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Weekly Gardening Thread – 2010 Vol. 16 May 21
Free Republic | 5-21-2010 | Red_Devil 232

Posted on 05/21/2010 5:00:30 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232

Good morning gardeners! If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of gardeners, each with varying interests and skill levels from Master Gardener to novice.

If you have a question about gardening or just an observation to share please feel free to stop by and participate. Paraphrasing Freeper fanfan -There are no stupid questions, just honest ones.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: garden; gardening; weekly
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Thanks but no thanks! I’m quite happy with Sticks and Twigs...


81 posted on 05/21/2010 7:04:49 AM PDT by tubebender ( I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it...)
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To: Red_Devil 232; Diana in Wisconsin; tubebender; Black Agnes; texanyankee; fanfan

Good morning all. I took the morning off to work in the garden and it is RAINING. There is still so much weeding and transplanting to do in my flower gardens that I am a little overwhelmed. I’ve spent all my time (and squandered all my hubby help) in the new veggie garden, and that’s still not finished.

Tasks for this week is to finish those raised beds and plant everything not in the ground yet.

Get a timer for my hose so that I can be sure that the garden is watered when we are gone over Memorial Day. Even if it gets watered during a rain storm.

Get the blueberry bushes in, which means cleaning out the winter damage (broken evergreens) and the weeds, adding soil amendments and planting the bushes. It looks like I should plan to put down weed cloth — or what about planting zucchini around the bases of the bluebarries to cover the bare ground and keep the weeds away until the berries are large enough to provide their own shade?

Clean out another bed in what I call my “arch garden”. This means lifting a whole bunch of irises, pulling weeds, and adding new soil — then putting everything back.

I’ve got about 6 days to accomplish all of that, an all of those tasks require muscle help from my husband who will whine about it.

When I lived in WA State, I used to garden in the rain. I might have to learn to do that here too. :(


82 posted on 05/21/2010 7:07:55 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: pyx
4.) What are examples of good edible plants which can grow in containers or even using UPSIDE-DOWN suspended container gardening along with how this can save room for a garden ?

I've always been reluctant to try those upside down plants. Aren't they a problem to water? You have to hang them awfully high to keep them off the ground, and they will need a really good support because they get heavy. Furthermore, I think they dry out quickly and you need to be available to attend to them quickly should they start to wilt.

Just my apprehensions on that method.

83 posted on 05/21/2010 7:10:43 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Red_Devil 232
Light rain on Humboldt Bay this morning and our ten day Forecast

>:(((

84 posted on 05/21/2010 7:10:51 AM PDT by tubebender ( I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it...)
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To: tubebender

I’m sorry for your frustrations with the rain. Did you catch my note about gardening in the rain in Western Washington? Not really good for digging, as it compacts the soil. But, you can sure pull weeds in the rain. Just make sure that your “first wife” has a cup of nice hot cider waiting for you when you come in.


85 posted on 05/21/2010 7:13:16 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic
Try Wal-Mart for your timer. I bought an Orbit digital timer from them. They had a couple of models to chose from.
86 posted on 05/21/2010 7:17:51 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: tubebender

We had a couple of big T-storms roll through here last night. Kind of wet and muggy this morning but should get up into the low 90s and sunny this afternoon!


87 posted on 05/21/2010 7:21:31 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232 (VietVet - USMC All Ready On The Right? All Ready On The Left? All Ready On The Firing Line!)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Thanks for the tip on the timer.


88 posted on 05/21/2010 7:27:03 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Depending on how small your blueberry plants are the zucchini’s might completely overtake them this summer. My zucchini plants are about 3-4ft tall right now. Ginormous! We have lots of blueberry plants and down here we just put newspapers down around them and cover those with pinestraw. Cheaper than weed cloth. We put down new pinestraw every year and new papers if we have a lot of weeds/grass coming up through the old (usually every other year).

Other than that it sounds like you’ve got your work cut out for you!

One day I’ll have a flower garden. I’ve squandered MY hubby help on the veggie garden this year too. I’m trying to talk him into preparing a spot for my perennial herbs right now.


89 posted on 05/21/2010 7:27:32 AM PDT by Black Agnes
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To: Red_Devil 232

The wet stuff we have this time of year is a damp cold drizzle that doesn’t amount to much but it does keep the soil damp. I find myself needing warmer weather to motivate and lure me outside and that’s a bummer because I was born to garden...


90 posted on 05/21/2010 7:30:28 AM PDT by tubebender ( I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it...)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Amish......The Marvin threw me too....


91 posted on 05/21/2010 7:37:45 AM PDT by hoosiermama (ONLY DEAD FISH GO WITH THE FLOW.......I am swimming with Sarahcudah! Sarah has read the tealeaves.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

Blueberries like acid soil so I mulch with Peat Moss or a similar mulch for acid loving plants but I still have to weed twice a year. Did you live and garden in western Washington?


92 posted on 05/21/2010 7:40:13 AM PDT by tubebender ( I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it...)
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To: Red_Devil 232
We've gotten a couple of beneficial showers in the past days and the garden is starting to take off ... so the real work begins.

The peas and beans are beginning to flower:

Photobucket

The mustard and turnip greens are really kickin':

Photobucket

I've gotten most of the larger tomato plants staked:

Photobucket

The peppers are coming along nicely and starting to fruit:

Photobucket

I've got another flat of tomatoes that are ready to be set out, but it may be a little wet this morning. What I need to do most is my least favorite task ... WEEDING!!! Ugh! But, before that, I think I'll pick a mess of turnip greens and surprise one of my favorite little ladies down the road. ;)

93 posted on 05/21/2010 7:51:27 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
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To: tubebender
Did you live and garden in western Washington?

Yes, for 5 years. It was quite a change from Houston, TX, which was quite a change from the Bay Area of CA which was quite a change from Central Valley, CA. LOL. W WA is where the Banana Slugs used to send me creaming for help in my own yard. That's Ok, a baby field mouse caused that here just last week. I guess I'm just a baby when it comes to wild animals taking me by surprise.

94 posted on 05/21/2010 7:58:44 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Your pictures have inspired me...Got a new camera and the equipment to hook up to the EXTREMELY slow computer. It's taken all morning but "SHOW and TELL" time!

Salad garden: lettuce, spinach, beets,carrots, radishs, one large tomatoe, cabbage and a couple of egg plants thrown in too boot....Behind are the herbs. Dad's new flag pole in the center.

Grape arbor, Sweet potatoes in black containers. Peas on the pea fence and a pit of Rhubarb in the lower left. Perr in front of cabin.

Marigold around beans....If you look REALLY hard you can see they are sprouting.....Rascal dog being herself, trying to get in the picture....Same Herb fence as in one from the other direction. Horse Radish and Caraway (seed) on either side of Rascal.

95 posted on 05/21/2010 8:01:27 AM PDT by hoosiermama (ONLY DEAD FISH GO WITH THE FLOW.......I am swimming with Sarahcudah! Sarah has read the tealeaves.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Car’s in the shop getting new shocks and the shop is right next door to Wal-Mart. That will be a convenient stop for the timer when we pick up the car. (OMG — those shocks are expensive — $600!) So, when I pick out a timer, do you have any suggestions on what I should look for?


96 posted on 05/21/2010 8:03:29 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: hoosiermama

Your garden looks grand. Good job with the new camera.


97 posted on 05/21/2010 8:05:46 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

All of your photos are beautiful. I don’t know how you do it all. If I was working outside of this place, nothing would get done.


98 posted on 05/21/2010 8:14:58 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
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To: texanyankee

Fantastic looking garden and a handsome little boy!


99 posted on 05/21/2010 8:16:34 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
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To: JustaDumbBlonde; Diana in Wisconsin
All of your photos are beautiful. I don’t know how you do it all. If I was working outside of this place, nothing would get done.

************************

I second that!

100 posted on 05/21/2010 8:16:59 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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