Posted on 01/20/2012 9:56:41 AM PST by JustaDumbBlonde
It was just a couple of weeks ago that I was really glad that the last of my garden had frozen. Being blessed with a long growing season is not always what it's cracked-up to be. You understand ... gardening is hard work! When it lasts from March or April until December, it can get tedious.
Then, yesterday, my first order of seeds that I don't need came in from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. Four beautiful little envelopes that sound like maracas; Baby Lincoln Leeks, Tres Fine Maraichere Endive, Beaumont Broccoli, and Large Fruited Mixture Ornamental Gourds.
I am stoked.
Yep, that's all it takes to get the soil coursing through my veins once again. Newspaper pots are about to be made ... my plastic trays need to be washed in a sudsy bleach solution. Clean off a couple of shelves in the garage and hang up the grow lights. Now, if I could just remember where I put that 55 quart bag of moisture control potting soil ...
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Last week, the Weekly Gardening Thread welcomed the 500th member of the ping list. What a great way to begin our 2012 gardening season! More members = more information to share. Let's grow!
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!
If you can put a sturdy top rail across some fence, muscadines would do well and you can make some kickin' jelly, syrup, juice and/or wine with those. You could train some blackberries or raspberries to a fence as well. We have several fence lines covered in blackberries because the birds have deposited them there.
No, but it's something I really want to look into this spring. Care to share some more info, maybe with pictures?
Is gleaning fruit from a source like this practical?
http://neighborhoodfruit.com/find_fruit
I have some lettuce, pole beans, black eyed peas, and a couple types of okra seeds that I have been growing repeatedly (often unintentionally). Also a sweet onion which I haven’t tried yet, but the package says heirloom. Send me a mail with your address if you want to try any.
>>Care to share some more info, maybe with pictures?
Heh. Absolutely plan on sharing soon FRiend.
Got the heat exchanger reworked today ;-)
Next weekend I’ll get ‘er painted and presentable. Right now looks like a WIP Construction zone... which it is.
The bugs are pretty much worked out of the system; and my intent is that when I do the presentation, the system will be be in a proven and stable state that folks can duplicate relatively easily with off the shelf components.
Stay tuned.
I am in a very rural area that has been farmland ever since, well forever. There are many old home sites, generally no house anymore, but you can tell the old sites because there will be a group of trees and shrubs in the middle of open farmland.
There is almost always old pecan trees, a few fig trees, a plum or two, peaches, and sometimes a quince tree. With permission, I can get more fruit and nuts than we could use in 4 lifetimes, and I do canning and preserving a full 3 or 4 months every year.
We have photos and I'll get them sorted and post a couple of them tomorrow. It was a small hive of probably 40,000 bees and we got almost all of them, including the queen.
Hope the dental appt. went okay. Thought you were gonna check back in and I thought about you today.
Shhhhh...can’t you see I’m watching the 49s...
You’re right, I did say I would check back in...............in a way I did because I read - but I should have posted. My bad.
Dental appointment went as well as could be expected. She is learning her lesson that not brushing holds VERY serious consequences.
shhhhhhhhh ... sorry! So am I ... they are in trouble.
So am I - but I’m not really happy here. I really do not want to be rooting for the Giants in the Superbowl.......
EGADS..............root for the Giants? ACKKKKKKKK
I was born and raised in NYC and have NEVER rooted for the Giants..........
Serves me right, they lost! Looking forward to your photos but who owns the man lift or do you use it to look over the top of the corn?
Here Mark (left) and I are beginning to remove the wood shakes. Very little room up there, we have the bee vacuum, a hive box, and we hung the buckets for the honeycomb and the shop vac on the outside of the bucket to make room.
Thanks for letting me know everything was okay.
I live near Raleigh, 7B. This year we’ll try to plant cabbage a couple weeks earlier than last, because we got bad worm damage right at harvest time last year, unfortunately. So we’ll plant our cabbage and brocolli nearer to the beginning of February than the middle, like last year.
Can’t wait. The garden’s ready to plant.
I know how you feel - the Giants beat the Packers.
This was a really tough game for me because I am a Saints fan.
I think the yung’un has learned her lesson - she had a tooth pulled 2 weeks ago. But she’s not done - she’s got another appointment in 2 weeks.
Good luck this year! Nothing better than home grown cole crops ... they have so much more flavor than those that you buy in the grocery. Do you intend to start your seeds inside now, or are you planning to direct sow?
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