Posted on 01/30/2015 12:38:35 PM PST 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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I feed the birds outside of my workplace, and they tame easily. The Mockingbirds come within inches of my feet, and look up at me sideways with their wise old eyes, waiting for crumbs from the bird loaf that I bake. I throw peanuts to the Blue Jays, and they swoop, screech, and run off with the prize. Sometimes I will go out the door and a dozen sparrows will nearly fly into my face: “We’re Here!”
This year’s cardinal is a little stand-offish, yet.
I’m a cold-weather wimp, and the last two winters have been really hard in my usually pleasant climate. The birds keep me going.
On the way to work in the morning, we pass a swampy pond; and I tell myself every day, “Soon, we’ll hear that Red-Winged Blackbird, right here!”
Birds don’t doubt or worry; they inspire me toward Spring.
-JT
There are lots of good Youtube videos on making Kimchee.
My Korean friends also make what they call “fresh Kimchee”, which doesn’t involve the fermentation, but gives you a little of the Kimchee experience in a quick way.
(And then there are the “water” Kimchees...much milder.)
My husband loves Sauerkraut, but I’ve never liked it; I do love Kimchee!
One of my friends told me that the Korean correlative of a Currier and Ives winter scene, is a picture of a traditional Korean house, with the pots of Kimchee sitting out in the snowy back yard :-)
-JT
lol The only outside gardening anyone is gonna do around here right now will have to involve a jackhammer or heavy equipment of some sort. lol
Thank you -JT,
That was near poetry. I on the other hand love the winter, reminds me of when I snow skied, Ice fished, and fell in love. My face is frosted by many winters, but not my spirit.
How cardinal’s of all birds have survived is beyond me.
If you grow cilantro, let it go to seed, the next year you will have 20x as much without planting.
In my family , we referr to sauerkraut as 'schrapnell'
We like it , but ... it doesn't like us ! LMOA !
The best sauerkraut I've had also had caraway seed in it !
How have you made it ? The ole'timey way ? or with modern technology ?
Very funny you call it schrapnell. I call it nature's brillo pad. It really cleans you out. If it acts like schrapnell you need to eat more, you are not eating enough. Trust me.
See posts 19 and 28 on this thread of my recipe and a pic. I don’t use caraway, just don’t care for it.
Took the garden tractor to the shop for long overdue major maintenance & repair; and brought home the tiller, all ready for another season or three.
Everyone has been surprised by a near record January thaw, due to end this weekend; temps hit 70+/- a few days. Seem proper to me, though: if we celebrate “Christmas In July”, then 6 months later we should have “Summer In January” . *<];-)
I will let you know how it goes.
Do you make a new tea of kombucha each year , or do you keep a "mother" culture from the original ?
Can you keep the "mother" culture from year to year (heirloom culture ) ?
Hello, Ohio!
Cardinals survive because they are modest and careful. They are the least demanding of all my birds. Sometimes last year, I would be outside, and hear a tiny ‘chip’; and I’d look behind me and he’d be up high on a ledge, waiting for the food - waiting for me to notice him; not flying in my face, or to my feet, like the others. Cardinals have Faith that things will come around to them in good time. And in Winter, they mask their brightness, with their reticence.
Thomas Troward, in his interpretation of the Psalms, wrote:
‘”Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”’ —the meek, because they allow Time for Growth, and are not hurried on by passion and impatience.’
(’Meekness’ here is interpreted as self-control, self-mastery.)
I can’t believe how much time I could spend playing in the snow, when I was a kid, and I still love it now. But I’m getting hoary with age, as well; and I now love it best from inside, behind a nice picture window, with lots of prep tucked away :-)
My best to you,
JT
Generally , raw wood chips will use up any available nitrogen as they decompose.
Most use wood chips to keep the weeks down , even cellulose (wood fibers found in Newspapers)are effective as a mulch to maintain soil moisture, and inhibit weeds.
If the lush foliage growth is green , but you have little for fruit or seeds , consider using a fertilizer (N/P/Ka) of 10-20-20.
Consider taking a soil sample to Coopertive Extension for fertilization (N/P/K) test and micro-nutrients testing before adding any nutrients or fertilizer.
Contact them prior to taking a sample to see how they reccomend you taking the sample. Cost , if any , is minimal or free.
During the winter , birds will freqently nest in evergreen shrubbery such as arbor vitae and taxus (yews) commonly found in Northern landscaping.
Also, proximity to pine trees, wild fruits and seeds will facilitate them over-wintering successfuly.
You can encourage wild and songbirds by offerring beef suet , seeds , and fruits in bird feeders (especially 'black stripe sunflower'{highest in seed oil} seeds
which appeals to most to song birds and wild migrating birds
Your Miliage May Vary (YMMV) depending on what cover you offer them (as well as your neighbors), as well as food available.
I really miss seeing you on the weekly recipie forum, and have enjoyed your input .
I havne’t seen any recent submission from Libertarian27 either; that the weekly recipie forum hasn’t been active since last year has been a real loss to me .
I had been lurking there for years.
Good to see you in the Gardening forum; it comes out each Friday around 3:30 PM through ‘greeneyes”.
Please keep posting !
Good to see you !
Tilted Irish kilt
Thanks! We watched the Back to Eden movie a couple of years ago and were sold on the method. We have a tree service company that gives us truck loads of wood chips, we were hoping to find a source for manure but fertilizer is probably the way to go.
Amen! It is right up there with purslane, catnip, and dill for reseeding itself.
We have way more come up than we know what to do with; a lot of it gets tilled, just to keep it more less in bounds. We really don’t use much of it; instead, we let it go to seed, as we go through a lot of coriander in our cooking & preserving.
A word of warning: be VERY carefull ordering seeds from outside the country. It is illegal to import them without a permit, and the majority of sellers on Ebay and Amazon don’t bother with the permits.
I learned that the hard way. The Amazon listing didn’t show country-of-origin at all, I looked. I now have a letter from Customs letting me know I am now on one of their watch lists.
I beleive you !
Yes, we called it a 'Spring Tonic', and yes , it would put a 'hitch in your get along'.
A buddy of mine would remind me of "Kim Chee" from when he served in the Armed Forces in Korea, and he said the gourmet 'Kim Chee' was buried in the ground for many years ,
somemtimes for as much as 20 years, and is a flavor he can remember even now
Personally , I can't imagine the flavor of a buried 20 year old sauerkraut , unless I am doing penance.
Chemical ertilizer is a 'controled' and 'known' commodity with predictable N/P/K nutients.
Remember that "Fresh Horse" and "Fresh chicken" manure are "HOT", and exceedingly high in Nitrogen, and require some ageing or composting.
Cow manure, wether aged or already composted, is a more balanced fertilizer , and is generally cheaper.
See if there are any farms around you. Generally , diary farms have an excess of manure that be had for little or no expense.
If you can transport it yourself, invest in a good tarp, and line a pick-up truck box (no cap) with the tarp.
After transporting manure , consider the tarp expendable or for further use in transporting manure as you will never get all the 'fragerance' out of it .
The older and drier the manure (horse/chicken/cow), it will be less fragerant, and more immediately usable in the garden.
Manure provides not only fertilizer (N/P/K) into the soil , but also will provide more fiber and ability to retain moisture in the soil, while providing micro-nutrients.
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