What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Astronuc]

Yesterday's high was only in the mid 40's and it froze last night, I had ice on my car this morning. We're having a very cold, wet spring.

I'll trade you dry for wet.

Another gripe. I have a little watering can and I wanted to mix up some fertilizer in it. The instructions are to use 1/2 tsp per 2 quarts of water, well my can is 56 ounces, 8 ounces short of two quarts. Would it have killed them to make the can an even 2 quarts?

That's for indoors? We have a two gallon watering can.

On the other hand, I tend to improvise. Instructions are simply recommendations.

 

[turbo]

On the other hand, I tend to improvise. Instructions are simply recommendations.

It's also a good idea to look at the nutrient requirements for the plants you are feeding. For instance, if you give chili peppers too much nitrogen, they will get bushy and leafy, but will not set on blossoms and fruits as they should, nor will they ripen as quickly. Last year, I had a problem. The previous fall, I had tilled in a whole truck-load of peat into my garden, and last year's chili plants started looking pale and yellowish. There was plenty of nitrogen in the soil, but the peat lowered the pH to the point where nutrient availability was low. A good dose of dolomitic lime fixed that, but it was a close call, and I lost perhaps a couple of weeks of early development in my peppers before I realized what the problem was.

 

[turbo]

I'll trade you dry for wet.

We are in desperate need of rain, too. Leaf mulch, duff, and dead undergrowth are all VERY dry and without some vegetative growth to help stifle a fire, even a carelessly-tossed cigarette could spark a real problem. There is still a lot of snow in the mountains and in the north, so the risk of flooding is still very real, but we sure could use a "little" rain to soak stuff, as long as it is not enough to trigger a rapid melt of the snow-pack.

 

[Astronuc]

I have some 15-30-15 for supplement, and composted material with which to amend to soil.

I need to go till.

 

[Astronuc]

We are in desperate need of rain, too. Leaf mulch, duff, and dead undergrowth are all VERY dry and without some vegetative growth to help stifle a fire, even a carelessly-tossed cigarette could spark a real problem. There is still a lot of snow in the mountains and in the north, so the risk of flooding is still very real, but we sure could use a "little" rain to soak stuff, as long as it is not enough to trigger a rapid melt of the snow-pack.

The big fire we just over the other side of the river was started by someone throwing a cigarette where it shouldn't have been thrown.

Kind of amazes me that some folks seem to feel entitled to throw their garbage onto the public, and even private land. I'm often cleaning up cigarette packs and butts, beer bottles, paper cups, and food wrappers from the front yard.

 

[turbo]

I just got in from the garden. My wife and I split and stacked firewood today and were sitting on the back deck listening to the frogs in pond when I looked down in the garden and noticed that the parsnips were starting to sprout through the mulch. When they sprout, it's high time to dig them up because allowing them to develop leafy tops depletes the sugars in the roots. We are going to have some parsnips with onions in foil envelopes on the grill tonight, along with potatoes and onions in foil, and some grilled hot dogs. It's fun to go down to the garden and harvest food in the spring, before you've even planted much. I have planted spinach already, and may put in the Swiss chard tomorrow or Monday. They are very hardy greens and can tolerate the cold nights.

 

[Astronuc]

I just got in from the garden. My wife and I split and stacked firewood today and were sitting on the back deck listening to the frogs in pond when I looked down in the garden and noticed that the parsnips were starting to sprout through the mulch. When they sprout, it's high time to dig them up because allowing them to develop leafy tops depletes the sugars in the roots. We are going to have some parsnips with onions in foil envelopes on the grill tonight, along with potatoes and onions in foil, and some grilled hot dogs. It's fun to go down to the garden and harvest food in the spring, before you've even planted much. I have planted spinach already, and may put in the Swiss chard tomorrow or Monday. They are very hardy greens and can tolerate the cold nights.

When the heck did you plant those parsnips?

I love parsnip! It's great to roast them carrot and potatoes with with roast beef - or mashed with carrot and buttered.

 

[turbo]

When the heck did you plant those parsnips?

I love parsnip! It's great to roast them carrot and potatoes with with roast beef - or mashed with carrot and buttered.

I planted the parsnips last spring. They do not sweeten (convert their starches to sugars) until they have been hit by really heavy late-fall frosts or have over-wintered under mulch like ours did. They are quite tasty and sweet by this time of year, but in a winter with lots of snow like this one, you have a very narrow harvest window, and we have to resort to spreading them out among parsnip-lovers everywhere.

 

[B. Elliott]

Like Astronuc says, growth is upon us in the variety of the plant kingdom.

If you want a really cool fern that will add a succulent variety to your dinners, try to get some Fiddlehead Ferns in the ground before they start sprouting.

They're called fiddlehead because of the shoots of the young fern sprouts come out like the end of a violin. If you can pick some you have an incredible edible delight on your hands.

Just take about 10 fiddleheads, heat a skillet, add butter and fiddleheads, fry until slightly browned and steamed... then eat.

This is an old what you call Native American dish that goes even better with Bannock but it should be fine with fish, bread or as a side dish to whatever.

You'll have to plant a lot of the fern mind you and it needs shade and good watering... possibly a lot of conifers around the garden... specifically Cedars for the acid content.

Thanks baywax. Fiddleheads are just what I was looking for! The only problem I might run into is that the elevation I live at is ~1,800ft and the winters can sometimes get pretty nasty. I was talking to a neighbor today and they said they tried growing a fern, but the last winter killed it.

Kind of amazes me that some folks seem to feel entitled to throw their garbage onto the public, and even private land. I'm often cleaning up cigarette packs and butts, beer bottles, paper cups, and food wrappers from the front yard.

I know exactly what you mean Astronuc. A few years ago when I lived within the city, I called the local news channel to have their 'on your side' reporters do a report on the trash mailings that people would constantly throw in our yard, and everyone else's in our neighborhood. They would end up blowing away in the wind, become soggy the first time it rained, ect. Calls to the company that solicited them weren't be returned so we figured some good old bad publicity would help. The mailings stopped a week later.

We also had to constantly deal with cigarette packs, beer bottles and fast food bags. People would actually have the nerve to throw the stuff out their windows while we were sitting in our front yard! No respect.

 

[turbo]

Thanks baywax. Fiddleheads are just what I was looking for! The only problem I might run into is that the elevation I live at is ~1,800ft and the winters can sometimes get pretty nasty. I was talking to a neighbor today and they said they tried growing a fern, but the last winter killed it.

Please try growing these, if you want ferns. These fiddlehead ferns are Ostrich Ferns, and they grow quite readily in Maine at 45 deg N latitude, and at relatively high elevations, too, as long as there is sufficient ground-water. Ostrich Ferns thrive on the seasonal vaguaries of flood-plains (inundations, covering with silt, etc) and they can withstand some very dry weather once they are established. My wife and I dug some of these, and planted them along the walk-way to our previous house. They were beautiful, and the soil at that place was sandy-acid with great drainage. Go figure!

 

[baywax]

Thanks baywax. Fiddleheads are just what I was looking for! The only problem I might run into is that the elevation I live at is ~1,800ft and the winters can sometimes get pretty nasty. I was talking to a neighbor today and they said they tried growing a fern, but the last winter killed it.

Turbo is right. These are an hearty fern... regardless of how delicate they seem. I think they're a throw over from prehistoric times.

I've got fiddle heads growing at 2000 feet and further up. The snow can get up to 8 yards deep and they'll be fine in the spring. What we call the First Nations have been eating them since the Last Glacial Maximum and that was when the ice was up to 2 kilometer's thick in this region. Go for it dude!

 

[turbo]

For those who would like to have some dill for making salsas, pickles, etc. Listen up! Dill seed is OK. Dill weed is OK (barely). The real deal for dill is the tiny yellow florets, and the best time to harvest and use them is when they are not yet opened up. This is what they look like when they are ready for use in pickles, salsas, etc. You cannot get these in stores, but since dill is a weed, it will grow about anywhere, and you can get plenty for your canning. Grow some dill, but use the florets and compost the weeds and seeds. The tiny yellow blooms are heaven.

 

[B. Elliott]

Please try growing these, if you want ferns. These fiddlehead ferns are Ostrich Ferns, and they grow quite readily in Maine at 45 deg N latitude, and at relatively high elevations, too, as long as there is sufficient ground-water. Ostrich Ferns thrive on the seasonal vaguaries of flood-plains (inundations, covering with silt, etc) and they can withstand some very dry weather once they are established. My wife and I dug some of these, and planted them along the walk-way to our previous house. They were beautiful, and the soil at that place was sandy-acid with great drainage. Go figure!

They definitely sound like a good idea. I've never heard of people eating ferns before, but i'd be willing to try that too... as long it isn't some internet-wide joke just to see i'll eat a fern. There's a pond about 100ft or so out the back door so the ground stays fairly moist. I'm surprised no one's mentioned anything else... there has to be more out there.

 

[turbo]

They definitely sound like a good idea. I've never heard of people eating ferns before, but i'd be willing to try that too... as long it isn't some internet-wide joke just to see i'll eat a fern. There's a pond about 100ft or so out the back door so the ground stays fairly moist. I'm surprised no one's mentioned anything else... there has to be more out there.

The immature curled-up shoots of the ostrich fern are the fiddleheads. Other ferns taste pretty bad, so choose well. My father and I used to head to the flood-plain along the river every evening after he got home from work in the early spring, and pick bags and bags of them. We'd take them home and sit on the front steps shaking off the thin chaff and my mother would rinse them, blanch and freeze them. During the few weeks that fiddleheads were emerging, we would get bushels of them into the freezer. It was free food, and we needed that for the winter. You can order some canned fiddleheads to see if you like them.

http://www.mainegoodies.com/gourmet/fiddleheads.shtml

 

[baywax]

You can order some canned fiddleheads to see if you like them.

Bleschk! I doubt the canned version will be close to the fresh fiddle head!

For your aesthetic garden pleasure another fern, that's inedible, is the deer fern (Blechnum spicant)... it a very beautiful and delicate fern that will grow where moss or lichen has deteriorated the rock or where a tree or stump is decomposing. They don't get big but they are a very pretty like a deer can be and they are prolific.

http://www.floridastateparks.org/hillsboroughriver/images/visitors/HIR-TheFernTree-LorenKrieg.jpg

 

[B. Elliott]

I called all the local nurseries, but no one carries any Ostrich ferns, looks like i'll be ordering a few online. Not surprised though considering I was looking for something a little out of the ordinary. One I came across that really looks cool is a Cyathea cooperi. Found out this while time I've been looking for a freakin' 'tree fern' lol. With this one the really cold winters become an issue again...

http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/925/718080.JPG
http://www.donaleaplantbrokers.com/_borders/FREEBIE Cyathea cooperi.jpg

This site mentions that the following tree ferns hold up somewhat well to cold climates...
http://www.angelfire.com/bc/eucalyptus/treeferns/cooperi.html

Cyathea brownii
Cyathea howeana
Cyathea robusta
Cyathea howeana

Looks like I have quite a bit of studying to do! My lattitude is 35 btw.

 

[hypatia]

My spring flowers are blooming!

 

[Evo]

We're getting a hard freeze tonight. I am in the process of moving all of my plants indoors. Hypatia, I hope the freeze isn't going to reach you, those a re beautiful!

The trees have put out blooms finally and if this is a bad as last year's freeze, everything will be black and dead in a few days.

 

[turbo]

No freeze, here, but we have had rain (heavy at times) all night, and my garden is awash with water. It's supposed to continue all day long with 2-4" expected. I'm really glad this didn't happen a couple of weeks ago - we would have been subject to destructive floods. The warm spells (with cold nights) that we had during those weeks reduced the snow-pack considerably, so we might get out of this with our bridges and dams intact. The dam-operators hate to spill water without using it to run their generators, but this spring the emergency-management people have convinced them to lower the levels of their impoundments in preparation for an event like this. That has ticked off a lot of fishermen who have been unable to use boat launches, but it's sure looking like a good plan today.

 

[Astronuc]

We finally got some needed rain.

Tonight we have a frost warning. Folks with orchards are nervous, because too much of freeze would kill the flowers/buds and ruin the fruit crop this year. Our area lost 50-75% of the fruit/nut crops in recent years due to sudden frosts/freezes after weeks of warmer than usual weather.

We seem to be cycling (more frequently the last few years) between record warm temperatures and record or near record cold temperatures.

 

[rewebster]

added mulch, fertilized, and turned the garden today---

 

[turbo]

We had a hard freeze last night, and the garlic spouts got frosted pretty bad. They'll survive it one way or another. I am concerned about my best apple tree, though. It has fat buds all over, and I hope they didn't get damaged. Another wrinkle is that because of the cold snap, we have no pollinators around. I have seen a grand total of 2 bumblebees in the last week (during the warm weather, not recently) so we are in real need of some seasonable temperatures.

 

[Moonbear]

We got lucky and the frosts predicted the last two nights didn't happen. It got cold, but apparently all this rain we've been having saved us...the report was that the cloud cover actually held the heat in enough to keep us a bit above freezing over night.

I need to figure out a way to make a little shelter outside to start moving my plants out and hardening them. I haven't been this successful with starting my own seedlings since moving here, and my deck doesn't have any sheltered area to put the plants. I think I'm due for a trip to Lowe's.

 

[baywax]

Hypatia... great spring flowers.

I had one of the ones you pictured (bottom pic) come up during the snow/hail storms we had during april and at the time I was raking around it and accidently up-rooted it. I re-planted it right away and today it looks like your's! Hearty little fellers.

 

[turbo]

Now for some good news. The buds on my apple tree haven't wilted, so they're probably OK despite the heavy frost last night. Also, while I've been outside splitting wood I've seen lots of bumblebees. They've been checking out the apple tree a bit, but their real pay-day will be in the early wildflowers until the apple blossoms open. Fingers crossed for no more frost...

 

[baywax]

Now for some good news. The buds on my apple tree haven't wilted, so they're probably OK despite the heavy frost last night. Also, while I've been outside splitting wood I've seen lots of bumblebees. They've been checking out the apple tree a bit, but their real pay-day will be in the early wildflowers until the apple blossoms open. Fingers crossed for no more frost...

Good news about the bees. There's been a shortage during the past year. I've bumped into some bumble bees lately, more than I've seen in a year.

 

[Astronuc]

This place might be useful for folks trying to decide what to plant.

http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/

I have a rhubarb patch at the top of our property, and patches of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.

Check out the recipe for rhubard strudel - http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/?page=rhubarb-recipe

 

[Ms Music]

This place might be useful for folks trying to decide what to plant.

http://www.garden.org/ediblelandscaping/

We have a local nursery that gives a class about edible landscaping. Just the two words "edible landscaping" makes me drool! I intend to have the majority of my plants be edible eventually. That website looks like a great resource. And recipes to boot! Going into my favorites!

 

[turbo]

My wife dug up some rhubarb that was spreading around her mother's compost bin and we re-planted it near our compost bins - actually in the spot where one of the bins was located last summer. I have never seen so many earthworms per shovel-ful of dirt in my life. the rhubarb should do well there.

 

[baywax]

My wife dug up some rhubarb that was spreading around her mother's compost bin and we re-planted it near our compost bins - actually in the spot where one of the bins was located last summer. I have never seen so many earthworms per shovel-ful of dirt in my life. the rhubarb should do well there.

Planting around the compost is a great idea for those plants you want to win awards at the community fair.

The compost is mostly responsible for my 200 pound pumpkin (didn't win at the fair but was a big hit on Halloween!)

Ladies and Gentlemen... start your pumpkins!