Saturday Gardening And Puttering Thread, October Begins [KT]

Hi, everybody! We are coming up on Halloween soon, but there are still things happening in the garden and workshop. Below, some happy hens at Illiniwek's farm:

Finally got the tiller out, and started some tillage radish and beets the end of August.
Good greens for keto diet.?? Chickens are friends with benefits (eggs)

Anybody eaten radish greens on their keto diet? There are some with hairless greens intended for that purpose. Otherwise, I think I would prefer them cooked. I grew a hybrid radish with hairless leaves once. It had some red coloration. From Johnny's. Don't remember the name. They were nice. In Cornell's list of various radishes, Pearl is a Korean leaf radish.

People used to grow winter storage radishes. Some of them have black skin. Don't know that planting times for these are made explicit in this complete guide to growing radishes. Anybody ever grown winter radishes? How did you use them?

And another photo from Illiniwek:

Chicory at the yard's edge, soybeans turning yellow

Nice color contrast. Love that blue chicory. Are you supposed to harvest chicory (of the correct variety) before it flowers if you want to force roots for winter?

From S. Lynn, some chickens and chicken art, which I love:

I found the caricatures online and copied them on an old window. It's weathering nicely.

More on backyard chickens

First Northern California, now Southern California goes big for designer chicken coops.

In a city obsessed with design and indoor-outdoor living, it makes sense that some chicken owners want to house their pets in high-style comfort. In addition to giving homeowners the opportunity to personalize their living spaces, urban homesteading offers a taste of pastoral life that is elusive in a city of more than 4 million.
As backyard chickens continue to make the news in California after recent cases of Newcastle disease, it is worth noting that chicken-tending can be traumatic. Free-ranging can be deadly. Coyotes, raccoons, hawks -- even mountain lions -- will prey on hens. Extreme heat can overwhelm chickens because they don't sweat. And something as simple as a backyard avocado can prove fatal to chickens.

And still, they persist. With air conditioning, chandeliers, and automatic doors. These chicken coops come in a wide range of styles and prices.

There are more practical sources of information on the web about building chicken coops, but how about adding a little jazz, too?

A chicken xylophone:

This hen is a real swinger:

California is also home to a lot of chicken sculptures. Here's one in Fair Oaks, where homeless roosters may still wander in some neighborhoods. It's a Giant Chrome Rooster! I think the photo is from 2012.

Colorado artist Sean Guerrero created this enormous rooster, made out of vintage recycled auto bumpers. It serves as a visual focal point for shoppers entering the Safeway shopping center here, and is a reminder of Fair Oaks' agricultural roots. Wild chickens still roam Old Fair Oaks to this day!

And here's a photo taken by a friend this summer. The rooster is still there, but it has to compete with trees, light poles and such now.

Here is a list just of one type of giant fiberglass roosters in California. Maybe you would like one in your yard for Halloween. Perhaps with a few pirates or vikings. The "Weird California" site is kind of fun.

Or maybe some chicken sculptures like these might fit better in your garden. Easier to care for than live chickens:

Plants that inspire Halloween costumes

Why settle for dressing up like a Viking when you could be a Berserker? Or a witch who can actually fly (in your mind)?

Recent evidence suggests that Viking berserkers may have gone berserk in battle not due to mushrooms, but due to Henbane. Scientific name: Hyoscyamus.

It is said to have made them act like wild oxen.

Vikings liked other plants too.

Did you know that your Forest Service had an Ethnobotany department? They have written a fairly long piece on The Powerful Polanaceae: Henbane. Jason and Medea are mentioned.

Hyoscyamine is still used in modern medicine as an antispasmodic and to treat stomach and intestinal such as irritable bowel syndrome, cramps, and Parkinson's disease.

Hamlet's uncle Claudius poured a henbane tincture of the "cursed hebenon" into Hamlet's father's ear to murder him.

Black henbane is a widespread, noxious weed in many parts of the United States

Vikings weren't the only people who used H. niger.

The name henbane dates at least to AD 1265. The origins of the word are unclear, but "hen" probably originally meant death rather than referring to chickens.[2] Other etymologies of the word associate it with the Indo-European stem *bhelena whose hypothetical meaning is 'crazy plant'[3] and with the Proto-Germanic element bil meaning 'vision, hallucination; magical power, miraculous ability'.

Henbane was one of the ingredients in gruit, traditionally used in beers as a flavouring. Several cities, most notably Pilsen, were named after its German name "Bilsenkraut" in the context of its production for beer flavouring. The recipe for henbane beer includes 40 g dried chopped henbane herbage, 5 g bayberry, 23 l water, 1 l brewing malt, 900 g honey, 5 g dried yeast, and brown sugar. Henbane fell out of usage for beer when it was replaced by hops in the 11th to 16th centuries, as the Bavarian Purity Law of 1516 outlawed ingredients other than barley, hops, yeast, and water.

Puttering

It's fall. As gardening slows down some, puttering picks up for some people. Hank Curmudgeon sent in a piece about a tiny, very well-organized workshop, featuring a surprisingly relaxing video.

[Stephen]'s woodshop is a cozy 6? x 8? (1.8 m x 2.4 m) garden shed. The front wall is almost entirely occupied by the door and a window, reducing the amount of wall space available but providing ample natural light and keeping the small space from inducing claustrophobia. Absolutely every square inch of the remaining space is optimized and organized. [Stephen] wisely eschews bulky cabinets in favor of hanging tool racks, all mounted flexibly to the wall on French cleats. Everything has a place, and since every hand tool is literally within arm's reach, it stays stored until it's needed and goes right back when it's done. The shop boasts way more than hand tools, though; a lathe, drill press, thickness planer, sander, air compressor, scroll saw, band saw, and even a table saw all fit in there. There's even dust collection courtesy of "The Beast", [Stephen]'s DIY dust extractor.

There is also a space for cat treats. I imagine that the dust extractor makes the space more cat-friendly. Not much space for garden tools. He must keep those with his wood.

Here are a couple of items created in the workshop. The owner creates artistic pieces in several types of materials. Here is Eric the Owl, composed entirely of folded paper. "Pure origami".

And here is a tiny Yew Pot.

Last year I picked up an overlooked piece of Yew from a tree that had been felled and removed. The 3 inch diameter branch was less that 4 inches in length and pretty ragged but I brought it home and threw it in the wood pile anyway. Yesterday I put it on the lathe and look what I found inside once I'd got past the damage! The beauty of wood never cease to amaze me.

The Barrister at Maggie's Farm put up a post on stacking firewood. Take a look if you are preparing for a cozy winter fireplace. Any additional advice?

Gardens of The Horde

It appears that we have a little "tall sunflower" competition going on. This one is from a part of Texas where spring gardening ends in June and fall gardening starts in September.

Total lurker here, but this was my 13' sunflower this spring!

If you don't see a photo you have sent in, doesn't mean we don't have it. If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 01:08 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 There used to be a tame rooster who would wander around our neighborhood looking for food and attention. I used to grab him whenever he was on my porch and stick him somewhere that would startle my roommate. The chicken didn't seem to mind.

Posted by: Rusty Nail at October 05, 2019 01:15 PM (ju9gW)

2 Love that sign on top.

Posted by: HH at October 05, 2019 01:16 PM (mIJBI)

3 And that's a heck of a sunflower in the last pic.

Posted by: HH at October 05, 2019 01:20 PM (mIJBI)

4 And that's a heck of a sunflower in the last pic.

Posted by: HH at October 05, 2019 01:20 PM

We should probably talk about the boots, though.

Posted by: Rusty Nail at October 05, 2019 01:23 PM (ju9gW)

5 Good afternoon Greenthumbs
Mostly getting last peppers to ripen by picking them and putting on counter a few days.
Was 42 here this morning so wonder how much longer until the first frost.

Posted by: Skip at October 05, 2019 01:24 PM (ZCEU2)

6 Closed on 5 acres in MT yesterday. We're allowed 5 critters which includes dogs and cats. No goats or roosters.
I'm thinking one dog and 4 chickens.
Wish we were moving soon but have to get mom healthy and see if she can make the move with us. We won't move unless she can move with as well. That's what happens when you're the only remaining child.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at October 05, 2019 01:27 PM (N3JsI)

7 Bok, bok, bok, bokok!

Posted by: Leonard Pinth-Garnell at October 05, 2019 01:30 PM (PxC/e)

8 neverenoughcaffeine at October 05, 2019 01:27 PM

Wow. Only one critter per acre?

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at October 05, 2019 01:34 PM (BVQ+1)

9 I can't submit a photo of my fall garden because my backyard's most prominent color right now is tarp blue. My shed was emptied and teady for demolition yesterday when the new project manager called with a problem: the old manager (and former employee) hadn't even surveyed or drawn up a plan, let alone submitted one to the building department for a permit.

Bonus annoyance because I had to turn off all the breakers in the house to ensure that no electricity was reaching the malfunctioning and totally not-to-code-let-lone-permitted line running from somewhere in the house to the current illegal shed.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 01:37 PM (/+bwe)

10 What kind of footwear is that in sunflower picture? Sunflower boots maybe?

Posted by: Concerned People's Front at October 05, 2019 01:37 PM (NM/OW)

11 And that's a heck of a sunflower in the last pic.

Posted by: HH at October 05, 2019 01:20 PM

We should probably talk about the boots, though.

That's me on the ladder. And Louisiana shrimp boots are a must here in Texas. The black rubber garden boots are like a blast oven on the feet in the summer.

Posted by: Ken at October 05, 2019 01:39 PM (7p/MT)

12 KTbarthedoor. Yes. Hubby NEC wasn't comfortable buying in the boonies due to his age. We purchased in a planned community intended more for horses. HOA prohibits more then 1 animal/acre. I was surprised they counted dogs and cats in the total.

Posted by: neverenoughcaffeine at October 05, 2019 01:39 PM (N3JsI)

13 neverenoughcaffeine at October 05, 2019 01:39 PM

We have horses traverse our street from time to time. I can imagine problems if dogs started to form packs.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at October 05, 2019 01:45 PM (BVQ+1)

14

Buncha Clucks.

Posted by: saf at October 05, 2019 01:45 PM (5IHGB)

15 I thought a chicken tender was a timid goalie.

Posted by: klaftern at October 05, 2019 01:47 PM (RuIsu)

16 That's me on the ladder. And Louisiana shrimp boots are a must here in Texas. The black rubber garden boots are like a blast oven on the feet in the summer.
Posted by: Ken at October 05, 2019 01:39 PM

I thought those were boat boots, but they didn't make sense. Now I get it!

I also get why you changed the subject from the freakishly tall sunflower. I'll mention the elephant in the room: fertilized with babies. For Mother Gaia.

Otherwise, it's mighty impressive. Is it a sunflower hybrid that generally is tall or is it a mutant?

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 01:47 PM (/+bwe)

17 I have cut a lot of firewood. We would cut and split the wood in the forest and let it cure on pallets covered with black plastic, and on pallets. When I was working with dad, I would crib up the ends, that is stack up the ends both with and against the stack to make it stable, but dad started using T-bar wire fencing posts instead.

The only real problem was that chipmunks would store acorns in the stacks.

My suggestion is that you really should get a good hydraulic splitter. A splitting maul is a young man's tool.

Posted by: Kindltot at October 05, 2019 01:49 PM (xG/b0)

18 Chickens help keep the mouse population down.

Go, chickens!

Posted by: Emmie at October 05, 2019 01:55 PM (i/wJA)

19 5 animals, hmmmm.
2 buffalo, 1 horse, 1 goat, and a dog

Posted by: Skip at October 05, 2019 01:55 PM (ZCEU2)

20 I would love to have some chickens. When I mention it to Mr. L, however, he just gives me that look. Great pictures this week. Thanks for the gardening thread!

Posted by: Mrs. Leggy at October 05, 2019 01:57 PM (bpoha)

21 Oh and thanks for posting my sunflower pictures a few weeks back. What a delight to see them here!

Posted by: Mrs. Leggy at October 05, 2019 01:58 PM (bpoha)

22 I had chickens for many years. Lost a few to the neighbors dogs and some to coyotes. Finally had to pen them up. I really enjoyed having them around.

Posted by: Ronster at October 05, 2019 02:05 PM (YhCN5)

23 Finally turning sort of chilly here in the mid west. Need some frost soon to get the leaves off the trees or else if a snowstorm hits it will really suck. Nothing like the sound of gunshots when it's really branches cracking and falling.

Posted by: HH at October 05, 2019 02:12 PM (mIJBI)

24 The photos and information, especially about henbane, is great as always. But the workshop video is the bees knees. My grandfather made himself a similar one when he retired. He was a master tool maker and appreciated an orderly set up. He would have approved of the clever storage in the video. (No, he didn't pass on his technical skills to this grandson, dammit.)

Thanks for another great thread, KT.

Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 02:13 PM (bmdz3)

25 That wood cup is outstanding

Posted by: Skip at October 05, 2019 02:13 PM (ZCEU2)

26 I also get why you changed the subject from the freakishly tall sunflower. I'll mention the elephant in the room: fertilized with babies. For Mother Gaia.

Otherwise, it's mighty impressive. Is it a sunflower hybrid that generally is tall or is it a mutant?

Just a Mammoth Sunflower, and good soil!

Posted by: Ken at October 05, 2019 02:15 PM (7p/MT)

27 Congratulations on the Montana land purchase, neverenoughcaffeine. It will be lovely when you can set up your new home.

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at October 05, 2019 02:15 PM (bmdz3)

28 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. -- Genesis 3:17-19

Posted by: Insomniac at October 05, 2019 02:16 PM (NWiLs)

29 There's a city in central Florida where chickens roam freely, protected by local law.

Posted by: Koba at October 05, 2019 02:17 PM (MwFQu)

30 I would like to keep a few chickens for the eggs but lack of space and safety from predators get in the way. Besides, I don't think our area allows any kind of livestock, just pets.

Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 02:18 PM (bmdz3)

31 Saw our first wooly bear caterpillars of the year today. Not sure what that portends, if anything.

Posted by: Mrs. JTB at October 05, 2019 02:18 PM (bmdz3)

32 We use pallets in our woodshed. Airflow makes a difference. Squirrels like it too. We always uncover a nest or two at the back end by late February or early March. On one occasion I had to deal with a somewhat pyscotic and very grouchy squirrel who was determined to stand her ground.

Posted by: Sock Monkey...29 yr olds do it better at October 05, 2019 02:23 PM (6eq2O)

33 31 Saw our first wooly bear caterpillars of the year today. Not sure what that portends, if anything.
Posted by: Mrs. JTB at October 05, 2019 02:18 PM (bmdz3)

Earthworms are better predictors of the coming winter

Posted by: REDACTED at October 05, 2019 02:24 PM (AQBtr)

34 interesting to hear of an HOA for 5 acre lots, but a good idea imo. I'd considered dividing my farm (15 years from now) into the main farm buildings and maybe 25 acres, then maybe 25 five acre lots, perhaps making the central farm a sort of coop for the other residents.

But there would be so much entailed in making rules, and finding the right people, that it is difficult to make that semi-communal mandate workable. But on five acres a large tiller or other equipment is useful but not efficient. My 81" tiller gets a couple hours a year of use a year, but saves me many hours. So one tiller could serve 25 households efficiently.

Same with chickens or cattle. A milk cow is not practical for me, but five cows for 25 homes would be perfect, and the work would be distributed to make it more entertainment than a twice a day chore.

My own kibbutz in the heartland? sorta, but I envision it more as people with real jobs that want such a rural lifestyle, but without the full time commitment. If it kept its community atmosphere, with no "taxes or actual laws", but a collective effort based in more of a hobby attitude, it could work .... could even be dreamy? (would have to be all Trump voter types ... "Deplorables only" ha)

Posted by: illiniwek at October 05, 2019 02:25 PM (Cus5s)

35 Take of your chickens and your chickens will take care of you.

Posted by: REDACTED at October 05, 2019 02:25 PM (AQBtr)

36 That's me on the ladder. And Louisiana shrimp boots
are a must here in Texas. The black rubber garden boots are like a
blast oven on the feet in the summer.

Posted by: Ken at October 05, 2019 01:39 PM (7p/MT)

Working in the Marine industry here on the gulf Coast, I've heard them referred to as "Matagorda Ropers"

Posted by: Bob in Houston at October 05, 2019 02:25 PM (IC7R4)

37 I know the wooly bear caterpillar as a predictor of winter has been debunked. Too bad. I always thought it was a fun bit of folk lore.

Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 02:25 PM (bmdz3)

38 Lots o' content today-- Thanks, KT!

On one hand, I miss the cozy-feel-goods of having either wood stove or fireplace. On the other, I don't miss the extra labor or the trouble of finding a *reputable* source! (since we're too old to go cutting our own now.) Don't miss the bugs, sap and sawdust either...

Love the tiny workshop. Inspiring.

Garden and flowers are now kaput. Just need to cut plants down for composting. As soon as it quits raining, that is.

I've got to plant sunflowers next year: Quail food AND mouse bait, lol.

Posted by: JQ at October 05, 2019 02:28 PM (gP/Z3)

39 That work shop haunts me. It would be ideal for the decorative woodcarving I enjoy such as chip carving, whittling, relief carving and pyrography. Also, for the small woodworking projects with hand tools I would like to try.

Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 02:30 PM (bmdz3)

40 I know the wooly bear caterpillar as a predictor of winter has been debunked. Too bad. I always thought it was a fun bit of folk lore.
Posted by: JTB

That old hoary crock!
Everyone knows you have to look at persimmon seeds!

Posted by: MarkY at October 05, 2019 02:30 PM (Sk6QD)

41 Genesis 3:17-19
Posted by: Insomniac

God saw all that he had made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning - the sixth day.
Gen 1:31

Glass half full or half empty?

Posted by: Sock Monkey...29 yr olds do it better at October 05, 2019 02:32 PM (6eq2O)

42 Spent many dollars a couple of weeks ago. Had some trees trimmed, some dead ones cut down and some slash piles mulched. Place looks better now, but it is hard to keep up with the number of trees I have.

Posted by: Ronster at October 05, 2019 02:33 PM (YhCN5)

43 https://tinyurl.com/y5ww5lrb

Posted by: MarkY at October 05, 2019 02:33 PM (Sk6QD)

44 I finally saw the shed video. Pretty darn impressive. My new shed will be 6x6, now windows, and plain jane. but it's nice to dream.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 02:34 PM (/+bwe)

45 God saw all that he had made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning - the sixth day.
Gen 1:31

Glass half full or half empty?
Posted by: Sock Monkey...29 yr olds do it better at October 05, 2019 02:32 PM (6eq2O)

Oh sure, it got off to a good start then went to shit shortly thereafter.

Posted by: Insomniac at October 05, 2019 02:36 PM (NWiLs)

46 37 I know the wooly bear caterpillar as a predictor of winter has been debunked. Too bad. I always thought it was a fun bit of folk lore.
Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 02:25 PM

I saw one last month while visiting my hometown. I never see them where I live now.

You know what that means?

NO WINTER IN THE THUMB OF MICHIGAN!

We're all going to die in a fiery ball of space debris, but at least we won't have to shovel.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 02:37 PM (/+bwe)

47 I thought it was impressive that they used to make beer with the plant that was used to kill Hamlet's father.

And they say it makes you thirsty, too! And if you start to think you can fly . . . .

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at October 05, 2019 02:38 PM (BVQ+1)

48 Glass half full or half empty?
Posted by: Sock Monkey...29 yr olds do it better at October 05, 2019 02:32 PM (6eq2O)

Oh sure, it got off to a good start then went to shit shortly thereafter.
Posted by: Insomniac at October 05, 2019 02:36 PM (NWiLs)

So you're complaining that it was full but some *@#%!?tf drank it and left you with a glass of backwash?

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 02:39 PM (/+bwe)

49 Mrs. Leggy at October 05, 2019 01:58 PM

Your sunflowers were an inspiration!

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at October 05, 2019 02:39 PM (BVQ+1)

50 NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 02:34 PM

Good luck with the new shed.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at October 05, 2019 02:41 PM (BVQ+1)

51
Oh sure, it got off to a good start then went to shit shortly thereafter.
Posted by: Insomniac

The wonder of God's creation has amazed me for a large part of my life. I have viewed the glass from both perspectives at different periods of my life. I choose to view it now from the POV that in spite of the fallen nature of us, He still loves us beyond our ability to comprehend.

Posted by: Sock Monkey...29 yr olds do it better at October 05, 2019 02:42 PM (6eq2O)

52 Still have some painted lady butterflies eating on the cosmos blooms. They better get their butts out of here or they will get frost bit.

Posted by: Ronster at October 05, 2019 02:42 PM (YhCN5)

53 As a coincidence, I've come across mention of small but well organized work spaces in the last few weeks. Sometimes as a separate building like today's video, sometimes because a move or house damage reduced the space available for a hobby. The spaces were for varied purposes: painting with watercolors or pastels, hand loading ammunition, fly tying, and whittling. In each case the person said that having to be organized and creative about space made the activity more enjoyable.

Thomas Jefferson included some tiny separate rooms a few steps from the main house at Monticello. The one I remember best was a small reading nook. There's something comfortable or appealing about a small, even tiny, space dedicated to an activity.

Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 02:47 PM (bmdz3)

54 Have a meeting scheduled with my good friend Manuwell Labor. As my Grandpa used to tell me on occasion, the work ain't going to get done by you sitting there and thinking about it.

Posted by: Sock Monkey...29 yr olds do it better at October 05, 2019 02:49 PM (6eq2O)

55 Chicory has pretty flowers but the plants are just ugly overall. They're tough to eradicate as they're perennial and have long, vigorous taproots. Like dandelions, they grow back if even a piece of that root is left behind.

Ah, well-- if I let the bindweed take over, maybe it will choke out the chicory? Haha. Garden justice. Like a weed covered with aphids, for another example...

Posted by: JQ at October 05, 2019 02:53 PM (gP/Z3)

56 On a cold morning, chickens go absolutely bonkers for those factory-second pancakes, the first ones out of the batch that don't turn out quite right. Just completely nuts. I miss keeping those silly little goons.

Posted by: hogmartin at October 05, 2019 02:55 PM (t+qrx)

57 40 ... "Everyone knows you have to look at persimmon seeds!"

MarkY, That made me laugh. I grew up in New England, persimmons were in short supply. So people had to use wooly bears to start the old wives tales. Thanks for the link about 'reading' the seeds. I had never heard of that.

Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 02:56 PM (bmdz3)

58 Greetings:

Well, with all this chicken-worship going on, please remember that it's the hens that run the pecking order not the roosters.

Posted by: 11B40 at October 05, 2019 02:59 PM (evgyj)

59 The persimmon article is cool, MarkY. I'd never heard of it either. In fact, I've never even tasted a persimmon...

Posted by: JQ at October 05, 2019 03:00 PM (gP/Z3)

60 yeah, I used the maul for splitting the first year ... a splitter is certainly nicer. I procrastinate so much that I end up going out in winter to some of the many old oaks still laying down from storms, load up the pickup go straight to the splitter, to a big pile on the porch ... then do it again is a month or so.

A little discipline and I'd get them drier by stacking and covering the top of the stack. Putting them inside in a big stack with a small fan dries them a lot, since it is so dry inside in winter.

Maggie's Farm describes themselves as a commune, but that is apparently in their communal blog, not actual real estate. They show an open hearth fireplace which is the winner for aesthetics, but only 10% efficient for heat. A good wood stove might be 75%. To each his own, but as a main source of heat, the wood stove is essential, unless you really love cutting/stacking/hauling firewood.

Posted by: illiniwek at October 05, 2019 03:00 PM (Cus5s)

61 In fact, I've never even tasted a persimmon...
Posted by: JQ at October 05, 2019 03:00 PM (gP/Z3)

You could ask for one, but it's overrated. Begging for forgiveness is better anyhow.

Posted by: hogmartin at October 05, 2019 03:02 PM (t+qrx)

62 3 And that's a heck of a sunflower in the last pic.
Posted by: HH at October 05, 2019 01:20 PM (mIJBI)

-----------------------------

What's more, it looks like there is an equally tall sunflower in the background (unless the perspective is skewed).

Posted by: No One of Consequence at October 05, 2019 03:02 PM (CAJOC)

63 Today was the first really cool morning we've had in months. It was so refreshing, even invigorating. I should go out tomorrow with a cup of good coffee, enjoy the cool weather and look at the surviving items in the garden. It's a nice time to start thinking about what and how to plant for next season.

Posted by: JTB at October 05, 2019 03:06 PM (bmdz3)

64 My granddad had a workshed in his back yard. I just remember it smelling like sawdust and pipe tobacco. Probably a little vino too!

Posted by: kallisto at October 05, 2019 03:13 PM (6GiCM)

65 everyone's favorite thread is...
Now Oppearing On Disday

Posted by: micky at October 05, 2019 03:19 PM (nizGE)

66 I gathered at least a hundred pink salvia seeds thanks to the instructions I got here. If anyone wants to do a seed exchange, let me know on the gardening thread anytime in October.

Posted by: kallisto at October 05, 2019 03:19 PM (6GiCM)

67 The rooster sculpture is magnificent. It's quite an achievement to get the 'flow' of the feathers using metal, on that scale. Recycled material to boot! Impressive.

Posted by: kallisto at October 05, 2019 03:27 PM (6GiCM)

68 the "tillage radish" I have has pretty smooth, not hairy leaves. They're OK raw, but I'd prefer some kind of oil or dressing, and some other items in the mix, like eggs, peppers. The tillage, or groundhog radish (Raphanus sativus var. niger) seem to be in the same family as the pearl (Raphanus sativus) ... just a different variety intended to make very large roots.

territorialseed.com/product/Pearl-Radish-Seed

Posted by: illiniwek at October 05, 2019 03:34 PM (Cus5s)

69 My GF bought a persimmon. This is the Korean type which has pumpkin shaped fruits, and they are sweet when they go orange.
They are somewhat marginal here in Oregon, this year it is a race between the winter and them ripening.

Posted by: Kindltot at October 05, 2019 03:36 PM (xG/b0)

70 Runder Schwarzer is probably the winter radish you are thinking of. It stores ok, like turnips, but I prefer them fresh out of the ground. I lost a bunch last year when our ground froze hard in January. Other years they have lasted until eaten.

I also grow Dragon F1 (Territorial Seeds) radishes in the fall and winter - harvesting until January.

Both are good for radish soup, roasting or just raw. When I was a kid we had fresh radishes for breakfast, on the side with eggs and tomatoes, at the grandparents.

For radish greens, prefer cooking them in soup or stews in the winter. Making pesto out of them is good any time but particularly the first fresh pesto of spring - the hairiness seems to disappear with the blending.

I planted dragons this week - Zone 6 - Michaelmas for those who follow traditional planting calendars.

Posted by: who's asking? at October 05, 2019 03:43 PM (Q5NYg)

71 Had to go help in the garden.
Getting someone to eat a green persimmon is always a country hoot.
"Pucker you up like a green persimmon" is the phrase I used to hear.
Posted for posterity, I guess.

Posted by: MarkY at October 05, 2019 03:47 PM (Sk6QD)

72 So you're complaining that it was full but some *@#%!?tf drank it and left you with a glass of backwash?

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 02:39 PM (/+bwe)

That is frequently the case.

Posted by: Insomniac at October 05, 2019 03:54 PM (QgqhX)

73 I started watching the Tiny Workshop vid but had to stop. He is so organized that it triggered my anxiety disorder! I think I have reverse OCD.

Posted by: kallisto at October 05, 2019 04:36 PM (kD8Fh)

74 KT, I like that you are featuring pics of the work of artists and artisans, like the rooster metal sculpture and the lathe turned cup. People who garden are usually interested in other creative endeavors.

Posted by: kallisto at October 05, 2019 04:39 PM (kD8Fh)

75 Lol, kallisto!

I watched vid w/hubby and we got all the way through but I just cringed at that level of organization... part fear, part admiration, part I dunno.

Chaos is comfortable like an old shoe.

Posted by: JQ at October 05, 2019 04:39 PM (gP/Z3)

76 Those were some awesome pets today.
Tucker looked regal

Posted by: Quilp at October 05, 2019 04:45 PM (Bf3hj)

77 Posted by: JQ at October 05, 2019 04:39 PM (gP/Z3)

FYI, KT: I tried to go back to read prior gardening threads and they are not available. The pages won't load. Maybe let pixy know?

Posted by: kallisto at October 05, 2019 04:46 PM (kD8Fh)

78 Yo. Late to the thread, as usual. But reporting that pawpaws are producing prolifically. U-pick ('em up and put 'em in yer pocket) $3/lb. Open Wed afternoons and Sunday afternoons for the next couple weeks.

Hubby's email in nic

Posted by: sinmi at October 05, 2019 04:47 PM (A5IVt)

79 Got a pile of branches I couldn't hand brake cut up with hand saw going to the alter of Gaia soon hopefully
Posted by: Skip at October 05, 2019 04:27 PM

Posted by: Skip at October 05, 2019 04:57 PM (ZCEU2)

80 From Idaho's Treasure Valley (Boise area): I keep a copy of the text I post, and it looks like last week, despite being exhausted from day 1 of instructing at a Project Appleseed event, I managed to post quite a bit!

The main garden's season is definitely over. Several nights of frost hit us hard, and light freezes are predicted for the coming week. I pulled out all the watermelon, cucumber, cantaloupe, and butternut squash vines so far, as well as all the basil plants. Zucchini plants still to go, plus paddock green beans and paddock tomatoes.

I harvested some Romas, which will sit on a sunny kitchen table to ripen - they (and poblanos) are under a tent, so they can wait a bit more to be fully harvested.

I harvested the last 2 potato bags today, Yukon Golds - still have to weigh them, but very under-impressive amount in total. Yukon Gem and the fingerlings were much more productive.

A friend wanted to try selling my corn stalks today at a farmer's market, so we cut them a few days ago, and made some tied bundles - I'll have to ask her how she did.

Under puttering, there's an irrigation zone that doesn't seem to be connected to the controller box (has to be manually activated), which is the one that will be serving the first half of our future orchard (to be planted next spring). We're working on getting the dirt blown out of the line, but it looks like it will take more than one try to get it all. Husband is doing the vast majority of the work on this project (giving credit where it's due!).

Lots of things indoors were disrupted this week by having the carpets cleaned in all but 2 rooms. We've largely reset the fireplace room, and partly reset the dining room and 2 bedrooms. (Won't say anything about what's still jammed into my walk-in closet!!) This seems like a great opportunity to go through stuff, reorganize, and throw stuff out - I won't waste it.

An interesting question to ask: anyone else involved in 4-H? Husband and I are certified as rifle and pistol instructors for 4-H, we've been taking smallbore rifle teams to the 4-H Idaho state championships, and took a smallbore rifle team to the 4-H National championship last year - for 2020, it will be an air rifle team. Shooting sports will have no future without a next generation...

Posted by: Pat* at October 05, 2019 05:10 PM (2pX/F)

81 78 Yo. Late to the thread, as usual. But reporting that pawpaws are producing prolifically. U-pick ('em up and put 'em in yer pocket) $3/lb. Open Wed afternoons and Sunday afternoons for the next couple weeks.

Hubby's email in nic
Posted by: sinmi at October 05, 2019 04:47 PM

They were SOOOO good. I had two that ripened too much before I could eat them, but the critters liked them. If my neighbor doesn't reclaim his house in the next year, I'll clearcut it and plant pawpaws. Ha ha.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at October 05, 2019 05:17 PM (/+bwe)

82 Wow, Pat*, you're always so busy and your posts are delightful reading!

------------

Oh, and I've never tasted Pawpaw before, either! Such a sheltered life here....

Posted by: JQ at October 05, 2019 05:19 PM (gP/Z3)

83 Bok, bok, bok, bokok!

Is that a new song ?

Posted by: JT at October 05, 2019 05:54 PM (arJlL)

84 2 buffalo, 1 horse, 1 goat, and a dog

And one beer !

Na na na na na na na !

Posted by: JT at October 05, 2019 06:00 PM (arJlL)

85 Hiya Mrs. Leggy !

Posted by: JT at October 05, 2019 06:01 PM (arJlL)

86 Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return. -- Genesis 3:17-19
Posted by: Insomniac

Hiya Mr. Sunshine !

Posted by: JT at October 05, 2019 06:03 PM (arJlL)

87 Saw our first wooly bear caterpillars of the year today. Not sure what that portends, if anything.
Posted by: Mrs. JTB at October 05, 2019 02:18 PM (bmdz3)

Earthworms are better predictors of the coming winter
Posted by: REDACTED

So, ya just dig 'em up and ask them ?

Posted by: JT at October 05, 2019 06:06 PM (arJlL)

88 Looks like I kilt the Gardening Thread !

sorry

Posted by: JT at October 05, 2019 06:29 PM (arJlL)

89 Hiya, JT.

Posted by: KT at October 05, 2019 07:27 PM (BVQ+1)

90 kallisto at October 05, 2019 04:46 PM

I got recent pages to load on a computer. Were the pages you were trying to load older and/or on a phone?

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at October 05, 2019 07:36 PM (BVQ+1)

91 Hello, what a miraculous work of great Dr.Amiso, I,m Felix Morgan, my wife and Kids left me because i was haven cancer of the body, i felt to me its over in this world, there was no body to talk with, so i contact Dr.Amiso and explain about the disease to him, he send his herbs and instructed me on how to use it which i did to my greatest surprise the cancer is gone forever. I also told my friend Marvin Lee, who his wife was divorcing in 3 days time he emailed same Dr.Amiso, and explained the divorce issue to him, 2 days before the third day of signing the divorce papers, his wife called the lawyer and told him to cancel everything regarding to the divorce document that she is not divorcing her husband again, low and behold they are now living happily like never before all thanks goes to Dr,Amiso the great spell caster, if you want to avoid unwanted pregnancy and abortion/D.and C. my country people if you are undergoing any marital problem or body cancers and want to get married or pregnant on time, kindly contact Dr.Amiso on herbalisthome01@gmail.com

Posted by: Alessandro rose at October 06, 2019 07:13 AM (OAH/+)

92 I watched the video on the tidy shed (that's got to be the only brick shed I've ever seen) and was thinking about the tin shed I inherited at this house. It is rusty, and I think a nice brick replacement is a good idea. So I emailed Dr. Amiso, then sent the codes for ten $50 Steam gift cards, and put his recommended herbs all over the old shed.

I just looked outside. The old shed remains, and there's no sign of the new brick one. I think I need to talk to Alessandro Rose.

Posted by: Gordon at October 06, 2019 09:25 AM (UUPhR)

93 Warning:

Never eat eggs from free-range chickens.

They're runny.

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at October 06, 2019 09:25 AM (T09ml)

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