Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Weekly Gardening Thread (Catalog Fever) Vol. 1 Jan 6, 2012
January 6, 2012 | JustaDumbBlonde

Posted on 01/06/2012 9:53:54 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde

January is not the most hospitable month of the year to be sure. If you're like me those cold dreary days are best spent curled up in a chair (for the guys that don't *do* curl -- sit there very manly) with a cup of tea (insert the manly beverage of your choice) and a stack of garden catalogs that you need a front-end loader to move (got you with the front-end loader, didn't I?).

I've got to hand it to the catalog people, the covers are exceptional this year and, by golly, with all of the $25 to $100 coupons right there on the front ... I saved $475 just walking in from the mailbox!

Your first five minutes spent thumbing through will tell you something, regardless of which catalog your choose: Prices. Are. Up. Must be that ol' supply-n-demand thing, because I choose to believe that MY favorite seed suppliers would never take advantage of a market that is growing by leaps and bounds as people discover that you can feed your family the highest quality foods and save money at the same time. Not to mention, you know exactly how your food was handled and by whom. It must be said -- produce from Mexico just doesn't have the same tropical appeal that it once did.

These are the catalogs I've received as of this morning. I've put these in the form of a link that you can take to that company, if you so desire. You can request a catalog of your own or, do what I do, which is peruse the paper catalog and then place an order online.

Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co.
Musser Forests, Inc.
Michigan Bulb Co.
Agri Supply
Growers Supply
Stark Bro's Nursery
The Greenhouse Catalog
Gardener's Supply Company
Totally Tomatoes
The Cook's Garden
Burpee
Henry Field's Seed & Nursery Co. *
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. *
Jung's Seeds & Plants
R.H. Shumway's Illustrated Garden Guide

* Henry Field's and Gurney's are one and the same group. I suspect that Burgess is also owned by them, but haven't confirmed

Please let us know about your favorite catalogs and gardening-related companies. I know that we all love to discover something new that will further our fun in the garden.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: catalogs; gardening
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 301-318 next last
To: Free Vulcan
Yes, Land Pride, I am familiar with them. Our local John Deere dealership sells Land Pride. I have a 60-inch finishing mower deck that I used for mowing the yard behind my John Deere 770 ('bout the same HP as your Kubota). Land Pride is well-built and will last forever.

Then I got the John Deere z-mower and the finishing mower got stored in the equipment shed, but I still use the 770 with a rake attachment to clean up under our old oaks.

I had to move up to a tractor with more hp to use the implements I needed, and I got the front-end loader too. What a hoot! I use that thing almost every day for something.

You've got a great setup there!

141 posted on 01/07/2012 12:29:36 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 120 | View Replies]

To: Marie Antoinette

On the pot maker that you ordered ... is it the one that makes pots from newspaper?


142 posted on 01/07/2012 12:30:58 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 123 | View Replies]

To: TASMANIANRED

Hopefully goofy didn’t get a tummy ache! Enjoy the mild weather while it lasts. We had a high of 71 today, and I was in shorts and a tank. Love it.


143 posted on 01/07/2012 12:41:26 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 124 | View Replies]

To: JustaDumbBlonde

It is a cabbage offshoot, cold hardy to about 10F. Peel the swelling at the top of the stem, then slice into strips for dipping or chunks and use in soups or stews or stir fry. Can be shredded and used like coleslaw. After a freeze it is sweeter. sweet slight cabbage taste. Leaves can be used also like any other green leafy vegetable.


144 posted on 01/07/2012 2:17:11 AM PST by W. W. SMITH (Obama is an instrument of enslavement)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 138 | View Replies]

To: JustaDumbBlonde

Well, I did not get on FR after lunch yesterday so I missed the thread. I had been at the farm the other day and stopped by the Elgin nursery and bought some bulk seed. A person sure gets their money worth buying bulk, rather than the small packets you get at the local store.


145 posted on 01/07/2012 5:20:35 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (Dear God, thanks for the rain, but please let it rain more in Texas. Amen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JustaDumbBlonde

Please add me to your gardening ping list.

Thank you.


146 posted on 01/07/2012 7:30:26 AM PST by Altariel (`)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: JustaDumbBlonde
I peel Kohlrabi and eat it out of hand like a Turnip. Root Maggots and the Cabbage Worm are a problem in our area and I have to grow it under a floating row cover. As it grows if forms a bulb the size of a Turnip just above the soil line and the leaves grow out of that.


147 posted on 01/07/2012 8:21:50 AM PST by tubebender (I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 138 | View Replies]

To: Altariel
You've BEAN

Photobucket

added to the

Weekly Gardening Thread Ping List

148 posted on 01/07/2012 9:44:57 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 146 | View Replies]

To: tubebender

Thank you, Sir Bender.


149 posted on 01/07/2012 9:49:37 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 147 | View Replies]

To: Arrowhead1952
"A person sure gets their money worth buying bulk, rather than the small packets you get at the local store."

Yup. It took me 5 years to plant 60¢ worth of okra. I can buy a pound of mustard or turnip seed, which is about half of a brown paper lunch bag, for $3.50, and a $1.50 packet at the store has not even a palm full of seeds.

150 posted on 01/07/2012 9:56:25 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde (Don't wish doom on your enemies. Plan it.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 145 | View Replies]

To: JustaDumbBlonde
It took me 5 years to plant 60¢ worth of okra.

It's taken me about 4 years to plant 50¢ worth of Simpson's black seed lettuce.

151 posted on 01/07/2012 11:29:50 AM PST by Arrowhead1952 (Dear God, thanks for the rain, but please let it rain more in Texas. Amen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 150 | View Replies]

To: JustaDumbBlonde

Every spring we spade our garden to prepare for planting and I even gave our nearly new 7 hp tiller to our Pastor. I still have a little Troy-bilt soil stirrer but rarely use it anymore. Our raised beds are 12’ x ??’ so spading works best for us. Like you said, Good Soil Structure has to be maintained for plant vigor and health and I even go so far as to put 1x6 boards down every 3 or 4 feet to walk on. We have His and Hers spading shovels and I keep them sharp...


152 posted on 01/07/2012 11:59:38 AM PST by tubebender (I always wanted to be somebody, but now I realize I should have been more specific.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 140 | View Replies]

To: Arrowhead1952

Just got back from Countrywide, the place I keep trying to get you to check out. I got a blueberry bush covered in buds (Tifblue), two wisterias, a passionvine, three llilies, a red-hot poker, all one gallons for a buck a piece clearanced.

Went up to Red Bard for strawberries and snapdragons.


153 posted on 01/07/2012 2:54:50 PM PST by txhurl (Perry/Pence 2012 OR Perry/Ryan 2012 or even better Perry/Abbott 2012!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 151 | View Replies]

To: JustaDumbBlonde

Well, you may be shocked at what I am about to say but..............

I AM GLAD THAT MY SUMMER GARDEN UNDER PRODUCED !!!

Yes, I mean it.

Cause my canning skills suck, and nearly all of my hard work is a waste.

Woe is me. My processed pickles are mush. The ones I popped into the fridge from the same batch were excellent, but on canning the rest - tragedy.

My relish is sour.

My peach jelly ..... I don’t even want to talk about it.

I THINK my applesauce and apple-butter are good. But not as nice as last year.

I THINK my raspberry jelly is OK, but borderline gummy.

I’m sure my few jars of extra thick tomato sauce are good though.

I worked hard over that stuff! But I learned some lessons I won’t soon forget. All in all it’s not such a bad thing because I didn’t RUIN nearly as much as I could have.

LOL

PS-lets forget my one whole jar of pickled beets.


154 posted on 01/07/2012 3:07:51 PM PST by Ladysforest
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: txhurl

Did you notice the cedar pollen in the air today? I would say the visibility was less than 3/4 mile here this morning and imagine there were several calls about trees being on fire. My windshield was so bad. I had a greenish yellow paper towel when I finished cleaning it this afternoon.


155 posted on 01/07/2012 3:08:40 PM PST by Arrowhead1952 (Dear God, thanks for the rain, but please let it rain more in Texas. Amen.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 153 | View Replies]

To: Ladysforest

I’ve never canned anything, so you have my undying admiration and respect for making the attempt, regardless of how successful it was last summer. :)


156 posted on 01/07/2012 3:16:35 PM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 154 | View Replies]

To: trisham

rather UNsuccessful. :)

Thanks. There’s always next year.


157 posted on 01/07/2012 3:36:01 PM PST by Ladysforest
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 156 | View Replies]

To: Ladysforest

Exactly. That’s pretty much what I say every October. :)


158 posted on 01/07/2012 3:38:03 PM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 157 | View Replies]

To: Arrowhead1952

Yeah, the pollen is about to get outrageous but we’ll have thunderstorms Monday to wash it out of the air and off surfaces. The live oaks are swapping out their leaves, too, where a lot of that yellow dust comes from.


159 posted on 01/07/2012 3:49:16 PM PST by txhurl (Perry/Pence 2012 OR Perry/Ryan 2012 or even better Perry/Abbott 2012!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 155 | View Replies]

The prices in the Burpee catalogue are incredible. What were they thinking? 5 and 6 dollar seed packets?


160 posted on 01/07/2012 4:47:23 PM PST by Nepeta
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 121-140141-160161-180 ... 301-318 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson