Posted on 03/29/2013 2:17:42 PM PDT 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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It’s finally starting to feel like spring! I spotted a tiny patch of dirt in between the mounds of snow in the garden.
I’m trying to talk my dad into helping me put up fenceposts as anchors for a pulley system on my land. So far his response is to try and change my mind about needing one in the first place. I don’t think he gets it. Unfortunately with my shoulder I could only put up about 1 fencepost a day, and there’s a lot of them to put up.
And, those need to go up before mid-summer, because that’s when my surgery is. Doctors finally made up their minds how serious my tumors are. The fact that they disagreed so much on how big they were leads me to believe at least one doctor didn’t even look at the radiologist’s notes until after the biopsy, he claimed there were only a couple of tumors and they were so tiny they couldn’t be causing my symptoms. Well, no, now he agrees with the other reports, that there are so many tumors there’s nothing left of that organ to save. The ultrasound looks like a clenched fist in my gut. Which is also what it feels like.
At least the new job is going well. My boss is going to investigate to see if I can work from home while recovering.
Came across a tip for starting cuttings. Poke them into a potato before planting. That keeps them moist until they can form new roots. I’m hoping to try that on some of my berries soon, a girl can never have too many berry bushes!
The thing about shallots is that you pull up a bunch, stick one back into the hole and it will grow into another bunch.
Those onions sound interesting. How hardy are they?
I’m thinking that with soil additions and reworking, lawns could become healthy, productive veggie gardens again. The soil additions are necessary because the builders brought a lot of subsoil to the surface digging basements.
No argument there. In our old house the topsoil was awful.
One problem is all the homeowners associations that would put a lien on your house if they saw a tomato plant in the front yard. Some even in the backyard as well.
In a SHTF scenario they might change their minds. The problems then become complete lack of vegetable gardening know how and no seeds or plants available just then.
Biggest problem is probably not 1 in 100 people in those neighborhoods have any clue about growing veggies. And it’s generationally removed at this point too. That area has been relatively wealthy long enough that even their grandparents likely didn’t grow veggies. There are exceptions.
Extremely hardy.
They are coming up now, despite hitting zero last week; and have survived winters with lows of -15 to -20 for 2 or 3 weeks straight, highs never getting above zero.
They also get temps of 95-105 for 3 or 4 weeks in the summer, and will often, though not always, go dormant then; but come right back with water when it cools down a bit.
No Homowner’s Association here. I live in a rural area on 12 acres. I can grow my veggies anyplace I want to. I’ve grown them in pots on the front porch and in my front flower beds. I have a fenced plot in the front (formerly) pasture where I grow most of them.
I was a child during WWII when Victory Gardens were encouraged. But even before that, people had huge veggie gardens in their front yards. True that most of those who indulged in that practice were first generation Americans from Italy, or Greece, or Armenia; but they were always generous with their produce. They always offered a tomato, or a squash to passersby.
And in California, everybody had an orange, a grapefruit, or a walnut tree and a grapevine on the fence. It came as a shock to me after I married and moved to the mid-west thatyou actually had to pay for those fruits and nuts at the super market!
Only once in a while have we seen them, but they are around.
I actully saw a dead one right on Rte 36 last year, that’s a major communter road I was very surprised.
Yes, there are still farms around here, not right near me but a little further west. You can get great tomatoes and stuff right by the roadside.
Central Jersey is very nice, horse country and all that.
I think not too many people see that part of the state because the big highways don’t run through there.
The NJ Turnpike is famously ugly, but the Garden State Parkway is a lovely road. Trees galour, it’s really lovely in the fall.
(Tomato plants still living.)
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That’s great news. I am so looking forward to the day when you get to taste a vine-ripened tomato that you grew all on your own!
Do you know how to clean squirrel. IIRC they are pretty tasty fried, with some red-eye gravy.
Thanks for the Easter wishes and same right back to you and yours.
Indeed it is. In fact, way back when I taught school for a few years, I noticed that the only kids that said a respectful maam and sir, had parents that were mostly from the military.
If the others even said it, the tone was sarcastic. I must admit, I wasn’t even raised to say maam or sir either. When my oldest came back from the Military Academy she was saying maam and sir, and it felt weird, but really nice.
Course, she didn’t like the Academy, so she resigned and went to Wright State University instead, and reverted to her prior behavior. It was nice while it lasted.
If I had it to do over, that’s one thing I would change. A nice polite maam or sir, can count for a lot.
The nuts-he says are not fit for human consumption. That’s why the squirrels abound, they collect the nuts to eat.
Never had any squirrel so fancy. Mom always just fried them up. I never had to watch out for pellets either-don’t know how Dad did that. They were awful sparse in the meat department was my objection-same with frog legs-never could warm up to those.
When I got older, and learned that squirrels were considered rodents, I developed a real dislike for the idea of eating them.
Mid-April??????? I will just be starting seed indoors about them. LOL. Mid May is ok, but still can get a little frost. To be really safe, the last week in May or first week in June for summer veggies is the only way to be safe.
Temps in the mid-fifties here in SE PA. Tilled the section of the garden where I will be planting spring crops and tarped it for the week to warm it up. Should plant next weekend, a good two weeks ahead of last year.
And now, hoops!
A good resource to start with would be the Extension Service for the University in Texas and the closest states around your area.
Several things could be causing yellow leaves. For example, low Nitrogen, Pest infestation, other nutritional issues.
Remember also, that more plants are killed with kindness(ie overwatering) than you would think.
It’s 28 degrees right now here in S.E. Michigan. Is it safe to plant my tomatoes now? LOL!
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Sure it is. Just as long as you plant them in a pot and keep them indoors in front of a south or west window or grow light.LOL
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