WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 28 JULY 12, 2013

Free Republic | July 12, 2013 | greeneyes

[TEXOKIE]

Thanks, greeneyes, that confirms what I was thinking about the time of picking zukes.

I am not sure if I want to make my own root hormone, I was just wondering how the big boys do it!

I didn’t expect to find anything, but I did find this:

http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/home-made-plant-rooting-hormone-willow-water/

Apparently willow bark is how you obtain it!

[TEXOKIE]

Was just reading your post while catching up on the thread. I had just done a search, and found an article on willow.

Thanks for confirming what I just found!
http://deepgreenpermaculture.com/diy-instructions/home-made-plant-rooting-hormone-willow-water/

Onion bottoms...are these like grocery store onions that have the hairy root still attaches that you have sliced off and started with root powder? If so, I think I could do that too!

“My celery just sat there and got funny looking.”

Are you saying you put root powder on a cut off celery? I have just been trying that, and while it started generating roots, it hasn’t done anything else. I’ve been wondering if I should let it sit til Kingdom Come, to see what it does, or if I should give it up as a bad job. The heck of it is, that the celery stump has generated a LOT of very strong looking rootlets, so it has been hard to just give up on it!

I’ve had real good results with romaine stumps. I planted my first experiment and it is growing some gorgeous leaves! The second one has generated some wonderful rootlets and is starting to grow the leaves. I think in a few days I will plant it as well.

[TEXOKIE]

You are probably right, that the quality of the grocery store green beans may not be as good as the home grown, but in the interest of learning the process, I may still try it. LOVE your idea about the olive oiled beans in garlic on baking sheet! Gonna have to try that!

[TEXOKIE]

LOL! Yeah! we’ll plan a simultaneous Creator Petition Dance!

I heard recently that one of the methods of the Medicine Men whose specialty was to pray for rain, just went out on a rock. No dancing. People who were watching asked him later what he had been doing. His reply was that while he was sitting on the rock, he was envisioning, feeling, and experiencing the rain and thanking the Great Spirit for it - and apparently his method worked quite a bit of the time!

So, I’m thanking the Creator for our WONDERFUL GARDENS, and us going out to pick our abundant harvest, Silentgypsy!

[TEXOKIE]

“I haven’t had much luck reconstituting dried zucchini into anything I would want to eat. Dried slices make good chewy snacks for the dogs.”

LOL!

[TEXOKIE]

“Thin slices of zucchini can be used instead of noodles in lasagna. Before use, apply salt, wait several minutes, and wipe dry to remove much of the moisture.”

How interesting! That sounds great!

[TEXOKIE]

“I have a question to all who know the answer to this:
What exactly is Stevia? Did I read somewhere it’s sweet and can take the place of sugar? If so, are there seeds to be bought? So, what does one do with Stevia?”

Marcella, it is an herb with very sweet leaves. The leaves can be used to sweeten whatever you want, as sugar, but it does not have the effects of sugar on people with diabetes or insulin resistance. It is VERY sweet, and one has to experiment a bit before finding the amount that is best. Sometimes some stevia products will leave a slightly bitter aftertaste if too much is used.

You can find quite a number of stevia products at health food stores. Walmart even has one that is not too horrible, in their supplement area.

I have been in search of stevia plants or seeds for a few years. I have had some seed packets in the past, but was unable to germinate them. I found that FedCo does sell them, but they probably will not be available until next season. Just last week, Darlin and I were in our health food store which has a natural and heirloom seed rack. THERE WAS STEVIA! That is why I’ve been asking questions about it, because I’m wondering how to grow it without wasting this particular packet!! I’ve learned that it can be tricky. I spoke with a person at FedCo who confirmed that.

I’m looking at the envelope now, which contains 15 seeds for $3.49. This is from “Botanical Interests.” The packet shows the contact info listed as follows:

Botanical Interests, Inc.
660 Compton Street
Broomfield CO 80020
www.botanicalinterests.com

I use stevia ALL the time, and of course am very interested in learning to grow my own!

LOL!...I’ve just been doing a search on BING and first articles pulled up are on its DANGERS!!!! and WARNINGS!!!! and doubts about its efficacy in the body in managing blood sugar issues. Looks like the sugar industry is beating their tom-tom.

Here’s the Wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevia

[tubebender]

Lady Bender is going to shred some Zukes and fry them as hash browns. She says there are many Zucchini recipes on Pinterest

[sockmonkey]

I bought my Stevia at just a regular nursery. I think it was about $1.39 for a 4 inch pot. It grows pretty fast.

I haven’t really used it for anything...except to say “taste this” when people are checking out my garden.

[greeneyes]

Stevia has been used for hundreds of years with no ill effects is what I have read. You can get plants for many of the same places that send you catalogs. I can’t remember them all, but I do remember that Guerneys and Burgess had the plants.

[tillacum]

Hmmm, I have Romaine. Great idea. The celery that looked funny is now helping out the compost heap.

[Marcella]

“I bought my Stevia at just a regular nursery. I think it was about $1.39 for a 4 inch pot. It grows pretty fast.”

Is it perennial or do you have to replant new each year?

[tillacum]

I’m thanking everyone who did a Rain Dance. Yesterday we received 3 inches of soft falling rain. Thank you.

[Marcella]

“Yesterday we received 3 inches of soft falling rain. Thank you.”

I had soft rain that started yesterday evening and it was raining like that through the night or part of the night. Glad you got rain. Praise the Lord.

[sockmonkey]

Is it perennial or do you have to replant new each year?

It's a perennial, but not frost tolerant.. I need to cut mine back..I think if you're anywhere but the gulf coast, it should be protected, or brought indoors.

[Marcella]

“I think if you’re anywhere but the gulf coast, it should be protected, or brought indoors.”

I’m about 40 miles north from Houston. We get maybe two freezes in the winter but they only last a day or two. I’ll plant the Stevia in a grow bag and if a freeze comes, I’ll move the bag onto the lower deck just outside my back door and there is a roof over that deck and I’ll cover it as well so it should be fine. Some winters we don’t even get one freeze.

[tillacum]

Yes, it rained thru the night here too and all day yesterday. The grass is green and the cracks are gone from my front yard. Our town is the crown of black clay. If you stick with it during dry weather, it will stick to you during wet weather.

[JRandomFreeper]

Some of my sunflowers. We've had 3 days of rain, and they would have been fine in dry weather, but they were beginning to go a bit, so I harvested those that looked like they needed it.

Note the size difference.

These are the actual seeds from the two different size sunflowers. I'm thinking that the local volunteer russian sunflowers crossed with my sunflowers and produced the smaller dark seeds. All of those small flowers were close together. Flowers at the other end of the bed were normal size.

/johnny

[Marcella]

The striped one are the eating kind and the dark ones are the ones with a higher amount of oil to press for cooking oil.

They are grand looking. I’m completely impressed.

[JRandomFreeper]

I only planted the confectionary type this year. The russian type are unplanned crosses.

I finally got all of them in except one that just isn't ready to harvest. About 6 lbs for 18 plants. We'll see what the weights work out to be after drying and again after shelling.

I did save the very best seed for next year's garden.

/johnny