Posted on 05/17/2013 1:01:42 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!
IIRC Granny was able to keep her bread for about a week. After letting it cool, she wrapped each loaf in a flour sack towel and placed it in the blue granite water bath canner with the lid on. Then we only cut off a slice as needed. Exposing only 1 loaf at a time to the air.
Her loaves were actually made by placing 3 round balls in a pie pan and letting it rise againg before baking. Not sure why it worked, but she didn’t have any air conditioning, so you would have expected mold quicker than that.
Yes that discussion was quite good. Watermelons are the same.
On another note: It looks like my wife and I will be moving back to our house and property in Mississippi in the near future. I can’t wait to reclaim my old garden plot! It will be to late for me to start up a full blown garden this year. I hate that the tomato plants I planted here in Texas will suffer a slow wilting death.
My wife finally decided it was not wise to move back close to her family and sisters. I knew this before we did. The house next door to us in Mississippi has sold to a great guy, retired US Navy 30yrs, from NY. He says he loves Meridian, Ms.
I am happy except having to move everything we own back!
Do tomatoes have to be picked as ripe for the seeds to mature? I know this is the case with pepper plant seeds and others too. Last winter I must have thrown an old, rotten tomato into the tree bed since I got a few seedlings I have since transplanted. Should be interesting to see what variety they are— I think Roma but time will tell.
As ripe as you can get them. This goes for pretty much most garden stuff. Cucumbers have to get to the yellow blimp stage for the seeds to be useable. Zucchinis have to get to the baseball bat stage. And so forth.
We have a similar composter. So, yes all the mentioned things can go in there. We “started” it out with a few shovels of good dirt, then threw the other stuff in. Begin saving up stuff even before you set the composter up. You might add a little water in there too to get a nice moisture level. We live in NY, so our mulch making cycle is about nine months. The water helps things tumble together a bit better, and promotes breakdown.
We put our small branches, rose canes, oak leaf, etc. in a separate small circular “bin” made from a simple cage of wire fencing. It sits for a couple of years before going in with the “softer” stuff.
Once your compost begins to cook, the smell is a complete non-issue. Once “done” your compost will not have any odors - just a nice earthy smell. It’ll be light, fluffy, black, and easy to work with.
Learning like I do it is a character flaw. When I need to know something, I know there is a body of information I don't know and I don't quit until I know it all.
You should have seen me when I took the EMT class. I had the EMT book that was at least two and 1/2 inches thick and I wanted to know it all right that minute when I got it. I had three months of class to turn myself into a life safer. I lived in that book day after day until I had it in my head and did dealt with the equipment and the hospital emergency room internship. At the end of that class, the instructor told his wife that if he had an emergency, for her to call me before she called the ambulance. I sailed through the state test with no problem.
Now, if I can do that in three months, surely I can learn this gardening stuff. I mean, if I can save a life and deliver a baby, surely I can grow plants.
Greeneyes’ post on her strawberries’ runners was a good reminder. Tomatoes can be propagated by taking a long stem and burying part of it like you do with roses. That can be done by just burying a stem still attached to the original plant or cut from the plant. Eventually, the stem will form it’s own roots and can be cut from the mother plant.
When the tomato vines get too big and turn into a jungle, cut off a few of the stems and lay about 8-10” sideways in the ground and that much above ground. Water them and eventually you’ll have new plants for the fall.
Oy Vey.
Our neighbors have gotten McMurray for 3 years in a row and had every one survive.
My grandmother used them for years too.
I wonder if postal employees were deliberately damaging with the box since it’s labeled ‘live baby chicks’. Especially since they’re not just dead, some appear to be physically damaged.
Lots of psychos out there these days.
Yay.
I will be starting fall tomatoes on Monday. It’s not too late. You had a really really great garden plot at the Meridian house too!
/johnny
How awful! What happened?
/johnny
/johnny
I didn’t get my cherry tomatoes started early enough this year. Plenty of lettuce, but no tomatoes to go with yet.
Your garden is huge!!! And gorgeous! Thx for the pic!
And now she has emus too
I got my start by ordering a 100 baby chicks. I camped out at 5 am at the post office for a couple days until one day heard all the cheep! cheep! cheep! The postal workers were glad to see them outta there.
My great aunt had a couple of peahens and a peacock. She had about 20 guineas too. Ones with the ‘dots’ looking stuff on their feathers. Never could sneak up on their house, the guineas announced your arrival as soon as you turned in the driveway.
Hybrid seeds can be used, if you have no other source of seeds. Some of them will be like the parent plants instead of the hybrid.
I just save my heirloom seeds - not the hybrids.
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