Posted on 04/18/2020 5:35:11 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 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!
“There are clearly formed chick embryos, but I see no movement when I candle them. And it’s been 22 days for the oldest.”
If all else fails, you can fry up some Chicken McNuggets! (J/K)
*BLECH* ;)
I’ve experimented and have grown potatoes in straw bales before, and in rings of tires and in potato bags.
And I’ve heard of people just setting them on the soil and then mulching heavily with straw.
It seems to work! :)
“Question: Can I use a very weak broadleaf herbicide in that garden if I don’t plan on planting seedlings for another month?”
No worries. Weed killers only kill the weed when it touches the leaf mass.
“Question: What do you plant in your container-based salsa gardens?”
Determinate Roma-type tomatoes, Jalapeno Peppers, Onions, Tomatillo, Sweet Red Pepper, Cilantro. Plant a separate pot of Mint for Mojitos to go along with your Salsa and Chips. ;)
That is so cool!
If you haven’t read any of Elliot Coleman’s books on year-round growing, or ‘The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener’ by Niki Jabbour, I’d recommend them.
Elliot grows in Maine and Niki in Canada (I think?) They both make it look easy, LOL!
We’ve been suffering through a bit of a cold snap here in Central Missouri this past week. We’ve had near freezing temps every night, and several that have fallen below freezing. It’s delaying the morels popping and wrecking the fishing - very annoying!
Mrs. Augie is picking up some bedding plants at the local nursery this morning. The garden is still too wet to get the tiller on it, but that won’t be a hindrance for this stuff.
Following last year’s bumper crop my drupes have decided to take this year off. None of them even tried to bloom. Just as well, as the blossoms would have been frozen anyway. The pears are blooming nicely, and probably far enough along that they won’t be affected by the cold nights. The apples are loaded with buds that are just starting to open. Jury is still out on frost damage to those, but the temps haven’t dropped below 28°F so I think they will be ok.
It’s looking like most of my landscape plantings around the pond made it through the winter in good shape. The bald cypress and pawpaws are leafing out nicely, and there’s a ton of new growth on the red lobelias. The buttonbush is just starting to show some bud swell. It’s too early yet to know if the milkweeds made it.
All my tulips and daffodils were covered in snow this morning.
Ugh.
My seedling trays are full of little seedlings!!! It’s so exciting to count them as I walk by :)
One of the squash varieties, Sweet Meat Oregon Homestead, has such big leaves that they keep shoving the dirt out of the pot as they emerge. I’ve never seed cotyledons that big before! At least twice the size of the other squash, and 4x the size of the melons. I’m curious to see if the true leaves are that much bigger too.
I finally got my wheat seeds in the mail. 4.5 pounds of spring wheat and 5 pounds of winter wheat. The place I ordered from was so swamped it took them 4 times the usual time to get the order shipped. I keep seeing that as a good sign, lots of gardeners stocking up! It does get inconvenient though.
Meat processors keep shutting down due to the virus. I almost have my isolation/maternity hutch set up for the chickens. I don’t have permission yet to expand my flock, but I want to be ready when I do.
Off to plow, hopefully! It’s windy out but warm, and the ground is finally dry enough.
18 hours/day.
Grow light bulbs are a twosome of white and one other variety...
Thanks for the book recommendations.....I will check those out.
It is raining though today to get an early start in the garden....maybe this afternoon.
Update to my garden project.
Seed starts/direct seeding.
Turns out the 11 y.o. Johnny’s soybean seeds did not germinate at all. The sprouts were unknown volunteer tomato starts from my cold/worm compost pile.
So will need to source some soybean seeds/starts.
Carrots have not popped after direct seeding.
Radishes have popped in raised beds.
I have the 250ft of chicken wire fencing up around the garden area. Need to finish burying it, landscape staples and concrete papers will be added after burying to keep the rabbits out. (Any other suggestions for rabbit deterrence welcomed.)
Another week in the greenhouse is the rainy week sentence for the tomato pepper and other starts.
Hallelujah I found a source for free woodchips! I need about 15 yards for mulch but I don’t want a dump truck backing across my nice concrete driveway so it has to be brought in with my pickup one load at a time. This is a 45 min drive each way but the guy has a bulldozer to load for me!
If you have a cat carrier or other small cage, I’d suggest using that to reintegrate the hen. Keep her in the cage with her own food and water, but set it in the hutch with the rest of the chickens. It usually takes about 3 days of that for my flock to accept someone, even if it’s one of their own.
Score on the wood chips! A chipper is on my ‘Wish List’ for one of these days. With the amount of wood we have around here, I HATE paying for wood chips...and I need a lot of them each season.
I’m slowly wearing Beau down, LOL!
I don’t use herbicides or any other pesticides—other than a garlic, onion, cayenne pepper spray that I make.
Salsa-You need tomatoes, onion, peppers-jalepeno chipotle green chilis etc., garlic, cilantro.
Well, we are hoping that the end of frosty weather is here. Planning to plant potatoes in the next few days. Have loads of cover crop to turn and work in before planting begins in earnest.
Rye, garlic, and chives are doing great. Our bunching onions are numerous and we are pulling loads of those and dehydrating them to grind for onion powder.
I got a new dehydrator which has temperature control and timer along with mesh and trays for fruit leather. Have made 3 batches of fruit leather and some hamburger jerky.
Tomato starts are beyond ready for transplanting. Still working on cleaning out the freezers-2 are done, refilled, and 1 left to go-looks like I have several packs of tomatoes left so may just make some stewed tomatoes to can.
NW, We’ve had warmer weather this Spring. So, I’ve cut a few asparagus stalks, parsley over wintered and so did a kale.
Last Fall our garden club had a speaker on seed saving. She brought in a “Moon and Star Watermelon,” and we all took some of the seeds and tried to save them for this year. Found them in the bottom of my basket and put them in pots...up they came...what do you know I did it right. I don’t really expect watermelons to ripen at my altitude and temperature. But, I’ll give it the gardener’s try.
If you can put down black plastic and cut a slit in that where you want to plant the melon seedling, that'll help to warm the soil. Melons like WARM soil and LOTS of water, so don't be stingy! I've never fertilized melons with anything other than compost.
I’m one of those people who will NEVER tire of that song! Thanks! :)
You are very welcome, Diana. #metoo ; )
Yep, I will get manure and black plastic...I’ll give it the old collage try. They have just poked out of their pot, so have time to get ready.
One question. When I looked them up, there was a wide range of the size/lbs. I think the one that was brought to garden club was roundish and not very big. But, memory fades. I was surprised on different descriptions from 8lbs to 25lbs.
No I haven’t read either one and appreciate the tip.
Will read them
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.