Posted on 08/01/2014 12:20:34 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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Eighty two today and in the 60s at night is quite welcome, but unusual. We have plenty of water to last the rest of the growing season, I think.
Cukes, squash, beets, and maters are growing like gangbusters, and adorning every available cabinet space, and boxes on chairs. Got to get with it and do some processing.
I am feeling so much better. Thanks to all for your best wishes and prayers. Feeling lots better, just not as much get up and go. I think I need to eat some yogurt, to get back good bacteria balance.LOL
Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Pinging the List.
Woodchucks feasting on the leaves of many veggies.
I probably took the tomato pruning too far this year...live and learn......the few we’ll have will be big and juicy.
Unseasonably cool here in Southern NH.
North Central Texas here. Having a relatively cool summer so far - thank God!! - although the drought continues. Still many inches behind on rain for the year, and still haven’t made up for deficits in the past several years.
I have a question for fruit tree experts. I have a very old pear tree that came with the property, but I can’t identify the variety. For whatever reason, it has gone gangbusters this year with little or no care (I remain completely organic and never use chemical pesticides or fertilizers - more out of laziness than principle) and the tree is loaded with very large, quality fruit for the first time in years. I’ve done a little research and have narrowed it to either an Anjou variety or Bartlett, though I lean toward Anjou. Any more fine-tuning tips for identifying?
Oh, and I DID prune pretty radically for the first time this year, so maybe that played into the performance. Just rogue lower branches and suckers, but it took off about 15% of the tree’s limbs.
Also, I have been trying to become an expert on when to pick, how to ripen and how to store. The only respectable resource I’ve found is from the U. of Oregon, but wanted something more specific to Texas. Any reference or help would be appreciated.
We’re getting a bit of badly needed rainfall here in Central Missouri this afternoon.
I can’t pick and preserve as fast as things are growing right now. That is a good problem to have.
I’m taking off a bit early from work today so I can go in town and fetch Mrs. Augie’s new Kubota zero-turn mowing machine. Tomorrow is mvi on my truck and new tires on the horse trailer. In between all of that we’ll be salvaging barn lumber and trying to get some more canning done.
I sure do hope I get to sleep when I’m dead...
Every year brings me a new lesson.LOL
I have been harvesting San Marzano tomatoes and others over the last few weeks. Canning most, roasting a few and making some good pasta sauces with some. My garden is still producing but not as prolific as in years past, but I am grateful to just have a small garden.
I'm glad to hear that you're on the mend!
We are struggling with our fruit trees not doing much. No fruits any bigger than a pea. Thinking that the drought followed by extra hard winter may be our reason.
I too, need tips, so I hope someone has some.LOL
No rain here, and I haven’t heard the weather reports today.
At least it’s not so hot this year, so canning some pickles will be a lot more pleasant than usual.
My gardens are small, and I never got them all planted this year. Lots of seeds didn’t sprout, and I decided to just let a couple lie fallow with cardboard on them.
Hauling water every day during the summer gets old. I need to figure out a gravity system like hubby has.LOL
Tomatoes don’t do much when the weather gets into the fifties. You might need to cover them with row covers at night or something to give just a little extra heat.
Hi Green Eyes!
I wish i could share some of my tropical monsoons with my fellow FReeper gardeners!
:-)
That would help. Pinching them back might help, too.
Many could use some of that moisture to be sure.LOL
Worth a try I guess.
So glad to hear you are on the mend. Rain was predicted here yesterday, but not one drop fell, and now the chances are gone until the end of next week.
I’ve be pruning things, started fall tomato plants. Have some volunteer swiss chard up, and have been looking through seeds to plant for fall. Luckily, the moon dates for above ground cropas are next Sunday & Monday, August 3rd & 4th, so I can procrastinate a few more days.
For Texas Gardeners:
http://www.fanicknursery.com/Downloads/2014/Calendar_2014.pdf
It’s usually warm here until mid-October, so it’s not hopeless, but this season has been weird.
I am really into procrastination even more than usual right now.LOL
Weird all over it seems to me. At least we are getting a decent crop here this time.
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