Posted on 07/01/2024 6:30:55 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a 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 a 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 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/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
I want to be Granny when I finally grow up. :)
An admirable objective! ;)
I'll have to pay more attention to dimensions and which ones are part of which a given system.
32’ x 40’ poly greenhouse film for the tunnel roof is on the way. It will be looking like a tunnel with the sides and end doors opened up in a week or two.
Top was $200 and the sides and ends are each about $100 so I can sneak those in one at a time whenever.
Ends will be 16x30 cut to two 15 x 16 pcs. Sides will be 16x40 cut to four 8 x 20 pcs for sides.
$400 total and it’s good for 4 years.
$2/week.
Yep, whistle pig = groundhog = woodchuck = no good varmint.
I found another freshly-chewed tomato yesterday evening.
War is declared...
One of the more time-consuming chores at Jung’s was replacing the poly on our ‘Hoop House’ as we called it. (A structure similar to the one you’re building.)
We had straight-line winds come through one Spring and we got to replace it TWO TIMES that season. Fun! Not.
As a side note, I just noticed about two dozen grackles under the bird feeder in my back yard that are obviously starting their migration south.
I'm ready for them, see my home page.
The British make some of the best PCP air rifles in the world............
I got one last week, Ruger 10/22 also. So far we have only had two and got them both. The ones up here are very fast, if they see you, they are gone, so I don’t go out until their backs are turned. They can do incredible damage to a garden in hours.
That thought has been a concern of mine since the get go, especially with a brand new tunnel. Plastic blows off three years down the road, meh. Three weeks after completion OMG.
I'm not doing very weatherproof components just for the humidity inside a tunnel. I'm doing it for possible sprinkler use and in the case that the plastic is in a tree and I can't replace it until the wind dies down in a week or 3. LOL
Little cool down this weekend so I'll get started with track at least. Work on the arches where I have to bend the track to the arch.
Godspeed, LOL! :)
I was just outside watching a crop duster do his thing. What an amazing skill to have!
He was a number of farms over - there is a HUGE corn operation to the far west of us; your corn comment reminded me to mention that. When they harvest they go at it for 2-3 days, day and night. Not sure who owns that land. It’s far enough away that I can see it, but not hear it. ;)
All crops are looking GREAT (we have feed corn, wheat, oats and alfalfa in as usual) considering we got off to such a wet start this season. Alfalfa will be ready for a third cutting very soon; I am predicting a 4th cutting if this weather pattern holds, which equals a very good year and happy dairy cows with plenty to eat this winter. :)
Wow, they must have 32x40 plastic all boxed up and ready to go. Ordered yesterday and it’s on track to be delivered tomorrow.
Confirmed yesterday evening that there’s at least one more groundhog out there. Found a Purple Cherokee tomato that would have made three sammiches hanging on the vine half eaten.
I also picked eight very nice PCs, along with one Brandywine and half a dozen middling sized Better Boys.
The first tomato sammich of the summer is always so good.
The squall that rolled through here yesterday mostly flattened my sad little patch of sweet corn. It was planted late and only about waist high so it will probably stand back up and be ok.
Glad to hear the corm crop was saved!
I’m having Puppy Problems in my garden. They LOVE the bell peppers and I’ve found one half-ripe, chewed on tomato so far. But at a possible $1K a head once trained, I will not be shooting them. ;)
Their other ‘project’ is dismantling the still-boxed pellet grill that Beau bought but didn’t have time to assemble before he left for Bear Camp.
Hopefully they can have that all set up and ready to go upon his return. *SMIRK*
And don’t even get me started on the status of my landscaping around the house and the number of missing solar lights so far...
We quit growing Better Boys. Hubby is a tomato sammich guy. I got a couple of Costoluto Florentino plants this spring. Picked the first one a few days ago. Hubby declared it the best tomato for sandwiches ever. Got two sandwiches out of it, probably could have gotten three. Nice and firm inside lots of flesh, not seeds and water. Plus the bottoms are smooth and clean. Very impressed.
I don’t care much at all for the Better Boys, but Pops thinks they’re great so I plant a four-pack of them every year for him.
I like the old heirlooms. Sometimes they look a little ugly but the flavor of a Purple Cherokee/Brandywine/Black Krim/etc. can’t be beat and they get humongous.
I haven’t heard of the Costuluto Florentino but I’d be willing to give them a shot. Where do you get the seed for that variety?
Well this is an interesting rabbit hole. I didn’t buy seed, I bought two plants at a local nursery. First of all I misspelled it, it is costoluto fiorentino. So I looked for seed on Google, came up with this. https://territorialseed.com/products/tomato-costoluto-fiorentino?variant=12786171478115¤cy=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic&srsltid=AfmBOorH5bN3MjbHXuryi_rivSGDqyTjxXQ5Hj4vMkexZSJpNjPh0tHqtTQ
Another thing. While ours looks like this on the inside, it is totally round no bumps and the stem is not recessed. When we pick the next one I’ll have to take a pic.
I’ve noticed that beefsteak tomatoes don’t always come out ribbed for me. Some are globe shaped. Even on a single plant. I have no idea what the causes might be.
Also gotta keep in mind that pics on the web aren’t going to be the same as real life. You’re looking at one tomato out of who knows how many that looked good to upload.
Seed companies, especially Baker Creek are guilty of that.
Sure, you can put $20(not including labor) of care into a single plant and get something amazing but are you trying to growing food, trying to win a prize at the fair or trying to sell seeds?
Interesting thanks. A friend shared this site with me the info is pretty good.
https://www.totallytomato.com/
Our garden is not huge about 20 tomato plants so yes they get fed and watered well. We also use Chicken Soup for the Soil and have for six or so years. It is highly concentrated, mix with water, we treat the young plants after planting and once a month during the summer.
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.