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WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD, VOLUME 2 JANUARY 10, 2014
Free Republic | Jan 10, 2014 | greeneyes

Posted on 01/10/2014 12:20:06 PM PST 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!

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.


TOPICS: Gardening
KEYWORDS: agriculture; food; gardening; hobby
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To: JRandomFreeper

I’m still using a Bag Phone!!!


241 posted on 01/14/2014 9:06:19 PM PST by tubebender (Evening news is where they begin with "Good Evening," and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.)
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To: Marcella; greeneyes
This may be the wrong garden group to float that idea with. ;)

/johnny

242 posted on 01/14/2014 9:10:15 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: greeneyes

Got a cold/virus that I am battling and the weather is just awesome here on the upper California coast but we have only has 30% of our normal rainfall since July 1st. We did get out yesterday and cleanup some of our perennials and Lady Bender did a little today but I slept until 9am.


243 posted on 01/14/2014 9:14:45 PM PST by tubebender (Evening news is where they begin with "Good Evening," and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.)
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To: JRandomFreeper

LOL. You could be right.


244 posted on 01/14/2014 9:47:52 PM PST by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: tubebender
Sorry about your cold. I was watching Dr. Oz today, and he had Dr. Low Dog on. She is not only a Medical Doctor, but an outstanding herbalist. And she was talking about colds.

Something called Unka Biloba (not sure of spelling) for colds.

Thyme Tea with lemon and honey for cough - honey is a top cough suppressant.

Sage Tea to gargle for sore throat

Steep the leaves for 10 minutes, strain and add 1/4 tsp salt. Gargle several times daily. This has tested in lab to be as good as lidocaine.

Marcella, I thought you might be interested in this too.

Here’s a link for more info on Dr. Low Dog. I attended a seminar on health where she was a featured speaker, sponsored by a hospital in St. Louis.

http://www.drlowdog.com/about.html

245 posted on 01/14/2014 9:58:00 PM PST by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: tubebender

Sorry to hear about your illness. Take care of yourself, the gardening can wait a few days.


246 posted on 01/14/2014 10:32:52 PM PST by rightly_dividing (1st Cor. 15: 1-4)
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To: greeneyes

We had nice weather today and the forecast is lots of sun, 60 -70’s for the next 10 days, with 30’s at night. That’s just the way we like it here.


247 posted on 01/14/2014 10:40:05 PM PST by rightly_dividing (1st Cor. 15: 1-4)
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To: tubebender
Prayers up. The crud is going around here, I've had it for a week.

/johnny

248 posted on 01/14/2014 11:07:35 PM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: greeneyes

Never grown sweet potatoes before. I need suggestions/advice. I have a couple of vines growing inside right now that are doing well.

/johnny


249 posted on 01/15/2014 10:10:20 AM PST by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: greeneyes

I use clear paper cups with vent holes on the top and a few around the sides.


250 posted on 01/15/2014 12:34:05 PM PST by tillacum
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To: Marcella

The seeds are easy to grow, it’s keeping them alive after they are grown. I have a terrible time with basil.


251 posted on 01/15/2014 12:36:01 PM PST by tillacum
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To: JRandomFreeper

You are ahead of me. I have never grown them before. Here’s a link to get started. Seems pretty straight forward.

http://stephaniesuesansmith.com/growing-sweet-potatoes/


252 posted on 01/15/2014 1:02:33 PM PST by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: rightly_dividing

We are at 36F right now, and the sun is shining, so it feels like spring indoors.LOL

We are supposed to get some rain, but no snow in the forcast for a while.


253 posted on 01/15/2014 1:04:30 PM PST by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: tillacum

That works too. Sometimes I use the cake/cookie containers from walmart. Set the dixie cups inside with the seeds planted, and damp soil, then cover with the clear plastic dome, and put a toothpick under the lid to allow a little air.

This works like a little terrarium, water condenses on the dome and drops back down to the cups.


254 posted on 01/15/2014 1:07:29 PM PST by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes; JRandomFreeper
Back in the early fall at some time, maybe I did that in August? (that was before I started writing down when I did something) I put three sweet potato slips I got from Burpee (I think it was them) in a 10 gal. grow bag. The vines/leaves are now dead which means I can dig them up. I haven't dug them up yet. After the engineer leaves here Friday morning, I'll go out there based on the outside temp. (not going if it's cold), and dig them up. Don't know if they will be tiny or medium size or what. I grew them in fresh potting soil mix and added nothing. They may have needed a larger bag or barrel/whatever.

I know this about sweet potatoes: they furnish more nutrition of the right kind than any other food. I researched that years ago when I was searching for the best canned foods to store based on nutrition. Even the canned ones are loaded with what one needs.

When I buy fresh ones, I bake them like regular potatoes - don't boil them and mash them, don't want to interfere with the nutrition they have inside. If you look at a can you will see what the canned ones provide. They are much better nutrition than a regular potato. That is because they are orange. Normally, darker colored foods have more nutrition than light colored foods. This goes for fruit, too - the darker the better. “Black”berries have more antioxidant than lighter colored fruit. Cherries also have more antioxidant than lighter colored fruits. I knew all this before I started trying to grow food plants. This is why I got the blackberries than another berry.

255 posted on 01/15/2014 1:48:42 PM PST by Marcella ((Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.))
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To: greeneyes
“Sometimes I use the cake/cookie containers...”

I have one cake one with a lemon cake in it right now and I will use that one. I keep the ones cookies come in and use those for trays. Those were the ones stacked in a corner of the kitchen counter that engineer asked about, why I had them. He finds a lot of things around here that he can't figure out. He made a joke about canning the amount of strawberries I may have and the blackberries, and I said, “I'm gong to can and the canner is stored under that table.” He was taken aback that I was actually going to can.

While he's been staying here, he would come up with questions such as, “What will you do in the middle of the night if the power goes off and it is cold?” Yesterday, we were in the kitchen and he said, “How are you going to cook if the power is off?” I said, “Well, I have seven ways to cook.” I started listing them off. As an added dig, I said, “I figure you and partner will show up on my doorstep and I have enough potty wipes for both of you for a year.” I told him some people think I'm an expert at prepping and he, too, would figure that out one of these days.

There is an old saying that says one is not an expert in his/her home town, that one has to go somewhere else to be considered an expert. That is very true with family.

256 posted on 01/15/2014 2:07:25 PM PST by Marcella ((Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.))
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To: greeneyes; JRandomFreeper; rightly_dividing; sockmonkey; All

As of today, all peppers but one have come up and I think I see a tiny bit of green in the one that is not up.


257 posted on 01/15/2014 2:13:39 PM PST by Marcella ((Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.))
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To: greeneyes
Something called Unka Biloba (not sure of spelling) for colds.

Ginkgo Biloba
Just google it. There are a ton of medical web pages with information on it's usefulness.

258 posted on 01/15/2014 4:53:11 PM PST by Sarajevo (Give a man a gun and he can rob a bank, give a man a bank and he can rob the world)
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To: greeneyes

Thank you!
I will check it out


259 posted on 01/15/2014 7:18:42 PM PST by SisterK (behold a pale horse)
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To: greeneyes; JRandomFreeper

It has been years since I have grown sweet potatoes - but to the best of my recollection:
you can get several slips from one plant (slip is leaf and stem)
we used to “bed” a few sweet potatoes to make a lot of slips, however using a plant that you rooted in water should work
you just need one leaf sticking out of the ground and rapidly the plants will grow, filling in the area
you cannot really plow sweet potatoes because they grow very very horizontal (even moreso than peanuts) - whole other animal than irish potato -
generally the sweet potato tubers do not make deep in the ground but are rather shallow
I have never container grown sweet potatoes, my only experience is field grown


260 posted on 01/15/2014 7:37:28 PM PST by SisterK (behold a pale horse)
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