Free Republic

Good afternoon gardeners. I have been debating all day if I should post this week’s thread. And can’t help myself at this point. I do not like stepping on JADB’s ownership of the thread and I hope y’all and she understands. As many of you know my wife and I are moving from Meridian, Ms to Marshall, Tx and I was not sure I would be able to keep on gardening at the house we are leasing. Peggy has received a written approval letter from the owner for us to put in a small garden. So I will be trying...

Good morning Gardeners!!!! I know I'm not part of your usual cast of gardening threadmasters, but it's afternoon here and the thread hasn't arrived yet! So I'm going to start one, and if it turns out later that I shouldn't have, then I'll appologize really nicely. *Ahem*: 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,...

Good morning fellow gardening Freepers. I'm in need of a good affordable garden tiller and was wondering what you folks think. I used to simply rent one but that option is pretty much out now since nearly all the rental places quit carrying tillers. The one place left that does rent tillers is prohibitively expensive. So, I'm considering just buying a smaller one. The Mantis XP fits my budget and they make a convincing sales pitch (good warranty, free shipping, Honda Engine) but I don't have a clue if they're any good. I'm open to any and all suggestions. I'm...

Good morning gardeners! Red Devil here. JustaDumbBlonde and her husband are on their way up to Montana for a well deserved vacation. She should be able to post the thread from her remote Montana location next week.  I am sure she will continue with her plans for a soil structure thread next week. Her Thread subjects are so informative and interesting. Although I have not been real active on the thread, I read each and every post. Y'all have been doing a great job!I should be able to get some sort of a  garden going this year, at our...

I have a dear friend and neighbor who is elderly and not in the best of health. Day in and day out during gardening season she sits at her kitchen table and watches me work in my yard and garden, living vicariously through me. Once or twice a week I'll take her some vegetables and we discuss gardening, which was such an important part of her earlier years. You can see the love of gardening in her eyes every time we have a talk. I asked her one day to tell me the difference between dirt and soil. Soil,...

SUPPLEMENTAL VOL. 1 USDA Unveils New Plant Hardiness Zone Map The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map, updating a useful tool for gardeners and researchers for the first time since 1990 with greater accuracy and detail. The new map — jointly developed by USDA's Agricultural Research Service and Oregon State University's PRISM Climate Group — is available online at http://www.planthardiness.ars.usda.gov . ARS is the chief intramural scientific research agency of USDA. For the first time, the new map offers a Geographic Information System based interactive format and is specifically...

On January 25, 2012, The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the new version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map (PHZM), the first major update since 1990. See the new map, detailed state specific PHZMs, as well as PHZMs for Australia, Canada, China, Europe, and Japan...

Devastating fungus has already stripped shrubbery in Europe and New Zealand. Shrubs may be trembling by doorsteps across North America as an aggressive fungus disease of boxwood invades the continent. Boxwood blight, caused by a Cylindrocladium fungus, was unknown to science before 2000 but has now spread through Europe and New Zealand. In October, U.S. authorities confirmed that the blight had jumped continents, with infections confirmed in North Carolina and Connecticut. By mid-January, with growers and pathologists on alert, the fungus had turned up in at least five more states — Virginia, Maryland, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Oregon — and...

It was just a couple of weeks ago that I was really glad that the last of my garden had frozen. Being blessed with a long growing season is not always what it's cracked-up to be. You understand ... gardening is hard work! When it lasts from March or April until December, it can get tedious.Then, yesterday, my first order of seeds that I don't need came in from John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds. Four beautiful little envelopes that sound like maracas; Baby Lincoln Leeks, Tres Fine Maraichere Endive, Beaumont Broccoli, and Large Fruited Mixture Ornamental Gourds.I am stoked.Yep,...

A complete planting guide for potatoes including state specific varieties, planting dates, days to harvest, nutrition facts, fertilizing, watering, insect and disease information.

Good morning everybody! It is cold and clear here in NE Louisiana, zone 8a, we should reach 50° today under sunny skies. We've received several inches of rain in the past 3 weeks, so there will be no garden prep for a while yet, but the sunny sky has a way of getting me in the mood. In last week's thread we discussed our seed and supply catalogs. This week I intended to discuss saving seeds from our own harvests, and starting seeds indoors. In preparing, I actually found a couple of articles that are very informative and give good...

January is not the most hospitable month of the year to be sure. If you're like me those cold dreary days are best spent curled up in a chair (for the guys that don't *do* curl -- sit there very manly) with a cup of tea (insert the manly beverage of your choice) and a stack of garden catalogs that you need a front-end loader to move (got you with the front-end loader, didn't I?).I've got to hand it to the catalog people, the covers are exceptional this year and, by golly, with all of the $25 to $100 coupons...

Are you ready for the vegetable census? Yesterday I received the “2012 National Agricultural Classification Survey” from the US Dept. of Agriculture. It was accompanied by a cover letter stating (in large, bold font) that my response is required by law; and, if I do not reply, I “may be personally visited.” I am not and have never been a farmer or rancher. My land has never been farmed or ranched. I do, however, have a vegetable garden that I built in 2009. This garden is private and noncommercial. There is no illegal activity whatsoever on my property. The survey...

podcast 1:15:24

Good morning gardeners. I hope all of you are doing well and wish you a Merry Christmas. Today’s thread will be the last one I post as the host of the gardening thread. Thankfully the thread will continue to be posted by Freeper JustaDumbBlonde. Not only is she is a very experienced gardener, she and her husband run a large acreage family farm growing corn, cotton, wheat, soybeans and various other crops. Her large kitchen garden is so successful she has set up a roadside stand to sell her produce. I am confident the Gardening Thread will be in very...

Good morning gardeners. As many of you may know, my wife is a manager at a Wal-Mart Superstore. About a month or so ago she was approached, via email, by Wal-Mart, informing her that there was a position opening up in one of their stores in Shreveport, La. and they wanted to do a phone interview with her if she was interested. She agreed and did the interview. Well last week they called her back and told her the position was hers if she wanted it. We were given an hour to make the decision. Job wise this is a...

Good morning gardeners. I can’t believe it is already December, Brrrrrrrrr! It is 27 this morning in East Central Mississippi and is forecast to be in the mid 60s this afternoon. There are no plans to do any outside work for this gardener today. What needs to be done can wait until Saturday and Sunday when it is supposed to be in the high 60s and into the 70s. Just waiting for Spring now. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in...

Good morning gardeners. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday. My day was nice, quiet and lazy. Mrs. RD had to go to work at one pm and did not get off until two this morning, so we will be having our Thanksgiving feast this afternoon. We are having a roasted Turkey breast with the typical side dishes. We usually have a Ham but Mrs. RD wanted Turkey this year so Turkey it is. It is forecast to be in the low 70s today so I may get out and gather up some leaves for the compost and some...

Good morning gardeners. Thanksgiving is next week and I hope all Freepers enjoy a bountiful feast with family and friends. Don’t forget to give thanks, it can turn a meal into a feast. A reminder for those of you who have a frozen turkey, for every 4 pounds of turkey it will take a day to thaw in the refrigerator. A 20-pound turkey will take 5 days so you need to start defrosting it tomorrow. If your turkey will not fit into your fridge defrost it in an ice chest with ice. If the turkey is allowed to thaw at...

Good morning gardeners. Remembering Veterans Day. Here is a big Thank You to all who have served our Country. Just wondering how many of you gardeners are Veterans? It is a Chilly 29 F here in East Central Mississippi. I have been trying to keep up with the leaves falling off the trees and I am hating the pine needles more and more everyday. I don’t use them in my compost pile because they take to long to break down. I pile them by the roadside and the county comes by once a week and vacuums them up. I hope...

Good morning gardeners. I hope all of you are doing well this first week in November. Daylight Saving Time officially ends in the U.S. and Canada, at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 6th, when clocks are moved back one hour. We have had some nice weather with lows in the mid to high 30’s and up into the mid 60’s for highs the last couple of days. Forecasts are calling for lows in the 40’s with Highs in the low 70’s for the next week. I hope all your Fall gardens are prospering. If you are a gardener or you...

Good morning gardeners. We had our first frost last Friday but the weather has been beautiful ever since. I have been gathering leaves and other yard waste to add to my compost pile, which has grown nicely over the last few weeks and it is heating up and cooking nicely. I hope all your Fall gardens prosper. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of gardeners, each with varying interests and...

The publisher of a book Michelle Obama is writing about her White House produce garden says it will be called "American Grown." Crown Publishers announced Monday that the complete title of the first lady's first book is "American Grown: How the White House Kitchen Garden Inspires Families, Schools and Communities." It is scheduled to be published in April. The book will explore how improving access to healthy, affordable food can influence eating habits for the better and improve public health.

Good morning gardeners. We have had the first frost of Fall this morning in East Central Mississippi. It will warm up into the 70s the next few days and possibly even up to 80s by Tuesday. Not much gardening will be going on for me until next Spring. I hope all your Fall gardens prosper. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of gardeners, each with varying interests and skill levels...

I apologize for the vanity posting, but I am at the end of my rope on this. And that leads me to ask this question to the smartest people in the world, the people that read and post articles to the Free Republic website. You cant buy fresh "off the tree" olives anywhere, that I can find, in California. And they are everywhere. I was up in Napa and Sonoma Valley last week, and there are olive trees everywhere. We drove all over the place, to every produce stand we could find. Nobody sells uncured olives. The thing is, I...

I apologize for the vanity posting, but I am at the end of my rope on this. And that leads me to ask this question to the smartest people in the world, the people that read and post articles to the Free Republic website. You cant buy fresh "off the tree" olives anywhere, that I can find, in California. And they are everywhere. I was up in Napa and Sonoma Valley last week, and there are olive trees everywhere. We drove all over the place, to every produce stand we could find. Nobody sells uncured olives. The thing is, I...

Good morning gardeners. The October weather here in East Central Mississippi has been nothing but amazing this past week. We have had a few rainy days that have helped keep my compost pile moist as I am still working on building it up. It is satisfying to see the steam rise from it when I give it a turn on these cool mornings. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of...

EARLY one morning about a month ago, Don Young peeled the floral bedsheets off the giant pumpkins growing in his backyard. Tiptoeing around the jungly vines, he carefully checked for holes. Then, bending his ear down over the nearest gourd, which was as high as his gut and wider than a truck tire, he gave it a solid smack and listened intently, like a doctor with a stethoscope. “This one’s thumping pretty good,” he said with a grin. Mr. Young is one of a number of amateur gardeners whose heart’s desire is to raise a pumpkin bigger than anybody else’s....

Good morning gardeners. Wow the first week of October! The garden has been officially put to rest and my compost pile has been tilled into the garden and is now depleted. It’s going to need a lot of leaves, grass clippings and other plant materials to build it back up for next years garden. The leaves on the trees here in East Central Mississippi have awhile yet before they turn color and start to fall in quantity so I am letting about half of my grass clippings turn brown before adding them to the compost pile and mixing them with...

Good morning gardeners. Fall is in the air here in East Central Mississippi on this last day of September. It has been beautiful weather for cleaning up outside and taking care of the yard. Our daytime temperatures have been in the 70s with an occasional bump up into the 80s and the overnight lows are ranging from the 40s to the 60s. While I am waiting for Spring to arrive I will be occupied by continuing to hone my skills at home brewing. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice...

Good morning gardeners. I am getting a late start posting the thread this morning. Cleaned up my garden plot and will be tilling in some of my compost and wheat straw when the soil dries out a little more. I put a bail of straw around the base of my Fig trees in the hopes the straw will help them through the winter. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of...

The most important factor in determining when to plant a certain type of vegetable in your garden is the “Last Freeze Date” in the spring, and the “First Freeze Date” in the fall for your area. These dates for a given area are based on historical weather data from that area over a 30 year period compiled by the National Climatic Data Center. View the state by state charts...

Good morning gardeners. It has been another beautiful week here in East Central Mississippi we have had moderate daytime temperatures with cool nights. Perfect weather to get out and do some garden and yard clean up. My Fig trees have finished producing and it is time to winterize them with a thick layer of straw. All my of the pears have been picked and either canned or eaten. My vegetable garden is basically through producing except for a few Jalapenos that are still hanging on and still producing large peppers. My Beer brewing experiment is still progressing nicely with 6...

Good morning gardeners. It has been beautiful weather here in East Central Mississippi. We received about 3 inches of rain out of TS Lee on Monday and the daytime highs have been in the mid to high 80s with overnight lows in the 50s. It is 50 right now. This is quite cool for this time of year for us. My garden is basically done for the year. I bottled my first batch of beer yesterday, 30 quarts. Now it is wait for two weeks and maybe up to a couple of months, while it conditions, until it is ready...

Good morning gardeners. I Hope all is well with you, your gardens and your endeavors. To make saving your prized tomato seeds easier than ever try using some Oxy-Clean. Oxy-Clean? Yep the same stuff that Billy Mays pushed in all those TV commercials! Thanks to Freeper “who knows what evil?” for the heads up on this easy to do technique. Here is a link to a web page that describes the procedure - Saving Tomato Seeds Now how easy is that? If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just...

We tend to think of garden design as a relatively new vocation. The truth told by archaeological findings not only lays such thoughts to rest, it tells a tale of a rich and ancient heritage of garden design. One such finding shows a garden of Ninevah, in present-day Iraq, that dates back to 650 BC. There are date palms, trees and shrubs of many types. True, an enemy's severed head is seen hanging from one of the trees, but times were different, or are they? They did like their gardens, however. Our vision of ancient Egyptian temples is one of...

Want some highly-coveted zoo poop? Yes? I sincerely hope you’re a gardener. The Woodland Park Zoo is getting rid of its — err — natural fertilizer during its annual Fall Fecal Fest, and devoted gardeners can apply to take it off their hands. (Oh, gosh. I hope it’s not really on anyone’s hands.) Starting Thursday, the zoo is accepting bids for Zoo Doo and Bedspread, two fertilizer products comprised of what’s left after zoo animals digest their meals.

I have lived in many countries over the years, and have always had a vegetable garden. Not just for cost, as many of the countries I have lived in have had what we considered dirt cheap food, but for the quality. Nothing compares to the taste of veggies fresh from the garden. Recently, some friends told me about the bad drought in Texas. Their gardens are blackened and burnt, with food only coming in, grudgingly, thanks to heavy watering every other day. It immediately took me back to two of the hardest places I have ever tried to raise food....

Good afternoon gardeners. I hope all of you in the path of Irene heed the warnings and please stay safe! Not much gong on garden wise here in East Central Mississippi. I am just waiting to see how a few paste tomatoes do. And while I am waiting I decided to use some of my pears to make preserves. I am using the recipe I posted on last weeks thread, which calls for a little activity and a lot of waiting. I will be doing the final canning step this morning. This recipe may be way to sweet for my...

My aunt has an unusual plant that came up in her garden & needs some help identifying it. It looks like a variety of squash, & I've done a search for images. But nothing I found matches it identically. I thought I'd ask for some FReeper assistance...

Good morning gardeners. Weather has been great here in East Central Mississippi but my garden is basically done for the season. I do have some paste tomatoes coming along just fine and hope they produce before the first frost. They have a good chance to produce because the first frost around here is usually in late October or early November. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of gardeners, each with...

Utah compost company aims to make the most out of America's vast supply of leftovers. In a Salt Lake City warehouse, tall mounds of rotten vegetables, coffee grounds, and sawdust are steaming at 160 degrees Fahrenheit. It's not a desert dump yard, just the facilities of EcoScraps, an innovative organic compost company started by three Brigham Young University classmates who dropped out of school to launch their business. With 2011 revenues expected to approach $1.5 million, their risk seems to be paying off. EcoScraps' compost mix, sold by the bag in Utah, Arizona, and Colorado stores, is free of the...

Good morning gardeners. There is not much garden news to report from East Central Mississippi this morning. I am just trying to keep everything watered and alive and picking a couple of peppers and a zucchini every once in awhile. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion. Our Freeper community is full of gardeners, each with varying interests and skill levels from Master Gardener to novice. I hope all your gardens are flourishing.

Good morning gardeners. I transplanted 10 young paste tomato plants into my garden last Friday and wouldn’t you it, the heat gets turned up again. The area of my garden where I planted them gets shade from about 3pm on but I am having to supplying them shade from late morning until then. So far they are doing ok. I hope they survive. My pepper plants are doing well and producing nicely and I may get another round of zuke production. I got a very nice hard rain yesterday evening. Probably about 1/2 inch. If you are a gardener or...

Anyone ever compost tomato plants to use in the next tomato garden? Or is that too 'in-bred'?

Good morning gardeners. This past week here in East Central Mississippi has been great, weather wise. There have been numerous and very beneficial pop-up T-storms almost every day, which have helped keep the temperatures down and my garden watered. I hope TS Don will give some relief to those of you in drought stricken Texas. Forecasts are for it to dissipate in about 36 to 48 hours after landfall. If you are a gardener or you are just starting out and are in need of advice or just encouragement please feel free to join in and enjoy the friendly discussion....

Related Links Click here for PDF version Click here for Signing Locations  BE IT ORDAINED BY STEVENS COUNTY:  That the people of the State of Washington, domiciled on Stevens county, have unalienable and fundamental rights and among those rights are the rights to choose the local foods they produce; process or prepare; sell, purchase, or distribute; preserve and store for extended periods of time; and consume, for food or drink, for people or other life forms.BE IT FURTHERED ORDAINED BY STEVENS COUNTY:  That the purpose of this ordinance is to: 1.  Protect the unalienable and fundamental rights of individuals,...

Good morning gardeners. I canned all the tomatoes I had picked the previous week this past Wednesday. Sadly it did not take very long to do the canning. I also roasted (chared and peeled) about half of the Jalapenos I had picked and froze the other half. I also cut up and froze some green Bell Peppers and zucchini squash. On Wednesday I had a pop up T-storm visit the garden and then yesterday it was cloudy all morning and around 11 am a very nice, lazy, soaking rain started falling and it lasted for about two and a half...