Posted on 07/22/2023 5:48:31 AM PDT 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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Rats with antlers.
The drought is awful. We had a few decent rains recenty, but need much more. The forecast has chances of rain 5 of the next 7 days.
In the garden, my favorites are the large (tree lily and others) lilies I got from The Lily Garden dot com, for planting last fall.
In the dahlia department (tubers from Dahias dot com...which is Swan Island Dahlias)....I have several varieties blooming now, the best is Honeymoon, a huge richly petaled flower of golden yellow orange on a stout 2.5 foot plant.
I tried Aztec Mix zinnia seeds this year (ParkSeed.com) and they are so varied in rich deep colors, I will be growing them again. They paired well with Rocket Snapdragons in large pots.
My ProCut Red sunflowers are in bloom and very nice with deep red color.
I have a second batch of seedlings in the greenhouse ready to plant outside.
On a different topic, it is official that my folks are retiring after mum season is over. We had a good spring there, very busy as usual. There are mums, asters, coneflowers,and ornamental cabbage growing now for late summer/fall sales.
I will be getting left over seeds of many kinds from my mom next spring. She won’t do inventory until later in the year. I already got a lot of Magellan zinnia seeds many weeks ago, and they are already 6” high and in big pots and in the garden.
Thanks for the weekly thread!
🌼🌸🌺
I haven’t been gardening this year, but yesterday when cutting lambsquarters to feed the chickens, I found a volunteer tomato plant that is doing surprisingly well. It was pretty much smothered by the weeds around it, and yet it still managed to flower at some point. It has a little green tomato hanging from it.
Hopefully now that it has more sunlight it’ll put out some more of them. Judging from the stripes it’s a Black Vernissage. They can be pretty aggressive about volunteering.
My zucchini grows just fine, had some this week with pork tenderloin and potatoes. It’s my cucumbers and beans the animals were after.
An air fryer comes pretty close. Convection toaster ovens too. I got one with a rotisserie. Did one chicken so far and it wasn't as good as Sam's Club but was better than the local grocery store and I no longer have a Sam's Club within 100 miles.
*** “The goal is not immortality - the goal is to be the best you can be in the time you are given.”***
Hear, hear!! I second that thought!
*BUMP*
One of my favorites:
Woo hoo, it is raining!
(2pm Saturday)
I know it’s no laughing matter, but that made me chuckle. ;)
A bunch of farms around me have tan bales of hay sitting in the field that they baled a few weeks ago but one smart farmer waited it out and baled a few days after the first heavy rain and has nice green bales.
“If I end up being able to keep a small herd and take one or two a year for the freezer with absolutely zero input, that’s the ticket.”
It amazes me that this is the first year that we’ve put the steer in the big pasture for the summer, versus just grazing him around the farm. I mean, Duh! He’s having the time of his life hanging out with the dairy Heifers and he’s got plenty to eat, fresh water to drink as well as the molasses and oats Ryan brings to them all each week.
Beau continues to go down there with a grain bucket though, and call for him. He DOES come to his name which is a result of hand-raising him. We want to be able to have him still come to us, versus having to hunt for him this fall! That’s the only drawback we can see, though I’m sure by then he’ll follow the heifers right into the trailer if need be. ;)
“My ProCut Red sunflowers are in bloom and very nice with deep red color.”
I’m growing the ProCut Orange and they’re doing well, too. Very ‘classic’ looking and long-lasting with no pollen dropping everywhere! Love them!
I started another batch of Zinnia this week so I can tuck them in here and there and have cutting flowers into the fall.
I don’t know how anyone lives without fresh flowers in the house; they are so cheerful! :)
Free food for you and the chickens! :)
We just had an unexpected shower, but I still kept on watering, LOL!
You’re getting more than we are, per the radar map. Happy for you!
I am glad for what you can grow - and for what you can eat! Thank God.
How do you find living and farming in NH vs. NY?
A garden is a friend you can frequently visit.
What works good on asparagus beetles? I am seeing only neem oil on the internet. Is that a good solution? Hubby picked off many today. After over 20 years with asparagus this is the first year we have had them.
Loving the patty pan squash, the are a lot denser than zukes. We live our grilled veggies and use a weber charcoal grill. Many years ago I did shish kabobs but about 10 or more years ago we got a coated metal grill wok. It still looks brand new. It also came with a metal tray to put the wok on to take into the house, it is so easy to have a bunch of grilled just about anything. Shishito peppers are the bomb if you just char them for less than a minute. I have picked and either put up or eaten over 5 gallons off of 8 or 9 plants. It’s a jungle down there I can never remember.
This looks like the one we have but we did not get it at Walmart. Theirs also does not have the handy metal tray.
Hi! Apologies for being unable to give the URL.
Zucchini butter, Julia Child’s
Melt butter in a skillet.
Add minced garlic and saute until fragrant.
Add shredded zucchini and cook until all the water released evaporates.
Cool in a jar and use on your favorite pasta.
Central NY is far better for agriculture.
The soil is much richer and easier to work. NH has more, bigger rocks and where we are the soil is much more clay like, making it harder to weed when dry. And near my son’s, it is much sandier and nutrient deficient, meaning fertilizing is a MUST.
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