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BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012...
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Subject: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:06 AM So??? What's everyone doing??? B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,CS Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:33 AM Harvested my Pumpkins this afternoon. Two monsters, not sure what to do with those (I may carve one for the first time ever). And several smaller, suitable for roasting and stuffing which a nice pilaf mixture (I'm thinking rice, toasted sunflower seeds or hazelnuts, diced dried apricots, toasted curry spices, red onion, crumbled feta). Pumpkin plants went on the compost along with exhausted plants from the coriander and rocket patches. As the soil is nice and moist due to lots of rain, Mr. has been digging out some deep rooted docks at the bottom of the garden - which has been much neglected wilderness since we got here. I've been uprooting shed loads of seed laden Fat Hen from almost equally neglected border in the hopes that I've caught it early enough that the seeds aren't ripe yet! Going through the online shelves at 'MoreVeg' and filling up my basket with things I'd like to try next year. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 29 Sep 12 - 11:30 AM "Dock"??? If that is "burdock" it has a long tap root and mean as mean can be... We bought a special shovel for them a few years back with a long skinny blade that tapers down to almost a knife shape... Works great... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: pdq Date: 29 Sep 12 - 12:54 PM Just finished pruning a large apple tree. It set thousands of apples this year and was in danger of breaking apart. Any ideas of what to do with not-quite-ripe apples between 2 and 2 1/4 inches? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 29 Sep 12 - 12:59 PM Waste not, want not... Compost... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 29 Sep 12 - 02:59 PM Today is tree planting day... I've planted three (1 ginko and 2 criptomeria yoshinos) so far and expect to have two more (1 more criptomeria and a dogwood) and in by quiting time... The okra are about finished... Yeah, they are making fruit but we're going to have cold, wet weather this coming week so I'll pull them after harvesting the last bit... Plant broccoli in their place after adding and tilling composted manure first... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,CS Date: 29 Sep 12 - 03:52 PM Bobert: "Dock"??? If that is "burdock" it has a long tap root and mean as mean can be... There are a number of different wild 'dock' plants in the UK, the most common being what we have in the garden, the broad-leaved variety. I'm not sure if Burdock is a relative or not, but these docks do have long taproots, tough to pull out fully, easy to snap. And so they say, they regenerate from any bits of root left in the soil. http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicweeds/weed_information/weed.php?id=1 PDQ: "Any ideas of what to do with not-quite-ripe apples between 2 and 2 1/4 inches?" Make Apple Jelly (clear preserve): http://dovesoup.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/when-life-gives-you-lemons-make-apple.html |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 29 Sep 12 - 07:32 PM Same stuff, CS... Nastiest weed out there... BTW, horses love the leaves... The beauty of dock is that once it is dug it's gone... It's not all that invasive as long as you get the tap root... Wish I did links 'cause I'd show you the shovel that "dock" hates... It really does work... BTW, we did get in the last two trees that were hoping to get in... The P-Vine got in several ferns that she bought last week from the "fern guy" in Forest City, NC... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: pdq Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:22 PM The plant called dock in this country is an invasive weed and is probably not eaten by humans. It does serve as a host for numerous moths and butterflies and should be left if it is not right in someone's garden. Several members of the same genius are called sorrel and make a good salad herb. Some probably are medicinal, also. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: pdq Date: 29 Sep 12 - 09:45 PM Here is another wee beastie which like to... munch on dock |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:36 PM Horse get it eat a lot quicker... They love it... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 30 Sep 12 - 01:04 AM Would that be a "sharp shooter" shovel, Bobert? Long and thin? Lots of stuff still producing, and hoping for another round of tomatoes. I have been trying to get out to clear some area to put in fall crops for weeks, but have been swamped at work. Maybe tomorrow, if the rain stops. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: ragdall Date: 30 Sep 12 - 02:40 AM I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I should be doing to get the yard ready for winter. Does that count? The list is so long that I'm going to need a lot more motivation to begin to tackle any of it. I've been preparing to prepare, though. I got a prescription last week for some heavy duty Ibuprofen because I expect that this year is going to hurt even more than last year did. rags |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,CS Date: 30 Sep 12 - 03:07 AM Bobert: "The beauty of dock is that once it is dug it's gone... It's not all that invasive as long as you get the tap root..." That's what I'm hoping for! I did read that the leaves are high in nutrients, so onto the compost they go. The roots I'm putting out with the green wheelie bin in case they DO have the have Jesus like powers of resurrection popularly attributed to them. PDQ: "Several members of the same genius are called sorrel and make a good salad herb. Some probably are medicinal, also." Sorrel, oh my! Grew a small patch of that in my new kitchen garden plot by the back door. Tried it for the first time ever about a week ago. Brother, is that stuff TART! Like sucking on raw lemons :D And it loses none of it's sourness, even when cooked down to a pulp. I made the mistake of treating it like spinach and piled a whole bunch of it into the steamer. Couldn't eat it. I think it's going to have to be used a bit more judiciously in future, maybe a few young shredded leaves scattered through a salad. Or a little added TO other steamed greens for piquancy. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,CS Date: 30 Sep 12 - 03:50 AM Request your best TOP TEN TIPS for starting up (well strictly the second year) an organic kitchen garden plot - sufficient for two, with some leftover to give away? Right now it seems I need to do something about slugs, as they're knobbling too much in the way of my green stuff. Don't seem to like the red 'heritage' lettuce OR the Radicchio I sowed though, both of which have been left to grow entirely unmolested - so I'm taking note for next year. I noticed my Japanese Mooli radishes have been decimated (the leafage at least) by what I suspect must be caterpillars - cabbage whites probably, the same blighters that did for my Nasturtiums (will go over the stalks today and see what's hiding in them). I tried growing Nasturtiums as a salad herb this year, but the old packet of seed must have been a bit stale as only two germinated, and then the caterpillars colony ate the leaves before I could. Still, I have been left with a nice quantity of seeds for sowing next year. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,Shimrod Date: 30 Sep 12 - 04:24 AM I had my garden 'blitzed' by contractors earlier this year because I had neglected it for a few years and it was overgrown with ivy, brambles etc. I won't go into the reasons for the neglect but when you let it get so far you need to take drastic measures. Anyway, after the blitzing I spent a bit of money and put in a bit of work and by June the garden was looking wonderful (even if I say so myself!). But as the summer progressed we had buckets and buckets of rain (i.e. in North West England) and some stuff got a little 'over-enthusiastic'- so more drastic measures were called for. Two plants remaining from the original garden were Siberian Iris (I. sibirica) and a pink-flowered Geranium (which may be G. x oxonianum). Both form dense mats - particularly the former - which is a 'beast'! Whilst trying to dig it up my fork handle snapped and I had to buy another fork! Although all this involved quite a bit of sweating and swearing it amused me to be solemnly observed by several neighbourhood cats. In addition I have a small pond with a resident frog - which was also an interested spectator. None of these watchers offered to help! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,Alan Whittle Date: 30 Sep 12 - 04:42 AM I'm not really a gardener - but this bungalow we've moved to in Dorset, has a huge overgrown garden. This week I cut down the Thuya hedge from hell. I'm hoping the boy scouts will take it away for their bonfire. I wasn't sure what to do - so I looked up Thuya hedge on you tube. Cutting of overgrown Thuya hedge. Only to find these videos of men in combat gear pruning poncy little hedges. Next i've got to unpack a huge strimmer, i've bought off e-bay to level what where the fruit cage areas. When that's level, I'll have big bonfire and burn some of the Thuya. Then I'll rotovate and turf the area. my brother in law has a chain saw - I'm hoping he will take down the Thuya stumps to the ground. then i'll have to hire a stump grinder to grind away the stumps. Not sure whether to hire a man to do it - as the stumps are near the wall, and the stump grinder hire man - says I'll have to pay extra if I damage a blade. Also I've cut the top off a big Eucalyptus tree. And I've got to the same with a laburnum. I get a bit over faced with it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 30 Sep 12 - 07:46 AM Yeah, SRS... The shovel blade is kinda "T" shaped and perfect for getting out anything with a tap root... Best shovel I own for that kinda work... We are slowly losing tomato plants that have anything to produce... We did have a volunteer "Cherokee Purple" cherry tomato come up in the middle of our new asparagus bed which is producing very well... Have two more criptomeria and a dragons-eye variegated pine to plant today and after harvesting the last of the okra this morning I'll be pulling those plants up... This week I hope to get the newspaper, cardboard and first layer of compost down in the two future veggie raised beds lasagna beds... BTW, I have some pictures of it that Janie has on her computer and she'll be sending them to SRS when she gets home from the Getaway... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,CS Date: 30 Sep 12 - 08:45 AM Bobert: "This week I hope to get the newspaper, cardboard and first layer of compost down in the two future veggie raised beds lasagna beds..." Managed to railroad my Mr. into accepting that I WILL be putting down cardboard & mulch again over the bare earth (after all the exhausted herb & veg. plants have been pulled up) in my wee kitchen garden. He sneered and was resistant at the idea as looking "messy". I think what do I care, so long as I don't haveta deal with loads of weeds - my little potager is the only bit of the garden that isn't covered in 'em right now! Cardboard is my friend! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 30 Sep 12 - 08:50 AM Well, the trick is to be sure to wet it so that it conforms to the ground and to get the first layer of compost down before it is allowed to dry... No mess... Actually, it looks quite tidy... And no weeds next year!!! Show Mr. what I have just written... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,CS Date: 30 Sep 12 - 09:01 AM "be sure to wet it so that it conforms to the ground and to get the first layer of compost down before it is allowed to dry... No mess..." Thanks for the top tip Bobert! I will do as you suggest. I saw another good tip, which I'm going to do while the cardboard is wet, and that's to use a bulb planter to carve out little holes into which I can plant my seedlings (a variety of Autumn veggies sown in modules a number of weeks ago) I'm enjoying pottering and growing things, first year I've made any proper effort to do so. I'm even looking into Biodynamics, a traditional system of growing 'with the Moon' still quite common in continental Europe, particularly with wine growers so I've read. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:03 AM Bobert, my shovel isn't "T" shaped: Sharp shooter Great for digging out various tap-root weeds. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:09 AM No, that ain't it, Magz... I have one of those, however... The one I own has a blade that isn't any wider than 1 1/4 inch and tapered but has the "T" part at the top so you can use your foot to push it down... It's about the same length as the sharp shooter with a round handle at the top... I bought it at a trade show and it is worth it's weight in gold... We just finished planting the 3 trees we had to get in before tomorrow's rain and off to am art show... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: pdq Date: 30 Sep 12 - 01:44 PM People who have not tried growing Kohlrabi should get 6-pack of seedlings at their local nursery and put them in the ground now. Stagger plantings for the next 2-4 weeks. Survive a fair amount of frost with no problems. They have very heavy but tasty leaves that don't boil down as most other greens, such as beet greens or turnip greens. Boil (or steam) 3-5 minutes and add a touch of salt, olive oil and soy sauce. The plant is often said to be grown for the swollen stem that cooks and tastes like broccoli stems (they are close relatives) but I like the leaves enough that the stem part gets too big and woody to eat. Large leaves can be cut off and the plant will be just fine. Thw wonderful purple color make it look like your garden is really a success, even if it ain't. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 30 Sep 12 - 01:51 PM I have some kohlrabi waiting to be planted - I've never grown or eaten it. How else do you fix it, pdq? SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: pdq Date: 30 Sep 12 - 02:06 PM I take a sharp knife and cut around the stem and center vein and dispose of damaged areas and junk. Wash and cut good stuff into 1" wide strips. Boil or steam. Three minutes may be enough if you like slightly crunchy. I steam 5 minutes, but I live at near 1 mile elevation. Sea level cooking is quicker. The Kohlrabi stem is supposed to be the goal. Tastes great but is best harvested just a bit larger than a golf ball. I can't see doing that unless there are more plant to supply greens. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: GUEST,CS Date: 30 Sep 12 - 03:05 PM Snap! I have fifteen kohlrabi seedlings grown from a small pack of seed to start putting out with some other seedlings in the kitchen garden this week. Bought the seeds just because I loved the look of the bright purple colour but have never eaten them before. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: pdq Date: 30 Sep 12 - 04:29 PM Some of the favorite garden veggies are gone as soon as the termperature gets to about 30 degrees (F): okra, beans, peas, summer squash, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers. Usually also corn and cucumbers. Most other annuals are not done yet, and some prefer the fall. Anyone have a few example of their October 1 planting favorites? Last year I bough a package of "100 UC-72 asparagus seeds". Planted them in neat staggered row about 10 inches apart. Initially, there were a few more than stated: 109 seeds. Of those 86 germinated. By the end of the year, close to 70 were left. This spring about 50 came up. Now about 45 as so remain as some turned yellow and dried up this summer. Next spring they will be relocated to a permanent bed with lots of compost. I expect only about 30 to go in the bed with 6 or so set aside for replacement if the chosen one don't make it. Still, I think it was $3.49 well spent. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Oct 12 - 01:03 AM I started asparagus with the roots - I have another package I forgot about that I need to put in. They're coming on like gangbusters this fall. I'm picking a lot of peppers - they do a big crop in the fall, and also eggplant. I roasted three of them tonight and mashed up two of them and added lemon juice then froze them - my goal is to thaw and add the rest of the ingredients for baba ghanoush. This is a test. I also made a little batch to eat this week. I have another 8 or so eggplants to do something with this week, I picked them today. Lots of herbs to dry or freeze, the oregano and thyme and bay leaves and rosemary are fine, but basil tanks at 30o. Okra is going strong, I'm waiting on fall tomatoes. Few so far. Chard was attacked by some kind of worm and I sprayed it the other day with BT - doesn't seem to have slowed them, so I'll use spinosad tomorrow. If I can keep them alive I'll have a good fall and winter crop from these plants. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 01 Oct 12 - 03:18 PM Lovely gardening weather today - on a Monday. Note to Mother Nature - rain mid-week will make for great gardening on my days off! SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 01 Oct 12 - 04:59 PM We've also put in an asparagus bed, Magz... We did it exactly the way the folks on the inter net said to do it by digging out a 20 foot long trench (1 ft deep and 18 inches wide, mostly filled with a mix of composted manure and top soil, then spread the roots out like an octopus before covering with an inch of compost... Growing like gang busters... Think we'll have asparagus next spring from the looks of things... I've also discovered some wild asparagus growing across the pond... I have it marked with a flag so we'll keep an eye on it next spring, as well... Raining here today... Hooray... Going to put down my cardboard/ newspapers and first layer of compost later this week in my lasagna beds... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 03 Oct 12 - 08:16 PM We had the last of the fresh okra tonight and I pulled the plants out this morning... Some were monsters and had to dig them out... Found a 9-pack of broccoli at Lowe's yesterday for $2.99... Soon as the raised bed dries out I'll put a bucket (1/2 yard) of composted manure in and till it and plant 'um in it... Maybe by Christmas we'll have broccoli... Back in the holler in Virgina, I'd go out to the garden and brush 6 inches of snow off it and bring it in and it was fine... And fresh... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 04 Oct 12 - 12:47 PM Calgary. Saw a big flock of robins, gathered to head south for the winter, last weekend. Only winter residents left, except some gulls still around. COLD and mixed rain and snow yesterday, the sun is low and winter is hard upon us. No more gardening, but leaf cleanup and hose storing tasks. West of here in the Foothills, my daughter measured four inches of snow at the house. She keeps a weather station at her place, Wareabouts [http://wareabouts.ca/welcome/photos.html]. Very lucky in Calgary this September, some nice warm days and no frost. I remember years when freeze-up came by Sept. 15, and others when it held off into December. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: maeve Date: 05 Oct 12 - 01:12 AM Maine- harvested lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, sugar-snap peas, pole beans, bush beans, cucumber, sweet pepper, basil, dill, parsley, and tomatillos today. Plenty more of most things remain. Still have 20 feet of different potatoes to dig. Hoping to plant cool weather crops for spring harvest this week. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 07 Oct 12 - 05:00 PM Sounds yummy, maeve... I planted 9 broccoli seedlings and we have spinach, arugala and beets coming up... We put in a late cucumber (sweet slice) and are getting one or two a day from it... Peppers are outrageous... One thinks its a tree...LOL... Dug the hole for the "dragon's eye" variegated pine... I am very concerned about it as the dirt here is so bad and doesn't drain well... I'm going to put 4 inches of gravel in the bottom of the hole and plant it high in a mix of sand, Va. top soil, Permatil, clay and gypsum... I'm planting it on a high spot so hopefully water won't stand on it... But I don't mind saying that I am more than a little concerned about it... BTW, our hostas are doing well... Does anyone know what Ph they like??? B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Fall Gardening Thread 2012... From: Bobert Date: 07 Oct 12 - 07:14 PM Oh, and I meant to ask if any one knows of a late summer wild flower that has heart shaped leaves, is real viney and has red to red/orange 3/4" to 1" trumpet flowers??? B~ |
