WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 22 MAY 31, 2013

Free Republic | May 31, 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!

[afraidfortherepublic]

Congratulations and good luck. So sorry to hear about your hip.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Is Cashmere gone? I missed that news with my surgery and the loss of my own dog. Condolences.

My heart is still raw. The vet put Max down the day after my wedding anniversary, and it was a shock. I was still counting on finding the perfect food that he could tolerate. Pancreatic cancer had other ideas.

[afraidfortherepublic]

(We take them to a processer, $2.00/bird, back up to on door where they enter the processing building...15 minutes later the go onto ice in the coolers for the trip home to the freezer.

That sounds better than an elderly neighbor's description of hanging the chickens by their feet from the clothesline and snapping their necks, one by one. Just as long as you don't name them. Sitting down to a dinner of FiFi would be un-nerving.

[Hot Tabasco]

Two years ago I made a nesting box for chickadees and placed it on a tree behind my neighbor's house. This spring, for the first time, a pair finally made a nest in it. There had been a lot of activity in and out of it and I was certain a family was on the way.

Then one evening I saw a starling at the box trying to get in then it flew away. A few days later I saw another one with it's head inside the hole then it flew away.

I went to the box yesterday and opened it up only to find that the nest had been abandoned and no eggs had been laid. I suspect it was the damn starlings that had chased them away.....

That really pissed me off so now I'm searching the internet for plans to build a starling and sparrow trap.

[Slings and Arrows]

Cats are excellent bird traps.

[Arrowhead1952]

Didn’t get to post on the thread yesterday, but I have been picking fresh tomatoes, onions, lettuce and other veggies this week. Sure beats the stuff from the grocery stores.

[MomwithHope]

Too bad about your chickadees. We have at least one nesting pair in our bluebird boxes every year. Love it when they leave and I clean out the box. They have the prettiest nests, Here, every year it is made with green moss and white goat hair.

[Red_Devil 232]

Yes Cashmere had to be put down in January. She was 13 and had stopped eating and was very weak. Vet said she had acute kidney failure. Nothing he could do for her, so my wife and I decided it was time and not let her suffer any more than she had. Very difficult and sad day for us.

[Hot Tabasco]

They have the prettiest nests, Here, every year it is made with green moss

This was the first chickadee nest I had ever seen and yes, it was very pretty and delicately made.

As a side note, the nest was infested with tiny ants, you don't suppose that that was what caused the chickadees to leave do you?

[JRandomFreeper]

I use my dehydrator all the time. Some stuff needs to be blanched before dehydrating. You can buy a countertop electric dehydrator pretty inexpensively.

I also do a lot of canning every year.

/johnny

[gorush]

I didn’t think up the concept. Mary heard about it so this was my implementation of the idea. The mulch it provides is fantastic. It seems that one chicken gets singled out and named each year...but by the time it comes out of the freezer all familiarity is lost. :{)

[Black Agnes]

I told my husband about that and even he was horrified. And he hunts.

[gorush]

Do you enclose your chickens at night? My wife demands many levels of protection against hawks, eagles, weasels, racoons and the like. We haven’t had any problems, yet, but one weasel (I think) tunneled into the pen last year after the birds had been butchered.

[gorush]

"That is some beautiful country you live in!!!"

It is nice here in west central WI. We are country mice who always gravitate to attractive environments. After marriage (some 32 years ago) we lived aboard a sailboat for four years near your neck of the woods

...we ranged from the San Juan Islands (NW WA) up the inside passage to Desolation Sound and Vancouver Island. A case of hives break out if we get within 20 miles of a city.

We built our present, and final, home about nine years ago. It is an earth-sheltered bunker (Two bunkers, actually) that is set up to withstand the upcoming troubled times.

[MomwithHope]

I would doubt it was the ants. More likely a predator bird, wrens are good culprits. Sometimes checking a nest box too frequently can scare them off. I never look in mine anymore, just clean them out in the fall and early spring. Sometimes mice like to make a winter nest!

[Red_Devil 232]

My wife received word this morning that Wal-Mart wants her at work on July 1 in Meridian, Ms. This gives us almost all the month of June to pack up all of our things and I can make a couple of runs with my truck with some of our stuff. Eventually we will have to rent a truck to move our large appliances, bed, couch and many other things!

[tillacum]

It’s good to hear you’re moving “back home”. Now you can retrain your home garden. Hope your tomatoes make it

[tillacum]

Marcella, you are very interesting. I have picked my chinese peas..wonderful tasting...we didn’t cook them. I made a dip and had them with his beer and my champaign.(harrumph! my spell check doesn’t know how to spell champaign or chinese)
My raised gardens are empty this year...all my time has been spent with the Community Garden and hubby’s illness. But the little I’ve done in my syrup pots and styrofoam pots are doing great. Squash is coming on, tomatoes are green and pretty, carrots are ??? still little fuzzy leaves. My weeping rose is gorgeous. The rest of the yard looks like something happened back there.

[tillacum]

Our watermelons are going nuts! They were planted “helter skelter” and their runners are everywhere and the chiggers are setting up homestead on the tomatoes, squash, rosemary plants, sage...and they just love it when I’m in the garden.
I’m thinking of using some of my wire tubes to throw the watermelon vines over the tops and kind of keep the vines from growing into everything else. The tubes are about 4’ long and 18” across.

[Marcella]

“Marcella, you are very interesting.”

Ahh, definition of “interesting”: arousing curiosity or attention: arousing curiosity, attracting or holding attention, or provoking thought.

Hmm, perhaps you think I'm nuts about growing, therefore “interesting”. Or I'm “arousing your curiosity” because you have no idea what crazy thing I will do next about growing. Or I'm “provoking thought” about what you might do not to end up like me. :o) :o)

Tell me about your chinese peas. I want those kind of peas, maybe they are called “sugar peas?” I'm talking about the kind to use in stir fries. Is that what your chinese peas are? If so, are they heirloom? Are they climbing vines or bush peas?

I have to make choice about peas - I really like every kind of pea. I want a spring garden and a fall garden based on which plants are the best to provide the most nutrients to keep a body alive. Plus, I like peas so much, I want them whether they are superior in keeping someone alive or not.

So, could you tell me more about your chinese peas?

It's okay if you find me “interesting” as I know I'm “not normal”, I'm a little different than most people. The thing is, I don't care. I started reading at age three and don't know how that happened but I read the encyclopedia and big dictionaries and thought words were wonderful. I've been learning every day since then. I will figure out this gardening stuff, too. :o)