Posted on 03/16/2012 7:55:02 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde
Good morning FRiends and gardeners! During the rain this past week, I've had a chance to do some reading and found some articles that may be of interest to you. So this week I am sharing links, and I hope you enjoy them and find some useful information. I also hope that you'll check in and let us know how your garden/garden planning is coming along.
In Kitchen Garden Creation, you'll learn about growing culinary and visual delights in the same place.
The following links are for those interested in improving the structure of their soil. If you have rocks or clay, or otherwise good soil that has been compacted, you will find excellent information on planting cover crops and the benefits of no-till planting.
Improve Your Soil With Cover Crops
Cover crops: blanket your idle vegetable plot this winter with a soil-building cover crop
Plant Cover Crops is an entire website dedicated to improving your soil through cover cropping and drawing earthworms. Second column from the right is an extensive list of categories covered. This is a must bookmark for any gardener.
Grow Spectacular Spuds is a great guide to growing taters. Seems that lots of folks on our garden list are interested in growing potatoes.
Plant Pollination: A Bounty to Buzz About explains the art of attracting nature’s best pollinators to your garden.
And, speaking of pollinators, I found some of my girls working over the holly hedge that runs along my front sidewalk, but oddly enough they won't touch the wisteria, that is loaded with an assortment of large bees, including carpenters and bumblebees:
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!
Can I put Borax on my actual plants? I live in a 100% (I mean 100%) wood cabin with extensive wood decks that I guess these ants are chewing on and I never noticed.
After last year’s Centex drought, I decided (so far, that may change) to container garden on the decks, safe from the deer, rabbits and such.
Everything was great until a week ago when I started noticing these ants sneaking around and a week later all the tops of my plants have aphids all over the fruiting shoots.
I don’t know if you can actually put the borax on the plants. The DE you can.
I sprinkled the borax/sugar near where they traveled and they went after that.
I have seen a large blank ant with a large pointed stinger in Alabama, and here in Piney Woods region of Texas. That stinger means business, but it doesn’t leave the large, longlasting red whelps that fire ants do. It stings and gets better in a little while. It may or may not be what you have.
I pray that your knees will feel better soon!
One other thing while on the subject of pest critters. This place sells professional pest control products and will ship most products to most states. I have done business with them for years. It’s a good site to bookmark for future reference.
Would you like me to add you to the ping list?
Thanks :)
What a fantastic idea! Thank you muchly.
The trees should be packed in some wet material such as sawdust or newspaper strips, and they should be okay so long as they are not left out in the sun. They will steam in the box. I once put a box of trees in the garage and forgot all about them for 10 days. They were perfectly fine and are still growing today.
My cat loves to play under the stool I use when I'm planting. An unexpected grab at my leg is always good for a giggle on her part.
Sounds wonderful!
I agree ... go for it! I’m getting the crazy itch to put some seeds in the ground. We could still get a frigid front from the north, but I can’t stand it any longer!
This is a bad pic of the invaders I just took, there's no sun in TX right now. See how that one has his tail stuck up? He's a drone. The drones ride herd on the workers, whose butts aren't as big or black or stinger-y.
LOLOL!!!!!!
Not quite like that. She likes to crawl under cars just as people are getting into them to drive away. And, there’s an owl family and lots of dogs around here. I just prefer keeping her close where she’s safe.
Taking photos of ants ain’t easy.
You are way ahead of me; I haven’t studied these things, just stuck my hand in the wrong place a time or two.
I’m suddenly starving! :)
I agree, Uncles are far easier. Just set out a cold Beer next to a recliner and you don't have to wait too long . . . [grin]
Thank you! I just ordered it. :)
I was out there, ‘ok, now YOU hold still, STOP - the rest can keep moving- and you over there in the corner, come get in the shot’.
I think there’s some sort of collaboration here. Where do ants find aphids? Mailorder? There were these tiny little gnats on the strawberries before the ants showed up and voila! Aphids.
Where do we get aphids from?
THank you so much. I gaze out the window at the weeds and hope that I’ll be able to take care of them when the weather is nice — which is just about now.
certified birth cert. (which I can produce - same day within minuets), proof of insurance and proof of Texas residence. I had to raise my right hand and swear I was the person represented by these documents.
I had to get copies of my birth cert and SS card for my DL. Then the line was out the door and around the parking lot and out to the street, in the 100deg heat last summer. I never got my license until Nov. when My Alabama license was about to expire.
Moving to Texas is lots of fun!
I went to Amazon just to see what the reviews are .... wow! The 4 reviews it got are all 5 stars and the comments are terrific - I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since I like the book so much myself! I think you will be very happy with it. :-)
Glad you made it! You are now free to move about Texas, a whole nother country. Now get your head right and move to the Hill Country!
I know one thing, put Boric acid in affected areas or use those horse apples and they will LEAVE as fast as they can. I used to pick those horse apples at my old apartment and never had a problem with critters.
We didn't come empty handed. When my wife's company moved here, it brought 7 conservatives with it, no Obamacrats and provided 6 new jobs, so far, for local Texans.
What trip to the Hill Country would you put together for RD?
I would insist on their seeing the ‘lowlands’ of the Highland Lakes, like Krause Springs. They’ll need to see Marble Falls and Kingsland, of course, Llano, Lake Buchanan spillway, Smithwick, Lago, Volente, and then maybe Bend? San Saba? Blanco?
*note there are wineries with free tastings at every stop on this itinerary
We know there are wineries with excellent wines. Our daughter made a day trip of tasting rooms with her friends and they had a blast. Maybe even a trip to the military museum at Camp Mabry.
I did so as well. Every few days, gave them a hair cut and put them in the salad spinner. Good eats! I couldn't find the seeds I liked from last year so sowed the few left over and bought another brand so don't know if I'll like the mix. I did plant some bibb though.
Beans, carrots, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, mesclun, various greens are sprouting. Tomatoes and peppers have been transplated from last years' seeds. Need to get squash and peas in the ground tomorrow and that should be everything. Well, need to start some herbs.
We’ve had temps in the mid 80’s here this week .... not normal by any means. I know if I get too ambitious, we’ll get a freeze .... worried about all the fruit orchards in the state, too. I need to go ahead and ‘take the plunge’ I guess ... the one good thing is that any ‘cold snap’ won’t last but so long so I could probably cover things and be ok.
My salad spinner was in storage last summer and I really missed it! I dug it out of a box about two weeks ago and boy, was I a happy camper ... never thought I’d be so thrilled to be reunited with a salad spinner. It surely makes washing & ‘drying’ salad a breeze.
Say, what?!? How's that? I had some sort of ants a couple weeks ago. A dusting of Sevin and they were gone. Have some sort of sugar ants in the kitchen but can't figure out where they're coming in at.
Aren’t those just regular red ants? Are they on the big side?
Thanks for the new desktop backgrounds! They’re great!
I had tagged and and titled my truck in Texas a few years ago when we moved to San Antonio and paid those fees then. When we moved back to Mississippi I never bothered to register the truck in Mississippi. I just drove it around with expired Texas plates and inspection sticker for years. Like a true Red Neck! Never was stopped.LOL I just had to renew those old plates and get a current inspection sticker this time. There were no questions here in Texas why the tags and inspection had expired in 08! They just wanted my money.
Very good ... thank you!!!
Howdy, howdy! It’s been one of those days here, today and so I’m not going to even try to catch up today and will look forward to relishing everything over the weekend.
My allergies have attacked like all get out with one ear having been plugged for the past few weeks and getting up this morning with the other one whacked.
Started the week with no heat, hot water, and by Tuesday no internet or phone. ACK - thank goodness those things were dealt with (heat and hot water cost a bundle - but internet and phone just needed to wait out solar flares.) Today I realized the refrigerator needs to be replaced - thankfully there is a great place nearby that still takes layaway. Will have that puppy replaced in 3 weeks (or less)
Friend lost all the seedlings in his greenhouse last night. he closed it all up in advance of the storm but apparently didn’t realize he also closed in there some kind of a critter that ate everything - including 150 tomato plants. I so feel for him.
Have you tried Benadryl for your allergy and hearing problem?
If you don’t mind, I’ll take a couple. I need somthing in the SW corner of the yard and the NE next to the 4th green.
The fence along the 4th green is being planted with every other plant a rosemary and lavender plant. The ground is kind of softfrom the rain so it’s pretty easy to plant, right now. I’m also going to lazana layer around the garden shed for some bulbs and seeds. The porch will have rosemary along it’s sides and climbing roses on each side of the porch. I have 2 really old pitch forks that I found at the ranch and they are going to hold a flower pot or pots on the garden porch. I’ll drill holes and fill them with wood filler and while the wood filler is still wet, stuff the metal portion of the “handle” into the hole. I’ll tape the pitchforks and wrap the tape around the porch post until the wood filler is dry.
The inside leaves and belgium endive leaves and celery filled with tuna and chicken salads are some of our favorite finger foods. Peanut butter mixed with a bit of mayo are also good as suffers.
That was at work. You had to be a licensed pesticide applicator to even put Sevin dust out there.
So far I have Arkansas traveler, mortgage lifter, Kimberly, and some hybrids. I have ordered some packets of heirloom seeds from wintersown. You get 10 packets for a $5.00 donation and SASE. That order includes some Cherokee Purple.
Still chowing down on the lettuce from the winter garden, but the spinach is all gone will need to replant.
Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Licensed this and licensed that. It's all about the $$$$.
That’s the fear, eh?
We get a big blast of cold, and everything dies.
I hope your knees feel better soon.
Z4A
I ran into a neighbor who owns a garden center at dinner last night and I ask him (joking), “Can we plant yet?” He looked shocked for a minute and advised me to wait a while.
But it is a question that I’m sure he was asked many times yesterday because the weather was glorious.
Do you ever hang out on these garden threads Vex???
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