WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 9 MARCH 1, 2013

Free Republic | March 1, 2013 | greeneyes

[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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[Lera]

Depending on the model it seems to me that if you flipped one upside-down and cut it right, the part you cut off would make a well fitting “top”.

So far all of the large ones I have gotten and have seen are tapered . On the 300 gallon one I have there is more than a foot difference between the the size of the top and the bottom. (I got them cheap/free because something was dropped on them and the bottoms had cracks in them )


I made simple tops for them out of 2x2's (in two separate parts with a hinge in the middle for easy venting ) and covered them with 6 mil plastic . Cheap , light weight and easy for me to pop them on and off as I need them .


At over $300 for the largest tub I would never buy one to use as a giant pot lol but if you can pick them up cheap they do make great winter beds :)

[TEXOKIE]

Wow! That’s big!

[rightly_dividing]

Johnny-- We finally made it to Maas garden center just south og Houston where we were heading when the car dumped an alternator 2 weeks ago. Great place, 8 acres, beautifully landscaped, all kingds of plants and trees, including some fruit trees that are not usually associated with his area; apples;oranges, Japanese maple. The vegetable starts were not the usually Bonnie brand sold elsewhere in our area. We spent most of the day there, never saw the entire place, it's just too big.

All-- A picture of the house cat and catnip starts, and other pictures from the place.

Former MSM Viewer--Nice place to get Houston specific varieties and garden supplies. A few pictures from there. My camera card filled up after just a few shots, so it don't have a representative group of shots. I re-sized them, but it doesn't seem to shrink them on FR.

[Arrowhead1952]

What I didn't say is that we had a terrace in the field for potatoes, another for watermelon and cantaloupes. A couple of years we had over an acre in the fields for cucumbers and another for black eye peas that we sold.

[TEXOKIE]

Now, that IS huge! Way beyond the minuscule capabilities of just little me! What wonderful experience and knowledge on gardening you gleaned as you grew up. Thanks for sharing some of it here!

[JRandomFreeper]

LOL! Glad you got to the garden center. I had to look twice to see the passed out cat in the catnip, and then I LOLed so loud I scared my catz. That must be kitty heaven.

/johnny

[Arrowhead1952]

We also had a two acre + peach, plum and pear tree orchard. I remember plowing the area between the rows of trees with a disk harrow every few weeks.

[greeneyes]

Thanks so much for that link. It’s going to be very helpful going forward as everyone improves their soil for the upcoming spring planting.

[greeneyes]

Sounds really great.

[greeneyes]

Flowers are a great anti depressant with out the side effects.LOL

[greeneyes]

Well, you transplant them according to how much room the particular veggie needs, so more than just those holes will be used most likely.

[Sarajevo]

I grew peanuts last year as an experiment. Boy, did they ever grow! We got about 1/8 bushel out of 6 plants, and the Mrs still pulls peanuts out of that raised bed.
Use caution. They can be invasive. They took over the entire 10' x 10' bed.

[Sarajevo]

LOL! Kitteh knows where the good stuff is :)

[Arrowhead1952]

I grew peanuts last year as an experiment. ..... They took over the entire 10' x 10' bed.

You should try a fifty acre field. Not being a smart ***, but we had almost 50 acres of peanuts when I was growing up on the farm. Some farmers had thousands of acres of peanuts. Not a joke. Lots of dollars around Thanksgiving Day.

[TEXOKIE]

You WERE a busy kid!

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks for the info, greeneyes. So here is my understanding of the experiment (thanks for undertaking it fanfan):

OK, so the little guys are being sprouted (hopefully) in seed cups in situ in the place where they will eventually be transferred grow.

If they sprout, then after they have had time to get their roots started,then they will be transplanted out of their cup and into the slot where they sprouted, which the gardener presumably had selected to make sure the little guy has enough room for its toes.

Do I have it finally? :-D

[Arrowhead1952]

I was probably one of few boys that gained weight in basic training. In Sep 1972, I went to Ft Dix weighing 145 and by the first of Dec, I was 185. Three full meals a day, and a light schedule (for a farm kid) from 6 AM and in bed by 9 PM.

[TEXOKIE]

LOL! You had to join the Army and go to basic training to get some rest! LOLOLOLOL!

[Arrowhead1952]

That is about the truth. When I went home for Christmas, the only clothes I could wear to church was my dress green uniform. Back in those days, we had to fly in class A’s. Good thing I had it to wear. Most people didn’t recognize me. If it hadn’t been for my name tag, most had no clue who I was.

[TEXOKIE]

Oh how funny! Thanks for the story!