Garden Geeks thread

[walrus]

We got a ton of rain today, several inches. Can't go into garden without sinking. Needed it but I had outdoor stuff to do and it didn't happen

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Same here. Soaking! cleared for the afternoon and now another deluge.

[jen]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Or you can use the patch product and supplement it with some seed to improve the mix of grasses. I used this successfully a couple of years ago when I lost some big patches due to disease.

I had a lot of winter kill this year and my lawn folks said to wait at least a month before I attempt to reseed, because the pre-emergent weed control stuff they use tends to prevent anything, even "good" seed from germinating, so you might want to keep that in mind if it applies to you. Since that put me into mid-June, I'm just going to wait until the fall.

They do all right, but you might not like the grass that sprouts from them. If your lawn was established using regular sod, then you likely have some variety of Kentucky bluegrass. These patching products use a mix of annual rye (fastest growing/sprouting), perennial rye (fast growing/sprouting), fescue (shade grass that takes a couple to three weeks to sprout) and Kentucky bluegrass (slowest sprouting, usually around three weeks), with Kentucky blue being the lowest percentage of seed present in the mix other than various weeds. So if you're not particular about the type of seed that grows, then it's a fine product. You could do something similar in making your own patch using some loose topsoil, some mulching material like dead grass clippings, and then toss down the seed of your choice. The patching products usually have some seed starting fertilizer in them to help get the growth started quicker, so you might consider a seed starting fertilizer if you do your own.

Thanks for the tips. I may get some of the easy stuff and mix with bluegrass. But - I have a lawn service as well for weeds/fertilizer, so should probably wait until fall. Plus, I was looking for a good reason to procrastinate some more on this.

[jen]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

I added bark in my yard yesterday for the first time (although I've helped many a family member with mulch) and I got the exact right amount. Feeling like a superstar. Take that, tiny maple trees.

Also, I found it works very well to put Tupperware containers over small plants as you dump the bark. Much easier than trying to work around them or digging them out of bark. I only had to dig out 3 or 4 plants before I discovered this.

[CLS]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Well, no giant pumpkin for me this year. Just for the heck of it, I planted an Atlantic Giant and yesterday the leaves were pretty much stripped. I suspect a groundhog I've seen around, or maybe several rabbits, because I don't know of anything else that can do that much damage that quickly. Some blossoms bravely opened up this morning and I'll give it a shot of fertilizer, but I don't think there are enough leaves left to support the plant, and if the critters do that much damage to leaves, what will they do with a fruit?

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Well, no giant pumpkin for me this year. Just for the heck of it, I planted an Atlantic Giant and yesterday the leaves were pretty much stripped. I suspect a groundhog I've seen around, or maybe several rabbits, because I don't know of anything else that can do that much damage that quickly. Some blossoms bravely opened up this morning and I'll give it a shot of fertilizer, but I don't think there are enough leaves left to support the plant, and if the critters do that much damage to leaves, what will they do with a fruit?

Ours learned how to scale the fence. Lil les caused the demise of one- I will not get into details- and now spends time with the upstairs window open, BB gun hanging out like some western, taking potshots at the ba5tards. THey are very, very tenacious.

[FreshFish]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

The great annual bean harvest has begun!!

Twice a week now, until September, we'll be picking beans. Already have two harvests in house, and that's just from one row! Planting the rows several weeks apart helps spread out the harvest longer, and the second row has tiny beans already forming and the third row should start to flower soon.


It's been a good year so far, at least $100 worth of produce between strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peas, radishes, lettuce, spinach. Too hot right now for the latter two, will try some more in the early fall.

The conventional cucumbers have all succumbed to a blight but the English cucumbers (the long narrow kind) are thriving; there are plenty of tomatillos dangling, lots of green tomatoes.

[Bob Gray]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Gearing up to amend my soil over the next month or so and then get ready to start the fall plantings in September. We're going to try a local type of garlic, as the garlic we got at Sprouts and planted came up last year but wasn't very large in most cases. Hopefully the Sonoran garlic will do better. Lots of lemons, tangerines, oranges, and limes ripening on the trees. Our apple tree gave us a good harvest (for its size) in June, but the tree hasn't grown much in the 3+ years it's been in place.

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

grocery bag 3/4 full, bulging, of wax and nickel beans. That after a different ba1/2, not so stuffed about 3 days before. We plant one time and are inundated with beans until frost. THis is all out of raised beds that in total have maybe 20 ft of beds that are 2.5 feet wide. THese things crank.

ANd lil les is amusing himself every day by sitting in the upstairs window BB gun at the ready and 'skulling' the groundhogs as they emerge from under the shed. His version of video games

[bigmrg74]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

grocery bag 3/4 full, bulging, of wax and nickel beans. That after a different ba1/2, not so stuffed about 3 days before. We plant one time and are inundated with beans until frost. THis is all out of raised beds that in total have maybe 20 ft of beds that are 2.5 feet wide. THese things crank.

ANd lil les is amusing himself every day by sitting in the upstairs window BB gun at the ready and 'skulling' the groundhogs as they emerge from under the shed. His version of video games

Remember, Shoot! Shovel! and Shut up.

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Remember, Shoot! Shovel! and Shut up.

He is nodding his head.

[Bob Gray]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Picked up three roof rat traps to deploy around our property, as we've become aware they have moved into our neighborhood and we even saw one high up in a eucalyptus tree the other night at dusk. Hopefully we can control them so they don't get our fruit.

[CLS]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Saw a little orange on a habanero, some discoloration on the thai chile peppers, and have already picked a few tomatillos. "Reaping" the benefits of being more conscientious about fertilizing. Many more fruits on the habaneros, and my one sweet basil is a small tree. Already eaten a huge batch of bruschetta and trying to figure out other uses for basil.

[Transplanted Tiger Fan]

Saw a little orange on a habanero, some discoloration on the thai chile peppers, and have already picked a few tomatillos. "Reaping" the benefits of being more conscientious about fertilizing. Many more fruits on the habaneros, and my one sweet basil is a small tree. Already eaten a huge batch of bruschetta and trying to figure out other uses for basil.

Just-about in the exact same situation... got a late start this year, too. I planted Habeneros for the first time this year, after much success with Jalapeños. Now I'm looking for ways to use those spicy little buggers!

As for uses for Basil... pesto, pesto, and more pesto! :0) Freezes well. I've also made a few tomato & basil pizzas... just garlic-oil, parmesan, tomato slices, basil, and lotsa cheese(s). Even made 'em on the grill when it was too hot to run the oven.

Enjoy, and Cheers!!!
~TTF

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Still waiting for tomatoes. My Summer squash is NOT producing. Lots of flowers but not the ones that bear fruit. More green bean than we know what to do with. a few cukes. THe only thing that is constant is the ability to harvest more GB than it seems possible to grow