Posted on 09/10/2022 5:54:55 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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https://drippingspringsollas.com/
Ollas are designed for use in dry areas. The clay is bisque fired and allows water to pass through the clay and water the surrounding soil. Here is what they look like:
(A good fence around the garden, and a watch cat on patrol!)
It was another week of ‘feels like October’ here in Central Missouri. Got a nice rain shower Saturday night.
Haven’t done much of anything in the garden except for pick tomatoes and water the baby cabbage plants.
With a lull in the canning activities I’ve put on my landscaper hat and gotten back to work on the pond dam. Over the past week I’ve placed around half of the limestone cobble that I purchased last spring on the water side of the dam and started to bring up topsoil to begin what hopefully will be the final finish grade on the back side of the dam.
Spent most of the weekend getting the camper cleaned up and packed for the racetrack. Did some straightening up in the bomb room so I had space to put away a couple cases of canning. I’ll top-dress the sweet corn after we get home on Sunday, then it’s drop the camper, repack the truck, and head out for two weeks in sunny Florida.
Thanks! I’ve only seen pics, but he’s a particularly cute little guy. My nephew (his dad) is fairly nervous around babies, but knowing his wife, she’ll have him changing diapers & carrying him around in no time :-)
I just remembered a homemade variation on the olla idea. Take a plastic bottle, and punch 2 holes, opposite each other, about 3/4ths of the way up. Run a piece of yarn or twine (natural is best) through the holes, but make sure it has enough slack that the center of the string touches the bottom of the bottle, with at least 4 inches sticking out the sides. Bury the bottle up to the neck, and fill it with water. The string should act as a wick to draw water out to where the plants can reach it. If you use this with perennials, the roots will eventually follow the string all the way inside the bottle, which is kind of fascinating to see.
Remember to remove the bottles before tilling!
Sounds interesting.
Thanks
Are you having problems with FRUIT FLIES this time of year? I am! I've been canning all week and while I've been VIGILANT about getting the scraps out to the compost bins, they've still managed to make it into the house. They drive me NUTS!
My solution? Super simple. Using a shallow bowl, fill it with Apple Cider Vinegar, then drip a few dribbles of dish soap on top. They LOVE the scent of the ACV for some reason, then get stuck in the dish soap that forms a film on top.
I put a trap out tonight - I've already got a dozen dead ones in there - more by morning. Dump it down the drain, or compost it, and make another trap if they are still a problem once you see that the trap isn't attracting them anymore. (After a few days, I refresh the trap if they're still an issue.)
It's Science!
There's a link to the actual FDA page. I don't know who'd be willing to register, but FYI...
Wow. The Feds will snag a few willing victims in that sting! Yikes!
Direct link to the USDA so you can tell tham all about your garden. NOT!
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/national/newsroom/releases/?cid=NRCSEPRD1952625
Exactly True !
Same here - but it makes sense in how one gets accidental volunteer plants in the garden
A great experiment to try !, ..and am still learning from other gardeners experiences.
"People's" as in People's Republic of China? Or John Lennon commie lyrics? "Power to the people. Power to the people right on."
We grew our own tomatoes this year. Bit of a learning curve, but they have been awesome...
I was, ‘in the biz’ for 18 years. Managed a store for Seed Savers, then a Garden Center for Jung’s. It took a while, but after years of BEGGING, Heirlooms became pretty commonplace in the commercial world of vegetable seedlings, but if there are specific things you want, you do have to grow from seed.
It’s not hard once you get the hang of it. I’m glad you tried! :)
We bought plants this year, though5 tha5 would give us a head start, but the nursery didn’t give much info. And I don’t think what we grew was what we thought we were getting.
I think we’ll do seeds next year.
In addition to the learning curve, it was hotter than Hades this summer and we had a minor drought. We kept the tomatoes well watered, but boy can those things guzzle water...
I love heirlooms, BTW. Flowers, veggies, fruit.
Wish more orchards did heirloom apples. Those are hard to find in our neck of the woods.
Do you have room for apple trees? You’ll need two for pollination, or one apple tree and a crab apple to pollinate.
For Heirlooms we have ‘Haralson’ and ‘Wolf River.’ We also have Honeycrisp and Liberty (Best. Apple. Tree. Ever. EVER!)
If you have the room, apples are easy to grow, though it takes a number of years before they produce.
You can buy them ‘bare root’ in the spring through Jung’s. They ship all over and will send them to you when it’s time for you to plant in your Zone.
Some pictures of happy workers! (Happy they have not been killed.)
They will be happier once in the collective they just don't know it yet! (Kulaks and grain seizures)
So far, all the tomatoes we’ve gotten this year are from volunteer plants. Out of all the plants Mom started or bought, only 1 survived, and it’s being slow to ripen. But, every time we found a volunteer, dad dug it up and moved it to the tomato patch. Those are doing great!
(They just want to inspect everyone's produce and make certain its safe to eat! Ask the Amish!)
And of course there is that chance you will be collectivized.
(Madistan Oblast Peoples Agricultural Collective? Someone's going to starve!)
It works!
(And thanks for the Raspberry pruning info and of course sponsoring this thread!)
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