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WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 25 JUNE 21, 2013
Free Republic | June 21, 2013 | greeneyes

Posted on 06/21/2013 12:40:17 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 ... 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.


TOPICS: Gardening
KEYWORDS: agriculture; food; gardening; hobby; walkingonion
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To: JRandomFreeper

Glad to hear you are going to have a decent crop in spite of the high wind storm damages. I hate processing in the water bath canner or pressure cooker during the summer, but that’s the way I do pickles. Tomatoes too, since the freezer went on the fritz.


21 posted on 06/21/2013 1:36:23 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes
We've had some nice rains so far this year, and the hoophouse is filled with monstrous sized plants. We've been harvesting Black Krim and Golden Girl tomatoes, green beans, Malabar spinach (a fantastic vertical grower), green peppers, and I have two young melons hanging in pantyhose from the overhear arch. Cucumbers are coming along nicely, I just wish that I would have planted some slicers instead of more picklers.

One big problem I have encounters is that my rhubarb is suddenly dying back. It was looking limp a couple days ago, so I watered it with a garden hose (previously it was only rain water).

22 posted on 06/21/2013 1:36:43 PM PDT by Sarajevo (Don't think for a minute that this excuse for a President has America's best interest in mind.)
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To: UB355

Are they white flys? I read this winter that you can actually plant your beans under a row cover and leave it there till harvest, since the flowers don’t need pollination.


23 posted on 06/21/2013 1:37:53 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes

flies. oops


24 posted on 06/21/2013 1:38:46 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: Sarajevo

I even like picklers sliced and in a salad.


25 posted on 06/21/2013 1:40:32 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: Sarajevo; american_ranger

OOPS. Ya know it had to happen-always expect to be asked for the recipe, when you mention stuff like that. LOL


26 posted on 06/21/2013 1:43:04 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes
I'll pressure can outside, but most of the NM chili are going to be roasted, seasoned, pureed and frozen in small batches that won't go bad like a pint jar would. Just a little dab will do you with those.

I overplant by 100%, so I can take losses. If I don't have losses, I'm ahead, but I rely on the food I grow and forage as a large part of my diet.

/johnny

27 posted on 06/21/2013 1:43:15 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: greeneyes

I’ll be planting fall tomato plants later this week. Most will be cherry tomatoes for sauce. I’ve been picking lots of veggies from our garden.

Our neighbor asked to watch his garden while they were out of town. He has about 20 tomato plants that are loaded. I picked the ripe ones and put them in the “usual” spot when they are away.


28 posted on 06/21/2013 1:45:14 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (The Second Amendment is NOT about the right to hunt. It IS a right to shoot tyrants.)
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To: JRandomFreeper

I was thinking about processing outside this summer too. What sort of set up do you have for pressure cooking or water bath canning?


29 posted on 06/21/2013 1:45:18 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: Arrowhead1952

Is the usual spot somewhere in your house?LOL


30 posted on 06/21/2013 1:50:50 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes
Outside on the grill with deadfall wood that I won't use for BBQing. Move the pressure cooker either more or less directly over the fire to control the temperature. Hey, it works and it's free.

/johnny

31 posted on 06/21/2013 1:57:21 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: greeneyes

No, in a cooler on his back porch. I did that a couple of years ago and he now knows to check the cooler when they get home.


32 posted on 06/21/2013 2:07:21 PM PDT by Arrowhead1952 (The Second Amendment is NOT about the right to hunt. It IS a right to shoot tyrants.)
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To: greeneyes
Condition of the battlefield and war plans:

Both squash plants died, murdered by moths/borers. War plan completed to prevent that again. Have Hydrofarm tomato barrel with attached trellis coming and have Zucchini seed coming. This is for fall garden to transplant plants in early September. Ordered more netting - will wrap net over Zucchini to hopefully keep out moths. The barrel will be on the deck, not on the ground in garden. If this doesn't work, I'll only plant Butternut Squash from now on (in containers, not in ground) since it has hard limbs, not hollow for those freaking borers to be in and murder the plant.

Sweet potatoes in 10 gallon fabric container with potting soil mix look better than anything out there. They look just fine even though the Texas sun is beating down out there. I'm up to 94/95/96 temp. here.

This was a real learning week and I'm not through with this project. It all started with Sunflowers and oil and seed, but it went to potatoes yesterday and today went to Egypt Walking Onions. I'll just write about the final decisions and not how I got there.

Operation Sunflower Oil - Seeds

I'll get Sunflowers that grow two feet tall (I'll look up the name if someone wants it) with black seeds as black seeds have more oil than others but even black seeds have moderate, higher, and highest amount of oil depending on the strain. The seeds of the two feet tall ones have higher oil. Black seeds are also smaller than striped seeds. The seeds you buy to eat are the striped ones. I have a thought up way to crush the seeds, heat the seeds to release the oil but I don't yet have a press to press the oil out of the mass. Not going to spend $100+ for a press. I'll find a way.

Operation Sunflower - Potatoes

I'll get Jerusalem Artichokes (also known as Sunchokes) - darn, I did not know those came from Sunflower plants. Those Sunflowers are called vegetable plants, not flower plants or they are listed both places. That's because you eat the roots. I'm trying to find the “Fuseau” strain as they don't have bumps but look more like a potato and one root can weigh up to four pounds. The plant can grow to ten feet. Each plant can have ten tubers under the soil. They can be eaten raw and taste like Water Chestnuts except they are sweet. They have a substance that controls the amount of sugar released into the body so that's good for diabetes. If they are stored for awhile, they act like a regular potato in the body so that would mean more sugar released at one time just like regular potatoes dump sugar in.

They are perennial so if you plant a few extra the first time (don't dig out the tubers from a few), the left in flower part of the extras will die but those extras will add more tubers until the next time they grow, and you've got more plants to come up forever. Just one 4 pound tuber will feed a number of people. I saw a picture of a four pound one split down the middle like a big regular white potato, with a stick of butter in the middle melting. You use the tuber the same way you use a potato - just substitute the tuber for the regular potato.

I haven't found the “Fuseau” strain roots in this country yet. If I was in England I would have no trouble finding them. They are all over the internet. I only started looking this afternoon for the Fuseau strain so I'm not giving up finding them here. This strain has a smooth skin and looks like a regular potato. The other strains of the Jerusalem ones, are much smaller and knotty and sort of glued together. They would have to be cut apart and peeled, then they would look like regular new potatoes. I'll go to that if I have to, but I'll keep looking for them here.

Oh, yes, these tuber, either the long or knotty ones, will take over the garden if you don't keep them thinned. Some people put metal down in the ground to prevent the tubers from leaving that area. Some plant them in another plot away from the regular garden so they won't infiltrate the regular garden.

Those Jerusalem Sunflower tubers are everlasting food. You just dig up what you want and leave the rest and they are fine - go back for more when you want them. You will always have food, either raw or cooked.

I found a place in Texas that has the knotty kind and saw they had Egypt Walking Onions. What the hell was that? Well, it's onions that travel and you will always have onions. You might plant the first one somewhere other than the garden because it's always traveling and multiplying. If you are interested in everlasting onions, let me know and I'll post the link. A number of pictures of the onion are there to show how it travels and what the onions look like in all phases.

These war plans will come together as the months count down and it's time to plant for a fall garden and prepare for the spring one. This present period of time has been military procurement for this garden war - getting the proper tools so the operation will succeed.

Onward into the fray -

33 posted on 06/21/2013 2:20:58 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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To: JRandomFreeper

so
you are using a regular bbq grill?


34 posted on 06/21/2013 2:53:55 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: Marcella
Still flogging it to death, I see. You are force of nature...

/johnny

35 posted on 06/21/2013 2:54:18 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: Arrowhead1952

OK. Thought he might be paying you to look out for the garden with produce.LOL


36 posted on 06/21/2013 2:55:06 PM PDT by greeneyes (Moderation in defense of your country is NO virtue. Let Freedom Ring.)
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To: greeneyes; MissMagnolia

We had two zucchini plants last year and it supplied us with enough. This year, Mr. Sg used the “Three sisters” method and I’m afraid we might be overwhelmed. Fortunately, the seedlings-turned-transplants he gave away were mostly zucchini, so we have a bunch of butternut squash plants that can be preserved.


37 posted on 06/21/2013 2:55:07 PM PDT by Silentgypsy
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To: greeneyes
Pretty much. It started life as a gas grill, but I umm.... modified it after I picked it up out of the scrap heap. It burns wood or charcoal now.

/johnny

38 posted on 06/21/2013 2:56:28 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: american_ranger

Hey, wow! People will line up at your door begging you to adopt them.


39 posted on 06/21/2013 2:58:38 PM PDT by Silentgypsy
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To: JRandomFreeper

“Still flogging it to death, I see. You are force of nature...”

Actually it was you who started this. I checked on Sunflowers because you had them so I needed to know about Sunflowers. I’m glad I studied them.


40 posted on 06/21/2013 3:00:50 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. I am a Christian, not a Muslim.)
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