Posted on 04/20/2012 10:06:22 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde
Good morning to my FRiends, fellow gardeners, future gardeners, and lurkers! It is beautiful and sunny today here in NELA. We received 2-1/2 inches of rain earlier in the week and it is still very wet in the yard and garden.
I've been keeping busy with my bee yard ... I got called about a swarm day-before-yesterday, about 25 miles south of my house. I still had all of my bee catching equipment in my truck from doing a hive cutout last weekend, so off I went. Below is a photo of the swarm when I got there, and the latest photo of my bee yard with the newest hives on the right-hand side.
It is my hope that everybody is getting the weather they need, and none of what they don't. Check-in and let everybody know what you're up to in your neck of the woods.
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!
Weekly Gardening Thread (Catalog Fever) Vol. 1 Jan 6, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Seeds) Vol. 2, January 13, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 3, January 20, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (U.S. Hardiness Zones) Supplemental Vol. 1
Weekly Gardening Thread (Soil Types) Vol. 4, January 27, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Vacation) Vol. 5, February 03, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Vacation) Vol. 6, February 10, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Vacation?) Vol. 7, February 17, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Home Sweet Home) Vol. 8, February 24, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Soil Structure Part 1) Vol. 9, March 2, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Transplanting Tomatoes) Vol. 10, March 9, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Useful Links) Vol. 11, March 16, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread -- Vol. 12, March 23, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread -- Vol. 13, March 31, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Happy Easter!) Vol. 14, April 6, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 15, April 13, 2012
in the NW we've had rain and temps haven't gotten up there yet....still cool....but this weekend we might hit 70....
question for whoever knows....can I plant potatoes in 5 gallon buckets?.....I've got a lot of buckets and I prefer to keep my garden beds for other things....thx in advance..
This morning, Mark has undergone open heart surgery at Mayo in Rochester, Mn., to have a mitral valve replacement. He just got out of surgery and everything went fine, but I ask that anyone so inclined please pray for a full recovery.
Thank you with all of my heart!
Yes. Potatoes do very well in buckets. Be sure to put holes in the bottom for drainage. They also sell cloth bags for potato planting that work well too. You can move them around in your flower beds to fill in bare spots.
Yes.
Thank you for the compliment on the yard. We are blessed with a beautiful homestead.
Good afternoon! You have a beautiful property there, and all the pictures and talk of bee keeping is making my wife want to start a bee keeping activity here.
Nice slow steady rains in my area, NETX, a little thunder in the distance.
Woohoo! We just had about half an hour of a small rain.
The garden is covered in weeds - still. Can’t seem to get ahead of them this year. Did get most of the weeds out of the front door flower bed and see that there are finally some caladiums coming up. The glads are getting buds but the lillies are just sitting there not growing. Sunflowers are up by the side garden but don’t see any marigolds by the sole tomato over there.
Back to the garden, I’ve been lazy this week and still haven’t put out cantaloupe. Also, need to reseed some kohl rabi - never tried it before. Must get off my butt! Must also get the cuke out of the greens. It has flowers on it as do the green beans. Have been sharing the lettuces.
Put out some more bird feeders and so the birds are happy, too. There’s one dove who’s so chubby, he just walks around the yard.
Do you know anything about “Bee Pods?” My wife is “suggesting” that I build a few.
Beautiful property!
Have fun with the bees. I love honey but someone else can harvest it. I don’t like bees and they don’t like me. Last time I was stung my foot swelled up the size of a watermelon.
Prayers.
We have planted raspberry bush, honey berry, goji berry, and re-potted some tomatoes. Work continues on perennial bed. I have pots of lavender, french tarragon, stevia, and rosemary in waiting to plant.
All the fruit trees, bushes, and Rosa rugosa are doing well. The grapes and kiwis are the only plants that got devestated by the recent frost.
Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Slight frustration here. [sigh]
March was wonderful, lots of sun, nice & warm. Even had a week+ in the 80's! Now it is highs in the 40's and 50's, and night time lows just above frost.
I have been preparing the garden raised beds by weeding, adding sulfur, adding mushroom compost, and adding "water crystals" to cut down on the water bill.
The seeds I started in the greenhouse box are mostly doing well. Most are 5" to 6" high. Except the sweet peppers. Those are 1" or less. Maybe they just take longer to sprout.
Petruchia
Am near Elgin, IL not far at all.
Started a Bay tree in a container last week. My new raised beds are really appreciating the rain. Thinned out my tomato seedings, had two or 3 in each large cell. Seems like a heck of a waste. Wanted to make sure I had enough though.
Peppers are coming along a bit slower, but will likely thin them next week.
Dave
How are the raised beds coming along?
Broke out the unopened box with the “4 tier greenhouse” we bought at last fall’s garden close-out.
Oops! “instructions are just a picture & parts list. Oops! 4 out of 12 shelf supports are missing.
At least there’s an email & toll-free number.
Planting our onion starts (not sets) & couple of other odds & ends later today. Have some things starting in newspaper pots for transplanting end of May.
Asparagus came up , looking great, but frosted when clouds unexpectedly went away over night & temp dropped an extra 8-10 degrees. Can’t trust a 24 hour forecast, but 50-100 year predictions of “climate change” are absolutely trustworthy?
Follow up on the ‘replanted celery’: leafed out great, looked good, so potted it last week. The top continued to grow. Yesterday, it had started to wilt, so I checked it, and NO ROOTS! It seems it was just ‘living’ off of the nutrients in the base, which is now used up.
April check in from Florida...
Heavenly coconut scented plumeria
Itty bitty bunch grapes--will ripen in June
Too many baby avocados on the young tree
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