Weekly Gardening Thread – 2009 Vol.16 – September 04

Free Republic | 9-4-2009 | Red_Devil 232

[Red_Devil 232]

Good morning to all of you gardeners. A couple of FReepers have sent me alerts to threads posted on FR that many of you gardeners might find informative or interesting. I have posted links to them below the Gardening Banner. Thanks to Freepers tubebender and Califreak.

[Red_Devil 232]

Could it be that the smaller cookers don’t come with an insert to keep the jars seperated and off the bottom of the pot?

[rightly_dividing]

That may be it with the newer small ones. The one that wife has was bought for her by her mom, guessing about 10-15 years ago, and it does have a perferated tray with handle, and with feet under it. When she gets home, I will ask her the age of it. We will use it some since we are just beginners in canning, and may buy a bigger one for next year.
We both have made jellys and preserves for several years, this year we did Bread and Butter pickles and Kosher Dills, pickled cauliflower, pickled onion, salsa, and I am about to make cabbage relish over the weekend. We plan a more serious garden for next year. I have studied your photos and have a plan for about a 15 X 15 with irrigation system similar to yours. I am presently scouting the ideal place in the yard with respect to drainage ,and will break the dirt up and add some more to it and season it some with composted manure. So, next year we hope to have a real need for a canner.

[Red_Devil 232]

I will be using the PVC irrigation system again next year. It has worked very well. I will change where I start the main feeder lines. My garden is on a slight slope and the area toward the rear needed more water pressure to get everything flowing up hill and the plants toward the center of the garden got more water than they required. So my main feeder lines will all be up slope next year. I don’t know why I ignored gravity this year!LOL

[Red_Devil 232]

Just saw radar for Texas looks like y’all may finally get some needed rain!

[tubebender]

All of our Pressure canners have had a spacer to keep the jars off the bottom. I'm not sure it is required but why would they include it if not?. When we double stack jars I put a spacer of some kind between the lids of the bottom jars and the bottoms of the upper...

[tubebender]

Are you prepared for the snow this weekend?

[tubebender]

You should study up on drip irrigation as you can get emitters that are pressure compensating for slopes but I don't think you have that problem. What is your water pressure and is it a well or municipal water? Ask for a catalog from this firm... http://www.dripworksusa.com/ Filtering is the mothers milk of successful drip irrigation...

[Red_Devil 232]

I did not know that. I have two pressure cookers that my mother used. They have to be from the 1950’s. I am sure they would work but I am just not comfortable using them and have not tried. I am going to purchase an All American pressure canner next year.

[Red_Devil 232]

I am on a municipal water system. I am not sure of the PSI probably 60 if not a little higher. Not having a filter has not been a problem with the very basic PVC system I have. No emmitters except for the 1/16th drilled holes.

I have been to the dripworks site - nice stuff!

[tubebender]

Our only cooker is a All American as I could not get one of the Mirros to seal even with a new gasket so we scrapped it. It was so old the Bakelite handles broke and I replaced them with drawer pulls. Costco has some cheap inexpensive Wild Alaska Salmon and I am thinking about getting my Big Chief Smoker out and doing some moist smoked salmon. I shouud can some also...

[rightly_dividing]

If you want to window shop more drip irrigation stuff, I have been using stuff from Berryhill for 3 or 4 years and have an extensive drip system for our container, hanging baskets, and flower beds using pressure compensating emmiters. They keep the ones farthest from to outlet dripping at the same rate as those nearest. Our system covers both front porch, hanging baskets and containers, and rear patio baskets and containers, along with several flower beds that use drip tape. With a timer on the system, we are able to visit Colorado each year without fear for our “babies” back home. Another plus for using the drip is it cut our water bill in half from watering with a hose. They have a very extensive catalog of home, garden , and professional systems. But, for my veggie garden next year, I am planning on a PVC system like yours.

http://www.berryhilldrip.com/index.htm

[who knows what evil?]

I wish I had the room to plant corn. I understand it takes at least 3-4 longish rows to get them pollinated right. Anybody know if that is right?

I planted two rows of ten in a raised bed; and will wind up with roughly three dozen ears; perhaps more. Delicious with lime butter and parmesan cheese...

[Red_Devil 232]

Thanks will look into them also!

[FrogMom]

LOL!

Thx!

[MtnClimber]

No snow this weekend, thankfully! Temperatures are actually much warmer than the week in August when it seemed to get into the 30's every night. Last night the low here was 43F.

The furnace here finally went kaput. Glad it was not in the middle of winter! The water out of the deep well is 50F so taking a cold shower is out of the question. Got two solar panels installed on the south side roof, a two coil 80-gallon insulated ht water tank and a Triangle Tube 95% efficiency propane furnace that has two outputs, one for the hot water tank upper coil and one for the baseboard hot water heat with four zones. Now I need to think about how to start veggies indoors early in containers. I want to have some in containers on the deck so I can bring inside on cold nights.

[FrogMom]

Have been worried that the asshat in the WH is gonna crash us all. During the last 6 months I have canned hamburger, corned beef, bacon, pork loin, green beans, apples, peaches, lard, butter, cheese, turkey, chicken, venison, stewed tomatoes, and applebutter.

Have 50 lbs of country style pork ribs cut up and frozen to can when we get home from vacation. Also bought 10 more lbs of bacon last time it was on sale for a buck a pound. Watching for turkeys to go on sale, an 18 lb bird will about fill 7 quarts of meat.

Have prepared the back yard for next years garden and bought heritage seeds.

All this while working full time and doing every TEA party within 150 miles.

Am tired, need that vacation.

[Arrowhead1952]

Just saw radar for Texas looks like y’all may finally get some needed rain!

Well, we got a few drops at the house. The daughter got caught in a bad rain storm in N. Austin. We have a chance for rain all weekend, so hopefully we'll get some.

[rightly_dividing]

An interesting post on FR this morning. Make your own bacon. I know we have many country living/self suffiancy gardeners here.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2332809/posts

[tubebender]

Mean while back on the... FARM

[Petronski]

Don’t even think about pulling potatoes until the leaves start to yellow and brown.

Then you can test them. I like to leave them in until the plant has lost all its green.