Posted on 04/20/2012 10:06:22 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde
Good morning to my FRiends, fellow gardeners, future gardeners, and lurkers! It is beautiful and sunny today here in NELA. We received 2-1/2 inches of rain earlier in the week and it is still very wet in the yard and garden.
I've been keeping busy with my bee yard ... I got called about a swarm day-before-yesterday, about 25 miles south of my house. I still had all of my bee catching equipment in my truck from doing a hive cutout last weekend, so off I went. Below is a photo of the swarm when I got there, and the latest photo of my bee yard with the newest hives on the right-hand side.
It is my hope that everybody is getting the weather they need, and none of what they don't. Check-in and let everybody know what you're up to in your neck of the woods.
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!
Heh - the consensus seems to be, maybe not.
Thanks, folks.
Just checking in, it’s batscat crazy with campaigns here and garden when I can. Will post some pics if I ever have time.
What a gorgeous setting! Your hives are so well kept that they all look new. What type of base or stand are they on?
Husband just informed me that we will have lows in the 30’s next Tuesday. Grrrrrrr....I will have to find some way to protect the grapes, cucumbers and zucchini that are all doing so well. I can easily cover the veggies with some good dry straw....but I’ll have to figure something else for the grapes.
Our peach trees have all been sprayed for the second time...and are LOADED with fruit. Our figs got zapped with a frost ...but are recovering. Our new raspberry canes are sprouting like crazy and I just cut all the blooms off the rhubarb so the roots will really get a boost after their transplant this spring.
Oh....and I’ve prayed for your friend, Mark. ;-)
I really don’t *do* flowers either, but Mr. Bender’s lovely wife has inspired me with her greenhouse full of flats every year. Went so far as to *buy* the seeds ... maybe I’ll get around to putting them in pots.
Thank you for your prayers. Mark had a rough night, with the pain, but is hoping for a better day.
LOL! You sound like me. Diana keeps sending me flower seeds in with veggies seeds - this time I have to say I did actually get some potting soil.........that’s as far as I’ve gotten!
Thanks for the update, JDB!
Wow ... you were very industrious. I feel like a slacker now.
Well, there you go! I'd wager that his soil may be better than the stuff you'll buy. I was very disappointed with the stuff that I bought for my raised bed ... and I paid a small fortune for it when you add in the transportation he charged me.
It may very well be cheaper and more productive to get the free stuff and put your money into some quality amendments like a block of sphagnum moss, vermeculite, some coconut coir, etc. And a good soil test before you plant or do too much amending.
Thank you, trisham!
Thank you for your kind words. The green pellets you are seeing are more than likely lime or nitrogen, but I couldn’t say for sure without seeing the bag. Phosphorus is generally in the tan/pink/red range, but a manufacturer could coat any element with another color for their ‘brand’.
We ended up with some wind, a lot of lightning, but only 0.3” of rain. Thank goodness! The blob that was bearing down on us on radar images kinda parted and went around us. :)
My husband wants to know if you have any pheasant hunting in your area. He has been wanting to get a hunt together for years.
Good to hear from ya ... can’t wait to see your photos.
I found it when I was watching the Victorian Kitchen series. Go figure. ;)
/johnny
What he has is primarily known as “fill dirt” but it’s free, so after chatting with folks this morning at church, what I think I’m going to do is fill the pick up at his place and then add a few bags of the topsoil. But first I’m going to add a bunch of manure to “dirt”
I didn’t stop at the supply place on my way home this morning because I wasn’t in the truck and my car was starting to act funky again and I just wanted it off the road. I’m not going to be able to do anything about it now until mid week because of the forecast.
Just when I finally get the bug to “do something” I get all kinds of road blocks thrown in my face. GRRRRRRR
The picture of the Iris is fantastic!
Good looking Figs - sad that the deer enjoyed them. Do you know what variety they are?
Some, but not a lot. 50-100 miles east of us is where the pheasant hunting starts getting really good. We have the wild turkeys, some Hungarian & chukar partridge, doves, and sharptail grouse.
http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/small-game/pheasants.aspx Map at the bottom of the page shows the HUNTER spending distribution, not BIRD distribution. However, by digging around on the site, I believe pheasant hunter-success stats can be found; I know they publish them for big game on a unit basis.
Of course, we’re in the very bottom, left-most county on the maps.
http://gfp.sd.gov/hunting/small-game/prairie-chicken-ruffed-grouse.aspx
As a landowner with enough acreage to qualify, I can hunt small game & furbearers on our property without any license; and I can get a landowner preference for big game tags, if I apply for tags in the unit the property is located in. About half the tags in the first draw of a unit are set aside for landowners-only; basically it requires at least 160 acres, and residency to qualify.
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