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Post by brownrexx on Apr 3, 2018 8:09:10 GMT -5
I collected 12 small samples from each of my 2 gardens to mix together and make composite soil samples to send out for testing. They are sitting in buckets in the garage drying before I take a final sample from each of them and mail them to Penn State's Ag Lab.
My gardens are roto tilled in the Fall and then completely covered with a thick layer of straw mulch. When I pulled the mulch aside to take my samples it looked dark, moist, fluffy and beautiful and full of worms. A couple of areas didn't have mulch because it had blown off and they looked so dry and hard. What a difference.
I always look forward to seeing my soil test results. I don't need to add much of anything to my soil, it's just fun to see the results.
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Post by bestofour on Apr 3, 2018 18:46:51 GMT -5
Got the straw bales for the squash.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Apr 4, 2018 8:48:33 GMT -5
Well, I did half my paper route this morning at the normal time and I got stuck at least a dozen times in snowdrifts. In the middle of the streets. So I messaged my route manager that I would finish later after the plows have had a chance to go out. I am now at that time. Usually, the chunk I have left takes me less than 30 minutes. We'll see how I do...
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Post by september on Apr 4, 2018 9:23:11 GMT -5
Sorry to hear you are having to struggle through the snow. According to the Twin Cities TV news stations last night there were tons of accidents all over the highways, you'd think by now people would know to slow down and drive according to the conditions! Good choice for you to wait and finish your route later - stay safe!
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 4, 2018 9:24:42 GMT -5
That doesn't sound like any fun at all, ladymarmalade! I hope the snow plows got the roads cleared so you can finish your route safely.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Apr 4, 2018 10:30:09 GMT -5
Sorry to hear you are having to struggle through the snow. According to the Twin Cities TV news stations last night there were tons of accidents all over the highways, you'd think by now people would know to slow down and drive according to the conditions! Good choice for you to wait and finish your route later - stay safe! Shawano County, which is about 30 miles north of me, had 48 crash situations in just three hours yesterday. Yes, you'd think people would know how to drive in winter conditions by APRIL.
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Post by ladymarmalade on Apr 4, 2018 10:32:58 GMT -5
That doesn't sound like any fun at all, ladymarmalade! I hope the snow plows got the roads cleared so you can finish your route safely. I soooo made the right choice! The roads were still slippery, and it took me 50 minutes to do 25/30 minutes worth of route, but I was not driving into drifts. On top of that, it only looked like two of my customers had actually attempted to approach their paper boxes. Most of them had untouched driveways yet, so it's not even like they were missing their morning papers. The sun is out full bore now, so hopefully that will do some work melting and clearing the rest of the slippery residue off the roads.
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Post by ahntjudy on Apr 5, 2018 0:32:50 GMT -5
Finally got some seeds planted today...tomatoes, eggplant, purple gomphrena, bunny tails and some romaine... Need some more seed starting mix to continue...
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Post by mgulfcoastguy on Apr 5, 2018 6:32:50 GMT -5
A good start Judy. I like the idea of eggplants but nobody else ears them.
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Post by ahntjudy on Apr 5, 2018 6:58:00 GMT -5
I grow Ichiban Eggplant...Like them much better than Black Beauty or varieties such as that.. The Ichiban are nice and 'sweet', slender and if picked timely, not seedy at all...
Using seeds from last year's purchase...Hoping for good germination... Planning on making and freezing a lot of caponata if I get decent harvests...
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 5, 2018 7:02:40 GMT -5
making and freezing a lot of caponata
I never froze any but I LOVE caponata. I make grilled eggplant caponata where I grill all of the veggies before chopping and mixing them together. I make it during the summer when I have fresh tomatoes and herbs to add.
Here is a pic of my prep for caponata last summer. We like plain grilled eggplant too.
DSC02011 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
Here is the finished product. I just love this stuff!
DSC02012 by Brownrexx, on Flickr
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Post by ahntjudy on Apr 6, 2018 7:46:02 GMT -5
Just checked on the seeds on the heat mats...
A whole bunch of the purple gomphrena are up already after only 2 days...Yippee!!
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Post by bestofour on Apr 6, 2018 20:13:35 GMT -5
ahntjudy,had to look that up. It's beautiful. Ran a few errands, walked around the back 40 and found out that the blue birds have nested. Yippee.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 12, 2018 8:33:14 GMT -5
Stopped at a local greenhouse yesterday and they had their cold weather crops sitting outside, already hardened off. 4-packs were $1.09 each and I got two 3 packs where one plant was missing for $.82 each.
How can you beat that price? That is why I don't grow my own plants of certain things.
I got cauliflower, green cabbage and red cabbage and I will probably get them in the ground later today.
I also started hardening off my bok choy plants and head lettuce seedlings that I grew and hope to plant them this weekend.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 12, 2018 9:04:01 GMT -5
Wow, I wish I could find seedlings at that price here! There are very few of the multi-packs of small seedlings for sale here. Most of the seedlings are in larger peat pots for $3.78 each.
Which is a good reason to start my own seedlings.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 12, 2018 9:32:07 GMT -5
Most of the seedlings are in larger peat pots for $3.78 each. The same greenhouse had tomato plants but they were $2.49 per pot. People just will not pay that much for anything other than tomatoes or peppers However there is another greenhouse that sells tomatoes and peppers in the 4-packs for about $1.09 and they sell individual plants for about $.75 each. I am planning on stopping there today to see if they have any unusual tomatoes that I didn't grow myself. I always buy my bell pepper seedlings there.
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Post by bestofour on Apr 12, 2018 13:41:34 GMT -5
Went to the library then to Southern States to buy sunflower seeds and ended up also buying a chocolate mint. I might try it in tea. Added soil to a few outside pots. Our carpenter came, well more than a carpenter, but he fixed the bathroom light and is painting one of our exterior doors I blue. If I like it the other 2 doors will end up the same color.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 13, 2018 8:40:25 GMT -5
Took the last of the veggies and sauces out of my small chest freezer in the basement and re-located them to the kitchen refrigerator's freezer. Shut down the basement freezer, defrosted and wiped it out. It will stay turned off until new veggies get frozen.
I stopped by the greenhouse and bought 2 tomato plants that I have never grown before. They had an interesting selection of varieties and I had space for a couple more plants so I bought a Box Car Willie and a Mortgage Lifter so that I would have something new to look forward to. My other new plants are cherry tomatoes and I grew them myself (Fox Cherry and Black Cherry)
Put my Bok Choy, head and romaine lettuce on the porch yesterday and left them outside last night. It was their first night outdoors and I ran right to the porch to check on them when I got up. Yea, they still look good and I will probably plant them in the garden later today.
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Post by spike on Apr 13, 2018 12:41:38 GMT -5
Enjoying the sun with my pups and surprise flowers!
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shelleybean
Junior Member
Posts: 20
Joined: December 2017
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Post by shelleybean on Apr 14, 2018 12:55:38 GMT -5
What a great spring day! Started off at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens for my son's regatta. Last week's regatta they were calling for snow! Azaleas and dogwoods blooming, a few late daffodils and lots of tulips. Good food, good people. That was great. Now about to leave for the annual oyster roast my sister's neighborhood holds. Ticket sales pay for fireworks on the Fourth of July, shot off from a barge in the Chesapeake Bay.
I also got some gardening done today. Planted some herbs and some annuals in a few of my flower pots. I'll start on the veggies in a few days.
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Post by paulf on Apr 14, 2018 13:41:27 GMT -5
Read a couple of books while there was a constant drizzle of rain outside before the snow starts later in the day. Cooked a brunch of bacon eggs and toast and right now going to have a slice of chocolate bundt cake covered in melted dark chocolate chip frosting...or do you call it icing? Question of the day?
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 14, 2018 13:50:05 GMT -5
Read a couple of books while there was a constant drizzle of rain outside before the snow starts later in the day. Cooked a brunch of bacon eggs and toast and right now going to have a slice of chocolate bundt cake covered in melted dark chocolate chip frosting...or do you call it icing? Question of the day? To a diabetic like me we call it a no-no ... but I digress, to the wife and I... it's frosting Done some transplanting of some tomatoes that were ready...
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Post by bestofour on Apr 14, 2018 15:35:21 GMT -5
Went to a tractor show and worked outside. Saw first hummingbird of the year. Also saw a pileated woodpecker. 3 rd one I’ve ever seen in the wild.
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Post by carolyn on Apr 14, 2018 20:07:43 GMT -5
worked in the greenhouse transplanting peppers and tomatoes. picked up and burned debris in around and from the garden/fruit trees, and high tunnel. took a few cuttings, transplanted a few rooted cuttings from pinching back some of the verbena and petunias.
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Post by brownrexx on Apr 15, 2018 9:32:46 GMT -5
Worked outside all day yesterday while it was warm and before the cold came back this morning. I did lots of raking and cleaning and non garden work.
I saw that my first asparagus spears were up!
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Post by carolyn on Apr 15, 2018 19:46:38 GMT -5
whoo hoo! asparagus. I haven't seen any yet.
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Post by Gianna on Apr 15, 2018 20:54:31 GMT -5
I remixed more old potting mix and other odds and ends with new screened compost. Filled 4 15 gallon pots with it. Not sure if I'll plant ginger or some bush green beans in them. The plan is to have a long row of 15 gallon pots in front and plant all sorts of things in them. veggies, flowers, yacon...
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Post by september on Apr 17, 2018 7:46:45 GMT -5
( paulf , daylilydude , Frosting if it's more than 1/8th inch thick, icing if it's just a thin coating.) Yesterday I transplanted the first of the dwarf tomato project seedlings into individual cells, they were really crowded because of the number of seeds. Five individual cells became a whole flat worth. The other tomato and pepper seedlings also need transplanting, but trying to hold off to avoid the extra trays to carry in and out to the greenhouse. I have two kinds of broccoli up, along with wave petunias, brachycombe daisy, nemophila and antigua yellow marigold. So far 7 trays to carry in and out. Sure hope our nights start to warm up, but with so much snow cover it won't be soon.
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Post by daylilydude on Apr 18, 2018 4:19:10 GMT -5
september, I'm gonna ask a stupid question now... why do/are you having to carry the trays in and out of the greenhouse?
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Post by september on Apr 18, 2018 9:15:21 GMT -5
september , I'm gonna ask a stupid question now... why do/are you having to carry the trays in and out of the greenhouse? daylilydude , Because I can't heat the greenhouse adequately when our night temperature falls below 25F at night -- which it has been all month so far. The seedlings grow much stouter and greener in natural sunlight, so I do the work of carrying them outside during the day instead of keeping them under lights. Sometime this week I will put up my bubble wrap insulation sheets on the inner wall of my greenhouse, I use that, along with reflective space blankets on clothespins to close off half of my greenhouse at night so the heater can keep them above 40F at night in there. I may have some pictures of that, but I will post them on my gardening thread when I find them.
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