Gardening: (2016– )

[Shelby]

I'm sorry to report that Lake Shelby is here for the third time this summer.

 

 

Said by our farmer right before planting our corn for the third time:  "It can't flood three times in one summer"

 

Oh yes, indeed, it can.

[Shelby]

First zucchini!  

We are going to have a lot of potatoes.  This was only 3 plants.  We have about a billion more lol.

 

 

[lemniscate]

On 6/26/2019 at 8:47 AM, Shelby said:

"It can't flood three times in one summer"

 

Having lived the life for my formative years, farming is the biggest casino in the world and the house always always wins.

 

[chromedome]

Over the course of the month, despite the aftermath of moving, I've managed to catch enough windows of passable weather to finally get my garden in. The last things went in just yesterday, which is very late indeed even by local standards. I went with store-bought transplants for the longer-season items (tomatoes, cukes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, etc) and direct-seeded my usual overload of greens (kale, collards, chard, beets - I count those as greens, primarily - spinach, lettuces, etc).

 

 

[TicTac]

2 hours ago, Shelby said:

First zucchini!  

We are going to have a lot of potatoes.  This was only 3 plants.  We have about a billion more lol.

 

 

Looks great, Shelby.

 

Do you harvest garlic at various stages of Spring development, or just when bulbs are large?

 

I experimented this year with a few zucchini plants in large pales - we have had tons of zucchini flowers and at least a dozen baby zucchini (we like them small, though I do leave some to get as large as the above).  Apparently the heat containment from the pale has made the zucc's very happy girls.

 

The ones in the ground are doing equally well, though not as early of producers, far larger and they are producing at least 4-6 flowers (I hope you eat those, Shelby!) on a daily basis.

 

Garlic Scapes are up, as are the snap peas.  It is an exciting time for us lovers 'o food!

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Yesterday I pulled the last of my peas and planted flowers in their place.

 

[kayb]

I am missing having a garden this year. However, a month of seeing how the sun falls (I have a good many trees) has schooled me on where it needs to go. Will get raised beds put in this fall, treat them well with horse manure, and have them ready to go next spring. I'm also on the lookout for someone's discarded patio glass doors, to make the tops for some cold frames.

 

Flower beds to each side of the back steps will serve nicely for herbs. Having learned my lesson the hard way, there is a large iron kettle in which the mint will live, so's not to overrun everything else. 

 

I have a loaded down apple tree in my back yard, and two pecan trees in the front. One tree has lots of baby pecans; the other, none. What's that all about? This is my first venture into pecan trees.

 

Will be planting a fig tree and a pear tree this fall. Won't get much, if any, fruit for a couple of years, but I'm thinking ahead. Oh, and there will be an asparagus bed.

 

[dcarch]

Here they come! 

4 other plants also have chokes coming.

The other 4 shouldn't be far behind.

 

dcarch

 

[Shelby]

On 6/29/2019 at 10:43 AM, TicTac said:

Looks great, Shelby.

 

Do you harvest garlic at various stages of Spring development, or just when bulbs are large?

 

I experimented this year with a few zucchini plants in large pales - we have had tons of zucchini flowers and at least a dozen baby zucchini (we like them small, though I do leave some to get as large as the above).  Apparently the heat containment from the pale has made the zucc's very happy girls.

 

The ones in the ground are doing equally well, though not as early of producers, far larger and they are producing at least 4-6 flowers (I hope you eat those, Shelby!) on a daily basis.

 

Garlic Scapes are up, as are the snap peas.  It is an exciting time for us lovers 'o food!

 

Hi!  Thank you!

 

Although I do have some garlic planted--I've never harvested it and it grows up every spring.  Heaven knows what it looks like underground lol--anyway, those are onions.

 

Nice that your zukes are doing so well!  It is an exciting time  

19 hours ago, kayb said:

I am missing having a garden this year. However, a month of seeing how the sun falls (I have a good many trees) has schooled me on where it needs to go. Will get raised beds put in this fall, treat them well with horse manure, and have them ready to go next spring. I'm also on the lookout for someone's discarded patio glass doors, to make the tops for some cold frames.

 

Flower beds to each side of the back steps will serve nicely for herbs. Having learned my lesson the hard way, there is a large iron kettle in which the mint will live, so's not to overrun everything else. 

 

I have a loaded down apple tree in my back yard, and two pecan trees in the front. One tree has lots of baby pecans; the other, none. What's that all about? This is my first venture into pecan trees.

 

Will be planting a fig tree and a pear tree this fall. Won't get much, if any, fruit for a couple of years, but I'm thinking ahead. Oh, and there will be an asparagus bed.

 

Kay, I know you're missing it, but it won't be long before next spring!!  Very jealous of your apple and pecan trees!

14 hours ago, dcarch said:

Here they come! 

4 other plants also have chokes coming.

The other 4 shouldn't be far behind.

 

dcarch

 

Artichoke envy.

[suzilightning]

19 hours ago, kayb said:

I am missing having a garden this year. However, a month of seeing how the sun falls (I have a good many trees) has schooled me on where it needs to go. Will get raised beds put in this fall, treat them well with horse manure, and have them ready to go next spring. I'm also on the lookout for someone's discarded patio glass doors, to make the tops for some cold frames.

 

Flower beds to each side of the back steps will serve nicely for herbs. Having learned my lesson the hard way, there is a large iron kettle in which the mint will live, so's not to overrun everything else. 

 

I have a loaded down apple tree in my back yard, and two pecan trees in the front. One tree has lots of baby pecans; the other, none. What's that all about? This is my first venture into pecan trees.

 

Will be planting a fig tree and a pear tree this fall. Won't get much, if any, fruit for a couple of years, but I'm thinking ahead. Oh, and there will be an asparagus bed.

 

OHHHHHH.... fig tree!!!!!!

[curls]

Didn't get to much in to the vegetable garden but enjoyed some lettuce, peas, and radishes (not pictured) before the weather go too hot. Hopefully I'll do better with the fall crop.

[chromedome]

My first harvest from my (newly planted) garden consisted of a couple of green onions that had been missed last autumn and over-wintered successfully, my garlic scapes, and a large bag of "volunteer" greens (specifically, in this case, dandelions and wild sorrel). The dandelions were added to a "mess o' greens" which otherwise came from the supermarket, and the sorrel plus green onions plus a few scapes plus some chicken broth became a small pot of soup at lunch today.

[dcarch]

If you garden, organic or non-organic, you will need to spray. Do you find it fun to have to spray?

Most of the sprayers you buy only work for a couple of seasons. 

On a hot humid summer day, pump pump pump pump --- take a shower, change underwear, more pump pump pump again ----more showers ------ more pump pump pump.

I can't believe  everything in our life is so advanced and we are still gardening with 100 year old technology.

 

So I bought a $17.00 12v pump, and a $5.00 old MacBook rechargeable battery, changed the "plumbing" of a defective sprayer.

Awesome! this simple electric sprayer can get a much better spraying  job done in one fifth the time and without the sweating.

They do sell motorized sprayers, but they are expensive, not reliable, and too big.

I highly recommend making one yourself. Really worth it.  It is not impossible to hookup an electric pump with a battery and a switch.

 

dcarch

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by dcarch (log)

[gfweb]

7 minutes ago, dcarch said:

If you garden, organic or non-organic, you will need to spray. Do you find it fun to have to spray?

Most of the sprayers you buy only work for a couple of seasons. 

On a hot humid summer day, pump pump pump pump --- take a shower, change underwear, more pump pump pump again ----more showers ------ more pump pump pump.

I can't believe  everything in our life is so advanced and we are still gardening with 100 year old technology.

 

So I bought a $17.00 12v pump, and a $5.00 old MacBook rechargeable battery, changed the "plumbing" of a defective sprayer.

Awesome! this simple electric sprayer can get a much better spraying  job done in one fifth the time and without the sweating.

They do sell motorized sprayers, but they are expensive, not reliable, and too big.

I highly recommend making one yourself. Really worth it.  It is not impossible to hookup an electric pump with a battery and a switch.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

Looks like a bomb. ATF may come knocking. 

 

But  great idea. I despise all sprayers. 

[dcarch]

18 minutes ago, gfweb said:

 

Looks like a bomb. ATF may come knocking. 

 

But  great idea. I despise all sprayers. 

 

Yes it can be a bomb, if you use an air pump without a pressure regulator.

This is a self-priming water pump. No pressure buildup.

 

dcarch

[Shelby]

A rather meager pick this morning.  What exactly does a person do with just one okra 🙃

 

[SLB]

Fry it up, breakfast.

 

[SLB]

Meanwhile, the petunias are going nicely in my Manhattan Containers.  

 

 

Speaking of okra -- did I mention that my Mississippi cousin suggested that I plant okra in my windowboxes once, after I complained about how ungodly high the okra is around here when it finally is available?  I wonder what my building would make of me planting food in my windowboxes . . . .

 

ETA:  Please ignore the frayed condition of the windowsill.  As you can probably guess, I tend to leave the windows open (to varying extents), no matter the weather.

 

Edited again:  I just discovered that there is a whole separate thread devoted to flower gardens.  Sorry!

  

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by SLB (log)

[TicTac]

21 hours ago, dcarch said:

If you garden, organic or non-organic, you will need to spray. Do you find it fun to have to spray?

Most of the sprayers you buy only work for a couple of seasons. 

On a hot humid summer day, pump pump pump pump --- take a shower, change underwear, more pump pump pump again ----more showers ------ more pump pump pump.

I can't believe  everything in our life is so advanced and we are still gardening with 100 year old technology.

 

So I bought a $17.00 12v pump, and a $5.00 old MacBook rechargeable battery, changed the "plumbing" of a defective sprayer.

Awesome! this simple electric sprayer can get a much better spraying  job done in one fifth the time and without the sweating.

They do sell motorized sprayers, but they are expensive, not reliable, and too big.

I highly recommend making one yourself. Really worth it.  It is not impossible to hookup an electric pump with a battery and a switch.

 

dcarch

 

 

 

No spraying of any sort goes on in my garden besides that of my water hose!

 

Full till organic soil.

[KennethT]

1 hour ago, SLB said:

Meanwhile, the petunias are going nicely in my Manhattan Containers.  

 

 

Speaking of okra -- did I mention that my Mississippi cousin suggested that I plant okra in my windowboxes once, after I complained about how ungodly high the okra is around here when it finally is available?  I wonder what my building would make of me planting food in my windowboxes . . . .

 

ETA:  Please ignore the frayed condition of the windowsill.  As you can probably guess, I tend to leave the windows open (to varying extents), no matter the weather.

 

Edited again:  I just discovered that there is a whole separate thread devoted to flower gardens.  Sorry!

  

 

 

When I had more time, I've grown a decent amount of food in my Manhattan apt... Why should your building care?

[SLB]

I guess it's not like keeping chickens on the fire escape.  

[dcarch]

Do you like Royal Corona beans? Not cheap. 

 

I am growing them. Seems to be doing very well. I will have a good supply this year. 

 

dcarch

 

 

 

[Paul Bacino]

1 hour ago, dcarch said:

Do you like Royal Corona beans? Not cheap. 

 

I am growing them. Seems to be doing very well. I will have a good supply this year. 

 

dcarch

 

 

 

Yes  Love those beans!!

 

Can you just plant..  those from Rancho Gordo?

[gfweb]

On 7/8/2019 at 11:36 AM, Shelby said:

A rather meager pick this morning.  What exactly does a person do with just one okra 🙃

 

The same as with many okra

 

nothing

[KennethT]

On 7/8/2019 at 11:36 AM, Shelby said:

A rather meager pick this morning.  What exactly does a person do with just one okra 🙃

 

I keep picturing the old Bugs Bunny cartoon where he's in the fancy restaurant eating a lone carrot on a plate with a fork and knife...