Weekly Gardening Thread – 2010 (Vol. 19) June 11

Free Republic | 06-11-2010 | Red_Devil 232

[tubebender]

I planted the top end 1" below which means the root end is about 2" deep and that's my story... More about

I had forgotten about the perennial Green Bunching Onions growing untended in our garden. There is another perennial green onion called the Egyptian Walking Onion which is very interesting and quite controversial in my our garden as I had some growing and my garden assistant didn't like it showing up in her flower beds and one day while I was at work they disappeared altogether without a clue. Here is a link to the Green Bunching

I transplanted this clump of Perennial Green Onions from the garden to the deck next to the kitchen this morning...

These are the offspring of the original from 10 years ago and I don't remember where I purchased them

[tubebender]

Here is a link to the Green Bunching Onion

[fanfan]

Wow, my bunching onions aren’t even 4” tall, and they’ve been in the ground over a month.

They are an annual here; zone 4b.

The onions I planted the other day are Spanish Onions.

[tubebender]

They say they are great in stir fry but my Personal Chef is afraid to use a Wok on her glass gas cooktop. She picked another gallon of raspberries today and gave them to our daughter’s mother-in-law. Now she is out giving home communion to a home bound member of our Church and then to the Church for Wednesday evening service and then home to serve me baked ham, her famous shrimp pasta salad and fresh corn on the cob from Farmer John’s field in the Central Valley or somewhere.

I weeded and fertilized the Strawberries and filled the bird feeders and a dozen other small chores. Tomorrow I fertilize the corn and hill it for the first time. I’m not sure it will be knee high by the fourth of July but I say that every year. It is called TRinity and matures in 70 days anywhere but Eureka but we always get 2 ears off each stalk and have plenty to share

[fanfan]

Mrs. Tubebender is a wonderful woman, you are very lucky.

A FReeper FRiend lost his wife this week. They were so close, and my heart is breaking for him. :-(

Corn should be hilled? Like potatoes?

[tubebender]

Corn should be hilled? Like potatoes?

That's the way my pappy made me do it and by golly if was good enough for Pappy it's just something I do without questioning it but, you have me thinking that...

Actually I do it to cover the fertilizer and stabilize to plants...

[fanfan]

That makes good sense.

It’s funny though, sometimes we do things without knowing why. It just always works, so we do it.

LOL, OTOH, young people don’t know why they are told to “dial” a phone number.

[tubebender]

I lived in a town where you put the ear piece to your ear, turned the crank and told Sadie to get Billy Bob on the line and I guarantee you that 6 other people were listening to you...

[afraidfortherepublic]

OK, it finally stopped raining and I found the culprit that has been putting holes in my lettuce and in my broccoli and radish leaves. I spotted a little green caterpiller about an inch long and 1/8 inch in dia. I also saw some tiny black insects flitting around. But, I think the caterpiller is my suspect. Unfortunately, the pests were too fast for me to catch them, so I thought I’d ask you all what I should do?

Ignore (the holes are TOO bad)? Pesticide — which one? Advice appreciated.

[afraidfortherepublic]

the holes are TOO bad = the holes aren't TOO bad

[afraidfortherepublic]

I don’t blame your personal chef and her glass cooktop. My daughter has one of those and she broke the first on 3 weeks after moving into the house. Spilled fruit syrup on it and it exploded from the concentrated heat.

I have an electric wok — a stand alone that just plugs in. I’ve had it for years, and I just love it. I use it for all kinds of things — even chili and spaghetti sauce. They are not expensive, and your bride might appreciate one if she has the storage space for it. Mine was by West Bend, but I think other companies make them.

[Red_Devil 232]

That green caterpiller is not the culprit putting holes in your lettuce and broccoli, he would be eating his way all the way across the leaves. You gotta find him and any friends before they get BIG ... they are looking for your tomato plants! :) Could be a Hornworm. Those things can get as big as your little finger and destroy a tomato plant by eating the very young leaves and even chomping off the growing tip.

Small ones I just squish with my fingers but those big guys I snip in half with a pair of kitchen scissors that always I carry in my back pocket.

[tubebender]

I would not use pesticide especially on the lettuce. I have had good luck looking for them early in the morning or late in the evening by turning the leaves over and It does sound like it is the Cabbage Looper

[afraidfortherepublic]

That sure looks like the little bugger. Guess I’d better call the County Extension agent for advice. Thanks.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Eeeeewwwwww! I had no tools with me — not even gloves when I saw him. I was jsut out there to put some labels on some seedlings that were sprouting. I tried to catch him, but he was too quick for me. I wasn’t going to jam my hand down into the dark recesses of the garden at dusk to see what else I could find. I’ll go out in the morning WITH gloves and WITH scissors!

I can see that one of the downsides of this square foot garden scheme is that when the plants get big they are really crowded and there are lots of places to hide.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

There are two products I highly recommend for bug problems -- malathion or sprays that contain neem oil.

Neem oil is derived from plants and is organic and very effective as an insecticide, miticide and fungicide.

Malathion is an insecticide that is not metabolized in the human body, therefore pretty darn safe for garden use. This information comes from the crop consultant that checks our farming operation every week. He is a PhD entomologist.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Thanks. I’ve copied and saved your recommendation to my garden notes.

[tubebender]

Would you like my autograph for your Garden Notes?

[afraidfortherepublic]

Your advice plays a major role in the content of my Garden Notes. LOL

Seriously, I just copy and paste particularly sage advice (no pun intended) from the weekly thread into a Word file that I keep on my desk top. Some day I’m going to put it into chapters, but right now it just flows from one topic to another at random.