WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD JUNE 23, 2017

freerepublic | June 23, 207 | 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.

[trisham]

That sounds heavenly. Here in Massachusetts, we finally planted our tomatoes in the big raised planter.

This pic is actually from 5/29/14. Last summer and this summer we haven't been able to plant until the end of June or early July. We have a nice crop of cilantro in a raised planter on the back deck, along with a few lettuces, all volunteers. My new little irises and azalea are doing well in pots on the deck. I hope to plant them next weekend. It's been so hot here, but still with many cool nights. We have corn plants in the front yard. I'll have to get a picture soon. Thanks for the thread, greeneyes!

[Ellendra]

No-crow collars don’t shock the rooster at all. When a rooster crows, he puffs up an air sac in his throat, in addition to his lungs. The collar interferes with puffing up that air sac, so his voice comes out as a quiet, little crow, instead of the “wake the neighborhood” kind. It doesn’t interfere with his lungs at all.

(At least, according to what I’ve read about them. I haven’t tested them yet, but they aren’t crowing yet, either.)

[Wneighbor]

Gotcha on that lemon balm. I am cursed/blessed that mint family plants don’t thrive in my soil. I lost my plain old spearmint in the ground last year but always keep 5-6 pots.

That said, I have a spot picked out for this lemon balm in a closed in corner where I can nurture a bit. I also have a bucket full of this Alabama soil where it’s been thriving to mix into my soil.

Leaving this morning to go home. Just finishing up my coffee to load car. Blessings to all!

[SLB]

Between early morning of June 22 and evening of the 23rd. We received 6.74 inches of rain. Our main vegetable garden is on a creek bank, so needless to say it flooded. I will post some pictures here later today. The garden is actually about 5 feet above the normal water level, so when you consider we had around 16 inches of water flowing over the garden you can imagine the actual amount in the creek, it was really roaring for a few hours. I took some video with my IPhone and tagged WLKY TV in Louisville and they aired my two Golden Retrievers swimming thru the yard. There is a chain link fence between the yard and the creek so they were no in any danger.

The real damage was to yellow and zucchini squash and pole beans. Winter squash, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, beets, carrots, cantaloupe, watermelon and cukes all survived. I did have to wash the silt and mud off them yesterday after church.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Good! Just didn’t want to see you make a regretful mistake when it comes to that invasive stuff! :)

[greeneyes]

I’m glad that I don’t have to exist only on what we grow. It’s not always a great year.

[greeneyes]

We had a spell of rain like that last year. The onion soup turned out so good, and it took less than 5 minutes to make it. So I had it a couple of more days this week.

I will definitely be planting more onions and having this soup during the winter months.

[greeneyes]

I’m anxious to get the garlic harvested, so that I can plant some stuff there - usually it’s done by first of June, so that’s put me behind.