Posted on 04/13/2018 8:31:30 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
BTW; the hoops are 1/2 inch PVC. These slide into buried 1 inch PVC “receiver” pieces in the soil.
If the raised garden is wide, they won’t break, just bend into a hoop.
The brand name on the clips is “ToolShop.”
Pretty! You have such a nice set-up; I know how long you’ve worked at it, too! :)
Good to know, and i have some coming up myself. Thank God.
And some brands are better than others, but I do not think Dr. Earth is worth the price.
cows? I love cows. And didn’t know it. We are surrounded by them pretty much, our neighbor is raising black Angus. They look so cute in the winter when they get furry.
I used to work at a dairy farm and retailer, with about 350 head of Holsteins. But in cities like this even rabbits are 
Yes, we definitely are blessed here. Sadly most people don’t even recognize it. I’ve been having vision problems so I’ve been looking at various groups on the Internet to get information. It is amazing how many people feel blessed with their “free” healthcare in socialist countries. Well they live in tiny apartments, work at dead-end jobs, and only dream of having enough land to have a garden. They don’t recognize that they have sold their freedom for pretend security.
Which is usually the choice. The devil fosters anarchy, then dictatorships with many of his proxy servants.
Here we are not expected to see the normal high till 4-22. Today the record low was our high! But we can appreciate the warm weather more as a result, than God. There are Christians in frigid No. Korea prisons because of their faith.
I have had good luck with growing cukes vertically the past few years. We have very little good soil in the sunny locations so have used large pots and tomato cages. Not so much luck doing squash that way so open to suggestions. I like plain old yellow squash best and that just hasnt been prolific in the pots. Zucchini does ok tho. Planning on giving it another shot this year in a different spot.
Finally got the wedding shower over with. It was a hit so daughter and granddaughter are happy. Got home about 4 hours ago, we got the great blue norther with lots of rain Friday so only had to water one flower pot that sits under an overhang. Tomorrow I can get back to spring planting!
About your shortage of plant pots, 9 years ago we moved to a location where all the good soil is shaded. Being in Texas we highly value our shade so not going to remove any trees. I switched to primarily growing food in containers despite having a couple acres. I found 2 sources for large used plastic pots. Ask at local nurseries for landscapers who may give you large pots after they’ve put in big trees or shrubs for clients. I painted the exterior of the pots with light color paint to keep them from overheating on hot days. Also some of them I bury in the rock/gravel that inhabits the sunny parts of our property. This not only keeps them cooler they don’t have to be watered as often.
My second large pot source is not as immediate a help but Dollar General eventually marks down their pots 90% off in the fall. So I get them for a dime on the dollar. I keep watch for that 90% off sale annually and replace some each year. These days there are so many Dollar Generals around that if the one near our house has sold out of large pots I just check different stores when I’m out and about on errands.
I know plastic isn’t the preferred pot material. I have a couple dozen clay pots, a few fiberglass pots and just try to place picky plants in better pots. Cukes, peppers and tomatoes have all done very well in the plastic.
FWIW Green and orange are my favorite colors! Orange flowers are the absolute BEST! Please post plenty of pics :)
That right there, now, that will preach!
Basil benefits tomatoes and peppers both! Not only do they taste great together, the basil helps prevent a long list of harmful pests attacking those nightshades. Some say the basil even makes the tomatoes and peppers tastier with the companion planting. I can't attest to that but I can say I grow basil generously around all my tomatoes and peppers. It's both cheaper and safer than chemical pesticides. I just sprinkle seeds on top of surrounding soil after transplanting the nightshades, lightly run my fingers around the soil, pat it all down then water.
That is great to know, thank you! I love growing basil. It smells so good and I like making pesto. I normally just plant it by itself, but this year I have a better plan now :-) thanks.
It sounds like you put the basil seeds right next to the tomato and pepper plants? How far away from them should they be?
We can’t grow the squash, watermelons etc. very well in soil. Bacteria or something vines just implode.
I usually give the tomato/pepper a 2-3” raduis free of basil but since i just swish fingers thru soil to cover the basil seed it sometimes sprouts right next to the main plant. I let those grow till they’re a hindrance and pull to use fresh for supper. I do go thru and harvest the basil when it starts to obstruct the tomatoes or peppers. I just prune back long basil branches, and either make pesto or hang them to dry for off season. I admit I end up with a LOT of basil each year but I seldom go a day without using it. IMHO - even if I didnt use all the basil it would be better and cheaper than pesticides. I also save seed each year and have lots of volunteer basil around the house thanks to my years of growing so much. I end up buying 2-3 new varieties each year to try just for enjoyment but even starting without saved seed you can buy quite a lot of seed for the price of one pesticide treatment.
I also discovered year before last that growing the “spicy globe” basil on our deck reduced our mosquito aggrevation. I used to put citronella out but it did nothing. They seem to avoid the spicy basil to some degree.
Thanks for the tips. I’m using plastic all over. Have about 9 or so. Plus 2 or 3 that previous plants came in (smaller ones).
Right now it’s just the squash I’m concerned about where to put. but they haven’t even germinated yet so I’ve got time.
I went looking for Sweet Million tomato seeds but I think the WM seeds I got are SM under another name. The pic looks pretty much the same.
Now, if I could just figure out where I found my grape tomato plant. Don’t know, maybe WM.
Found two Early Girl (I assume Bush Early Girl) plants at WM for less than $3 each. One appears to have 2 plants growing. They’re on the table - they get morning Sun through the sliding doors. Paid $12.95 last year for one plant in a pot - it was already bearing fruit. Previous year $12.50 or $12.95 for the same thing. So I have high hopes for these plants. Those 2 previous planters are out there and will be perfect as these mature. Probably at least a month or two before I put them outside.
Yes, baby lettuce. Tastes really good.
If I ever get planting! This is the slowest coming Spring in memory. Some parts of our state had 2 FEET of snow, yesterday!
Ice here, then some snow, and we’ve been running 20-30 degrees BELOW normal - we should be in the 50’s every day, now. Grrr!
SUPPOSEDLY, we’re warming up starting this week. We shall see.
I usually let my subconscious pick flowers every year, so I never really know what’s up until I start looking at my seed packet stash. ;)
Sounds good, I didn’t know how close the basil could get without interfering with the tomato and pepper root system. I do love the little small tender plants so pulling them up if they are too close sounds good to me!
This will give me a chance to experiment with other varieties. I’ve seen them of course but have never planted any.
I’m guessing that with all herbs they are non-hybrid? It seems that I can save seeds and the next generation looks the same.
lol, I think I posted that on the wrong thread! I’m not sure how I got from gardening to healthcare…Sorry, we are supposed to keep this thread politic free. My apologies.
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.