Weekly Gardening Thread (Home Sweet Home) Vol. 8, February 24, 2012

Greetings from hot and sticky NE Louisiana! We set a record high yesterday at 89 degrees. I miss the mountains of Montana already. It averaged around 15 degrees while we were there and I was walking around in shirt sleeves. Without the extreme dampness, the cold is really comfortable.

I want to extend a big THANK YOU to Red Devil_232 and Ellendra for taking care of the thread in my absence. Y'all did wonderful work and I appreciate your efforts more than you will know. I had expected to be able to post the thread for the past 2 weeks, but things did not go as planned and the only internet access I had -- when I could get a signal -- was my smartphone. Trying to post a thread from that is just beyond my level of patience.

Most of you have healthy and happy plants started indoors by now. I am getting mine started this weekend, about 2 weeks later than I should have, and the anticipation is really exciting.

My short series on soil structure is coming along nicely, and I apologize that it is not ready to publish today. Structure is such an important part of growing a healthy plant. Now that vacation and some health issues are out of the way, I will be able to devote a bit more time to this endeavor that I love so much.

Let us know what you doing! I look forward to hearing from each and every one of you! Happy Gardening!

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.

This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

Just came back from the early spring garden. I’ve got cabbage (including red), 2 types of broccoli, and onions set out. It’s so windy. I wanted to plant beets and radishes today, but it’s blowing 30mph out there. I’m also going to start an asparagus patch (hopefully tomorrow). I have about 50 crowns of Mary Washington and Jersey Giant to put out. When I was very young (kindergarten) growing up in Wisconsin we always had lots of asparagus, and I’d run through the ferns with a stick busting it all to pieces. Great fun. Can’t wait to do that again with my own plot (not!). I wasn’t sure about asparagus in NC, so I visited the farmer down Cecil Road across from my house. His name is Cecil Jones, and the road is named after him. He’s 87 years old. He said asparagus grows great down here, and cited several folks he knew that had plots set out. He doesn’t have any of his own, however, and that makes me suspicious. He grows everything, including catfish. Why not asparagus? My wife and I help him out and his wife, Virginia, because they’re too old to shift for themselves completely, though they do a pretty good job. I hope I’m half as spry at their age.

Other than that, this weekend I’ll be starting seeds in my 72-plot Burpee Seed Starting Green House kits, with the water-expandable peat pills. Mostly tomatoes, peppers, and various herbs, including two types of dill, for pickling. It’s too early to start squash and cucumbers indoors, in my opinion. I’ll wait another couple/three weeks to start those inside, although I’ve had very good success just direct planting the seeds in the garden after April 15th.

I usually do 7 or 8 rows of Pontiac red potatoes, but not this year. I’m going to do a potato box that somebody on this forum posted about a few weeks ago, which is basically a 2’ by 2’ box, 3 feet high. I’ve bought the lumber but haven’t screwed it together yet. Plus I’ll still do at least one row, but I won’t be digging it up. I’ll plant over it later in field peas around May/June. I’ve found that potatoes do pretty well stored in the ground, and I’ll just let them set there until I need some, then I’ll dig them up. Ditto with the potato box. When you need potatoes, you just remove one of the boards at the base of the box, and reach in and grab out what you need, then screw the board back in place.

If I can figure out how to do it, I’ll post some pics.

“How tall will your deer fence be? Around here they can clear 5-6’ without even thinking about it.”

Good question! Thankfully most of our deer are out of shape city dwellers.

Orinally I was planning a simple 5’, 2” x 4” welded wire type with metal posts. Then I found a cool 6’ Deer & Orchard fence with small openings on the bottom third then larger 6” x 6” openings up top, it would be great for the little critters on the bottom, keep the deer out, keep my Siberian husky in.

But can’t find anyone that sells it closer than a 300 mile round trip, they don’t seem to want to ship single rolls.

So I think we’re back to sq one with a 5’ welded wire fence but with cheaper wood posts. I need something that will hold up to snow instead of just netting, etc.

Deer are a concern but gophers are my biggest problem!

5' welded wire should work just fine, but 6' may be better. With what you're trying to accomplish, welded wire should be strong enough. I kept goats and miniature donkeys in a welded wire enclosure for years, until we expanded and replaced it with 4" square net wire (commonly known as sheep & goat fence).

If you have gophers and critters that will dig, you can put a 12 to 18" strip of the welded wire on the ground outside the enclosure and hold it down with landscape pins. That works really well.

I have removed the back seat once. It has never been put back in. It is kept in storage.

LOLOLOL! That's what usually happens. I forgot for a minute that you were talking about a truck! That is higher off the ground than my 4 dr sedan where Max rides. So far, he is not having any trouble getting in, although I notice that he is now stepping on the floor first instead of jumping directly to the seat. He's at least 11. My Terra (may she RIP) was really unable to get in and out of the car during her last years. Had to be lifted, which was a chore when she weighed 80-85 lbs.

My older F150 (which is confined to the barn with an oil leak which only leaks when running) is a 2 door truck with a small back bench seat -- like half a row. Strictly for children, dogs, or guns! Adults would not want to ride back there for very long -- certainly not an adult over 40. It will fold down to a flat floor.

In case there was any question this was an unusual "winter".

I looked out last night and was shocked to see plumeria with full grown leaves. Normally we start seeing signs of buds sometime in March.

The only ones with leaves are the ones right next to the flood light for the flag, so I suspect that may have something to do with it. Even the ones a few feet away are acting normally.

My wife and I made the trip from Meridian to Marshall yesterday with my modified trailer loaded down. It took about six hours. 360 miles. I could only go about sixty mph any faster and that small trailer would start to wobble. We head back on Sat to pack up the major stuff. Light rain and drizzle all the way but cleared up when we hit Texas.

In honor of our trip I see Jim Rob shut FR down for the day just so I would not miss anything. LOL

JADB, did you hear me honk as I passed by?

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