Posted on 05/08/2015 1:13:04 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. No matter what, you wont be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isnt asked. It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - 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.
Ottawa County, MI. Throwing down some 46-0-0 for the corn in the morning.
Plum is an early white bloomer; apricot is the earliest, with pink blooms; opens even before the plums. Both bloom before the leaf buds start to open.
Cherries—white or pink, depending on type—are just after apricots, but their leaf buds start to open first.
Pear is a late—after most apples—white bloomer; peaches are also later bloomers.
Right behind the house, our gully is full of a wild plum thicket, both yellow & red varieties. They were in full bloom this past week, and the scent was nearly overwhelming.
Chokecherries will be next; earliest apples started with the cherries & plums; others are just beginning, and the lates haven’t haven’t started yet.
Meanwhile, the strawberries are in full bloom, but raspberries are just leafing & putting out the new shoots. Grapes, as usual, look 90% dead, with just a few buds swelling here & there.
Thanks for the info. I’ll tell hubby. I know we did purchase some plums, but I’ll have double check my file on orders. This tree was not part of the postage stamp orchard which did contain a plum.
I don’t think we purchased an extra plum tree - just extra apple trees, but Hubby could be mistaken - maybe he just misremembered that tree’s origin and it was actually part of the original orchard package.
Yawhza! That’s pretty strong on the N value.
Hello. Did you eat that pizza yet?
Yep, directions are included and before I ordered I found a bunch on the Internet. Easier than pie.
I bet when cutting up a big piece of fish or meat you can eyeball the ounces pretty good. I do pretty good at eyeballing calories, even from a picture, unless the scale is hard to determine.
Part of that comes from cutting up thousands of pieces of bread dough and weighing them for when I want 1.5 or 2.0 ounces of dough per serving.
You don't get a choice but to get good.
/johnny
I run my super-hots thru an Excalibur dehydrator and then grind them. This is done in the garage or outdoors, as the dust and fumes render the interior of the house uninhabitable for some time.
3-layer paper bushel bags. I get em at the feed store for $7-$10 apiece and then I have to pour the contents down the gullets of my welfare herd before I can use em. lol
I'll try to get a pic later if the rain holds off long enough to finish a tomato row.
I've been using cattle panels to support my tomato plants for many years. Works great. When they start to overtop the height of the panel I use butcher twine to tie the vines and train them to run horizontally along the top of the panel.
I'd intended to take the bolt cutters to a few panels over the winter and build a few tall cages to try out, but I didn't get it done. Maybe next time.
Taking my inspiration from you I planted my tomatoes, peppers, and corn in pots. Every afternoon I have been lugging them into the house because of the chance of hail or even worse tornadoes. Unfortunately my zucchini are in raised beds and they are waterlogged. Several developing little zucchinis have gone mushy and have fallen off.
More rain is forecasted for this weekend so the plants are staying put in my living room.
Hey Ottawa County, used to live there many years ago in Lamont. In Ionia county now.
This fresh pizza came from “Papa Murphy's” “Take n Bake Pizza”. It's about 1/2 mile from us, so easy to get there and back.
We have a large round stone made for baking pizza, so heat that and put pizza on that and in 10-18 minutes (depending on which one you got as there are several types of crust). The main thing is, it's done when the crust turns brown and the cheese melts.
This large pizza was $10 with a coupon for $2. It is far better than any already cooked pizza from the usual Pizza Hut, etc. brands.
There is a lot more of the veggies and meat than on any of those already baked pizzas. Because it is thick with veggies and meat, less slices fills you up. We shook some of our own Parmesan cheese on top but that was overkill, I think; not necessary. We also shook some black pepper on top before the cheese. The pepper was good to add.
It is a qualify made pizza. Now, for Bob's usual humor in a store: When he went in the pizza place, he told them this was new to him and did they include a young lady who would go home with him to cook it? Well, he had the personnel and customers laughing which is usually what happens when he goes in any store.
The one that gets the clerks either laughing or confused is when they hand him a pen to sign the bill, he asks if that is invisible ink? They say no, so he gives them back their pen and takes a pen from his chest pocket and says this one is invisible ink, it will disappear shortly. The clerk either knows it's a gag, or they look on to see if it disappears.
To help out the clerks, I tell them not to believe him as he is my mental patient and I'm taking him back to the “home”.
Yes, pots/containers gives one several advantages and that is one of them - you can move them for the best advantage for them and in your case it was saving their lives by moving them inside.
Another advantage is you grow them in good potting soil so you don't have to deal with “dirt/ground”, trying to get the dirt/ground to support growing the plant PLUS YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE MURDERING BUGS IN THE DIRT/GROUND.
When murdering borers killed my three squash plants I planted in dirt, totally killing them in three days, that was it for me - no dirt growing/murdering bugs again.
And, watch for murdering SQUIRRELS - shoot them! Send them to Johnny as he has a recipe for dead squirrels. :o)
The cold winter did a number on my winter plants. Lost many pansies, bulbs and herbs. Those that survived are in great shape. The worst problem is squirrels. They are digging up and ruining my garden pots. Have applied blood meal in the area, hoping that will help.
That part is easy to believe. lol!
I love his sense of humor.
We're getting rain here.
/johnny
I like your double bucket garden. That is how I plant all of my tomatoes.
This week I discovered that one of the weeds that’s taking over my parents’ backyard is actually cranesbill, which is worth about $3.50 a pound for the dried root. I’ve been digging a little at a time due to a shortage of drying space. It’s amazing how many of those little roots it takes to make a pound...
Still trying to get out of this house.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.