Posted on 11/16/2012 10:38:39 AM PST by greeneyes
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!
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Welcome back. We are all a little weary and very disappointed with the election results, but I want to say thanks for your efforts.
We are still warm enough to get a little more winter wheat in and maybe some lettuce and spinach too.
My thoughts and Prayers go out for JADB as well...
Not a good omen to just drop out of sight like she did.
Thanks to a tip from afraidfortherepublic, it looks like I’ve located her son, and sent him an email asking about her.
Oh that’s good. Maybe we’ll find out what’s going on.
Thank you!
The garden is currently producing Dinosaur Kale, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and radish. The peanuts look like they'll be ready to harvest soon also.
I moved all my citrus and tropical plants into the greenhouse in case there is a sudden freeze. The one plant I'm worried about is the papaya, since it managed to grow through the greenhouse skylight and is partially exposed to outside temps.
What do people think of the idea of gathering ideas/s\directions about particular gardening advice in a permanent way (seed starting, for example), so that when the questions come up in the spring, a number of replies are ready?
Mouse theives got my peanuts.
I thought I had them safely located to dry..But they were carried off without a trace.
I forgot to mention that I got about 50% of my cover crop planted Thursday before the weather changed and it looks like heavy rain for the next few days which will make mush of the remaining Raspberries but Lady Bender picked another 2 quarts of them while I planted the CC
Good idea, thank you!
For those of you in the eastern portion of the US, Dave Tolleris of wxrisk.com has issued his ‘Winter Forecast’. He goes through a lengthy explanation of the factors that influence the weather and for those of you who have an interest in the details, it’s a fascinating analysis. Bottom line in general: colder, snowier winter than the last mild one. Here’s a link to his analysis and forecast:
http://www.wxrisk.com/2012/11/final-winter-preview-2012-13/
For those of you who might be wondering ‘who the heck is this guy?’ .... DT (as we call him) has a subscription weather forecasting business. A couple of years ago, he started doing some predicting of snow storms in our area .... long before the TV meteorologists were calling for it (he has quite a bit of disdain for the TV meteorologists) ..... DT was correct on all the big snows we got that year. DT also fairly early predicted the path of Sandy. He has a reputation for being a litte rough around the edges, but quite accurate in his forecasting .... he’s become the ‘go to’ guy around here for a lot of folks. His website isn’t the most user-friendly ... I’m finding that if you go to Face Book & type in wxrisk, you get more frequent info. He’s also started a Sunday podcast to explain the weather & has maps ... very interesting, I love it! If you are inhabited with any sort of ‘weather nerd’ genes, you will like DT .... his forecasts do cover the east coast primarily because he lives in VA.
I am way behind. I only have about 15% of my cover crop done.
Yee Haa! I just checked the weather. Next 4 days in the 60’s and lows in the mid to low 40’s. Plenty of time to get the cover crop planted, unless Family comes up with other stuff to occupy my time. Gonna try to get some spinach started too.
What do you use for the winter CC and how do you prepare the beds and cover the seeds? I use a Wheel Hoe with the slicing blades attached to prepare the bed and to cover the seed...
Whew! ou had me worried there for a moment. My loquat trees just went into bloom. If we have a hard winter, the blooms will freeze and we won't have any fruit.
I follow the beds of corn with winter rye and crimson clover. The other beds not devoted to winter lettuce garlic etc. will get Red Winter Wheat and crimson clover seeded in February, winter wheat will be for late spring/early summer harvest.
I wanted to avoid the use of hairy vetch or common vetch in the beds where I will rotate a wheat crop for harvest, hence the crimson clover for this year.
I don’t have any fancy tools. I just use a 4 prong tool about the size of a hoe to areate a bit. Rake it smooth, and broad cast the seed by hand.
Sprinkle some Mel’s mix on top. Sometimes I rake it in a little. I am still experimenting when it comes to methods. LOL.
Mist it and put a row cover on till it sprouts.
VERY GOOD! You now have your Master Gardener Badge... LOL. I also use a Hula Hoe to stir the soil in the odd shaped beds and while it works well I am going to have someone make me a wider one to cover more ground. Our winters rains are here to stay and we are a month behind on garden and deck cleanup and here it is Thanksgiving week.
You only know about Hula Hoes because you’re from Fresno!
You only know about Hula Hoes because you’re from Fresno!
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