Posted on 03/16/2012 7:55:02 AM PDT by JustaDumbBlonde
Good morning FRiends and gardeners! During the rain this past week, I've had a chance to do some reading and found some articles that may be of interest to you. So this week I am sharing links, and I hope you enjoy them and find some useful information. I also hope that you'll check in and let us know how your garden/garden planning is coming along.
In Kitchen Garden Creation, you'll learn about growing culinary and visual delights in the same place.
The following links are for those interested in improving the structure of their soil. If you have rocks or clay, or otherwise good soil that has been compacted, you will find excellent information on planting cover crops and the benefits of no-till planting.
Improve Your Soil With Cover Crops
Cover crops: blanket your idle vegetable plot this winter with a soil-building cover crop
Plant Cover Crops is an entire website dedicated to improving your soil through cover cropping and drawing earthworms. Second column from the right is an extensive list of categories covered. This is a must bookmark for any gardener.
Grow Spectacular Spuds is a great guide to growing taters. Seems that lots of folks on our garden list are interested in growing potatoes.
Plant Pollination: A Bounty to Buzz About explains the art of attracting nature’s best pollinators to your garden.
And, speaking of pollinators, I found some of my girls working over the holly hedge that runs along my front sidewalk, but oddly enough they won't touch the wisteria, that is loaded with an assortment of large bees, including carpenters and bumblebees:
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!
Left to nature, my garden grows its own cover crop of henbit, and it never fails to leave me with a beautiful, mellow structure that accepts and nutures new plants like nothing else can.
When I no-till, the only thing I have to keep an eye on is cutworms, which I expect will be fericious since we've had no winter.
I love wisteria. Last year I planted two seeds in flower pots from a wisteria bush that my sister gave me. They are almost two feet high now. I’ll be putting them in the ground soon. I don’t expect blooms this year. We don’t have springtime here. As far as I’m concerned it’s summer and hot already.
All of my bulbs were early this year ... I fear they will be over with before Easter gets here. Hope you continue to have a great season!
You changed your tag line. I love it too.
A week and a half ago the garden was still covered with snow. Today there are daffodils, crocus, and early tulips blooming.
My knees are still bothering me, so I can’t work out there yet, but I still have pictures from Easter a couple of years ago when all my blooming bulbs were buried in snow.
I moved the snow shovel off the front porch, and dumped the bucket of salt into the water softener (my husband actually did that. I can’t lift it). But, I didn’t take that shovel too far away. I could need it yet. I still remember the year we got a heavy, wet, snow on May 5. It broke all the blooming trees.
Zone 5a Wisconsin
I like the way this years CC is growing in a more manageable manner. I planted the usual Red Oats but tried Austrian Field Peas this year instead of the Bell Beans which grew to 6’ tall and were a major pain to cut down.
Any other takers, let me know. There are plenty to go around, and wisteria will grow all the way up to zone 4.
I’ve got to run for a couple of hours ... 3 shipments of woodenware for my beeyard that needs to be painted. All of my hives are making honey already, when they should really just be starting to come out of overwintering.
I detest iceberg lettuce! I love romaine.
Wow! Very nice.
I had these stupid ants (look different than fire ants with black butts with a sharp tip) come out and infest/colonize my container tomatoes, peppers, strawberries, everything with aphids for them to milk.
I’m good with romaine, too. If I’m having to buy lettuce to make a salad, that’s usually what I get if I’m not buying a spring mix or something like that. I really liked the mesclun I planted last year - ate a lot of great salads. :-)
Mesclun is good for sandwiches, too. And great for lining an Easter party tray for deviled eggs, stuffed celery and the like. I like the baby ‘red sails’ lettuce that comes in the mix, such pretty crimsom against the bright lime green.
Very attractive .... making me long for a fresh salad, too!
Except iceberg.
Black Simpson was one of the lettuces mentioned in the article on heirloom lettuce ... might give that one a try this year (will do mesclun again, too!).
Stuffing romaine stalks with your favorite toppings is a forkless salad for picnics.
That looks great!
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