Posted on 01/22/2022 6:19:57 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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.
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Absolutely marvelous drawing. Delicate and classically balanced composition. These gifs you’re finding are wonderful. Thank you.
Winter Birds - 1993
https://youtu.be/XBkqOxMNP4E
Please share your favorites concerning anything gardening and nature-related.
I took this photo during my travels in Northern California. I am heading home because my orchids have put out flowers for the first time in several years and are about to bloom.
I’ve already ordered and received my seeds for this year although no doubt I’ll have to get more later. Mr. Mercat bought a small table top aqua garden to take to our son for Christmas but forgot it so I set it up. It’s supposed to grow herbs. Also, Mr. Mercat built a cold frame and its still producing lettuce. So that’s my gardening news. Oh and he was rebuilding my raised beds so that they are more accessible but still protected from all critters except birds. My garlic that I planted in October came up because it’s been so warm. So don’t know how that will go/grow.
Good morning to you!
We ‘dodged’ a snowstorm last night/this morning that at one point was being called everything from “substantial” to “historic” (30” or more). We got zip, zilch, nada which makes me VERY happy!
Drinking coffee this morning & thinking about an herb garden for next year. I had one raised bed (3 x 6) last year that I never planted in anything after initially used it for housing my peat pots as I started sunflowers, tithonia, & other plants from seeds.
Since “big pharma” and allopathic medicine in general are such a disaster these days, I’m thinking that going back to tried/true home remedies for things like colds, sore throats, etc. that don’t need an antibiotic would be a good thing to do. A homesteader I follow has been posting about this the last week and has me “hot to trot” on an herb bed.
How to Plan a Medicinal Herb Garden
https://melissaknorris.com/how-to-plan-a-medicinal-herb-garden/
Years ago, I had a fairly extensive herb bed ... all the usual plants plus less common plants like borage, lovage, just about every lemon scented herb, several kinds of thyme (not just one), a bunch of different mints, catnip, etc. I did not use them for medicinal purposes, just enjoyed all the flowers/scents. BTW, I did experience the invasive nature of catnip/mint plants ... won’t be doing those in my raised bed.
So that’s my “get-through-the-rest-of-winter” plan .... figure out an herb garden & drink coffee :-)
Brrrrrrr & FReegards (it’s 19 degrees here!) ~Q
PS - GO Packers!
Really makes you imagine his inner conversation.
Congratulations on your orchids blooming. I repotted my night blooming cereus years ago and have not had a flower since. Breaks my heart. It truly did only bloom at night, and only for a few precious hours.
The obligatory link to what I have in my prepping/homesteading library; https://permasteader.com/cloud/index.php/s/H8iLwmfLHiGFyjG
See the agriculture folder for gardening and other related downloads or simply download the ag folder (810 mb). Mostly pdf files. 435 files in the Gardening folder.
In ant folder, the ‘Download all files’ button will put the files in a zip folder for you to download. If you only want some items in a folder, tick the check boxes and click ‘Actions’ near the top left, then click download. You’ll need to scroll to the top to see ‘Actions’ and when you click download there, it will also put them all into one zip file for you. Happy Hunting.
Ground is frozen solid here in MO after having near zero temps.
Our two year old chinawalmart chest freezer crapped out so I put everything into two coolers and a tote on the foyer but it’s going to reach 40 today. Stuff in coolers should be ok but the tote, not so much. Most of the food was given to us by the wife’s co-worker, who along with her family, hit multiple food pantries on a regular basis. Some of it, we’d probably never eat. So that’s my chore today. Go through it all and pull out things we probably won’t eat and bring that to a neighbor to see if he wants it. If not, the wife’s going to have to take it to work and pitch it in the dumpster.
Wife knows what we do and don’t eat but couldn’t say no I guess.
I started with the two coolers so they got the not so cold stuff and the tote was everything from the bottom of the freezer and still frozen. So now the iffy stuff in the coolers needs to come out so that the known good stuff can go into the coolers, all while separating what we won’t eat. pita
Next time I buy a freezer, it won’t be a noname from walmart. I’ll head to Lowes and get a Frigidaire or something. It will still be made in china but hopefully with higher standards and there may even be parts available for it later on. I need to open this one up and take a peak and see if it’s anything obvious.
Hello Diana and All! I’ve started planning a garden in my new state of Virginia. Of course, here in the southwest of the state the soil is acidic red clay so I’d have better luck making pottery than vegetables :D (in fact there’s a brick making business right down the road ).
I think the first thing I have to do is get a composter up and churning, then see about lime, then consider a lot of plants in pots, then figure out how much this will all cost then see if I can actually afford a garden this year.
Our new 1954 home came with all the original, 14 amp, cloth covered electric hidden between 20 amp breakers at one end and not-really-grounded 3 prong outlets at the other. It also has a SURPRISE indoor waterfall feature courtesy of the cracks in the chimney we can’t use because the damper looks like a rhino sat on it.
So, I’m scrummaging the local sale pages on facepage, going good will hunting weekly, and asking people to keep an eye out for cheap garden things like large pots, chicken wire and stakes, and any kind of bricks and blocks that might be useful.
If I can manage a compost bin or pile and a few plants in pots with bought soil it’ll have to do for this year.
But I REALLY need to learn how to grow things in clay and how the stuff can be amended.
Cheers!
Good Morning!
:-)
Sorry I can’t see your photos - and would love to!
Can you re-post them?
I use this site:
Use “for website” and it works perfectly here.
“But I REALLY need to learn how to grow things in clay and how the stuff can be amended.”
Will you be using raised beds, or gardening right in the ground?
It’s been a long time since I posted! I’ve got wonderfully large east facing windows in my office. I’ve installed a foxtail Rosemary plant and a piece of lemon verbena I was able to get to root. I had Johnny jump ups in the pot before repurposing it and seedlings are filling in any empty space. I hope it flowers. That is my current gardening triumph.
The flat leaf parsley at the grocery store looked so bad this morning I’m headed to a nursery to buy a plant to put in a window. I am taking a 10 dollar bill and no plastic in to pay to keep myself in check. Lol.
Books:
Oldie but goodie; How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method by J.I. Rodale
Also by Rodale; Complete Book of Composting
I also have the newer; All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening by Rodale
Good to learn the old organic methods now. Food prices are going up and one reason this coming year will be due to fertilizer prices doubling. I finally got some Comfrey last year. Good compost activator and for fertilizer as Comfrey tea due to being high in nitrogen. Comfrey is also high in potassium which can be hard to get as organic. I asked about greensand at the local farm store and the guy looked at me like I had two heads. Wood ash is another source but washes through the soil pretty quick so you can’t put it on/in a month or two before hand or in the Fall to prep for Spring.
I need to get a metal barrel with lid to start saving ash/charcoal(biochar) from my wood stove. Our place is small so sometimes on days when it warms up quick, I shut down the air intake to shut down the stove which leaves me with a lot of bulk charcoal aka biochar which is awesome for the soil. Supposed to be especially good for acidic soils which I definitely have as is evident by the wild blueberries among other wild fruits that grow here.
My guess:
"Where them rodent critters at? I'm hawngry!"
LOL
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