WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD MARCH 18, 2016

3/18/2016 | ApplegateRanch

[ApplegateRanch]

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. Planting, Harvest to Table(recipes)preserving, good living - there is no telling where it will go and... that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.

[bgill]

I’ve tried several brands and doubled up on the layers but they do NOTHING. Total waste of money. They rip apart in the wind and I think they actually breed weeds because there’s more weeds popping through them than in the planted areas. You know those paintings of women harvesting armloads of wheat? That’s me pulling weeds. No lie. Bushels of weeds.

Then they bunch up so you trip or you get your foot caught under a tear. Some are slippery. In a big wind, they’ll tear loose and wrap around plants. No more. I’m done with them. Never again.

[trisham]

Strawberries are so delicious. We ate them with cream, sometimes whipped, sometimes not. :)

[Ellendra]

The cloth I use is a heavy-duty weed barrier, specially designed for permanent use. The label says it’s guaranteed to last 20 years.

I have yet to see one last more than 5 years. One of the rolls I got last year started deteriorating right out of the bag.

If you go with the cheaper ones, they’ll break down in 2-3 months.

Long story short, the pricey ones will cut down your weeding, but your wallet will hurt for it.

[Dacula]

I hope that you are in South Georgia. In the Atlanta area this coming week we have a frost warning coming for Monday and Tuesday nights.

BE CAREFUL and cover your plants.

[American in Israel]

Thanks for the feedback!

[Black Agnes]

I usually just froze them and we ate little strawberricicles with our ice cream.

If I get them planted this I’ve thought about slicing and dehydrating them. We love the cereal with the dehydrated strawberry bits in them. And might try that in oatmeal too. Usually put dehydrated apple and pear bits in oatmeal when I make it.

Now I’m hungry.

[CottonBall]

I’m looking into planting fruit trees.

2 maybe 3 apples, 2 pears, 1 peach, 1 apricot, and 2 hazelnuts.

The info on apple pollination is extensive out there, but what about pears? I’m not finding so much on them. Do they all pretty much pollinate each other?

I’d also like an Asian pear. But do I need to get a 2nd Asian pear (that would be too many to deal with!). Or can an Asian and barlett pollinate each other?

[trisham]

LOL! I hear you. :)

[Black Agnes]

I use cardboard boxes and newspaper covered with leaves and straw or hay. It’s not permanent or anything. But it lasts a season, usually. And it’s biodegradeable. And if you save grass clippings and rake leaves to save in the fall it’s free. My inlaws save their newspapers for us and we ‘flat’ and save most cardboard boxes (cereal, cream cheese, cracker, etc) over the course of a year (I store them in a bigger cardboard box in my garage till I use them). Also junk mail, extraenous computer printouts and whatever. Even corrugated cardboard works, I preferentially use this around the edges and heavily used walkways like next to beans or zucchini and stuff that will be picked every day or so. I use the cardboard in the walkways and then 4 or 5 layers of newspaper everywhere. Overlap 6” or so and put a couple inches of leaves/straw/hay on top of that.

The MOST successful I’ve been was when I mulched first over the whole garden early on (like right now) and then when it was time to plant out (in about 2 or 3 weeks here) Just took a sharp spade and broke through the newspaper to plant seedlings. I usually use a bag or two of potting mix to fill in around the seedlings when I plant them. This way I get the mulching done before anything goes out and it’s way quicker than trying to mulch around established stuff.

Even stuff that likes to put down roots as it goes, like pumpkins and winter squash, seems to do so with no problem. The BEST yield of winter squash I ever had was when managed to mulch the whole winter squash patch beFORE I put them out. I sort of haphazardly laid a soaker hose on top after I planted them and got hundreds of pounds of squash.

Just be sure to lay the hay at least 6 or 8” past where the newspapers/boxes end up to prevent it from all washing or the wind from picking up an edge and rolling it across your yard.

Ask me how I know this.

When I’m laying the newspaper I take a bucket of water and give the papers a quick soak before I lay them. Lets me do several feet of papers at a time before I put the leave/hay on top w/o the wind blowing them away from me.

YMMV, of course. But other than pulling the occasional feisty weed with ideas the weeding is done. And if we get a week of rain I can still walk and pick when the plants themselves dry out without sinking into a morass of mud.

Also saves on watering. Soakering it once a week, heavily, is usually all it takes unless we’ve really been hot and dry.

[mumblypeg]

Bird netting or chicken wire, with clothes pins to fasten the ends closed.

[mumblypeg]

...”the pricey ones will cut down on your weeding but your wallet will hurt”

True. The only cloth I’ve found that works is the really thick black stuff with the green stripe on the side. I use the for wide walkways between rows only.
Around the plants—newspaper or cardboard, and hay.

[Augie]

The unusually warm weather in Central Missouri is mostly still with us, although the last couple nights have been cool. We had a touch of frost Wednesday night but fortunately no damage to my peach trees which are almost to full bloom. The plum trees are also in full bloom now. I've got my fingers crossed that the frost stays away.

I pulled the last of the rutabagas that I planted last fall. Those things are really sweet and yummy when they overwinter in the dirt. I've also got swiss chard and kale that made it through the winter and is growing like crazy now. It's really nice having fresh greens this early in the season.

I planted a row of peas a couple days ago, green salad, kale and radishes earlier in the week. I need to swing by the garden center on my way home today and grab some seed potatoes and couple bales of wheat straw so I can get those planted this weekend. I'll probably plant another row of peas over the weekend. It's way early to put out much of anything else so I'll maybe get a load of horse poo or chop some firewood. Anything to get out of the house and enjoy the nice weather.

Mrs. Augie's weeping cherry tree.

Mrs. Augie's jane magnolia.

My nectarine tree a day after the frost.

[mumblypeg]

Anyone interested in heirloom seeds? This site offers a free catalog.

http://www.southernexposure.com

And here’s a song everyone here should like

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mm4owjFJi2Y

[Black Agnes]

Love love love Southern Exposure. I can’t go to their site w/o seeing something I neeeeeed. I could easily spend hundreds of dollars there easily.

Found a new place this year called Adaptive Seeds. They’ve got open pollinated supersweet corn. Can’t wait to try that one.

[mumblypeg]

I planted an Asian pear about 5 years ago. The deer chewed the top off the sapling repeatedly, so there was nothing but a stick poking up, but it kept trying to come back.
Last November I planted a second one nearby. The deer haven’t touched either one since. The second one is sprouting nicely, but what’s really weird is the first one has taken off like gangbusters, and has really bushed out all of a sudden and has gained 3 feet in height.
I guess all that deer pruning made the roots stronger.

[KansasGirl]

It is 36 degrees and snowing here now after being 70 here yesterday! Gotta love KS weather!

[Red_Devil 232]

I have been putting (Preen)Landscape cloth on my gardens since 2009 and it has worked very well for me. It is a heavy duty cloth that I have been getting at Sam’s every spring. I think it is 4’ x 200’ rolls and works very well when covered with the bales of wheat straw I have been getting at Lowe’s.

If you check out my home page (scroll down to the garden picture area) you will see how I have been using it.

[Black Agnes]

Gorgeous garden.

[bgill]

Caution - Snakes like leaves/straw/hay. People may think they don’t have snakes but our cats bring them in regularly. Many times several a day.

[Black Agnes]

I’ll have to keep that in mind. I’ve never seen a snake in my garden proper. Lots of kingsnakes elsewhere though.

I do have snake boots on my wishlist right now.