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WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD JUNE 3, 2016
freerepublic | June 3, 2013 | greeneyes

Posted on 06/03/2016 3:05:01 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.


TOPICS: Gardening
KEYWORDS: agriculture; food; gardening; hobby; hugelculture; permaculture; revolution; sustainable
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To: txhurl

Oh good, I do love growing basil. I’ll plant some when I put in the tomatoes

Is there anything that gets rid of those really ugly thick worms that show up at the end of the growing season?


41 posted on 06/03/2016 8:05:06 PM PDT by CottonBall
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To: greeneyes; txhurl
Weekly tomato update from Benderville…

IMG_6766

We have been eating a few Blueberries the past couple of days…

IMG_6765

Also transplanted two hills of Diva salad cucumbers yesterday

IMG_6753 The Benders large and small are Lutherans and we agree with this…

13076926_10153781808128999_1286039379800985457_n

42 posted on 06/03/2016 8:50:28 PM PDT by tubebender (en)
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To: ApplegateRanch

That’s a good bit of stuff planted this week. Have a good weekend.


43 posted on 06/03/2016 9:38:46 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Le//t Freedom Ring.)
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To: heartwood

Oh my! Never knew that about the creeper. I get itchy around many plants, so I always wear gloves and usually long sleeve, light weight shirt for times when my arms might get exposed.

Now and then I go ahead and work on a tomato plant. Have to wash up, still itchy so splash some alcohol on my arms, and it stops.

I used to get poison ivy very easy, but just don’t go where it might grow now. Granny used to have me lather up with lye soap and leave it just a bit before rinsing. Then we had a thick calamine smelling cream that dried it up pretty good and cooled the itch.


44 posted on 06/03/2016 9:44:43 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Le//t Freedom Ring.)
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To: tubebender

Nice looking berries. Hubby has been very disappointed so far in his efforts. Hard to keep the soil acidic enough he thinks. He dug up a bunch of lilies and iris that I had planted along the upper back patio to use that bed for blueberries back in 2010.

He made amendments to soil, tested it. Berries just have not done much. Used another section of our first garden patch. It has not done well either. Lately he has decided to plant honey berries.

Thanks for the pics.


45 posted on 06/03/2016 9:48:34 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Le//t Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes

Thanks; you, too.

The tilling was already done, so it was just sticking seeds in the ground. Water’s the hard part, but today I reconnected the irritation pump to the garden storage tank. Tomorrow, I’ll bring home 420 gallons for it, after work; the water station is on the way: $0.25/60 gallons.


46 posted on 06/03/2016 9:56:58 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Love me, love my guns!�)
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To: ApplegateRanch

Yikes. How do you haul that much water? People in our subdivision which has no city utilities get the concrete trucks to haul water for their swimming pools.


47 posted on 06/03/2016 11:57:48 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Le//t Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes

Hi All! We came back from the trailer, stopping on the way to pickup Miss Mandy Stardust, our new Border Collie puppy. The house is now turned upside-down.

Haven’t checked the bees, yet, but willl be getting the first honey super frames waxed and ready for installation. I picked up two queen excluders to place between the top brooder box and the first honey super to keep the queen from getting up into it and laying eggs.

I am hoping that today, I will finally get my garden area ready to plant. The plants that Barb put in her raised beds really are growing.


48 posted on 06/04/2016 3:15:15 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (Remember...after the primaries, we better still be on the same team!)
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To: Ellendra

Thanks for the tip about rye grass.


49 posted on 06/04/2016 3:19:45 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (Remember...after the primaries, we better still be on the same team!)
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To: greeneyes

[LOL. Now that’s one solution to maintenance.]

Our children are all grown and the grandchildren only come to visit a couple of times a year due to the distance.

So, we converted the wooden play set into a garden center to. I have a couple of grape vines growing up the section that was once used for climbing. The pegs on the ladder that went across the unit are home to 8 having plant pots with green beans coming out the holes on the side and lettuce growing on the top.

I’m getting ready to plant strawberries in an old bed frame, which will make an excellent raised bed.

It’s been a lot of fun coming up with unique ways to garden.


50 posted on 06/04/2016 4:34:06 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12)
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To: greeneyes

CANNING QUESTION.

Here it is planting season, and I’m already thinking about the harvest. LOL.

I have a flattop cooking surface on my stove, which is not recommended for canning.

Does the The CANner 9.5 Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker safely can vegetables and meat? Or, it is recommended only for water bath canning?

Ball FreshTECH Automatic Home Canning System is only meant for water boiling procedures and apparently has only a limited number of recipes.


51 posted on 06/04/2016 4:43:09 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12)
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To: tubebender
That's a lot of tomatoes - how do you put them up?
(Whole? Sauce? diced?)
52 posted on 06/04/2016 6:17:48 AM PDT by Psalm 73 ("Gentlemen, you can't fight in here - this is the War Room".)
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To: Psalm 73

Tomatoes = We eat them fresh, give some to family and some go to Church sliced up or in salads. Harvested about 400 off of 8 plants last year


53 posted on 06/04/2016 7:31:58 AM PDT by tubebender (en)
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To: stars & stripes forever

If it’s a pressure canner absolutely you can process meat and low acid veggies. I did it for 20+ years. had one of those 2 story tall ones. the pressure canner should have a booklet, if you don’t have one look online for a booklet should give you the pounds of pressure and time.
Water bath canners only good for high acid, tomatoes, fruit, etc.


54 posted on 06/04/2016 7:54:51 AM PDT by MomwithHope (Missing you /johnny (JRandomFreeper).)
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To: greeneyes

F350, and a 450 gallon poly tank. Nearly all of the ranchers also use them to haul water for their cattle. Other people have smaller tanks in smaller pickups or on trailers.

The local markets also have R/O water dispensers to fill jugs for drinking water: $.50/gal. We have 4 250-gallon tanks in the basement for household use, and 2 5-gallon dispenser jugs for drinking & cooking. Culligan also does a brisk business.

There’s also a couple of companies that use 5 or 10 ton trucks, with 2 12-1500 gallon tanks to fill people’s home cisterns...but at $80/1,000 gallons (or part thereof), it only appeals to a certain clientele.


55 posted on 06/04/2016 8:10:30 AM PDT by ApplegateRanch (Love me, love my guns!�)
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To: stars & stripes forever

I’m not familiar with the CANner brand, but as for the stovetop, you can get a stand-alone electric burner for around $10 that works well. If you’re using a large, heavy canner, you may want to put some bricks alongside it to take some of the weight and keep it balanced.

I water-bath on a flat-topped stove all the time. It’s just the pressure canners that I’d be leery of using on one.


56 posted on 06/04/2016 8:59:58 AM PDT by Ellendra (Those who kill without reason cannot be reasoned with.)
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To: Ellendra

It is actually a Chard 9.5 quart Smart Pressure Canner and Cooker.

Thanks for the suggestion of getting a stand-along burner. The old fashioned pressure canner looks like the way to go.


57 posted on 06/04/2016 9:03:18 AM PDT by stars & stripes forever (Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Psalm 33:12)
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To: stars & stripes forever

Not sure about your specific canners. Refer to your manual.

However, I can tell you that a regular water bath canner is only good for acidic stuff. I can tomatoes, and add a bit of lemon juice, just because some tomatoes are not as acidic as needed.

Anything else needs to be canned under pressure. The amount of pressure and time needed varies depending on product and size. I think there are some canners that can be plugged in and heat is raised to the appropriate temperature and pressure.

You might be able to purchase a counter top burner or hot plate that would work on a regular pressure canner.

My canner came from Walmart for 100 bucks, but I just have a regular electric range - not a smooth top.


58 posted on 06/04/2016 9:41:36 AM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Le//t Freedom Ring.)
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To: Redleg Duke

Give the puppy a pat on the head for me. We are now dogless. Probably stay that way a while. Hubby doesn’t like them around, and they tie me down, and I may need to take some extended trips this summer and next.

I don’t miss early morning potty time though!


59 posted on 06/04/2016 9:45:54 AM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Le//t Freedom Ring.)
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To: stars & stripes forever

Our back yard used to be one big croquet area. Haven’t had to have much imagination. I think you garden probably looks more interesting.


60 posted on 06/04/2016 9:47:34 AM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Le//t Freedom Ring.)
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