Weekly Gardening Thread Vol. 15, April 13, 2012

[JustaDumbBlonde]

Happy Friday the 13th, and good morning fellow gardeners and FRiends! I hope that you are enjoying weather as beautiful as what we are experiencing here in NE Louisiana. Nights and mornings are cool and breezy, and the days very warm.

I've planted 1.6 acres of bi-color sweet corn. We checked the seed the next day and it had already sprouted, and was pegged the following day. Perfect conditions!

Looking forward to hearing what's going on in your neck o' the woods.

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!

[MtnClimber]

The ground has thawed here in Colorado. Yesterday I planted turnips, mustard greens, beets, collard greens and spinich. Indoors I have several varieties of heirloom tomatoes, okra, jalapenos, summer squash and delecta squash.

[IM2MAD]

Does anyone know about Mason Bees? We had some last year and they nested in tubes. I put them in the refrigerator over winter and they’re still there in the tubes. It’s still too cold here to put them out with no pollen producers blooming yet.

My question is, should I have taken the paper liners out, unwrapped them and removed the larvae? Or do the bees do that on their own?

I’ve never see good instructions on what to do and when, after the bees fill the tubes.

[evets]

Thanks! Delicious and nutritious!

hee hee

[Bulwinkle]

Just came from my community garden plot [In Fairfax, Va.] Last saturday I transplanted 80 silverqueen corn plants that I had sprouted indoors... they survived the week and it is supposed to get real warm here for the next four days!

Dug up one red onion... not big but very tasty. I have a bed of 120, err, 119 red onions.

Going to take my tiny tomato and peppers out for some real sun in a few minutes. I am sprouting everything in a basement shower stall we don't use, using an incandescent grow light....have not tried this before!!??????

[JRandomFreeper]

Mmmm. That's hard to beat. I'm working on an article about poverty food, and that's pretty much it.

Do you grind your own corn for cornbread? I started doing that while I was bootlegging the pig here in town (unlawful to keep a pig in town, so I didn't keep her long).

And fresh ground corn for cornmeal beats the bagged stuff hands-down.

/johnny

[JRandomFreeper]

Blech! I'm glad lunch is a few hours away. You should warn when you are going to post a picture of the wookie. ;)

/johnny

[Peter from Rutland]

There’s a couple of things to it. You either dig deep (10 to 12 inches down) and use REALLY good mix of soil and compost. I chose to go up, i.e. I did a 10” high raised bed. Some of them actually came up the first year.

[bert]

Those look good.

Others of us might make them if we had the recipe.........

[evets]

Ha ha... Twist my arm:

1 whole egg plus 2 egg whites OR use 3 eggs
4 c. grated summer squash (can use a combination of zucchini, summer squash and/or pattypan squash-I use 2 c. grated zucchini and 2 c. grated summer squash-drained. I also squeeze the grated squash to remove as much liquid as possible)
1 c. fresh corn kernels, cut from 2 ears (can substitute 1 c. frozen corn, thawed and drained on paper towels-that’s what I used for the squash cakes in the photos)
1/8 c. chopped green onions, tops included
1/8 c. finely chopped red onion
1 large jalapeno pepper, membranes and seeds removed, finely chopped
1/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese (I use freshly grated Romano cheese)
1/2 c. grated sharp cheddar cheese (I use reduced fat shredded Mexican blend cheese)
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro (my addition)
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil (I did not use)
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper or black pepper (I use cayenne)
Canola oil for sautéing (I use 1 Tbsp. canola oil and a small pat of butter)
Low-fat sour cream, optional
Fresh tomato salsa, optional (I used store-bought salsa)

Beat eggs in a large bowl; beat in grated squash, corn, green onions, red onions, jalapeno, Parmesan, cheddar, cilantro, flour, olive oil (if using) and ground pepper.

Heat 2 Tbsp. canola oil in a heavy 10” skillet over medium-high heat.

For small cakes, spoon 1 Tbsp. squash mixture per cake into the hot oil; flatten to uniform thickness. For large cakes, use 2 Tbsp. squash mixture per cake; do not over crowd the skillet-leave about 1” between cakes.

Cook until edges turn golden brown; turn and cook the other side until golden brown, about 3 minutes total cooking time per cake.

Transfer to a paper towel lined plate to drain. Place on a cookie sheet in a warm oven; continue cooking the remaining cakes (I place the cooked cakes on a cookie sheet in a 275 degree oven-left them in there about 10 minutes after sauteing them).

http://community.tasteofhome.com/community_forums/f/30/p/839548/7182480.aspx

[SumProVita]

Here in Tennessee, everything that’s been planted is doing well. We had frost the last two nights that singed my new grapes (they’ll bounce back), the figs and the new growth on just about all trees and shrubs. Kolrabi, cabbage, broccoli, lettuce, kale and spinach are all OK. I covered my newly sprouted cucumbers with a flake of straw on each hill and that protected them just fine.

We spent the day yesterday mulching many newly planted shrubs, trees, etc....and flower beds. We’ll need to get another truck load and continue this next week.

;-)

[painter]

That looks GOOD! Cajun recipie?

[trisham]

Wow! I love it!

[JustaDumbBlonde]

I have honey bees, but don't know a thing about mason bees.

The best suggestions I have is to log onto Beesource and use the search box for mason bees. There are many threads there. Beesource is THE best bee forum on the web, with many of the world's best beekeepers participating. If you don't find what you need, sign-up and post a thread looking for the answers you need.

If you like the forum, add me as a friend ... my screenname is Dances With Bees.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

If I haven’t responded to your comments yet, I will. Have to go outside and do several chores and will be back in a couple of hours. Thanks!

[NEMDF]

That looks similar to what we marinate in some cheap Italian dressing overnight, then cook on the grill in a vegetable basket. YUM

[ApplegateRanch]

Split in half along the rim, so you have a top & bottom. 1) Brush both cut sides & skin with olive oil, then sprinkle with your favorite herb mix. Place cut side down on grill, and lightly brown, then turn skin-side down, can cook a few more minutes until tender.

2) Use the same as zucchini, peeled or unpeeled; raw or cooked. Even stuffed.

I've been eating & growing them all my life; and love them. I prefer the light green tinted (Bennington's I think it is) to the white, yellow, or dark green (those are more globular) ones; or to the 'star' varieties.

If they mature, they get big & hard-shelled, and can be saved for seed, as they are an heirloom; just be sure that they are well separated from other squashes, or they will freely cross...or hand-pollinate a couple of flowers, then put a bag over them to keep bees out.

I have two like this (1 is about 8" across, and 3" deep) that have kept just sitting in the kitchen since last September, which I'll be 'harvesting' the seeds from in another couple of weeks.

[ApplegateRanch]

Oops! Forgot the picture of the mature pattypan.

[evets]

Wow! Those are great. I’ve only been gardening a few years,
I’m learning what will grow in this central Texas ‘gumbo’ dirt.
I’ve tilled with lots of manure, and hope to get another good harvest. Looking good so far, hopefully not another drought, like last summer. Thanks! I’ll be sure to try your recipes, and post some pics of any of our successes. - Steve

[ApplegateRanch]

Speaking of 'poverty cooking', here's a resource I like. "real" recipes, and some good commentary. Her old black pot is bigger than any of my cast iron pots, though I do have both a couple of 'granite ware' kettles and an aluminum one that big.

http://www.neworleansshowcase.com/fs00151.html

[Bitsy]

Where in Southeast LA. I’m in Metairie and love sweet corn!