Posted on 05/27/2023 5:38:43 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
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.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. 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. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
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 to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
Super cool, Diana! I love the Orioles. They’re still coming to my feeders. Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Gray Catbirds, too. I keep hoping to find a nest around somewhere. I’m sure they’re out there somewhere!
Thanks. I do have a compost bin.
Ithaca hair! Love it. When we had our dairy goats they would rub against the fence to shed their coat and the birds would take the hair. Somewhere I have a pic of a chickadee nest in a box and it was a work of art, the white hairs woven in with green moss.
Thanks.
For flowering, NPK of 10-10-4 so it's low on K. Potassium is the most rare of the NPK.
Thanks. I have a bottle of 250 capsules 99mg Potassium. Would that help?
Daniel; Buy some Epsom salts and when your tomatoes are about 8” high sprinkle 1 tablespoon around them. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. Magnesium is needed to create Chlorophyll needed for your plant to grow. This should speed up growth. Do it again at 16 inches 4 weeks after that. See the link that Diana provided for fertilizer. You could also get some digested kelp that might speed up growth.
Spacing. for maximum yield plant your tomatoes about 24” apart. If closer they are more likely to suffer from fungus and wilt and die early. Good luck and God bless!
I have four fallen nests from Wrens and other small songbirds, and two have hair from my Black Lab woven into them. The other two I found our here at the ‘new’ farm and they have Ithaca tail and mane hair in them.
Nature wastes nothing! :)
Weather analysis: Not looking good for any widespread rainfall anytime soon
“Bottom line: we are in a dry pattern for quite some time with some hit-and-miss showers and thunderstorms. This could lead to abnormally dry conditions across the area, especially if June precipitation totals are far below average.”
SW Wisconsin may be going into a drought. My fruit trees are suffering, as are the berries and grapes, so I am giving them all a good soaking this morning.
Weather in the 80’s and 90’s this upcoming week. No rain. :( We’ve had 1-inch of rain for the entire month of May.
On the Bright Side? Less moisture, LESS BUGS! :)
Complete kit with pressure regulator and screen/mesh filter. Will do 100 foot of row(up to rows) and costs $60. Comes with five shut offs in case a row or two are harvested and no longer need to be watered etc. I have three rows and a couple of raise beds so this will be perfect.
I'll be able to sit in the air conditioning while watering instead of standing out in the heat moving the hose every few minutes. Since we don't have a well and rely on water tanks, the least amount of water used, the better. Mulch + drip is the ticket. An RV pump gives us water pressure for the house so I'm going to get a small RV pump to run the drip system. I already have 12 volt power out there.
And YES. Let those ticks die of thirst.
Just looked at the forecast and in a few days, it will hit 90. Looks like an early hot dry summer again. According to tracking, my shade cloth is 30 miles away but tomorrow's a holiday so it should get here Tuesday.
(up to rows) should have been (up to 5 rows)
We had nests with ‘Twinkle’ mane & tail hair woven in - they were just beautiful, with smooth insides of the woven hair. Twinkle was my first pony. No more horses on the place to contribute to current nests. The bluebirds do a great job with pine needles for constructing their nests. “Nature” is just amazing.
Plumb the pump for hose end fittings and I can use it to pump from the house water tank for drip watering and swap to the small tank for liquid fertilizing through the drip system. Little calcium and potassium for flowering/fruiting stage. It's 15 gallons and I have 16 pepper/mater plants.
Might need two of them because I've been wanting one for my little tractor anyway and then I'd have one for water and organic nutrients and have one for nasty chemicals.
This tank is 34" long and the outer edges of the back of fenders on the little tractor are 35" apart so it would sit pretty right behind the seat.
Would be nice on occasion to spot spray an area with Permethrin where I'm going to be working the next day. Perimeter fence work etc. Go spray a fruit tree before the Japanese beetles eat it. Water in a tree with the clean tank.
Daniel; Buy some Epsom salts and when your tomatoes are about 8” high sprinkle 1 tablespoon around them. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate. Magnesium is needed to create Chlorophyll needed for your plant to grow. This should speed up growth. Do it again at 16 inches 4 weeks after that. See the link that Diana provided for fertilizer.
Thanks. Like this: (8lb), Scent Free $6.64 https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Epsom-Salt-Magnesium-Sulfate-128oz-8lb-Scent-Free/690032288?athbdg=L1200&from=/search
You could also get some digested kelp that might speed up growth.Like https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Earth-Organic-Natural-Premium-Kelp-Meal-Plant-Food-1-0-5-2-Fertilizer-2-lb/38440121?from=/search
Interesting and cheap irrigation methods. https://morningchores.com/drip-irrigation-system/
Yes exactly. Epsom salts are cheap and you can find lots of you tube videos on using them. Also check Diana’s link. Your choice for the kelp, but it should be cheaper for you in MA than me in KS. (Shipping!)
I think I will use up my left over 99mg 100 or so Potassium capsules later on. Bone Meal is rather high. Maybe Jobe's 06328 Bone Meal Fertilizer Spikes, 50, natural (2-14-0) $7.74 ($0.15 / Count) would be justified.
I do have many lbs left of Hyponex 40 lb. All-Purpose Fertilizer 10-10-10 (from when it was about $10) some of which I spread out every year, but it comes as hard bits, slow to break down.I wonder how long it would break down in water.
Should get soil tested, but I do not want to spend much money on this garden. A few years ago a few bags of this were mixed in: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Black-Kow-1-cu-ft-Manure-50150151/308819334
This is attractive but I will pass on it:
2-5-3) 4 pound bag $6.97 https://www.amazon.com/Jobes-Organics-9026-Fertilizer/dp/B002YOJDAS/ref=sr_1_24?crid=FUMCHDL70HRF&keywords=bone+meal&qid=1685348553&sprefix=bone+meal+%2Caps%2C150&sr=8-24
For those in our area who were looking for a sunny & warm Memorial Day holiday weekend to start off their summer, they are sorely disappointed. Clouds moved in Friday afternoon (after a cool & very blustery week). We’ve had showers beginning Saturday evening off/on & had 1/4 inch of rain in the gauge when I checked before going to bed last night. This morning, the rain gauge shows 3/4 inch. We’re supposed to have showers off & on through Wednesday.
For all the transplants we did this spring, the rain we’ve gotten at fairly regular intervals has been great: the boxwoods are growing, the hydrangeas are starting to bloom, the lavender is blooming & the hostas that got moved look great. I was worried about the hydrangeas because I had to cut some large roots to move them, but with daily watering for the first week or so & a location that is much better for them, after about 2 weeks of looking punk, they have perked up & are putting out quantities of leaves, now blooms. Hydrangeas are a sentimental favorite - my Granny had them on one whole side of the house, the side that had the door into the large mudroom - this was the door they used all the time since they had a farm/dairy.
So what to do when it’s raining for 2-3 days? Marathon knitting, trying to catch up on projects: 3 prayer shawls for recent widows in our church, the 2nd leg warmer of a pair that are a Christmas present from last year, & a project for the county fair that a friend has been bugging me to enter for at least 3 years. My hands were so cramped up last night I had to break out the hemp + emu oil cream. Back at it again today while watching the rain fall & the robins hunting worms in the front field. A male bluebird likes sitting on the ramp rail where I can see him - shaking the rain out of his beautiful blue feathers.
Memorial Day, honoring my uncle Nick Vukmirovich who died at Anzio in WWII. Buried age 20 in the military cemetery in Italy. Hubby got a call to ride in a deuce and a half in our local parade starts in an hour. Hubby served in the army overseas during Vietnam.
A low cost bone meal replacement. Save and wash your egg shells, dry them, put them in the oven at a high temperature for 15 or 20 minutes. Cool, crush them, then put them in a large bucket and add 2 cups of 3% or 4% white vinegar to 1 cup of crushed shells (watch it foam in that large bucket!)
Add the now PH neutralized liquid to your irrigation water. You have made the egg shell calcium more available to your plants. work them in around the plant.
Note that you can also use egg shells processed in this way as a home made calcium supplements. If you do this kiln them in the oven for 30 minutes to make certain you kill any bacterial.
Potassium: If you have access to it some wood ash provides potassium, but it is a "base" and you have to be careful in using it.
UW Extension Using Wood Ash in the Home Garden
Snip...."Because using wood ash tends to increase soil pH, applying it where acid-loving plants (e.g., blueberries, azaleas/rhododendrons, birch trees, red maples, pin oaks) are growing will likely not be beneficial. Using wood ash may actually be detrimental and contribute to problems with chlorosis [see University of Wisconsin Gardens Facts XHT1002 (Chlorosis)]. In addition, many vegetables and other landscape plants prefer slightly acidic soils, so wood ash should be used judiciously when growing these plants. Finally, in some cases, increased pH due to use of wood ash may promote certain diseases. As an example, potatoes grown at higher pH tend to be more prone to potato scab [see University of Wisconsin Gardens Facts XHT1117 (Potato Scab)]."
Remembering your family's service this Memorial day!
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.