Posted on 07/13/2012 8:35:18 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde
Good morning and happy Friday (the 13th) to all of my FRiends and fellow gardeners! My special thanks go to Ellendra for posting the thread while I took a week to go to the mountains. I was hoping to find relief from the heat, only to find that it was in the 90's in SE Montana, not much cooler than here in Louisiana.
I began the long process of becoming a fly fisherman, and I am hooked, so to speak. Just what I needed ... another hobby to compete for my limited time!
Today is the first time I've seen the sun since Monday ... the rain followed me all the way from Kansas City, and it has stayed around. Thank goodness! It is my sincere hope that y'all are receiving some beneficial rainfall.
Before leaving on the trip, I spent 4 days making fig preserves ... the Italian White Fig tree was covered in a bumper crop, unlike anything I've ever seen. I also got all of my wild plum juice turned into beautiful jelly, and harvested another 5-gallon bucket of honey from the beeyard.
So ... what's going on with you???
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
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 16, April 20, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 17, April 27, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 18, May 4, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 19 (Getting Projects Done) May 11, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread (Harvesting Wheat) Vol. 20, May 18, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 21 (Keywords) May 25, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 22 (Keywords 2) June 1, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 23, June 8, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 24, June 15, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 25, June 22, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 26, June 29, 2012
Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 27, July 06, 2012
IBTP
Ha! I’m glad you posted that because I had totally forgotten the ping. Thanks!
I cannot thank you enough for the recommendation of cattle panels as a trellis for tomatoes...two hundred tomato plants heading for the sky instead all willy-nilly like most years...the velcro is a BIG improvement over twine, as well. ‘Let there be TOMATOES!’
We saw a groundhog in our front yard yesterday, munching on the clover.
There’s a fantastic recipe in the old red 50’s Betty Crocker Cookbook for Filled Cookies. It may be in the newer ones. Anyway, make the dough and cut it into circles about the size of wide mouth jars. Top one circle with a spoon of preserves and cover with a second circle. Tomato preserves are out of this world but fig preserves comes in a close second. They’re great for snacks or like a breakfast pop tart.
We’ve had nice rain all week. At least I think that’s what I remember that wet stuff is that falls from the sky. Whatever it is, I’m not complaining but there’s now a bunch of mushrooms popping up so need to get rid of them. All outdoor work has come to stop with the mud but the slobber buckets are enjoying it.
I need to start on the fall garden soon but that would mean weeding.... AGAIN. Ok, I’ll give the squash one last time but if I can’t get ahead of the squash bugs this fall then that’s it.
Welcome home!
My youngest son has gotten into fly fishing as his hobby. He loves it.
Have started tying your own flies yet? If not you will before long.
Welcome back. I hope that you had a great time. It’s always good to get away, no matter where you go.
Our tomatos are starting to slow down now. We still have about 8-10 large banana peppers still on the plants after putting up about 6 pints. Our one and only eggplant got pulled and half eaten by unknown varmit.
We are thinking of taking sprouts from some of the tomato plants and starting them for a fall crop. I dont know if that will work or not, but we have nothing to lose. Rather than pulling up the existing tomato plants after the last tomato, we may just prune them back to about two feet tall and see what happens then. Anybody got any thoughts about that?
Our okry patch is about 30’ tall and producing a few pods every day or so.
Wife’s flowers are all going fantastic. Its a very good year for her beds. We are building a new bed in the front yard that has got a medium size three tier fountain for it’s centerpiece. Well, in between rainstorms, that is. We have been getting 2-3” every day or so.
30 seconds after posting that, I heard this strange sound coming from the roof. Could it be? Yes, water from the sky!!!!!!! IT’S RAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Do you have any issue with diseases affecting tomatoes where you are at? For me, it’s not about keeping them from getting sick, just trying to manage it. This spring I made the mistake of transplanting a broken off part of one of my winter crop near some spring seedlings, which of course simply ensured that the new crop started off sick.
You got me to thinking though. We have an abundance of rabbits on the homesite here, but they never really bother my garden. Hmmmmmm... Wonder if it is a matter of plenty of other food, or what? Maybe if you planted a perimeter of something that rabbits really like better than garden plants?
I am so glad that I could offer an idea that works for you. That velcro is *the* secret to everything around my house and yard. I keep a roll in several spots. In the house it keeps the cords of my small appliances tidy, and holds the cabinet doors closed against the prying paws and noses of my fur kids.
The fence panels are also a versatile tool. They made an enclosure for my compost heap. I held the narrow ends to the ground with bent rebar stakes and made the coolest hoop arbor for my grapes. Next project is the hoop house for year-round growing. I was going to use PVC for the hoops, but realized that the panels would be a better surface for the plastic covering, plus will not degrade in the blazing sun.
How are you weeding??? I think I’d be using a roundup/lawnmower combination!
I have them cut into eight-foot sections...it must be quite a few, because the employees at my local retailer scatter to the four winds when they see me coming. Too hot to count right now...but they're worth it. They'll last a LONG time.
My fur friends are all Siamese; they laugh at velcro. If I want them to stay out of a particular cabinet; it's Gorilla tape. Nothing else will stop them.
Maybe the rabbits know about all those snakes that seem to hang around in your plants..?
LOL! By hand. The weeds inside the fence are so big (two to four feet high) that I barely have to bend over, if at all. I have a cart, and I just pile them up, pull the cart over to the fence and throw them over, as far down the hill as I can. It’s about a quarter acre or slightly more that’s fenced. Thank goodness my husband has started putting down gravel on some of the raised beds. It helps to keep the weeds from getting a strong footing.
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