Posted on 03/20/2008 9:07:46 AM PDT by Gabz
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, I know.......many folks are still covered in snow others are facing other horrendous weather issues. They are all in our thoughts and prayers.
HOWEVER - at 1:26 Eastern this afternoon Spring officially begins.
Trying to find articles about the first day of spring was practically an impossibility. Oh sure, there were some out there but most of them were real downers, so I decided today might be a great share some of our favorite gardening websites.
The categories of gardening and seed catalogs on my favorites list are both as long as my arm, but I grabbed a couple of my favorites to post here.
Many of thee links have forums, email newsletters, etc.........and best of all --- most are free!!!
Gardening Ping!!!!!!!!
I usually just google my question and dig around a while.
Oops! I honestly didn’t mean to say dig!
I haven’t found an awesome gardening forum yet.
FR is unparalleled as far as forums go. As a result, I tend to judge other forums rather harshly.
The sun is shining here on the Eastern Shore, but the wind is absolutely wicked. Working outside is out ofthe question.
Like you, I’m very discriinating in regard to forums, so participate in very few :)
Most of the sites I have in my favorites are from google searches I have done for one reason or another.
We'll just have to wait another couple of months to see what happens.
Good for you! Good luck with them and keep us posted.
Thanks for reminding me of that one. It’s on my list, but hadn’t stopped by in a while.
Cool!
I’m jealous!
WOW!!!!!!!!!!
They look SUPER!
Like previous "in ground" years, I'll have to break out the bird netting as soon as they turn red. The sparrows and mockingbirds love to take one big peck, and then leave.
They apparently forget they didn't like 'em, because the same thing will happen the next day.
I’m doing the upside down thing with mine. We’ll see how it turns out. They’ve only been in their buckets for a week now.
May I be the first to say — YIPPEE!!!
The Sun is shining in my window here, reminding me that it’s time I got my big ass off this chair and went on some non-gay frolicking. Uh, oops, forgot to put on pants.
Oh well, too late now!!!
That is just over 15 minutes away!
If you are into natural solutions to gardening, see this website. I've almost gotten totally away from harsh chemicals for gardening an lawn care.
LOL!!!!!!
Great. Thanks, that’s a new one for me.
I’m like you and try to avoid any of the chemicals I can.
I aerated my yard twice since we had rain and my grass is so green again. The compost from the past few years is still doing its job.
The Hood pear tree that came with my fig trees is showing signs of life and the Pineapple pear I found at our local co-op is going great! My fig trees still have not budded. :(
I told my wife that I wanted to expand the garden this year. I had two small raised beds last year. I wanted to rent a tiller and she said why don't you try the tiller your Dad had? What tiller? The one in storage!
I did not know there was a tiller in storage! It was still in its unopened box along with other boxes of attachments. My Dad bought the tiller in 1994 and never opened the box! The receipt was still in the box. He bought the tiller when was 74 from Gardeners Supply. He had plans.
It is one of those small ones like a Troy-built you see on TV all the time. I assembled it Sunday, filled it with fuel and it started right up after I primed it. I told my wife that I did not think this thing was going to be able to what I wanted a tiller for.
I was wrong. After bouncing around and tearing up the sod it finally dug in and actually worked! It took me about an hour to define the garden area and rake out the grass and roots. Then It really started to dig in. Then more raking for roots and grass. Monday I really got it going and digging and churning deep. Another one of those Lagniappes that just happen outa no where!
I am waiting after the rains we have had to mix in some of my compost.
Mental image, mental image. Now I won’t be able to get that out of my head. ;-p
Oh boy! They look good enough to .... well, they are ready to eat yet. Can just taste fresh homegrown tomatoes.
I hate you. :)
Bump - for later
So far this is the only gardening forum I look forward to, although I do cruise the net some. Where else can you get ideas from gardening, and politics at almost the same time, maybe we should call it the political potato, I know thats pretty corney, could’nt help myself. LOL!
I goofed up and my mix was too mulchy, so it’s sinking down and exposing the roots. It is getting lower and lower every time I water.
I never said I was good at this! I’ll keep trying until I am. I’m pretty limited on space and experience. I eventually want to get to the point where I am skilled enough through experience and planning to prevent having to buy veggies all summer.
Good for you!
I want one, but I’m not allowed to waste such money on anything but guns and ammo!
Just kidding-If we had a big enough space, he would relent.
We borrowed one this year and kind of spruced it up before we gave it back.
Also, guns and ammo aren’t really a waste of money! : )
Grow some in containers. I had one in a container last year “Early Girl” that produced into late Nov.! Best thing you can do is grow more and more tomatoes than you will ever eat fresh. Slow roast them in the oven with a little olive oil and if you have any left after tasting them, freeze them. Great for sauces! Cooked tomatoes are supposed to be better, antioxidant wise, for you from what I have heard.
How about the PoliticoPatio?
Happy first day of spring!
It’s been a crazy one here on the east coast! Big tstorm rolled thru last night. It was 70 most of the night and when I got up. By noon the temp had dropped to jsut above 50, then warmed back up to about mid 60’s. Sposed to be in the high 30’s tonight.
Tommorrow is going to be insane at the garden center. It’s Good Friday—gotta plant! Nevermind that the weatherman —he lies and gets paid to!— is calling for snow flurries Sun night /Mon. Inland maybe, here on the coast—doubtful. They just like the S word. It’s like the H word. They can’t help themselves.
Sounds like many of you are off to a great start! Hope your season goes well and your crops do beautifully!
My field got plowed this afternoon!!!!!!!!!
Oh happy day! And he’s going to come back and redo it again tomorrow after it has dried out some more with the wind!!!!
It looks like I might just actually get stuff in the ground this coming week!!!!!
Congrats! Mine got plowed, but that’s it. No discing, no rows made. Sigh
If they wait much longer, I’ll be too busy to worry about it! LOL
He’s going to disc after he reruns the plow tomorrow...........the rows are hubby’s job!
Birthday? What b’day, hubby will be working out there on Sunday on his b’day -— and he’s the one that volunteered, I never even mentioned it!!!!!!!
I wouldn’t say anything if I were you! Not a word! LOL
When we first moved onto this property in 1979 I asked a "Custom Farmer" to till a area for a new garden with his wheel tractor and I got a lesson in soil management! He said you never till wet clay soil, you plow it first and after it dries he would make one pass with the disc. I have never forgotten that lesson and now that I have all raised beds I plant a cover crop of oats, whack it down, put the grass on the compost pile and SPADE the bed. Then we rake it and plant it and the big TRoybilt sits in the yonder shed wondering what it did to deserve this fate.
I got run out of the green house for being a klutz and was ordered to plant the remaining 36 Tri-Star strawberries. I spaded it up,raked it smooth, marked out 3 rows a foot apart and 12 feet long and planted the berries. Then I sat down and napped to wake up to 4 Black Tail deer munching on a bed of oats. Temp was 59 in the garden but the soil temps are still 42 degrees...
My name may be Gabz -— but I do know when to keep my mouth shut........LOL!!!
http://www.dahlias.com/ This is where we got most of our 50 dahlias when we attended their open house many years ago. As most of you must know snails and slugs are death on the new growth and putting out slug bait after every rain was a bust for me. Then I discovered crushed oyster shells at the big feed store and bought a 50# bag and sprinkle a heavy coating around the tubers and no more damage...
Thanks for the link. I added it to my garden favorites.
I found Baker Creek several years ago when I was web surfing for heirloom seed suppliers and was quite impressed with the young man that started it when he was 17. He has really grown his business in a few short years. A nicer person you couldn’t find.
She also told me that the 3 local area Wal-Marts will be sharing a shipment of 40,000 pine trees that will be given away free for Arbor Day. This is in some kind of partnership with the State of Mississippi Wildlife and Conservation Department.
I told her to bring me home one of the Baldwin pears but when ever Arbor Day comes around don't bring anything home that they are giving away, unless it is beer!
ROFLMSS!!!! You're my kinda guy!!! (Not to worry, my husband is sitting at the desk next to me and expects those kinds of comments from me!!!)
Tomorrow we'll me making a trip to the next county, which is also the next state :) to hit the garden center at WM and to get corn, beans, and more peas from Southern States.
Are you talking seeds? I tried some sugar snap peas last year and they just wilted away.
Oh, my wife loves cherries. She told me they also got some self pollinating cheery trees in. But they need 700 hrs. of annual chill temps. She read the attached tag to me but it did not say what chill temps were or what degree.
When we see something like this on a tag "chill temp Hrs.", how do we interpret it?
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