Posted on 06/28/2013 1:01:56 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.
Hubby harvested the winter wheat yesterday. It is sitting on the back patio to cure. He just threw some plastic over it. My advice was to clear a space for it in the garage or hang it from the ceiling out there, but he swears, he has figured out how to do it better this year.LOL.
I planted some ancient corn this week, and they are just beginning to push through the ground. The Country Gentleman is around 4 feet tall, and should begin to tassel soon, I think.
Potatoes are in full blown bloom, lettuce is still available (cooler temps mean it doesn't bolt so quick). Peanuts are looking good. Have some peppers ready to transplant.
Hubby has been harvesting cukes. We are enjoying lot of refrigerator pickles, and hope to get a bunch soon for making dill pickles. He reports that the tomatoes on the back forty are doing great. We had a serving of fresh dew berries for breakfast this week.
Leaf Amaranth is doing well, grain Amaranth very slow and not much germinated. Lavendar is still blooming.
Alls well on our little acre, hope you are all doing well too. Have a great weekend. God Bless.
Pinging the list. I can’t remember who pinged me, but I thought I would mention that their was an article posted last week regarding the dangers of composting, and I thank whoever it was that pinged me.
Someone located their compost pile too close to a wooden deck, and the pile got really hot and caught the deck on fire-so there’s a warning.
their = there
Word to the wise - compost with worms or bunnies.
(from the other thread)
We picked over a gallon of raspberries (giant ones, biggest we’ve ever gotten), over a gallon of blackberries (giant apache ones) and 2 gallons of ginormous blueberries. There are probably 10 or 15 gallons of blueberries, a couple gallons of raspberries and a couple more gallons of blackberries left on the bush/vine. If we get rain today they’ll be huge too.
Still picking strawberries. We’ve never picked them this late before. I have everbearing varieties that usually sull when temps get and stay above 90. So far this year the past 3 days are the longest it’s done that.
My rice that I’m using the SRI method with (modified with mulch) is getting just rampant. Some of the ones I transplanted last (and had learned how not to damage the little root system as much) already have 15 tillers. Next year I’ll know a little better what I’m doing with that. I also didn’t get them out at 10 or 12days post planting like I was supposed to. These were 3.5w seedlings.
Winter squash are running like crazy and some already have females on them. Tomatoes are liking the non-swelter we’ve had and the peppers are too. Sweet potatoes are running finally.
I had a big square of corn planted. Went out the next day and saw scratching around in the soil. Chipmunks. Ask me how many corn plants I got out of that :P So now it’s war with Alvin and friends at my house.
Fall tomatoes are getting their 2nd set of real tomato leaves and I have a whole flat of basil to transplant.
It’s all good so far. Well, except the chipmunks. Furry cute little thieves. I need to find some rat snakes and put them out.
“Someone located their compost pile too close to a wooden deck, and the pile got really hot and caught the deck on fire-so there’s a warning.”
That was a pile, not a separate composter contained unit, right?
Everything seemed fine in the garden when I checked it out before sunrise, so I'm happy. Cantaloupes should be ready by next week. I'm impatient for the tomatoes to ripen. Maybe next week.
I harvested LOTS of the NM chili peppers and am roasting and pureeing them prior to freezing them in portion control lots. They are real producers.
/johnny
I’m behind on everything again this year. None of my seedlings are in the ground yet. I hope everyone else is doing well.
Question from a not-very-knowledgeable gardener - For the past several years we have had great luck growing spinach from seeds. This year, the plants are straggly, small, with some yellow leaves. I think overall, temp. and watering/rainfall is comparable to past summers. Do you know what could be causing this?
/johnny
Maybe somebody could help Ben Stein with his jacarandas? His never seem to bloom.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3035314/posts
Here’s the link to read more about it. IIRC it was a pile, but I don’t trust my memory.
My raspberries are just coming in. I have had beautiful lettuce, radishes, cabbage due to the cooler weather and lot of rain. I was late getting everything else in, but the tomatoes and cukes are looking good and I cut my first zucchini today. So far I am pleased with it all, and with the dampness I have been able to pull weeds easily!
I really miss the strawberries this year. Hubby pulled out the old beds last year, and is picking off all the blooms on the new beds this year to put more strength in the plant.
I am enjoying our more moderate temps so far this year. Our basement apartment has been a nice 75 degrees in the walk - out side and about 70 degrees in the storage area and excercise room.
I hope you don’t have a repeat of 2011 too.
While I did some stuff out rather timely, I still have one bed left to plant, and haven’t decided what to fill it up with yet.
It’s kinda close to the walnut tree, so it’s not suitable for peppers or tomatoes, which would be my first choice.LOL
Good – another failure. :o)
Failures are good because I know that doesn’t work so another failure down. Have to get all the failures done before the SHTF. The bean plants growing on the lattice on back wall are being cooked by the heat and sun and they are dying. There are five or six of them planted to see what would happen. The lattice is white and the sun beats on that lattice from before noon until the last ray goes down in the evening. The temperature of that white lattice with the vine wrapped around it has to be extremely high, cooking the vine, plus with the rays of the sun, the leaves are dying too, being cooked. My temp today, Thursday, will reach 100. Tomorrow, Friday, the forecast is 104, as is Saturday. You just can’t imagine how hot it is out there. I can’t use that lattice for vining veggies – better to know it now than later. The large containers with attached lattice will have to be used for vining veggies. I’ll use that ground in front of the hot lattice for planting Jerusalem Artichokes Sunflowers, the Fuseau strain, for the tubers that make large potato type tubers for eating. Those Sunflower tubers can’t be bought now but can be bought before delivery time in March.
I have planted Mortgage Lifter Red tomato seed using Johnny’s method for growing plants from seed. I did use Espoma Organic Seed Starter mix in the cups that is supposed to help them germinate. I also used the plastic seed planter thingy to put seeds in the cups and was able to place each seed with that instead of glopping seed everywhere trying to do it by hand and losing seed. I’ve also planted 12 Sunspot Sunflower seeds in cups and if those grow, will put them next to a side brick wall. They only grow to two and a half feet and have 10 inch flowers with a center full of striped seed to eat. If they don’t make it in the heat after planting, will plant more in the early spring.
I need fruit to grow out there. I read up on growing blackberries in containers and that can be done so I’ll use the large containers with trellis included. I’ll order Arapaho 2 yr. plants that ripen the beginning of June and 2 yr. old Ouachita plants that begin to ripen mid-June. These come from Arkansas near the Un. of Arkansas that develops strains of blackberry plants. I read information from a Texas grower of blackberries, and he said the Ouachita are great growing in Texas.
I feel like I’m in a holding pattern with not much more I can do until maybe the middle of July when I can start some seed for fall planting. Wish I could do more but starting as late as I did and having to learn and fail leaves me where I am today. :o(
I see all your great gardens and would like to walk through all of them and ask questions and sit down and have a cup of coffee with each one of you. I take cream in my coffee, please.
Spinach likes nitrogen rich soil. The best spinach I grew this year was planted in mushroom compost. You might want to test the soil, add some mushroom compost, or plant some in a bag of mushroom compost.
Nope, I have never had any experience with these. Just cut off a slice and try it?? Make sure you have plenty of ice cream and water near. LOL
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.