Posted on 05/13/2016 3:14:54 PM PDT 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. 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.
Thanks, greeneyes!
Have you considered the brassica (wild mustards) family for summer shady areas (ie. cabbage , brussle sprouts, kohrabbi, califlower. broccoli,etc.) ?
Or is that shady area under the walnut trees ?
Amazon has 100ft of pre-glued seed tape for 3.00, insert your own seeds. I’m compiling lists of companion tapes to make: basil, marigold for tomatoes, onion, carrots, parsnip for peppers, on and on, the tiny seeds you need to plant by your transplants, that the rain washes 5ft away if you direct-seed with no seed-tape anchor.
Did you make your own beet seed-tape?
I’m not great at the whole sprouting seeds thing myself. If they sprout, I usually don’t get them out timely enough either. I have learned that I prefer to garden when the weather is warmer, and most of our Spring is so wet and cool, that I always find an excuse to avoid it.
For some reason, I can always get the potatoes planted in the Spring, and the garlic planted in the fall. Everything else is happenstance. LOL
We don’t have deer to contend with. We do have squirrels, rabbits, opossums, and coons. We used to trap them and haul them off, but they seem to have wised up, so Hubby is shooting them with an air rifle, and he bought a sling shot at a yard sale the other day too.
It is under a walnut tree. Brassicas are my least favorite veggies, so I have trouble working up the energy to deal with them. LOL
You are welcome trisham.
I never knew what seed tape was so I looked it up....great idea....
We opened our trailer this week. Before we left, I added a second brooder box to each of our bee hives. Both colonies are busily drawing out combs and there is evidence of empty brooder cells, indicating new bees.
Our bog filter seems to be working, as the duck pond water appears to be clearing.
We have a single, young female wild turkey hanging around our fowl pen.
All of our raised beds are ready and the drip system is operational. Next week, I will prepare the soil in my part of thegarden, plant asparagus and ruhbarb and the rest of my crops.
I retired from Jung’s this past winter. I will always be a fan, though!
You can make your own, but they have a great selection of seed tapes.
aaaaauuuuuggggghhhhh, I have potato beetles - hundreds of them!
just when the potato plants were looking so good, too.
I would do seed tapes of seeds that are a PITA to plant and thin. With the tapes you can get the spacing down right in the first place. People like that!
Radishes
Carrots
Lettuces
Spinach
Bunching/Spring onions
Beets
Chard
Make your own! My companion plant seeds got washed off by rain and sprouted near plants that are NOT companions. I’ve got chives by my pole beans (biggest No-No), basil off by the spinach, 4-ft African Marigolds washed away from the tomatoes and busting up through the squash. Lord knows what chemical warfare is going on under the soil now.
I was reading that Duck’s, unlike chickens, will continue to lay eggs in the winter, and also that they are better able to survive colder weather.
I have never eaten a duck egg. Hubby and I have been discussing the pros and cons of raising ducks, chickens, or rabbits. We are favoring the ducks or chickens for the eggs, and manure.
I’m not sure that we could figure out a place for a duck pond though. We only have one acre, and what with all the garden additions over the last 5 years, there’s not much space left.
And don’t forget microscopic herb seeds. Strawberry seeds, too. I was thinking, since no vegetable is chemically offended by strawberries, to make them garden ground cover for moisture retention. They aren’t a thirsty plant... but they are hell on wheels to seed. Gonna tape ‘em up!
And don’t forget microscopic herb seeds. Strawberry seeds, too. I was thinking, since no vegetable is chemically offended by strawberries, to make them garden ground cover for moisture retention. They aren’t a thirsty plant... but they are hell on wheels to seed. Gonna tape ‘em up!
Good idea. But, IMHO, nothing is a bigger PITA to maintain than a strawberry patch. I leave that to the locals and I’ll spend the afternoon picking my own, Thank You! :)
Does anyone here on our thread have a solution for carpenter ants?
The exterminator wants thousands of dollars.
There has got to be a better DIY way to do this.
Yikes. Ladybugs and nematodes are advised to prevent them, but now that you have them-the only thing I know of is Spinosad based bioinsecticide.
It is not supposed to significantly harm beneficial insects.
However, this would be a real bummer for me. I like to eat potato skins, and will only do that with my potatoes, because I have never had to use any sort of additive on them. “knock on wood”.
Suspend SC. Look it up. It has microlyzed bug food that even if they won’t eat it, it sticks to their feet and when they groom themselves later using their pincer mouths, ingest it and die anyway. However, you may want to send the Misses off for a few days as it kills *everything*, things you didn’t even know you had, and they all choose to crawl out and die in the middle of all your floors the next AM. Not just safe, but *recommended* for countertops and food-prep areas.
Here’s a link. I have no personal experience with these. When I have an indoor pest, I spray it with my homemade garlic/hot pepper spray, and they die in about 30 seconds.
http://pestkill.org/ants/carpenter/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.