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BS: Gardening, 2009
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Maryrrf Date: 08 Aug 09 - 05:11 PM Here are some pics of my garden. I take photos every now and then just to document the progress. It's been a great growing season here in Central Virginia. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: maire-aine Date: 07 Aug 09 - 11:55 PM Hi, Janie. Yes, I'm in the Great Lakes area. My yarrow is achillea millefolium Terra Cotta, and I dead-headed it last year (the first year I had it), but then I dead-headed everything. It grew tall and straight this summer, even after being transplanted in the spring. I guess it isn't too fussy about anything. I've been giving it a lot more water, because we've had a dry spell around here in July/Aug, although we had a wet May/June. Maryanne |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 07 Aug 09 - 09:50 PM maire-aine, In years past, I noticed goldfinches feeding on the cultivars of fern leaf yarrow (achillea filipendulina) that went to seed before I deadheaded. I never saw them on any of the cultivars of common yarrow (achillea millefolium.) I'm in a much different climate zone from you as I recall. Here in the hot, humid, and droughty southeast USA, without deadheading, the fern leaf yarrow, in particular, seems not to fare so well in subsequent years, getting really scraggly and woody much more rapidly, and needing dividing to keep it going more frequently. The common yarrow doesn't seem to care much, except that I notice that some colors of some cultivars are prone to rebloom if deadheaded (mostly the dark pinks and burgundies and the whites in "Colorado Mix," but not "Cerise Queen" or the naturalized white common yarrow, nor the"Summer Pastels" or "Apple Blossom" cultivars of of common yarrow. What happens in your area? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: maire-aine Date: 07 Aug 09 - 09:13 PM About freezing corn, my mother did it both ways: 1) boil the corn briefly, then cut the corn off the cob & freeze it in bags, or 2) blanch the corn on the cob very, very briefly, and freeze the whole ear, cob & all. If you leave the corn on the cob, you want to use that up quicker, because I don't think it lasted as well as the cut-off corn. Maryanne |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: maire-aine Date: 07 Aug 09 - 09:08 PM I was all set to dead-head my yarrow, but I saw a tiny goldfinch land on one of them and start picking at the seeds, so I left it alone & let the little guy have a chance. I don't think you need to dead-head. I've seen winter garden photos where they were left on. Maryanne |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Maryrrf Date: 07 Aug 09 - 06:09 PM I haven't really gotten into canning, although my dad used to do it when I was a kid. I still remember his homemade tomato juice. The Baba Ganoush freezes beautifully - I make it up with the garlic, lemon juice and tahini and freeze it in quart sized bags. Then throughout the winter I just pull it out as needed. The ratatouille also freezes great. Last year I loved having that in the freezer and just defrosting and eating over pasta or rice. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 07 Aug 09 - 05:32 PM How long do you cook them, and then you freeze cob and all? I have some tomato 4" potted plants to put in that already have some yellow on them. I may take them back. I found some better looking ones at another place, and I'll head over there -- if they have more of the same, I'll go with those. No point introducing that yellow blight/wilt/whatever so early on. It arrives by itself soon enough. It's another weekend. I have plenty to do out in the yard. Mow again after all of that rain, and make a pass at the back (I stopped halfway back last time I mowed, so it's REALLY tall now. Guaranteed to kill the engine a few times.) SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: katlaughing Date: 07 Aug 09 - 04:34 PM These all sounds so delicious! My ex, I should just call him by his name, Stan, instead always my ex...is bringing me some fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from his garden. We have one pot tomato which is growing well and has some greenies. They ought to be ripe in another week, I think. Any of you know if yarrow should get dead-headed and/or cut back? Mine got really tall this year and not exactly spindly, but is falling over. I've had a hard time getting Rog to water enough, but now I think he may have overdone it, which is hard to do here. It's the only reason I know they might be leaning over so much, unless they just need to be pruned. Anyone want any seed heads? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 07 Aug 09 - 11:29 AM Maryrff, Are you freezing the babaganoush? Does it come out good? I'd love to do that. Do you freeze it in ice cube trays and transfer to bags, or do a solid batch? Have you done any canning? Have you tasted home grown tomatoes made into tomato juice? I have had tomatoes coming out of my ears, but a friend brought over his steam juicer and after tasting that I can't grow enough plants to make more juice! Juicing also leads to a lot of sauce that I can in half-pint jars. I use more tomato sauce than any other product during the year, so this is a good outcome. Sounds like a wonderful outcome. Post more photos of the garden if you have any. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Maryrrf Date: 06 Aug 09 - 09:26 PM Haven't posted much but man I have had a bumper crop of everything. Squash (yellow and zucchini) enough for me, neighbors and relatives, eggplants like no tomorrow, cantaloups (now finished), watermelons (just had a ripe red slice a few minutes ago) pumpkins (now harvested and the pulp frozen for autumn pies) tons of luscious tomatoes, peppers (bell and jalopeno) okra (so good rolled in cornmeal and lightly fried), cucumbers (first batch of plants have finished bearing but I planted a second batch, so I'll have some more later in the month) basil, parsley, cilantro, and assorted herbs. I've made up batches of ratatouille for the freezer, along with baba ganoush using the eggplants, and also bagged up plenty of tomatoes and frozen them for sauces. Still have to make up some pesto. This has been a great summer for the garden. After fertilizing a couple of times early in the season, I haven't had to do anything else but weed and water occasionally. I had no major insect problems. Pretty soon it'll be time to plant the lettuce and salad for the fall. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 06 Aug 09 - 07:53 PM Sham-waaa-set is a canned sauce... Corn??? Yeah, we're gonna freeze it in vaccum bags... I shucked the last, ahhhhh, 50 or so ears today so they are ready to get cooked, bagged and stuffed in the freezer... We got alot of rain last night... 1.5 inches between last night and this mornin'... I've worked real hard this summer gettin' the drainage ditch open to the run-off pond and it has paid off... The pond level came up about 6 inches... That is alot of water... I walked down there this mornin' and the bullfrogs were a'croakin' all over the place... They is some happy frogs.... Might of fact, jus' about everything is happy... Including the P-Vine 'casue she has a reprieve from waterin' for a few days... Sniff... I kinda got this stomach ulcer thing so I'm goin' ahev to stay away from tomatoes just when they are coming in!!! Danged... That's why I'm a bluesman... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 06 Aug 09 - 01:56 AM Are you going to freeze those ears of corn you shucked? Do you wrap them in plastic then freeze? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 05 Aug 09 - 08:58 PM Are they pickled or simply canned? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 05 Aug 09 - 08:54 PM I don't have a clue... Okay... It is pronounced sham (as in sham) waaaa (as in waaaa) and set (as in set)... Sham-waaa'-set with the emphisis on the the waaa... It's made from tomatoes and onions and peppers and celery and carrots and things and ya' kinda can them all up together to be used later in sauces, stews, casseroles, etc... Yummy stuff and looks good in the pantry, too... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 05 Aug 09 - 08:20 PM Try another spelling...I don't ken ye. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 05 Aug 09 - 08:08 PM Both sound great... I don't like nuthin' in my juice... I can't stand orange juice because it has pith in it... I love the V-* at the store... The P-Vine likesw her juice more pithy... She takes mine and runs it thru one of her blenders and I then I can drink it.... She found her V-8 recipe today, thank goodess, so we're back in the game... Mr Clifford, who just last week was gripin' about the rat-coons gettin' into his corn, came thru with his harvest today... 99 ears... I shucked 41 of them tonight and will get the others tomorrow... He only grows it for us... Beat last years 73 ears so we got our corn for winter... We didn't have the heart to tell him about the dozen we got up in Maryland for fear of one of Mr. Clifford's infamous "fallin' outs"... He can be very cranky but we do purdy well with him... Anyone make "cham-wa-set" (losey spellin'...)??? B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 05 Aug 09 - 07:59 PM My two favorite books on preserving food are: 1. Stocking Up, by Carol Hupping and the Staff of the Rodale Food Center, and 2. Putting it up with Honey by Susan Geiskopf. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 05 Aug 09 - 07:51 PM Tomato Juice Cocktail (From the 3rd Addition of Rodale's Stocking Up) Yield: 4 qts. This recipe must be either pressure canned, or frozen for food safety 12 lbs. large, ripe, blemish free tomatoes 4 medium carrots 2 large red or green sweet peppers 4 stalks celery, including leaves, diced 2 onions, diced 1 clove garlic, minced 1 cup lemon juice 2 tbls. honey, or to taste 1/2 tsp. black pepper 2 bay leaves 2 sprigs fresh basil, dill or thyme (optional) Wash, stem and core tomatoes. Cut into small pieces. Wash and grate carrots. Core, seed and mince peppers. Combine all ingredients in a large, stainless steel or enamal kettle, and simmer over low heat 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally, until veggies are soft. Pick out the herb springs and strain juice from veggies. Freeze or pressure can. To can, return strained juice to kettle and bring to boil. Pour hot into hot, scalded jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process 30 minutes at 10 lb pressure. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Aug 09 - 06:37 PM Bobert, I read a nice recipe for something else that I can't find now, but would provide an interesting list of veggies to try (was in Martha Stewart Living). If I find it, I'll send a link or transcribe it. Earlier this week the same friend who loaned me his steam juicer sent this tidbit from a canning discussion group. I think you could do this to make juice, not just to make sauce. Just don't cook it a long time:
the food strainer to remove the skins and seeds. This year - In my case there isn't a written recipe. My process goes like this: - 1 bushel of washed, cored and quartered tomatoes into my 18 QT roaster oven - add any other veggies (like bell peppers and onions) and herbs (fresh basil, oregano, etc) and spices (black pepper, etc) - roast in the roaster oven at 250°F until the veggies are well broken down (usually overnight) - once the veggies are soft I remove the bulk of the liquid by straining into a stockpot, using a second stockpot to hold the solids. After removing the bulk of the liquid (which I reserve) I pour the solids back into the roaster pan. - I now use my stick blender (boat motor) to puree the mass, skins, seeds and all - Now to a stockpot, adjust the thickness (add back some liquid if needed and the seasonings, heat to a simmer, pack in jars, debubble, cap and pressure can - 15 minutes pints, 20 quarts. I would stop at the strain liquid into crock pot--I would put it in a big pot, bring it to a slight boil for 5 to 10 minutes (or however long the canning recipe says) then bottle it in quart jars with 2 Tablespoons of lemon, a little salt if you want, and process it for 45 minutes. How's that sound? I think you should make the sauce with the rest of it, but the point of this is the get the juice, not just to make sauce. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 05 Aug 09 - 08:50 AM "Oh, the other thing about WAV, he's also one of those folks who likes to hijack threads so they're all about him before long. It's one of his regular tactics." (SRS)...No - I tried to start another native gardening thread (the previous one was hijacked by people who took it well beyond gardening, and it was - I think, through no fault of my own - closed down) but it was deleted; thus, I pop in here now and again, because I genuinely believe native gardening helps re. some of the matters (overgrazing, depredation of rainforest, etc) SRS also mentioned, above. By the way, for what it's worth, I'm interested in and support the home-grown veggie (including exotic veggies) posts on this thread - limiting food miles, etc. (please see my above post). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 05 Aug 09 - 08:12 AM Well, we are at the point this morning were we cannot possibly eat what has come in... We plant "one" yellow squash plant and it is now pumping out 5 pounds every day... We plant one cuckemeber plant and getting 3 to 4 a day... One banana papper and same as the cucumber... It's not as if we plant too much... It's that we are too good at egtting healthy, productive plants... The P-Vine swears it's from the 6 inches of straw we use to much with... I donno??? Something wrong ('er right)... So this morning I'm going to take 'bout 40 pounds of stuff down the farm coop where, interestingly enough, most of the women who work there are clueless as to where food comes from??? LOL... We got some kind of yellow punkin growing by mistake... It was supposed to be our late yellow squash plant but is making punkins??? Looks like we'll be makin' punkin bread this fall from our own punkins... A couple years ago we got some blue ones that came up mysteriously... Made fine bread and pie... Got another 3/10ths of rain last night... Makes 8/10s in 3 days... Yezzir.... We love that... Mean not having to move the oscillators all day... Noy much else... Hot!!!... Still no vine ripe tomatoes... They will prolly all come in at once... Anyone have a good recipe for "V-8" juice??? Gotta go to work... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 05 Aug 09 - 06:34 AM Maggie, If you are interested, (and if I can find it), I have a great recipe for green tomato pickles. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 05 Aug 09 - 01:40 AM I contacted my friend with the steam juicer and will borrow it to do one more batch of tomatoes. By this time of the season they're not much to look at, but they should taste great as juice and sauce. I will hold a few of the better looking ones out for salads and such. I muscled my mower around the yard today. After 10 days of rain the grass was tall and thick. Mower kept stalling. Now it will get hot again and dry things out. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: katlaughing Date: 04 Aug 09 - 11:25 PM You know folks, none of you owe any kind of explanation or defence to anyone. Please post away and ignore as I promise to do, also.:-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 04 Aug 09 - 11:14 PM August has definitely arrived. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 04 Aug 09 - 08:29 PM Evil... ya' know... gardeners who don't use only the plants that surround them... Well, if ya' only used the plants around you, that wouldn't be gardening... That would be observing, wouldn't it??? I guess that makes gardening evil??? B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Aug 09 - 07:02 PM veil = evil? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 04 Aug 09 - 06:30 PM Well, some plants that are native are also poisonous, invasive and a complete waste of the nitogen in the soil... Burdock is one... It will crowd out natural wildflowers and suck up gobs of rain water in the process... Poison oak and poison ivy, also native, have no sue what5's so ever yet entire acers have been ravaged by this evil plant... What??? God didn't create people??? And He didn't give us the intellegence and curiosities to make us creative animals??? (Maybe the Devil created us, Bobert... Did ya ever think of that???) Well, no I didn't... (Yep, that is the story... God created "native flora" *whatever that is and the Devil created mean. veil people who garden...) Is that yer final anser??? (Let me get back to you...) Ok... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Aug 09 - 06:11 PM ()...like the tragic loss of native fauna and flora in many "zones" of our world? This is a gardening thread. There is no tragic loss of anything in my garden. There are other threads discussing global warming, depredation of rainforest, overgrazing, and acid rain. Pick one of those for discussing your topic. Oh, the other thing about WAV, he's also one of those folks who likes to hijack threads so they're all about him before long. It's one of his regular tactics. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: katlaughing Date: 04 Aug 09 - 01:39 PM We bowed to Gaia on Sunday and came home with a beautiful HARDY, Drought_Tolerant hibiscus and a gorgeous aster which we planted after a proper chant at the moon the night before. We sacrificed all manner of little baby perlites and other nutritious victims probably including, and not limited to, a worm or two, a roly-poly bug or two and even a nasty pincer bug, ALL natives to our area. Oh, my! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 04 Aug 09 - 01:28 PM "whine about problems" (SRS)...like the tragic loss of native fauna and flora in many "zones" of our world? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 04 Aug 09 - 01:17 PM You just don't get it, WAV. This is a thread where we share gardening tips. We share our successes and whine about problems. We don't come to this thread to be preached at. Most of us do some, or all xeriscape gardening. That has to do with zones, and a lot of native plants, but also adapted plants from other areas that thrive in our zones. You don't like this, and keep harping your your religious convictions regarding native plants, but all you're doing is annoying the inmates here. No one is going to adopt your dogmatic approach to gardening. SRS (who doesn't gladly suffer crackpots) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 04 Aug 09 - 05:09 AM Butterfly bush (Buddleia) NOT "tree", above, sorry. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 04 Aug 09 - 04:47 AM God aside then, SRS, you may have leaned more toward natives than most, Robert, but I still say it would have been better for the native fauna/flora/ecosystem of your area to select all natives: even if some of the exotics you mentioned are PARTICULARLY attractive to SOME native fauna, they are, thereby, still upsetting nature's balance (as with the butterfly tree, here in England). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Aug 09 - 08:53 PM Bobert, You did post a good response, but you have to understand that there is no answer that you will give that will please WAV unless you kowtow exactly to his god as he worships it. His posts here are the abuse of a perfectly good gardening thread for religious purposes. Logic doesn't work against dogma because he isn't talking about gardening at all, in the long run. (One can wonder if poison ivy is native in his area, and does he hold the same views in the face of that itch . . .) SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 03 Aug 09 - 08:27 PM maeve, How are your wrist and Truelove's lungs faring these days? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 03 Aug 09 - 08:21 PM eyup..... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 03 Aug 09 - 08:06 PM Thank you, maeve... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: maeve Date: 03 Aug 09 - 07:49 PM That's a thoughtful and informed response, Bobert. maeve |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 03 Aug 09 - 06:37 PM Huh??? Yes, native flora can restore an ecological balance but to think that only native plants can do that is incorrect thinking... I mean, one only look at our farm as a prime example... Our farm used to be a hog farm... When we bought it it had been two years since any hogs were here but the effects of the hogs were everywhere... We had no worms, very few bugs and hardly any birds... We also didn't have much in the way of native plants other than the hardwood forest that the hogs didn't live in and lots of burdock and thistle... One of the first things we did was bring in lots of soil and created a 400 long garden on the edge of the forest... The plants weren't native to this area on the Blue Ridge with the exception of amny wild flowers that we brought with us... But we also brought hundreds of azaleas, rhodos, hostas, laurels, grasses, etc. that don't grow here naturally... We also brought in about 30 bales of straw and a couple tons of chicken manure and and plowed that into what would become or vegetable garden... And guess what??? Four years later we have these lush gardens made up of all kinds of plants that whyile no native to the Blue Ridge are hardy and happy... And Guess what, Part B??? We also have hundreds and hundreds of birds... And we have thousands of worms and insects... In other words, we have taken "our choice" of flora and created a completely balanced ecological santuary... Okay, too many deer but when one has a farm that borders a wooded national park that comes with the territory... We had them when we first came, too... Now some folks might think us criminals and evil for what we have done but we understand nature, and balance, and ecology and what we have done is restore those elements in nature... Our way... That's the beauty of being a human being... We have choices and if we make correct choices we can live quite nicely and still be "pro-earth" (a term I have used going back decades, thank you...) B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 03 Aug 09 - 02:16 PM To SRG and Robert: we humans can, overall, for better or worse, effect habitats more than any other species, yes? And, wherever your neck of the woods is, the native fauna there has evolved with the native flora there, yes? And native habitats have been harmed by human construction, intensive farming, etc., yes? And our garden space, which may be planted with native flora to compensate for such harm, adds up to quite a lot, yes? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Aug 09 - 12:25 PM I'm putting in fall tomatoes now (and pegging cherry tomatoes from existing plants). I'll pick up a Celebrity and see how it does in the cooler fall weather. The Super Fantastic holds up to Texas summers, that's why I go with it. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 03 Aug 09 - 07:40 AM Well, we did have an "Early Girl" (ha) ripen in the window and had it yesterday... It was good to be eatin' a fresh tomato but the "Early Girl" ain't like a "Celebrity" for taste... Now that we've had rain, we'll let the garden dry out a little, dig our 3 rows of potatoes, till up that space and be ready to plant fall stuff in about 3 weeks... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 03 Aug 09 - 01:32 AM Bobert, I understand perfectly about the tomatoes. Be patient, and you will be rewarded. I have a gallon or so in my fridge now, and this is when it has slowed way down. It is simply the best luxury I can think of to reach into the fridge for a perfect tomato to cut into sections for a nice chef's salad (good for leftover lunch meats, etc.) or to slice for a BLT. Hang in there. Soon, very soon! SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Janie Date: 03 Aug 09 - 01:19 AM We had a nice rain this morning also, Bobert. Had hoped for some more this afternoon, but it didn't materialize. Still., grateful what we got - no rain guage out, but am going to guess we got somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inch. Enough, and mostly gentle enough that it didn't all run off into the storm drains. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 02 Aug 09 - 12:13 PM Now back to gardening... Hooray!!! We have had rain all morning... We're up to 5/10ths of an inch... Best single day total in 7 weeks... Yesterday was a day-off the farm... We hadn't been up into western Maryland in years so off we went... Unfotunately we rescued two box turtles off the road before we could get outta the area and so they rode with us in a cardboard box... I wanted to find them a nice home so when we got to Maryland I picked backroads into the Catoctin Mountains and finally found a place where they will do well but... ...by then we were fairly well lost... Okay, maybe not all that lost... But it took some thinkin' to get where we wanted to be... But we did pass a sighn that read "Sweet Corn, $3 Dozen" so we stopped by this farmer and bought a dozen beautiful ears of corn... We genarlly get our corn from Mr. Clifford but he has had serious problems with the Rat-coons and may not end up with enough for us to freeze this winter but it's nice to have our first corn... Still no vine ripe tomatoes... Red but not ripe... Grrrrrr.... I refuse to buy a tomato with a hundred of them waiting to ripen... Bout it for now... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Bobert Date: 02 Aug 09 - 12:00 PM Well, as I have pointed out, God's creatures have since the beginning of time been middle-men in hybridization... Birds, insects, and just about every other living thing has carried polin from one plant to the next and thus there are always new hybrids that are naturally being hibridized all the time... But if I have it correct, Verser, if man does the same then that is some evil thing??? Illogical... And as for natives??? We have lots of "natives" which are indeed harmful to plants and animals... Some are poisonous... Some are water hogs... Some are terribly invasive... Yes, natives... Not exotics... Take a maple, for instance... A 20 foot maple, which is good for very little will spread a very hogish root system out 30 feet in every direction for its trunk??? That maple will suck up enough water to grow a year's worth of food for an entire family of humans??? What's with posion oak and ivy??? They are native... Ilantis trees??? Natives... Virginia Creeper??? Etc... But if I plant a lovely evergreen azalea because the flowers are not only pretty but support the bee population I am an enemy??? Huh??? Beam me up... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: Stilly River Sage Date: 02 Aug 09 - 11:38 AM Walkabouts, you're preaching to the choir. And I'll thank you to keep your dogmatic god out of my garden. The corn seems to be about ready--a friend said to peel back a little and feel a kernal--it is a little softer now, can be creased with a thumbnail. I think we'll be eating corn for dinner tonight and tomorrow night and Tuesday night and Wednesday night. . . The monsoon season has passed, and over the last week I've pulled out a number of big exhausted plants (lots of dead lower leaves). As the garden dries out I'll hoe in more compost and begin pegging some of the sprawling cherry tomatoes and pulling more of the old super fantastic. I planted three SF a couple of weeks ago and have three more to plant once I've cleared space. This is an indeterminent plant that trives here. I'll try that trough method of planting corn next year. I'm going to build up one side and turn this into a raised bed for better drainage, but I can still contour the planting bed. The ears of corn will probably be smaller this year because I did some extra fertilizer but not as much as it sounds like they could have used. I did keep them fairly wet. Next year I'll start them earlier and water and fertilize more. I have some squash flowering (I try to stagger some of the crops) and I'll be tending to that, but it isn't anywhere near corn. I wonder--canteloup climbs, would that damage the corn if it grew under it? Time for more newspaper and mulch, and since it is hot and sunny, I'll use vinegar on the grass creeping in from the edges. Looks like a good day for gardening! SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: WalkaboutsVerse Date: 02 Aug 09 - 05:43 AM A year or 2 ago, Gardeners' World (BBC), with Monty Don, went through a pleasing pro-native phase but, with a new head presenter, sadly they've gone back to a pro-exotica stance. Hence, this reminder... "Green/eco-friendly gardening is native gardening, and vegetables, plus other consumables, should be the only exotic-flora we plant - as doing so can help limit food-miles, etc. By filling our other garden spaces with natives, we use less water and other resources, whilst aiding the native-fauna that, over the centuries, evolved with them. (Even high-nectar exotics, such as Buddleia, that are very attractive to SOME native-fauna, should be avoided, because they upset nature's/God's balance – God created evolution, too, that is.) Our green gardens, with their vegies and natives, can be made still greener by the addition of compost heaps/bins; a wildlife pond – for native frogs, newts, and so on, rather than exotic goldfish; bee- and bird-boxes, plus carefully- selected feeders; rain- and grey-water vats; by growing everything organically - including thrifty home-propagation plus species-swapping; and by leaving some lush untidy patches, decaying branches, etc." (from here). |
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Subject: RE: BS: Gardening, 2009 From: maeve Date: 02 Aug 09 - 05:23 AM SRS- You'll have to check an ear to see if the corn is ready. I look for brown silk and feel for plump kernels. You can carefully peel back the sheath to check an ear by sight, and you can pull an ear off to check it for taste- the kernels should be plump, and the taste sweet and milky. If you need to pick more ears than you can eat right away, store it in the 'fridge with the husks on. Hilling- Yes, if they need extra support just hoe (or dump) extra soil around the base of the stalk. Corn grows extra roots to stabilize the top-heavy stalks. One way some folks handle it is to plant the seed in troughs, using a hoe to pull the higher soil in as the stalk grows. Corn is a heavy feeder, so we also throw in organic fertilizer and compost as it grows, and use squash and legumes as an understory planting to stabilize the corn and make extra nitrogen available. It worked very well when last year's strong winds blew everything else flat. Enjoy! There's nothing like fresh sweet corn. m |
