Posted on 10/14/2016 4:20:12 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. 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.
You can also put green tomatoes in 1 layer in a cardboard flat, slide them under the bed and they will ripen. If you have a lot thats a little easier than wrapping then in newspaper. When they begin getting ripe just check every coupla days and pull the ripe ones. Remove and compost any that start going bad immediately.
Thanks for the advice. I’ll see if I’ve got enough spare dirt to fill up another bucket or two. They’re all jammed together - it’s bad.
Maybe I can get a few to mature for Thanksgiving dinner and freeze some for Christmas.
Well, we’ll see.
When we moved here, I was disappointed we had no trees near the house to watch the critter activities/shade/etch, in spite of being in the Cherokee National Forest. But in the year I’ve been here, seeing trees topple in the forest with each storm, I get it ;)
The only garden plants left are bell peppers, the San Marzano tomatoes, and butternut squash waiting for the skins to harden up for storage.
I have noticed the squirrels too. It seems they know something we don’t.
Interesting formulas. Wonder if Mo. Clay has a lot of phosphorus? Will have to do some research. I use raised beds, to avoid the poor clay stuff we have.
___________________________________
I really don’t know Greeneyes.
All i know is this man is famous for his tomatoes almost all over S. Texas.
Just thought I’d add his formula to your garden thread,
in case someone would like to try it out.
thanks
Katy
Hmmm. I don’t have white at least on my place. They may be in Oregon.
Good lessons, all.
My chickens are Black Jersey Giants, which are a good cold weather breed; more cold tolerant. Downside is that they are lousy brooders, rarely hatching an egg.
The henhouse is insulated, and has a storm door that is closed in winter...and we doesn’t gots possums. Oregon had them because the hillbillies who settled there missed possum hunting, so imported them in the early 1900s.
Today, I did use the double 12 to take out two attic/tree rats, AKA red squirrels. It’s bad enough that when they chew their way in that they tear up the insulation for nesting material, but they love chewing the outer covering off of electrical wiring, though rarely damaging the inner insulation on the individual wires inside. They do a lot of damage in the barns, given a chance, too. I’ve replaced a lot of wire over the years. Plug a hole, and in 6 months or less they’ve made a new entrance under the eaves.
Not much trouble, except when the hen house needs shoveling out. That, of course, gets tilled into the garden, along with the rabbit manure.
About 5 minutes, max, to give them their leftovers, refill their trough as needed, and throw a gallon of corn over the fence for the wild turkeys; and another 5 or less to pick up the eggs and check/refill the waterer once or twice a week. In really frigid weather, I can add another 5 minutes deicing the waterer with the propane blower heater.
I get about a gallon can a day of veggie waste from work, plus another couple of quarts or so of leftover scrambled eggs, sausage & bacon when we change over from breakfast to lunch. Those birds get a high protein diet, rich in oils; keeps their feathers thick and shiny. LOL
Mine were Rhode Island Reds, good for NE weather, cold tolerant, and are excellent brooders.
and
Yeah , I have had to deal with the tree/ attic rats myself.
Around here the red squirrels are infrequent, although they have cross-bred with some of the greys here.
And yeah, eaves are generally where they tear open their front door. Thanks for the information about wiring insulation, I will have to check on that.
Right now I am in a rural village which doesn't allow firearms discharge; so I used an air rifle as a 'persuader' to keep it motivated to move elsewhere.
(and it's quieter so the neighbors don't get all nervous)
Thankfully, we don’t have any neighbors closer than about a half mile; and they all use firearms, too.
While we were getting this place ready and living in town, in one week 3 of them blew the fuse on our pole’s transformer while frying themselves. Third time, when the wife called the power company, she just said, “damned squirrel!” The woman in the office knew immediately who & where, and just laughed and said someone would be right over.
Rhodies were a close second choice for me, but at the time I had some adult White Cornish Cross Rocks, and wanted something compatible with them size wise.
I have started dehydratin some of the veggies out of the garden. There are a lot of cucumbers & a few zuke’s , so far. My pumkins did not do well at all, not my melons, or just about anything else. I am going to have to rethink my garden plans for next year.
Tubebender! Great pictures as usual. Another perfect pie from Ladybender. Best wishes for your garlic this year. The glass bowl is the best way to show dahlias IMO, I use one too.
It is hard to wait. That’s why I try to have a little something growing in front of the patio doors during the winter. Also, winter rye outdoors makes it look like spring, but I misplaced the seed and never got around to finding it and planting it this year.
I am so happy to hear that you enjoy the thread, and that you are enough better to be able to get back out and realize some of your goals. So sorry for the adversity that you have had to deal with.
We started our gardening in 2009 also, In 2010 we planted a small orchard of dwarf fruit trees and seedless grapes. All ordered from Burgess. The pear trees turned out to be ornamental, and the grapes all had seeds, and the cherries are the size of poppy seeds, but it was after the 1 year guarantee, so we are stuck, but will never order plants from them again.
The apples and peaches are to close to the walnut tree, so we don’t get fruit from there either. The nut trees planted in the front yard all died - 2 years in a row, so Hubby refuses to plant anything else in front.
We have started some apple and nut trees in one of the few remaining places far away from the walnut tree, so hope to get some edible fruit some day.
Thanks so much for sharing. Please keep us updated as you are able.
That’s about right. I usually give one at Christmas to my two girls and two adult grand children and keep two. This year, I only have 4, because the squirrels stole two, took one bite and spit them out on the patio.
It will bloom around the same time and new fruits begin. I usually get 2 harvests, but this year, I repotted it and it has put a lot of energy into growing lots of leaves.
Lemons will ripen off the tree, but I leave mine on the tree as long as I can. They will turn from green to yellow, and don’t have to be picked immediately, so I leave the presents on the tree as long as possible.
Yes, I have used card board boxes, and let them ripen that way for more immediate use. I just like to protect them from flying insects that sometimes get inside.
Sometime I line the container, put maters in the middle, and then wrap a whole bunch together. Like you said, you have to check them and it’s easier when they aren’t wrapped individually.
Thanks for the post.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.