Posted on 09/23/2023 6:03:30 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.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
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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! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
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Love the tagline. My garden got hit hard by bugs, too much rain on the wrong days to dust. Rained a week straight, on and off. On the other hand, my pullets are now Hens, 8-9 eggs a day. They give Dr. Pol’s feed a thumbs up. The south is a hard-growing area due to annual high heat or lack of rain. This was an off year.
Any tips on overwintering root vegetables? I’m trying rutabagas, turnips, carrots and onions in zone 6b. If it works, I could have something growing 365 days a year.
Not sure when we’re going to our local orchard festivities, but we have playing with the apple cannons over there on our radar this season.
When we had lockdowns lifted, it was so fun to go to the first festival over there; seeing all the kids jumping in hay piles and getting tractor rides, music playing, it was the best thing ever!
I hope to never see our citizenry allow another lockdown ever.
Had our first (soft) frost 3 days ago. Tomatoes are down, squash half in, ‘taters half in. Leaving the carrots and beets for now, one more good sized cucumber to pick.
One bed is ready for rock-picking, the others need a run with the Troy-Bilt, then I can play there too. Hopefully I can get the rocks out and the soil amendments in before the snow flies.
Not a great harvest this year, but I started too late, and it *is* a new place, so I have literally zero experience in how to grow here. Going from the west coast to the interior mountains is quite a change. Only a bit further North, but a LOT higher above sea level.
Happy harvesting to my fellow gardeners.
Howdy! I tried storing dahlia tubers last winter (in wood shavings) and all the tubers dried out, and were unviable in spring. Bought new tubers from Swan Island Dahlias (dahlias.com) in spring, and want to try another storing method this winter.
Any ideas on this?
Dried fruits, flowers and leaves:
Dried whole rose blooms:
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Ophelia is currently blowing through. We have just under an inch of rain in the gauge since last evening & the heavy rain should come through this afternoon. Winds are gusty, but not as bad as I thought they would be - hopefully no power loss.
I received the book I ordered: The Healing Garden (Juliet Blankespoor). It is a beautiful book (pictures), but the amount of detailed info on growing/using herbs is unreal. I cannot imagine writing such a book! It’s a bit daunting to look at all that is in the book & then my measly little herb garden by comparison, but you have to start somewhere! The author claims “this book will grow you” & I believe it - lots of room for growth from my perspective.
Speaking of my herb garden, my SIL walked up to talk to me at the garden yesterday morning. The pollinators were getting busy - she commented on what a nice little garden it was and the other awesome thing was we could actually smell the herbs - it was one of those ‘moments’ you have with a garden that is special & makes the work worth it.
As for ‘work’, spent 5 hours yesterday taking down fences around the veggie raised beds, moving things around, & made one run to the debris pile with some plants I cut down. There was still a lot to do, but the clouds were ominous & the wind had really picked up, so I called it a day & battened down the hatches for Ophelia.
There is a pasture raised meat chicken in the slow cooker & a spaghetti squash from the garden on the counter. It’s a good day for chicken ‘noodle’ soup while the rain pours, the wind blows, & the temps are on the cooler side.
Re: Dahlias. I only know what I’ve read on the WWW. I had a stellar Dahlia season - they are still blooming like crazy, and I just buy the $5 packs from Walmart and start them ahead of time in pots in my greenhouse. I don’t bother saving the tubers because they’re so cheap to buy each spring. Same with Gladiolus.
Anyhow, it looks pretty easy. Make sure you store them somewhere cool, but that they don’t freeze:
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-store-dahlia-tubers-for-winter-2132882
Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4A_JKARG4Gw
Thank you. The Spruce article was nice, will try one of their suggestions. I did a lot of research on this last year but the wood shavings pulled all the moisture out of the tubers. Will give storage another try. I have some really spectacular varieties to save.
😊
Cooler weather finally in So Cal - low to mid-70s with little variation for the next two weeks - I may be able to put in my winter flower beds after all -they'll be wiped out if we have another heat wave, and that is a distinct possibility.
Meanwhile, we are enjoying re-blooming irises:
Variegated verbena:
Plumeria are still pumping out flowers, but slower now that it's fall:
Kitty caught three tree rats last week, one of which she dragged into the house still squealing:
Those are beautiful. My daughter is looking for a potpourri- making class for us.
The "Horn" (Kornu in Greek) was a pannier that fruit pickers in ancient Rome and Greece would wear strapped around them and allow them to use both hands to pick fruit. It was the symbolic representation of abundance or plenty.
I like the way you wrote “Yet!”
I’m a big fan of using that word to help me continue to go for goals I have set for myself.
Speaking of herbs, does that author have any advice about tarragon or oregano? I have both in the ground as an experiment, and hope that they come back with vigor next Spring. They are still producing very nicely, but I know at some point, I will have to “let go” until next year.
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Thanks, Pete!
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