Posted on 12/11/2008 12:51:17 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
I love thinking of spring -— and it’s been over 60 here the past couple of days, but it is also raining. Of course we will be back to highs in the 40s and freezing overnight by Saturday.
I planted about 16 tomato plants for sauce and got about 28 quarts of tomato sauce. I also went apple picking and canned up about as many quarts of applesauce.
You don’t need a huge garden, though. Mine is about 7 x 30 and I grew peas, beans, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, potatoes and turnips.
I wouldn’t bother with the onions or potatoes again, though. They’re too cheap in the stores.
Strawberries are very easy. They grow like weeds.
I wish I had your optimism. I had absolutely NO luck with strawberries. Nor with raspberries.
Actually, I’ve seen tomatoes grown successfully in pots on patios. You could give it a try.
We have a Christmas party to attend this evening:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
840 AM EST THU DEC 11 2008
...MAJOR WINTER STORM TODAY AND TONIGHT...
.COLD HIGH PRESSURE WITH ITS RESERVOIR OF SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES
IS BECOMING ENTRENCHED FROM NEW YORK STATE TO NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND
AND SOUTHEAST CANADA TODAY. LOW PRESSURE MOVING TOWARD NEW ENGLAND
FROM ALABAMA WILL CONSTANTLY DRAW UPON THAT POOL OF COLD AIR TO OUR
NORTH WHILE HEAVY PRECIPITATION FLOWS NORTHWARD WITH THE MOISTURE
LADEN LOW PRESSURE CENTER. THIS WILL RESULT IN A MAJOR ICE STORM FOR
PORTIONS OF INTERIOR SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND. THE LOW PRESSURE GALE
CENTER WILL MOVE ACROSS EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS FRIDAY MORNING AND
DEPART FOR THE MARITIMES IN THE AFTERNOON.
It’s 34 degrees at the moment. Estimates of ice coverage are up to an inch. I’m not sure the party will proceed as planned.
Interesting about the strawberries. The major problem I had with them was the tree rats. I went outside once just in time to see the furry rodent run off with one of the biggest ones in his mouth.
Anyway, I use some of that black landscaping fabric and covered it with straw. I watered when necessary and when the plants went nuts with blossoms and tiny fruit, I picked off some of the smaller ones so the remaining ones would grow bigger.
My patio gets about 1/2 hour of direct sunlight every day. Not enough for tomatoes. Plan on trying indoor grow lights.
I use Pomona’s pectin for jams. It allows for big batches and low sugar jams.
I use 12 cups of fruit, 3 cups of sugar and the pectin. It makes 7 pints of jam; just one cannerload.
Although it seems expensive, I figured out the cost per pint and it’s way cheaper than Sure-Jell and Certo.
You be careful if you dare venture out.
I see. Yes, it seems that veggies need lots of full sun. The parts of my garden that got less sun didn’t do as well.
Do I have to grow food to give to those who live in public housing high rises?
Thanks. I will, although if it’s really bad, we won’t even be able to get up the driveway.
Yikes! It’s a big system, isn’t it?
Interestingly enough, I do not have a tree rat problem. In fact only once in nearly 6 years have I even seen one anywhere near our property.
If I ever decide to try the strawberries again I will go the black plastic route. Although I have found going to the U-pick place to be easier, and maybe even cheaper in the long run.
Victory Garden? The libs don’t want victory. How about an unconditional withdrawal garden? A surrender garden? A defeat garden? A detente garden?
The wind started picking up late Saturday night. Sunday was a horrible, horrible day. It looked so pretty out with the sun shining, but it was on 40 degrees with 25-30mph sustained winds. Monday and Tuesday weren’t so bad because even though the winds were even stronger, the temps were in the mid 60s and the wind was from the southwest.
Our 10yo is driving us nuts wanting snow -— then complains she’s cold..........
Getting back to the Victory Garden, I have been spending a lot of time looking at hundreds of ariel photos from the 40s 50s and 60s posted on the Humboldt State Universitie's library collections web site and almost every back yard had a garden here in Eureka. Ping me if anyone wants a link to the site...
They will be called Peoples’ Gardens and they will be community property. All may eat even if they don’t contribute. Don’t h8 when they take the product of your effort.
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