Carla I use a space followed by weedblock and I got free mulch from my local tree removal people. I have made my growing areas smaller and getting the weed thieves out, letting water soak in on the paths reduces my water bill I think this is something we could all compare notes on. Because I fear the droughts are a fixture these days
Hello Everybody!! Are you still here?
Yes Carla, the weeds are going crazy this year already but keeping the beds mulched helps.
I have been weeding a lot more this winter than previous years. I think I need to be more diligent about mulching. If we can manage to keep this nice weather for another month before we start getting too warm, maybe I can get it done.
I was reading about something called potato vine on a gardening blog. Can anyone tell me good or bad things about it?
It is a mite warm for Feb- my bones are enjoying it SO VERY MUCH! Saw a magnolia with no leaves and a ton of pink blooms in Sealy today, so much green fighting to hang on. Construction parked us and I got out and grabbed a flower I think is a pink on a color rush. They were planted, but happy on the roadside. Anybody recognize this one? My knees are not letting me bend too far without getting even with me, chuckl. And my paperwhites!
Kitt are your paper whites tazetta narcissus? or are they truly white white - couldn't tell.
Mine have been blooming awhile.
Everyone elses bloomed 5 weeks ago, but mine waited, I have always just called them narcissus. Does this help?
Yes, they are lighter than Mine thank you
I have found that bugs overwinter in mulch. One time I pulled some hay (mulch) away and there were tons of tiny red bugs. I had a terrible garden that year. Flap doodle IDed them but I can't remember what they were ATM. They were a larva of a common bug. Between bugs and weeds I may garden in EBs this season.
what is an EB?
Earthbox
I have one of those. Forgot I had it.
Lol, I've got 8 acres with raised beds or amended soil but the weeds are coming in so fast I'm overwhelmed. At the top of my driveway I have raised beds on either side I can see Blue Bonnet seedlings and some other Wildflowers but the weeds are thick among them. : )
I agree, the severe drought we had followed by 40 days & 40 nights of torrential rains, it is frustrating.
I guess it will be a return to "only the strong survive".
As for now, we should pray for gentle penetrating rain, but not all at once !
Got a rototiller in a trade last year, didn't want it, considering using it
Our beloved Texas is hard on us, but builds a lot of sturdy plants. Rototilling isnt a bad idea, its just expedient and helps when needed.
Red bugs. Spider mites. Shudder, Even our bugs are legion. Wasps are a problem already here, Tomball had hummers and butterflies working the roses and other emerging flowers. Easter is March 29th, we are due a freeze before then.
we are indeed due for a freeze but I question whether we will get one.
I have a tiller but I can't get it into some of the raised or smaller beds and I can't do it when I see the wildflower seedlings and I know there are more to follow.....
I just have Bermuda and crown vetch, henbit to till
That will double the bermuda anyway!
If I till it and then rake?
Hello everyone...I finally was able to renew as I had a hard time with Paypal..wwhich I don't care for!!!
Any plans on a Round up?? How is everyone doing too??
Hello Cindy, so glad you came back!
We are doing well, we are talking about a swap but don't know where or when yet.
I have 5 seeds left that I got from a friend, her flowering mesquite is actually a member of the mimosa family, beautiful yellow/orange/red blooms. I put 2 in the fridge in wet perlite today to try to get them to sprout. If I get a couple, I could trade the 5 seeds off as a group or one at a time. I would like seeds for one of the flowering mesquites with the lavender blooms
My Crossvine is blooming ONE MONTH earlier than last year !
The doves are here as every year, making their nest inside my back porch !
The FORAGE RADISHES I seeded in the fall are bolting and they are full of aphids ! The lady bugs larva are eating these aphids and they are just every where. Lucky me !
so that is what a lady bug larva looks like, no more squishing them!
yes look around ... they are everywhere right now !
Bugs dont just hide in mulch... I whack liriope to the ground in spring for the exact same reason...
I have found ladybug larvae in my leaf pile and mulch before. They like to pupate (??) on the wall by my front door, too.
I'm sorry but ladybugs just make the ugliest babies!!
they do make ugly babies. but I won't squish them anymore. Aphids are uglier
I hope everybody is enjoying the Wax Wings ... they are eating all the berries = summer is coming soon !
Well they sure are beautiful, but they didn't come by my house this year.
Hi all! I am here watching and getting g off to a late start with the planting this year. Batter late than never.. I hope!
Cilantro growing strong, fern leaf dill making me a ton of seeds, the citronelle Coral Bells never slowed down and there is the basil that took off from being rooted in water and set out mid Feb- as the moon was growing full and the rains began...rosemary cutting and prostate rosemary also doing good.
I've never seen a cedar wax wing, don't know where to look past my bird feeder. On the bright side I did my March 26th charity gig early so I can go to the plant swap. going to have a lot of heartleaf scullcap
Gypsi,
look up !! and listen to the whistles ... these Wax Wings whistle a lot . They love to fly in groups and right now they are eating all the berries from hollies and trees.
They are adorable!
We have wax wings here too, they are cute little things. Sometimes the seed (in their droppings) falling on the chicken carport sounds like someone throwing rocks.
I hope it is okay if I jump in with a question. Ever since the flooding in 2007 the weather has made gardening difficult here too - we either have floods or drought. Since the sun seems so intense now, I was wondering if anybody has tried putting up shade cloth over their tomato plants (shade for part of the day) to help keep the leaves from frying, and to keep moisture in the soil. I know the ambient temperature will be too hot in part of the summer for new fruit to set, but I just want to keep the plants healthy enough till some tomatoes have a chance to get ripe. and then maybe get some fall tomatoes. Would shade cloth help?
This last year the plants did good in the fall when it cooled down - had 74 tomatoes on the vine- but the freeze got them before they got ripe.
Iowa Park! Yes shade cloth in intense heat/ wind is used! I once made a hvy wire cage that held 3 tomato plants inside. I used sticks to support branches and a piece of plywood on top during the day. Not sightly, but I didnt have mulch or compost or ollas ( had a central water hole). It kept them alive because that plywood was 5' above them.
Glad to hear that the shade helped your tomatoes. And plywood probably stands up better to the wind than the shade cloth would. I don't have plywood available now but we've used old privacy fence panels in the garden before to slow the north wind in the winter; guess we need to put them on the south side of the plants for the summer.