WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 18 MAY 3, 2013

Free Republic | May 3, 2013 | greeneyes

[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 ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

[greeneyes]

Greetings from a rainy, cold 39 degree Missouri. Even though it's spring, there's snow in Springfield, Missouri. I just have 1 question - Where is Global Warming when you need it?

At this rate there could be a repeat of the year without summer which was in the early 1900's. I did get some beets planted, but I don't think they will sprout in weather like this.

Meanwhile the indoors stuff is begging to go outside, if only it would warm up enough. I am just considering this a great learning opportunity on the way to growing and processing my own food. A great challenge to help us learn how to deal when things aren't perfect.

Have a great weekend. God Bless.

[Hoodat]

IBTP!

[greeneyes]

Pinging the List.

[greeneyes]

Just change your name to quick post.LOL

[Black Agnes]

Models indicate the weather might do something similar (albeit a bit warmer) again next week.

Hope those models are wrong wrong wrong.

We might get FROST tonight. Unheard of for the first week in May. Thankfully I haven’t put any tomatoes or peppers out yet or actually planted any warm season stuff at all. We’ll have to cover our blueberries tonight and bring in all the stuff on the driveway that’s waiting to go in the garden.

I have 3 256 divot trays of rice seedlings now. I’m guessing about 80-90% germination. So far I’ve started the Hmong Sticky and the Carolina Gold. Those have to go out next weekend regardless of the weather.

[left that other site]

Good Evening!

Stuff is really growing great in my little balcony herb garden. Now every omelet, every salad, and every sauce has real, freshly cut herbs. Gourmet Dining Al Fresco!

[JRandomFreeper]

This will be easy. I got almost nothing done this week. Between the cold snap, high winds, and prepping for the twin's b-day party this weekend, the garden is on autopilot.

I did lose a New Mexico pepper plant to the wind last night, and one of the tobacco plants took some damage.

/johnny

[greeneyes]

Sounds soooo similar to my week. LOL

[greeneyes]

I just received the packet of rice seeds this week. I will be using Milk Jugs to plant them in, but I have stuff further up the list to start. Problem is, I have run out of room for starts due to not transplanting because of the weather.

It kinda reminds me of Lucy and Ethel and the assembly line back up where the started putting the candy in their mouth, cause there were too many on the belt.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We transplanted everything from the little greenhouse to the raised beds on April 30th. It was the first day the soil was dry enough to not glob up into mud balls.
Then yesterday, we decided to cover all the plants from the potential freeze or light snow.
We used 5 inch pots, wrapped in plastic grocery store bags, over the top of each tomato and pepper. I then put a rock on the top of the pots to hold them from blowing off. The beds are protected via a pvc pipe framework covered in bird netting, so the gardens now have little ghost prisoners inside.
Cold today and expecting light snow tonight. A chilly weekend ahead. I have a few plants left over in case I lose some. Hope I can give them away next week.
A FRiend from Cumming GA exchanged some paprika seeds via mail with me last year. Two of these little wonders are out there, fighting back against the Yankee weather aggression.

[greeneyes]

I really love it when I can just snip some fresh herbs to go into whatever I am cooking.

[MissMagnolia]

Saw the ‘ping’ and thought “what? it’s Friday already?” Evidently so!!

I did get my brand new, very small (36 sq ft) garden hacked out of the front pasture Wednesday. The sod/grass is off, now need to dig the soil out deeper and amend it with compost, etc. Saturday or Sunday is looking like the day. My SIL planted her stuff earlier (2-3 weeks ago) & most of her plants have brown ‘cold burn’ spots so I’m not feeling too bad about not having planted yet .... still pretty chilly around here.

[Black Agnes]

My garage light setup resembles that Lucy & Ethel episode. Even more tonight when stuff that’s gone out on the driveway in transplant cups has to come back inside for a night and possibly a day.

This too shall pass.

I got some Bonita sweet potato slips from Cooks Garden. Haven’t gotten them yet but they’re on order.

Have a basket at Jungs and another one at RHShumway. They’ve both got their specialty herb plants on sale and I’m going to get some Bush Porto Rico sweet potato slips from Shumway as well. I’m thinking of the Arbequina Olive at Jungs. And a couple bottles of Algoflash for good measure. I’ll probably hit ‘checkout’ on this stuff tonight or tomorrow. I just hate to get stuff if we’re going to have cold and rainy weather for a while. Mind you, I am NOT complaining about the rain. Not. Not. Not.

I’m just afraid the weather pattern will dry out like it did in ‘11 and we won’t have rain again till September. And daily temps will be triple digit. Hope not!

[greeneyes]

Yes, the weather has definitely blessed procrastinators like me with great excuses for not moving more expeditiously forward. LOL.

[left that other site]

Indeed.
I sit on my little balcony, sipping a nice pinot grigio, reading War and Peace and listening to Classical Music as i eat my Gourmet food prepared with real fresh herbs.

All this on an income half the official poverty level.

Life is only good if YOU make it that way.

[greeneyes]

Yes, I am concerned about drought too. The irony is we have had too much rain to get the swimming pool set up to store the rain for use this summer.

The ground needs to be leveled, and it’s been too wet to bring in a load of dirt or do anything like that.

[greeneyes]

So true. Attitude and effort mixed with persistence can make a big difference.

My granny’s chief cook in the cafe used to say that the lumps in the Mashed Potatoes are there to break up the monotony.

Whenever my kids used to complain too much, I would just tell them that life’s challenges are there for the same reason that lumps in the Mashed Potatoes are there: A break in monotony.LOL

[MulberryDraw]

I planted a few squash and cucumber seeds last week thinking we wouldn’t have anymore below freezing weather. Fortunately the plants haven’t come up yet. Our latest frost on record is May 6 or 7 but this has been a year of broken records both highs and lows (Texas Panhandle).

[left that other site]

LOL...I like that!

If that is the case, I can proudly say that my life is NOT monotonous.

[NYer]

Question for your list: Have any of you dealt with Maple decline? I reside in a townhouse community of 89 homes. Town code mandated the planting of a tree in front of each home and the builder planted "street" maples. That was 20 years ago. Over the past several years, I have noticed that many of these maples are exhibiting signs of "maple decline". Today I spoke with someone at the Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener's program. She confirmed that this problem is prevalent in the northeast and is sending me some literature on the condition.

I am wondering if anyone in the forum has encountered this problem and how you dealt with it. Thank you for any information you can provide.