Posted on 05/13/2019 6:03:13 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Our 'Greeneyes' has gone missing, so I have been asked to keep the Weekly Garden Thread rolling until she returns. If anyone knows her in Real Life, please post here and let us know what her situation is!
That said, I will be posting once a week, and I will TRY to stick to her schedule of a Friday Night/Saturday Morning Weekly Post, but it depends upon what is going on here at MY farm. (It's Spring; it's BUSY!)
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 to Gardeners are welcomed any time.
It depends on where you are at.
I’m in Alabama, Zone 8b.
My winters are usually mild, but I will get a couple of hard freezes every year.
I plant Sprouts and Cauliflower in the Fall, but put a bunch of pine straw around them with some straw bales as wind breaks. If we’re going to have a hard frost I’ll temporarily cover the plants with pine straw and a tarp.
Be sure to take it off after the temp goes back up to 32 degrees.
Even though it’s Winter, make sure the plants get plenty of water.
I get a very good crop of sprouts in March and big cauliflower heads in April.
Good luck. Your mileage may vary!
I did plant a few cauliflower this Spring. So far they’re doing good. No heads yet but no flowering.
I have had a lot of bull thistle on my pastures. It is an annual, and grows from puffy air floating seeds.
I take my garden tractor around the pastures starting in February and simply cut them down with the mower deck.
Do NOT let any of them flower and send off seeds.
Over the past several years the amount of bull thistle has gone down a lot.
Firstly, Do a soil test to determine soil ph; kits are available at garden stores,
or go to a Farm Extension bureau or Ag college to get a test done with 'micro-nutrients' results, included.
With the cauliflower, you picked a toughie for the home gardener; not really recommended for the novice home gardener!
First of all, cauliflower is a "cool weather" crop generally grown in Fall; it demands uninterrupted growth, or it will "button".
Uninterrupted growth is soil ph of 6.5 -7.0, with stable temps of 60 degrees, but daytime temps cooler than 75 degrees.
It may need shade during the heat of the day, but it essential to have consistent moisture; did I mention it's 'fussy'?
It needs 5 - 7 hours of direct sunlight, but if temps go over 75, you may have to provide shade for the plant.
Side dress with nitrogen, and it will mature 75-85 days from transplanting,
and 'blanching' needs to be done 7- 12 days before harvest.
Did I mention 'fussy'?
'Blanching' involves tying the 2-3 inch heads and outer leaves with tape, twine, or rubber bands to cover the heads.
Then after sufficient size growth under the blanching process, you have harvest.
Did I mention 'fussy' ??
Much easier and more success is likely for this crop in the Fall;
do you see how it can be too temperamental for the home gardener, and is labor intensive ?
The best online source about gardening and organically adjusting soil ph : http://www.completegardenguide.com/vegetables_ph_level_soil.html
Firstly, Do a soil test.
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, are all members of the mustard family and require calcium soils.
If you had good height growth, but not enough sprouts, it sounds like plants are missing nitrogen, for head and leaf formation.
Also, when you transplant broccoli, brussel sprouts, or cauliflower, don't break up the roots as you would normally do;
transplant the plug intact.
That way there is no 'plant shock', or setback.
“When I planted the cauliflower they went right to flowering and didn’t produce an edible head - “
Was HEAT a factor? Cauli is a cool weather crop and will bolt if it’s too hot.
“The brussel sprouts grew to a good size but didn’t produce much to eat - “
Fertilizer problem. 10-20-0 is best for B. sprouts. You want Nitrogen (1st Number) and a lot of Phosphorous for sprout production and NO potassium which is usually for root crops.
“ALSO, what is the best seedling mix. I’ve tried a variety and mixed my own and they all work but I wonder if there’s one mix that’s the best.”
I’ve tried a lot through the years, and as long as it’s labeled Seed Starting Mix and is nice and light, any seems to work for me, too.
I DO like starting tomatoes and peppers in Jiffy pellets - the ones that expand in water? But be careful - it’s REALLY easy to over-water when you use those, as they hold water really well!
My FAVORITE soil product of all time is ANYTHING made by Fertilome, but it’s not available everywhere and the company has gone through some downsizing and selling off of assets in the past few years, making the supply chain more stingy!
If you have the patience, I would use the week killer you found, but using a paintbrush, brush it directly on the leaves with NO drips falling onto your Pachy!
It’s what I do for these thistles when I get them. You other option is digging, and that is a PITA and 9 times out of 10 you cannot get the whole root structure and it just grows back.
Also - try not to ever let them go to flower; that compounds the problem for everyone in the area, of course. ;)
Anyone familiar with this nut tree ?
:)
‘The Gardener’s Shadow’ and...MULE POOP! :)
My seedlings are starting (indoors). The G/Y/O/R peppers always start good - even some tomato seeds are sprouting (right out of the tomato so we’ll see about disease).
NONE of the others are going - been about 3 weeks - SLOOOWWW - I think these are my sweet snacking peppers, jalapenos, serrano peppers, hatch peppers (never go good for me).
I hope I didn’t kill off my onion bulbs from Wal*Mart. They were so good last year, though planted too close. Survived two snows and temps down to 17F. The ones I put in the ground don’t seem to have popped through. Hard ground I think - heavy rain has kept it solid. I’m hoping they can break through (all holes dug with a planter - so the soil was broken up over them). But I put in Miracle Gro and Epsom Salts. The ones in pots seem to have done better - softer soil. It was 6 weeks before I saw good sprouts last year and it’s only been about 3 weeks (late start this year). So I’m gonna hope for only one harvest this year - much smaller, less than half of previous years.
Your pond is looking wonderful! Is that a Black Lab in the middle there? LOL! Love that breed - I’ve had three through the years.
I am behind planting wise - we got 4” of heavy, wet snow just two weeks ago in the SW corner of Wisconsin. Grrr!
Today I am amusing myself by setting up my bean pole and I added some better-gripping plastic webbing to my Sugar Pea trellis, and I’m making a BIG list for Beau because I’m going to steal & hide his distributor in the truck so he can’t get to Canada for fishing if A, B & C aren’t done before he leaves in early June, LOL!
Good idea. I’ll message one of the Admins and see if they have any advice!
Prayer for greeneyes.
I started a new raise garden this year and got my zero turn stuck in the mud. It’s been out in the rain for 2 days now.
I used to sell them bare-root when I worked for Jung’s, but they were few and far between and were the Chinese variety. Chestnuts aren’t Wisconsin natives, but my neighbors had one down the road from me, and when that thing bloomed it was jaw-dropping!
When we were doing some scrap tree removal in one of our wildlife food plots, we were THRILLED to find a young Hickory tree struggling to survive while being crowded out by others. It’s doing great now - we cut down the three (undesirable!) trees that were crowding it out.
Happy, Happy!
Those Chestnut Lovers have a great page!
Don’t feel bad - I got mine stuck in a divot along the retaining wall!
I wasn’t about to goof around 10’ up in the air, so I had Beau get me un-stuck, LOL!
That is my daughter's Doberman Pinscher. I think she (dog, not daughter) has some Lab in the woodpile because she absolutely loves to play fetch the stick in the pond.
It is on that pastry bread you buy in the store topped with Wisconsin cheese and fresh-picked asparagus.
My favorite is asparagus wrapped in bacon then grilled.
People that don't get to eat minutes-old veggies don't know what they are missing!
Sweet Ithaca!
Augie - nice looking pond! First pic I think I’ve seen with water added. Looks great!
Easier to pull a few plus wires.
plus = plug
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