Replies

Hi, Greenie -- Here's a Q for the group. I'm trying to clone a very healthy rosemary plant via cuttings, or cortes as they're called here.

Duly did the research, Internet sites, called Shaw's Garden in StL, and so forth.

Then, I got smart. Asked a local pro gardener about the details of doing it right...and he was puzzled. Took out his garden shears, cut off two 7-inch branches, and -- with NO other prep of any type -- pushed them down into some nice loose fertilised soil where I wanted them. Took all of 60 seconds.

His parting advice? Pona mucha agua cada dia hasta las raices comenzan.

"Water them very well every day until the roots start growing."

Well, that's simple enough. Assuming he's right and the cuttings do prosper (and he has the very GREENEST of thumbs, btw), here's the question:

Why the devil does everyone I consulted have a list of 10 or so materials and 20 or so steps to go through just to make a healthy cutting? I don't get it.

Johnny, tobacco is definitely getting larger and looking better.

rightly, I searched for any sign of a pepper today on all those pepper plants, and nothing yet.

sockmonkey, There are five tiny Lemon Balm plants tall enough for the leaves to be completely above the surface of the soil, so they are going to grow.

There is another 4 inch tall National Pickling cucumber with a blossom - that is two that tall with blossoms. The two foot tall Homemade Pickles cucumber has blossoms on it. That plant is really a grower. I had put a cane in the pot and plant latched onto it on its way up.

I get 6 to 8 red strawberries a day off the plants.

Spring is rampaging full force here now with daffodils blooming all over the place, a few early tulips, and forsythia ready to pop! I need to get my mower ready to go to get a head start on the trimming as soon as the winter downfall is gathered.

Northern Wisconsin still has plenty of ice on Lake Superior and the northern parts of Lake Michigan. In fact, there was an article today complaining that the barges couldn’t get through and the manufacturers were short of steel.

This afternoon will see temps of 62 degrees, but tomorrow will drop to the 40s again with rain predicted for Sunday night. Too early to plant, but a good time to get the winter downfall cleared so that we’re ready when the temps are more predictable.

Greetings from coastal Virginia. Winter appears to have finally left us, but the wind has not. I swear the wind has not stopped since Thanksgiving.

It was supposed to me 75 today, with rain and T-storms coming in this evening and winds 10-20 - well it never got above 65 and the wind has not dropped below 25 all day and is about 29 right now. Tonight’s rain is a good thing, as the winds and low humidity have everything dry.

Hot and humid here in central Florida, 86 today. Picked the last of my broccoli florets this morning which are rapidly trying to go to seed due to the heat.

Picked about 6 pounds of lemon squash too. Very interesting plant. Seems to be naturally resistant to pickle worms. Looks like they try to drill into the fruit but just can't make it. The skin of the fruits was a bit "freckled" but all the insides were perfect. Cooks up just like summer yellow crookneck. :)

lemon squash

Also got lots of french breakfast radishes and cukes that are ready for salad.

Tomatoes are still green but a few look like they may be ready in about a week or so. Should be a colorful tomato harvest if all goes well: Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra and Charger(basic red). Meanwhile, eggplants are just starting to produce some tiny fruit. Those should be colorful as well: Ping Tung (purple), Casper (white), Thai Long(green).

Well, apricots are blooming; the cherry, peach, grapes, plums, and apples are all budding out. The season's first asparagus will be on tonight's plates; 16 garlic are up so far, and 15 more planted. The rhubarb is leafed out, and the two I transplanted last week are thriving, so there is a full complement of 21 in the bed again for the first time since before we bought. We also have at least 4 up in the "temporary" bed I put them in about 10 years ago.

3 plots in the main garden, 14 X 28, 12 X 28, and 10 X 14, have had 3" of compost double tilled into them.

We have violets blooming, and the lilacs are budding. Bulbs and iris are thriving, though a long way from blooming yet.We are inundated with wild pasque flowers, the SD state flower; never had so many before.

A friend of a friend is selling me her 10 X 10 King Canopy greenhouse frame for $25, and is throwing in the anchors. A neighbor's tree limb broke in a windstorm and tore the cover; they replaced it with an entire new one for her, and she doesn't have room for both. I am ordering a new cover for it from Amazon for another $112, and free shipping. On the rear wall there is a vent window.

The spousal unit had me grind pine bark, then help her lay weed fabric around our elm. She then circled it with large pieces of quartz, petrified wood, and other rocks we've collected while wandering through the Black Hills; and then mulched with the bark.

I’m new to this list — wanted to say hi and ask a quick question.

We’re just outside Philly, PA, so it’s a little early to be planting just yet. We have 3 raised beds (~ 4’ x 8’) and some side areas where we can plant but we haven’t graduated much past the herbs/tomatoes/peppers/cucumbers/beans/lettuce/zucchini stage yet, so I am hoping to get some tips and confidence as I read here.

My question is about composting. We recently purchased a barrel-type composter where you throw the stuff in and tumble it every day or so. It’s about half-full right now, with close to the recommended proportions of “green” & “brown” stuff along with some garden dirt and a starter. The instructions say it takes 4 to 6 weeks to become compost, but it doesn’t look like it is doing anything at all. Should I just keep adding stuff in the right proportions, keep it moist and hope magic happens?

I just got done working in the garden all day. It was the backyard garden, we finally got the hose spigot installed so I can fill wall-o-waters without having to carry jugs around. On one garden bed I wanted the trellis up before I put the wall-o-waters up, and since the fittings I needed finally came this week, I thought I’d just cut my pipes and put my new trellis together.

Lesson: Cutting PVC pipes by hand takes a WHOLE lot longer than I thought it would! It seems I should have been cutting pipes all the while I was waiting for the snow to melt. I sat out by the garden cutting pipes for almost 7 hours, and I’ve only got about half of them done. My shoulder held up longer than I expected, but it’s letting me know I’m in for it tomorrow.

I’ll post pictures of the trellis once it’s done.

The temperature dropped like a rock during the last hour I was working, so I’m going to go eat some soup and thaw out.