WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD MARCH 31, 2017

freerepublic | 3/31/2017 | greeenyes

[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.

[Benno van Archimboldi]

Thanks much...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

And now it’s too NICE to be inside, today, LOL!

I’ve still got some pruning to do on the Lilac Hedge (which has NEVER been pruned until *I* got here!) and then I’m going to tackle the barn and haul stuff to the burn pile; feed sacks and such.

It’s a nice calm, warm day (already 51!) with wet ground from recent rains, so it’s a good day to burn stuff.

Don’t tell any EnviroWeenies on me, K? ;)

[MightyMama]

Nope, no original branches are alive, and I have no idea if its apples are any good because it hasn’t borne since we moved in. But it bravely puts out leaves and a few flowers in the spring. I’m just fond of it because it has character, and hopefully one day I will find out if it has apples. :)

The Charlottesville guy sounds awesome. Having learned how to veggie garden to SOME extent (food on the table and jars on the shelves) I’m tackling fruit this year.

[ladyjane]

Here is the website and contact information for the heirloom apple grafting guy.

http://heirloomappletree.com/contact.html

You don’t have to drive to Shenandoah Valley. You can send him the twigs through the mail. He’s a wealth of information about apple varieties.

http://heirloomappletree.com/contact.html

[mythenjoseph]

Not much to say really....Spring is trying like heck to take over ...but winter is being stubborn...the songbirds are here and growing in number so it cant be far off. For those that don’t know me I am writing/posting from Waterville , Maine.

[Rebelbase]

Had the garden turned last fall and finally got a gully washer of 2+ inches this week that broke up and melted the clay clods.

[Rebelbase]

I’m getting flashbacks to the rotten mango fights we used to have when we were kids.

Or the joy of hitting a big fat rotten one with the push mower.

[Rebelbase]

Anyone here ever try blue or red potatoes? Not the skin but the flesh color.

[Rebelbase]

You must have a big dog for it to be able to read the sign up that high.

[Daffynition]

How did you guess? Plenty of Big Dogs here!

And a new Big Dog*about to grow into her big feet*

[Fai Mao]

“Or the joy of hitting a big fat rotten one with the push mower.”

I was off island for about two weeks once when the tree fruited. When I came back the grass was knee high and I just mowed without picking up the mangoes. I mowed over them. I was told that you could smell mangoes for three blocks from our house.

Yeah, in a wicked way it was really fun.

[tubebender]

GOOD DOG...

[tubebender]

I grew some purple fingerlings 20 years and their still coming up down in the orchard. I don’t remember what they tasted like as the color was a turn off...

[tubebender]

I stopped at this sidewalk succulent sale on the way hame from breakfast with old friends this morning. I bought four plus a Gazania…

[Daffynition]

I'm running a circus here [without the tent!] :)

So much for the lettuce seeds I planted...

http://images54.fotki.com/v1642/photos/9/127099/8283768/608313307-video.mp4

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Nice! Succulents are ALL the rage these days.

[tubebender]

Damn Dog...

[Kay Ludlow]

Cullman Cty, nice place. My uncle, Ret AF Col. lived in the county. My cousin still does, but since he had BDS, and now a worse case of TDS, I’m not sure whether or not to count him as a relative! LOL!

Better gardening weather than PA though...

[leaning conservative]

Was this outside someone’s house? I would be thrilled to come across something like that!

[Ellendra]

It's hard to think about gardening right now. I lost my favorite "assistant" this week:



Snuggles found me out deer hunting back in 2005. I heard this yowling echo through the whole valley, and thought one of the barn cats had gotten caught in a coyote trap! Instead it was this little ball of fur, someone had abandoned her out there. She was screaming for me to wait up, while she ran to me and jumped in my arms.

I've never met a cat as friendly as she was. She would beg to be picked up and cuddled. When company came over, she was right there to greet them. And when they left, she'd wander through the house trying to figure out where they went.

One time, I was dozing on the couch while dad was doing some electrical work in the basement. (This was when I was having dizzy spells and could barely walk.) He'd warned us that the fire alarm might go off, but only because he was testing it. When the alarm sounded, I just put a pillow over my ears and ignored it. But Snuggles, oh no. She raced in circles around the room, saw I wasn't getting up, then jumped on the sofa and started pawing at my face! You could hear it in her meow, she was saying "Get up! Get up! Something's wrong! Get up!"

I patted her on the head, and she actually shrugged, decided that if I wasn't worried then neither was she, and curled up on the pillow next to me. All with the alarm still going off!

A little over a year ago she was diagnosed with cancer. This week she lost that fight.

The sweetest kitty in the world is gone.