Posted on 06/06/2014 12:39:39 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.
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We have those rubber mats in our kitchen. They’re very helpful for my bad knees and my husband’s bad ankle.
I do have some zone 5 stuff, but I put it under cover.
I forgot to mention we appear to be having trouble with climbing cut worms. They got 2 blueberry bushes this week, and a honey dew. If anywone knows how to get rid of them, please let me know. These are not the kind that you can discourage with card board around the base of the stem.
Hang in there Andy-—’grow or die’ we gardeners know what a crapshoot it all is. One bit of advice from our pal tobacco /johnny is to have a good amount of backup plants. Glad I took that advice this year as I had to do a 2nd round of replacement ‘maters and also about half my pepper seedlings either died, stunted or rotted at the stem base. backups to the rescue and i didnt even do enough of those but still an adequate amount for my small plot. My arugula is like a weed its so hardy whereas I cant grow any spinach for squat— a complete bust. Sometimes you win and other times you lose in the world of greens.
Thanks. It really makes getting in shape tough too. Docs encourage excercise, but be careful and take it slow. Even then, something always seems to happen to interfere.
If it’s not better soon, I’ll be going to the swimming pool for excercise.
Sorry that you are not well. Guess we are a couple of sick puppies.
I have another pint of cherry tomatoes ready to pick from Mr. indoor tomato.
They really are! I need to get a couple of more down though as I still have a couple of areas where I stand often that just has vinyl glued to concrete.
Good afternoon gardeners. My tomato plants are all doing very well and I will need to stake them soon. After all my tomatoes were planted I decided to add some sweet peppers and zukes. I have had very limited success in growing zukes or any other type of squash. But I keep trying.
I thought I would follow up on the report of my first visit to the VA clinic that I made in last weeks gardening thread.
My local VA clinic sent me the results from my first visit to the local VA clinic. It is a six-page letter detailing all of the blood work results plus the X-ray results of my right hip. I have some mild osteoarthritis in my hip and they are to schedule me for a MRI. My blood panel tests indicate that I have a low B-12 level and need to have monthly B-12 injections. I am being sent the B-12 and needles in the mail. I am instructed to bring the B-12 and needles to the Clinic so a nurse can give me the injection. All my cholesterol levels are normal and very good. I was offered medication for my hip pain during this visit, which I declined at that time. I have changed my mind and have decided to see if the medication will help. Over all I guess I am in fairly good health except for the right hip problem.
Sorry for the deviation from gardening discussions.
Have you ever tried growing spinach in mushroom compost? I did that one year, and it produced 100% better than any other combo.
The cold weather really did in my fig trees here in Mississippi. No new growth on the old established branches (dead wood) but all three have started new growth from the roots and are looking very healthy right now.
Funny you mentioned mushroom compost— I saw it at Home Depot and remembered your post on the subject. Didn’t buy it but I added my own homemade compost to the clay soil and tried both seeds and transplanted spinach seedlings but zippo. My gal pal she buys her spinach plants and has better success when transplanting. So maybe next time I’ll use your mushroom compost suggestion—hey maybe for the Fall planting. Maybe the swiss chard will work well too in it since mine went the spinach bust route too. Danke....
That’s fine. Keep us updated on your status, and the VA performance.
I also have had hip problems and pain during the past few years. I found that a heated rice sock really helped, and allowed me to get by without heavy duty painkillers.
Rice socks are easy to make. Just get a really long tube sock. Take a big bag of rice and fill the sock up about 3/4 of the way.
Then tie a knot in the end. Put in Microwave for aabout a min. It will smell like rice for a week or so, but then it will stop smelling. Sometimes I have several going at once.
Put it on any joint that bothers you. It’s a really good neck support which is another place where I have some pains.
Walmart sells a moist pad with “beads” that feels really super too and it heats up in the micro wave, but gives you a moist heat. My mother’s doctor advised moist heat for her osteo arthritis.
I also read in my alternative medicine books that the increased heat will bring the body’s own healing elements to that area and help your own system to work better.
Hope you get to feeling better.
I bought some from Home Depot to try too, but haven’t had a chance to do it yet.
The M.R. Compost I had been using came from Walmart, and it was different brand. So I’ll have to see what the Home Depot stuff does too.
Suckeroos when your all not feeling well. prayers of health and wellness for all of our WGT FReeps who are illin’ out there....
Appreciate every single one.... Thanks Vets too.
Suppose you used a tin can with both sides opened? I guess that wouldn’t work with a bush, unless you cut down the side with tin snips, and then duct taped it back together, perhaps. Or lined the cardboard with aluminum foil? Would either of those options work?
We have been getting fresh beans and some tomatoes. Sure taste better than the stuff you get in the store.
Carrots should be ready to pull this next week. They are doing really well this year.
I’m sorry to hear that you’re ill. I hope that you’re feeling better soon.
Did they offer you Celebrex for the arthritis or tramadol for orthopedic pain? Both may help greatly if your arthritis is mild.
Sorry to hear you guys are under the weather. Prayers tfor a speedy recovery.
My tromboncinos are going great guns, My only 2 cucuzzi are well, except I noted some leaf miner damage on the bottom leaf of one cucuzza this am. Dug up some red potatoes yesterday. They were’nt that big, but snails or something had decimated the foliage. Tomatoes are starting to come in. I pick up about 6 a day of the lemon boys, and romas, and about two of the mystery tomatoes. My gypsy, and mucho nacho peppers are doing good. I pulled up most of my swiss chard, and lettuce, but haven’t decided what to plant there.
I found a Japanese beetle in my greenhouse this am. I’ve never had a Japanese beetle ever here, and I’ve been in this house 30+ years. I’ve seen them on roses in Alabama,and they were horrible, and destructive, and hard to kill, so I hope they haven’t moved in around here. Ants that look like fire ants, but aren’t so “bitey” ate my ginger. I pulled up some ginger root, and it was just a hollow skin. The ants havent’t gotten into my potatoes, tomatoes or anything else. Found a few stink bug looking suck holes on a couple of my lemon boy tomatoes.
It is starting to feel like summer here after our too short spring. It’s in the low 70’s in the mornings when I go out to do the garden chores.
Tomatoes are languishing, as temperatures again drop into the 50s & low 60s for the last several days. No; not at nigh, but as HIGHS. Freshly set out sweet potato slips don’t think much of it, either.
This cool snap, after a week of highs in the upper 80s & low 90s for about a week has caused the Egyptian walking onions to bolt; been chopping their heads off, and Mrs. AR has been using the buds in the kitchen: very hot, but also with a great, strong onion flavor. At least the rest of the cool season stuff likes it.
All the bare root transplants are doing great.
At 8, Not The Helper seems to be slowing down. She is still getting her full share of mice & voles, but we’ve never seen so many young cottontails still running around this late, though we have seen her with a couple of them, Last week, she offered a fresh one to Mrs. AR, while she was out pulling weeds.
The winter rye is now about 4’ tall, and recovered from the lodging...then was blown down again day before yesterday, when yet another thunderstorm rolled through with 50-70 MPH gusts. At least no real damage, and everything is staying watered without having to use what’s tanked.
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