Posted on 01/19/2018 4:35:20 PM PST 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.
That’s interesting- What conditions make squash unhappy there?
We had a few inches here but I waited for it to melt to head outside. After living in the Sierra’s with 25 feet of snow a winter with 5 feet of snowpack, I’m not too fond of it any more.
I’m liking the weather today! And I’ll pretend you didn’t say it won’t last. Ignorance is bliss, ya know.
I’m calling my order into Territorial Seed tomorrow. I’ve planted some carrots in a pot. See if they will mature.
Not sure, but I think that it’s a disease that stays in the soil. The vines do really well, and then one day droop, growth stops and in less than a week the vine is dead.
We sometimes manage to get some zukes and cukes planted in potting soil/mix but the squash bugs are hard to deal with and eventually cause plant failure too.
Warm and wet here in Central Missouri over the weekend.
I’m pretty much over the pneumonia, but still not up to full speed. I threw my back out unloading firewood last weekend and it’s been aggravating me ever since. Got a few things done around the house, but nothing that required much manual labor.
Next weekend maybe I’ll get something accomplished that’s worthwhile. I hope.
I’m thinking I will use some seeds I’ve been saving. Missouri would probably be fairly similar to NC in terms of when to plant outdoors.
I will plant tomato seeds and also some peppers.
When do you think I should plant my seeds indoors in order for them to be ready to plant at the right time outdoors?
I’m pretty weak too. Not doing much that takes effort - more sitting at computer than usual.
General rule of thumb is 6 weeks before your last frost date.
The frequency of frosts after those dates is so often, though that I tack on 2 weeks to that date.
Depending on the plants, nothing is planted till latter part of May. Hubby plants earlier than that though.
What is meant by “hardening” the young plants before planting them outdoors?
Well here’s to us all getting our gumption back!
Take them out doors in their pots and let them get used to the change is climate before you disturb the roots by transplanting.
Wild weather swings the last couple of weeks: anywhere from single digit highs, to above freezing lows & back again.
7” of snow & an 8 hour power outage Saturday & Saturday night. At least we have wood heat; a standing-pilot stove & oven; and oil lamps & candles, as well as a ton of flashlights.
Today, I ordered a package of honey bees; and bought a “complete” hive. Of course, that includes only the bottom brood box; I’ll have to add another ‘pantry box’ for the second story, and 2 or 3 honey supers for harvesting.
Also made a start on buying essential equipment for working with the bees.
We’re hoping they’ll do a better job of pollinating for us in early Spring, when the apricots are in bloom. We really have a dearth of pollinators. 50 or so pounds of honey in the Fall wouldn’t hurt, either.
Hubby has been thinking about getting some bee hives, but the focus now is the greenhouse. He’s studying various ways to heat it for year round use. Criterea: Cheap, quick, sustainable, not dependent on electricity.
Daytime temperatures have risen to the high 50’s - low 60’s. Planted my daffy bulbs yesterday and watered well. Pulled back the coverings of the gardening pots and got a pleasant surprise. Pansies doing well, even blooming and lettuce seeds have sprouted. Need to water everything and going to use what I was able to save when the faucets were dripping to prevent pipes freezing.
We are having a “heat wave” too. LOL. Low 50s. I didn’t even have to water - we got rain. Yipi YO Kiya.
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.