[Red_Devil 232]

Ping to the Weekly Gardening Ping List.

I hope all of you will stop by.

This is typically a low volume ping list. Once a week for the thread and every once in a while for other FR threads posted that might be of interest.

If you would like to be added to or removed from the list please let me know by FreepMail or by posting to me.

[tubebender]

Either I’m early or ....

[cripplecreek]

Not much gardening today. Its pouring here in Michigan.

[alarm rider]

Good Morning,

This weekend, we are installing a bird bath, taking out a failed drip type watering system that the previous owner installed, and planting a few more flowers.

I hope everyone has a great and beautiful weekend ahead.

Regards,
AR

[afraidfortherepublic]

Well, it’s about time! It’s cold & raining outside, so I need to get my gardening “fix” at the computer, and y’all have been MISSING!

[Califreak]

Storm blowing in here.

Still pretty cold for May.

I don’t know what’s up with this weather, but I think it’s stunting the growth on my plants.

[Black Agnes]

We harvested the remainder of the chinese cabbages this week. They were kind of small but I’d rather have a few small cabbages than bolted inedible ones. My snow peas have finally quit making. Those will get pulled this weekend to make room for something else in the raised bed. Not entirely sure exactly what yet. Maybe some hot peppers. I’m going to fill the cubbies in the concrete blocks with dirt this weekend and alternate basil (minette) and dwarf tomatoes (red robin) in those for effect. I’ve also got petunias (wave ones) to put at the corners.

I’ve got some ginormous pots under one of my oak trees that we’re going to plant with lettuce. It’s an experiment to see just how long we can grow lettuce w/o it getting too bitter to eat or bolting.

Hopefully weather will cooperate and I won’t manage to kill everything I touch!

My tomatoes in the big garden are doing great. The ones that survived being run over (yes, with the car!). I’d put the flat on my driveway to get extra warmth from the concrete and promptly forgot about it. Until I heard the sickening *cruuuuuunch* as I ran over it. Lost a good 75 seedlings. Bummer.

I also have a surprise hazlenut seedling. I planted a hazlenut last fall just for kicks, in an unusued pot full of soil. Amazingly enough it sprouted! I have six hazlenut bushes now. If I don’t manage to kill them somehow.

Cherry bushes (Hansens) are loaded. As are the blueberries and now the blackberries. My oldest daughter picks a clamshell or so full of strawberries every day and between her and her sisters they last about a day.

Almost have my corn completely mulched with newspapers and grass clippings. Finished mulching the cucumbers and melons on the trellis. Cucumbers already have blooms and little baby cucumbers on them.

Harvested my first round zucchini yesterday. Still debating what to use it with/for. Anybody have any good ideas for zucchini dishes that toddlers might actually eat?

Has anyone started asparagus from seed? How did it turn out?

Life is good.

[afraidfortherepublic]

As I mentioned, it is cold and raining here and will be all weekend.

This past week we have finished (closed) the fence. Now my dog won't go near it. He seems to think that it is a subversive plot to put him in a kennel. So far, no rabbits, or deer, have come to call. But, I've found that the wind will blow my gate open, most likely because of the mesh backing we installed. So, I need a better latch.

In the last week, I've planted broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce -- lots of lettuce, one spinach start, a square of spinach directly sowed, squares of carrots and radishes directly sowed -- 2 kinds each, lettuce directly sowed, celery (purchased), leeks (purchased), marigolds (purchased), 1 cosmos, & 2 kinds of peas. Also 2 tubs of potatoes. I have 6 spaces saved for tomatoes and 13 plants waiting to go in. I have 8 pepper plants ready to go in and only 5 spaces (squares) left. The onions were planted 2 weeks ago and are coming up fine.

This weekend we will be placing landscape timbers around the bottom of the fence on the outside, so I can mow against it, and more landscape timers around the inside, about 12 in. from the fence to make a place for flowers, herbs, and maybe some of those left over veggie seedlings.

We shall also be place a double row of landscape timbers in a 10' x 10' space for my corn patch where I plan to plant corn, beans, & squash using the 3 sisters method where the beans will climb the corn stalks and the squash will spread over the planting bed to keep the weeds down. If my plan goes forward as outlined, this will eliminate the need to provide supports for the beans and curtail weeds around the corn.

Any suggestions for this first time veggie gardener?

[kalee]

Please add me to the garden ping list. THANKS!

[StopBigGovt]

Our first victory garden seems to be doing well. I’ve noticed a couple holes in the zucchini leaves, but am not sure what to do about that. Most of the plants are 6 weeks old (planted from seed). The cucumbers are only 4 weeks old.

I’m hoping this link to the photos in Photobucket works.
[URL=http://s805.photobucket.com/albums/yy334/hotcookin_photos/?action=view&current=314_1516.jpg][IMG]http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy334/hotcookin_photos/th_314_1516.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[kacres]

I have a question for any of you who have Chickens..Our chickens were laying pretty well until we decided to put two more young hens in with them, about 3 weeks ago. Well ever since then they are not laying, so not sure what is going on or what to do. The two new hens are young. We had 4 that were laying. We have 3 Roosters.So if anyone has any advice please let me know. Thanks!

[metmom]

So, it’s Mother’s Day weekend and ONE guess what the forecast is for this weekend......

Someone needs to move Mother’s Day back into February so when it snows for it, it won’t be such a problem.

I’ll be out today or tomorrow covering up cold sensitive plants.