Posted on 05/25/2019 6:57:33 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Our 'Greeneyes' has been FOUND, but she is having computer issues, so I have been asked to keep the Weekly Garden Thread rolling until she returns.
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!
Pinging The List!
Question for the Southern folk, is it good or bad to cut the berry stalks from a palm tree? IIRC, it was recommended but I’m not sure now. Have a blessed Memorial Day weekend.
FYI: I will pop in when I can this weekend. Beau has been working full time, and WAY out of town, so I need his help badly to get a LOT accomplished this 3-day weekend.
Anyhow, suffice to say, our To-Do List is FOUR pages long, so we’ve got our work cut out for us. Supposedly, 24 hours without rain - which is a first for this entire month! Things are pretty soppy-wet and no crops have gone in yet. :(
Stock up on corn and soybean related foodstuffs while you can - that and the price of meat (grow your own!) might get ugly by this fall!
Later! :)
Wife and I covered 700 miles to visit a pair of Iowa cemeteries this week.
A kindly sherifff’s deputy clocked me at 72 in a 55 zone in Montgomery County, IA.
Got a “warning ticket.”
We're finally getting some sun.
Not garden related but Wednesday I saw a pair of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks at my bird feeder here in S.e. Michigan for the first time in probably over 40 years......When I was growing up in northern Michigan, I would see them frequently, but not down here........
Big salad last night of spinach , kale, Bibb lettuce, radishes and green onions from garden. Added some tomato, avacado, cheese meat and egg.
Am finishing planting of pumpkin, sunflower, and corn today. It’s so wet here many farmers will be forced to plant more soy beans and less corn. Water is still standing in many fields.
We are in west Michigan just east of Grand Rapids and we are inundated with rose breasted grosbeaks, just like every year. They have a pretty song but are pigs at the feeder. They will sit and eat and eat and eat and not let any other birds land. So you can have all of ours!
Yum! I’m sorry it’s so wet there, hoosiermama!
Not just meat, that might get cheaper in the shorthand as farmers sell of livestock they can’t afford to feed. So a GREAT time to stock up on meat is right now into the fall!
I’m stocking dairy as well. Those sealed blocks of cheese will freeze (neatly, they stack like bricks) for 1.5 or 2 years depending on the variety. Cojack gets crumbly but still useable (just a PITA to shred). Mozzarella gets a little difficult to shred but still useable and delicious. I put the blocks in a gallon ziploc freezer bag with the air mashed out for extra protections vs. freezer burn.
Butter (in quart ziploc freezer bags to protect vs off smells/flavors and freezer burn) will keep for a couple years as well in the freezer. Put the quart butter bags into a gallon freezer bag and mash out all the extra air.
I also bag up preshredded cheese. Buy the 5lb bags, divvy that up in ziploc sandwich bags and store each of those in a quart freezer bag then those in a gallon freezer bag.
All these bags are re-usable if you’re careful.
Cream cheese will store in the freezer (ditto in freezer bags) but USUALLY isn’t good for ‘fresh eating’. It’s a texture/consistency thing. Also depends on how quickly it froze in your freezer and how long it’s been in there. It IS good for things that use cream cheese and are cooked. No difference there.
Hubby’s hunting camp is stocking up on corn feed for their bambis right now. The bagged stuff is last year’s (bumper) crop.
I’m going to be planting a late crop of dent corn and something called ‘japanese barnyard millet’ (sherckseeds) to feed my chickens. There ae a lot of grains that will make in less than 100 days. You won’t get 250 bushels an acre but you will get something. And something is better than nothing and only costs you the pack of seed and your time.
Although IF you have acid soil, grains usually prefer you add lime first. They (most of them) don’t like PH below 5.5. A cheap $4 bag of lime from a big box store will make a big difference in your yield.
Just read that the USDA reports that less than 50% of the nation's corn crop has yet been planted.
Farmers still can't get into their fields either too wet, or flooded.
And the two week outlook isn't all that promising to dry out.
AG Grain, crop, and meat production & futures
(AG News, Markets,weather,crops,Machinery, Livestock, Technology )
https://www.agweb.com/markets/usda-reports/
FINALLY, my three gardens are all planted. Good mix of tomatoes (Roma & Beefsteak), Cucumbers & Pickles, String Beans, Bell Peppers (Green, Red, Orange & Yellow), Eggplant, Broccoli, Lettuce, Radishes, Carrots, Asparagus, Leeks and Squash (Spaghetti, Zucchini & Summer).
Waited too long to put Preen down, so I’ll pick weeds, then apply. Now laying mulch (2 gardens down, 1 to go).
Picked Lettuce, Asparagus and Green Beans yesterday.
Second level was muddier than I thought. Slid down it on my BUMP to the next level. Wheeeeee! Nothing major hurt!
:)
I found some little orange beetle like bugs on my lily leaves today.
They looked like ladybugs without the spots and a very orangy red and oval instead of round.
Anyone have any idea what they are?
I find that wide mouth quart canning jars are far better for preventing freezer burn and freezer smell than Ziplock bags.
Another thing I’ve had great success with is after wrapping something in plastic wrap, wrap foil around it and seal it well.
Both the glass and metal are better for longevity in the freezer than plastic alone.
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