WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 11, MARCH 13, 2015

freerepublic | 3/13/2015 | 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. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - 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.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Not sure. Before you buy any pet food read the label. I have seen China as well as Mexico on pet food labels.

Someone once told me, in jest, to always buy dog supplies from Texas because they treat their dogs better than their kids.

[matthew fuller]

There seems to be some neutral, intelligent information here-

http://www.havahartwireless.com/resources/choose-the-best-dog-food

[EQAndyBuzz]

That is great. Thank you.

This will be my dogs last 40 pound bag of Appetito Blue. Corn first then meat and bone meal. Followed by all those letters and chemicals. The salmon oil helps, but it also has DHA in it.

I honestly thought i was feeding him correctly. Going to get him something towards the natural side but adding the precooked frozen chicken breasts to the food. I am going to talk to his vet this week.

For a garden thread, this was the best education I received.

Again, thank you.

[matthew fuller]

"but it also has DHA in it."

That DHA is good, I take it in fish oil. I think that there is a harmful DHA also. But what you're talking about is this one- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Docosahexaenoic acid - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Docosahexaenoic_acid - Proxy - Highlight Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega-3 fatty acid that is a primary structural component of the human brain, cerebral cortex, skin, sperm, testicles and retina.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

It's a beneficial essential fatty acid.

[Marcella]

“I’m too techno challenged to have a “smart” phone.”

When I came to live with Bob, he immediately took me to his phone company and did a family plan to put my phone on his account. I had to get a new phone for that, and have a Galaxy 4 phone. It does everything except make dinner. It was so “touchy”, would go to “x” at the slightest touch. Just picking it up would put slight pressure on it and it would go to whatever program. I had to get a cover for it to stop it doing that.

I hated this phone until I got that cover last week. The cover stopped it doing that. It also gets my email. No, I don't know how to use all the stuff on this phone. I can get calls and make calls, and that is really all that matters to me.

At the same time we got the phone, he got me a “pad”. It's a Galaxy 3. This is for internet and other stuff which I don't know how to do. When we travel, I can use the pad internet to find hotels where we are going and I can read FR or find anything I need on it's internet. I'm still screwing up trying to get out of a website. I was ready to stomp it yesterday.

I suppose it would help if I read the book instructions that came with it. :o)

[Marcella]

“You can ask Marcella. She's seen some of my art.”

Since Johnny brought up his art, I’ll tell all of you the truth about Johnny’s art work. There is an almost life size (maybe it IS life size) painting of a nude lady from her backside. It is absolutely beautiful. It’s soft, pale, graceful. The most beautiful nude painting I have ever seen. I wish you could see it.

Then, there is a painting of a brain with a large screw on the side, diagonally, going completely through the brain. Now, that creates some thinking – what message was/is he sending? :o)

He wanted a special box of Henna painting supplies. We got that for him, took it there last weekend, and a book for Henna painting, which hasn’t come yet. What is Henna you say? I didn’t know, either. It’s for drawing patterns on a body. Now, he lives by himself, so whose body is he going to paint? I told him I think he’s going to paint patterns on himself, go to radiation and they are going to remove his shirt. and find a painted body and they will jump back in surprise. :o) He could also paint patterns on his hands and arms. Are you ready for that? If he paints himself, we need a picture of that on here.

There are other paintings he did and is doing. He truly is a fine artist. The hospital wanted him to stay in a dorm at the hospital for these weeks of radiation (each radiation is 15 minutes). He refused being stuck at the hospital doing nothing, and is traveling back and forth each day so he can continue to do his art. You know Johnny, hard headed and going to do his own thing.

I ask you to pray for Johnny every day, for him to complete radiation and stay with us for a long time.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

greeneyes:" I thought I was being smart by copying such info onto my word processing program and saving it.
Lost a lot of info when the computer died, as I hadn’t backed it up for a while."

Another option is to use a 'Free Email' account to retain electronic information which I find online .
Free Email accounts are available through HotMail.com, Hotsheet.com, Gmail.com , etc.
They remain active for free , rules may vary, however they may require you to revisit your email account monthly .
On the downside, they are available only as long as the internet is working .

[JRandomFreeper]

Got some color out there, spring comes.

/johnny

[painter]

That would fit over my 8x8 raised bed.

[MomwithHope]

I am praying for Johnny every day. Johnny maybe you could post a picture of your paintings, not the one with the screw in the brain, the other one :)
I do know a bit about henna painting. My niece married a non-practicing muslim (cue my deceased mom rolling over in her grave). She did the muslim wedding and had her hands henna painted with designs. I used to do a lot of photo restoration professionally and then oil color the photos with translucent oil paints. That's the extent of my painting. I did really enjoy taking a battered up b&w picture, doing a 8X10 negative. making a sepia toned print and then oil coloring the portrait. Now it's a quick and easy process with photoshop. Johnny I hope you feel well enough do get out in the garden this year. Marcella it's good to know you are keeping in touch.

[JRandomFreeper]

The brainscrew picture is a rework of a picture over a decade old, so don't read anything into it. I'm reworking some stuff that got destroyed with the last marriage. ;)

Lot of stuff I paint doesn't work well as images or copies. Some art is like that. It will be a while before I try to copy anything. I'm still fighting with one of these airbrushes. Grrrr. Antiques..

/johnny

[TEXOKIE]

“I ask you to pray for Johnny every day, for him to complete radiation and stay with us for a long time.”

Thanks for letting us know about Johnny’s art work, Marcella. Prayer are already up this day on his behalf and all who may be in a similar situation of need.

Thanks for fighting this thing hard, Johnny!

[MomwithHope]

Makes me wonder what other talents you have that we are just finding about now. :)

[tubebender]

Beautiful JRF

[JRandomFreeper]

You can squeeze in a lot of life in where there is no TV. I've never had a TV when I'm single. TV always goes with the ex. ;)

/johnny

[MomwithHope]

I know what you mean. We have one, it is downstairs in a family room. Never on during the day. I can’t sit down and watch anything without doing something else, usually crochet, knit or quilt. It seems a waste of time otherwise.

[ApplegateRanch]

Beautiful weather here. MOST of the snow & resulting mud are gone, though the garden is still pretty much saturated. It is also a veritable warren of vole holes & runs.

We bought 2 each gooseberries & Logan berries, which got put into large pots this week, until they can be planted out. The Logans look good, but the gooseberries didn’t appreciate the wind; they now have windbreaks around them.

Bunnies are now looking like small rabbits, and can get in & out of the nest on their own.

If not this week, maybe next, I can get the cover onto the greenhouse, and start putting shelves, etc. into it.

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

ApplegateRanch:" We bought 2 each gooseberries & Logan berries, which got put into large pots this week, until they can be planted out."

As I recall , gooseberries have been quarentined here in the Eastern States, due to disease, since they are an alternative host to "white pine blister"
I am pulling this out of my memory from MG training from about 30 years ago, so I did some brief research.
. Hopefully you dont have any white pine in the vicinity of your home/ garden.
Gooseberries are an alternative host of White pine blister disease.
For further information :White pine blister rust
www.http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/Basidiomycetes/Pages/WhitePine.aspx

" Another epidemiological factor is the relative susceptibility of the different pine species and of different age classes of the same species.
Of the three commercial species, sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) is the most susceptible, western white pine (P. monticola) intermediate, and eastern white pine (P. strobus) least susceptible.
Of all the white pines, whitebark pine (P. albicaulis) is most susceptible."
The above article mentions the quarentine in the Easern States , but was found in the wild in the West. The CCC was used to eliminate the ribes or gooseberries .
If infected, the white pine blister will girdle branches, thus killing it, and eventually girdle the tree trunk killing the tree.
You might be wise to familiarize yourself with trees in the neighborhood, as they could get infected by ribes or gooseberries if they are white pines .

[Tilted Irish Kilt]

ApplegateRanch: "..Logan berries, which got put into large pots this week, until they can be planted out."

Loganberries are an old timey cane berry, which I am sure that you will enjoy, are relatively disease free, especially if you like tart berries.
They are high in anti-oxidents, and have been shown to fight heart disease and certain cancers .
Just watch out for prickers, and be willing to fight off the birds with protective netting .
Just earlier today , I made Canadian French Toast and had Loganberry syrup rather than the conventional Maple syrup.
You might like to look at Garden Guide on Loganberry for care, diseases, good propagation tips, and the health benefits :
www.http://www.backyardgardener.com/plants/gloganberry.html

[ApplegateRanch]

Thanks for the link. Had to tweak it a bit, because the redirect didn’t redirect from the FR server; but I got there: http://www.backyardgardener.com/plants/gloganberry.html

My grandfather grew Loganberries, as well as strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and boysenberries; and kept bees, as well as had a huge garden.

Even though he was more interested in treating me as another garden pest than in teaching me, I still always wanted to have a place like his. Haven’t made it yet, but keep plugging away at it.