Posted on 07/06/2018 8:04:41 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 any time-and don't have to be about gardening.
Oh my goodness, I forgot to mention my other praise report/good news :)
Darlin Hubby is a Craigslist addict. He reads the free stuff from all neighboring cities ~almost~ as much as his Bible. #no disrespect meant ... Last weekend he found a couple giving away brick and stone. He got 3 - 16’ trailer loads of assorted clean brick and beautiful Austin stone. These are for keyhole gardens he’s been promising to build for me. We have more than enough for three 7’ diameter keyholes (we are both tall) and I will even have leftovers for terracing on our hillside. I spent yesterday and today using some of the stone to improve erosion control around my hillside perennials. Worked on it between rainstorms so I could see where the water was flowing. Always good to watch the water.
I’ve been doing my farm work at night whenever possible. Today wasn’t too bad, but most days have been too hot to work outside safely.
I’m always looking for thingies to plant seeds or replant small seedlings....I find if you are transplanting something if you tuck a little bit of wadded up newspaper in the bottom the plant comes out easier without harming the roots...my tip of the day...
Cucumbers have ben my nemesis here in North Texas. For the past 4 years they either suffered from powdery mildew or burned to a crisp. Then I read somewhere that to grow cucumbers here they have to be protected from afternoon sun so this year I tented them with row cover fabric. That did the trick. I have to uncover them at night so the bees don’t get stuck in the fabric, then by 11am put the tent back in place before they start to wither. Now I have more cucumbers than I can eat so looks like I’ll be trying my hand at pickle making this week end.
Strawberries did well, even though we relocated them from another bed this spring.
Bumper crop of raspberries.
Everything else was pitiful small until this past week of upper 90's and scorching sun - amazing what one good week can do for veggies.
Today is the day when we move the new chickens in with old Goldie, now that they are almost her size (too big to get picked on).
Right now they are in temporary quarters (makeshift coop and an old run), right in the middle of my wood-splitting area. (Which will mean no more: "I can't split wood because...")
Yum !
Good Morning!
(((HUGS)))
Today is a break from an awful heat wave. Thank Goodness!
Mmmm, jealous. Ours have just started flowering here in central Konnecticut.
Ok, that IS a good tip. I’m going to use that one.
Seeds started indoors February 15.
We had a couple of ripe tomatoes June 16 !
I would like to know how people are dealing with the Jap Beetle invasion. They stripped the top 1/2 of my apple trees and are working on peaches. Sevin and permethrin will get rid of them for 4, maybe 5 days and they are back. The hormone attractants can attract other Jap beetles from half a mile away— you can collect thousands in soapy water buckets, but it does little to hinder their attacks.
The enemy of anything with an olfactory sense. In Missouri, about 30% carry rabies, they are egg eaters of chickens, quail, and kildeares. I dispose of every one I catch. My Rat Terrier has been sprayed 3 times, the
last with his coat on in the winter and the coat still stinks.
Do you know the variety of pomegranates you grow? I’m thinking of trying one in a large container to bring in if we have an early frost/freeze some years.
Ditto your lemon tree. I’ve got a Meyer lemon but we are considering a Eureka or Ponderosa.
I trap and dispose of them also...
that’s a brave cat!
those white squashes are beautiful!
Then, about the first of July, the local squirrel family discovered the tomato vines. Mostly very young critters. I enclosed the top of the raised beds with more netting and took executive action on four or five trespassers...
do the cupcake liners disintegrate? sounds like a great idea!!!!
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