Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure thread, March 19

Happy Spring Equinox tomorrow! Got anything planned? The weather is still variable for a lot of people, but today we're starting with some flowers from Neal in Israel. The weather seems to have warmed up there:

Park Ayalon: About a month ago we strolled a bit in the Park Ayalon (Valley of Ayalon), located in the center of the country about mid-way between the Tel Aviv metropolis and Jerusalem. We saw a few scattered anemones, which your previous contributor saw in masses in the south of the country; but almond trees in full bloom were the main attraction along our route. The almonds flower from mid-winter on, and serve as one of the main symbols of winter plant life in the Israeli countryside.

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Edible Gardening and Farming

From By-Tor:

There is an egg ranch near me that sells eggs for about 30 percent less than the grocery. For example, we got 4 dozen eggs and 8 quail eggs for $9.
Why quail eggs? We were curious. Turns out they look and taste just like chicken eggs.

Except they are camouflaged on my counter.

This is March and the local navel oranges are really good. I am wondering if they are from a second, late variety. They seem juicier and thinner-skinned than the December navel oranges. What's good in your garden or local market?

Wildlife

By-Tor also has a wild visitor this spring, a prospective mama:

And from Neal in Israel:

Grasshoppers remind me of my time as a child in my father's yard and garden, and so I'm coexisting with them meanwhile, as they feed on the leaves of the hollyhocks which are building strength towards flowering in the spring. #1 is a juvenile, about an inch long; #2 is mature, about 3 - 4 inches.

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Amazing how striking they can be close-up.

A few weeks ago, a local chameleon scouted our garden, appearing on a number of days on the lower branches of our Bougainvillea. A slow mover, our guest was a good model for closeups; just had to work on catching the eyes pointing in the right direction.

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That's a reptile which wants to be in the movies, I think.

Weather, Sports and Recreation

Some recreational possibilities may be opening up soon, depending on your climate:

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But watch the forecast:

Some things to think about from Dr_No:

we're about to enter another round of The Great Coldery here in the suburban environs of Memphis . . . enjoy!

Gardens of The Horde

Dear K.T.,
Attached is a photo that shows that spring is actually arriving in this
corner of Wisconsin: it's the first time this year that we've hung
laundry on the line in our backyard. The backyard clothesline is the
last word in energy efficiency; I don't want to hear any bellyaching
about my carbon footprint from a karen who doesn't have one. Plus,
sleeping between sun-dried sheets is one of life's real pleasures. In
the background, you can see my covered raised bed, where I've planted
lettuces, spinach, and peas. And the buds are swelling on my fruit
trees. Looks like spring is really truly here - O frabjous day!
Regards . . .
Nemo

Nice garden bed. Who crochets?

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at that g mail dot com place

Include the nic by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ,
unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:15 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Yay, Spring!

Posted by: JQ at March 19, 2022 12:19 PM (dpnJh)

2 I think you're supposed to wash the clothes before you hang them out to dry.

Posted by: Dr. Varno at March 19, 2022 12:23 PM (vuisn)

3 Must be 'w*rk clothes' on the line. The kind you don't mind rewashing because of bird poop

Posted by: JQ at March 19, 2022 12:27 PM (dpnJh)

4 Love the camouflaged egg on the countertop!

Posted by: kallistx at March 19, 2022 12:28 PM (DJFLF)

5 That would be my clothes if I tried to use an outside clothesline. Except the sand that blows here is a lighter color.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at March 19, 2022 12:29 PM (3cGpq)

6 Quails eggs are supposed to be an option for people with egg allergies IIRC.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at March 19, 2022 12:30 PM (3cGpq)

7 Grrr, raccoons... nasty creatures. Our neighborhood is plagued with 1 or 2, still haven't got rid of them.

Posted by: JQ at March 19, 2022 12:30 PM (dpnJh)

8 Pretty flower pictures. Soon it will be time to remove the cardboard from the tulip and iris flower bed. But we are supposed to get a bit of snow Mon-Tuesday so I'll wait until after that.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at March 19, 2022 12:32 PM (3cGpq)

9 I ordered flax seed, both fiber and oil, from Adaptive Seeds. I doubt that I'll get moved in time for a garden. I should have ordered poppy seed too. Might put in a second order. Never got to use the last seeds I ordered.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 12:32 PM (YynYJ)

10 Been above zero for almost a week now here in northern WI, but still a lot of snow left from the 2/22/22 blizzard.

Posted by: davidt at March 19, 2022 12:35 PM (LqS9Q)

11 Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 12:32 PM

How old are the last seeds you ordered?

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:35 PM (0ghg2)

12 Love those last two lizard shots.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:37 PM (0ghg2)

13 "Pot Hole Season"

LMFAO

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 19, 2022 12:37 PM (BFigT)

14 Sadly, we had to remove two large oaks. Like the rest of the red oaks in the area, they were dying a sure death. I'll probably go with sycamores, but I will not live to see them as large and wonderful as the oaks I planted 40 years ago.

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 12:37 PM (ONvIw)

15 Nemo's garden bed looks pretty snug under that hoop cover.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:38 PM (0ghg2)

16 My wife and I planted her tulips from the pots she has been growing them in to the yard, and all the Asian plums in the neighborhood have started blooming. Even more indicative of the coming spring is the appearance of the turkey buzzards.

The rest of my fruit trees are on the verge of breaking out, and that will show which of my attempted grafts worked, and which didn't. (By the time I figure out what I am doing I am afraid I will run out of the need to do any more)

I was digging through the compost and found a couple of sprouting cherry pits that I had thrown out from canning last year, so I put them in a pint tub with a lid, with a couple of fist fulls of compost, and if they survive I will plant them as root-stock.

I also saved some apple seeds last year and tucked them away in a ziplock bag of potting soil in the vegetable crisper drawer in my fridge, and they have sprouted too. I figure April is soon enough to put them in pots to grow big enough to plant, and by next year I should have the Arbor Vitae cut out to plant the apples in their place.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 19, 2022 12:38 PM (xhaym)

17 I have a yen to make Mexican Chicken soup, and came across this recipe -

https://tinyurl.com/2hpn7kr6

That woman is cooking the real deal, but I will take some serious shortcuts. But her version looks like it has so much more flavor. All you tomato growers out there, take note!

Posted by: kallistx at March 19, 2022 12:39 PM (DJFLF)

18 BTW.... the National Park Service predicts (snort) the Capitol City's cherry blossoms will peak next week.

I used to live in Maryland and worked in NoVa for years. When in full bloom despite what that shit hole of a city has become, they are beautiful. If only for a day or two.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 19, 2022 12:40 PM (BFigT)

19 Good afternoon Greenthumbs
Got pictures of my niece's doll house I made, it's in great shape for 30years, needs very minor repairs.
As soon as get home will make online pictures.
Daffodils are up but no flowers yet

Posted by: Skip's Phone at March 19, 2022 12:40 PM (FuQMV)

20 All our tulips and daffodils came up in Feb, then we had a cold snap couple of weeks ago-- leaves are droopy and some buds died but we'll still have a few blooms.

Posted by: JQ at March 19, 2022 12:41 PM (dpnJh)

21 CN at March 19, 2022 12:37 PM

Sorry about the loss of your oaks. Why are they all dying?

Do sycamores do well where you are? They get fungus on the leaves here.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:41 PM (0ghg2)

22 The lilac tree in my courtyard is budding. And the miniature daffodils are in full bloom.

Allergies are starting to kick in.

Achoo!

Posted by: nurse ratched at March 19, 2022 12:41 PM (U2p+3)

23 I'm not going to make my own chicken broth, just use the Better than Bouillon vegetable product. And canned fire-roasted tomatoes. And purchased tortilla chips, which I know are inferior to the home-fried version, but hey...shortcuts!

*(lol, I almost wrote "chortcuts")*

Posted by: kallistx at March 19, 2022 12:42 PM (DJFLF)

24 They are coming to take out the rotting railroad ties of the retaining wall around the patio a week from monday going be replaced with stone they will cut on site.
Not sure how many roses will survive. Weed barrier and soil will be replaced with new soil. Hopefully I can actually get some gardening in that area.

Posted by: Infidel at March 19, 2022 12:43 PM (ou23q)

25 Skip's Phone at March 19, 2022 12:40 PM

Cool about the doll house!

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:43 PM (0ghg2)

26 As soon as get home will make online pictures.

We're gonna hold you to that Skip!

I hope KT doesn't mind me veering off into cooking, but soup comes from gardens, so I guess it's still on topic.

Posted by: kallistx at March 19, 2022 12:44 PM (DJFLF)

27 If we have a hobby thread will post, could send you something KT

Posted by: Skip's Phone at March 19, 2022 12:44 PM (FuQMV)

28 I'll have to look. Probably at least 3-4 years. I'll keep them and test for germination.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 12:45 PM (YynYJ)

29 nurse ratched at March 19, 2022 12:41 PM

Wonderful stuff and then . . . allergies.

Have you tried some quercetin along with your antihistamines? Mast cell stabilizer. Needs vitamin C for absorption.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:45 PM (0ghg2)

30 Finally getting out with the Boswell spawn to play some golf tomorrow - whoohoo! She's home on spring break for a few days.

Gonna be in the 60's and sunshine - noice.

Posted by: Boswell at March 19, 2022 12:47 PM (5iUNf)

31 kallistx at March 19, 2022 12:44 PM

If it has something in it that grows in a garden or on a farm, it fits. Of course!

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:47 PM (0ghg2)

32 Skip's Phone at March 19, 2022 12:44 PM

Sounds great! Why not both?

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:48 PM (0ghg2)

33 I have a few pine trees dead for some time that need to come down. Would be easy if it could be dropped but too close to house.

Posted by: Skip's Phone at March 19, 2022 12:49 PM (FuQMV)

34 Sorry about the loss of your oaks. Why are they all dying?

Do sycamores do well where you are? They get fungus on the leaves here.
Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:41 PM (0ghg2)

Sycamores thrive here. Oaks are dying from athracnose and bacterial leaf scorch.

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 12:50 PM (ONvIw)

35 Have you tried some quercetin along with your antihistamines? Mast cell stabilizer. Needs vitamin C for absorption.
Posted by: KT

I'll look into that! I haven't started my
Zyrtec yet, holding out as long as possible. Because, once you start, you're in for a few months.

Posted by: nurse ratched at March 19, 2022 12:51 PM (U2p+3)

36 Sorry about the loss of your oaks. Why are they all dying?

Do sycamores do well where you are? They get fungus on the leaves here.
Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 12:41 PM (0ghg2)

All the red oaks in our area are in sharp decline or dead already.

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 12:51 PM (ONvIw)

37 Okay, so today I will venture out to collect supplies to start my herb garden for the season. Indoor gardening, because it just isn't hot enough to sustain most herbs up here. We still have about 2 feet of snow on the ground so nothing will start outdoors, but DH has promised to build me 4 more raised beds, and I'm doubling our strawberry production this year. Also planning for peas, carrots, parsley, lettuce, the usual suspects. Pickling cucumbers will only grow indoors, so a few of those can start today.

I'm also going to build hoop houses to try to make green beans work. They only sort-of grew last year in the open. Need to raise the temperature about 10 degrees I think to make them really produce. Can't wait to be out on our land in Willow and build a proper greenhouse and turn up an acre or so of potatoes. Maybe in 5 years or so.

Posted by: tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 12:53 PM (eKvjl)

38 The sycamores look clean as a whistle, including the very old ones. I love oaks, but am afraid they'll go the same way. We tried everything to save them (heavy fertilizer app, antibiotic infusions). Failed.

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 12:53 PM (ONvIw)

39 Posted by: tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 12:53 PM (eKvjl)

I will have to put chicken wire around raised beds. The deer think they are feeding stands.

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 12:55 PM (ONvIw)

40 I think the pothole in front of our house now has a Prius at the bottom of it.

Posted by: tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 12:55 PM (eKvjl)

41 I'l post something tonight but will send you KT of you want to post it

Posted by: Skip's Phone at March 19, 2022 12:56 PM (FuQMV)

42 I planted mixed leaf lettuces in a big planter outdoors.

Neighbor should stop by later and pick up the euonymus starts I made for her last summer. They're ready to plant and (woohoo!) I don't have to dig all those holes!

Cold and rainy today, or else I'd be pruning back the roses.

Posted by: JQ at March 19, 2022 01:03 PM (dpnJh)

43 Skip's Phone at March 19, 2022 12:56 PM

Sounds great.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:05 PM (0ghg2)

44 Still too early to prune roses here. Not sure if I should prune during or after the retaining wall redo.

Posted by: Infidel at March 19, 2022 01:05 PM (ou23q)

45 44 Still too early to prune roses here. Not sure if I should prune during or after the retaining wall redo.
Posted by: Infidel at March 19, 2022 01:05 PM (ou23q)

When the forsythia are in bloom.

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 01:07 PM (ONvIw)

46 I am going to give the roses a light fertilizing and cover them up a bit more. They're leafing up and I don't want to lose that growth if I don't have to.

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 01:10 PM (ONvIw)

47 Roses are resilient. Prune whenever you need to, Infidel

Posted by: JQ at March 19, 2022 01:12 PM (dpnJh)

48 I will wait to blood and bone them until frost is no longer an issue

Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 01:12 PM (ONvIw)

49 tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 12:53 PM

It has been my experience that green beans are quite climate-variable by cultivar. You might try some of the New England standards. Or newer varieties noted for wide climate adaptation, including those developed in the UK.

Runner beans ripen in cool weather if your season is long enough. Don't eat them raw.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:13 PM (0ghg2)

50 oh, I was so focused on food that I forgot:

Violet garden is in full bloom! (I call it a garden, but they're all volunteers in a raised bed.) They're the deep blue-violet shade.

Posted by: kallistx at March 19, 2022 01:14 PM (DJFLF)

51 Try Benedryl, Nurse. Who needs to be conscious?

Posted by: Kindltot at March 19, 2022 01:14 PM (xhaym)

52 also, I remember last fall recommending Dusty Miller as a plant for winter color.

Well, that didn't work out too well. My one dusty miller did great over one winter but it really pooped out this past year. But the interesting thing is that I've seen the birdies harvesting its dead leaves for nesting material.

Posted by: kallistx at March 19, 2022 01:15 PM (DJFLF)

53 tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 12:55 PM

They may never find it!

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:15 PM (0ghg2)

54 kallistx at March 19, 2022 01:14 PM

Nice! Are they fragrant?

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:17 PM (0ghg2)

55 As usual, K.T. bringing the quality content!!!

Posted by: Sharkman at March 19, 2022 01:17 PM (SQSVN)

56 Friend just went into debt for a Kubota B2601. He has small acreage and at least five old tractors. He's selling those off. Said he was tired of having to fix something anytime he wanted to work. He may be planning to sell produce again.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 01:18 PM (YynYJ)

57 tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 12:53 PM

Are you planting parthenocarpic cucumbers indoors for pickling? Are they good fresh, too?

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:19 PM (0ghg2)

58 Is the blog clock still on Standard Time?

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas at March 19, 2022 01:20 PM (VqNuf)

59 hiya

Posted by: JT at March 19, 2022 01:21 PM (arJlL)

60 The comments appear to be - unless Ace's Time Machine is working overtime....

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas at March 19, 2022 01:21 PM (VqNuf)

61 kallistx at March 19, 2022 01:15 PM

Interesting about the birdies. Have you considered the possibility that the species of Dusty Miller you planted is a short-lived perennial that just looks bad after a couple of seasons?

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:22 PM (0ghg2)

62 Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas at March 19, 2022 01:20 PM

The blog clock is under examination.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:23 PM (0ghg2)

63 Kubota B series is the next size up from my BX 2660. I sort of wish I'd have gone to that size. They're good machines. In fact, I just had mine serviced and put the front end loader on last week to do some spring cleaning around the compound. Then it's on to the land plane to re-grade the driveway.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 19, 2022 01:23 PM (BFigT)

64 Thanks, Sharkman.

Great contributors today.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:24 PM (0ghg2)

65 Love the close-up of the almond blossoms. And even the grasshoppers! Why is it that even baby grasshoppers can look cute?

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:26 PM (0ghg2)

66 Hubby's mother still hangs her laundry on the clothesline. Unfortunately, the water is so hard and the air so hot and dry that everything ends up stiff after it has dried.

We bought her a dryer several years ago. She still hasn't used it (all of us kids and the grandkids use it when we visit, though!).

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas at March 19, 2022 01:26 PM (VqNuf)

67 Last week I mentioned that it looked like our seedlings were not going to make it. Some didn't. But new ones, tomatoes, peppers, and basil, came up and are looking good. (Crossed fingers time.)

Yesterday we put in some Lebanese-style squash seeds in jiffy pots. We are keeping some to try planting outdoors.

Posted by: JTB at March 19, 2022 01:27 PM (7EjX1)

68 Bought and planted 5 upright rosemary to make an informal hedge (staggered planting). When they're grown I'll kill and remove the existing desert broom. Desert broom is an invasive, tenacious weed.
I also laid flagstone on the 'coy pond' that we had filled with gravel last fall. It looks good; but, I'll be taping my deltoid/bicep for a while. Something, something, something about getting old.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 19, 2022 01:27 PM (bu/t9)

69 He usually likes to tinker with stuff but is just getting old I guess. He says it has less than an hour on it. He will put it to use.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 01:31 PM (YynYJ)

70 I love it. All the long-established daffodil beds in town are blooming. They are especially gorgeous when the sunlight shines through the flowers revealing so many shades of burnished gold to near white.

Posted by: JTB at March 19, 2022 01:32 PM (7EjX1)

71 Chameleons in Texas sure do look different from the ones in Israel! I think the ones I used to see when I was growing up in the Houston area are more properly called anoles.

Haven't seen very many green ones here in Fort Worth. We have a lot of brown "Fence Lizards", though.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas at March 19, 2022 01:32 PM (VqNuf)

72 Hiya Marlene !

Posted by: JT at March 19, 2022 01:33 PM (arJlL)

73 Chameleons in Texas sure do look different from the ones in Israel! I think the ones I used to see when I was growing up in the Houston area are more properly called anoles.

Good way to insult someone...."You're an anole !"

Posted by: JT at March 19, 2022 01:35 PM (arJlL)

74 Great chameleon shots there!

I got some shots of the nearby cherry orchard - the last one that hasn't turned into high density housing. Very sad.

I'll be moving soon, and will miss a few things dearly. The cherry orchards/stands, the mushroom grower (you name it, they've got it - save for porcini), the farmer's market and my greenhouse orchid window. I'll send in pictures of that - it was absolutely spectacular 2 weeks back, and still is but 2-3 are starting to fade.

Posted by: clutch cargo - Now fortified with CPM-S90V at March 19, 2022 01:36 PM (wAnMi)

75 That close-up photo of the almond tree blossoms is beautiful. I could spend an hour just looking at it to note all the gradations of color and textures. Besides, it is just pretty.

Thanks for sending it in and, always, to KT for the thread.

Posted by: JTB at March 19, 2022 01:36 PM (7EjX1)

76 He says it has less than an hour on it. He will put it to use.

That's new, more or less. Cool. I have fun with mine. A decade ago I was driving sports cars in California... never would have thought I'd be in a pick up and a tractor today.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 19, 2022 01:37 PM (BFigT)

77 I will have to put chicken wire around raised beds. The deer think they are feeding stands.
Posted by: CN at March 19, 2022 12:55 PM (ONvIw)

I put real fencing up because: dogs. I had a dog that used to pick the carrots and eat them. Now I have one that just runs over every damned thing, so, fence.

Posted by: tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 01:37 PM (eKvjl)

78 Those almond blossoms are gorgeous!

Posted by: CharlieBrown'sDildo at March 19, 2022 01:40 PM (XIJ/X)

79 Me and the missus were talking about gardening yesterday. Where we live now is, well less than optimal, but we are almost set to find a nice property in a rural location (house here is nearly paid off), and I would love to set up a garden like my Dad had when I was a kid. He did taters really well. And had very productive raspberry and strawberry patches. He grew up on a farm, so it was second nature to him.

One of my chores was weeding, which I hated. I wanted to be on my bike tear-assing around town. But now I believe I would find it very cathartic. Just kind of not think about anything for a while, just being.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, the Leprechaun told me to burn things at March 19, 2022 01:40 PM (x8Wzq)

80 Are you planting parthenocarpic cucumbers indoors for pickling? Are they good fresh, too?
Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:19 PM (0ghg2)

The ones I have this year are just Botanical Interests pickles. Claims they are open pollinated and untreated, whatever that means. Normally I would order from Jungs or other, but I've found that the Ace Hardware store here carries seeds that mostly work up here, and the Lower 48 catalogs just don't get it, so it's hit or miss.

I eat the little cukes I've grown before, and they were fine. Mostly I pickle because of the short growing season. Gotta get them all at the same time, pretty much, and there's only so many cukes one person can eat at a time.

Posted by: tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 01:41 PM (eKvjl)

81 We're toying with raising chickens. Here in Kentucky you "must" buy 6. Now... if 6 will get me to actually be considered a "farm" I might be into it. Tax bennies. And access to the good chemicals.

And... possibly, a license to grow hemp. It's a "growing" industry here.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 19, 2022 01:45 PM (BFigT)

82 And... possibly, a license to grow hemp. It's a "growing" industry here.
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 19, 2022 01:45 PM (BFigT)

Justified was a documentary.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, the Leprechaun told me to burn things at March 19, 2022 01:46 PM (x8Wzq)

83 One of my chores was weeding, which I hated. I wanted to be on my bike tear-assing around town. But now I believe I would find it very cathartic. Just kind of not think about anything for a while, just being.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, the Leprechaun told me to burn things at March 19, 2022 01:40 PM (x8Wzq)

this is why I always have liked weeding and raking the garden at day-break

Posted by: Kindltot at March 19, 2022 01:47 PM (xhaym)

84 Line-dried towels are very scratchy! I realize this is sometimes advantageous or even preferable, LOL

Jeans end up so stiff, they're difficult to put on.

When forced to use a clothesline, I'll go back to that. For now, I'll enjoy tumble-dried soft and birdpoop-free laundry.

Posted by: JQ at March 19, 2022 01:47 PM (dpnJh)

85 tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 01:41 PM

Some pickling cucumbers are really bitter when fresh. Glad yours are not.

How do you pollinate your cukes indoors if they are not parthenocarpic?

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:49 PM (0ghg2)

86 I love hanging out bed linens. They get sun-drenched, which kills of anything that might be growing there, and they smell so much better. I will hang just about any laundry, and then run it through the dryer for 10 minutes to soften it up. But the sheets can go right on the bed.

Posted by: tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 01:51 PM (eKvjl)

87 How do you pollinate your cukes indoors if they are not parthenocarpic?
Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 01:49 PM (0ghg2)

I usually grow a couple of different plants and use a q-tip to get jiggy wid 'em. It seems to work okay.

Posted by: tcn in AK, Hail to the Thief at March 19, 2022 01:54 PM (eKvjl)

88 I like line-drying laundry, it saves money and does make the clothes seem cleaner. I Wouldn't dry work clothes because I would have had to iron them to get slacks and dress shirts tidy.

I think it was the Little House books where Laura talked about her mom drying the wash on sunny days during the winter when it was so cold they would have to go out and knock the ice out of the fabric.
I am so glad I also have an electric dryer

Posted by: Kindltot at March 19, 2022 01:56 PM (xhaym)

89 Helping tomatoes pollenate:
Anyone see the guy use an old electric toothbrush to vibrate the base of the flower stems?
The difference in yield was amazing.
(saw it on youtube)

I wonder if that would work with cukes?

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 19, 2022 01:59 PM (bu/t9)

90 Critter NOOD.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 19, 2022 02:01 PM (bu/t9)

91 Kindltot at March 19, 2022 12:38 PM

Grafting is ambitious. Growing cherries and apples from seeds is MORE ambitious.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:01 PM (0ghg2)

92 kallistx at March 19, 2022 12:39 PM

The chicken soup looks great. Plus, she talks slowly enough that you can practice your Spanish.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:04 PM (0ghg2)

93 Hi there, JT!

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 02:06 PM (YynYJ)

94 I had a volunteer peach. We'd put up a bunch of peaches and had the pits and skins piled out back. Almost impossible to grow on that place as it was all rock from the drain field. The peach just took off, made it through a couple of winters and gave us one peach before we moved. And it was tasty, so I would definitely try that again.

Posted by: Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 02:08 PM (YynYJ)

95 I like sun-dried sheets. Sun-dried jeans (hard water)? Not so much. I think sun drying was an advantage in yesteryear, before detergents were as advanced as they are today. Especially when people had to wash diapers.

Sometimes I wonder why people don't put bird poop shields over clothes lines. I know that clothes snapping in the wind keeps birds away in lots of places.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:10 PM (0ghg2)

96 JTB at March 19, 2022 01:32 PM

Sounds beautiful.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:13 PM (0ghg2)

97 AZ deplorable moron at March 19, 2022 01:59 PM

Works with tomatoes because they are self-pollinating.

Most cucumbers are not. That's why tcn mentioned planting two plants.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:14 PM (0ghg2)

98 Notsothoreau - look forward at March 19, 2022 02:08 PM

Peaches are more likely to give you fruit like the parent plant from a seed than cherries or especially apples would be.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:15 PM (0ghg2)

99 Works with tomatoes because they are self-pollinating.

Most cucumbers are not. That's why tcn mentioned planting two plants.
Posted by: KT

Thanks, I didn't know that about cukes.
I'd like to make sweet and dill pickles so I might plant some.
Hope they don't get completely eaten like the 'pickle bushes' I planted at the last house.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 19, 2022 02:19 PM (bu/t9)

100 AZ deplorable moron at March 19, 2022 02:19 PM

Now is not the time to plant cukes in your climate. If you try them in the fall, plant on a trellis.

Armenian cucumbers are actually melons and are more heat tolerant.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:23 PM (0ghg2)

101 Starting some grim reaper and trinidad scorpion pepper seeds in the aerogarden. Hoping to move them outside in a month or so depending on the weather.

Posted by: Bosk at March 19, 2022 02:23 PM (yh68b)

102 Bosk at March 19, 2022 02:23 PM

Another radical.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:37 PM (0ghg2)

103 KT at March 19, 2022 02:37 PM

Scares me just to think about having those in the garden. Heh.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 02:38 PM (0ghg2)

104 Wife and I were looking at the photos and she said "Better be careful around the chameleon, she can keep an eye on you."

Posted by: TANSTAAFL at March 19, 2022 02:45 PM (fBtlL)

105 "sometimes we do some political stuff"

//Trey Parker

Yeah you think, I notice you went progtard Trey hope the checks were worth it.

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 02:53 PM (Lzpvj)

106 sorry listening to that interview and all....

back to your pet news and stories.

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 02:56 PM (Lzpvj)

107 I wish we could fully domesticate raccoons or foxes....

of course any attempt to do so now would have the religious left intoning we were denying the animals sovereignty or something.

https://youtu.be/SycjyD0nB7k

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 02:59 PM (Lzpvj)

108 https://youtu.be/dvIOvcep1FE

raccoons gone wild

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 03:00 PM (Lzpvj)

109 KT, I have time and space to play for once, and there is no reason not to try.
If I have crummy trees because they are polyploid and there is bad chance that there will be good seedlings, I can graft decent stock onto them.

There are so many volunteer apples and cherries around here it is a good chance of getting them up and growing well.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 19, 2022 03:13 PM (xhaym)

110 So I am posting on Disqus under my own name, I am hopefully taking steps to thwart forensic deduction of my writing style given I am banned at Salem Media.

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 03:22 PM (Lzpvj)

111 So I am posting on Disqus under my own name, I am hopefully taking steps to thwart forensic deduction of my writing style given I am banned at Salem Media.
Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 03:22 PM (Lzpvj)

I think it's obvious to anyone that can see that the thing some of us most dreaded is almost here.

Each day that passes gets us a little closer and older.

Already too old for street fighting.

Maybe they'll come for me first.

Posted by: weirdflunky at March 19, 2022 03:27 PM (cknjq)

112 111 Posted by: weirdflunky at March 19, 2022 03:27 PM (cknjq)

remember theoretically Tepid Err is a "conservative site."

I am positing as a Ray Maddow superfan

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 03:37 PM (Lzpvj)

113 I am positing as a Ray Maddow superfan
Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 03:37 PM (Lzpvj)

An insane person IOW.

No telling how many people you can piss off.

Posted by: weirdflunky at March 19, 2022 03:53 PM (cknjq)

114 113 Posted by: weirdflunky at March 19, 2022 03:53 PM (cknjq)

https://disqus.com/by/FDH10077/

Plenty-Tepid Err approves every post these days

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 04:00 PM (Lzpvj)

115 It is almost like I work in an information warfare environment or something.

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 04:03 PM (Lzpvj)

116 I'm starting some seeds and found some heirloom muskmelon seeds, the package has to be 4 or 5 years old. I started the seeds and they have sprouted. Amazing!

Posted by: Black JEM at March 19, 2022 04:06 PM (LyTO1)

117 Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 04:00 PM (Lzpvj)

"Leland Yee was simply a "free agent" firearms enthusiast..."

My personal favorite.

Posted by: weirdflunky at March 19, 2022 04:13 PM (cknjq)

118 117 Posted by: weirdflunky at March 19, 2022 04:13 PM (cknjq)

His own words, he told an agent at his arrest that he wanted to make money at selling arms like the feds do.

Swear to God, read the case notes they are hilarious and remember DOJ loves democrats more than republicans and know what they are.

Posted by: sven at March 19, 2022 04:29 PM (Lzpvj)

119 "Sometimes I wonder why people don't put bird poop shields over clothes lines. I know that clothes snapping in the wind keeps birds away in lots of places."

In the four decades that we've been using a clothesline, bird mess has happened perhaps twice; no more.

The water here is fairly hard, but none of our clothes are stiff when they come off the line. Yes, that might be a problem with denim; but neither my wife nor I wear jeans.

As for washing the clothes first, over time a dish towel will become stained. I have yet to hear the dishes complain.

Posted by: Nemo at March 19, 2022 04:39 PM (S6ArX)

120 From Boise area: Lows 32-45, highs 52-60; rained on Tuesday. We burned our spring burn pile Friday.

Used up/threw out final German Butterball potatoes - was not happy with results. Will plant usual fingerlings, and a pot of Russets or two instead.

Indoor starts are sprouting - 7 of 8 tomatoes, 4 of 6 poblanos (stuck 2 more seeds in slow tomato's pot; poblanos are always slow). I loosened soil, dug out old roots in raised beds 4, 5, 6 today, so all raised beds are now ready for spring planting. Husband helped with HOA's spring ditch cleanup, in prep for irrigation water season. Later, husband and I did a spot of pruning on our 3 small new apple trees.

Hyacinths closest to house are flowering (some white, some blue)! Huge silver maple tree also flowering. (message 1 of 2)

Posted by: Pat* at March 19, 2022 05:27 PM (2pX/F)

121 Nemo at March 19, 2022 04:39 PM

Good stats for clothes lines, Nemo. They are good for some other garden projects, too.

My mother hand-washes many of her hand-sewn clothes so they will last longer and look better, and now hangs them in the shower, on hangers, because she doesn't have a clothesline anymore.

Posted by: KT at March 19, 2022 05:30 PM (0ghg2)

122 For CN (# 14 and 34) in case s/he sees this: I don't like sycamores, nope nope, not one bit. They don't turn nice colors in fall, they just become brown, or a dead yellowish-brown. The leaves don't shred well for my compost, and they don't burn well either - they all have to be raked and bagged. The trees are also susceptible to anthracnose, and once they're infected, they drop lots of sticks, which I have to pick up before husband mows each week, all summer long. If the 4 giant ones out front die, I won't cry, I'll just use them for firewood, and plant maples.

Extra note: some Project Appleseed events next weekend, so I may post late - I'll have to check the schedule to see if I'm needed Saturday, Sunday, or both.
(message 2 of 2.)

Posted by: Pat* at March 19, 2022 05:34 PM (2pX/F)

123 Ha.

Posted by: Shirley at March 19, 2022 06:43 PM (1xQHa)

124 One of my chores was weeding, which I hated. I wanted to be on my bike tear-assing around town. But now I believe I would find it very cathartic. Just kind of not think about anything for a while, just being.
Posted by: Pug Mahon, the Leprechaun told me to burn things at March 19, 2022 01:40

Agreed Pug. That's how I've always viewed gardening in the over 50 yrs I've been doing it.
I started as a tenn growing tomatoes in my Mom's flower bed. Fertilized them by burying dog manure in the hole before plating. Some yrs they got as high as the eaves of the house.

Posted by: Farmer at March 19, 2022 06:45 PM (55Qr6)

125

Cache Copy -What About China?
https://archive.ph/kPxKV
(noticed, mention of
restoring other entry)

Posted by: zigzag at March 19, 2022 08:07 PM (5Tvrp)

126 Scam.

Posted by: reyes sandra at March 22, 2022 09:47 AM (0Qjm0)

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