WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 48 NOVEMBER 29, 2013

11/29/13 | 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.

[JRandomFreeper]

I trust that you now see the wisdom in my statement "A cache of open-pollinated seeds and no skills is a way to starve to death with hope".

Preparation requires practiced skill sets. And there is no short-cut to learning them.

/johnny

[Marcella]

“And there is no short-cut to learning them.”

The shortcut is to read about how to grow before starting which I didn't do. I started both at the same time and what I did failed and when it did, I knew why because I had been reading/studying. Physical ability also matters in choosing “where” to grow. Growing in the ground was the pits for me and I had to grow plants in a medium higher up than the ground.

And, I had to do something to start seeds away from squirrels/birds. All of the above takes time to learn, so you are right that having no experience and pitching some seeds in the dirt would require a miracle to end up with food.

[greeneyes]

I have had no success in trying to grow rosemary indoors. Outdoors has been no problem. It’s kinda disappointing, because the smell of rosemary is so nice.

Someone told me the climate indoors in the winter is often too dry for Rosemary.

I have some new seeds for indoor pots, so I need to dig those out sometime this week. I need to clean off my cart and recover it with aluminum foil first, but I have room for 5 or 6 pots for herbs etc.

Wish our cold air was over. While the weather is nice today, our coldest days are in front of us.

[JRandomFreeper]

I consider it a miracle when I get food out of the dirt anyway. ;)

/johnny

[Silentgypsy]

Whaddaya mean ya don’t have a life? What are we, chopped liver? Your gardening and literary advisement has enriched my life in any number of ways, and, like everyone else here, I appreciate your input immensely! Can’t always act on suggestions because of financial/other constraints, but definitely have a to-do list which includes tons of your suggestions and the suggestions and methodology of others on this thread.
Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

[greeneyes]

I don’t really have any recipes for lemon grass, but have been thinking that it might be a good thing to grow and use.

[JRandomFreeper]

I've got plenty of recipes and can use lemongrass reflexively, even in dishes you might not expect. If I can make the lemongrass grow, it will add to my life quality.

/johnny

[greeneyes]

If we ever do get some chickens we had been thinking about those portable pens/house that you can just roll around to fresh ground every so often, so that you don’t get bare patches. anywhere, and the soil nutrition is helped out routinely too.LOL

[greeneyes]

I am very happy that you did all that research. It has been very helpful for me. (GFETE) Grinning from ear to ear.

[greeneyes]

I’ll look forward to your reports on growing it!

[Marcella]

My definition of “having a life”: Someone in the house I have to care for on a daily basis which takes my time. Since I don't have that, I have time to study whatever is important to me.

I have the Turner Classic Movie channel on and am reminded of my private meeting with Hollywood director and producer Cecil B. De Mille right after he directed/produced “The Ten Commandments”. How on earth did I meet him you wonder?

I was a chaperone at a Jr./Sr. dance in Tyler, Texas. The bathrooms must have been on the mezzanine floor as I don't remember how a few students and I ended up on that floor. There was a door with a sign on it saying Cecil B. De Mille was staying in that room. One of the students before I could stop her, knocked on the door and the students fled, leaving me standing in front of the door.

Mr. De Mille opened the door and I apologized for the student knocking on the door. He insisted I come in and we sat together with his talking about the movie. He was a religious man and the film meant more to him than just being a film. He wanted the film to be an accurate presentation of Moses and the ten commandments.

He was to speak at a church the next day, Sunday, and invited me to come, so the next day I was in that church.

Go forward many years to maybe six years ago, and my documentary film director son, Wayne Derrick, was in Egypt, to film the mountain thought to be the one where Moses received the ten commandments. The group of people who live at the bottom of the mountain, knew he was coming to go up into the mountain, so some men made the ten commandments out of solid concrete, so heavy no man could carry them. Sometimes, Wayne has to be a diplomat in his meeting with people.

[Darth Reardon]

From what I’ve read, lemongrass can just barely handle short, lightly freezing temps. I protect mine by living in FL. I suppose if I lived somewhere more borderline, I’d grow some in a pot that could be brought “indoors” during cold snaps and used to replant if the main crop died off over the winter, after moving south.

[rightly_dividing]

I would guess that the JW’s carried some pepper spray or some such spray.

[Darth Reardon]

Greetings from Tampa, where fall has officially arrived. Temps in the bay dropped about 10 degrees over the past two weeks. Took the dogs out to play fetch earlier this afternoon, even with the wet suit I didn't last much more than an hour. Of course, cool temps also mean the beginning of my favorite growing season.

Here is some ginger planted earlier this summer. What doesn't show up in the picture is I planted a couple starts and now there's probably a dozen stalks. To the right is probably some cauliflower. I labelled that section as celery, but I don't think that's what I planted.

Basil has all gone to bloom, but the bees like it.

A few of the sweet potatoes I found by digging a little deeper. Note that I did not stage this photo, the sweet potatoes are laying where I set them down on the patio table. I then started looking around for nearby objects I could add to the picture to give an idea of size. Eventually I realized it probably wasn't necessary. it's a good thing I can laugh at myself.

[bgill]

I don’t know but hubby was really angry with them. I can’t understand why they’d do something since the cat won’t even let me pet him. He’ll come when I call and he’ll talk to me. He’ll let me stand about 8 feet from him when he’s eating but is very wary.

[trisham]

The most delicious and most memorable appetizer I’ve ever had was quail. I’d never had it before, and what a surprise!

[Silentgypsy]

Wow! You have led an interesting life!

Maybe "stone tablets" translates into "cement documents"?

[trisham]

We are also placed in zone 6, but have had quite a few zone 6 tolerant plants die during winter. It’s frustrating, but I usually try to buy plants that are good down to zone 3 or 4 just to be safe. Sometimes I make an exception, and then have to move a plant to a more sheltered spot if it does poorly.

[Nepeta]

I trust that you now see the wisdom in my statement "A cache of open-pollinated seeds and no skills is a way to starve to death with hope".

It takes skill, and acquiring that skill requires attention to many details. There are people who really believe that all they have to do is tear open the seed packages and spread them on the ground...water will come out of the sky...in 2-3 months you come back and eat.

[Nepeta]

Every year I try to coax my rosemary through the winter inside, but it always croaks. Keeping one alive is apparently tricky, and I have not learned the tricks. I am intrigued by a reported hardier rosemary that might come through a Z6 winter with protection.