Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread 5/23/20 [KT]

Hi, everybody! Above, a flag at sunrise from Larro, in honor of the Memorial Day Weekend. Below, the first Gaillaria of the season from 40 miles north.

And Larro also found a surprise in his garden this week.

Didn't remember planting anything. Wonder if someone else did?

International gardening and other outdoor activities

Our new Swiss garden guide dog, Gioia, takes us today on a retrospective jaunt through the woods to a little grocery store, during their lockdown, which is now being lifted with some conditions.

There was a little rock garden outside the grocery, with an alpine ground cover

And some appropriate succulents

Back home, there were early primroses and bulbs.

This week, she went to visit her mother, Bella, on the farm where she was born.

She flirted with a horse.

Back home, there was a rhododendron in bloom, and barbecue in preparation.

Sausages and asparagus. So Swiss. Cheesy potatoes and other fixin's not shown.

The Edible Garden

Fruits and vegetables are trying to kill you.

I have often suspected artichokes of murderous intent. Do you have other suspects?

Warding off the diseases of aging is certainly a worthwhile pursuit. But evidence has mounted to suggest that antioxidant vitamin supplements, long assumed to improve health, are ineffectual. Fruits and vegetables are indeed healthful but not necessarily because they shield you from oxidative stress. In fact, they may improve health for quite the opposite reason: They stress you.
That stress comes courtesy of trace amounts of naturally occurring pesticides and anti-grazing compounds. You already know these substances as the hot flavors in spices, the mouth-puckering tannins in wines, or the stink of Brussels sprouts. They are the antibacterials, antifungals, and grazing deterrents of the plant world. In the right amount, these slightly noxious substances, which help plants survive, may leave you stronger.

I am not afraid. Here is the veggie garden of friends of ours. Looks better than ours. We're doing weed control.

Last Saturday, the same day we discussed rhubarb, Maggie's Farm posted a recipe: Repels Viruses: Rhubarb Crumble

From the comments:

Rhubarb is a garden all star:
Can't be killed
Looks kinda tropical with its big leaves
Big leaves can be spread to choke out weeds or thrown right in the compost bin
Can be used as a fan
You can hit people with the stalks
Easy to process
Can split one plant into 2
The fiber in it helps you poop
* Like sour celery

Say, strawberries go with rhubarb. Cumberland Astro has strawberries!

I'm enjoying the first backyard harvesting of 2020 - my Tribute
Strawberries are once again coming in strong from my little 4' by 4'
strawberry patch. I started picking about 20 berries a day about a week
ago, with an especially good harvest today (see pictures.) This heavy
production will go on for a few more weeks before tapering off to a
steady trickle of berries throughout summer. These aren't huge
strawberries, but they are flavorful, and they're not hollow in the
middle like many large strawberries. Other than this little patch
planted three years ago I've never grown strawberries before. I've given
them no special treatment or care yet they've stayed healthy and
productive, so I'm very pleased with this varietal.

Long-season berries!

Gardens of The Horde

From the garden of Mr. and Mrs. Invisible Hand. Matilija Poppies, backlit.

Biggist wildflower in California. They spread underground, forming colonies, so the plants get big, too.

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 01:10 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Nice doggies.

Posted by: TrivialPursuer at May 23, 2020 01:13 PM (k4dH2)

2 Good afternoon Greenthumbs and ducks

Posted by: Skip at May 23, 2020 01:13 PM (ZCEU2)

3 Last addition to my garden picked up a couple Japanese cucumbers. And think I have some green/ wax beens coming up from seeds but not positive quite yet. Wife is trying some potatoes as well and seem to be well on their way.

Posted by: Skip at May 23, 2020 01:16 PM (ZCEU2)

4 Well, late again. I blame my tardiness on my coffee machine.

Posted by: Traveling Man Who's Stuck At Home&&&& at May 23, 2020 01:20 PM (dW/NJ)

5 I dug up and planted wild strawberries from the local woods a couple of years ago, and they went wild against the foundation on the south side of the house, but they never put out fruit. Lots of flowers and tiny wads of seeds, but never any real fruit.

KT, are some wild strawberries requiring male and female plants, or are there varieties, like some apples and cherries, that need being pollinated by other plants? If I got a couple of clones from the same plant that might be what happened.

It really doesn't matter one way or the other, I just wanted ground cover, but I used to love picking those tiny sweet berries in the edges of the woods.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 23, 2020 01:22 PM (WyVLE)

6 Say, strawberries go with rhubarb.

Rhubarb pie !

Posted by: runner at May 23, 2020 01:25 PM (zr5Kq)

7 I may get strawberries an put in a plot. I'm glad I haven't this year, the slugs are out of control. They skeletonized the leaves of one of the potato plants that came up next to the compost pile.

I still want to get ducks, they are fantastic on eating slugs and bugs.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 23, 2020 01:25 PM (WyVLE)

8 The alpine groundcover is in my rock garden, too. But I have two shades of blue.

On vegetable news, two seeds have sprouted: daikan radish and one zucchini patch. Not the zucchini planted in the carefully-prepped southwestern side of the shed. Nope. The seeds tossed into the filled-in sinkhole in the middle of tge lawn!

My rhubarb is flowering now and the chives are preparing to bloom.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at May 23, 2020 01:29 PM (/+bwe)

9 Okay, the flowers are gorgeous: colorful and well framed in the shot.

But those strawberries have my mouth watering. (Good thing my beard catches the worst of the drooling.) The section discussing them gets printed out and put in the "garden possibilities" folder for next season.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 01:30 PM (7EjX1)

10 Kindltot at May 23, 2020 01:22 PM
As I recall, there are some clonal Italian "wild" type strawberries that require cross-pollination by different varieties. Not just different plants. Seed-grown strawberries should not require different varieties, but may require cross-pollination from different plants.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 01:31 PM (BVQ+1)

11 My garden is looking a bit sad. The artichokes are doing well; but, the swiss chard attracted some large beastie that devoured it. It is recovering now that I have placed bird netting over the raised planter.
My watering 'technique' failed in the Tempe spring heat. I've rigged the drip system; but, will have to wait until cooler day time temps before I start more seeds.
For the 1st year with raised beds I'm okay... just a slight bit disappointed (this might be because I grew up in Santa Barbara Ca where if you planted it, it grew and produced.

Still learning!

Posted by: AZ deplorably isolated at May 23, 2020 01:36 PM (kp35W)

12 Those strawberries look yummy! As if they'd be much tastier than the store ones.

Love the international garden pics. So interesting to see what other areas have going on.

Engaged in re-doing the paths in the raised bed plot. I pave them with leaves over weed block fabric and maybe twice or thrice a year rake them and run the composted leaves underneath though the sifter. Then mulch with the remainder and add a new batch of leaves.

Not as pretty as gravel or mulch, but the result is great. We have so many leaves now (11 trees vs. 1) that it's a handy way to use the bounty.

Posted by: Sal at May 23, 2020 01:37 PM (bo8pf)

13 Kindltot at May 23, 2020 01:25 PM
Slugs can make you scream.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 01:38 PM (BVQ+1)

14 Today is World Turtle Day, according to Bing, and on my weekend walk I saw one. He was on a branch that had fallen into the river, and he was chillin' just like the turtle on Bing's home page for today.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at May 23, 2020 01:40 PM (l9m7l)

15 "This week, she went to visit her mother, Bella, on the farm where she was born."

Do dogs recognize their mothers after they've grown up elsewhere? Serious question.

Posted by: Annalucia at May 23, 2020 01:46 PM (S6ArX)

16 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 - Ex Cineribus Resurgo at May 23, 2020 01:47 PM (NWiLs)

17 Seen turtles in wild, never in my yard.

Posted by: Skip at May 23, 2020 01:47 PM (ZCEU2)

18 We lost a bit of the leaf lettuce to bird disturbance. shouldn't have put the planter that close to the bird feeders. Lesson learned.

We did put out several Eartboxes. We swore the garden would be very basic this year but we want a few items besides the leaf lettuce. Definitely cherry tomatoes and some basil. We're thinking about others that benefit from the warmer weather.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 01:47 PM (7EjX1)

19 Annalucia at May 23, 2020 01:46 PM
Better ask on the Pet Thread.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 01:47 PM (BVQ+1)

20 I saw an alligator in my neighborhood's retention pond last week. No shit.

Posted by: Insomniac - Ex Cineribus Resurgo at May 23, 2020 01:48 PM (NWiLs)

21 no pictures, but I've got wonderful bed of Gladiolas coming up in my front yard right now, just started blooming this week. All colors.

In wildlife news, I've posted before that a pair of Barred Owls have been nesting in our neighborhood all spring, we hear the almost every night. Yesterday evening, my wife and I were sitting in the back yard, enjoying the sunset, when one of them flew up into one of the big oak trees in our yard. It's always impressive to see them, but what was entertaining was that there were 3 of 4 Mockingbirds who REALLY objected to that owl being in what they obviously considered their territory. They swarmed him, dive bombed him squawked and in general made a huge racket, and would not let up! The owl mostly ignored them, until they get bold enough to actually peck him on the back, when he would jump at them. It was like a show on Animal Planet, finally the owl gave up and found another tree.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 23, 2020 01:49 PM (V2Yro)

22 AZ deplorably isolated at May 23, 2020 01:36 PM
Check with some locals, but you might want to take this summer off as far as veggies go. My friend who just moved back to the desert after several years away said that bigger plants had a better chance of survival, for any that might be possible for landscape planting this time of year.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 01:51 PM (BVQ+1)

23 I need to get the potted rose, that my sister gave me for the 50th anniversary, in the ground. I'm so damn lazy.

Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 01:51 PM (icamd)

24 JTB at May 23, 2020 01:47 PM
Scallions? Cucumbers? Green beans? Peppers?

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 01:53 PM (BVQ+1)

25 This week's Adventures in Herbalism:

Making Evergreen Oil, which involves steeping chopped up conifer leaves (needles?) and tiny twigs in oil. I'm using olive and cedar, which grows abundantly here.

I'm air-drying the cedar leftovers to bag in muslin and put in with my way too large stash of roving and fleece.

The oil can be used as is - I'm thinking it might do well as an insect repellent- or used to make a Vapo-Rub type balm.

I'm also making a lemon balm/lavender/chamomile oxymel. It's a type of tonic made by steeping herbs, half with honey and half with vinegar and then combining the two. The honey mix is warming in an improvised double boiler and smells delicious.

Posted by: Sal at May 23, 2020 01:54 PM (bo8pf)

26 Had a couple of magpies tormenting the cat, robins and everything else that moved. There is only one now. Heh.

Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 01:56 PM (icamd)

27 Tom Servo at May 23, 2020 01:49 PM
What an amazing bird story!

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 01:58 PM (BVQ+1)

28 I don't know if the virus stuff made a difference in some way but we had trouble finding some cherry tomato seedlings last week. Usually there are plenty until into June. Not sure if more people are gardening because of the shut down (preferred reason) or if the deliveries have been disrupted. Even the Southern States was almost out of stock. All their seedling plants supplies were much lower than usual.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 01:59 PM (7EjX1)

29 From my container garden:

My lettuce, spinach, mustard greens - all grown in bags and from seed - have more than sprouted in under a week! Looking good although I always have to watch the spinach for bolting.

The bean plants have doubled in size, the peas have tripled in size. I am concerned about the cucumbers (never thought I'd say that... I usually have cukes coming out my ears). This week should be interesting to see if they survive.

All the peppers are coming along nicely. I cannot tell what the onions are doing. :-P

Herbs are looking good. All have doubled or tripled in size, and I can start harvesting basil pretty soon.

I managed to find a pre-potted cherry tomato plant. We have trouble with blight in my area of NYS, so the further along I can buy the tomatoes, the more likely I am to be able to harvest before the blight blows in.

Happy gardening!

Posted by: Ann at May 23, 2020 02:00 PM (NDO5Q)

30 Sal at May 23, 2020 01:54 PM
Interesting. Mr. Bar-the-Door is allergic to one kind of cedar. I'm kind of sensitive to lavender.

Hope you enjoy your oils. Sounds like a fun project.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 02:01 PM (BVQ+1)

31 With bee populations diminishing, here is one way to pollinate more of your tomato blossoms ... Gently touch the back end of tomato flowers with a vibrating electric toothbrush. Even in places where bees are abundant, this method is claimed to achieve earlier fruit sets (in the weeks before the bees or summer breezes find your garden).

Posted by: Kathy at May 23, 2020 02:03 PM (qv3wo)

32 16 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 - Ex Cineribus Resurgo at May 23, 2020 01:47 PM (NWiLs)

An on the scene report of how the mesolithic tribes felt about the agricultural revolution. From our point of view, we think of the change as some huge, wonderful thing. From their point of view, they were being tossed out of their Eden. The age of Man as an 8-5 laborer had begun. the life before that, that's what we were born for. It's what we still dream of.

And what do I think was their Eden? This entire Earth, after the Ice Ages ended. Unexplored forests, stretching for thousands of miles. Valleys full of fruit trees of all kinds, unowned and uneaten. Vast herds of animals of all kinds, sometimes stretching to the horizon. Only a few thousand people to enjoy it all, stretched across the entire Earth. Eden.

Posted by: Tom Servo at May 23, 2020 02:03 PM (V2Yro)

33 I have a stone angel statuary in my garden. It was my mother in laws. It's gotten grimy over the years. Any tips on how to clean it?

Posted by: Jewells45 at May 23, 2020 02:06 PM (dUJdY)

34 23 I need to get the potted rose, that my sister gave me for the 50th anniversary, in the ground. I'm so damn lazy.
Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 01:51 PM (icamd)

Congrats! What kind did you get?

Posted by: Sal at May 23, 2020 02:07 PM (bo8pf)

35 We are inundated with miller moths this Spring. For those not in their migration path, count yourselves lucky.

Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 02:08 PM (icamd)

36 24 ... "Scallions? Cucumbers? Green beans? Peppers?"

Hi KT,

We've had terrible luck with bell peppers the last few years and don't plant hot peppers because I am a hot pepper wimp. We have seeds for some smallish carrots we might try as an experiment. The scallions are a good idea.

Also, a bush type summer squash would be nice. Not that I'm a fanatic but tiny summer squash, like cherry tomatoes, don't always make it from the yard to the house. Love them raw in a salad or very slightly sauteed and added to a helping of rice and chicken.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 02:10 PM (7EjX1)

37 What kind did you get?

It's called High Voltage. Don't know anything about roses.

Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 02:10 PM (icamd)

38 https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/rough-cinquefoil

Wild flower that looks like strawberries.

Kathy, the native plants never had European bees to pollinate... and really don't need them.
Pro beekeepers are doing just fine. There are more bees now than 100 years ago (even 50) and the only folks who struggle are schlepps like me.

Posted by: MarkY at May 23, 2020 02:12 PM (KaJLN)

39 35 We are inundated with miller moths this Spring. For those not in their migration path, count yourselves lucky.
Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 02:08 PM (icamd)

Word.

Traps all over. They are disgusting b/c insidious. My grandmother used to put bay leaves in the dry goods to repel them. I'm putting the box/bagged stuff in gallon Ziplocs til later.

Posted by: Sal at May 23, 2020 02:14 PM (bo8pf)

40
We finally had dry enough ground to till the garden this week. Worked until dark to get all the maters and peppers in.
Two weeks late, but soil temps haven't been there anywho.
We have the second crop of butter lettuce, bib lettuce and spinach coming on. Kale is doing great. Peas are blooming.
We bought seeds (early) for Chelsea sweet cherry tomatoes, cause they weren't available as plants here last year (nor this year). Dunno why. Easily the largest, most productive and sweetest of any of the wee ones.
Made way too many, but gave lots away.

Posted by: MarkY at May 23, 2020 02:17 PM (KaJLN)

41
Also, the great coon war of 2020 may be over. I trapped a nursing female last night.

Posted by: MarkY at May 23, 2020 02:19 PM (KaJLN)

42 Here's to sugar on your strawberries!

Posted by: Dr. Varno at May 23, 2020 02:20 PM (vuisn)

43 Great picture, as usual.

Harvested our first crookneck squash today. It will be served with our meal.

We've a few tomatoes that have formed and look pretty good.

One tomato plant has plenty of blossoms, but no tomatoes yet.

I don't know if I'll go to the trouble of getting something that will correct the tomato blossom problem. I know there is something available, but this whole lockdown thing has removed some of my ambition, due to the extra hassle to get simple supplies.

Posted by: blake - semi lurker in marginal standing
at May 23, 2020 02:22 PM (WEBkv)

44 Spectacular post. Love the gardens and the garden dog pictures. Thank you.

Posted by: Huck Follywood, live from Pandemia at May 23, 2020 02:23 PM (NVYyb)

45 And now for something different - I had two bunches of nam wah bananas overwinter (relatively speaking in the 321). One did ripen about a month ago but animals got to it when it 'ripened on the vine' about a month ago. Second one is getting ripe now so I better get a couple hands off it before the critters do.

Also have a mysore banana that has already produced a bunch this spring. Nothing else has produced a heart yet . Maybe later in summer or fall.

Posted by: Burnt Toast at May 23, 2020 02:24 PM (1g7ch)

46 25 ... "I'm air-drying the cedar leftovers to bag in muslin and put in with my way too large stash of roving and fleece."

sal,

If you are into fiber arts and such, I have a question. Is flax tow, the flax waste product, a seasonal thing? I was looking to get some as I use it in various ways with my black powder guns. The usual places were out and no backorder scheduled. Finally found some at Townsend and Sons. Maybe it's only available after the flax crop comes in? I would think the demand for linen cloth and thread is pretty much year round but that's a guess.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 02:24 PM (7EjX1)

47 "We are inundated with miller moths this Spring."

I don't know what kind of moths they are, but my house has them. I've been hunting them down with a zapper that looks like a tennis racket. They are much slower than flies, so it's easy pickings.

Posted by: Chris M at May 23, 2020 02:24 PM (6XZdO)

48 Also, the great coon war of 2020 may be over. I trapped a nursing female last night.

Posted by: MarkY at May 23, 2020 02:19 PM (KaJLN)

Good for you. I hate those things. Don't have many around here. One is too many.

Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 02:24 PM (icamd)

49 KT: Completely agree, I'll start fall and winter seeds in August when the temps fall.

Jewells: what type of stone? Different techniques...

Blake: Heard a guy in Home Depot say that he bribes his grand kids to use a q-tip and hand pollinate. He said it really improved his yield.

Posted by: AZ deplorably isolated at May 23, 2020 02:27 PM (kp35W)

50
Pollination-
We use artist brushes on the pawpaws.
Don't have many flies away from dogs and trash.

Posted by: MarkY at May 23, 2020 02:29 PM (KaJLN)

51 O/T,

KT, your post on the thread just before this one was outstanding. I just read it but didn't want to make a late comment there.Mrs. JTB was also impressed.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 02:31 PM (7EjX1)

52 KT,
I researched a bit and lettuce, cabbage, bochoy, etc. is fine for dogs. Horseradish leaves are eatible too. Supposed to have a peppery flavor.

Did you not get the pictures I sent of my pineapple guava I sent about 3 weeks ago?

Posted by: lin-duh en fugue at May 23, 2020 02:31 PM (UUBmN)

53 Beautiful flowers. And I love the picture book of Gioia's travels. Thanks, KT. Excellent job as always.

Posted by: AlmostYuman at May 23, 2020 02:31 PM (2SLcX)

54
If you are into fiber arts and such, I have a question. Is flax tow, the flax waste product, a seasonal thing? I was looking to get some as I use it in various ways with my black powder guns. The usual places were out and no backorder scheduled. Finally found some at Townsend and Sons. Maybe it's only available after the flax crop comes in? I would think the demand for linen cloth and thread is pretty much year round but that's a guess.

I'm sorry, I don't really know. That's an interesting question. They weave all year round. But tow is what's left from the first part of the processing the flax crop, so that makes sense.

Posted by: Sal at May 23, 2020 02:34 PM (bo8pf)

55 Regarding earlier link about puffed rice "shot from guns" invention, original link:

https://invention.si.edu/alexander-anderson-and-cereal-shot-guns

Street vendors in Asia reproduce the technique, e.g.:

https://youtube/KewWM9fqpsc

In Asia, this is popularly believed to be a traditional local asian method.

Posted by: Semi-Literate Thug at May 23, 2020 02:36 PM (t5m5e)

56 Wife put some better soil in the garden tower. Maybe it will produce more this year. The last couple of years have been disappointing.

Posted by: Ronster at May 23, 2020 02:44 PM (icamd)

57 Kathy at May 23, 2020 02:03 PM
Honey bees pollinate a lot of things, but they are not very well suited to pollinating tomatoes. Too big, I think.

Vibrating tomato blossoms helps when there isn't much wind because tomatoes are typically self-pollinating.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 02:44 PM (BVQ+1)

58 Jewells45 at May 23, 2020 02:06 PM

Do you know what kind of stone it is? Natural or fabricated?

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 02:52 PM (BVQ+1)

59 JTB at May 23, 2020 02:10 PM
I have trouble growing bell peppers sometimes, too. Might try an Italian sweet pepper, the mildest Ancho variety you can find or one of those heatless Jalapenos.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 02:53 PM (BVQ+1)

60 Have a cactus that finally bloomed after 10 years a couple of years ago, thought I might have to wait another 10, but see the big stalk is starting to grow. Its awesome because it blooms almost all summer and gets about 4 feet high.

Posted by: Guy Mohawk at May 23, 2020 02:55 PM (r+sAi)

61 blake - semi lurker in marginal standing
Don't give up on the tomatoes. Could be the weather. Try trimming off a few outside leaves to stress the plant a bit, too.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 02:55 PM (BVQ+1)

62 Ann at May 23, 2020 02:00 PM
Sounds fantastic.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 02:56 PM (BVQ+1)

63 Sal, Thanks for the response. Tow, whether from flax or hemp, is sorta a niche product for some hobbies like muzzleloading, historical recreations, and some furniture restoration. Not exactly high volume demand. I managed to get abut a pound of it which will last several years.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 02:58 PM (7EjX1)

64 A friend of mine told me I needed to get into bee-keeping, and gave me the info for a new type of bee hive, the Flow Hive

The Flow Hive is supposed to be a hive set up that allows you to tap the hive for honey without pulling out the combs and aggravating the bees by turning a tap.

No idea if it is a good idea or not

https://preview.tinyurl.com/y96l3ejo

Posted by: Kindltot at May 23, 2020 02:59 PM (WyVLE)

65 59 ... "I have trouble growing bell peppers sometimes, too. Might try an Italian sweet pepper, the mildest Ancho variety you can find or one of those heatless Jalapenos."

KT, Thanks for the suggestions. I didn't know about heatless jalapenos.

And thanks for another wonderful gardening thread.

Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 03:00 PM (7EjX1)

66 lin-duh en fugue at May 23, 2020 02:31 PM
Wonder why I have seen information that lettuce is bad for dogs?
I have your pinapple guava photos. Do you know if you have named fruiting varieties? Some of them fruit better with cross-pollination.

Ever seen birds eat the blossoms?

The blossoms are edible if you want to thin yours before they fruit.

Posted by: KT at May 23, 2020 03:03 PM (BVQ+1)

67 Our new hoop house is finally all planted. I began sowing the seeds indoors in February.
Huzzah!
My "29 year old" bones hurt.
Boooo!
But the thing is finished.
We've been eating spinach, turnip greens, salad greens, rapini, and bok choy leaves for a couple weeks.
We are looking forward to the tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, herbs, brassicas, cucumbers, squash, beans and onions.

Next week i will plant out the zucchini and summer squash starts, and work on the new herb garden. But for now: I'm finished with planting the hoop house!

Posted by: Flyover, hoophose finally all planted! at May 23, 2020 03:08 PM (Rbu5d)

68 63 Sal, Thanks for the response. Tow, whether from flax or hemp, is sorta a niche product for some hobbies like muzzleloading, historical recreations, and some furniture restoration. Not exactly high volume demand. I managed to get abut a pound of it which will last several years.
Posted by: JTB at May 23, 2020 02:58 PM (7EjX1)

I think it's endlessly fascinating how every craft, hobby or avocation has an entire industry behind it. At least here in the first world.

Posted by: Sal at May 23, 2020 03:15 PM (bo8pf)

69 One of the sellers down at the farmers' market said that she is selling plants to people who have never had a garden before, and she suspects the majority won't be watered come July.

I told her she should branch out to canning supplies for those that do get a harvest.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 23, 2020 03:22 PM (WyVLE)

70
Flyover,
I'm so jealous. Seriously, I would love a hoop house.
Maybe next year? Doubt it.
Heatless jalapenos? Maybe try Anaheims, which are also sold under some other name, that I don't recall... only they're Anaheims!
We love poblanos. Just enough heat for interest, and as most peppers, dry wonderfully.
Thug... great links!
Kindltot, the traditionalists hate the flow hive, so that means it probably has some merit. They're spendy. Several folks in our local club are trying them this year, so I'll report back if we ever meet again, or if it shows up in the newsletter.
I'm easily the world's worst beek. I'm the kind that suppliers love to see get into beekeeping, because mostly I spend money.

Posted by: MarkY at May 23, 2020 03:47 PM (KaJLN)

71 Anyways, I got my pole beans in, and this year I bought rope for the top line so my beans don't snap the string again this year.
I sprouted and planted the last of my corn, and I have no seedlings yet on my melons, though it has been a little cool for them so far.

I have not been able to find Thai pepper starts, though last year you couldn't help but find them, so I may just get Cayenne peppers instead.

Posted by: Kindltot at May 23, 2020 03:50 PM (WyVLE)

72 KT,
I have eaten the petals on the pineapple guava. They are mildly sweet and pleasant.

Posted by: lin-duh en fugue! at May 23, 2020 05:05 PM (UUBmN)

73 and she suspects the majority won't be watered come July.

I told her she should branch out to canning supplies for those that do get a harvest.
Posted by: Kindltot at May 23, 2020 03:22 PM (WyVLE

Or teaching irrigation installation.

Posted by: Golfman at May 23, 2020 05:15 PM (hOMhY)

74 Just in from a day of garage cleaning and yard work. The weather is still mild so any outdoor work is a pleasure. Strawberries for dessert again tonight. Thanks for both of your posts KT.

Posted by: Cumberland Astro at May 23, 2020 05:20 PM (d9Cw3)

75 My mint is always getting infested with whitefly. Anything other than neem oil to fight it and have edible mint? Buying ladybugs gets expensive and they fly away and we get infested again.

Posted by: keena at May 23, 2020 05:35 PM (RiTnx)

76 From Idaho's Treasure Valley, Boise area: Very little to say this week. Lots of rain. All the cantaloupe starts I planted in the paddock, dropped dead (we'll have to replant with seeds).

I made a batch of bread. We started a batch of our beer recipe "Pre-Prohibition Cream Ale".

We worked a Friday-Saturday special Project Appleseed event, which is why I'm late today - getting equipment out of the car, getting cleaned up, and going out for dinner (pizza and beer) took priority.
***
Everybody remember - we are strong.
We are rough 'n' tough *Americans*!
We can improvise, adapt, overcome - and we will.
We can build over, build under, build around - and we will.
We have endured - and soon we will become greater than before!

For now, buy locally - later, vacation locally (in your state or in the USA) - help your neighbors - and "Remember, remember, when comes November!" (or even your next primary), which politicians turned into dictators when given power over you!

Posted by: Pat* at May 23, 2020 11:50 PM (2pX/F)

77 28 JTB
I had the same experience looking for seed potatoes. I wanted Yukon Gold specifically but found none. Was looking late, but I know if I'd seen them in the stores earlier I would have bought some.

Posted by: Farmer at May 24, 2020 10:37 PM (nM8bJ)

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