Lawn and Garden 2022

[bill_g]

That's not my experience. It continues to spread underground despite individual shoots being cut off above. You have to dig it up carefully, find a root thread, and trace it out removing all you can. Each root bit can potentially turn into another plant. Absolutely pernicious and invasive.

Huh, I have managed to completely eliminate it here by doing this, although every once in a while a plant tries to sneak its way in from seeds blowing in from neighbours (none close by, I manage the pastures on either side of me as well).

Well, being fastidious about finding and pulling up new shoots as I find them seems to be working. Thanks for the tip.

[Azastan]

That's not my experience. It continues to spread underground despite individual shoots being cut off above. You have to dig it up carefully, find a root thread, and trace it out removing all you can. Each root bit can potentially turn into another plant. Absolutely pernicious and invasive.

Huh, I have managed to completely eliminate it here by doing this, although every once in a while a plant tries to sneak its way in from seeds blowing in from neighbours (none close by, I manage the pastures on either side of me as well).

Well, being fastidious about finding and pulling up new shoots as I find them seems to be working. Thanks for the tip.

Hurrah! You do have to be on top of it for it to work, but eventually you can get it all. Still have to worry about seeds blowing in from the neighbours, because at least one neighbour will be a slacker and not keep his/her fields clean .

[Sequoia32]

For those who are searching for the tasty tomato of their childhood: I don’t know where you can find it, but if you do find a tomato, pepper or other veggie you like the flavor of, especially if from a farmer’s market and so most likely was grown and thrives in your area, plant the seeds. If it is not the right season, tomato seeds have to be fermented to store.

If you know someone with tasty tomatoes growing, ask them for a few cuttings and root them in water to grow your own. Overwinter them indoors to plant out in spring.

I can’t get outside to plant yet, I can barely maintain my Aerogardens and Kratky jars, but I have cherry tomatoes and green beans coming, along with lettuce, radishes, bok choy and herbs.

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[AndyinPA]

Impressive!

[Phoenix520]

A véritable jungle!

[bill_g]

That IS amazing.

[Sequoia32]

Better pics. Tomatoes in the Aerogarden

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[Sequoia32]

Green beans

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[Sequoia32]

The 2 Aerogardens, 2 DWCs and various Kratky jars on my dining room table. The complete extent of my garden so far.

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[bill_g]

Does the power company send chocolates with their bill every month? My water company should, but they don't.

[Azastan]

Does the power company send chocolates with their bill every month? My water company should, but they don't.

One of my neighbours is on the local water system. She's had a couple of serious leaks in her pipes, both of which resulted in her receiving notices of (very large) fines and also required her to spend a lot of money having her pipes dug up so that repairs could be effected.

She'd probably appreciate the small gesture of a box of chocolates in return.

[bill_g]

One of my neighbours is on the local water system. She's had a couple of serious leaks in her pipes, both of which resulted in her receiving notices of (very large) fines and also required her to spend a lot of money having her pipes dug up so that repairs could be effected.

She'd probably appreciate the small gesture of a box of chocolates in return.

Ugh. Our city water meter has a leak detector on it - a spinning triangle. It moves with the slightest amount of flow. Even a dripping faucet will set it off. We have terrible plumbing, and I am a terrible plumber. If I had a plumbing company, I'd have to name it "Get It In Three Tries Plumbing". I've learned to check our meter on a regular basis. (sigh)

[Sequoia32]

Does the power company send chocolates with their bill every month? My water company should, but they don't.

They are all LED lights.

The 2 Aerogardens pull 48 watts each according to a post at Aerogarden, so they cost $4.79/mo each for 17 hours at SMUDs summer tiered rates (6am - 11pm). Add in the other lights and I’m probably spending less than $15/mo.

For all of the salad I can eat plus whatever else I manage to grow with my brown thumb: kale, spinach, radishes, bock choy, peppers, green beans, beets, turnips, flowers… Later, I will start some cabbages and move them to 5-gallon Kratkys. I tried a mini cantaloupe but haven’t gotten it to germinate.

[humblescribe]

Sequoia, that is one nifty and impressive set up you have!

Just a word of caution: Collecting seeds from favorite varieties frequently will produce true to form. Generally, if a particular variety is deemed "open pollinated," its seeds will produce true to form generation after generation.

However, there are many hybrid varieties out there, and they will not necessarily produce seed from what you planted. The seed growers selectively cross-pollinate two varieties by removing the anthers from the desired flower that will produce the fruit. Then the co-parent's pollen is deposited onto the stigma of the desired flower, and that seed is harvested, dried, and sold to us gardeners.

Moreover, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts plus cucurbits like squash are for the most part open pollinated. But our pollinator friends love those flowers. Cucurbits in particular are notorious for having crazy offspring from seeds because they are monoecious, that is boy flowers and girl flowers on the same plant. It is certainly possible for a pollinator to gather pollen from a butternut squash and then visit the pistillate flower on your acorn squash, and you won't know! The same is true for muskmelons/cantaloupes. Watermelons too. Onions can be tricky.

Since seed is so cheap, and most seed remains viable for at least five years, I'd just keep my seeds and then reorder when inventory is low!

[Maybenaut]

I’m paying attention to the lawn at Maybelot this year. We haven’t had a lawn since 1993, so I’m a bit out of practice. The previous owners of Maybelot mowed the grass, but didn’t do much else. It’s not particularly healthy; there are lots of weeds and lots of bald spots. I reseeded the lawn today with a mix of seed, soil conditioner and plant food (Scott’s Thick’r Lawn), and I started a watering schedule. These pictures are of the front. We also have a drain field in the back that is in much better condition (just needs mowing).

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[Whatever4]

I’m paying attention to the lawn at Maybelot this year. We haven’t had a lawn since 1993, so I’m a bit out of practice. The previous owners of Maybelot mowed the grass, but didn’t do much else. It’s not particularly healthy; there are lots of weeds and lots of bald spots. I reseeded the lawn today with a mix of seed, soil conditioner and plant food (Scott’s Thick’r Lawn), and I started a watering schedule. These pictures are of the front. We also have a drain field in the back that is in much better condition (just needs mowing).

Is that Crown Vetch at the bottom of the photo? You could do the whole plot with that and have no maintenance. Plus, you could probably hide a couple of bodies there.

[Maybenaut]

Is that Crown Vetch at the bottom of the photo? You could do the whole plot with that and have no maintenance. Plus, you could probably hide a couple of bodies there.

It is crown vetch. We also have it in other parts of the property where we have the bodies buried. We’ve considered letting some of the steeper slopes go where we have vetch, pokeberry, and thistle (among others). But we also have kudzu, which has to go. Eradication of the kudzu is going to take at least five years, but you can’t cut selectively. We’re hoping to avoid herbicides, but we might not be able to.

ETA: I like the little splash of color at the curb. so I kept that. I’ve also got some chickory that I’ve kept because I like the little blue flowers.

[humblescribe]

I find it thoroughly fascinating how more temperate locations in this country can have lots of garden thingys from the vernal equinox through late October. It is neat to see how the cooler spring temperatures and humid summers with occasional rain can have gardens explode until after the dog days. I appreciate the variety from you folks who live in the rest of the country and the fact that you share your accomplishments!

Meanwhile, out West, our "spring" plants start doing their thing in December. Unless we have temperatures in the 50s or lower, all the bulbs like narcissi and croci are spent by the end of February. Cool season vegetables seedlings are planted in October for harvest between January and June, depending on the crop.

Our summers with next to zero humidity and temperatures between 95-108 from mid-June through late August are good for a small selection of food crops: All melons, especially watermelons, love the heat. Table grapes love the heat. Citrus like navel oranges and tangerines need a continuous period of time with high heat to get enough sugars in the fruit for when they ripen in late fall and winter.

Stone fruits do well in these climes with enough water to sustain them over the summer months, and we get enough "chilling" in winter to force dormancy and produce blooms in February and early March.

But I wish they would tone down the heat just a notch. Ninety-two to 102 would be just fine.

[bill_g]

It's garlic harvest time!

Normally I don't harvest until after 4th of July. But this year we had a super wet Spring and some above average temps that hastened their growth. When you see the necks collapse, you know it's time to dig them up. Well, I saw that happen on the giant hard neck white garlic. The soft neck Italian red garlic was still strong. So, I gave them another couple weeks. Kind of a mistake. The soft neck loved the extra time. The giants all split and started to make new growth.

Instead of distinct globes, you can see individual cloves. Total pain in the butt to get clean. The Italian came out very pretty. The giant looks wierd. But, it was a good harvest. Fifteen giant and sixty three Italian. Trimmed, washed, and ready for drying. I thought two of the giants had failed. There were a couple empty spaces in the row. But in the dirt were two big single cloves as round as an onion about two inches in diameter. I'm keeping those for replanting at Halloween. I want to see what produces from these. Could be interesting.

[BeastofBourbon]

I harvested some of my German Red hardneck yesterday, but mine are not nearly as pretty as yours, Bill. How did you get them so perfectly clean? Mine always look pretty scruffy even after "cleaning."

[bill_g]

I harvested some of my German Red hardneck yesterday, but mine are not nearly as pretty as yours, Bill. How did you get them so perfectly clean? Mine always look pretty scruffy even after "cleaning."

Careful peeling.

They get a dunk in a bucket of water to clear the roots. Then the brown outer leaves are peeled off revealing paper white. You want to leave at least two layers of paper over the cloves or they will start growing early as they see light. Peel the leaves down to the roots and tear off. I use really sharp pruners to trim the roots. Then another dunk in the bucket scrubbing the root with my thumb to clear the mud.

Repeat until done. It's factory work. I can do about one a minute, but take breaks every half hour to correct my posture. Definitely a Tylenol moment when you're done.

[bill_g]

Braiding accomplished!

[Foggy]

[bill_g]

Oh sure. Come on now. You guys are totally worthy. I learned how to braid out of necessity. It takes up a lot less space. All the garlic in yesterday's picture is now neatly hanging, much more compact, and easier to work with. And it looks kewl! A couple days in the sun to cook off some water, harden the cloves, and tame the smell a bit. You'll notice Febreze does not come in a Fresh Picked Garlic scent, nobody make a garlic candle, and you can't get garlic air fresheners for your car. Weird.

[MsDaisy]

Oh sure. Come on now. You guys are totally worthy. I learned how to braid out of necessity. It takes up a lot less space. All the garlic in yesterday's picture is now neatly hanging, much more compact, and easier to work with. And it looks kewl! A couple days in the sun to cook off some water, harden the cloves, and tame the smell a bit. You'll notice Febreze does not come in a Fresh Picked Garlic scent, nobody make a garlic candle, and you can't get garlic air fresheners for your car. Weird.

How do you process and store it all?