's house in IL for the next reunion. I looked out the window and saw a hillside covered in Solomon's Seal, which I had also been looking for! Out near my farm, it seems like everybody has it except me. Again, I asked, and they handed me a shovel and said I could take as much as I wanted. Their soil was a lot harder to dig through, and my bad shoulder was already stressed from the day before, so I didn't last as long. But, I did get a gallon-sized zip bag about half full of the roots, and a sandwich baggie full of ripe berries to plant. Solomon's seal is good for muscle and connective tissue problems. I'm hoping it will help my fibromyalgia. And the fact that it's worth $4 a pound is a bonus :)

And then, today, I made muffins with my home-grown flour corn:




They look a little dark because I used brown sugar, and the "skin" of each kernal was red. The different colors have slightly different flavors, and according to the woman who developed this variety, the red ones are best in something sweet. I wanted sweet muffins, so I used red. If I wanted savory muffins, the brown would be best. And the white tastes like pancakes.

These muffins came out soft and tasty, not gritty like with cornmeal. And, they actually held together! They act like a muffin made with white flour, but I didn't use any. Just the corn flour :)

Now, off to see how my sunflowers are doing!

[greeneyes]

I am going to slice some peppers for stir fry and freeze them this week. I am not going to do much gardening until after my surgery - just too many things to do right now.

I really haven’t heard about freezing okra. I don’t grow it, and I don’t cook it, and don’t eat it either. LOL

[greeneyes]

Life is good, but your’s is better than good - you got MATERS! LOL

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the pics. That’s some good looking salsa!

[greeneyes]

Yes it is past time, I think -better go to your PCP and get the Rx.

[greeneyes]

Muffins look good. I’ve never used corn flour before.

[tillacum]

That looks soooo good.

[MomwithHope]

just want to ping everyone, Johnny’s last chemo is today. Many here are praying for him.

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the update. Prayers are up everyday!

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

MomwithHope :" just want to ping everyone, Johnny’s last chemo is today..."

Glad to hear it,.. for his sake !
The only thing I know is that ginger , or ginger snap cookies, seems to control nausea caused by chemo.
I keep him in my nightly prayers, and think of him ,and his contributions to this forum ,often.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

tflabo :" Have an idea to get a back hoe and dig some mammoth starter tree holes and fill in with dyna dirt.
The fruit trees closest to the blackberry patch seem to survive ok.
Micro-regional soil issues perhaps as well."

Consider 'trench composting' this fall to expand soil tillability .
It is especially beneficial with fall leaves (free)and any manure you can find.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

greeneyes :" Apples. Congrats. We are still waiting for some - been 5 years.
We have the dwarf trees, and plan to use nets if we ever get any fruit."

It sounds like the dwarfs trees are complacent, as you should have had flowers and fruit from dwarf trees in 2-3 years from planting 2 year old plants .
The possible cure sounds unconventional.
It sounds strange but consider striking the trees in the Spring with a baseball bat, not enough to damage, but enough for them to seek replacement flowers/fruit.
Strike the trees above the graft on the fruiting branch that you are trying to stimulate.
Doubt me ? -fine. Then just try it on half the trees .
I have expierienced this , myself.

[greeneyes]

No doubts here, I am aware of stress related improved production. Tend to forget about it though. We have had flowers, but for some of them, the Missouri cool spring/frost could be an explanation.

One or two trees had some very small fruit - pencil eraser size. I have assumed that the drought we had two summers back did damage that hasn’t been offset yet. I know that the trees didn’t get as much water as they should have.

The wild blackberries used to be very prolific and produced big juicy berries. They haven’t recovered either. Only a handful to eat this year. The other issue is they are all too close to the walnut tree. Hubby was not aware (me either)of that effect.

I mentally kick myself now and then for not double checking, but he’s so knowledgeable, I just assumed he would know the best place to plant them. We are in the process of planting a few others in the back yard well away from the walnut trees.

Front yard so far has killed all the trees except what was already here. Used to be part of a tiff cut, and refurbishment continues. Thanks for the reminder, I’ll try to remember it come spring.