Weekly Gardening Thread
Posted on 09/09/2011 5:02:47 AM PDT by Red_Devil 232
Good morning gardeners. It has been beautiful weather here in East Central Mississippi. We received about 3 inches of rain out of TS Lee on Monday and the daytime highs have been in the mid to high 80s with overnight lows in the 50s. It is 50 right now. This is quite cool for this time of year for us. My garden is basically done for the year. I bottled my first batch of beer yesterday, 30 quarts. Now it is wait for two weeks and maybe up to a couple of months, while it conditions, until it is ready to drink.
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I hope all your gardens are flourishing.
Weekly Gardening Thread
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Good Morning RD!
Still have plans for a fall/winter garden once I heal from hip replacement.
I’m dreaming of multi variety lettuce crop with winter onions, radishes and a few surprises. Any suggestions for a zone 9 Florida November/December garden?
Hope you are well!
Dreary looking morning here in coastal VA.
Maybe you could try ferns.
As I just posted a few minutes ago on the Canteen thread - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2775671/posts?page=81#81 -
“I have a calendar I use to note the amount of rain we have and we have had just over 6” since January 1st of this year.”
This is the worst drought Texas has ever had. Garden is gone for this year, and I hope to be able to have a few fall veggies.
Is there some way you can "patch" the small stem-wound and knicks so they worn't start to get soft at those spots?
Otherwise, I'll have to process them. I'm thinking to just cook and then freeze them in chunked or mashed form, or shred them raw and freeze. Any recommendations?
Fall "crops" of turnips, beets and broccoli seem to be coming along fine. After a terribly hot and dry summer, the weather has turned much cooler: in the 50's at night, and the mid-70's during the day.
I'm in USDA Zone 6B, the "limestone/dolomite valleys and rounded hills" section of Southern Appalachia. It's a good place to garden.
Well, if this coming winter is anything like the previous, have an easy to set up covering made for your garden to protect against frost. A tunnel made from woven wire that you can easily throw a blanket over in the evening is one idea...
You also may wish to utilize a square foot garden due to the poor, pest-infested FL soil. Another option is a global bucket system. You can look both of those up to get the details.
I moved up to WI this past June, so I won’t be planting any Nov/Dec garden...lol
Great ideas. I have some chicken wire mesh for a handy tunnel. The bugs are always a battle. I couldn’t solarize this year so I know there are some doozies out there. I’ll keep the sprayer handy.
WI is a beautiful state but no, a Nov/Dec garden won’t be a good idea unless you like ice gardens ;D! Thanks!
I pray for rain for you folks, too. There have been summers in Pa., that the only way we got over a dorught was for a hurricane to pass over. I hope you get steady rains, not the deluge kind.
We were having a bit of a drought last month in Pa., that for sure isn’t the case right now. They drier weather was good for the tomatoes...but weeks of the rain makes them soggy, I’ve picked most of them. Had some very nice varieties this year, bought from local schools. I’ve put up what I can, I don’t knw if I’ll have a big enough batch for canning. I tired to make fried green tomatoes a couple weeks ago...mine were terribkle. I’ll try again. I’ve had them one time in the South and they were out of ths world. I’m just not that good at fry cooking.
My garden is cranking out the produce like nobody’s business right now. HOWEVER - I broke my right foot 10 days ago so family and friends are enjoying the bounty more than ever. You pick it, you can have it, LOL!
Did get some tomatoes sauced (with Mom’s help) and I was able to lean on the counter and chop up a bunch more to freeze...I’ll deal with them later. Chopping and freezing peppers & zucchini is on the docket for today. Small steps...small steps!
The weather has been gorgeous, and I’m able to drag myself via my walker out to the picnic table to get SOME fresh air & sunshine, and this week Mr. Wonderful carried me out to the garden and sat me down there so I could talk to him while he harvested tomatoes for me...
Can’t complain too much - but I still will, LOL! A little less than 5 weeks to go! I may be able to go back to work part time after this upcoming week. Grrrr!
Okra, peppers and eggplant are finally starting to produce. Tomatoes are still doing well. Planted some fall greens over the last few days.
There were only four of the baby rabbits in the nest yesterday evening. Hopefully momma rabbit will move the others before the barn cats find them.
I got an email from my cousin in Abilene, and they have had less than an inch since January and just under two inches since Sep 2010. Forecasts are expecting this drought to continue well into next year. We are getting to the point of running out of water in parts of Texas.
I am actually praying for a hurricane or tropical storm. I never thought I’d get tired of the clear blue skies, but this heat is getting old. We’ve only had a few drops of rain since May.
Last weekend, with Barb weilding the whip, we were able to finish the landscaping around the duck pond. That required eight or nine wheelbarrow loads of dirt moved to form the base for the perimeter pavers, placing the pavers and rolling some very large boulders into place around the waterfall. It looks good.
I also put in permanent bird ramps at the chicken and duck pens as well as fixing the bird and duck gates with proper latches. Now, I just have to finish the coop addition behind the duck dorm and paint it and put on the trim all around.
The tomatoes continue to produce as well as some small egg plant. Barb has added drip systems, but the drought earier has taken its toll. Next year!
Our five new Maran chicks are growing like weeds. They are already developing wing and tail feathers! They seem to have interesting personalities.
Have you considered trumpet vine? It’s really tough, grows in any soil, and it’s a fast grower. It will do fine with sun and shade.
Wisteria is a perenial but the main stems lose their leaves. The lower bare stems are not real attractive as a specimen plant.
The trumpet vine quickly sends up volunteers which keeps the lower parts of the vine look bushy and green. Gorgeous in a place it is not overly invasive.
There is the common orange color, but there are red ones available as well.
Wow hope you heal quickly! How did you manage to break your foot?
Do you EVER stop whining, woman?
You know I’m funnin’ with ya! Glad to know you’ve got so much help.
Good morning, gardeners - we finally have had some warm weather here in the southern reaches of Puget Sound and the tomatoes are loving it.
My wonderful wife is having hip replacement surgery Monday morning in nearby Olympia - she has been freezing green beans and tomato sauce this week trying to get ahead of things around here.
Our beets, peas, kohlrabi, asparagus and strawberries did pretty well this year - still holding out for the brussels sprouts, though.
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