WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 29 JULY 19, 2013

Free Republic | 7/19/2013 | 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!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.

[fwdude]

I’m actually hoping for more. If this pesky routine high pressure dome will leave us alone, we should with all the ambient moisture around.

[greeneyes]

Yes, we are getting blow back from a lot of local health inspectors around here too. Little old ladies in a neighboring county weren’t able to sell their home canned green beans like they used to.

The excuse was that the kitchens weren’t inspected and authorized, and they had no way of knowing what was in the jars-HA-like we know that for sure with commercial canning, or even a taco from taco bell.

Fortunately, in Missouri, if you want to go to someone’s house or farm and purchase whatever they have, you can still do so. That’s why we can still get raw milk when we want it.

[greeneyes]

That is kinda strange. Of course squirrels can go anywhere, but I have never had squirrels bother the flowers. Sounds like a good web search project if no one else knows what’s happening.

[greeneyes]

Glad to hear that. We need to maintain the bees.

[afraidfortherepublic]

When I lived in TX (’70s-early ‘80s) I never noticed a shortage of rain in the summer. Of course, that was Houston which is almost tropical.

[afraidfortherepublic]

certain canned goods are illegal to sell.

??? marijuana?

[greeneyes]

That’s great. We have several spices that we dried, and we also took an overabundance of green onions one year, and made onion powder using the blender. It’s lasted about 2 years so far.LOL

[rightly_dividing]

I used the garden auger to drill some 3” holes down to about 20” and never hit any moist dirt, just dry sand. We are getting some rain, but not enough. This part of Texas is dry.

[afraidfortherepublic]

My apologies for the snarky remark. I missed the “canned” in your post and couldn’t imagine what goods from your garden would be illegal to sell in Ohio. I should learn to read more carefully and think twice before posting.

[greeneyes]

I did not have a single carrot sprout, and only half the beets. This fall I am going to get some burlap bags and try covering them up with soaked bags so they can stay moist longer.

The soil in this particular bed seems to dry out faster than the others.

[trisham]

What a great idea! This is from Better Homes and Gardens:

squash

I have planted my first garden, the vegetables are looking great. However, when I look closely at the yellow flowers blooming on my squash plants, it looks like something has been eating them (not the leaves). I don't want to use a pesticide, what do you suggest?

Submitted by BHGPhotoContest

"You're right not to use a pesticide, because that will probably kill the pollinators your need. If only the petals are munched on the edges, there shouldn't be any problem. If the entire flower is missing, it's possible that a squirrel or other small animal is eating them. If the flowers are just shriveled and laying on the ground, they they are falling off naturally, as they usually do.

The male flowers have long skinny stems, and the female flowers have short, fat stems. Male flowers that fall off are just done doing their job. Female flowers that fall off have not been pollinated. If you are having unusually hot weather, that can also cause the plant to drop its flowers. "

***

I'm guessing that it's either the very hot weather we have had or it's that they're male flowers. My husband has been concerned about his problem, so he's going to be very interested in this info.

Thanks!

[afraidfortherepublic]

We’ve had a very cold and wet spring, and there isn’t a corn field in Wisconsin that’s over 6 ft. high. Most are 2 ft. at the most.

[afraidfortherepublic]

What movie did you see, and was it any good?

[greeneyes]

So glad Texas is getting some overdue rainfall. Do you have some rainbarrels?

[mlizzy]

We've got (first up on left) rows of beets with mesclun lettuce in between. Both are wonderful. Next were radishes; they've all been eaten. Then a row of potted herbs and matoes, then a beautiful row of marigolds, but cannot be seen on picture. Then we have peppers, and next two massive Brandywine tomato plants (they're almost 6-foot tall; lots of fruit, but no color yet), then we have squash plants that used to number three, but I pulled one today completely out and searched once again for the vine borer. The stem actually looked great; I found nothing wrong. I'm befuddled what my squash have [again] this year. The bottom-ish leaves yellow at the pace of one or two a day. I've used essential oils, DE, planted borage, radishes, etc. I wonder where the stores get those stacks and stacks of organic butternut squash. :(

[fwdude]

Even Houston has been drying out in the past few years. Not as bad as the rest of the state, but way below normal.

[greeneyes]

Well that’s ok as long as you get to “sample” the goods - I’d call it payment for the rental space.LOL

I am always buying extra, in case the kids and grandkids need something in an emergency, because they can barely cover their needs from month to month.

My youngest daughter who lives closest to me is starting to consider my pantry her grocery store. LOL

[Arrowhead1952]

No, but have been looking into them. I need to save every drop of rain I can. Our lake is less than 50% capacity. It is 62 miles long and over 200’ deep at places when full. We will need a major rain event to refill it from its current level.

[greeneyes]

It has been my experience with peppers, that they will eventually become red if left on the vine long enough.

I am not familiar with the purple beauty.

[rightly_dividing]

Maybe I am speaking too soon, but we have not had any problems with squirrels or bugs, except squash bugs in our three years gardening here. I have assumed it is because my wife has three bird feeders about 15 ft from the garden and all the birds and squirrels are fat and happy. I suspect the birds eat bugs in the garden in addition to the bird feed. We use landscape fabric in the garden and flower beds, but I don’t think that would keep bugs at bay. I don’t know, maybe it is a blessing from the Lord, but we are grateful.