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Weekly Gardening Thread – 2011 (Vol. 21) June 03
Free Republic | 06-03-2011 | Red_Devil 232

Posted on 06/03/2011 4:18:59 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232

Good morning gardeners. Here in East Central Mississippi the heat has arrived. It was 101 yesterday and is expected to be in the high 90s and pushing 100 for the next week. A heat advisory is effect. My garden is surviving these hot afternoons. Some of my younger plants have needed watering every afternoon. My established tomato, squash and pepper plants have been doing well with a deep soaking of water about every three days. Looks like it is going to be a hot summer.

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.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: garden; gardening; recipes; weekly
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To: Red_Devil 232

Definately the way to go. I dont not have a mulch over mine, and so far it appears that all is fine. Temps here are running in the upper 90’s to 100, with 101 forcast for Sun. The plants of my wife’s that are without drip can not be watered enough do to the drought. My honey-do for the weekend is to put drip into certain beds for her.


81 posted on 06/03/2011 11:33:39 AM PDT by rightly_dividing (1 Cor. 15:1-4 Believe it!)
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To: rightly_dividing

I just had to go out and hand water a couple of my plants - the zukes and a couple of young Marion tomatoes. The heat is just unbearable! My dogs will not even follow me outside, which is rare! If work in the garden is not done very early morning - it is not getting done, especially in this afternoon heat.


82 posted on 06/03/2011 11:43:58 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: rightly_dividing

Just checked my outside thermometer and it is reading 105. The Weather Underground site is saying it is only 95. I trust my thermometer. It is hot!


83 posted on 06/03/2011 11:51:12 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: Drill Thrawl

Thank you for the explanation. I suffer from wind chill here as the Pacific Ocean is just a mile or two to the west and our temps rarely exceed 65 and the night temps run 50 in the summer...


84 posted on 06/03/2011 11:53:39 AM PDT by tubebender (Help! I've fallen, and I can't reach my wine!)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Several of those cute little Douglas Fir trees in the orchard grew up and I had to cut them down before the tree police came snooping. Three of them I could cut with my hand pruning saw but one was 5” at the stump and over 15’ tall so it required a chain saw and then... out of 4 saws only one would start with the help of starting fluid and it was my oldest one. I’m too old for playing logger...


85 posted on 06/03/2011 12:21:11 PM PDT by tubebender (Help! I've fallen, and I can't reach my wine!)
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To: goodwithagun
I've done a little, very little, research on this. Basically it boils down to this: Cows aren't supposed to eat corn. They are supposed to eat grass. That is a plus for us because we are what we eat. When cows eat grass they ingest omega-3’s, a nature fatty acid that fights inflammation. We all need this because our bodies don't make it. When cows are fed corn we do not get the vitamins and minerals that we need, and the corn is not digested properly because a cow's stomach is not made to digest corn. Because corn, a foreign substance for cow stomachs, is in there and not grass, the natural digestion process is disrupted and more e. coli (found in everybody, even you) passes into the poop. The cows stand in this poop until they are slaughtered, and then the cross contamination occurs. Yum yum.

No.

(And I say that as someone who took an entire college course in ruminant nutrition.)

Cattle are ruminants. That means they can ingest ANY form of cellulose and digest it, as we cannot. They have extensive compartments in their digestive tracts that ferment cellulose and starches. Cattle can even get by eating shredded newspaper, if a nitrogen source, such as urea is provided.

Cattle fed grain will gain weight faster, and deposit more fat in their muscle tissue. Fat is what gives meat its flavor, so this matters. That is why cattle are fed grain.
86 posted on 06/03/2011 12:37:22 PM PDT by Nepeta
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To: Drill Thrawl; tubebender

Seconding Tube’s thanks.

We get it all. We’re surrounded by water. The inland bays before the barrier islands to the Atlantic are only 10 miles to the east and the Chesapeake Bay is 9 miles to the west.

It’s wonderful for fishing, crabbing, boating, etc — but it really bites when it comes to hazy, hot, humid in the summer and the wind chills in the winter!


87 posted on 06/03/2011 12:42:06 PM PDT by Gabz (Democrats for Voldemort.)
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To: Red_Devil 232
Is your thermometer in the sun or the shade?
88 posted on 06/03/2011 1:01:39 PM PDT by rightly_dividing (1 Cor. 15:1-4 Believe it!)
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To: Nepeta; B4Ranch
I buy my Rib-Eyes at the Costco feedlot meat counter...
89 posted on 06/03/2011 1:02:41 PM PDT by tubebender (Help! I've fallen, and I can't reach my wine!)
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To: rightly_dividing

Shade


90 posted on 06/03/2011 1:30:33 PM 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: afraidfortherepublic

I place mine in bowls or saucers that hold water. Despite this dang drought, they plants are doing fine. They are watered daily on a timer set for 15 minutes in the morning, but lately I have been adding 10 minutes in the afternoon. I try to keep water in the bottom container.


91 posted on 06/03/2011 1:34:24 PM PDT by realpatriot (Some spelling (and grammar for the grammar nazis) errers entionally included!)
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To: Red_Devil 232

WOW!


92 posted on 06/03/2011 1:34:42 PM PDT by rightly_dividing (1 Cor. 15:1-4 Believe it!)
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To: Gabz

That sounds like quite the adventure.


93 posted on 06/03/2011 1:41:54 PM PDT by TASMANIANRED (We kneel to no prince but the Prince of Peace)
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To: Red_Devil 232; afraidfortherepublic

I’ve been working on that yogurt recipe from awhile back. I was thinking that, since crock pots probably vary a lot in temperature, it might make sense to use a thermometer, a notebook, and a bit of science. Also, maybe bring the yogurt up to temp so that when you mix the yogurt and milk they are both right at the optimum temperature. While looking to find that temp, I found that someone has already done all the work for me:

http://www.ianrpubs.unl.edu/epublic/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=525

I really liked the idea of using my oven with the light on to keep the mix around 110, at least until I found out that the lights in my oven are good for closer to 140, which doesn’t work so well.

I’m still tuning the process, but so far it comes out a good bit thicker than the crock pot.


94 posted on 06/03/2011 2:32:04 PM PDT by Darth Reardon (No offense to drunken sailors)
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To: Darth Reardon

My wife really liked the home made yogurt. But I was not making it regularly so she went and bought a Professional Yogurt Maker - I let her make it now. Good stuff.


95 posted on 06/03/2011 2:39:10 PM 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; All
Thanks for the thread RD. We have gone from cool and wet to hot and dry for now. I got 24 sq feet of corn planted and some midget cantaloupes.

Just finished working compost into bed #2. Half of that will be for heirloom tomatoes. Beds 3 and 4 have winter wheat which I hope will be ready for harvest in a few weeks.

Hubby needs to finish beds 5 and 6. They will be mostly heirloom corn, beans, watermelon.

I still have lettuce, onions and spinach from the winter garden. Strawberries are still going strong, but not as many as earlier.

Have a great weekend. God Bless.

96 posted on 06/03/2011 4:38:35 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

It’s a beautiful, balmy day in SoCal. I’m waiting to see how my flowers and shrubs respond to the new fertilizer I’m using. Two more weeks of school and then I’m free to enjoy the summer, my garden, and the daily glass of wine!


97 posted on 06/03/2011 4:42:59 PM PDT by Melian ("I can't spare this [wo]man; [s]he fights!" (Apologies to Abe Lincoln) Go, Sarah!)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Great Link! Thanks.


98 posted on 06/03/2011 4:43:30 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: TASMANIANRED

We’re laughing about it now -— but no one was laughing Wednesday evening.


99 posted on 06/03/2011 4:48:54 PM PDT by Gabz (Democrats for Voldemort.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic
“what difference does grain or grass make in a cow’s diet?”

When it comes to the meat, it makes a big difference between the omega 3 and omega 6 ratios, as well as calories. Grass fed beef can be healthier as well.

Grain fed Beef in feed lots are often overcrowded, the soil gets all kinds of pathogens the cattle often get sick, and are treated with antibiotics, which can lead to resistant strains etc.

Grass fed cattle should be rotated from one pasture to another frequently enough to prevent soil pathogens.

100 posted on 06/03/2011 4:59:46 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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