Weekly Gardening Thread – 2010 (Vol. 20) June 18

Free Republic | 6-18-2010 | Red_Devil 232

[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. There are no stupid questions, just honest ones.

[Yosemitest]

Dead?
Kill it only if you have to. It's more fun delivered alive.
Take two people with strong stick fishing poles, with short trout line and a catfish hook on each one.
Hook the trap cage with both poles, and with one person on each side, several feet away,
lift the cage and carry it to the "country-Cadillac" and place it in the rear bed.
Gently lay the poles in the bed, without unhooking them.
Drive slowly and gently to the drop-off point, say the snooty golf course.
Once arrived, set the catch-cage over the fence, and using the hooks, release the trap, letting the skunk out.
Use the poles and hooks to retreive the catch-cage after said skunk gets loose.
Then drive away.
In case of "accidents", wash with tomato juice. It will cut the smell out of clothes and off of skin,
but it takes a lot of it. Vinegar will cut that oder, too.
Then after two or three washes in the juice/vinegar take a bath in regular dish-washing soap and water.
If the clothes that smell are old, just burn them.

[Yosemitest]

Close to the mosquito growing factory and not too far from the fire ant farm.

[greeneyes]

“The celery turns pale. I can’t imagine why anyone wants to do that? What is wrong with nice, green celery?”

I can't imagine why unless it influences the flavor.

We are very limited here for garden supply/seeds and plants. None of the gardening catalogs had any celery either, but I have some sources from the Internet that I'll try next year.

[Yosemitest]

Corn, I recommend "White Silver Queen",
and open-pollinated, I haven't a clue, but "Shoepeg" does pretty well in this hot and humid climate.

[Red_Devil 232]

What variety of corn did you plant? Is it Early Sunglow?

[Red_Devil 232]

Well that certianly helps. I am in east central MS - Meridian.

[greeneyes]

My daughter bought his new updated book too. He no longer amends the soil, just put down equal amounts of Mel's mix, and don't worry about testing for PH. The website has tips for growing each vegetable and questions and answers section.

[Yosemitest]

If this is it, I need a slightly large quantity.
I've got about 50 plants in my garden with four sticks around each one for support, tied with grass rope.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I suppose that it is why the grocery stores charge more for celery “hearts”. They are more tender, but I always feel like the produce manager has discarded the best of the vegetable.

Celery is such a nice, co-operative vegetable. You can use everything — leaves, stalks, root, and you can eat it raw, or cooked.

[Yosemitest]

I like my anonymity, but I’m an hour and a half away.

[greeneyes]

What variety of corn did you plant? Is it Early Sunglow?

Yes, but I got a late start. It won’t be ready till August.

[Red_Devil 232]

I bet the "pale celery" is a marketing ploy. I know when I buy celery I usually pick up what is called "celery hearts" it is pale. The deep green I associate with tough stalks.

I have never had home grown celery so I would not know if the paleness means a tender stalk - other than the center of a bunch of celery is younger and tender.

[greeneyes]

Thanks. I love white corn even more than yellow(lol). Since I was trying out the square foot planting I chose based on size and speed this year. I made a note in my garden diary for next year.

[Red_Devil 232]

I will be looking for a report on how it did! LOL - I am thinking of trying it next year.

[greeneyes]

Yep. Part of the trinity celery, onion, and carrots. All good to eat cooked or uncooked.

[greeneyes]

You Betcha. If it does great I’ll be telling everyone and his brother LOL.

[Red_Devil 232]

I thought the trinity was celery, onion and bell peppers - hey but I am from the south.

[texanyankee]

That’s it.

[Yosemitest]

Everyone here is selling "White Silver KING", but they say it's sweeter.
Corn CAN get too sweet, like kettle corn popcorn.

Oh, that's something to try; growing popcorn. When I was a kid, my parents had me plant four rows of popcorn.
We bought a bag of cheap loose popcorn, say "Pop-Rite", and opened the bag, and planted it, instead of poping it.
It grew, (it's a short-stalked corn) and we left it on the stalk until it dried, and the stalks turned brown.
Then in the fall, we picked it, shucked the ears, put the ears in the crib,
fed the dried stalks and shucks to the cows, and, as we wanted it, we'd get a couple of ears.
Then we'd hand shell it off the cob (very difficult with small kernels), give the cob to the pigs or to the horses,
take the corn into the house, and put it in a hot oiled pot and throw a lid over it.
We'd shake it as it cooked over the gas stove, until the popping stopped.
It was good, and it was fun.

[who knows what evil?]

We are growing popcorn for the first time this year...so far, so good...