Weekly Gardening Thread – 2011 (Vol. 26) July 08

Free Republic | 7-08-2011 | Red_Devil 232

[Red_Devil 232]

Good morning gardeners. I have been planting 2 zucchini plants every year I have had a garden and this year is the first year they have produced more than my wife and I can use. I think their production is due to the four-foot spacing between plants I gave them. I may be able to participate in the annual “leave a zucchini on your neighbor’s porch day” this year. It is on August 8th.

I should be getting some ripe tomatoes soon; a few are developing a slight blush. Some netting will have to put up to protect them from the birds; I can’t afford to lose any this year. The jalapeno, pimento and bell pepper plants are doing great. There are some nice large pimentos and I am just waiting for them to turn red.

I hope all your gardens are flourishing.

[Free Vulcan]

It supposedly likes full sun so maybe the shade keeps a damper on it. Apparently it’s edible and has the tubers are like potatoes. Survival plant?

We are lucky on the loosestrife, it’s here in Iowa but I haven’t seen much around.

[Arrowhead1952]

The Jonestown streets had puddles / potholes full of water yesterday morning. I noticed some t’storm clouds south of our area again late yesterday.

[Red_Devil 232]

I had a very nice gentle shower about two days ago it lasted about 3 hours - Nice slow steady drizzle! there is a 40% chance today.

[Free Vulcan]

Swallowtails are my favorite. I let them chomp on the parsley plants because I like them so much.

[momtothree]

You are so smart, Red Devil 232! Duh... why didn’t I go online and find the recipe? On your allrecipes site, find the zuchini casserole 11. That is the recipe. However, I don’t use margarine and substitute butter instead. I use a regular baking dish (rectangle) instead of a circular one. Don’t let the picture of the dish intimidate you. The picture certainly doesn’t reflect the taste (to be honest, the picture makes it look unappealing). (I shake my head with shame for not thinking of going to a recipe site!)

[txhurl]

That’s less than a crow’s mile from me! Unfair!

I don’t even go down to the dock anymore except to move it.
Too hot and too long a hike over exposed boulders.

[pyx]

In view of the DROUGHT that is occurring in much of the US, water conservation is all the more important. Cost savings from water conservation for plant watering can make a substantial difference.

Therefore, I would like to outline the container planting system that I have developed. This is the least expensive method I have encountered. One five gallon plastic bucket is used as one container for planting. The five gallon "food grade" plastic bucket might be obtained for free or very low cost from a local restaurant, a doughnut shop or a grocer. I donate the following information to the PUBLIC DOMAIN. The following information is to NEVER be copyrighted.

Plants and herbs for the following are started (often from seeds) in the winter for transplant as seedlings into the containers (buckets) in the mid-spring.

The soil-less planting mix consists of Sphagnum Peat Moss, Pearlite and Vermiculite. The ratio I use is four parts sphagnum peat moss to one part pearlite to one part vermiculite. I add the pearlite for its proven aeration properties and I add the vermiculite for its proven water holding properties.

The container consists of a five gallon plastic food grade bucket that I bought from Home Depot. The water plant-food feeding down-pipe that runs down the inside of the bucket consists of a one and a half or two inch PVC pipe that is 14 inches long. There is a one inch notch cut into the bottom of the pipe to allow drainage into the bucket. The PVC pipe is purchased inexpensively from Home Depot (or Lowes or Ace Hardware, etc.) as a longer piece and cut down to 14 inch lengths as needed.

The bucket has one and a half or two inches of fairly course limestone gravel put in the bottom. The gravel serves two purposes. Firstly it holds or retains the plant-food water similar to a natural water table. Secondly, lime very slowly leeches out of the limestone and aids the plant growth.

On top of the gravel is a single layer of burlap and a rolled chunk of burlap is placed near the center, through this layer and runs from the bottom of the bucket, through the gravel, through the layer of burlap and rises to the top of the bucket. (This rolled chunk of burlap looks like a long tube when its rolled). The purpose of this strip/chunk of burlap is to WICK water plant-food from the bottom of the bucket up into the soil-less mix. The roots of the vegetable draw the water plant-food it needs.

On top of the layer of burlap and around the rolled tube of burlap, soil-less mix is added into the bucket. The bucket is filled with the soil-less mix to within two inches of the top.

Seedlings are planted into this soil-less mix and a green plastic garbage bag is placed over the top of the soil-less mix (with holes cut out for the seedlings to grow through). The cut dark plastic garbage bags prevent evaporation and it prevents weeds from taking hold.

Most common vegetables and herbs are grown as seedlings and adapt very well to this system. Feeding is often done once per seven day week or every ten or so days.

For vine plants like tomatoes or cucumbers, a thin bamboo (stake) stick about five, six or seven feet long are placed down the inside of the bucket. Two stakes per bucket. One on each inside of the bucket. A piece of straightened metal coat hanger with a loop on each end of it is tied to the top of the bamboo stakes. This "top bar" is used as a "trellis" for the vine vegetables.

At the end of season, the vegetables die off and the root ball is carefully removed from the bucket along with left over water through the fill pipe. The bucket is placed in a garage or covered area (car-port) and allowed to dry out. A small amount of new soil-less mix is added the following year.

Aerated compost tea can be made easily from grass clippings and vegetable scraps suspended using a stocking in water aerated by a fish-tank air pump. Compost tea is a fantastic plant-food supplement. -- Pyx 2011

[cripplecreek]

Survival plant?

I do keep track of that sort of thing just in case. I know my Cana Lilies are also edible but won't survive the winter here. I also use wood sorrel as a lemon seasoning.

[Arrowhead1952]

We went to eat at the floating restaurant across from Lakeway - The Gnarly Gar (used to be Shades, then The Pier) yesterday evening. It is a long walk from the parking lot to the entrance now.

[madamemayhem]

That almost looks like columbine. Could it be a wild form of that?

[txhurl]

Was it good or did the catfish and carp eat most of your dinner? Old joke around here

[JustaDumbBlonde]

We are in another hot and dry spell after getting about an inch of rain a week or so ago. Today we have cloud cover, which is helping, but the 100+ temps and 10 mph winds have really baked the ground again.

Somebody asked me yesterday why I had let the lawn die back, and I told them that I can't eat the grass ... I'm watering the garden instead. Watering both would cost $300/month in water bills. I have GOT to get a well drilled!

Here are some photos I took yesterday for my garden journal. They are okra, summer squashes, string beans, tomatoes, cantaloupe and speckled butterbeans.

In the photo of the stringbeans, you can see my tomato jungle on the right. Some of the tomatoes have reached 6 feet tall and have run out of rebar on which to tie them. They will soon start to bend over and intermingle, which really makes it a jungle.

[Arrowhead1952]

Our daughter and friend from Corpus are visiting, and they fed the leftover corn tortillas to the catfish. There are some monster catfish that feed there. A couple are well over 25 lbs.

[Red_Devil 232]

Okra does have a beautiful flower. I bet that cantaloupe will be delicious!

Is that part of a laser leveling system on the tripod in the third picture?

[txhurl]

[Gabz]

The pick your own website is GREAT.

Thanks Red for posting that - I had lost my link to it when I switched computers!

[JustaDumbBlonde]

The cantaloupe is Ambrosia, and everyone that has had one says that they are the sweetest and best textured melon that they've ever had. The aroma from a ripe Ambrosia sitting on the kitchen counter is intoxicating. If you like cantaloupe I would highly recommend them. I have never liked cantaloupe, but I do try them every couple of years just in case my tastes have changed (I hated english peas as a kid, but I love them now!).

That tripod is my new water sprinkler that Mr. JADB gifted me with a couple of weeks ago. That baby will throw water incredible distances!

I took many photos of okra blooms, trying to catch one with a bee in inside. They are beautiful flowers.

[Gabz]

Japanese Beetle Spray
1/2 cup chopped jalapenos*
1/2 cup dried chilis*
1 gallon water

Boil 30 minutes (with lid on) cool, strain, pour into squirt bottle and spray away!!!!!!

*I use whatever kinds of hot peppers I have on hand.

Works like a charm.

Thank you Jerry Baker!!!!!!!!!

[Gabz]

You’re less than/about an hour away from me!!!!! I know EXACTLY what you mean about OC having changed, Delaware is even worse with those changes. Just another hour and you could be on Chincoteague - great town, gorgeous beaches!!! And without most of the problems associated with the beach towns of MD and DE.

Can’t help you out about the Florids Keys, I know nothing about them. When I go to Florida we stick to the west coast - Sarasota area. That’s where my family is. Went for Christmas this year, first time since 1982 and had to do laundry twice because we didn’t have enough warm clothes with us. The weather was rotten, until the day we were leaving. Not quite as bad as here at home, but not great by Florida standards. We got home to the remnants of 2 feet of snow that fell the day after Christmas.

We love veggie dinners in the summer time and that is just so easy and so versatile - it never comes out the same way twice!!!!!!

[Red_Devil 232]

I have a question that some FReeper may know the answer to.

I just picked one of my pimento peppers because it has a sun scald spot on it. It is still green and has not matured to red yet. I cut the small dime sized spot off and will use the green pepper, in cooking or in a salad, like a Bell pepper - they taste exactly the same.

Are the seeds from this immature pepper worth saving? Will they produce a plant or should I just wait until I get a mature red one to save seed from?