Master Index of Archived Threads


The Gardening Thread 2021

kcmets Mar 01 2021 06:33 PM

Looks like the rosemary is shrugging off two+ feet of snow. http://thecranepool.net/images/030121a.png>

whippoorwill Mar 02 2021 06:55 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I can't grow rosemary outside it always dies in the winter So I pot it and bring it in, where it looks great every winter and promptly dies in February On a side note, I planted some parsley seeds yesterday

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 02 2021 07:11 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I never provided a final update on garden 2020 but can report that we got 1 good stalk of very small but tasty brussels sprouts back in November, out of a few plants that were obviously planted too close together. Timing on them wasn't right, thruu the not summer so just started new seeds inside over the weekend

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 02 2021 07:31 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Here's Mars right now looking over the herbs and brussels starting under a plant light. https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/50995958733_4e537c96dd.jpg>

Fman99 Mar 02 2021 07:33 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I got an elevated planter for Christmas. My hope is to grow some edible vegetables and useful herbs in it this spring/summer. Probably getting close to the time where I should at least assemble it and have it ready to go. I got that and also "Gardening for Dummies," which is 100% appropriate for me on this matter.

whippoorwill Mar 02 2021 07:35 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

He's so pretty! I tend to put plants too close together too. When you first plant them they are so little you never could imagine them getting in each others' way

metsmarathon Mar 02 2021 07:54 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

i wonder how many millions of tomatoes i'll grow this year... there were a LOT of tomatoes that just fell off the vine. plus a bunch of early frozens.... at least this year, maybe i'll do a better job of planning out my intentional tomatoes, and better spacing and supporting those.

kcmets Mar 02 2021 12:44 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I set up a seeding table this year. Past years I hadn't much luck with seed but I'm gonna baby them. Arugula, baby leaf spinach, basil, cilantro and parsley so far.

whippoorwill Mar 02 2021 01:15 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Grow lights are awesome! I took a couple of my cats out for a little leg stretching today and there are crocuses in my yard :)

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 02 2021 01:33 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Mars being a bastard ate some of the parsley growing behind him today

whippoorwill Mar 02 2021 02:16 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Oh no! Lol! You know, I was wondering when I planted mine — does it grow back when you cut some off?

whippoorwill Mar 11 2021 05:01 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Pretty excited! I got a job in a greenhouse a few hours a week stating next week! My dream job!

kcmets Mar 11 2021 05:33 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

That's cool!

Johnny Lunchbucket Mar 12 2021 05:08 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

awesome

MFS62 Mar 12 2021 05:41 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

We know you'll love it. Congrats! Later

whippoorwill Mar 12 2021 07:23 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Thanks! My new boss was in my high school class but I did not know him then

kcmets May 02 2021 05:45 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Bought most of my Bonnie (or like brand) starter plants today at our Wal-Mart. Didn't check out in the garden center because they had one cashier and ten people on line. On May 2nd, and a Sunday. So I pushed my cart of infant veggies three football fields to a checkout line. I loaded them on the belt and cashier scanned two at a time and handed them back and I placed them in the cart. Stopped by security at door to produce a receipt and they counted every plant. Twice, because they messed up the first time. Guess I look like the person who would parade a cart of plants 300 yards past 200 cameras and try and sneak out or scam a 17th while paying for only 16.

whippoorwill May 03 2021 06:23 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Our Walmart has only one person working the garden dept too. I was going to buy dirt but decided not to when I saw the cashier would have to leave the checkout to help me load it in the car Went to Lowe's across the street where an extremely delicate transgender helped me load it while a bunch of strapping dudes watched us and I wondered if they made him/her do it for spite

kcmets May 03 2021 10:46 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

And the other thing, if I may, is I parked by the garden center but was told I have to enter store through the main entrance and person actually said 'use doors marked entrance not exit.' Uh, thanks. So really, I walked 12-13 football fields for my veggies. Oh, and they had no cucumber plants. Bastards.

MFS62 May 03 2021 11:03 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

=kcmets post_id=62868 time=1620060419 user_id=53] And the other thing, if I may, is I parked by the garden center but was told I have to enter store through the main entrance and person actually said 'use doors marked entrance not exit.' Uh, thanks. So really, I walked 12-13 football fields for my veggies. Oh, and they had no cucumber plants. Bastards.

They did the same thing in our local Walmart - you can't enter, or leave, through the garden center door. So you have to schlep your stuff to the main checkout lines. And I didn't find that out until I parked near the Garden Center and when I tried to go in, the automatic door didn't work.

Sorta' like when I go to Home Depot - no matter which door I enter, the item I'm looking for is at the other end of the store.

Later

Frayed Knot May 03 2021 01:10 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Closing off an entrance so as to heard everyone through the main doors is a Covid-era thing

whippoorwill May 03 2021 01:48 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

That's so but the clerk at my Walmart was cranky and honost enough to admit it was also because of staff cuts, thus the one staffer in the whole Garden Center. If she unlocked the gates she'd have to chase down all that stuff walking out the doors

kcmets May 03 2021 02:03 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I know. Bet it won't change any time soon now that they like the crowd control. As for the security exit, someone pointed out to me that they have no connection to the 'real surveillance' going on in stores that size and they mix it up a) check everyone b) check every other person c) check every fourth so they can't be accused of discrimination. Makes sense, was just aggravating. Especially the having to count twice while a half dozen of shop- pers were behind me.

Ceetar May 03 2021 02:23 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

you don't actually have to let them check your purchases. They have no legal right to do that. I could be wrong on this, but I believe the main reason they do it is a check on their cashiers. So it's not so much that they enjoy treating just their customers like crooks, it's that their underpaid and understaffed and undertrained cashiers might make a mistake, or miss an item to a friend, or something. Broadly, having an extra employee double check at the door is cheaper than training employees to make fewer mistakes, or care more, or whatever.

kcmets May 03 2021 02:31 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Yes, it's definitely at-the-door checking on cashier trickery as well.

Lefty Specialist May 03 2021 02:41 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Making a trip this week getting all our annual flowers at Gasko's, the best nursery in Central NJ. I always lose my mind there and purchase too much. They have everything and lots of it at great prices. http://gaskosfamilyfarm.com/ Veggies are already grown from seed and outdoors. Tomatoes, cukes, red onions, red and yellow peppers, carrots and mini-pumpkins. And of course mammoth sunflowers.

kcmets May 03 2021 03:10 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Maybe we need a sub-thread on growing from seed because whatever I'm doing is Smell Blojas.

metsmarathon Jun 04 2021 02:30 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

tso far, my unintentonal tomatoes are kicking ass, and my planned seedlings are sad sacks. mostly because i killed them. twice. oops. had a nice batch of tomato seedlings started. decided to move them outside to get some warm sun and cool air. they got sunburn and frostbite. not literal frostbite, but teh air was too cold for them. all but 5 of the 20 died off. so i restarted some seeds from scratch. had them in some seed starter. brought them outside to enjoy warmth and humidity. baked them in the sun. all dead. meantime, i've got tomato plants sprouting up all over the dang place in my garden. makes me wonder why i go through the trouble of trying to grow things on purpose. but at least this way i'll know some of the lineages... i also have a handful of surprise squashes growing. no clue what the hell they are. could be zucchinis. could be future jackolanterns. could me minature gourds. probably aren't cucumbers, but there's a chance. no real way to know until they start fruiting. this is in addition to some reserved pumpkin seeds that i also planted. i only ope i have enough room for them all. spoiler: i don't. and finally, once more, i'm trying for corn. got 20-or-so seedlings sprouting up already. lets hope i time these better and actually get some ears off before they turn too starchy! hopefully the rest of y'all are having good luck with your gardens now that the weather has turned more warmer!

MFS62 Jun 04 2021 02:39 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Some critter was eating our geraniums. So we planted marigolds around them (apparently, critters don't like the smell) and so far it has worked. The munching has stopped (knocking wood). But the guys who cut our lawn chopped down some other flowers today, and wifey is pissed. The veggies are few, were started from seeds, and are still in pots on our deck. Later

kcmets Jun 04 2021 02:53 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I'm so far behind on yardwork and garden. We were actually just talking about it and my two day mission/assignment is to bring everything up to speed. KB has spoken lol... Gonna be in the 90's Sat/Sun... yay!

Lefty Specialist Jun 04 2021 03:06 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

=MFS62 post_id=66765 time=1622839164 user_id=60] Some critter was eating our geraniums. So we planted marigolds around them (apparently, critters don't like the smell) and so far it has worked. The munching has stopped (knocking wood). But the guys who cut our lawn chopped down some other flowers today, and wifey is pissed. The veggies are few, were started from seeds, and are still in pots on our deck. Later

I've found that critters, and especially deer, don't like baby powder. A little sprinkle around my flower beds has worked so far, but it needs to be replaced after it rains.



I had a hop vine growing nicely last year that my landscapers weed-whacked off at the base. I was NOT amused. Currently, so far so good.



This year I have pumpkins, cukes, tomatoes, carrots and red and green peppers all growing from seed. Tomatoes are in the lead right now, growing like crazy. Waiting to see some real warm weather and the effects it'll have.

kcmets Jun 04 2021 03:34 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

We only have winter deer in our neighborhood when they get hungry. In the first few years though, we used human female urine around the perimeter of the garden and it worked well on keeping visitors out.

Lefty Specialist Jun 04 2021 03:45 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I've used the 'deer repel' sprays and their smell ranges from bad to totally nauseating. You have to re-spray after the rain, of course and it didn't do as good a job keeping deer away as the baby powder has so far. I have winter/spring/summer/fall deer. I'm the only one in the movie theather cheering on the guy who kills Bambi's mother.

MFS62 Jun 04 2021 03:52 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Lefty Specialist wrote: I have winter/spring/summer/fall deer. I'm the only one in the movie theather cheering on the guy who kills Bambi's mother. And I'd bet you didn't cry for Ol' Yeller, either. :( Later

metsmarathon Jun 04 2021 04:00 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

we've got asshole deer. i don't know what season they prefer, but they're assholes year-round. they'll eat anything. i'm hoping i have my fence game up to snuff, and am prepared to build higher when the plants get bigger. also, i hear tell that irish spring is magic when it comes to keeping deer away.

MFS62 Jun 04 2021 04:07 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

=metsmarathon post_id=66774 time=1622844026 user_id=83] also, i hear tell that irish spring is magic when it comes to keeping deer away.

I read that, too. Wifey tried it, but went for the marigold defense. (sounds like the title of a John Grisham book).



Later

whippoorwill Jun 04 2021 04:09 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Irish spring smells soooooo good!

kcmets Jun 04 2021 07:41 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I suppose pleasant smelling soap or baby powder is nicer and preferable to collecting and spraying human urine if it works just as well.

Fman99 Jun 04 2021 08:37 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I was growing cukes and peppers from seeds but they didn't transplant well from the tiny pots to regular ones, or my planter. So I bought some seedlings, again, peppers, plus cukes and zukes and squash. They look more or less the same as they did when I bought them. So, not dead yet at least.

Frayed Knot Jun 04 2021 08:57 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

There was that scene from THE ROOKIE where the town folk discovered that deer were diverted from chomping on the field's grass by the scent of human hair. So maybe a collection trip to your local barber is in order.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 04 2021 10:23 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

We got radishes in already, Brussels growing great, carrots and 🍅 s coming up, plus various herbs. The spinach isn't coming for whatever reason

kcmets Jun 05 2021 08:34 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Spinach likes sandy soil that drains well. Maybe move it to a big pot with some rocks below the dirt for drainage.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 05 2021 10:30 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Thanks for the advice!

metsmarathon Aug 10 2021 01:55 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

how are everybodys' gardens doing? i had spaghetti squashes cropping up on their own, but they're getting overrun by my pumpkins, which are also threatening to invade my tomato patches. and my lawn. and the neighbor's yard. i'll be spending time later today i think, trying to give my pumpkins some additional support with some panty hose, and maybe expanding my fencing. my pepper plants were a massive failure, netting two peppers total that were each picked too late. I also planted some sunflowers but i think i started too late. i have one flower starting to form and that's it. its not in the best spot, though which may explain it's performance. not nearly enough sun. go figure. the tomatoes are doing fantastic, on the whole. however, there's trouble looming. i think i have a fungal infection that leads to yellow leaves and brown spots on the leaves that then wither and die. so far my yield is unaffected for the most part, but i think that's mostly because of how many plants i've got. i've been trying to hold it at bay with an (organic) antifungal spray, but i'm not sure exactly how much good it's doing. or maybe its slowing the spread effectively, but the problem is too great. at the very least i don't look to be looking at a total crop failure. yet. i'm worried that what i'm reading tells me to abandon the current plot and move the tomatoes in the future. that's not entirely tenable, currently.... and finally, mixed in with everything else, is a few corn stalks. a few ears are in there. i've been trying to fertilize them manually. we'll see how effective i am...

Johnny Lunchbucket Aug 10 2021 09:03 PM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

Some good some bad. Getting carrots, lots of good tomatoes and green beans. Several cantaloupe came up. Small but tasty but mold has since taken over and the rest look diseased. Brussels plants are huge but also look like some kinda mold or insect related calamity is taking hold. Herbs strong. Spinach never made it. We're batting .500

Edgy MD Aug 11 2021 07:06 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I did a half-assed job planting my plot this year and I've done a half-assed job tending it. But my eggplants are exploding. Zuccini are a drag because the plants crawl along the ground and I've been indifferent enough to weeding without having to work around a prickly octopus of a vegetable plant, but they're starting to show up too.

Ceetar Aug 11 2021 07:13 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I really gotta pull down my hops and dry 'em out before I go to Cape Cod.

kcmets Aug 11 2021 10:13 AM Re: The Gardening Thread 2021

I need to hire two day laborers to fill up five of those jumbo yard waste recycling bags and things would be looking a lot better Gardening-2021 wise. Had some cilantro and dill that didn't live but other than that things have been ok. I scaled back this year, and didn't grow any crawly things like cucumbers or zucchini. Only did cherry tomatoes instead of bigguns.