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WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD NOV. 16, 2018
freerepublic | NOV. 16, 2018 | greeneyes

Posted on 11/16/2018 6:45:04 PM PST by greeneyes

he 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.


TOPICS: Gardening
KEYWORDS: agriculture; food; gardening; hobby
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To: MomwithHope

Ok...and thanks so much for your help...


81 posted on 11/18/2018 9:19:37 AM PST by caww
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To: caww

You are most welcome.


82 posted on 11/18/2018 9:48:17 AM PST by MomwithHope
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To: oldvirginian

That’s wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!


83 posted on 11/18/2018 9:53:59 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: MomwithHope; Lopeover; caww

It looks like ornamental grass to me as well, but not like anything that grows here.


84 posted on 11/18/2018 9:58:14 AM PST by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: Lopeover
Well, suprise...suprise...suprise!!!

I removed the snow from the front planter, chucked the bulb auger into my cordless drill and the ground isn’t frozen. Planted what bulbs I could find.

Went out to the raised planter bed in back and removed the snow and weeds. Rescued the small tiller from under the collapsed canopy and after numerous pulls, got it started. The bed is now smooth and marked for garlic planting. I will do so, now and then cover with straw.

Finally, I have planted garlic!

Waiting for the asteroid to impact on the garden!

85 posted on 11/18/2018 10:05:43 AM PST by Redleg Duke (Disarming Liberals...Real Common Sense Gun Control!)
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To: greeneyes

The mice won another one...quite handily!


86 posted on 11/18/2018 10:07:30 AM PST by Redleg Duke (Disarming Liberals...Real Common Sense Gun Control!)
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To: Lopeover

I got my indeterminates from Lowes. They usually carry different varieties. If you have a nearby Lowes, greenhouse or farm supply check with them now. They can tell you what they usually order for spring.
What I planted this year was the BeefMaster. Very meaty tomatoes that were perfect for burgers and sandwiches.

Be warned that indeterminates take a LOT of space both verticle and horizontal.
Cages are worthless, I used the Florida weave this year and was very happy with the results. If you use the weave or any trellis method make sure your to string is about 6 foot above ground. At that height you can let the plants flip over the top and grow to the ground.

We always planted deep.
When you get your plants you can snip the bottom leaves off and let them heal while you harden them.
When you plant all those fine hairs grow into roots. A bigger root system allows for better growth.
I use a 10-10-10 fertilizer and also apply lime liberally when I plant and when I hill the plants.

One other thing I do is plant by the moon.
Generally if it produces above ground (tomatoes, peppers, corn, etc) I plant on the increase of the moon.
If it produces below ground (potatoes, beets, carrots, etc) I plant on the decrease of the moon.
Never failed me yet.

Good Luck!


87 posted on 11/18/2018 11:57:02 AM PST by oldvirginian ( Buckle up kids, rough road ahead.)
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To: Lopeover

It shouldn’t be a soil problem unless you live where the topsoil was scraped off for construction purposes.
Get a soil test kit and give it a look.

Peppers are VERY sensitive to cold snaps. They will produce at 32 degrees but if the temperature drops to 31.9 they stop. They may produce small peppers but nothing to be happy with.
You might try covering your plants at night in spring if the temps range into the 30’s just to be safe. Or plant later and have a shortened growing season.

I assume you get plenty of rain in your area so that shouldn’t be a problem.


88 posted on 11/18/2018 12:08:12 PM PST by oldvirginian ( Buckle up kids, rough road ahead.)
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To: caww

Hello Caww . . . They either look like dried artichoke flowers or an African flower called a Proton (I think) . . . Smile!


89 posted on 11/18/2018 12:13:27 PM PST by HopeandGlory (Hey, Liberals . . . PC died on 9/11 . . . GET USED TO IT!!! . . . GO PRESIDENT TRUMP!!!)
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To: Lopeover
Awesome tomatoes! What are your secrets. It is so weird, I have been having trouble getting a nice yield.

I do not know what has truly enabled all the fruitfulness, besides prayer and fertilizer, but we pray it is too the glory of God.

Lots of sun is crtical. In this densely populated NE city I know of no one in our neighborhood that even has as much unblocked Southward facing space to plant, if at all, as us, though in the spring and summer the house blocks the sun from most of the area until after about 12-1p - and tomato plants you are sppsd to get about 7 hours of sin a day.

And by about 4 or 5 PM the rear section of the side garden is blocked by the bldg next door. Therefore I have been planting the toms in the (overcrowded) front section, and front of the side garden, and the squash after that, which crawls. Soil condition is also critical. The best "crop" in NE soils is rocks, and the sols also tends to be acidic, and so I have used some lime the last 2 years, as well as soil amendments like Cow Manure , Peat Moss , Humus and Manure , Organic Lime , and All-Purpose Fertilizer 10-10-10.

Plus, someone gave us a large container of expired vitamin-mineral pills, which i put in the rain water i collected.

I may try a little Epsom salts this year, God willing, though i do not want to spend too much of the money the "picker" spends on this. Which reminds me that although all the squash and the toms on the side were started from collected seeds, the pickerr enthusiast (who does not eat many toms, but likes to pick them to be given away) bout about 8 plants the last 2 years (planted about mid-May) from the garden center. Which is where i get the sends for this years crop.

Thanks and glory to be God, and may He show Himself strong on behalf of those who are serving Him amid privations (Ps. 70) and on those with bad conditions. And to whom much is given of him shall much be expected.

90 posted on 11/18/2018 3:35:31 PM PST by daniel1212 (Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him)
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To: HopeandGlory

Thanks I’ll check on those too!


91 posted on 11/18/2018 5:30:49 PM PST by caww
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To: daniel1212
Thank you! I have good south sun. I think it is your faith that enable you to reap such abundance! 😉
92 posted on 11/18/2018 7:38:34 PM PST by Lopeover (POTUS needs Republicans, the Midterm Election is about allegiance to the America First agenda!)
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To: Redleg Duke

You are so funny! Glad you got your bulbs in!


93 posted on 11/18/2018 7:40:32 PM PST by Lopeover (POTUS needs Republicans, the Midterm Election is about allegiance to the America First agenda!)
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To: oldvirginian

I have a Lowe’s close to me. I will check them out. I have two raised beds, one is doing well with herbs. The other I did not do well with the caged bush tomatoes. Another section is ground level area. Thinking I will move tomatoes there. I don’t use a lot of fertilizer. Afraid I will over do it. I replenish the raised bed with bags of soil that has fertilizer in it. We compost, so the ground garden area gets that compost.

That is very intriguing that you plant by the moon’s phases.


94 posted on 11/18/2018 8:00:01 PM PST by Lopeover (POTUS needs Republicans, the Midterm Election is about allegiance to the America First agenda!)
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To: Lopeover

“That is very intriguing that you plant by the moon’s phases.”

My family has done it for generations.
Once when I was younger I argued with my dad about planting some corn. To prove his point he let me plant one field when I wanted to. We planted the rest by the moon.
The field I planted was terrible. Short spindly stalks and low yield.
The fields we planted two weeks later by the moon were beautiful. Tall thick stalks with huge ears of corn.
All of the fields got the same fertilizers and the same amount of rain.
I learned my lesson. Never argued or deviated again.
A good guide:
https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar

Even if you use fertilized soil I recommend adding some powdered lime when you plant. That will give the plants the early kick they need for fast initial growth. I use lime very liberally, about three times during the growing season.
The cost is negligible compared to the benefits.

If you have been using your raised beds for a while you might need to work some lime into them. Just broadcast liberally and work it in about a week before planting then put a bit more in each hole or row.


95 posted on 11/18/2018 8:39:07 PM PST by oldvirginian ( Buckle up kids, rough road ahead.)
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To: oldvirginian

Thanks so much. This is a great thread, with everyone’s experience, tips & stories!


96 posted on 11/18/2018 9:10:06 PM PST by Lopeover (POTUS needs Republicans, the Midterm Election is about allegiance to the America First agenda!)
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To: greeneyes
Yes, I really enjoy letting the green tomatoes ripen and eating them. They do taste a lot better than Grocery tomatoes.

And due to the shorter growing season here you can have a lot of them.

I think Sub Arctic Plenty Tomato will be worth a try. Thank God for variety.

97 posted on 11/19/2018 4:10:24 AM PST by daniel1212 (Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him)
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To: Lopeover
Thank you! I have good south sun. I think it is your faith that enable you to reap such abundance! 😉

Well, to Him be the glory, who makes the sun shine and rain fall even upon the unjust.

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. (Psalms 65:9-12)

98 posted on 11/19/2018 6:21:01 AM PST by daniel1212 (Trust the risen Lord Jesus to save you as a damned and destitute sinner + be baptized + follow Him)
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To: MomwithHope
It is nice dirt, but there's quite a bit of time, effort, and expense involved in making it. After it comes out of a horse's @$$ it takes about five years on the compost heap before it's ready to use.

The two horses that live at my house right now can't keep up with demand, so I bring in 15-20 ton a year from the neighbor lady's boarding facility. In the springtime I pick up all of the nasty waste hay that's left over from outdoor feeding.

With the resources that are available to me I'm able to make enough compost to use anywhere it's needed here, and I don't ever run out.

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

Image and video hosting by TinyPic

99 posted on 11/19/2018 8:51:22 AM PST by Augie
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To: Augie
Nice pictures Augie! Very impressed.
We used goat manure for 25 years. Our garden started with just a sandy soil and now it is like black cake flour. We never used any wasted hay though. Did not want the seeds. We used oat straw for bedding and kept things clean so we had a nice pile going. At least with goat manure it did not need to sit that long. I also used it in super large pots to have some tomatoes and peppers up by the house. In your picture with the 2 piles, our pile was about 2/3 the size of the one on the right and we had plenty. And sometimes the pile did smoke! Now sadly with no goats we compost and sometimes add some bone meal. We have tested it recently and it still tests great.
100 posted on 11/19/2018 9:22:20 AM PST by MomwithHope
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