Gardening Time!!!

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Pburgh
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Gardening Time!!!

#1 Postby Pburgh » Sat May 15, 2010 3:37 pm

Well, I planted my Scarlet Runner Beans, Elephant Ears, a flat of Impatients, Geraniums, Vinca, Shasta Daisys and my Castor Beans. My daughter, Tish, got me a gift certificate to a local nursery for Mother's Day.....what better gift for me. LOL Anyway, I bought my ferns for my patio. They're big and beautiful in their hanging baskets. I'm tired and need a shower and a glass of chardonnay.

Anyone else planting??
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#2 Postby CajunMama » Sat May 15, 2010 5:14 pm

I purchased 2 self watering troughs from gardeners.com. I've got all kinds of stuff in them. I'm just not sure what all of them are. There's some saliva, geraniums, petunias and sweet potato vine. When it clears up i'll take a picture for you and you may be able to help me identify the rest!

A gift certificate to a nursery. What a great gift!
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#3 Postby weathermom » Thu May 20, 2010 11:25 am

I finally feel like it is safe to plant. Some years we really do come close to the last frost date. I had bought a few things but hadn't planted them yet and I had to bring them in when it got too cold. Now I have to cart them back outside and finally plant them.

I could use a gift certificate to a garden center.... Lots I want to buy and plant, no money to do it with.
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#4 Postby Pburgh » Thu May 20, 2010 1:20 pm

I have several family members and friends that get me gift certificates to garden centers. I love it. Especially when the winter was so hard here and I lost several perennials and shrubs. :cry: Buying new annuals is always expensive but having to replace shrubs and perennials is the worst!!!

Enjoy your planting. I'm going to the garden center after work and buy some thistle for my Finches, top soil and I might see a few perennials that need bought! :wink:
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#5 Postby mf_dolphin » Tue May 10, 2011 10:05 pm

I get the advantage of starting earlier than some of you. :-)

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 813c71de35
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#6 Postby CajunMama » Wed May 11, 2011 1:21 am

Niiiice Marshall! Now you have to name them all! I also love the pics of the turtles :)
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#7 Postby angelwing » Wed May 11, 2011 8:04 am

Last weekend we took out 2 evergreens that were on their last legs (we moved into a new house last Sept and these trees were treally bad)and replaced them with snowballs bushes and I also planted 32 impatients. This weekend I want to get rid of 2 climbing rose bushes that are attached to our deck and replace them with 2 beautiful orange yellow rose boses that I bought and I also hope to get rid of some more ornamental grass that the former owners had all over the place.

After we moved in, we had gotten rid of 3 trees, the one was a silver maple that was right outside our front door..I did not want this thing going under our foundation, this thing was huge! ALso 2 huge evergreens that were tilted, the prior owner would hook them up to his truck and lift them up that way and would stake them to the ground to keep them up...the former owner's wife loved all trees and waould just plant whatever she liked with no care as to what went with what, had to cut a slew of branches off of trees that were too close to the ground and had gotten rid of a lot of mulch volcanoes around the trees, sigh.

Maybe next year I can plant more veggies, I have 32 pepper plants that I need to plant, just thinking where at...maybe next year tomatoes and squash.
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#8 Postby mf_dolphin » Wed May 11, 2011 8:15 am

You'd be surprised about how many I know :-) We have gardenia, 10 different day-lilies, 3 varities of Lily of the Nile, yellow and white Bird of Paradise, pineapple, fresia, gladyolis, 4 different canna, gerber daisies, mexican petunia, blueberry bushes, water hyacinth, lantana, elephant ears, Japanese iris, Louisiana iris, hibiscus (land and water), thalia, later lilies, lotus, mandaville, desert rose, society garlic, straw flowers. I'm sure I'm missing a few but it's a start at least :-)
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#9 Postby MomH » Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:53 pm

All my gardening this year has revolved around food. We took down the above ground pool and I turned the area into a vegetable garden. Have tomatoes, beans, lettuce, squash, watermelon, strawberries, cucumbers, carrots, beets, okra and onions planted. Also have two wastebaskets of potatoes growing. Had another one but couldn't wait to see if it was working and so harvested them. It worked. Also have stevia, mint, chives, and basil coming up. We have eaten a good number of tomatos and two messes of lettuce already.
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#10 Postby SaskatchewanScreamer » Sat Jun 04, 2011 2:48 pm

Time to get planting in the Great White North (finally). We've had so many frost warnings, miserable wet days but I now have to get my plants out.

Am planting lots of squash (late blight :grr: :grr: :grr: hit the tomatoes here hard last year with all the rain we had and I'm not sure if this summer will be any better). Onions, shallots and scallions also did well so lots of those again. Peppers will be planted too but will skip potatoes (LB :grr: )...that hurts because I finally was told about a tater that tastes really good. :cry:

Have lots of pretty plants for pots etc as well as water lilies and other water plants that I will have to put out this weekend.
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#11 Postby MomH » Sat Jun 04, 2011 6:40 pm

"a tater that tastes really good."

Tell us please! Something that tastes good without butter or gravy, I hope.
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Re:

#12 Postby TYNI » Mon Jun 06, 2011 4:15 pm

SaskatchewanScreamer wrote:Time to get planting in the Great White North (finally). We've had so many frost warnings, miserable wet days but I now have to get my plants out.

Am planting lots of squash (late blight :grr: :grr: :grr: hit the tomatoes here hard last year with all the rain we had and I'm not sure if this summer will be any better). Onions, shallots and scallions also did well so lots of those again. Peppers will be planted too but will skip potatoes (LB :grr: )...that hurts because I finally was told about a tater that tastes really good. :cry:

Have lots of pretty plants for pots etc as well as water lilies and other water plants that I will have to put out this weekend.



Planted my new garden... I await the name of this "tater"...
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SaskatchewanScreamer

#13 Postby SaskatchewanScreamer » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:44 pm

I'm so sorry I just saw your requests for the name of the tater MomH and Ty :oops:

it was German Butterball that was suggested to me by a very well known American (in gardening circles) ie Tom Wagner who specializes in growing/developing new varieties of potatoes/tomatoes (in the heirloom line especially). His suggestion was to a Canadian who can't get all the varieties of taters that are readily available to Americans.

Was told this: "You must grow Agria, German Butterball, and maybe a few others from that list for flavor. La Ratte is good too." MY NOTE these are readily available in the States re online sites and in Canada (with a bit of searching on the net for Canadian suppliers).

I just noted in that thread (went back to refresh my memory) that a number of Americans (who have much greater choices than Canadians do) were growing the German Butterball as well as the La Ratte due to their love of them.

Ty which tomatoes did you grow this year?
Last edited by SaskatchewanScreamer on Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:46 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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#14 Postby SaskatchewanScreamer » Sat Sep 24, 2011 12:59 pm

Another American, from Union, Maine, said :

"I'm growing both La Ratte and German Butterball this year and highly recommend them both. Cherry Red is intriguing to me too--possibly as an alternative to Red Gold with a bit longer of a dormancy.


John"

(Cherry Red was one I had read the description of and said that it intrigued me but was wondering what other peeps impression of it was).
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SaskatchewanScreamer

#15 Postby SaskatchewanScreamer » Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:20 pm

Ones of Tom's that were mentioned (by others):

"I set myself this year to grow a good number/selection of Tom Wagner's potatoes both tubers and true potato seed and select the best flavor potatoes for roasting, boiled, mashed, salad, fried and baked.

The best boiled: Skagit Valley Gold (no surprise here)

The best mashed: AMEY RUSSET.

I have waited impatiently for 2 years to get enough potatoes from AMEY to bake and boil. Well WOW well worth the wait! I boiled and mashed some and it only needed a little bit of salt, a drizzle of olive oil and a bit of water to make the best tasting mashed potato ever. No butter or milk needed. Next is to bake one of those bad boys to try with butter.

The best yielder : Adirondacksen x Kern Toro, last year was with 2.5lb per plant and this year is 2.0lbs per plant. I like this one for looks and yield. Still evaluating the "best method for cooking it". Fried is very good. Roasted was second to Yukon Gold, boiled was second to SVG and like better the Red Thumb. Still few more ways to cook it and try but gets the cut for good pomme frites, so beautiful and good yielder.


More to come as I am only 1/3 into harvest and yet to discover new flavors this season."
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SaskatchewanScreamer

#16 Postby SaskatchewanScreamer » Sat Sep 24, 2011 1:39 pm

Other reports:

"Kennebuc potatoes are the ones used by Nathans and other restaurants, just Goggle them all around the US they brag about these, We only cook Kennebuc french fries!!!!"

"Gold Rush,Red LaSoda and Yukon Gold. Great taters."

or
***********************
"found that if you put the potato in cool water and then put the stove on medium to medium low heat covered, the potato cooks more evenly.
This is a common mistake made by folks
The common russet potato is not the best for mashing in my opinion but, ‘to each their own on that one.
Some chiefs recommend a mix of two different kinds of potatoes for mashing.
It is very easy to over cook the potato when it comes to mashing them and it is best to let them steam off to get rid of the excess moisture in them before mashing.
And I think some folks us too much milk in the mix, I don’t use hardly any.
Just more sinful butter, don’t tell my wife as I hide this from her.
And last but not least here is a link on potatoes that may help.
I didn’t mean for this to turn into a cooking class I’m just trying to help.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Gold_potato
I like Yukon gold’s and red potatoes for mashing.

and someone's reply to the above:

"...my old uncle, who grew potatoes commercially in Idaho for years, from the 1920's through to the 60's (when he switched to sugar beets because America needs more Pepsi) always said the best potato is an Idaho Russet and that it is more about how you treat the soil and store the potato. Also, he said you had to 'harden' them off before picking them up. Don't really understand any of this, but, I know his potatoes were the best. Baked or steamed and mashed, with butter and maybe a Tbsp of cream or milk."
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#17 Postby gigabite » Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:42 am

This seasons gardening aspiration is direct toward backyard wildlife. I have had some success with containers. I have planted herbs, tomatoes, jalapeno peppers in them with good results. This is the first season I have tried row crops. There are lots of rabbits in the community I live in, coyotes have taken the population down a notch though. I have done some research, and decided to rotate between white clover and a short variety of popcorn as a game food. The spring crop was corn there was some indication of grazing, but I can't say if was rabbits, squirrels, or giant grasshoppers. Now I am getting ready to put in a plot of clover for summer to build up the nitrogen for the summer corn.
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#18 Postby gigabite » Wed Jun 20, 2012 4:52 pm

The clover come in the mail today, and it is watered in.
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#19 Postby gigabite » Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:47 am

Thanks to 2012 Debby's days of rain the clover is up. Some of last seasons un sprouted corn has come up also, so I broadcasted more corn on to the game food patch to see how that does. The corn is a month early for the late season by the Farmers Almanac planting table. My goal is to get three planting seasons in. The corn variety Carousel Popcorn from American Seed Company has a 110 day growth cycle. The season starting in March failed to reach maturity. The Dutch White Clover from North County Organics is sold as a lawn enhancement not game food.

The concept is to develop an all season high yield bug resistant broadcast type wild rabbit game food patch seed mix.
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Re: Gardening Time!!!

#20 Postby gigabite » Sun Jul 29, 2012 6:17 pm

Well so far the game food patch is a complete failure. The corn I broadcast got eaten and the clover is a very small variety and not providing the mulching effect that I had hoped for. Today is the first day of the new planting season. I am plowing in some better soil more for a future crop a carrots than for the corn. I am going to plant the corn in one week intervals. I already put in some hot peppers of differing varieties. I expect them to keep the leaf eaters from the corn. The weather this summer has been cool with some rain, but not much. I have to get a different type of clover. maybe this season will be better.
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