Posted on 04/11/2014 12:34:19 PM PDT by 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.
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Potted a few perennial herbs that I haven't picked a spot for in the ground
Burned off the thatch around the orchard trees on the far side of the riding arena yesterday morning. Also planted one jonathan apple tree that I bought at Lowe's on Friday.
Need to get another load of horse poo, but the rain last night has kaboshed that until the ground dries up a bit.
Yesterday was such a nice sunny day, that I took a bunch of the seed containers outdoors. As I mentioned on one of threads, I usually put a clear plastic cover on them with just a little crack for air.
Usually the water condensation is quite apparent, but nothing condensed, so I added a little more water to no avail. The sunlight did it. Things heated up enough that there was lots of condensation. Since my kitchen is only 68 to 70 degrees, I guess it just wasn't warm enough to get the action.LOL
I brought them back in at sundown. We had a lot of strong winds last night, but nary a drop of moisture. My makeshift rain gage can was dry as a bone.
I'll start a few more seeds today, but have to do a little house work and continue doing the taxes. I'll probably wind up filing an extension, because other matters keep coming up to drag me away from the least favorite activity of the whole year. Paying Uncle Sam hard earned dollars so that the government can continue to waste money on a long list of stuff.GRRR
Well, you seem to have some really viable peanuts! Did you use the same starting mix for the other seeds as you used for the peanuts? Had the other seeds been stored in the freezer?
I am trying to plant some of all the unopened seed packets from last year, when I was only able to find space for about half of the types I ordered. I'll order the half price sampler from one of the seed companies for the 2014 seeds to use in 2015.
That nearly always includes the black seeded simpson. I pick out the ones I want and give the others to hubby when spring rolls around.
Marcella, you are 80 years old. You deserve to have what you want and do what you want to the extent possible. Besides, you are President of your own country.LOL If you want St. Anne's get it! If you want to use up the seed tape, do it. If you want to try some other kind of lettuce, do it.
As to when? Any time you want! If you are going to collect seed, then you might need to be concerned about when to plant.
If you are just concerned with a continuous supply, the precise time can be calculated by using the dtm and harvest time to determine when you'll run out of lettuce. Then you plant the next round to ensure that the crop is ready to harvest once the first round is finished.
I don't wish to put that much effort into it, so I plant my follow on lettuce at 1-3 week intervals or whenever the mood strikes. If I have too much to eat at one time, it's good compost material.
I have never had a time when I didn't have the lettuce I wanted, because leaf lettuce can be harvested as it grows and I am happy with that while the head lettuce is growing to maturity any way.
You could test the viability of the strip seed. Put it between damp paper towels and then inside a plastic bag. Keep it at 77 degrees and it should germinate in 2 or 3 days.
If the seed is viable, at least 70% should sprout.
Lettuce at 32 degrees takes 49 days to germinate.
I’d probably just assume that the company goofed and the seed is not good, and try another type. I might put a handful in a pot of mushroom compost, and see if that comes up at a nice warm 77 degrees.
We just had some thunder here, and a little 5 minute rain. Hubby got the pool releveled, and patch a teeny little pin prick hole, so we are ready for some serious rain. I was hoping we would get at least an inch this weekend, but we are going to have to have more than a 5 minute shower.
Yes, inquiring minds would really wonder about that.LOL
I would plant the lettuce Tuesday..the only "plant by the moon day" for above ground crops until April 29th. As to which lettuce to plant. I'd just throw out some black seeded simpson, or whatever you have. My record with seed tape is pretty dismal...whether carrots, lettuce, spinach. I'm not sure if I cover it with too much idrt, or what.
Yes. For a while I thought they were using if as a litter box, but then saw one eating a grub or worm.
The instructions get longer and more confusing every year. I pity those people who have to deal with Obamacare, whether they have it or don't have it. I saw instructions for Obamacare and didn't bother reading that. I wonder if those instructions were written when they had to have it or pay a penalty but now they don't have to pay it until next year - who knows and “what difference does it make now?” as Hillary said.
The rain stopped so I went out to see about putting some more seeds in the ground.
By the time I’d picked out what I was going to plant and walked out to the garden the rain started up again.
I’m going to take that as a sign that I should spend the rest of the day being lazy.
Free-for-the-taking compost is awesome even if you have to drive a ways to get it.
I’m very fortunate to have the neighbor lady’s horse stable pile less than 10 miles away.
There’s no way I could make enough with the material that I have available here to keep up with Mrs. Augie’s flowerbeds, much less my victory garden.
The peanuts and a few squash (because there's a bug in the squash bag that keeps hatching) are the only seeds in the freezer. The others are kept in a box in the house.
That’s the way I do stuff too. We don’t live far from town, but little short trips add up to lots of gas over a month’s time.
So I try to make do with what I have and keep a running list. If Hubby has a job to do in town, then I have him get what’s on my list before he comes home.
It could be that keeping the seeds in the freezer is even more superior than we thought when it comes to seed preservation?
Good choice.LOL I noticed that our local weather prediction has changed to a much cooler temp. Today’s high at 45 degrees, and low tonight of 26 degrees. Bummer.
We are going to have thunderstorms and rain tonight and all day tomorrow, if the weatherman is right.
I am so glad that Medicare hasn’t changed much so far. However, the doctors were supposed to get a 20% reduction in an already low reimbursement, so that can impact access, as more doctors opt out, and the remaining docs accepting it get overwhelmed with patients.
I am thinking that Congress may change that, or maybe they have already. I haven’t really kept up on that running debate this year.
I’m like you, I always have to pay in, so I put it off as long as possible. I won’t mail mine till the 15th.
Cover you pot with a little saran type wrap leaving just a teeny crack. If the temps and moisture are right, you will get condensation on the wrap, and you probably won’t have to water it till the lettuce has emerged and you take the wrap off.
you pot = your pot
Weather channel says I have 80% chance of rain tomorrow. High wind, slight chance of tornado and hail. I’ll have to put heavy row cover over everything sometime tomorrow, raining or not, due to that high 30s temp is not changing upward. Actually, I got those blankets from that freight store, two of them, and had two already, so will probably use those propped up so they won’t mash the plants. I actually bought a type of metal sticks to put under those covers to hold them up.
Johnny/sockmonkey, how cold are you now and what is your weather now? How low do you think you will go tonight? What are you doing to protect plants?
The plants are on their own at this point. I've got several hundred feet of plants out in the big garden. No way to cover them, anyway. It shall be as God wills.
/johnny
Yes, to the trips.
Yes, to the idea of freezing for preservation.
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