Posted on 06/13/2020 5:50:50 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Impressive as always! :)
I’ve got a “beet guy” at the local farmers market. When I need them if I can catch him on the right Saturday I know how you feel. They just don’t grow well for me.
Beautiful pictures!
Well last night I forgot to put the hose back out after the neighbor boy mowed. The rabbits came in and lopped off all the 8 broccoli plants leaving the stems. I had 4 new plants up at the house which I planted today. Lettuce is OK but recovering. It will not be as nice as last years. It has been slow going getting everything in and now keeping up with the weeds. Still have yet to plant radishes, green onions and green beans. Tomatoes and peppers are doing great. And we have had more asparagus then ever this year. If I don’t get my full strength back I am considering putting down black plastic and calling it early on next year. Love reading all your posts and seeing all the pictures posted here.
Thanks for the thread. I finally pulled all the garlic. Several were still growing well, and maybe should have been left to further mature, but I want to get some stuff planted and needed the space.
I still have 2 beds of rye that are not quite mature enough to harvest. I transplanted my ginger to the northeast side of the house. Turns out it likes shade, so I guess that’s one reason why they weren’t doing well in the greenhouse.
I also have an experiment going on with the root of an onion from the grocery store. It seemed to be growing well, so I transplanted it and the tumeric plant that I babied through the winter.
I have about 20 heads of lettuce about the size of a soft ball. Since I only eat one or two per week, and they will bolt pretty soon, I’m wondering what in the world to do with them. I suppose I could dry them to use in salad soup?
Hubby just can’t seem to grasp the concept of succession planting so he plants gobs of stuff that all matures at the same time, and then is disappointed that it doesn’t all get used up.
I used straw to mulch in the yukon gold potatoes — there’s one or two blooms. They are pretty far behind their usual production, due to me planting them later than usual.
Have a great weekend every one. God Bless.
NW
The Moon and Stars watermelon I grew from seed and finally planted out after waiting another week past mother’s day usual planting time...are all wimped down after 5 days of rain and half hour of hail. Same with the cukes I planted. It’s been raining again and expected to continue for 4 more days. If I’m lucky one might tough it through...probably not...bummer.
That’s always so disappointing, isn’t it?
I’ve said it before - I’ll take a drought year over a flood year, any year! At least in a drought you can still get water to your veggie plants, and so many of the things we love to grow: tomatoes, peppers, herbs, like it on the arid side to begin with.
Sorry for your gardening troubles: we’ve all been there! ;)
Gorgeous clematis! Do they survive the winter when it’s -30 like 2 winters ago?
NW
Thanks...let’s have some tea with that sympathy...I need it.
I don’t see lettuce on this list but it is possible to grow them in bright, indirect light.
Hello ALL !...I have been staying down in Metairie La. and the lady next door has a back yard to die for...I have seen a new “Wallow” flower everyday....amazing.....anyone here ever grow a “wallow” plant....Big hwite flower with a red center and a spire that looks kinda’ yellow...crazy beautiful!
O.K. so I have a white onion that has been sitting on top of the fridge for a few weeks (in a basket) - now it’s growing some long green stems.
Should I cut off the sides and plant the “core” of the onion? - I was gonna cut off the top and maybe plant that but then I wondered if a core, around 1 inch square, would be better?
I’m thinking it will grow a nice onion again or maybe I’ll get some scallions-type growth. These sprouts coming out of the top are really strong-looking.
Off-topic for strictly gardening; however, it’s applicable for the general topic of “raising your own food”.
One of my relatives is an intrepid “farm” girl - not raised on a farm, but some acreage. She had chickens (mostly as pets) growing up & took courses in college regarding domestic animals, before deciding vet school was not what she wanted to do, so she went into wildlife sciences. She’s an avid hunter (great shot, bow & rifle). She and her husband moved from a subdivision to a piece of land with some acreage a couple of years ago. She is now gardening, raising chickens (eggs & meat) & just got two calves to raise for meat as well.
With the food shortages due to COVID (chicken/beef/egg shelves empty, processors shut down), she decided to raise her own meat again this year (did meat chickens for the first time last year). She’s also recently added a laying flock - they are “pastured” and there is quite the demand for pastured eggs. I buy them at the ‘grassfed’ farm and the pastured eggs are outstanding - beat anything the stores have to offer (even cage-free/organic).
Today is meat chicken processing day. I asked her for the feet (paws) ... otherwise, they’d go to waste. She woke me up bright & early this morning with a text/picture showing the first couple of pairs of feet! Chicken feet are a wonderful addition to bone broth. I also got beef “broth bones” from a farm yesterday. Their animals are all grassfed and while their products are not cheap, they are the best quality. Next year, I’ll be able to get bones, liver, & other beef products from my relative - two steers are too much for her family, but she’s raising two so she will have meat for family members (also, cows are herd animals and two calves are much happier than one).
Here’s the info on chicken feet/paws, if you are not familiar with using them:
How to Find + Use Chicken Feet for the Best Broth Ever
https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/chicken-feet-benefits-uses/
So, I am feeling very blessed today that I have chicken paws on the way & will have grassfed product next year as well. I have enough land available to raise my own, but due to other circumstances, cannot have my own chickens/beef at the present time ... hopefully, that will change in the not-to-distant future.
On topic: picked all the Japanese beetles I could find off of my zinnias. I then sprayed the foliage with Neem Oil. It appears that Neem Oil is safe for pollenators (bees, butterflies, etc.) since to be killed by it, bugs/beetles have to actually eat the foliage that has Neem Oil on it. When I checked this morning, I didn’t find any beetles ... I hope that trend continues! I also got two “cut flower” beds weeded .... seeded one that empty, added some seed to another that had bare spots among some young zinnias. Trying for lots of flowers around here this summer - they (& the myriad of butterflies & hummingbirds that visit) give me a huge mental lift & some instant joy, both of which I need.
Here’s how to grow onions from a sprouted onion, step by step:
https://practicalselfreliance.com/planting-sprouted-onions/
In my experience, it’s nearly impossible to kill the Jackmanii Clematis.
This one faces south, and the trick with any clematis is to keep their heads in the sun and their feet in the shade, so a sunny spot (south or west facing) and a good layer of mulch around the base, or other plantings at the base that will shade the roots.
Clematis vary in their pruning needs, though with the Jackmanii, you can cut it all the way back in the late fall (when it’s crispy) or very early spring (March in my zone 4/5) and it will grow and flower on new wood that season.
Others require no pruning because they always bloom on old wood, and then I can’t remember the third class and it’s care!
If you like purple, you can’t go wrong with the Jackmanii! :) (It only comes in purple!)
Another hardy favorite is the fall-blooming clematis, Sweet Autumn. Flowers are smaller, white, blooms August-September, but the scent is AMAZING!
https://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/26630-product.html
Yes, it is. With lettuce, HEAT is what causes it to bolt and get bitter.
Oak-Leaf lettuces grow well in those conditions and you can never go wrong with Romaine-types, and I especially love a lettuce called ‘Marvel of Four Seasons’ which is both cold and heat tolerant.
Of course the ultimate time for lettuces is early spring and late fall, no matter where you live. Sunny and cool is it’s favorite weather.
I’m already planning my fall lettuce/salad crops and we’ve hardly made a dent in the stuff we have now, LOL!
If so, that's a Hibiscus. And I have a few on my hillside. I think they're tolerant to Zone 4 and come in a number of colors. https://www.provenwinners.com/learn/landscaping/how-grow-dinner-plate-hibiscus
So glad she’s able to do this again! That pool looks so lovely - and thanks for making me jealous of the local shrubbery! ;)
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