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WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 16 APRIL 18, 2014
Free Republic | 4/18/2014 | greeneyes

Posted on 04/18/2014 12:29:02 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: agricultue; food; gardening; hobby
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To: greeneyes

Well said. We have a history rich with the sacrifice of our patriots. I only pray that God makes me worthy of such a legacy.

LOL! Yesterday I was cooing over the little green babies, and remarking on each one’s progress, and Darlin looked at me with a sweet penetrating gaze and said, “you really ARE having fun with this aren’t you???”

Then later we went outside, and we started digging up more of the lawn for the sunflowers and okra!


81 posted on 04/19/2014 8:25:59 AM PDT by TEXOKIE (We must surrender only to our Holy God and never to the evil that has befallen us.)
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To: IM2MAD
IM2MAD:" Spring is finally here. I got so excited I wet my plants."

God Bless !!
Extra nitrogen , ..and moisture too !!
Good gardening !!

82 posted on 04/19/2014 8:56:59 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: greeneyes

The plants are a little confused by the sudden change in temperatures from spring back to winter. However, the pansies continue to bloom prolifically. Shoots for the lily of the valley and lilies continue to pop out of the ground. Happy Easter to all!


83 posted on 04/19/2014 8:59:08 AM PDT by tob2 (Happy Spring!)
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To: Free Vulcan
Free Vulcan:" On a good note I did see some honey bees. We have a wild hive somewhere close and was worried about them this winter.
Looks like they made it."

Have you ever heard of "making a bee line " to home ?
Bees will make a "bee line" to their redience .
If you are interested in keeping bees ( SKEP / LANGSTROTH hive ), follow that bee line and you will find their home .

84 posted on 04/19/2014 9:03:08 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: greeneyes
greeneyes:" About half the leaves are dead/brown. Hoping all recover. We get our crop usually in June."

They should be prolific
Strawberries are notoriously shallow rooted, and notided to revive with springtime warmth !

85 posted on 04/19/2014 9:06:15 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: Marcella
Marcella:" They are in one, two, and three gallon pots.
I want to see how the size of the pot will affect these T squash as those are the only ones I'll plant from now on."

How many squash fruits are you getting per vine ?
While the climbing habit is good ( nitrogen) , they key question is the vegetable/ fruit productivity.
How is that working out for you ?

86 posted on 04/19/2014 9:11:14 AM PDT by Tilted Irish Kilt (Enlightened statesmen will not always be at the helm. -- James Madison)
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To: rightly_dividing
Nice looking garden you have there R_D. I see that you don't have a deer problem. Those hoofed varmints have been pushing at the cages surrounding my fruit trees, trying to get at the leaves. Strange though, they never touch the mulberry, which has been unprotected since it went in the ground in '07.
87 posted on 04/19/2014 9:47:36 AM PDT by Sarajevo (Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?")
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To: IM2MAD

I see what you did there! :)


88 posted on 04/19/2014 9:48:15 AM PDT by Sarajevo (Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this taste funny to you?")
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To: Sarajevo

Thanks.

I managed to post before I finished putting up all the pictures. Maybe more today if I get through with things I have going on.

I haven’t had deer trouble, though some would water just down the hill from the garden. I haven’t seen any deer since coyotes have moved into the area. Either they moved on to get away from the coyotes, or were killed by them. People around here feed the deer, but we haven’t seen any in over a year, about the same time the dogs moved in. Haven’t seen any wild hogs either.


89 posted on 04/19/2014 10:11:47 AM PDT by rightly_dividing (I measured twice and cut twice and it's still too short!)
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To: bgill

Here’s a good explanation of both the bean, and why it’s so hard to get seeds for: http://www.cuzcoeats.com/2011/12/popped-beans/

But the short version is simply that, it’s a bean that’s popped like popcorn. I haven’t been able to try it myself yet, but you can supposedly toast it in a skillet, use a stovetop popcorn popper, etc. Once popped, it is fully cooked and can be eaten right away. Which makes it one of the fastest-cooking beans in the world.
(I’m also experimenting with a popping chickpea, which has the same advantages but is a different species.)


90 posted on 04/19/2014 11:27:39 AM PDT by Ellendra ("Laws were most numerous when the Commonwealth was most corrupt." -Tacitus)
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To: rightly_dividing; sockmonkey; JRandomFreeper
I planted 6 sunflower seedlings about 5 inches tall, one was 7 inches, with four of them along the back wall of the garden in regular dirt except I kept their potting soil mix around them when putting them in the holes. I had to find holes in the landscaping cover that I knew were there. Was in a crouched position in the small space between the net room and the back wall. Had four across there and was crouching, then sitting on a stool was the pits for the lower back. Then, moved down a ways to plant one in a strawberry planter that was just sitting there.

Turned around, and Prissy had dug up one I planted. I was furious - grabbed her, popped her on the butt, went through the No, No, No, thing, brought her in house and put her in her bedroom (downstairs bathroom) and shut her in there.

Went back outside and saved the stem with just two leaves left attached, and planted it again. Don't know if it will live. She was about to get another one when I caught her, and had to firm that one up again. Then, put a big black 3 gal. pot at each end of the planted line of plants so she can't get to them. Went back and planted the one in the strawberry pot. Put the biggest one in a large ceramic pot already out there. So, four are in the ground and two in pots. Then, I watered them.

By this time, I was a mess of sweat pouring down my face and everywhere else. Came in, off the clothes and into shower and hair wash. I did all that by 10:30 am. I am not going out there the rest of the day. It's 80 degrees out there but it felt like 100 when I was working out there.

I can sit in my chair and look through the triple expanse of glass with glass door in middle and see the whole garden. It looks just fine in the sunshine and I'm staying in the cool house.

I did let the dog out of her bedroom after my shower. It is not cool, nor acceptable, for her to dig up a seedling I just suffered to raise from seed, and plant. Oh, the sunflowers are Sunspot and Velvet Queen.

91 posted on 04/19/2014 11:27:56 AM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. Going Galt is freedom.)
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To: Sarajevo

Odd, my mulberry trees get “pruned” every winter by deer and other critters.


92 posted on 04/19/2014 11:29:12 AM PDT by Ellendra ("Laws were most numerous when the Commonwealth was most corrupt." -Tacitus)
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To: Marcella
I am finally at home, and getting to work on my garden. And guess who should drop by to stay for an hour or two or ???? My little helpers that I've spent most of the week watching.

As soon as they finish eating, they are going out into the yard and will be assigned holes to dig. Don't need the holes, but it will keep them busy while I transplant tobacco plants.

/johnny

93 posted on 04/19/2014 11:34:00 AM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: JRandomFreeper
Don't need the holes, but it will keep them busy while I transplant tobacco plants.

Creative thinking. Too funny.

94 posted on 04/19/2014 12:08:54 PM PDT by sockmonkey (Of Course I didn't read the article. After all, this is FreeRepublic..)
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To: sockmonkey
Actually, it will disrupt the weeds, so it's marginally beneficial.

I did screw up, and gave them a taste of asparagus straight out of the asparagus bed.

That may come back to haunt me. I foresee my asparagus grazed down as soon as it comes up now.

/johnny

95 posted on 04/19/2014 12:13:04 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: JRandomFreeper
Glad you are getting to work on garden. At least the kids can dig holes (for nothing) to keep them busy. I surely wanted to drop kick my Yorkie when she dug up that sunflower.

I'm not sure how many tobacco are going to live as a few of the small ones just faded away. Actually, I could go count the ones I think are okay, but I'm not going out there anymore today. Will check them tomorrow morning - when I transplanted them, is when the trouble started. It was almost like if I touched a leaf in the transplanting, it wilted.

When I listed the other plants at the bottom of my post about how things are growing, I left off two kinds of peas. The only way I can know for sure what is planted, is going by a page I printed where I listed all of them.

I feel fairly sure when you got me on this thread and I started learning to grow food last year, you didn't expect 126 containers to be in my garden this spring. I didn't, either, it just happened.

The only seeds under the grow lamp now are “Sweet Pickle Peppers” designed for containers and are small peppers of several colors. They have been under that lamp for several weeks and just this morning I saw for sure one plant in one cup and numerous other green bits of something in the other cup - should have plants up there in a day or so. That is going to be two or three more containers outside.

I think I'll have about 135 containers when cucumbers are transplanted as there is more than one plant in the smaller containers to transplant, plus these new peppers will require two or three containers. The Fingerling potatoes will make another container.

When they are all out there, most of the plants will be large enough then to know what they are by sight, and I'll take pictures and send them to you to post.

I hope the new plants you have going, the tomatoes, etc., will grow fast to get them into the garden. I started seeds the middle of January that needed 5 to 8 weeks before going into the garden, and based on the winter we had, I'll move that to the end of January next year.

Have a good garden work day and then have an adult beverage to celebrate the work you did. Right now, I could drown myself in such a drink, but took a pain pill and will have a drinky-poo this evening.

Here is a true statement - if you didn't exist, I would have NOTHING growing in my garden. It's all your fault.

96 posted on 04/19/2014 12:28:58 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. Going Galt is freedom.)
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To: Marcella
I would have NOTHING growing in my garden. It's all your fault.

My work here is done. ;)

I think I got scammed. Daughter asked me to watch them for a little bit while she dropped off some books at the 1/2 price store. A couple of hours ago.

The kids just set up their Kindle(tm) tablets for my wireless internet. I think they plan on staying for a while.

/johnny

97 posted on 04/19/2014 12:38:49 PM PDT by JRandomFreeper (Gone Galt)
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To: JRandomFreeper
“The kids just set up their Kindle(tm) tablets for my wireless internet.”

That reminds me - I don't remember if I pinged you to a post of mine. The volume on my 2011 Toshiba laptop is too low for hearing voices or music - is the pits. Trying to hear the Irish priest sing a few days ago was the last straw. I had a cheap pair of ear phones and wire broke so they were toast. Asked engineer which company made good “headphones” and he said, “Sennheiser”. I will have “Sennheiser HD 202 II Professional Headphones”, by the middle of this coming week. They were $25 and that's not much for decent wiring that won't break easily, and decent sound, and comfortable fitting head phones.

We have so many links on posts to hear what “x” said, plus any Utube music, I think I'll be wearing these headphones all the time. I am fed up with low volume and straining to hear. My hearing is fine so it's not the problem.

98 posted on 04/19/2014 1:20:57 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. Going Galt is freedom.)
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To: Marcella

I guess you know that you can buy speakers for your laptop that plug into the headphone jack, if you don’t want to deal with the inconvenience of headphones. I bought my wife a set so she wouldn’t have to use headphones. I have been using mine for many years because I listen to music and want better sound.


99 posted on 04/19/2014 2:51:00 PM PDT by rightly_dividing (I measured twice and cut twice and it's still too short!)
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To: rightly_dividing
“I guess you know that you can buy speakers for your laptop that plug into the headphone jack”

I keep my laptop computer actually on my lap and didn't want external speakers connected to laptop. The only cord connected to laptop is the power cord since I have wireless net hookup. Headset is easiest for me. I also always have TV on and have to mute TV now to hear anything with this low volume problem. Headset will let me hear without muting TV if it's just a short thing I need to hear on headset. From description, the headset is comfortable. I am anxious for it to get here to hear some music with it. I really get ticked off when it's some important meeting or speech by someone or news event on line and the volume is too low. I've made sure there is noting more I can do to the computer to up the volume.

I have an MP3 player and used those lousy ear phones for that and it was okay for that until the cheap cord broke.

I should have already gotten a headset but didn't know what to get that would be decent. I thought to ask engineer about it and then knew what to get. Now, I'm waiting...waiting...waiting.

100 posted on 04/19/2014 3:16:49 PM PDT by Marcella (Prepping can save your life today. Going Galt is freedom.)
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