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Weekly Gardening Thread – 2011 (Vol. 27) July 15
Free Republic | 07-15-2011 | Red_Devil 232

Posted on 07/15/2011 5:13:42 AM PDT by 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.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: garden; gardening; recipes; weekly
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To: Red_Devil 232
I hope that you get some rain tonight.

We had about 10 minutes of medium rain this afternoon. Skys are still threatening.

We just returned from restaking and straightening our mater plants from being blown over last night. This year is indeed a learning curve for us!

181 posted on 07/15/2011 6:09:11 PM PDT by rightly_dividing
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To: Red_Devil 232

Wow just after I posted about hearing thunder the power went out and come back on then out then back on and there were some very loud and ominous deep electrical buzzing sounds coming from up the road to the north of me. The Sounds were kind of like you might expect to here in a SiFi movie when the big electrical zapper gun goes off. Fire trucks headed that way now.

Raining now. I hope the power stays on.


182 posted on 07/15/2011 6:12:32 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: Arrowhead1952

No, didn’t look. I feel horrible for all the farmers suffering in the south. One FReeper posted he’d had an inch of rain since October.


183 posted on 07/15/2011 6:19:15 PM PDT by TheConservativeParty (PALIN 45 The cure for "meet the new boss, same as the old boss.")
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To: Red_Devil 232
I dug the Spanish Roja garlic today and still have the German Red to dig and clean and dry in the green house. We don't know what to make of our Sea Scape strawberries as they are sparse producers even though most of them are the size of a small hens egg...


184 posted on 07/15/2011 7:31:22 PM PDT by tubebender (The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some very good ideas)
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To: Mrs. Don-o

I guess I’m just an Ozark Hillbilly, but I never heard of having to license any critter especially not a dog. Do they make you license other pets too? Or are they just prejudiced against Dogs?

Course I never heard of regulations against gardens either. What a crazy place. Sounds like they need to vote out the dictator’s in training.


185 posted on 07/15/2011 7:37:37 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes
Speaking of dogs... Meet Dolly Do Right who not only has a license but a micro-chip implant as well...

This is her latest professional studio photograph...

186 posted on 07/15/2011 7:58:51 PM PDT by tubebender (The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some very good ideas)
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To: tubebender
Hydraulic ram pump. You can lift a practical max (more is theoretically possible, but with diminishing returns) of about 10:1 with it, but you lose about 90% of the water. Works great if you have a continuous flow, and not to much required lift, and can pump into a storage tank or distribution box.

Usually used with a headstock on a small stream, upstream (or small dam) on a small stream; pipe down to the pump; pump uphill; the ‘waste’ water from the pump (~90% of the intake) dumps back into the stream.

Yes, a hillside spring also works, as long as there is at least 3’ of fall—the more the better.

Mother Earth has (had?) plans for building them; they are simple, using mainly just stock pipe fittings & a combo of large & small pipes. IIRC, the only tricky part is the one-way valve(s).

187 posted on 07/15/2011 8:22:15 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Made in America, by proud American citizens, in 1946.)
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To: tubebender
Well, my grand daughter has DD Daisy Do or Dumb Dog(hubby's preference)whichever one prefers. We got her from a shelter, and she came with a chip. But we don't need no stinkin’ license. LOL.
188 posted on 07/15/2011 8:25:29 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: ApplegateRanch
THE MOTHER EARTH NEWS that's where I learned of it!!!
189 posted on 07/15/2011 8:36:18 PM PDT by tubebender (The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some very good ideas)
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To: greeneyes

Oak Park is a suburb of the capital of the State of Disrepute, Detroit.


190 posted on 07/15/2011 8:43:37 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Made in America, by proud American citizens, in 1946.)
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To: greeneyes

Dolly came from a lady whose husband died and she moved into a apartment and couldn’t keep her. Dolly was about 18 months old when we got her in 2001 and is my wife’s walking companion EVERY morning from 6 to 7 am.


191 posted on 07/15/2011 8:44:53 PM PDT by tubebender (The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some very good ideas)
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To: Mrs. Don-o
Let's have a BIG new round of e-mails to the city officials.

...and that is why I posted the link.

192 posted on 07/15/2011 8:45:33 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Made in America, by proud American citizens, in 1946.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Don’t bury them. They’re more like a tomatillo than a tomato or pepper - no fuzzy stem.

I think Flea Beetle is your problem. Since they ARE a beetle, you may need something stronger than neem or soap. Can you get Captain Jack’s Dead Bug Brew by you? Bonide makes it. It contains Spinosad, if you can’t find it and need a substitute. (Approved for organic gardening...)


193 posted on 07/15/2011 8:46:25 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set...)
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To: ApplegateRanch

Yikes! That explains a lot.


194 posted on 07/15/2011 8:52:11 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: tubebender

Dolly’s looks like a real sweet heart. Some times I get to dog sit Daisy Do. I love dogs, but Hubby detests animals indoors, and doesn’t want to mess with setting up for outdoors, besides he knows I would find all kinds of excuses for bringing them in when the weather gets cold.


195 posted on 07/15/2011 8:55:28 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: tubebender; greeneyes

Back in the 60s, I knew a retired kindergaten/Fist Grade teacher. Her dog’s name was Deefer Dog. (D is for dog.)


196 posted on 07/15/2011 9:10:41 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Made in America, by proud American citizens, in 1946.)
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To: Red_Devil 232
The Oak Park, Michigan Planning Gestapo are at it again.

“The Continuing Malicious Prosecution of Julie Bass, from veggie gardening to dog owning”

Now they cited the lady for a pair of illegal dogs, which she had already registered.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2749348/posts

Harassment?? You bet yah.

197 posted on 07/15/2011 9:12:58 PM PDT by Texas Fossil (Government, even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one)
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To: Red_Devil 232
I have treated my seedlings with an insecticide soap mixed with a little neem oil and the bugs are still going after them, as you can see in the picture. Shot holes all over the place. I have not seen any of the bugs so I don't know what they are.


Looks like the damage flee beetles do .

http://www.uvm.edu/vtvegandberry/factsheets/fleabeetle.html
198 posted on 07/15/2011 9:39:16 PM PDT by Lera
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To: fanfan
My Hubby loves to visit with the robins in the garden too.

Robins are OK, and we let them live here. LOL But, my husband would die for his barn swallows. We leave one of the barns open for the at all times. And he cleans up after them too. We have pounds of mosquito dung that accumulates under their nests. They show up at the same time as the mosquitoes in the spring, work all summer, and leave as soon as the mosquitoes are gone in the fall. During the summer, each pair raises at least 2 families of 4-5 chicks. And they work, work, work. Without barn swallows, we couldn't live here. LOL

199 posted on 07/16/2011 5:27:54 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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To: Augie

I’m in northern MO, and it had been so wet that I got my garden in late. Now it’s hot and dry. We hadn’t been able to get our usual straw mulch from the MFA, but we got some from a local farm this week. It should help some. Using it the last couple years has seriously improved our clay soil.

My broccoli and Brussels sprouts plants look pretty impressive, but the broccoli isn’t doing much. I’ve gotten one small crown of broccoli. I think it may be the variety we chose at fault. My cabbage is pretty shot through with holes, except the red cabbage. I may try the DE, we have some in the chicken coop.

We’ve been keeping up with the weeds somewhat. Except for my back garden. It is overrun, we left it fallow this year. It is going to take a major clean up. Mulberry shrubs everywhere. Ugh.

The cat problem we were dealing with is mostly fixed. My son came and
collected the main cat and her spawn. He’s the one who fed her in the
first place. I used to like cats, not now!

I don’t always post, but I love reading about everybody’s gardens. Thanks for keeping the thread going!


200 posted on 07/16/2011 7:31:02 AM PDT by Marie Antoinette (Proud Clinton-hater since 1998.)
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