2022 Garden Thread

[EatenByLimestone]

Heal fast Mrs. Clancy. I broke the transverse process on L0-5 a few years ago in a ladder oopsie. Make friends with a good chiropractor! They are life savers!

 

[clancey]

Thanks everyone..My three plants are doing fine so far and they are inside and please relax a bit everyone and try to pace your works especially you G. for this year will be very hard so plan you time tables well..Bad weather for Texas and it will continue so regroup with your work loads --gather your foods and store as you can and protect yourself people who live in the middle of the country from tornado's because things are going to change drastically---no proof here---just saying---get prepared and stick close to your family and home...I hope none of what I am thinking is true and it might not be so just take some moments and plan for the future but most of all pace yourselves and catch up on other things--just saying...Sure do admire and love everyone of you and this is all that I have to give you right now.. Now my dear forum member Lime you are over stretching yourself but your work is good...Keep up with the weather reports...I am feeling better and just relaxing myself for now but I am improving each day...Thanks everyone and bless you and our country...old mrs clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

The Gardening Channel with James Prigioni just posted his first video of the season last night. If you have never watched James, you'll love him. He is such a positive person and so full of enthusiasm. He lives in NJ and started a food forest in his backyard about 7-8 years ago where he has all kinds of fruit trees/bushes/vines and tons of vegetables. He was the inspiration for us starting our food forest. Check his channel out if you haven't seen him before: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9V_-gqJsZNOy4v_HqbRz3w

Here's his video of this season:

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[Dan Freeman]

Today was not a pleasant day weather-wise, but it stopped raining at about 12, so I went down into the field and reinforced the two back corners with high tensile wire using my new Gripple tool and laid out one more side with stakes where the next row of t-post has to be driven in, hopefully tomorrow. I made it back in just before it started raining again. I just feel I need to do something every day to not fall behind on this major project.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I’m itching to start getting stuff in the ground. We’re still not out of frost time yet, but I can probably get lettuce and kale and such planted. I’ll work on that this week.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Spinach and Kale should do OK. I have to wait until about May 15th and that is "cheating" by about a week or so. I imagine your last frost date is about the same up in Schenectady. I have my onions and potatoes in, but they should be OK.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

you might need some stitches and for me I am way laid because I broke three more vertebrae so taking an easy but trying to read everyday this thread..Sorry that happened and please be more careful and I say the same to myself..clancey

Oh, Mrs. Clancey, I’m so sorry to hear that. I’m glad you’re taking it easy, and I’m really glad you have your plants inside where they can give you some cheer. Get well soon.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

I’m itching to start getting stuff in the ground. We’re still not out of frost time yet, but I can probably get lettuce and kale and such planted. I’ll work on that this week.

I don’t know if you wear gloves when you work in the soil, but if not, you want want to consider taking some extra precautions with that wounded knuckle just to keep it clean.

When we have warm days, even when nights are cold, I think that really makes me impatient for the full gardening season. We’ve been having some hot days, but we still have nights in the forecast in the low forties, so I’m holding off on my peppers and eggplants a little bit longer.

I saw tiny leaves in the soil where I sowed my lettuce/green onion/radish/carrot mix last week. They looked like brassica cotyledons, so probably a few radishes. The interesting thing was that the only sprouts so far are on the north side of my biggest broccoli plant. I guess the shade lets the soil hold moisture there longer. I sure do hope that there will be some sprouts in the rest of the row, too, though. I’ve been very faithful about watering.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Today was not a pleasant day weather-wise, but it stopped raining at about 12, so I went down into the field and reinforced the two back corners with high tensile wire using my new Gripple tool and laid out one more side with stakes where the next row of t-post has to be driven in, hopefully tomorrow. I made it back in just before it started raining again. I just feel I need to do something every day to not fall behind on this major project.

At least rain will help make the ground easier for pounding t-posts. When my husband and I had to put up our fence last summer around the new garden beds, we had to soak several places in the ground to make progress. We didn’t have any compressor-driven tool, though, but we did have a manual t-post pounder that helped a lot.

Onions and potatoes make up the bulk of what is green in our garden right now. My five year old and I have been pulling the occasional onion for use in lettuce salad or tuna salad. I have some that are sending up flower stalks, so they’re the ones getting pulled early. It is fun to be beginning to harvest just a little bit.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Do you guys bake carrots? My wife started making these last year. They convert a carrot into an amazingly sweet treat! I wish I’d known about baking them decades ago. I would have eaten them more often.

 

[clancey]

That's how I soften up my ground by getting it wet. G. I think you will have real soft ground this week if the rain holds..lol . There goes lime itching to get started--lol lol I love carrots and especially baked ones for you can put ingredients on it to change up the taste--looks wonderful..Freedom you are doing such heavy type of work just be careful and think before and this is something that I wish that I have done--ugh...Thanks for the video but I got a copy of it before..Stay safe...My back is getting better each day and pretty soon I will be scooping out some dirt too in order to place two of my plants in the ground.. I am keeping my mint separate for now...The rose bush does not look good but its still spunky...lol Enjoy your garden work and just think of organic "mashed" potato's --yum...clancey

 

[clancey]

Some pictures of the plantee"s clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

We got the third side of t-posts in the ground today and one of the fence gates. That's 270 linear feet of t-posts done with another 100 linear feet to go. I am hoping we can get them finished tomorrow, and then we can start wiring the fencing to the t-posts.

 

[clancey]

Your making a lot of progress and sure does look well constructed and I know you can't wait to get things in and I just bet--"if you get all the work done then you can relax"--how your hand doing anyway? Keep an eye on it and work safe...Gosh it looks really good --good job...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

Today was "The Day of Reckoning", the day each year I decide which seedlings I am going allow to mature and which ones get cut out. I always plant at least 2 seeds per pot, sometimes 3 if they are older seeds. Once they start to come up and put out there first true leaves, if I have 2 or 3 seedlings per pot, I choose which one will be nurtured into a mature plant. I have to say, I don't like "The Day of Reckoning". I feel like I am killing "innocent" plants, but I don't want to take a chance of damaging any roots by trying to pull out the 1 or 2 that don't make the cut and repotting them!

 

[clancey]

I say saved them all...lol...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

I really was hoping to get the 4th side of t-posts in today for the food forest, but the rain lasted longer than they predicted, and when it ended, I really didn't feel like going down into the wet field. Tomorrow is a rain out, so I have to wait until Friday.

Instead, I started 18 peat pots of Fern Leaf Yellow Yarrow. It is a great plant to attract lacewings, which are voracious aphid and other pesty bug eaters. I also started 18 peat pots of Black Eyed Susans...because I like them.

Here are three shots of my greenhouse today.

 

[clancey]

Everything looks so pretty and well maintained--you did good. You should think of a business aspect of this so that you and your better half could make a little bit of money and have fun while doing it...clancey

 

[clancey]

I just listened to the weather channel and someone asked a question about beginners growing plants and they said the best ones were the native plants in the area because they can handle the temperatures and attract the birds and the bees as well. Also something about ph and saying you could mix some soil with water and bring it "somewhere" ( I think a garden center or something) and they can tell you if you need to add anything to your soil. Thoughts for this day..lol clancey

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I wouldn't say that ph is unimportant, but I wouldn't get all bent out of shape over it. Most plants like soil that is right around 7, or neutral. The compost that you work into your soil to help it hold water and nutrients? It's neutral.

Blueberries love acidic soil. I grow mine in neutral soil. They do fine. The birds love them! Sigh

Soil ammendments don't work long term. Theyll drive you crazy if you try to alter them.

 

[clancey]

Thanks Lime that's good information and I really did not know and my three plants are doing very well and they like my food that I am feeding them and I talk to them as well telling them to grow nice and straight..lol The rose bush I think is alive and I tell it to just give me "one leaf" which it has not done as of yet but there is still hope--I think...Still laid up but improving everyday and this will take some time but it looks positive and I am feeling a lot better...clancey

 

[EatenByLimestone]

One day at a time, Mrs Clancy!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

About a week ago I had my wife put an Amazon order in for 100 starter pods for the Aerogarden. They haven't arrived yet. Thats irritating! I think I've been spoiled by fast shipping, lol.

The pods were 28c each, the generic ones were 26. Not really enough of a difference to get me to try the generic.

The tomatoes are growing great! We'll have a bumper crop this year, I'm sure! The peppers are growing, but much slower. Maybe I took them off the heat pad too early.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Peppers like warm feet. That's why I keep mine in the greenhouse all season, from seed to harvest. Our cool nights go right into late June and return in mid-August. I never had much luck with my peppers outside. Now, in the greenhouse, they grow and produce like crazy.

I have noticed Amazon has been having a problem getting things delivered "on time" lately. Besides that, I have had two orders marked as "undeliverable" within 24 hours after I ordered them, and they didn't even look like they shipped out yet. I had to reorder both orders. Today, I have a package that says it was delivered..."handed to resident", but I never got it. They are telling me to wait another 24 hours. (???)

 

[clancey]

Everything is screwy ----I could go into detail but won't but everything is late or not arriving or back ordered and the whole system is crap right now--be patient my plant people.., or all you people start pacing yourselves too and have a hot chocolate and just take some time out for you and your families too...That shipment not arriving on time gives you some free time to do other things. I have learn"d my lesson--Lime those peppers will perk up and grow full force when we get warmer weather and if not you will figure it all out....Thanks freeman ---everything looks good---going to taste good too. Can't wait until warmer weather and it will come soon and then we will be into summer weather...Have a cold beer too. lol I am having one right now...clancey