Wow---very nice! I've also made a mess with leaking plant pots---have a table that needs refinishing because of that. Thanks, DavidP for the purslane info---my veggie garden is full of it---I just keep ripping it out--not sure I can get myself to eat it. Yankee Cat, you're a good forager---my stepson is, too. But I won't eat the mushrooms he picks!
Edibles - '09
Jen - that is lovely hardwood flooring......love the texture of it and the color is nice too. Go for it!! Help the economy!! LOL Whenever we go to Lowes or out to eat, I make it a point to announce to Hank that we must do our part in moving the economy!!
David - thanks for that link on the purslane. Funny thing is I think I have some outside on my patio here. It has come up all around the water faucet, and it has exploded in my pot of red geraniums. I'll get a shot of it tomorrow and see if you guys think it is purslane. I thought it was some sort of sedum with little yellow flowers.
Victor - I hadn't thought of painting the brush killer on. That is a good idea, but my garden is so big, and the soldiers cover so much of it, I'd be crippled by the time I finished painting each one. LOL
If they have a combined root system, you don't have to paint every one. It will be absorbed and shared.
Two trays of Corsican mint in back and brussels sprouts in front. "Oliver"-- an early sprout-- is in the second row and "Diablo"--110 days--is lagging in the front row.
big news! MIL is making rhubarb strawberry pie for tomorrow!!
wha...send me some pie. I have to wait until 2011 until I can harvest my rhubarb (the roots of which are being shipped the week of May 3rd).
OH YUM!!! that's afavorite of mine.
You can send me some too!!!
Looks great, David! Never tried rhubarb pie.
Strawberry rhubarb pie is a tradition in my area. Back when the apple orchards had cider in water coolers (all you could drink for a nickel), they were selling strawberry rhubarb pies.
Same here......Strawberry rhubarb pie, sauce or perserves is a must!! One of DH's favorites. ^_^
I also love rhubarb cake---but strawberry rhubarb pie is the best!
Your right Sherrie, some people like it on the tart side so they use less sugar. Also I find you need the right amount of strawberries to balance the 2 flavors.
i prefer the pie to be on the tart side. mil is the pie queen - they always come out great.
I always liked tarts.
How did I know that about you, Victor??? LOL
Bill - that IS big news!!! Enjoy!! And Happy Easter!!
yum pie... I am making a cherry / berry pie tomorrow... going to mess with the rhubarb in the freezer when there are not 16 people coming over
:)
Oh great - now I want pie for breakfast!
Edibles: lots here. I am glad I put the veg garden in 20+ years ago. But since our weather rarely cooperates at this time of year, it's all a crap-shoot.
Lesson learned 2009: DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES start tomatoes the first week of February, regardless. They are under lights and stocky, but they are above 3' high. I had to buy a new lighting set (free-hanging) in order to keep them under lights.
Peppers were started at the same time - good thing they aren't as ambitious like the toms.
Broccoli, brussel sprouts, pod peas & snow peas, beans - 3 kinds & the Asian long beans, edamame beans, zukes, cukes, winter squash, eggplant (lots of), strawberries, lettuces, chard, parsley, basil, shallots, scallions, radishes, beets, carrots, tomatillos. I will be making an attempt at sweet potatoes; at this point I'd have to say the odds of failure are quite high.
I have a bad feeling about summer being cool & wet for the 3rd year in a row.
This year, I also have the pleasure of dealing with a rabbit that is brazen & hungry. So off to the shed to build some protective covers.
The orchard looks good - no damage this winter, so I'll have cherries, pears, apples, blueberries, boysenberries & Kiwi if I'm lucky enough to have some heat this summer.
Lost my plum tree so I'll need to replace it.
Sunlight/warmth - Ha! It's going to be at or near freezing here the next few nights. Raining today. Again. I can work on the shed & clean the house...yay. It should rain only at night; another bust weekend.
Sheri - I had read an interesting article by Jeff Cox about starting them early.
He advocates planting tomatoes deep, so that the top 2 sets of leaves are above soil. This is typical & used widely, as the plant will root along the stem. However - his method is to do this continually, so that by the time they are ready to be planted outside, they have super-developed root systems which results in a stronger plant. So i decided to try this.
It works great - the plants are beauties. HOWEVER (!) I did not get a GH this year (long story) and I did not realize how much they would like the soil mix I made for them. So - lesson learned! When they finally go out, they will be trenched & all will be well. I'm just very impatient for some warmer weather. You know, the kind of weather that is great for more than peas, potatoes & cabbages...
I think this would be a great way to grow tomatoes if one lived in the southern states, or, somewhere that has a nice warm spring. Next year I will wait until mid-March. Unless I get the GH!
Last year I had the tomatoe plant in their 3" pots on April 20th. By the time I hit the streets to sell them they were a good size probably 12-14". Now I have a GH and the little buggers were happy in there, but moving them they did not like it and started to fall over. In my case every inch of the GH is utilized to make some money.
It would be great if I kept growing them and upsizeing the pots for better roots. Yes I will plant the plant to the 1st set of true leaves. I rip the starter leaves right off.
You get that GH beware EVERY INCH counts :-)
1st year I murdered more than I grew.
2nd year I had just about the whole house filled. Made a whopping 1,500 bucks, yes good.
This year - I will take some pictures of the GH for you and everyone.
edited to say I made 1,500 bucks.
This message was edited Apr 12, 2009 5:03 PM
oh - nice $!
It is an ongoing battle between Head of Staff of One & the non-gardener. Such a useful tool.....
GH frees up space in the house & keeps the mess outside. It is also immensely logical to have one, when you live in colder climates.
I thought about a hoop house over part of the garden, just to make the growing process easier for the warm-season crops. But, I have concerns about how one would hold up in high winds, which we get November - March.
My tomatoes look great---the cabbages, not so great. I'll be ready to plant them out in a few weeks, but they have an awful lot of growing to do!
My blueberries arrived, and one is starting to leaf out. Two look dormant. Will the one leafing out be okay outside, uncovered? When do blueberries usually start getting leaves?
Robindog....First year I've started Brassica. Didn't realize brussels sprout need as much light as tomato seedlings. They were leggy, flopping over and whimping out fast. 24 hours almost touching a bank of fluorescent lights and they look great.
Probably okay, Deb. If in doubt, put it in a sheltered area. Not sure if mine have started to leaf out yet.
I grow herbs among the flowers. Garlic chives like to take over. I'm shady in the back but neighbor cut down a tree, looks like I may have more sun there, not sure how much. I'm going to try more than just tomatos in pots in the back.
Debilu - I have Blueberries in my orchard - early/mid & late season varieties. Non have started to leaf out yet, but we are sun-deprived here, too, at this time of the year.
I'm zone 7, so just a wee bit ahead. They usually start pushing growth around mid April, so it's not unusual. Plus they were probably is a warmer situation at the Nursery.
As Victor indicated, you might want to cover them - maybe just at night. Check out your weather forecast for the lows over the next week or so. I wouldn't worry unless it's looking like a snowstorm is headed your way.
Hope you can make more room for Blueberries as there is never enough! The small ones tuck into the landscaping well, and they get pollinated just fine.
Thanks Katye and Victor, I have been covering them at night. Katye, how many do you have? I thought 3 would be good, don't think I'd have much more room.
14. Not enough for the 3 of us!
There are dwarf varieties available for growing in containers. I do not know the names off the top of my head (or any other part for that matter), but my understanding is they're available by mail-order, and most likely will be available in Nurseries. I am looking to plant another 6, so I'll be prepping beds this year.
Mine came from Raintree, but I'm certain you have lots of nurseries more local to you.
Wow, wonder what I'll get from 3...
That depends on how much you like them. Are your plants large - as in will eventually reach about 5-6'? You'll get lots. I have a particular affinity for them, kind of like dark chocolate. When they're ripe, I will have a blueberry lunch. Very refreshing.
I put up Blueberries every year. I use a very low-sugar recipe, which makes a great combo with yogurt. Sometimes I open a jar up & grab a spoon. Yummmmmmmm.....
I ordered newer varieties that grow to 3-4 ft. 3 is better than none, I'll see what they do. Thanks.
I have two mature ones (about 4 ft high) that were here when we moved. I get about one very large bowl's worth from them. More if I can beet the birds!
You might consider a serviceberry, Deb. Gets bigger and will give a lot more berries. They are very tasty.
Are serviceberries sweeter than blueberries? Never tasted them. Glad you found a way to get the sprouts looking better, DavidPaul----I have no south-facing windows---I should invest in gro-lights.
Robindog.....debated the first year growing tomatoes if I should get a shop light or something made for indoor growing. Went with the latter and never regretted it. The pain of the cost three years into it has faded away. The top is stainless steel and, with the 4 lights on, it keeps the mix in trays between 80 and 85 degrees F. Perfect. Eliminates the need for a heating mat. Does get a little crowded so I'm thinking of another 4 or maybe a 6 or 8 bulb fixture for next year.
