Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, March 11

Hi, everybody! We were under a flash flood watch yesterday, but it never happened. How's your weather?

Above, a beautiful blossoming tree from fd. Maybe a redbud. This is what it looked like a week earlier:

And from Diogenes, a crocus.

I guess better late than never.

The exterior markings are beautiful. I expect that it has opened up since the photo was taken. Love those brave little flowers.

Edible Gardening/Putting Things By

Celery plants started. Onions, Shallots and Pak Choi started. Seems like I never have enough summer so I wanted to get an early start in my greenhouse, zone 6A.
S.Lynn

Lots of celery!

From the comments a couple of weeks ago, Growing potatoes from True Seed.

It's a real treasure hunt to pull seed-grown potatoes, as the diversity is amazing. When you plant tubers, you get exactly the same thing you planted. With seeds, you are playing the lottery (but with much better success)!

Gardening Bleg

I'm Beverly, an infrequent poster at Ace of Spades. But I read it daily.
I have just bought a house in a mountain valley in Tennessee on the Eastern end of the state. I have never owned a house before and this one comes with five raised garden beds! I have no idea how to get started with them.
I haven't even figured out what I'd like to grow but I figured a veggie garden and some flowers would be nice.
Not sure what I'm asking for but maybe suggestions from The Horde on how to tackle them starting with baby steps. What are the absolutely essential garden tools? How do you prep the beds Etc.
I always enjoy the weekend threads. Such a nice change of pace after the apocalypse all week long!

What a great project you have ahead of you!

A few ideas:

1. Stick to annuals the first year, until you find out what you have in terms of soil, pests, weeds, sun exposure, etc. in the beds.

2. Consider solarization in one or more of the beds during the summer if you find you have lots of weeds.

3. Check with your local extension agency about adapted varieties in your area.

Any other pointers for Beverly?

Adventure

From rdohd:

KT, I have been traveling over the last two weeks and I took this picture on the road side in Coweta county, Georgia. The wisteria has been blooming over the last couple of weeks and this was one of several I saw in full regalia that also had an area nearby where I could pull over and take a picture. Wisteria are stunningly elegant even in the most unkempt state. They are one of the few pleasures of my travels.
Strictly speaking this is not my, nor anyone else's garden, so if you decide not to add this to your post I completely understand. I am not trying to expand your topic, but rather to share the sublime beauty of traveling the backroads of the deep south. Please note the genuine southern bald tire motif.

Wisteria grows!

Gardens of The Horde

January & February were mostly mild in the East so spring got off to an early start. My witch hazel is in its 3rd week of bloom, though the hellebores were actually the first to bloom.
My early daffodils and crocus started blooming last week, and I just gave my German hard-necked garlic its spring feeding. The outlook for March is colder than normal so I hope my spring blooms will last for a while.
badgerwx

Early color and fragrance!

Nice close-up, dated Feb. 17

Hellebores and crocus go well together

Nice!

Garlic!

Another sign of spring is the first DC cherry blossom forecast on March
1st. (Or try this).They're calling for an early bloom, with peak bloom starting
around March 22nd. If we are cooler in normal in March, that might delay
the start of peak bloom.

Interesting photos at the link showing stages of bud and bloom.

Thanks, badgerwx.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

If you would like to send photos, stories, links, etc. for the Saturday Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden at g mail dot com

Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Week in Review

What has changed since last week's thread? Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, March 4

Any thoughts or questions?

I closed the comments on this post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:17 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Where in the world is Skip?

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:20 PM (dCxaZ)

2 Beverly, depending on your county, they may have an outstanding gardening program already set up - ours does (Central TN). Check and see if UT has a branch outreach program also. If so, there will be lots of resources available.

Posted by: Tonypete at March 11, 2023 01:20 PM (qoGsy)

3 Love all these pics of emerging springtime.

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:21 PM (dCxaZ)

4 I guess I'd better go track down Skip

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:22 PM (dCxaZ)

5 I was out of town this past week cleaning up my parent's properties as they are too infirm to do it anymore.

Yesterday when I got out to look at my plants here, the potatoes, that I thought were already large and bushy, were, I could swear, twice as big and green.

I think they really liked the bit of cool and rain they got while I was gone.

Posted by: G'rump928(c) at March 11, 2023 01:26 PM (yQpMk)

6 IIRC, Skip was taking a day trip but will be back to post around the time of the hobby thread.

Posted by: Lola at March 11, 2023 01:26 PM (GshMh)

7 Here in Bourbon Country we're about ready to have winter, the reckoning. Bitterly cold temps at night Monday - Wednesday. Too bad for all the flowers, flowering trees and anything else that erroneously thought it was spring.

For my part, I thinned out the decorative grasses around the house, cut the roses back so they have a chance to survive the cold and did some minor clean up. The windstorms earlier in the year made a royal mess.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 11, 2023 01:26 PM (Q4IgG)

8 I'm Beverly, an infrequent poster
---

1) Here is a 'planting almanac' by city in KY. It'll help you know when to plant a vegetable: https://is.gd/7ygF6y

2) find out if there are any places that give away mulch, you'll need a bunch every year.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 01:27 PM (bz8Vd)

9 In middle of a 1812 Batle
Minnie daffodils up but not regular Daffodils
Chives up

Posted by: Skip at March 11, 2023 01:28 PM (jMLk0)

10 Good afternoon, horde!

I have cabin fever so bad. I cannot wait to get outside and start digging and planting and rearranging brick sidewalks and stuff. I have a couple of months to go.

I'm getting the seeds gathered, though, and am looking for a good table to put in front of a big, sunny, southern window to get them started. I hope to do that after next weekend.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 01:28 PM (OX9vb)

11 I just came in from mowing the grass to get some lunch. It's already very green here and there's lot of pollen, but the pine trees and pecan trees haven't even started yet.

Posted by: fd at March 11, 2023 01:29 PM (iayUP)

12 We aren't planting much new this season. The house was previously owned by a very senior widow whom had to care for her (now passed) husband. So, we are ripping and tearing things out, cutting back the overgrown landscaping and trying to deal with the widow-maker dead trees out back.

Piles of daffodils popped up and they are just beautiful though. And the magnolias and forsythia are flowering now too. We are trying to get a handle on it all.

Posted by: Tonypete at March 11, 2023 01:29 PM (qoGsy)

13 Where in the world is Skip?
Posted by: kallisto

War gaming (I think I saw him say he might soon be getting kicked in the rear end).

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 01:29 PM (bz8Vd)

14 I agree that looks like a red bud in the first pics. The twigs are really wavy which makes them very attractive in small projects (like a shawl pin). They are good for smoking meat as well. They give a slightly sharp taste that is especially good with chicken.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 01:30 PM (nC+QA)

15 Skip at #9!

Did your troops survive?

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 01:31 PM (bz8Vd)

16 War gaming (I think I saw him say he might soon be getting kicked in the rear end).

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 01:29 PM (bz8Vd)

Just had a Skip - sighting...look @9. He survived the battle!

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:31 PM (dCxaZ)

17 2) find out if there are any places that give away mulch, you'll need a bunch every year.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 01:27 PM (bz8Vd)

How much mulch must you muster?.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at March 11, 2023 01:31 PM (Y5qcH)

18 *waves at Polliwog

Hey, girl!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 01:31 PM (OX9vb)

19 I just checked the moon phase calendar. I have to wait until March 21 to get the seeds in, because that's the New Moon. I should have done this last month during the waxing phases, but I slacked.

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:34 PM (dCxaZ)

20 The grape hyacinth I planted last fall are mostly all done blooming now. Have some, I think, daffodil leaves coming up now. I haven't planted bulbs like this before and have no idea how they'll do since it's already getting quite warm.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 01:34 PM (nC+QA)

21 Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 01:31 PM (OX9vb)

Hi!

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 01:36 PM (nC+QA)

22 I'm Beverly, an infrequent poster
---

Here is another planting guide that has a hardiness zone guide (you'll need to know your zone to know when to plant).

https://is.gd/rWaSaY

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 01:36 PM (bz8Vd)

23 If you want to get granular with Moon Phase planting, you also have to know what astrological sign the moon is in when you want to plant or prune. The trick is to plant during the waxing phase during a fertile astrological sign, and a waning phase during a barren astro sign..(if the pruning is to keep growth down)

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:37 PM (dCxaZ)

24 Beverly, couple things you'll need is tomatoes, eggplants squash, onions, polebeans, okra, potatoes, cabbage, peppers, and cabbage. Of course seasonal.

Posted by: Eromero at March 11, 2023 01:37 PM (1KS1Z)

25 I realized about a week ago that the small, vining purple flower "weeds" were actually volunteer wild sweet peas. They are cute and smell very nice so I'm going to let them stay even though they're toxic.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 01:37 PM (nC+QA)

26 Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:37 PM (dCxaZ)

That sounds like a huge amount of work to keep that all straight. I've been in Texas almost 10 years and this is the first one I've been organized enough to get stuff in the ground in a timely manner, and that's mostly because I cheated and started last fall.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 01:40 PM (nC+QA)

27 That potato video is fascinating. I grew potatoes last year, but I don't remember the plants producing any fruits--just the tubers. Now I want to find out what varieties will produce fruits so I can try planting them from seed myself.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 01:42 PM (OX9vb)

28 https://tinyurl.com/y7y57fk6
Game playing

Posted by: Skip at March 11, 2023 01:43 PM (jMLk0)

29 > I realized about a week ago that the small, vining purple flower "weeds" were actually volunteer wild sweet peas.
____________

I think I have these too. Do they have little curly "hairs" on them... where the leaves branch out?

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 11, 2023 01:45 PM (Q4IgG)

30 hiya

Posted by: JT at March 11, 2023 01:46 PM (T4tVD)

31 rdohd, wisteria is pretty but will take over as bad as kudzu if it takes aholt.

Posted by: Eromero at March 11, 2023 01:46 PM (1KS1Z)

32 Hi, everybody! We were under a flash flood watch yesterday, but it never happened. How's your weather?

40 Deg, damp, cloudy and rainy.

Posted by: JT at March 11, 2023 01:47 PM (T4tVD)

33 Hi, JT!

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 01:47 PM (OX9vb)

34 From Boise area: Lows 27-37 F, highs 39-45. A friend told me we equalled the record for most consecutive days with some snow. We could've beaten the record - but it rained the next day.

We're working on early spring tasks (cutting down ornamental grass and Siberian Iris leaves, before they send up new leaves) and fall tasks too (there are still an absurd number of leaves we need to clean up - or give up and mow).

I'm still waiting for the crocus and hyacinths to bloom. Seeing that redbud reminds me I should go look at mine to see if it's budding yet.

Lots of tomato sprouts! In addition to the 6 beefsteak, 3 each Roma and San Marzano tomatoes I planted, a friend got me some Sun Gold cherry tomato seeds so I planted 6 of those too - they'll be starting later than the first batch. Still waiting to see a poblano sprout, but we already know they take forever. (part 1)

Posted by: Pat* at March 11, 2023 01:48 PM (nBCCV)

35 Hiya Dash !

Posted by: JT at March 11, 2023 01:48 PM (T4tVD)

36 I had 2" in my rain gauge this morning. I almost typed "only". We have had about 30 inches of rain this year and we normally get about 14".

I have lost so many old healthy trees. They are just falling over the ground is so saturated and I have a small stream running through my yard.

I'm not complaining, we need the rain. I just don't want it all in one day.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 01:49 PM (6z9vr)

37 A few weeks ago I planted seven dogwoods and three redbuds.

Today's task is to transplant a couple of oaks and plant a couple pear trees.

Hope I am not too late.

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 01:51 PM (YXHzG)

38 I planted tomato and pepper seeds in their little pots a bit over a week ago. Half of the tomatoes showed up this morning, the rest will probably be around in the next day or two. Peppers take longer to sprout for some reason. I bought some cheap 3" pots to sprout in and only planted one per pot because it is a pain getting the plants separated when you go to put them in the ground. Half my dining table is a growing area.

Posted by: huerfano at March 11, 2023 01:53 PM (dTFZY)

39 I think I have these too. Do they have little curly "hairs" on them... where the leaves branch out?
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 11, 2023 01:45 PM (Q4IgG)

I didn't notice any, but that doesn't mean much. They are mostly dark purple, and produce small pods that look like tiny snow pea pods.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 01:53 PM (nC+QA)

40 Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 01:51 PM (YXHzG)

Redbud blossoms are edible, and I believe dogwood are too.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 01:55 PM (nC+QA)

41 That sounds like a huge amount of work to keep that all straight.

I don't really stress about getting the fertile v. barren signs correct, although if anyone were interested there's probably a website that does the work for you

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:55 PM (dCxaZ)

42 A hearty welcome to new gardener Beverly!

I'd loosen the soil with a shovel or spade before any planting.
Look for a local planting guide, and ask neighbors and local gardening friends when they plant different veggies.
Find a good local garden store.
Plant what *you* like to eat.
Your first year, you may not be ready for a full Survival Garden, you'll have to see how the sun and soil and rain interact in your new place. Successful gardening is an infinite series of iterations...
If you have any mobility issues, be gentle with yourself - don't plant more than you can care for, harvest, and process.

If you want to read my article on composting, it appeared in this old Garden Thread:
https://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=391517
We need less mulch because we have lots of compost (the article may say 4 bins, but we're up to 6 bins now!).
(part 2/end)

Posted by: Pat* at March 11, 2023 01:58 PM (nBCCV)

43 Spring blossoms are about a month early this year. Tons of daffodils (my favorites), pear and cherry trees are bundles of color, and forsythia are golden spires in the sunlight. Even the lilac in the back yard is leafing out. It's all just gorgeous. I haven't noticed many wildflowers yet but maybe in a couple of weeks.

It has been a pretty mild winter for snow and ice, although there has been plenty of cold rain. I hope we avoid any late March winter surprises.

Posted by: JTB at March 11, 2023 01:58 PM (7EjX1)

44 Farmers' Almanac dirty little secret is that they use astrology to plot their planting calendar:

https://tinyurl.com/37bakps2

Posted by: kallisto at March 11, 2023 01:59 PM (dCxaZ)

45 We had a severe drought last summer and then about a month ago a very severe ice storm. Our poor live oaks have been hit hard.

The arborist came to check things out this week and we are very lucky. One of our really big trees lost a lot of very large limbs and all of them lost several, but he thinks they'll all survive. (Some will look kind of wonky for a couple of years though.)

We are only losing one "installed" tree that is a casualty of last year's drought. Of all the trees in the yard it's probably the most expendable, so we are really relieved that it wasn't any worse.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at March 11, 2023 02:01 PM (fTtFy)

46
Today's task is to transplant a couple of oaks and plant a couple pear trees.

Hope I am not too late.
Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 01:51

We have tried to move the baby oak trees and they are difficult to transplant. I bet there is a good time to do it and I have no idea when that is.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:04 PM (6z9vr)

47 I moved a baby oak last summer, probably midsummer, to another spot in the yard. It looked like it was doing fine last fall. We'll see if it leafs out in a couple of months. It's only about eight inches high.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 02:06 PM (OX9vb)

48 NW. Nevada here. I think the Great Basin is trying to fill back up. Probably going to be under water within a week or two. The Pinapple Express just keeps dumping more Sierra Cement on top of us and no end in sight. Right now it can't decide between rain or snow but it is falling constantly.

My bulbs are loving it. Going to be a banner year for the spring flowers. My trees, not so much. I think I have lost two. Pushed them back up into the mud and staked them but... We'll see. Last two Plumb trees I have.

The drainage on the property needs to be addressed too. Water isn't going anywhere. I blame myself. I didn't bring the Bobcat from work home like I intended last summer and fix the problem.

Posted by: Reforger at March 11, 2023 02:07 PM (0UG1R)

49 I have great news!

My owl is in her nest with two eggs. They should hatch in about 2-3 weeks. I'm so excited to watch the owlets grow.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:07 PM (6z9vr)

50 CaliGirl, that's so exciting!

I remember back in Sweden, my husband and the neighbor guy put an owl house about 25 feet up on a tree that was on the ridge overlooking the back yard.

One day as I was planting in the garden, I had that uncanny sense of being watched. I looked up and saw an owlet's head in the hole of the owl house. That was so cool!

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at March 11, 2023 02:10 PM (Mzdiz)

51
My owl is in her nest with two eggs. They should hatch in about 2-3 weeks. I'm so excited to watch the owlets grow.
Posted by: CaliGirl

We need an owlcam!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 02:12 PM (bz8Vd)

52 Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 02:06 PM (OX9vb)

I could probably ask someone at the college.
The guy here puts bright orange tape on all the babies so they don't get chopped with a weed eater or tractor. He's moved them into containers and gotten them to grow and then transplants them someplace else away from wires. They do fine in the huge buckets but when he transplants them is when they die. He puts wire baskets to protect the roots from squirrels and gophers.
The willow trees are easy in comparison.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:13 PM (6z9vr)

53 51
My owl is in her nest with two eggs. They should hatch in about 2-3 weeks. I'm so excited to watch the owlets grow.
Posted by: CaliGirl

We need an owlcam!
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023

I don't know if you guys remember but I have two cameras above the nest, I would put them on youtube or wherever but they have sound. The cameras pick up my conversations outside.
I'm not ever going to make the feed public.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:16 PM (6z9vr)

54 So our "early spring" continues here in upstate SC. This week, temps are projected to hover around 30 for a few nights. The clematis (two actually, a purple and a white) are going gangbusters. I transplanted them in late summer and they've got tons of new growth. I think I'll wrap them in a few layers of grow cloth, to be on the safe side. They'd probably be OK, but I don't want to lose any buds.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at March 11, 2023 02:17 PM (Mzdiz)

55 I've lived rural for a decade and have seen an owl once. I am dissapointed.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 11, 2023 02:18 PM (Q4IgG)

56 I'm trying to find some river birch to put along the lake shore near the shallows where the peninsula begins its traverse out.

I can find all kinds of Bald Cyprus saplings to transplant, and may just end up with that.

If I plant some fig trees up near the road, I may have to consider bee keeping with all of my efforts to plant flowering trees

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:21 PM (YXHzG)

57 The cameras pick up my conversations outside.
I'm not ever going to make the feed public.
Posted by: CaliGirl

That's smart and too bad the microphones are so good.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 02:22 PM (bz8Vd)

58 My great horned owls are so cool. They haven't used the nest we built since 2018. The mom visited it last year and I thought she was going to lay her eggs in there but she was in a different tree with no cameras.
GHO do not build their own nests, they use other abandoned nests and try to fix them up. They don't do a very good job. My guys built a huge cone shaped nest out of rebar and wire and put it in a red oak about 30-40 feet with the bucket truck.
She used the same nest 3 years in a row and then nothing for about 5 years.
So, I'm really excited.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:23 PM (6z9vr)

59 My dear Publius has been tractoring this week, and we have a new 120' x 150' garden (that's 0.4 acres). I think we'll probably plant about half of it; even weeding and caring for a 1/4 acre is daunting. Then alternate planting on the other side.

But first he's got to put up the electric fence to keep out the deer. They'll eat everything if we don't. There are at least a dozen hanging around this area.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at March 11, 2023 02:24 PM (Mzdiz)

60 I've lived rural for a decade and have seen an owl once. I am dissapointed.

that is sad. I lived in far north Austin with large subdivisions and had plenty of hoot owls and I spotted three great horned owls.

Out here in the sticks, just a bunch of hawks and only one great horned owl. Did see a golden eagle last fall, but not much in apex predators, mostly herons and egrets.

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:24 PM (YXHzG)

61 I've lived rural for a decade and have seen an owl once. I am dissapointed.
Posted by: Martini Farmer

We hear them often in the morning calling back and forth, and sometimes they land in the tree about 20ft from us.
Neighbor says we have about 5 that land on the roof of one of the sheds. We haven't seen that many at one time.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at March 11, 2023 02:25 PM (bz8Vd)

62 It's daffodil season where we live. Such cheerful flowers!

Posted by: Emmie will be dancing to Flash Cadillac April 1 at March 11, 2023 02:28 PM (Emce2)

63 When we lived in Austin we lived on a hill above a canyon with Barton Creek at the bottom. Owls loved to perch on our chimney at dusk to begin the evening's hunt. They'd sometimes hoot while up there. The chimney flue acted like a megaphone. It was quite shock to be sitting in the living room and hear a deafening "hoo hoo hoo" all of a sudden.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at March 11, 2023 02:32 PM (fTtFy)

64 55 I've lived rural for a decade and have seen an owl once. I am dissapointed.
Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 11, 2023 02:18 PM (Q4IgG)

I saw one once while waiting for a ferry late at night. I was the only car and it was perched on the the light they use to let the cars know they can go down the ramp.

It was one of the big ones with the ear feathers. Stayed there for 10-15 mins. Was a cool experience.

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at March 11, 2023 02:34 PM (Y5qcH)

65 We have tried to move the baby oak trees and they are difficult to transplant.

What makes them difficult to translant. I'm new to having all kinds of land to do things on. The soil is mostly slightly acidic loam, that drains real well except for the lower parts that support the dry water creek and of course the shallow soils in the crook of the peninsula that will get swampy during rain season.

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:35 PM (YXHzG)

66 Just got home from picking up and unloading 18 1 cu ft baga of container soil. I have four container beds to put together and berry bushes from Stark coming in next week. I hate raised beds but I am an old person and am settling for what I can manage.

Recommend Steve Solomon's Gardening When it Counts. He also hates raised beds but there is useful info on which plants are easier to grow, how to make your own organic ferttilizer and more. And I am very happy with my two wheeled wheelbarrow!

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 11, 2023 02:37 PM (6lj/r)

67 Rain, we had almost 11" in 48 hours.
Lots of wind too, 60 mph gusts.
We live at about 350ft elevation so I don't we will flood.

Posted by: gourmand du jour, walking, not gonna bust any dance moves tho' at March 11, 2023 02:37 PM (jTmQV)

68 We got caught in the rain again today and came home soaked. The cacti and succulents around here are bloated.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at March 11, 2023 02:37 PM (EZebt)

69 It was one of the big ones with the ear feathers. Stayed there for 10-15 mins. Was a cool experience.

What is not cool is when swimming in the lake at night and a great horned owl swoops down thinking that the swimmer's head is a duck or something.

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:37 PM (YXHzG)

70 I'd have thought there'd be barn owls about, seeing as how there's more than a few barns. Plenty of hawks though. And quail. Wild turkey too.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at March 11, 2023 02:37 PM (Q4IgG)

71 Obligatory owl video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_gYEgw9lVo

Posted by: sniffybigtoe at March 11, 2023 02:38 PM (Y5qcH)

72 I don't "think" we will flood.
I've been wrong before...there was that one time...

Posted by: gourmand du jour, walking, not gonna bust any dance moves tho' at March 11, 2023 02:38 PM (jTmQV)

73
What makes them difficult to translant. I'm new to having all kinds of land to do things on. The soil is mostly slightly acidic loam, that drains real well except for the lower parts that support the dry water creek and of course the shallow soils in the crook of the peninsula that will get swampy during rain season.
Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:35

I'm not sure if it's the species of oak or our area or operator error. I do know the oaks don't like a lot of water. We have been in a terrible drought, that may have something to do with it as well. I'm not really sure and no one ever gives me a good answer to "why".

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:39 PM (6z9vr)

74 They'd sometimes hoot while up there. The chimney flue acted like a megaphone. It was quite shock to be sitting in the living room and hear a deafening "hoo hoo hoo" all of a sudden.

The hoots are excellent sleep-aids too. Probably not when broadcasting down through the chimney, but the hoots are spaced apart enough that if listening for them, one will be asleep before the third or fourth call.

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:39 PM (YXHzG)

75 Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:39 PM (6z9vr)

I was under the impression that oaks *did* like a lot of water. Live oaks certainly do, but I thought the other varieties did as well.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023 02:40 PM (nC+QA)

76 Beverly,

I pour a big bag of vermiculite and another bag of pearlite into my raised bed every year.

Mix it in really well. I only do vegetables.. mostly tomatoes.. And they love a nice airy soil.

If the soil is looking like it is depleted, I will also throw in a few bags of Miracle Gro potting soil.. it has a lot of peat in it and some nutrients as well.

Didn't do much good last year, though. We had a heat spell and the tomatoes hardly produced at all.

Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at March 11, 2023 02:42 PM (w/RvR)

77 Polliwog, we used to run liveoak acons through the shredded for the compost pile. Elephant manure, cotton gin trash, grass clippings, and leaves. Made beautiful compost.

Posted by: Eromero at March 11, 2023 02:46 PM (z3WCn)

78 We had an owl show up at the old place in 2019. He was on the shed out back. We all went out to stare at him. He did come back once more, a couple of weeks later.

I am getting a game camera to put up by the bird feeders. So many different birds here and I can't make them out, since I usually don't have my glasses on. I do have a pair of cardinals. And there are some birds checking out last year's nests.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 11, 2023 02:46 PM (6lj/r)

79
I was under the impression that oaks *did* like a lot of water. Live oaks certainly do, but I thought the other varieties did as well.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 11, 2023

These oaks will die if they get too much water in summer I think. Coast live oak and Valley oaks.
I have friends that build their house next to really old oak trees and the irrigation kills them.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 02:47 PM (6z9vr)

80 Notsothoreau, what do you dislike about raised beds?

I would love to have raised beds, but the materials to make them are expensive, so I just go ahead and plant my stuff in the ground. I do also have several grow-bag type containers, and they are ok, if not attractive.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 02:49 PM (OX9vb)

81 After the trouble I had digging up the sweet potatoes last year, I'd like to make a special sweet potato container. It would be pretty big, and have a screen at the bottom inside and a sliding door at the bottom outside.

When potatoes are ready to harvest, I could slide off the solid door, and shake the soil through the screen into containers, and then only the potatoes would be left in the planting container.

It seems brilliant to me, but I'm not handy, and don't know how to make such a thing.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 02:52 PM (OX9vb)

82 CCaliGirl@ 79, are you talking about water irrigation ot liquid from an aerobic septic system

Posted by: Eromero at March 11, 2023 02:57 PM (z3WCn)

83 We had an owl show up at the old place in 2019. He was on the shed out back. We all went out to stare at him. He did come back once more, a couple of weeks later.

You sort of have to create a Cycle Of Life to get the apex predators there.

A number of months after we got in the habit of tossing out left-over food and trimmings in the back yard to attract the local game to feast (mostly possum, skunk and racoon) it invariably attracted rodents, which is a staple of the great horned owl diet.

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:57 PM (YXHzG)

84 CCaliGirl@ 79, are you talking about water irrigation ot liquid from an aerobic septic system

I was told that some trees really shouldn't be anywhere near the latter.

Posted by: Reuben Hick at March 11, 2023 02:58 PM (YXHzG)

85 Here in Rockford, we lost a big piece of a nice prairie remnant called Bell Bowl Prairie. I've been out there a dozen times over the decades, doing closeup photos of bugs and plants, and trying to identify everything. Our airport finally won the fight to bulldoze thru the middle of it.

We have a great airport, a major economic driver of our city, and I'm not too angry at them; it's their property after all. That said, it's disheartening to see these rare remnants being destroyed. I've worked many hundreds of hours clearing brush, doing controlled burns, and other restoration work on remnants like these. Sooner or later, they all eventually get abused, encroached, or overgrown. The futility of it gets me down.

Posted by: gp at March 11, 2023 03:02 PM (MvF+J)

86 Daffodils and tulips just starting to poke through, but today it is snowing in Des Moines. Huge flakes providing a soft white blanket.

Posted by: Marbucks at March 11, 2023 03:02 PM (IENcU)

87 82 CCaliGirl@ 79, are you talking about water irrigation ot liquid from an aerobic septic system
Posted by: Eromero at March 11, 2023 02:57 PM (z3WCn)

I'm talking about landscape irrigation. The septic tanks I never really thought about and no one has mentioned those.
The oak trees are beautiful and of course we have rules about cutting the oaks down.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 11, 2023 03:02 PM (6z9vr)

88 Last Sunday I planted three varieties of cherry tomatoes. Had saved some seeds from the heirlooms I bought last year, and also had leftovers from those packets. Kept the old ones and the saved ones separate to see which would sprout more quickly, but it seems to be random; both are coming up. I was glad to see that I could actually dry and save seeds, and they would work!

I already have a dozen or so, and they keep popping up. A warming mat sure speeds things along.

Posted by: skywch at March 11, 2023 03:07 PM (uqhmb)

89 Looks like the Pet Thread's been kidnapped !

Or dog napped !

Or cat napped !

Posted by: JT at March 11, 2023 03:11 PM (T4tVD)

90 I demulched my apple seedlings today, looks like all but one survived the winter, and I have some cherry pits sprouting from the compost I used last summer.
Win win!

I get to repot them this spring out of the tiny pots I sprouted them in.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 11, 2023 03:14 PM (xhaym)

91 An adventure!

Posted by: KT at March 11, 2023 03:16 PM (rrtZS)

92 What you just said. All that money spent on containers when you could be buying stuff to improve the soil. But the backyard here is not all that big. I'd have to fence the dog out and make up my planting area. I plan to put in a watering system, so I can have it on a timer. I am trying to plan for five or ten years down the road when I may not be able to physically deal with much.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 11, 2023 03:21 PM (6lj/r)

93 And raised beds use more resources. If you widely space plants, they can get by with less water. You can rotate crops easier since the beds can be remade.

Posted by: Notsothoreau at March 11, 2023 03:27 PM (6lj/r)

94 Good points, Notsothoreau. As water goes, I'm sure the raised beds dry out faster than than the whole ground, also.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 03:34 PM (OX9vb)

95
My brother decided to do a big project with container beds. 3 of them, 4'x12' each. We're putting arches with panels from bed to bed. He used pine and got a truckload of good soil. I bought 2000 red wigglers. You haven't lived until you've weighed up worms on a kitchen scale.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at March 11, 2023 03:46 PM (Mzdiz)

96 When potatoes are ready to harvest, I could slide off the solid door, and shake the soil through the screen into containers, and then only the potatoes would be left in the planting container.

It seems brilliant to me, but I'm not handy, and don't know how to make such a thing.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 02:52 PM (OX9vb)

It would work, but only at absolute zero and in a vacuum. And if the chickens were round.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist - tries an old physics joke at March 11, 2023 03:50 PM (Mzdiz)

97 You haven't lived until you've weighed up worms on a kitchen scale.
Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at March 11, 2023 03:46 PM (Mzdiz)

Ha! Indeed. Fortunately, my yard and garden space is rich with earthworms, so I won't have to experience that.

Posted by: Dash my lace wigs! at March 11, 2023 03:51 PM (OX9vb)

98 Way too late, but there are oaks for almost any situation. Oaks that like wet areas (all Midwest, understand) are water oaks, swamp white oaks and overcup oaks. Those that like dry, and won't abide irrigation are chinkapin, post, white.
The only oak that can survive intense prairie fires is the bur oak.
I don't know the live oaks, so someone else chime in. I believe they can handle water, cause I see so many at plantation farms

Posted by: MkY at March 11, 2023 06:36 PM (cPGH3)

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