Posted on 03/28/2014 12:39:07 PM PDT by greeneyes
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.
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You’re saying a seed from a grocery store grape? I hadn’t thought of that as I figured they needed all sorts of grafting and whatever to get started. I’ve been wanting table grapes but hadn’t seen them at the local nursery until the last few years. I almost bought some the other day. We have wild mustangs which hubby’s been trying to kill out for some reason. I had thought if table grapes were planted in place of the mustangs, he’d leave them alone (famous last words).
The neighbor was happy to accept the fig I bought but didn’t really have room for. We can share and I’ll make the preserves so all’s good.
Agree about feeding the oh so cute little Bambi creatures. They’re not so cute when they wreck your vehicle, eat your garden and think your front door is their territory.
Off hand here’s Central Texas fruit trees - Pear, Peaches, Plums, Apricots (they need a mate), Figs, Persimmons, and I hear some are growing Satsuma (mandarine) orange trees. Also, olives are beginning to be grown in Central TX. There are apples at the nursery but I don’t know about those and the chill they need. Mayer Lemons and Limes can be container grown but need to be brought inside during the winter.
Also, check out - http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/fruit-nut/
I've run out of venison, and wound up with some ground beef, and I was VERY disappointed when I made mini-burgers with it. Venison is just better meat, IMHO.
/johnny
Olives... That’s the ticket.
Lint from old wool sweaters - http://www.ehow.com/how_6392334_homemade-felt-dryer-lint.html
Paper from lint - http://www.instructables.com/id/How-To-Make-Paper-Out-Of-Lint/
http://www.wickedwaif.com/2009/02/what-i-make-from-dryer-lint.html
http://www.essortment.com/ten-uses-dryer-lint-15708.html
Waste not, want not.
/johnny
Just did - WOW. Also googled making yarn from dryer lint. OOOOOOO! I am a big time crocheter. Give me a hook (or I can make one) and any kind of string, wire, rope, and I can make just about anything. Seriously. If I were going on Survivor I would wear a sweater and take it apart, make a hook, and make a fishing net the first day.
Thanks for the tip. As usual you are a wealth of knowledge.
I have a friend who would take her old paper egg cartons, stuff the spaces with dryer lint, close them up, and use them for fire starters in the wood stove. All I could think of back then was what a waste of dryer lint. I have a good amount saved up.
Thanks for the links!
/johnny
This time of year is skunk breeding time, which is why many are being killed on the roads - they are definitely active, out and about. A family member’s dog got sprayed maybe two weeks ago. The other two dogs that were along didn’t get directly sprayed, but after being in the same pen/sleeping area, they needed a bath as well. I knew about the peroxide/baking soda/detergent mix which is recommended by the humane society & passed it on for use on the dogs. They get a bath in that solution, then again with a shampoo just for dogs. I think this worked for the “skunked” dog and freshened up the other two as well.
I thought I kept smelling a little skunk yesterday - it turns out that my garden shoes are oh so slightly odiferous - but not so bad that they can’t stay in the mud room. I think the skunk sprayed when the trap door slammed closed on it - probably scared it pretty bad. It definitely had sprayed at some point. After walking in the grass around the trap, the shoes must have picked up some smell.
I insulated the ceiling of an old goat shed once with styrofoam egg cartons. Staple the lid of the carton to the ceiling and then close the bottom to the lid. Next carton goes in right beside it. If you need more R value you can stuff the cartons.
Thanks. I will keep my eye open for flint and a small piece of steel.
I don’t have a clothes dryer. And I am trying to think of who might save dryer lint for me (and not think I am whacked).
Does pocket lint count? I can generate some serious pocket lint.
As a prepper, I’ve saved dryer lint for years. I have about 35 large Bic lighters and a very large Christmas can full of strike anywhere matches and two flint fire starters.
One of those fire starters is a master fire starter which costs more than the cheap ones. It had come and was on the coffee table and my husband and I were watching a survivor type TV program, and they on the show had to decide what to use to make fire. Husband said, “I’ve got a fire starter!”, picked up that starter and hit it with the attached tool, and lightning shot out of that down to the marble top coffee table. That was so strong it would had lit up wood. We were both shocked at the intensity of that bolt. That type fire starter should never be hit in the house and no kid should be allowed close to it.
I just wrote two long posts about autism on an FR thread and have a short one to write but came to this thread for R&R before writing the last one.
Johnny, I have six sunflowers I transplanted from cups to larger pots yesterday. I haven’t been outside today to see how all the transplants look today. The sun is shining so I hope they are all looking up and storing up energy to grow a bunch tonight.
I’ll step out there and see what’s happening.
Meanwhile, I made the mistake of stopping at Mom & Pop nursery on the way home from my Mother's house. I did need more potting mix, seedling mix, and smart pots.
They had a ton of mystery tomatoes, lettuce, cardoons, and other stuff I don't need out "for free"...I told them to quit putting free stuff out because then I end up buying ten dollar smart pots, and 14 dollar potting soil for the "free" stuff.
The girl laughed, and said, "We've figured it out..Haven't you noticed when we see you pull in, we put a bunch of free stuff out while you're back in the herb section?"
Anyway, I moved a bunch of impatiens to the front porch, took down my Christmas lights, added dirt to the potatoes, and now I need to plant all this free stuff I got at the nursery...And finish my chainsaw stuff..Oh, and overnight, my chinese cabbage in the greenhouse, bolted, and has yellow flowers blooming.
My dryer lint appears to consist mostly of cat hair.
I have six Sunflowers in pots outside now. They are not large but were too big for the cup so transplanted them yesterday to outside.
If growth and blossoms mean anything, I should have strawberries some day not far away I would think but I've never had any, so what do I know.
WHAT MAKES A DWARF MANDARIN ORANGE TREE MAKE ORANGES? It is full of blooms but they are beginning to fall off - the orange smell around that tree is really heavy. Do they magically make oranges? Don't see any baby oranges anywhere.
The three blackberry sticks are really growing leaves pretty fast.
I don't see any carrots coming up in the four grow bags where planted but maybe it takes a while for the seed to do their thing. I'm not used to sewing seed directly. I see tiny lettuce in the long planter but they are really tiny.
I wait with bated breath for those Walking Onions to start making onions at the top of the stalks but nothing yet. They look super strong.
I already need to transplant various tomatoes out of the cups under grow lamp to larger pots. Maybe I can do that today.
You may have to hand pollinate the baby oranges with a paintbrush. It may be too early for the bees and you live in a walled garden. You may have to do the same with your strawberries as well.
The grand-daughter fell in love with the cloth doll that I've been working on, and wanted it. I told her no, she couldn't have it, but it would be here for her to play with when she came over. Little does she know that she'll be getting version 2.0 in June, once I've worked all the kinks out.
/johnny
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