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WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD JUNE 30, 2017
freerepublic | June 30, 2017 | greeneyes

Posted on 06/30/2017 7:23:22 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 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.


TOPICS: Gardening
KEYWORDS: agriculture; food; freshcorn; gardening; hobby
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To: tubebender

Jealous! But I have strawberries doing just that right now.

Of course, I BOUGHT them from a local farmer, but still, LOL!


81 posted on 07/01/2017 2:34:41 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set!)
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To: SaveFerris

My goodness, what are you going to do with all those peppers ?!

I thought I overdid it with 25 bell pepper plants. I tried canning peppers last year, and didn’t like the results at all. So now I’m going to be stuck with a lot of fresh peppers. Freezing them is fine. But I can only use so much during the year ellipsis


82 posted on 07/01/2017 2:36:06 PM PDT by CottonBall (Thank you, Julian)
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To: Jamestown1630

How do you use the oregano for medicinal purposes? I have several bushes around here, that grow like weeds. I’ve harvested and dried quite a bit so I am done for the year doing that.


83 posted on 07/01/2017 2:39:37 PM PDT by CottonBall (Thank you, Julian)
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To: left that other site

“Mostly weeding and hoeing...wait...that doesn’t sound right! :-)”

Oh yeah does. I do the same thing. I hoe in between my rows and in the places where the plants are spread apart. But I weed by hand where the plants are too close together. I am a bit of a uncontrolled spasmodic Maniac with the hoe, and have already taken out to cucumbers - accidentally.


84 posted on 07/01/2017 2:42:25 PM PDT by CottonBall (Thank you, Julian)
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To: greeneyes; Jamestown1630

Maybe you two ladies will know about this ... speaking of baking soda

I just bought an adorable 1.5 quart belly pot. It’s a cute little round thing. Stainless steel with an aluminum clad bottom. Nice and heavy. I was reading the directions that came with it and they said not to use baking soda or other abrasive cleaners. They did recommend Bon Ami or bartenders friend. Or is it bartenders keeper? Anyway, I always thought baking soda was non-abrasive. What do you think? I just scoured out the inside of an enameled Dutch oven with it, so I hope it is!


85 posted on 07/01/2017 2:47:04 PM PDT by CottonBall (Thank you, Julian)
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To: tubebender

Yum, I’ll be over for blueberries in a second :-)


86 posted on 07/01/2017 2:48:34 PM PDT by CottonBall (Thank you, Julian)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Awww I luv the kittens!


87 posted on 07/01/2017 2:51:58 PM PDT by CottonBall (Thank you, Julian)
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To: CottonBall

I usually get small peppers - about 2/3 normal size maybe some smaller.

Dunno, all the seeds were “free” since I often buy 4-10 a week or so. Not so much lately but I definitely collect almost all the seeds. Have not done that as much last couple months.

Still, I’m loaded with seeds.

If they’re not used in cooking right off, I’ll chop them small and freeze. Then I just throw some frozen right in the skillet or pan in the oven. I got a lot of “chocolate peppers” last year - you can see the red when you cut them open. If I make a roast with brown gravy, they blend right in but they’re fine anywhere else.

Yeah, I’m hoping for 500 peppers between Sept-Oct-Nov, LOL.


88 posted on 07/01/2017 2:55:35 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for ... some have unwittingly entertained angels)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I don’t know. Gotta look at them again. They’re all in large pots, for the most part. I do have an open bag of bone meal so I might hit them again. It was a really heavy rain so I’m sure it washed a lot out.

Gonna try to find some epsom salts - the WM’s around run out fast or so it seemed a couple months ago.


89 posted on 07/01/2017 2:57:55 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for ... some have unwittingly entertained angels)
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To: SaveFerris

If they’re in pots and have good drainage, forget what I said, other than to feed them on a regular basis. My faves are bone meal and AlgoFlash; always had great results with those.


90 posted on 07/01/2017 3:31:26 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set!)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Yeah, I often put a layer of paper towels down to hold back dirt and other things, before I add the dirt.

Water WAS the answer BION. I can’t believe it. 2-3 hours after the first watering (I’ve hit them two more times) everything is BACK. One pepper plant is slow but that’s the small one - he’s still got good green dark leaves and actually looks OK. I named him upthread but am forgetting what he is at the moment.

Nonetheless, I gave everybody a good shot of Jobe’s Bone Mean and forgot I had EcoScraps for Veggie and Tomato so everybody got that, too. Including my scrap garden - been tossing sliced up pepper scraps, tomato scraps shoot even strawberries. There is no telling what will come out of there! But I also put in 42 starters with about 100 pepper plants - all free seed harvested from store peppers. It will be a jungle - they grow very well if you get them right out of the pepper and go into the soil very quickly, within a couple of hours. I think the juices in the pepper help them grow. But that’s just a theory.

IOW, plant them before they dry out if you can (dry works pretty well for me too). OK, gotta go!


91 posted on 07/01/2017 3:53:38 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for ... some have unwittingly entertained angels)
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To: SaveFerris

Sweet Marconi Peppers - one getting really BIG. Or so it seems. Another about 7-10 days behind him in size.


92 posted on 07/01/2017 3:55:12 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for ... some have unwittingly entertained angels)
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To: CottonBall

Dem hoes hang out in seedy places...and stay out of their beds! LOL! :-O)

( I have a dirty mind!) LOL!


93 posted on 07/01/2017 4:48:51 PM PDT by left that other site (You shall know the Truth, and The Truth Shall Set You Free.)
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To: MightyMama; greeneyes

You betcha! I’d love some of your go-to low carb options! We have our favorite food ruts, but I’d love a few ideas to break up the monotony! (Actually, bacon, cream, eggs, ribs, and miracle rice with a few veggies just havn’t gotten monotonous yet!)

LOL! understood about the cherries. No worries. Your tree cherries will be worth the wait!

My doc just put me on the ketogenic approach. I only THOUGHT I was doing low carb before! LOL! I feel very good on this diet. I think my new favorite is the full fat yogurt. Oh. My. Goodness! Never knew about that marvelousness! LOL!


94 posted on 07/01/2017 5:05:12 PM PDT by TEXOKIE (We must surrender only to our Holy God and never to the evil that has befallen us.)
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To: MomwithHope; greeneyes

Thank you for your welcome greeting, MomwithHope! I’m glad to be back. Yes, it is a WONDERFUL thread!


95 posted on 07/01/2017 5:07:11 PM PDT by TEXOKIE (We must surrender only to our Holy God and never to the evil that has befallen us.)
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To: greeneyes

Been flat for the past week with “summer lung” chest cold troubles.

Irritation pump managed to irritate us again this year. Turned out the 220 breaker for it in the main box died on one leg. Fixed it today.

Have to soak & plant 25 or 30 more speckled bush butterbeans, to replace to ones that didn’t germinate, thanks to the watering & illness neglect.

Took a roast out of the freezer, and found my missing packet of Short & Sweet carrot seeds stuck to the bottom of it.

By the end of the month, we’ll have 3 more freezer bunnies; a new junior doe; a stewing doe; and hopefully a litter well on the way to weaning....and another soon to be stewing doe.

9 elderly hens are still giving 4-8 eggs/day, depending on temps.

German butterballs are blooming; russets not yet.

We’ve had a yard full of feral ‘Flanders fields’ poppies every year. A couple of years ago, a few white sports turned up among them This year the reds & whites have been joined by some extremely deep reds, and a few true pink ones, as well.


96 posted on 07/01/2017 6:11:27 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Love me, love my guns!�)
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To: trisham; greeneyes

Yes, thank you trisham - I AM doing great! It’s good to be back!

I forgot to mention that we had a nice potted plantain last year, which, when it seeded, it exploded! We had a nice patch of volunteer plantain in front of one of our beds that we have been mowing around! LOL!

I was also noticing in the side yard that we also have a respectable patch of wild plantains which have escaped the mower and edger somehow.

We just got back from one of our Walmarts. I was stunned to see that they actually had some stevia plants left over and marked down! (I had purchased the one I have now from Lowes.)

Since they are not perennial here, I passed them up. We do do not have adequate space to accommodate a lot of potted plants in the winter. How cool, though, because I’d been begging the universe for several years for access to some mature plants! When it rains - it pours!


97 posted on 07/01/2017 7:13:49 PM PDT by TEXOKIE (We must surrender only to our Holy God and never to the evil that has befallen us.)
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To: left that other site

LOL, who knew gardening wasn’t G rated?


98 posted on 07/01/2017 7:43:56 PM PDT by CottonBall (Happy Brexit 1776! (and Thank you, Julian!))
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To: CottonBall

Oh yeah...I went crazy the other day too...probably killed some nice plants in the process!


99 posted on 07/01/2017 7:47:34 PM PDT by left that other site (You shall know the Truth, and The Truth Shall Set You Free.)
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To: CottonBall

Well, you know...the Birds and the Bees and all that! :-)


100 posted on 07/01/2017 7:48:58 PM PDT by left that other site (You shall know the Truth, and The Truth Shall Set You Free.)
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