Weekly Gardening Thread
Posted on 02/11/2011 5:15:58 AM PST by Red_Devil 232
Good morning gardeners. My order of seeds and supplies from Jung’s arrived this past week. Now all I need is a sign of when the weather here in east central Mississippi will warm up! We had snow this past Wed. about an inch and a half of heavy wet snow. The over night Temps have turned it into a layer of ice crystals that has not melted away yet. It is 15 degrees this morning and is supposed to go to 45 this afternoon which should melt the remaining snow then highs in the low 60’s this weekend. I am waiting impatiently for the highs to get to 70 and remain there!
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Weekly Gardening Thread
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Not that it means a hill of beans but I saw my first robin yesterday. (Maryland) Of course, this morning temperature is 11. However, I am clinging to my robin sighting!!
Good morning,
I have all my seeds in place and the garden opens in two weeks. Intersting that many of us did soil tests recently. Most used the extension service, but I grabbed a colorimetric kit off the shelf. My kit showed low levels of P and N, but all the extension tests came back fine. Not sure if the kit was to blame or if my bed, which was used extensively last year, is really low. I am going to amend with fish meal and top with mushroom compost just to be sure and start planting.
Lettuce and greens, radishes and such are round 1.
FWIW, folks....
Crop loss in Mexico from last week’s blizzard - 80 to 100%
http://www.stevequayle.com/News.alert/11_Cosmic/110209.Sysco.Mexico.Freeze.pdf
When I order plants they always arrive too early, and I don't think the selection is as varied.
Not much to report, but I did get my tomato seeds ordered this week. I also got my 4” plastic pots cleaned out and filled with dirt last weekend.
This is the weekend to clean out Purple Martin houses and trim roses. I also need to trim my pear tree.
How do you trim your pear tree? Just wondeering If I should trim mine.
Trim all fruit trees to allow sunlight to hit all the fruit. If your tree has those whip type switches that grow straight up in the middle, cut those out. The older wood is where the fruit will grow. Take out any dead limbs and any limbs that rub against another limb.
I also try to keep my tree to the point that I can pick the fruit without using anything more than a 6 foot ladder. My tree had some limbs that were 12 - 15 feet in the air, so I cut them back to about 10 feet. That sure helps picking fruit when it is ripe.
Thanks for the info!
Well things are starting to happen in South Carolina!! My Hellebores are about to bloom, I’m seeing color! The peas have started to sprout and I’ve got some wintersow pots that have sprouts in them as well. Some of the local Red Maples have started to bloom and the bulbs are coming up.
Hey Red Devil, I agree with Arrowhead, but here is what Georgia does with our Pear trees.
http://www.caes.uga.edu/Publications/displayHTML.cfm?pk_id=6366
I grafted several different pears onto my neighbor’s tree. It had never had a single fruit on it, until we grafted my pear on it. Then, he got some trimmings from his dad’s farm and we added those to the mix.
He has at least six different types on it now, and they had several buckets of ripe pears two years ago. Last year it was too dry for the fruit to fill out.
Looking forward to the coming heat wave here in central Missouri. It was a balmy 10° above zero when I left the house this morning. Heading for daytime temps in the 50°s over the weekend. Will be nice to get rid of this cursed snow.
If you can do good fruit grafting you are doing very well! Down here it is mango grafting that is popular. A grafted mango tree fruits sooner than one grown from seed...Plus many don’t grow true from seed. Give you different fruit than the parent. Avocados are about the same
Couple of things:
At the end of the month here in GA, can I sow directly the cool hardy plants like lettuces or do I have to transplant seedlings?
Anyone have any experience with grafted tomatoes ie two kinds on one plant? It would make sense in our garden.
Thanks.
Well, we’re FINALLY supposed to be seeing temperatures above freezing more days than not around here.
It’s actually supposed to be getting into the 40’s for w few days.
Once the trees thaw out, it will be maple syrup time. I hope the temperatures cooperate this year. If it warms up too fast, it will ruin the syrup season again, as it did last year.
I smelled by firs skunk the other day.
That usually comes before the robins.
Considering how buried in snow we are, I think it will be some time before we see them.
See post 6.
GET SEEDS!!!!
We’re going on vacation in the spring, just about during seed planting indoors time. They’re going in their pots AS SOON as we get back.
There just is no option for not planting your own this year. It will be very cost effective and at least you’ll have it.
I have JARS of home canned tomato sauce in my basement from the last couple years. That stuff is going to worth its weight in gold this year. You watch as the price of tomato products goes through the roof.
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