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
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 16, April 20, 2012
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Nice save of the hive too many would just kill all the bees and clean up even some of the bee people are so afraid of getting Africanized bees from wild populations that they pass.
Cool post! Good luck on a fully successful relocation. I assume there is still some chance of failure? Or is that a high-percentage operation?
AWESOME pics! I could never do that. Bees and wasps hate me and the feeling is mutual.
The glads started blooming yesterday and there’s more caladiums finally coming up so the flower bed will be looking nice any day. I see that one package of caladiums was a dud.
I did get off my duff this week and attacked some of the weeds, but then I messed up my knee so have been off it for the past three days. If it’s not one thing it’s another. Had a couple seed packets waiting by the door but no can do now without a knee. Didn’t get the weeds done and there’s a week’s work of them still out there.
I noticed some broccoli FINALLY coming up but need to fill in with more of them and cauliflower. I did fill in more in the lettuce and greens area. I moved the stray cuke back where he belonged and it looks like he won’t make it (not that I expected him to but had hoped). Got some old okra seeds soaked and in the ground so who knows if they’ll sprout. Mr. b is still parking his truck by the little side garden so the heat off it is burning everything up so that won’t help the okra either. Here in TX, it’s already in the mid 90s. I had watered yesterday morning and by late afternoon things were starting to wilt.
Started some herbs indoors but the cat keeps sitting on them. I holler at her but she just stares back all innocent, uh huh. If they do manage to come up, they’ll be moved outside into containers.
I really want to dig up the grass (cough, weeds) between the veg garden and the house and put in berries along the garden fence and roses along the house with mainly herbs and a few flowers in between. Mr. b can move one of his fountains over there and a couple of chairs. But that’s not happening any time soon. Maybe next year.
Our maters are staked and doing great with a few blooms. We have some baby squash and the peppers are growing good. We have a few zuke blooms also. I guess we are off and running on this years garden.
I think that Monday or so, I will till the okra bed and get it going. My county guy said to wait till June for okra, so I still have time to soil test that area.
That was a great tutorial! Very interesting and informative. Thanks
Absolutely fascinating pics of your bee rescue operation!
Thank you so much for sharing. Seeing all that honey had both me and hubby salivating. ;-)
Eventually, I WILL get our hives going...but not this year. This year we have too many projects, including construction of a small green house, an enlarged garden, storage building for the tractor and truck... and a new puppy will soon be a part of this family.
Thanks for those pictures & explanation.
We are FINALLY getting some Spring rain. The gauge has just over 1.25” of soaking-in, not running off, rain in it so far, and still slowly falling.
300’ of potatoes planted; 250’ or so to go. After reading some articles, I decided to space at 15” instead of 12” this year.
3 weeks to go to “last frost”; I may risk some things, but not the really tender stuff.
Very cool moving the bee hive. I’ve long been interested in beekeeping but never seem to have time to get started. Maybe after I retire from the rat race?
Cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are thriving in the garden. Tomatoes and peppers are thriving in pots - is still too early to set them out - couple more weeks. Sweet corn is pegged, stand looks a bit thin but I used year-old seed so can’t complain too much. Potatoes are up and looking good.
Fantastic pictures. How do you know which pieces to select when moving the hives? What do you do with the rest?
Nice pictures of a cool process! I’ve been keeping bees for most of the last 37 years and I’ve hived a few swarms but I never was willing to go quite that far. Right now I have some colonies that moved up into their winter feed boxes and I haven’t had the time or inclination to cut the comb out and plug it into the frames but it’s something that needs to be done. You’re energy is an inspiration!
I get tired just reading and viewing your exploits!!! Oh to to be younger and blonde again...
I talked to my dad this morning and asked him of all the food his mom cooked, what were his favorites? He had two right off the top of his head: maccaroni & cheese (the ‘real’ stuff, no out-of-the-box back in those days!) and salsify. So what in the heck (you might be asking at this moment) is salsify?
Salsify is a carrot-like root vegetable with a mild oyster taste. Here’s the Wikipedia description:
“Tragopogon, also known as salsify or goatsbeard, is a genus of flowering plants in the sunflower family Asteraceae that has over 140 species, including the vegetable known as salsify, as well as a number of common wild flowers, some of which are usually regarded as weeds. The vegetable called salsify is usually the root of purple salsify, Tragopogon porrifolius; the root is described as having the taste of oysters (hence the alternative common name “oyster plant” for some species in this genus), but more insipid with a touch of sweetness. The young shoots of purple salsify can also be eaten, as well as young leaves.”
I remember eating my granny’s salsify side dish and I loved the stuff, but then again, I am also very partial to oysters so it stands to reason I would like salsify. It was made very similarly to maccaroni & cheese, but without the cheese, if that makes any sense. I do remember that she used crushed saltine crackers rather than bread crumbs for her casserole toppings.
In researching some vintage recipes, I found one that sounds like what she used to make if you substitute the crushed saltines for the bread crumbs. It is found in Vaughan’s Vegetable Cook Book (1919) and it is called ‘Escalloped Salsify’:
Instructions
“Cook salsify in salted water until tender, alternate it in a baking dish with bread crumbs seasoned with pepper and salt, and dot with butter. Moisten it with cream or milk and a little melted butter, cover the top with bread crumbs dotted with butter, and bake a light brown.”
Now comes the challenge ...... to find some salsify seeds and see if I can get it to grow in MY garden. Just curious .... anyone else familiar with ‘salsify’? Most folks have never heard of it.
Wow, what more can I say? That bee thing is amazing!
Awesome bee pictorial. I’m on the waiting list with the local bee club to acquire a colony when one becomes available after having been removed.
Please put me on your gardening ping list.
Thanks.