The scent is dizzyingly exotic and yummy, and is a real butterfly attractor. I saw an electric blue one, then a lime green one yesterday. I love the white ones, too.
Posted on 02/10/2017 2:10:25 PM PST by greeneyes
My passionflower vines shot 30’ up a cedar tree and presumably bloomed up there. If the freeze didn’t kill them, I’m going to head them so they’ll bush.
My heirloom Sun Gold cherry tomatoes are up from seeds scattered about by their moms last year. Best little tomato ever.
Last year I planted some companion marigolds that turned out to be Africans - ‘CrackerJack - which got 4’ tall and 4” blooms in all colors. Replanted them where they’ll form a screen... they look like marijuana, a few of my neighbors asked me if I wasn’t scared to grow weed out in the open.
PawPaw (largest edible fruit in America- sustained lewis and Clark expedition)
One of the areas we planted was around a stump about 4 ft. high. Huge mound of green and then took over the ground all around it.
Yes that hedge thing was a factor too. So far, though Hubby has avoided my suggestions that we plant enough to do that.
I planted one 20 years ago that absolutely ate the house I’d just built. These, I THOUGHT were perennial morning glory, got ‘em clearanced, the leaves are very similar. In the hill country, water and soil are such a delicacy that they can’t be wasted on that kudzu, no matter how pretty the blooms.
I guess I should have said :" Naturally ocuring in the wild, while exploring the territories"
After all, we all know that "everything grows bigger in Texas", ..if you don't believe me, ..just ask a Texan !
(for example : Texas watermelon, Texas cantalope, etc.)
LMAO !
Take green cuttings in the spring, trim the cuttings to 2-3 leaves, dip in water and then in rooting hormone (Bonide , Rootone), use toothpick to create a hole, insert cutting
into soil or compressed peat moss tablets, and then compress the soil, and water well.
You should see new plant growth and roots within 3 - 4 weeks.
The scent is dizzyingly exotic and yummy, and is a real butterfly attractor. I saw an electric blue one, then a lime green one yesterday. I love the white ones, too.
You have been Blessed, twice over: once by frost passing over, and secondly, by the butterflies.
In many states up North, crops are now grown from edge to edge; previously there was a weed line of uncultivated land, or hedge row where weeds grew and fed the butterflies.
Many states now encourage planting flowering weeds so that butterflies now have feeding stations along their migratory routes; frequently seeds are found in State 'conservation packets'.
Do what you can, as less and less farmland is available for the butterflies.
It’s good to see and hear of the communities which have some kind of “workfare” as you described. It sometimes gives each of us as individuals the clue as to who we can help and who’s just looking for the handout. Twice in my life I’ve needed and received food from a church pantry but each time I was so greatful I volunteered much in return. I am sometimes very pleasantly surprised at the friendships that grow when I have given what to me is very little. We still have plenty of people in this country who do want to earn their way and are very happy to be given the opportunity.
The little church that started the community garden is about 35 miles from us so I don’t go over often. It’s in a town with a population of about 2000. There isn’t much work there and what work is available is mostly minimum wage. The garden is as you described, workfare. (Good term, I hadn’t heard it before and am going to share it) When I have been over it has been partially in teaching mode to teach soil conditioning, companion planting, crop rotation, water conservation in the garden etc. I’ve been told by more than one person that they never tried to grow their own food simply because they don’t know how. I’ve heard that the leadership has denied access to the garden to one family because they refused to participate in the work and I wholeheartedly support that! (They’re certainly able and not starving) I am not a member of that church and not close enough to work the garden other than pulling some weeds when I stop by. My friend and the pastor asked me to come share expertise and I never object to blathering on about gardening :)
The church is small. About 60-70 members. It is in the poor side of town so the bounty and work are extending to the surrounding part of town. Last year two ladies in thè church added a Tuesday evening “kids night” ministry. They pick up some of the kids, some walk over and a few have parents who bring them. A little work in the garden is included in kid’s night along with education on the nutrition therein. A nutritious meal is served with some kids involved in preperation, again imparting info on healthy eating. These are in no way Michelle Obama meals. The kids are also being taught hygeine such as hand washing and tooth brushing. And there’s always a Bible study lesson after the meal.
As you can tell by the topics i mentioned being taught, many of these kids don’t have much of a home life. But that sort of grassroots effort at genuine help of people is SO much better than welfare. Even though that church is a little far for us to drive and not our “brand.” We are VERY happy to visit there and put a generous amount in their collection plate from time to time.
I have also volunteered this year to go teach pressure canning when the produce starts coming in. Frankly, it’s another area where it’s no hardship to go talk incessantly about something I enjoy. (Just like I’ve now done in this comment ;))
Ground cherries might be a possibility, too. Less if you’re in an area where people are used to tomatillos, but I grow ground cherries and while they’re pretty in their own way, the immediate reaction I get to seeing one is “weed”, not “food”.
Interesting that you mention all those butterflies. I saw more different varieties of butterflies around my yard last year than I’ve ever seen. As a little girl I ran around with a butterfly net all spring and summer so it’s not like I just now started looking. I was kinda wondering if my lemon tree attracted them and since they’re attracted to your almond verbena maybe its that scent thing too? I took several photos of new butterflies last year but most aren’t even clear enough to see. Maybe Texas is now The Butterfly Capital :)
Exactly! Ground cherries are a great idea. When I first started growing tomatillas no one in my part of the state knew they were a food either.
I was just reading the TX butterfly site where they recommend using plastic dish scrubbers in bowls of gatorade to feed them along their migration journey. Would bring hornets and bees too, though.
Paraphrasing the scriptures : " Where much is given (in intellect and education )..
"much is expected " (in teaching and training others).
Perhaps that is why I try to wait until others have made comments in the gardening forum, but "greeneyes" has pretty much covered other FReeper questions.
I find that I learn as much here by participating and getting my skills updated; I learn something new every time I lurk here, but I learn even more by participating.
That is why I try to be helpful, .. but I take even more enjoyment by watching others being or becoming more successful gardeners,
and getting involved in producing good and healthy food for their families.
Exactly ! That's the basic belief of a "guerilla garden"
"In plain sight, but unknown as a food plant", or plant camouflage.
My husband and I have increasingly just started being our own physicians also. There are the known broken parts in me that we know sometimes a licensed doc has to deal with. But the internal functions, metabolic, nutrition, all the stuff that combines to make the best body we can get is up to us. Doctor’s don’t have the time or knowledge to determine many of our body’s needs or problems, it’s up to us to pay attention and be responsible. The answers arent in pill form for the most part. Relying on good healthily produced food is what makes us both feel the best. I preached that to my sweetie for the first 3 years together. He kept gaining weight. (I was not forcing the carbs down his throat) Finally he came home one night down in the dumps over his size and complaining that everytime he’d ever been on a diet he was miserable and hungry all the time. I’d asked him to try eating “my way” but he fussed and complained. That evening I discovered his complaints were about not wanting to “feel hungry” all the time.
So, he was finally disgusted enough to try reducing carbs, eliminating junk food thru his workday and trying a healthier diet. He lost 35 pounds in 8 months. He wasn’t hungry. I proved my point but he’s returned to some bad habits and now knows, and admits, he feels better with my healthier diet. I watch him pretty closely due to the prevalence of diabetes in his family. And this is also why I humor my mom everytime she shows up and pulls out her blood sugar testing stuff.
No doubt your being mindful in the same way is going to keep ya’lls bodies ticking along many more years than folks on a common American diet. And just like you did, it’s often a lot more dependable to self-diagnose because the doctors don’t live with you 24-7. Better that we try to be informed ourselves and then use the medical profession as a tool for getting testing etc.
Hey, I might try that! I use those plastic dish scrubbers so have them on hand. Does it recommend any particular flavor or color gatorade?
I don’t mind bringing around more bees. We live next to Corp property and get a lot of honeybees. I would love to find their location out in the woods and steal honey. Our bame is yellowjackets. Those darned things hide nests everywhere. Last year I even had to get one out of the pipe running from our roof gutter into one of my rain barrels!
As iron sharpens iron so one person sharpens another.
This is what I find from this thread too. I’ve forgotten too much. I love being reminded, updating and learning new facts and methods. I wish I had the land and energy to try everything related to garden food production. I’ll never be able to use everything I learn here and in other gardening classes but I want to try :)
Hubby just informed me there’s a nearby gardening convention of some sort next weekend! And my calender was free. ~was~
Can’t do it unless Hubby agrees. It’s a joint decision.
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