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Weekly Gardening Thread – 2011 (Vol. 28) July 22
Free Republic | 7-22-2011 | Red_Devil 232

Posted on 07/22/2011 5:42:39 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232

Good morning gardeners. I canned all the tomatoes I had picked the previous week this past Wednesday. Sadly it did not take very long to do the canning. I also roasted (chared and peeled) about half of the Jalapenos I had picked and froze the other half. I also cut up and froze some green Bell Peppers and zucchini squash.

On Wednesday I had a pop up T-storm visit the garden and then yesterday it was cloudy all morning and around 11 am a very nice, lazy, soaking rain started falling and it lasted for about two and a half hours. It dropped the temps down into the high 70s for a few hours and then the sun came out and the temps went to the low 90s, not a bad day at all!

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

Hot, Hot, HOT!! I don’t think we’ve hit triple digits yet, but the heat index has!

Ugh! Cucumbers are slowing down. I still have tons of green tomatoes but they are not ripening.


41 posted on 07/22/2011 7:17:58 AM PDT by Tatze (I reject your reality and substitute my own!)
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To: Red_Devil 232

The heat wave is drying out my planters almost as fast as I can water them! Have provided shade by using landscaping fabric.

Keep cool and be safe in this heat.


42 posted on 07/22/2011 7:27:01 AM PDT by tob2 (Chihuahua mama)
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To: Arrowhead1952
A little bit of hope here:

There's another spin east of 90 halfway over Cuba that isn't mentioned that I think has a better chance.

Buying tomatoes the other day and noticed the planting instructions 'transplant into ground approximately 21 days before first anticipated hurricane'

43 posted on 07/22/2011 7:33:31 AM PDT by txhurl (Did you want to talk or fish?)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

I don’t know really but maybe this would help.

http://www.theskunker.com/

I have read that hot pepper spray will keep them out of your garden. They avoid bright lights. They are nocturnal, so while they are out of their den, you can surround it with flour, chalk, or any other white powder and they will not go back in.

Can not say from experience about anything, but they can carry rabies, so probably a good idea to get rid of them. Good Luck.


44 posted on 07/22/2011 7:33:45 AM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: txhurl

I sure hope that system comes our way. Lake Travis is dropping so fast now that they hooked up that 78” pipeline for Cedar Park and Leander.


45 posted on 07/22/2011 7:42:09 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (zero hates Texas and we hate him back. He ain't my president either.)
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To: who knows what evil?

Thank you! I like yours, too. We had Siamese when I was growing up, although in recent years we’ve had no-breed rescue kittehs. The one who brought me the rabbit is a big brown tabby.


46 posted on 07/22/2011 7:44:23 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Public schools = TSA: incompetent, abusive, anti-American. Why are we putting up with either one?)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Same thing as everybody else in the middle of the country, hot hot hot. Watering a lot. My mulched bell pepper plants look like they are thriving.

I really want to fertilize, but I don’t dare! I already have some plants burning up. :( When should I do it, in the evening?


47 posted on 07/22/2011 7:44:47 AM PDT by Marie Antoinette (Proud Clinton-hater since 1998.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

It is hot hot hot here in Indiana. I do enjoy it though.

Blueberries are ripe now and so good this year. I picked 14lbs. yesterday morning before the heat wave. At 60 cents a lb. it is a great bargain.

I am getting 4-5 cucumbers every day and the beans need to be picked! Why did I plant so many again??


48 posted on 07/22/2011 7:47:20 AM PDT by JRochelle (Note to the MSM: Unemployment has been higher under every month of Obama than any month under Bush.)
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To: afraidfortherepublic

We have skunks in our area too. They have been digging in our neighbor’s yard. They don’t like moth balls or flakes. That is what I put in the area around the garden and flower beds.

Our neighbor’s dog got sprayed by one last week. We keep a skunk spray solution that they borrowed. It worked very well, but I hope we never have to use it on our pup.


49 posted on 07/22/2011 7:49:31 AM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (zero hates Texas and we hate him back. He ain't my president either.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Howdy, first time in a long time I’ve had a chance to check in. My garden is horrible this year. Temps and lack of rain just dried it out. Have had tomatoes to eat and cook with but not enough. Haven’t even had an extra pint to can. Pepper crop was slow too. One cuke out of 10 plants, no squash or melons. It’s just flopped this year despite daily watering. At this point just shading and trying to keep tomatoes alive through summer so I might get a fall crop.

Sure wish somebody somewhere would send us some rain - and that the devil would take back his weather!


50 posted on 07/22/2011 7:51:19 AM PDT by Wneighbor
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To: Marie Antoinette

Do you have compost? (I admit, I’ve been afraid to check mine ... I’ll make Tom do it when he gets home from camp!)


51 posted on 07/22/2011 7:52:43 AM PDT by Tax-chick (Public schools = TSA: incompetent, abusive, anti-American. Why are we putting up with either one?)
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To: Tax-chick

Hmmm...try to see if you can get the tabby trained to bring you rabbit MANURE; which is EXCELLENT for tomatoes!


52 posted on 07/22/2011 7:56:23 AM PDT by who knows what evil? (G-d saved more animals than people on the ark...www.siameserescue.org.)
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To: Marie Antoinette
When should I do it, in the evening?

Yes...my plants get a ZOT of Algoflash every Saturday evening...

53 posted on 07/22/2011 8:00:55 AM PDT by who knows what evil? (G-d saved more animals than people on the ark...www.siameserescue.org.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

Had a huge hail storm here in the Colorado Rockies last Tuesday. Hail was marble sized and shredded the tomatoes pretty good. Other plants held up pretty good. Tomatoes liik like they will come back, but will be set back in their development,


54 posted on 07/22/2011 8:03:46 AM PDT by MtnClimber (Osama and Obama both have friends that bombed the Pentagon.)
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To: Red_Devil 232

I have used Blossom Set and it seemed to work well.


55 posted on 07/22/2011 8:05:22 AM PDT by MtnClimber (Osama and Obama both have friends that bombed the Pentagon.)
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To: Red_Devil 232; All
I wish I could borrow 15 or 20 degrees of your heat as Benderville is Basking in the 60s and we have ground fog this morning with visibility of about 2 blocks. I hope it doesn't cause late blight in my potatoes.

The weeks are passing way too fast for my old bones Red. The Raspberries are all but done so Ma Bender has time to pick the Strawberries and made 6 pints of jam yesterday after giving away most of the earlier ones to FRiends. We do have sliced berries with whipped cream several night a week plus the ones we eat fresh in the garden. I pulled a few more Shallots and laid them on some wire to dry and also put some more Garlic into storage after letting it dry in the green house.

I did have a diversion this week when several very small mice invaded our pantry/laundry room and started doing lots of damage to packaged foods. I had very limited success with the wooden Victor traps with the standard metal trigger and the newer ones with yellow plastic trigger. These little boogers would lick the peanut butter or cheese off without setting the trap off and I only caught 4 in 3 days but I knew there were more so off to the Ace yesterday to see what was new. I purchased 4 of those sticky pads, 4 more victors with the metal trigger and 2 of the new Ortho Press n Set units. These have a little well for the bait and then you just press one end and the trap is set. I caught nothing in the sticky traps, nothing in the 6 Victor traps but killed 4 mice in 10 hours with the Ortho without replacing the peanut butter bait and all the other traps had the bait taken without triggering one of them...


56 posted on 07/22/2011 8:05:38 AM PDT by tubebender (The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some very good ideas)
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To: Red_Devil 232

We had a week of heat and are now back into what we usually call “June Gloom” in SoCal.

I have to make sure I water early in the morning so that, by the time it heats up, the droplets on the plant leaves have evaporated.

I have an Australian Tree fern that is struggling, if anyone has any suggestions. It is dropping lots of spores and seems to be able to support only 7 or 8 branches at a time.

I also have a Queen palm whose branches all have leaves with brown tips. It gets regular water but looks dry on all the ends. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks!


57 posted on 07/22/2011 8:07:16 AM 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

Do you use a pressure canner for any of your canning?


58 posted on 07/22/2011 8:10:38 AM PDT by hedgetrimmer
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To: Red_Devil 232

Good morning all!

I have a question for all you experienced gardners...

Just got an old well hooked up and flowing on our country place. It’s “sulfur” water — clear as a bell, but smells like rotten eggs. (We have county water for the house.)

My question is this: is there any harm to ornamentals, pecan trees, bed plants, lawn, etc. from watering with sulferous water? “Some say” that it’s actually better for the plants, and I’d like to believe that, but I don’t know if this hearsay is reliable and I don’t want to ruin my plants.

Thanks, and FRegards!


59 posted on 07/22/2011 8:12:03 AM PDT by Nervous Tick (Trust in God, but row away from the rocks!)
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To: Red_Devil 232

It’s been a hot, humid week here in Central Missouri. My sweet corn is now 7’ tall and in full tassle. If I can keep the earworms out it ought to be a bumper crop. The tomatoes are finally starting to ripen, cucumber vines are suffering but still blooming and making cukes. Summer squash have all folded. Eggplants are hanging in there. The weeds and crabgrass are running rampant and it’s so doggone hot I haven’t had the energy to fight em.


60 posted on 07/22/2011 8:13:17 AM PDT by Augie
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