Gardening By The Moon:
Posted on 05/03/2020 6:55:54 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is non-political respite. 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! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
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 to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
Wow. And yet I saw this from Joe Bastardi @BigJoeBastardi · May 1 ...there goes my global warming plan ( sarc) to start growing citrus in central Pa. Md 20s in mid-May? Come to think of it, may be actual real vegetation native to this area that may be in trouble
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EW8leg8XsAAcDP4?format=png&name=medium" alt="" border="0">
I also lived in New Hampshire for 14 years. My daughter was born in Lawrence, MA and I worked in North Andover. NH is where I actually got started growing hot peppers just for the challenge if it.
I know the area since I grew up not far from there and used to deliver ice cream in area.
I really enjoyed it up there but I also moved away before NH turned from one of the most Conservative states in the country into the mess it is now.
Sad indeed. But is Spain any better? There are still many evangelical churches in NH, thank God, more so than MA.
The USA could learn a lot from the Spanish. Spain doesn’t have a welfare system. It’s so stingy that African refugees who land on the beaches here head straight to the French border. If you get sick and go to a clinic you either have to be a member, have insurance or have money to pay right away. If you don’t they turn you away. If you don’t work you either have to depend on charities or relatives.
If you go back and look at the picture taken from my terrace you will see three rocks jutting out into the sea. On top of the rock closest to land is a huge cross that is lit up at night so you can see it if you are miles away out at sea. It also looks nice from our house. That cross was raised on town land to commemorate the expulsion of the Moors from Spain in 1489. Try putting a cross on public land in America. We also just had a competition called “The Crosses of May” where different local religious clubs decorate crosses and get judged for the presentation (this year it was done virtually) and prizes are awarded by the town. All in all there is much more religious freedom here. Do a YouTube search for Semana Santa Almunecar and you will see the amazing displays they put on for Easter week.
Politically I stay out of the way. They don’t bother us and we don’t bother them. One of the advantages of being an expat is that if everything falls apart you can just leave. Unless this pandemic destroys everything I don’t see us leaving for the rest of our lives.
I substantially agree with that, except for cases such as true victims, like people who are hit by drunks and left as invalids, and have no relatives to help them. But not because you were drunk and crashed, yet charities are to be promoted and cherished who help the helpless.
That cross was raised on town land to commemorate the expulsion of the Moors from Spain in 1489. Try putting a cross on public land in America.
I agree. The hyper separatists would be on it in one day, unless Founders such as Washington, etc.
One of the advantages of being an expat is that if everything falls apart you can just leave. Unless this pandemic destroys everything I don’t see us leaving for the rest of our lives.
Well, we are basically we are due to this being where God put us to do His work, and to seek and serve Him, though we would naturally rather be in a warmer climate. Thank God for His grace to sinners thru the Lord Christ and His sinless shed blood.
Sweeeeeet!! Woke up to all 12 tomato starts having rallied overnight. 10 standing straight and 2 at 80%.....
Saving the taproots and the decent soil must have made a difference.
Gardening By The Moon:
Planting Calendar:
https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar
Moon Phase Calendar:
https://www.almanac.com/astronomy/moon/calendar
The injured and the helpless are taken care of by the state. The lazy, the poor by choice and the mothers who choose to have babies out of wedlock aren't. There is no "business" of welfare here like there is in the USA.
2 of my muskmelons are planted in the backyard garden. The two seeds I started for the Kitazawa shark fin squash haven’t sprouted, but I planted the empty cells anyway. They’ll grow or they won’t. If they don’t, I’ll stick some Delicata seeds there.
The Michigan shark fin squash are going gangbusters. They’ll be going out to the farm soon. Same with the other squashes I started early, they’re outgrowing the starter pots already. I even saw a couple of luffa sprouts in there!
The cucumber assignment I got isn’t doing so well. Of the 17 seeds they sent me, only 4 sprouted. And one of those shriveled up and died almost immediately. I had originally planned to put some in the backyard and some on the farm, but I think these are all going in the backyard now. I might plant a different variety on the farm so we have some to eat.
The greens and radishes I planted are starting to sprout, as are the peas. Some of the other cool-weather legumes are being sluggish, but hopefully I’ll see sprouts from those soon.
In the tray of “seed dump” tomatoes and peppers, I’m seeing lots of tomato sprouts. Not so many peppers. Good thing I don’t eat peppers, these were mainly to share with neighbors, while getting rid of old seeds. I think every pepper variety I have was a free gift that came with an order. Except the Ghost pepper, that I bought for pest control >:)
Potatoes and wheat are planted. I had enough wheat seed for a 50x50 patch. This is an experiment for me, we’ll see how it does.
Chickens keep trying to “help” with the garden. They’re annoyed that the fence is up now. But they have lots of greens to munch on now. They love the clover and violet leaves growing everywhere. And they’ve been keeping up their egg production, we have 3 dozen eggs in the fridge right now. That’s in spite of one going broody again.
That is a nice income!
Tomatoes are surprisingly resilient. Mom transplanted her own tomato starts for the first time this year. At one point she had the top of the tomato plant in one hand, and the roots in the other, because it tore while getting it out of the tray. She planted both pieces, and they both grew!
https://www.ruralsprout.com/survival-garden/
Interesting article.
One thing I would add is to learn how to treat things so the flavor develops. Some things taste better after a long curing time, others taste better if touched by frost.
There are also specific varieties that keep better than others. Blue Hubbard squash is famous for it’s long storage life, and the flavor gets better the longer it’s kept. Delicata squash have a very short shelf life. But both are winter squash. There are melons that will store until December easily. And parsnips can be stored in the ground until spring, although if the ground freezes they might be hard to get to in the winter.
Winter wheat, winter rye, buckwheat, or winter peas, are crops that get planted in fall and harvested in spring. They might help you bridge that gap between when the storage foods run low and when the main crops are ready to harvest. They also make good cover crops for weed control.
The article mentioned chickens. I highly recommend them. Even if you’re vegan, they can work wonders in terms of pest control. Mine have eliminated the Japanese Beetle swarms that used to eat everything in my yard. And they provide you with loads of entertainment besides!
Good deal!
I did.....and I made the charro coochi coochi sound when i did it.
It was very sunny and warm here in the PNW today......70’ish which put a whammy in. Couple of plants. I think they qiol be fine except for 1 plant which may give up the ghost.
I’m in the SF Bay Area. My house is cold! But it sure was sunny and warm outside. I accidentally dehydrated a couple things today because I was bundled up in my house. I lightly watered, not expecting things to scorch outside.
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.