Weekly Gardening Thread – 2011 (Vol. 27) July 15

Free Republic | 07-15-2011 | Red_Devil 232

[Red_Devil 232]

Good morning gardeners. It has been another week of hot humid weather. My little garden got its small share of a 60% chance of rain yesterday afternoon. A nice pop up T-storm spent about half an hour dropping a nice steady rain on my garden. There is a 70% chance of rain today. If the percentage for rain is not above 50 the pop up T-storms seem to pass me by. I did get to harvest about a dozen ripe tomatoes this past week but they are on the small side. My replacement paste tomato plants are coming along just fine so far. I will leave them to develop in their 5 inch peat pots for a couple of more weeks before setting them out in the garden.

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.

I hope all your gardens are flourishing.

[Red_Devil 232]

Weekly Gardening Thread

FREE SEED EXCHANGE

 

This EXCHANGE is brought to you by FReeper 

Mrs. Don-o

Thrifty? Gifty? Curious? Generous? Spare seeds? Rare seeds? For a tiny plot? Or a flower- pot? Send seeds? Befriend seeds? Just want 10 seeds?

Send seeds? Befriend seeds? Just want 10 seeds?

 

If you have garden seeds you can offer other FReepers for free, for a SASE, and/or in exchange for other seeds, please send me your info. (Private Message Mrs. Don-o) and I will add you to this list, which I will post on the garden thread from time to time. Please also Private Message me to be removed when you no longer have the seeds to offer. FReepo-seedoholics can contact each other by Private Message to arrange any transactions.

Remember that old seeds may have reduced germination. (Although I’ve had great luck with them. And for free, you can’t lose...) If possible, list year and variety.

Mrs. Don-o

I CAN OFFER a few of these seeds (say, 10) for free to anybody who wants to send me a SASE:

Basil (“Genovese” 2010)

Beans (“Jackson Wonder Butterbean “2011)

Broccoli (“Bonanza” 2011) Chard (“Bright Lights” 2010)

Fennel (“Florence” 2011)

Kale (“Redbor Hybrid” 2010)

Squash (“Acorn 2009”… and I had really good germination with it, this year!)

Squash “(Georgia Candy Roaster” 2011.. a terrific winter squash!)

Tomato (“Brandy Boy” 2011)

INTERESTED IN

Seeds for Fall

Anything (surprise me!)

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I HAVE HEIRLOOM TOMATO SEEDS (FREEPER TDSCPA) from about 75 popular, open-pollinated heirloom varieties. Tell me via PM what varieties you’re interested in, and if I have them I could send you a few seeds (10?) if you will send me a SASE.

Don’t know what variety to grow? I can make suggestions, if you want to grow plants from seed. Contact Tdscpa

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If anyone needs or wants okra seeds (says JustaDumbBlonde)… please let me know. I saved a ridiculous amount in the fall of 2010. Two different varieties, Clemson and Jade, are both are heirloom variety so that you will be able to save seeds from your plants. Both are spineless and heavy producers. Jade is a bit darker green than Clemson and the pods are a bit shorter and fatter. Both are good for frying, soups, freezing, dehydrating or canning. Don’t be shy, l have more than plenty to share! Tip for planting okra: soak your seeds for 24 hours before planting. Okra seeds are hard like peppercorns and soaking will assist in quicker germination. Contact JustaDumbBlonde

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I have some black-seeded Simpson lettuce seeds and some Buttercrunch lettuce seeds if anyone’s interested. (says Oberon), And... anybody have any Gold Nugget yellow cherry tomato seeds? I’m interested. Contact Oberon

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Free Winter Squash or Stevia seeds or Heirloom Tomato/Pepper Seeds (says Black Agnes) The ‘Patio Marconi’ seeds are container peppers that are sweet and good for salads, sandwiches or frying. Open pollinated if that interests you. Cilantro seeds too. It’s good used fresh to detox heavy metals. Contact Black Agnes

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Weekly Gardening Thread

[Red_Devil 232]

Ping to the Weekly Gardening Ping List.

I hope all of you will stop by.

This is typically a low volume ping list. Once a week for the thread and every once in a while for other FR threads posted that might be of interest.

If you would like to be added to or removed from the list please let me know by FreepMail or by posting to me.

[hattend]

Please add me to your gardening ping list.

[CynicalBear]

Thanks for the ping. I’ll be putting up more tomatoes and peaches today. I planted the seeds for a fall crop on Tuesday.

[Gabz]

Good morning. Gorgeous weather yesterday and today. Low humidity and temps in the low 80s. It was 59 when I got up this morning!

[fwdude]

Hi, new to this tread.

Where is your garden and what do you call “hot?”

[bgill]

Garden? What garden? Oh, that big pile of dead stuff out there? Despite watering, the constant 100+ heat finally did mine in. Next on the list is a fall garden. I’ve asked hubby if he’d move the fence over a few feet so I can have more room. Don’t know what with the septic lines but we’ll see.

[miss marmelstein]

My herb garden has gone insane this year! I don’t know what to do with all of it! My neighbors don’t use herbs (!) and my extended family wouldn’t know fennel from oregano. So I’m cutting alot of it down and drying it in my breezeway.

It’s all this beautiful weather we have here in Zone 6.

[miss marmelstein]

I’m not a very experienced gardener - what is a fall garden?

[ConorMacNessa]

Garden is going fairly well this year. Rutgers tomatoes are starting to come in - fairly small so far. Brandywines look like they're about 3-4 weeks away. Plenty of sweet and hot peppers coming in. On the ornamental side my hostas and daylilies are in bloom - roses were heavily cut back in June after initial bloom. Number two son is watering for me as I'm out the door for work at 5:30 am.

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[Arrowhead1952]

From the now desert that used to be lush and green central Texas, it is just hot and dry.

Drought monitor

[bgill]

Where is your garden and what do you call “hot?”

Out in the yard under a big shade tree. Yeah, I know, but you make do with what you have and the tree has actually helped with the scorching heat Texas has had. Hot is constant temps over 100 and not a drop of rain since who knows when. We've not had this bad a drought since 1895. Yes, you read right, 1895. Thankfully, we're on a well so aren't limited like some around are with watering bans but the electric bill is getting hit running the pump.

[who knows what evil?]

A garden designed for veggies and such that come to fruition in the cool weather of fall...

[LearsFool]

Garden? What garden? Oh, that big pile of dead stuff out there? Despite watering, the constant 100+ heat finally did mine in.

Ditto here. Tomato plants put out a few blooms but no fruit. Even the jalapeno and ancho pepper plants failed.

Hoping the weather improves enough for a fall garden. Got a big compost heap ready and waiting to be put to use.

[who knows what evil?]

I am OVERWHELMED!!! OMG...everything is going nuts!

[Just mythoughts]

Good morning. First morning in a very long time that I am still inside and not already in the garden.

This past week I got enough tomatoes to eat what I want, NO where enough ripe yet to make salsa. Dug (the ground was too hard to pull), the rest of my first planting beets. And have all the cucumbers the neighborhood can eat.

My beans are blooming, four varieties, Purple Queen, Jade, and French Fillet, one of which came up volunteer some pole beans. The peas vines are almost dried up. I will pull them out and ‘plant’ them because of the missed peas have gone to seed and they will sprout for some tasty fall peas.

I have at least a half dozen basketball sized ‘moon and stars’ watermelons and too numerous to count egg to softball size.

My corn is just starting to make ears, and my eggplants have several eggplants about 6” long... my first time trying eggplants. The red cabbage is doing well in spite of the ‘worms’.

I got a free seed pack of a plant called ground cherry. I have seen the fruit in pictures, but know nothing about them. So I planted the seeds and at first glance they look like a weed and the bugs love the leaves. IIRC these seeds can take up to nearly a month to germinate. Anyway the ‘fruit’ first appears in what looks like a green lantern shaped pod. Time will tell if it was worth the effort.

Oh I did finally get the rest of the sweet potato slips into the ground.

Today the ‘heat’ is moving in and suppose to stay for the foreseeable future. So my guess is I will be out watering and standing guard over the corn as the ears grow.

[Clint N. Suhks]

I’m glad I’m not the only one.We harvested half a dozen tomatoes in june but none since and they are all small. Rain forecasted every day but it never happens.

[bgill]

A fall garden extends the growing seasons. Some plants can’t take the heat of summers, especially in the South, so they grow better in the fall. I’ll be replanting lettuces and leafy veggies like mustard and kale for the fall. Broccoli and cauliflower do better in milder temperatures, etc. The trick is getting them planted late enough in the summer to avoid the heat but with plenty of time to mature and harvest before the first freeze gets them. Here, we don’t get the first cold snap until Halloween.

[fwdude]

No, where are YOU? (City, state, region.)

[Arrowhead1952]

Garden? What garden? Oh, that big pile of dead stuff out there?

You've got that right for central Texas. The national weather service said the dome of high pressure may move north by early next week, and I hope it does and stays away.