Posted on 01/17/2014 5:49:09 AM PST 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!
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Catnip and thyme are already showing tiny green shoots. Those went in Saturday. That was fast.
/johnny
I'm writing down on the calendar when I do what.
I have to transplant two kinds of cucumbers today and plant the Stevia seed.
I'm going to list here seeds I will start in February and the first of March. I'm listing them so it will remind me what I still have to plant which are many. I'm going to need more of those 69 cent small pots from Walmart to transplant these new seeds when they need it.
I have studied when all the seeds could be planted here and I wrote that on the envelopes along with how deep they need to be planted as seeds. Don't freak out at the number of different seeds I have to plant. At the end of the seed/seedling stage, they will all be in permanent containers outside (except Sunflowers in actual ground):
Plant in February:
Carolina Cucumbers
Supremo Cucumbers
National Pickling Cucumber
Sun King Broccoli
Your tobacco
Around March first:
Tromboncino Squash
On Deck Sweet Corn
Masterpiece Pea
Snowbird Pea
Peas In A Pot
Little Finger Carrot
Di Ciccio Broccoli
Catskill Brussels Sprout
EZ Serve Lettuce (on seed tape to be planted in long wood planter already sitting on the ground)
Saint Anne's Slow-bolting Lettuce
Oliver's Pearl Cluster Melon (recommended for small garden or containers as it grows about 2 ft. bush type plants and produces small and tasty Honeydew melons)
Sunflower Velvet Sunflower (going to stick these two types of Sunflowers in actual dirt and cover with net to keep out freaking birds and squirrels
Sunspot Sunflower
I reconfigured my sunny windows this morning, and added about 3x the shelf space that I had. I can add that much more again, but I have to move my desk. I'll only do that if I run out of room.
Had to call animal control this morning. A stray cat was hit by a car overnight, and it's in the middle of the street. Animal control lady asked if it was still alive. I told her no, it should be easy to catch since it's dead. She failed to see any humor in that. ;)
/johnny
Copied and pasted!
Thank you for the first total crackup of the day!
Glad to be of service. :)
“She failed to see any humor in that. ;)”
Maybe a dead cat is a sad thing for her. :o)
“It also sounds like a lot of work.”
The hard work, for me, is carrying in bags of potting soil mix and having enough containers in the proper size for each plant. I have studied which size container is best for each plant type. Plants in containers is less work than having them in the ground.
Yes, this is a test year - based on which cucumbers do best, I’ll plant only that one next year and that is true for all plants in each category.
AND, all of this is your fault for getting me on the gardening thread. You know once I start on something I don’t know, I beat it to death until I know it all, and I still don’t know all of gardening yet.
Here is what I planted in January:
Plant in mid-January:
Tangerine Dream Sweet Pepper
Hot Pepper Mixture
Golden Baby Belle Sweet Pepper
Sweet Banana Pepper
Pepperoncini Hot Pepper
Fooled You Pepper
Tall Utah Celery
Fourth of July Tomato
Better Boy Tomato
Cosmonaut Volkoy
Sweet Million
Mortgage Lifter
Parade Bunching Type Onion
Evergreen Bunching Onion
Borettana Cipollini button onion
Yellow Sweet Spanish Utah onion
Homemade Pickles Cucumber
Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil
This is excellent, Marcella. Great organization, which bodes well for the success of your garden this season!
Incredible variety. I just ordered more seeds, particularly lettuce, since I heard on the radio over the weekend that California is having such a serious drought that plants that use a lot of water may be sacrificed this season, and we will have to buy imports.
I need to think about that and grow the “late to bolt” lettuce in stages to keep lettuce coming throughout the summer. Although it says “late to bolt”, I don't know what 105 temp would do to it. I could rig up plant cover to shade it but that won't bring down that high temperature.
Here's a question for you: Is it the sun directly on the lettuce or is it the high temperature even if shaded, that causes lettuce to bolt? I don't know much at all about bolting.
I don't even trust our own country's produce anymore and if one is from another country, no way am I buying it.
A company could grow food for retail in hundreds of acres and never know a chemical drain or e coli from various animals is in that acreage. And, I don't trust their processing of the food anymore, either. Faster processing, rather than being more careful, saves time and gets the money in faster.
Food I grow is protected from animals by my watch dog/guard dog 5 pound Yorkie, Prissy, and the net room and netting. There won't be any caustic chemicals on my food, either. If it isn't organic, it's not going on any food.
Lettuce needs shade once the low temperatures of early spring are past. It also needs ample water. Below are two good articles about growing lettuce in summer:
http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/qt/SummerLettuce.htm
http://www.organicauthority.com/organic-gardening/how-to-grow-lettuce-throughout-the-summer.html
The best times to grow lettuce may be spring and fall, which I will do outdoors. While I’ll still also try during the heat of summer, I’m going to try to grow it year-round, since I’m going to experiment with growing it indoors during the winter as well. I just ordered two containers that are meant for food storage so that they are BPA free. My husband is going to drill holes in the bottoms of each for drainage.
“MY HUSBAND is going to drill holes in the bottoms of each for drainage.” (I capitalized those letters)
Hang on to the husband and hug and kiss him every day. (They work better if you show them affection.)
I will get the lettuce in the shade one way or another.
I need to get my spinach planted...
/johnny
These cucumbers are l and 3/4 inches tall and have a sturdy stalk and good looking healthy leaves that are spreading out not just growing up.
I think there is a reason why every seed I plant under the grow lamp comes up. It's an unconventional reason and I think some people don't do this, so here is my secret:
I READ THE DIRECTIONS for planting that particular seed. If it says to plant 1/4 inch deep, that is what I do exactly. If it says, plant 1/2 inch deep, that is what I do exactly. I keep water always in the bottom of the pan so the water is constantly there to feed the plant.
So, it's either those reason why they grow, OR:
It's because I put “Soul” music on my TV music choice before I plant the seed and I gyrate in front of the sink to Soul music while I'm planting the seed - No, I don't sell tickets for this.
—(They work better if you show them affection.)—
:) Yep, and they’re good for diamonds and gold, too.
/johnny
This may seem like a frivolous question, but it is of the utmost importance.
Really.
/johnny
Thank you, Marcella. :)
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