Posted on 05/13/2016 3:14:54 PM PDT by greeneyes
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#1)or use a tweezer instead of toothpick
#2) TO make seed tape on the cheap , instead of using glue to purchase , consider using an "egg wash" used in baking.
Most folks have eggs readily available - and the egg is pure protein .
txhurl :" Lay the seed tape in it. Spread the soil back on top of your seed tape, and sprinkle-water to saturate down to 4” of soil. Keep it moist ..."
#3) Yes , cover it all up , or the paper will act as a wick to dry out any seedling roots.
Have no part of the tape aboove soil level.
Our test must’ve missed what’s happening to the cukes.
We’ll look again. It’s not too late.
Try taking a tissue sample to your county ag agent along with pictures of the whole plants.Could be one of the fungus rots that afflict cukes.
You are welcome. Let us know what the vet says about the Epsom salts.
An eggwash would give the seeds some dynamo fertilization. But we have to make sure the tape isn’t saturated so it tears apart before you can transport it to the garden.
I wonder would dried eggs sifted onto the tape make the perfect fertilizer? And maybe the inoculant they put on peas and bean seeds? The stuff that prevents damping-off.
We had hail this week too. Wasn’t too big, so didn’t do much damage.
I can see a bunch of those floating on my pond, LOL!
Sorry to hear about the temperatures and loss of the duck. The only time I ventured out on Friday the 13th, I had a wreck-someone plowed into my front fender.
Therefore, I stay home on those dates, and knock on wood that nothing untoward happens at home.
No hot water to the house? We did without hot water for 6 months once, in our early years - no money to fix the water heater. We heated water on the stove. Used a plant sprinkler can for a shower, and dishpans for washing dishes.
Used a 5 gallon bucket for the laundry, and rinsed them in the sink or tub depending on how big the item was. I spent a lot of time with my grandparents as a child, and they had no running water, so I didn’t think feel too deprived.
Weather warmed up enough in Delaware to finally start planting. So far, green beans, cucumbers, pickle and tomatoes are in the ground. The second garden bed is cleared but waiting for mushroom soil.
Transplanted fig, “Japanese plum”, olive and lemon trees into bigger pots. Seems like squirrels like Myers lemon tree and olive, but not fig. Trying cayenne pepper to keep the rascals away. Will see.
ok, will do.
When I saw that, - I was googling duckhouses since an injured Mallard hen (think a predator broke her hip, she couldn’t walk, dive or paddle in a straight line) had landed in my pond and trained me to feed her at dawn everyday for a month - I was ready to take up basketweaving or spend a couple thousand bucks on a few of those wicker houses, whichever came first.
She has since seduced three males down in the last month, the drake currently with her seems to be the guy. Not as flashy as the first two - and he looks kinda off like maybe he also has run into bad luck - but completely protective and doesn’t prompt her to the next pond about a half-mile away like the other drakes did.
The other two drakes didn’t like her coming up to be hand-fed cracked corn and a little bread, but this little guy dives right in with her. It’s amazing, watching God direct his creatures that need some help.
I did an experiment one year with mushroom compost. I planted lettuce in a bag of mushroom compost, top soil, and a combo of the two.
The mushroom compost won hands down. I couldn’t find any the next year in our local stores. Did a search on line and ran across an article stating that mushroom compost was the most pesticide & chemical laden compost around, and advising not to use it. So I didn’t pursue it much more after that.
I still haven’t found the exact pot I want to transplant my lemon tree-I know it’s pretty root-bound by now. My dog used to be the main squirrel deterrent for my garden beds, as they are next to the patio, and she would go wild with barking at them, so they skittered off.
The only year they actually did anything much to my plants was the year that we had the drought. Anything with juice - like green tomatoes, was nabbed to satisfy their thirst, I imagine. Hubby has a bit more trouble with them, as his beds are much further from the house.
I cannot imagine a world where deer are not a gardeners biggest nightmare! I simply cannot.
My new weird thing this year is that I decided to scald the crap out of dandelions. Just cause they piss me off so much. So one day I took a teakettle of boiling water out to the garden and proceeded to pour. An inch or two from the ground, right in the middle of the dandelion.
A few days later those were shriveled and dried up so that I could hardly find them at all. I waited 2 weeks and no new growth. Nothing. HA!
Now I go out every day with 2 or 3 kettles and treat the weeds. I get satisfaction and zero chems in my garden. It is probably the stupidest way to kill weeds - but it is nearly free, organic, and very precise.
that’s wonderful that you got trained so well ;)
she’s a lucky girl.
is she going to be permanently crippled?
I’m wondering about getting ducks.... will they fly off when it’s migration time? I don’t want to clip their wings. and will they leave their eggs in nesting boxes for me to collect or will they be more protective than chickens?
as you can tell, I know nothing about ducks. I didn’t even know the males were called drakes!
We’ve been there before, too. Also spent a couple of weeks melting snow for household use.
LOL. I think boiling water is a terrific way to get rid of weeds. Like many things, a step at a time eventually accomplishes the task.
I am glad that I don’t have to deal with deer. It may have something to do with dogs roaming the neighborhood - not sure.
We live just one street outside the city limits of a very small rural town, so I am a bit surprised we don’t have a problem. We have lived in this house since 1976, and never even seen one around. I feel lucky.
Chinese markets have great vegetables! I’ve seen Daikon that are almost 2 feet long! But I hope to grow my own this year, Anyone who likes radishes will love Daikons! I used to buy Thai peppers all the time. One year I planted the loose seed from the bag. Awesome!
The peppers I eat, tend to be sweet bell peppers or Jalapeno.
“”The peppers I eat, tend to be sweet bell peppers or Jalapeno.
“
I like to take Thai peppers and fry the in oil until they turn black. Take them out of the oil, let them cool off, and crumble them. Then add the to strir fries. Wonderful smokey flavor. Don’t breath the smoke when they;re frying though! You’ll choke!
I’ll just bet you would choke-hot smoke to burn the lungs.
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