Weekly Garden Thread Volume 12 March 21, 2014

Free Republic | March 21, 2014 | greeneyes

[greeneyes]

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!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.

[KGeorge]

Good thing you remembered! Dang that’s a lotta onions.

Disappointed. They were talking about the red onions they had. I wonder if I missed them. (blind as a bat)

[rightly_dividing]

The Tsquash is very special. My dad grew something much like it back in the mid 70’s from seeds given to him by a Filipino man next door to him. The only difference that I can tell is they did not grow a bulb on the end. I searched for hours looking for that squash and can find no mention of it anywhere. I have not seen it since.

[greeneyes]

We are supposed to get down to 20 degrees tonight. Tomorrow they are saying light rain and snow starting at noon till midnight.

We need the rain. I noticed that the beds were getting pretty dry when I went outside this afternoon to cover up the garlic.

I have never tried to transplant lettuce. I have read about people sowing it in flats, and then pricking out the seedlings for transplant.

To me, it’s easier to just plant it in a container big enough to let it grow, until the ground is right for direct planting.

[greeneyes]

Ha! I’m no expert on potatoes. Last year was the first time I actually grew those. Reason being I started growing the stuff that was more expensive first, and rarely on sale around here.

For example Spinach. Three bucks or more per bag, and you have to worry about contamination and pesticides. Forget it. Spinach is too darn easy to grow to pay for what could be cruddy stuff in the store.

Last year I grew Dakota Pearls and Butte Russets. I really liked the Dakota Pearls, but the catalog didn’t have any this year. Glad I kept some for seed. We’ll see how that works.

[greeneyes]

Yep. That’s about what happened to me when I made a swing into Walmart to see if they had some mushroom compost. I came out 75 bucks poorer, and no mushroom compost. I gotta stay out of the stores!

[greeneyes]

We are supposed to get some more snow tomorrow. Sigh. Soooo ready for the end of winter. March 25 is our plant carrot date. Think I’ll be planting them in paper cups and waiting a bit. It’s gonna be 20 degrees tonight, so I don’t think much will be growing, so no sense wasting the effort planting outside just yet.

[rightly_dividing]

It took a lot of searching to find it, but here is what Johnny had to say about squash borers:

Wednesday, January 22, 2014 6:47:26 PM · 298 of 375 JRandomFreeper to SisterK Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a sporulating, Gram-positive facultative-aerobic soil bacterium. Its principal characteristic is the synthesis, during sporulation, of a crystalline inclusion containing proteins known as delta-endotoxins or Cry proteins. These proteins have insecticidal properties. That was my understanding, anyway. ;) /johnny Post Reply | Private Reply | To 296 | View Replies

WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 3, JANUARY 17, 2014 Wednesday, January 22, 2014 6:44:49 PM · 297 of 375 JRandomFreeper to SisterK It's one of the few things I use, besides DE. I try to be careful not to use anything that will damage the micro-biota in my soil. I find that if I take care of the micro-fauna in the soil, the vegetables do just fine. /johnny Post Reply | Private Reply | To 296 | View Replies

WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 3, JANUARY 17, 2014 Wednesday, January 22, 2014 5:34:09 PM · 293 of 375 JRandomFreeper to SisterK One shot seems to do it. I've even used it after they have started damaging the stem and it stopped the borer. (duh, should have done it earlier). I use about .5 to 1 cc per stem. I don't carefully measure it. I load up the syringe and hit all the plants that are vulnerable, one after the other. /johnny Post Reply | Private Reply | To 292 | View Replies

WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 3, JANUARY 17, 2014 Wednesday, January 22, 2014 4:58:10 PM · 290 of 375 JRandomFreeper to rightly_dividing I went to the feed store. I didn't have any problems getting them there. /johnny Post Reply | Private Reply | To 289 | View Replies

WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 3, JANUARY 17, 2014 Wednesday, January 22, 2014 4:47:19 PM · 286 of 375 JRandomFreeper to Marcella Lowe's. Thuricide. Large bore needle on a syringe. I inject some into the center of the stem about 1/2 inch above ground level. /johnny Post Reply | Private Reply | To 284 | View Replies

WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 3, JANUARY 17, 2014 Wednesday, January 22, 2014 4:44:49 PM · 285 of 375 JRandomFreeper to rightly_dividing Thuricide is the brand name. /johnny Post Reply | Private Reply | To 282 | View Replies

WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 3, JANUARY 17, 2014 Wednesday, January 22, 2014 4:43:28 PM · 283 of 375 JRandomFreeper to rightly_dividing I've got a liquid form that I bought at Lowe's. /johnny Post Reply | Private Reply | To 282 | View Replies

I am tired from reading every post of Johnny's looking for this. He posts a lot of comments. LOL Anyway, this exchange is when I bought cukes and yellow squash for this year. Now I need to get 2 cattle panels home from Tractor Supply.

[sockmonkey]

The only difference that I can tell is they did not grow a bulb on the end. I searched for hours looking for that squash and can find no mention of it anywhere. I have not seen it since.

Was it cucuzza?

[sockmonkey]

Now, I want some cucuzza seeds...and I’m gonna need a longer cattle panel..

[Marcella]

Thanks for looking that up. I’ll copy it and get some of that if I can find it as backup to my DE or along with it.

[rightly_dividing]

.and I’m gonna need a longer cattle panel..

Maybe I should buy 3 panels!

Have you seen cushaw squash? 15-25lb gourd shaped squash. I am not real shy about asking strangers questions. I asked a lady that had one in her cart how to cook it. It tasted a lot like pumpkin. They were grown in the hills of the south during the depression(FDR’s, not BHO’s)by really poor folks, not seen much anymore, except in Texas, where a lot of Mexicans buy them.

[sockmonkey]

Maybe I should buy 3 panels!

I had three, but gave one away to a gardener down the street. He is just using his as a hoop/trellis, and put it between landscape timbers placed 4 feet apart, so it's really tall.

If you have three, you will think of a use for that third one..a Yurt for Gracie would be nice. I have seen people cut them with bolt cutters into shorter pieces for stuff.

Have you seen cushaw squash?

My German Granny used to have them in her garden. I always thought they looked creepy...Unlike the black diamond watermelons that I thought looked, and tasted wonderful..

I wonder how come she never had all the bug problems we have..I only remember the occasional worm at the tops of the corn when we'd shuck it..Slave labor..snapping beans, shucking corn. Time better spent playing at the creek, or throwing rocks at hornet's nests, and running like heck..

[KGeorge]

Ugh. So sorry, greeneyes. Have you ever tried the newspaper “pots” that you make yourself? You could just plant those, “pot” & all without disturbing the baby carrot inside. (I tried it with Kraft paper last year. Huge mess, failed spectacularly- but I do have a nice weapon; 4’ x 2” wooden pole, to show for it)
I think I kept them too wet (sitting in a tray with a little water...duh)

Hope it warms up for you folks further north soon. This has been enough Winter to last for a lonnng time.

[greeneyes]

Yes, we have made them out of double layers of newspaper. In fact, that reminds me we have a few left over from last year that I can use, if I can remember where I stashed them. LOL

[rightly_dividing]

BT and DE are good, but work differently and on different bugs. That plus neem oil and you have a pretty good arsenal.

Squash bugs are the only problem we’ve had other than white flies and things that soapy water kills. I think maybe our bird population eats a lot of bad bugs, plus we have a bat house nearby that eat bugs at night. The man with the bats came by the other day talking about them. He is a master wood worker, 1st rate gardener, and all around smart guy. I keep my trap shut and listen when he stops by.

[sockmonkey]

I just read on the University of Georgia ag site that Cucuzza isn’t affected by Squash Vine Borers, so is used as an alternative to zucchini.

[sockmonkey]

Yep. That’s about what happened to me when I made a swing into Walmart to see if they had some mushroom compost. I came out 75 bucks poorer, and no mushroom compost. I gotta stay out of the stores!

Oops, it's not just the stores. I just ordered some cucuzza seeds off of ebay. Trust me, right now, I have more seeds than I could possibly ever plant or consume al the vegetables that would grow, or flowers I could pick. LoL, and now I need another cattle panel for these cucuzza I am going to plant. That's twenty bucks more I will spend..

[Augie]

I have shovel hands this morning. Spread poo on the garden Friday afternoon. Spread poo on the garden Saturday. Spread poo on the garden Sunday. Planted three orchard trees and two red maples, 9 each broccoli and cauliflower, and 36 lettuces.

[Marcella]

It's 9:45 am and 54 outside and it's the damp cold still, so it's too cold out there to do anything.

The bulb onions look like they did grow more last night. I need warmer weather so all those carrot seeds in four grow bags will sprout.

The 35-40 strawberry plants in containers, stayed sort of dormant during the winter, and now I see what strawberry plants are supposed to look like as they are growing tall compared to the more flat look during winter. And there is lots of new growth and numerous blossoms. I really think I'll get strawberries.

These seeds under the grow lamp have now sprouted and growing fast from one day to the next (seeds planted one week ago today):
Tycoon tomatoes - 4
4th of July tomatoes - 5
Sweet Million tomatoes - 4
Mortgage Lifter tomatoes - 5
Better Boy tomato - 1
Lemon Balm - maybe 10
T Squash - 3
Sun Flower Sunspot - 3
Sun Flower Velvet Queen - 3
Onion Borettana Cipollini button onion - see bits of green, 5 or more.
Hot Pepper Mix - 1 right now, peppers take longer to sprout
Tobacco - 2 or 3 and need transplanting, they have been there a while, not part of the planting last week

[Marcella]

I have Neem Oil and DE, no BT.

I don’t know what each one kills. Can you tell me?