WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 45 NOV 7,2014

FREE REPUBLIC | NOV 7, 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.

[greeneyes]

I only have the standard recipes from better homes and gardens, but I’ll keep you in mind as I am looking for holiday recipes.

[greeneyes]

We have a burn barrell/pile for trash. However we pile the leaves up and encircle them with chicken wire for use in the gardens as leaf mulch.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Thank you so much, 5th MEB. I knew some smart FReeper would know!!

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the links. BRRRRR looking cold sooner and longer. Time to dig out the long johns.

[greeneyes]

We are at dusk, and almost dark. Temp is now down to 50 degrees. We had sale on turkeys this week for 79 cents per pound. So we are buying several. We will pressure can some, and roast one for Thanks giving.

[trisham]

That’s a great idea! It may be cold and dark at this time of year, but the holidays make it wonderful. It’s February and March that seem dreary.

[tob2]

Praying for FRiend.

[tob2]

Reorganized largest gardening pot. It will now grow vegetables exclusively. So I planted Chinese cabbage. Impatience hanging in there but don’t know for how long as colder weather coming this weekend. At any rate, there are plenty of pansies to take their place!

[TEXOKIE]

“How do you wrap up an asparagus bed? Leave the died-down foliage in place? Or clear it out?”

I have that question too, for the same climate zone! Whoever answers that, if you see this, please ping me too!

THANKS!

[Ladysforest]

Gah! I just got a delivery of firewood. Right on top of my beloved old sedan. I was heartbroken, and it took several days to clear away all of the limbs and branches. Maple, and so it will burn real nice when it’s seasoned.

I will miss that car!

The insurance company stepped up waaaayyyy more than I expected though. Some of that money will be used to bring the rest of that tree down, and we will also have the value of the wood. About $700 we won’t have to spend on firewood! Added to the wood from a neighbors tree that was struck by lightening 2 years ago, and we won’t have had to buy wood for four years!

But I really loved that old car ... :(

[left that other site]

Praying for our dear brother Arrowhead. Thank you for posting this prayer request!

[Ladysforest]

Prayers up.

“Brain injuries heal how they heal, when the heal, if they heal....3 to 6 months at least.”

This is sadly true. And brain injuries are called “invisible injuries” when the injured can walk and talk reasonably well after recovery.

My oldest boy was brain injured in a car accident at 18 years old. He recovered well, but has never been the same person since. Memory, anger, focus, you name it. He never even looked quite the same again and he had no injuries to his skin.

I hope that since the Dr.s KNOW Arrowhead is brain injured that they can do something better for him than many people who have brain injuries which go undiagnosed or ignored. It’s devastating.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We had four oaks taken down by a family of tree trimmers. Seven guys in two pickups with four Stihl chainsaws went to work Tuesday at 9 AM. Done by 1:30 with the wood cut into nice chunks and the slash stacked neatly in two piles.

The older guys worked ropes with the younger guys up the tree. Wood was cut in sections tied to ropes, hooked to a neighboring branch and swung down. It was fundamental geometry in motion.

The wood was donated since we already have cut and split oak and hickory curing.

[Ladysforest]

I love to watch the tree trimmer guys at work. I always wince and dodge LOL. I think the rest of this maple can be down in two hours. A third of it is already resting at the woodpile.
It’s been there for 60 years, and two years ago it seemed perfectly healthy, so whatever hit it was fast and nasty. They have been talking about some “borer” in our area so I wonder if that may have been an issue.
It’s a shame, it was a beautiful tree. And my car was my buddy. Sucked.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I've been mousing round the internet. Looks like people are saying

• leave the foliage until it is completely died down to the ground, dry and brown, That way you know all the "goodness" has gone into the root-crown.
• Then cut it all off about 1 inch off the ground. Leaving the cut "stumps" won't hurt the plant, but it will help "anchor" the mulch you'll be putting on top.
• Remove the dried fronds because the dreaded asparagus beetle may have left eggs there, and you don't want to give them a chance come next Spring. Compost the fronds completely n the middle of a hot pile,especially if you've had any bugs.
• Now that your ground is bare, absolutely pull up every single weed you see. Asparagus cannot compete successfully with perennial weeds, and here's a good time to get rid of them.
• Put a 6 inches deep topping all over the bed, either composted cow manure, or any kind of compost, grass clippings, or tree leaves or straw, whatever you've got. This is important to keep the roots well-insulated over the winter, i.e. to prevent repeated thaw-freeze-thaw-freeze. This is particularly important in raised beds, which are exposed/ vulnerable to repeated freezing and thawing.
• Loosen this topping periodically by just raking it up a bit. You don't want it to completely bog down and form an impenetrable mat.
• Around about Feb, if your leafmold or whatever has decomposed, go ahead and put on another 6 inches. In the Spring your bed will be "pre-fertilized" from all that compost. Weed any little early-sprouting weed you see, and then you're ready to welcome your first asparagus sprouts!!.

Or so they tell me!

[matthew fuller]

Does anyone have any favorite sweet heirloom peppers they can recommend? I am considering trying Jimmy Nardello, Corno di Toro and Napoleon.

[greeneyes]

I try to just stay in until April. However Blood Pressure zoomed up, so doc says I have to come in Jan or Feb. Yuk.

[greeneyes]

You could grow a few edible flowers to attract bees and add to salads.

Sometimes I grow marigolds in the middle of a bed of tomatoes. They are supposed to be good companions.

[sockmonkey]

French Marigolds are a good companion for tomatoes as they are nematode fighters, Burpee has this one,just to kill nematodes.
http://www.burpee.com/flowers/marigolds/marigold-nema-gone-prod000268.html

I was looking for companion plants for my fennel, and read, “Fennel has no friends.” For some reason, that made me feel sad. So, my fennel is in a smart pot..all ostracized from my other plants.

[greeneyes]

Poor little fennnel. sniff