WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 20 MAY 15, 2015

freerepublic | 8/15/2015 | 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. 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.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

greeneyes :" What does the beetle look like ?"

The best source of pest photos that I have found is on Bing.com/images
But I don't know how to post photos. So, here is the best I can do:
www.http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=colorado+potato+beetle&qs=n&form=QBILPG&pq=colorado+potato+beetle&sc=8-22&sp=-1&sk=

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

greeneyes :" What does the beetle look like?"

The Bing.com/images page inquiry also include potato beetle life cycle, images of the pupae and larva, and lists some commonly accepted chemical controls (non-organic).

[Daffynition]

It's been very dry here in southern NE. Evenings have been *cold* ...peppers are poking along.

Well, I went ahead with my *great* experiment, in our 20 X 49 community garden plot. Soil there is very poor and sandy. Weeds are abominable!

So far, I'm pleased with the easy watering and lack of weeds in the bags. Still lots of work to do....but things are coming along nicely.

[greeneyes]

It looks good. Thanks for the pics. I have forgotten where did you get he bags?

[greeneyes]

Thanks for the info that should be helpful for future pests we might have.

[greeneyes]

Well there you have it. Thanks for the info.

[Daffynition]

At a tag sale. A nice gentleman gave them to me for free, just to get rid of them. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done this. It’s just another form of container gardening.

I noticed they were *made in China* and are probably laced w/ arsenic or something bad. I’m a little concerned that the UV rays will destroy the fabric .... and all I’ll have are piles of compost with plants trying to grow. LOL.....we’ll see. The *grand experiment* was featured in a news story .....already my friends are calling it the *old bag lady’s garden! Heh.

I can hardly get any work done, when I’m there b/c the curious come to *chat* about the strange sight.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Catholic co-op sprouting mini-farms in Northern California (Fr. Joe Fessio/NanoFarms USA)

Something neat on another Free Republic thread. Check it out!

[ApplegateRanch]

Or you can buy your compost! It can be purchased from composting facilities.

---

That stuff is not “real” compost. True, most of it is manure, or municipal waste that has been piled and turned & fluffed until it is ‘finished’, but never heating up & ‘cooking’ as a “Rodale” compost pile does. It is then run through a rotating drum dryer to sterilize it.

That is not to say it isn’t a decent material to use; I just don’t like it being called “compost”.

You’re not getting a bioactive “living” compost, from a carefully chosen, balanced, mix of ingredients like you do from a cooled down natural pile.

[TEXOKIE]

Oh wow! Thanks for the wonderful clarification of the box store products. Words mean things, don’t they?