What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[turbo]

Never heard about it.

I have been unable to find any mention of that, Borek. However, if you Google Psoralens, you'll find that parsnips, celery, fennel, and other foods contain them.

 

[baywax]

I have been unable to find any mention of that, Borek. However, if you Google Psoralens, you'll find that parsnips, celery, fennel, and other foods contain them.

I should have known better than to repeat the myths my older brother used to tell me! I can't find any mention of arsenic in parsnip either... but as turbo says, Psoralens are present in them...

Here's a great history about parsnips from the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (Illinois)

http://www.Newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/400-499/nb413.htm

Toward the end of the paper it is mentioned how wild parsnip looks similar to wild hemlock (deadly) and kills the livestock that mistake it for parsnip...

The Water Hemlock or Musquash Root also grows in wet places. Its
roots, which smell like parsnips, and its seeds, contain a deadly poison
and many cattle are killed by eating its young shoots in spring. The
poison Hemlock, closely related, is supposed to have furnished the "cup
of death" given to Socrates.

Parsnips can also be used to make wine or, as in Europe, delicious soup.

 

[Evo]

I got a picture of the NotaGoshawk!

From a distance, from the back, with his head blocked by a branch...

 

[turbo]

I got a picture of the NotaGoshawk!

From a distance, from the back, with his head blocked by a branch...

Sure looks like a Goshawk. Harriers have long slim tails, too, barred with white tips. BUT, harriers have a prominent white patch at the base of the tail, which this critter doesn't seem to have.

 

[Evo]

Wow, what a snow storm! My dog, the Fruit bat, walked off the porch and sank headfirst into the snow when he no longer had any patio under him. Poor thing. He can't even leave the patio now, the snow is over his head. Lovely, I have yellow snow on the corner of my patio.

Birds have been crashing into my windows all day, I thought they were flying *into* the windows, but I happened to be looking out the window when one was flying by and a sudden gust of wind slammed him sideways into the window. That makes more sense.

Aha, I hear them digging out my front door, I had a three foot pile of snow in front of it when I tried to open it earlier.

 

[lisab]

Sure looks like a Goshawk. Harriers have long slim tails, too, barred with white tips. BUT, harriers have a prominent white patch at the base of the tail, which this critter doesn't seem to have.

Here's a Northern Goshawk:

That pic is from an http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/IFWIS/ibt/site.aspx?id=N16". It does look like a Goshawk.

 

[Evo]

Here's a Northern Goshawk:

That pic is from an http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/IFWIS/ibt/site.aspx?id=N16". It does look like a Goshawk.

Nope, looks nothing like my bird. Mine is solid charcoal gray on the back and solid white from above his eyes down to his toes in the front, with a grey mohawk. Looks nothing like a goshawk. There are zero stripes or markings on my bird. It's NotaGoshawk. Also, the northern Goshawk has an elongated beak, my bird has a beak almost flush with it's face.

See here for it's long face/beak, mine bird has a very flat face. http://www.zazzle.com/goshawk_card-137942816305526347

 

[Kurdt]

Osprey?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Osprey_mg_9605.jpg

 

[Astronuc]

I got a picture of the NotaGoshawk!

From a distance, from the back, with his head blocked by a branch...

The tail is long and grey with black or dark bands. The posterior view looks like it is a Goshawk.

 

[Evo]

shape of the head is wrong for a goshawk. I'm thinking it's a mutant red tail, because when it's flying overhead, there are rust colored feathers on the underside of the tail. It just really doesn't fit in with any hawk descripttion I've seen. I have plenty of other hawks that are normal, this one is really unusual from the front.

 

[Borek]

No reasonably large water body close to Evo's place.

 

[Astronuc]

shape of the head is wrong for a goshawk. I'm thinking it's a mutant red tail, because when it's flying overhead, there are rust colored feathers on the underside of the tail. It just really doesn't fit in with any hawk descripttion I've seen. I have plenty of other hawks that are normal, this one is really unusual from the front.

It could be a variant.

There are some hawks that cross-breed, but I don't know how common. I think redtails cross-breed with one or two other species.

As for the beak, if it was looking downward toward the ground, it might appear the beak is flush with the face. Hawks have protruding beaks, but owls have short beaks close to the face, and that is definitely not an owl.

I doubt that is a harrier. We have harriers in our area, and they nest primarily along the major river, and perhaps near certain lakes and streams - basically where there are plenty of fish.

 

[dlgoff]

Looks a lot like a Harris Hawk to me but what's it doing in this part of the country. They usually stay in the far south or Mexico.
http://folk.uib.no/oodre/Gallerier/Blog/Harris%20Hawk.jpg

 

[rewebster]

I got a picture of the NotaGoshawk!

From a distance, from the back, with his head blocked by a branch...

this look like a gravy/sauce boat stuck in the tree

 

[Evo]

OMG, rewebster, you're not dead!

 

[rewebster]

I'm that sauce pan in the tree

 

[Evo]

I'm that sauce pan in the tree

I have to ban you now for being AWOL.

 

[Andre]

Welcome back Rewebster

I entered another crop of this picture of a Harris hawk in the photo contest, several months ago.

 

[rewebster]

I have to ban you now for being AWOL.

AWOL= Apparently Wondering On Life

 

[rewebster]

Welcome back Rewebster

I entered another crop of this picture of a Harris hawk in the photo contest, several months ago.

HEY! ANDRE!----that looks like its been crossed with a macaw with those colors

 

[rewebster]

I have to ban you now for being AWOL.

I read your 'story' in the 'relationships' thread-------


sounds like that guy was a peacock with a set of bad feathers

 

[rewebster]

OMG, rewebster, you're not dead!

After re-reading this and thinking about it, I'm humbled that that was your first thought about my absence

 

[Evo]

I got this shot accidently, I was going to take a picture of my dog falling into 3 foot deep snow, but he stopped for a "break". See the snowflake next to the bat? There are 4 more, but this one is the biggest.

 

[Evo]

Oh come on, that snowflake is cool!

 

[lisab]

Oh come on, that snowflake is cool!

Lol...yes it is!

But to tell you the truth, I was so busy trying to figure out the geometry of the dog, it took a while to see the flake .

 

[Evo]

Lol...yes it is!

But to tell you the truth, I was so busy trying to figure out the geometry of the dog, it took a while to see the flake .

Ahaha, I didn't notice the snowflakes at first either, kurdt noticed.

 

[Borek]

So, what do you grow in your garden?

 

[turbo]

So, what do you grow in your garden?

Pees. Uh, peas.

 

[rewebster]

I tried broccoli this last year. After chopping off the main head, I let the plants still remain and I picked small florets all the way up until the first freeze.

I didn't get around to turning the soil this fall and adding compose, fert., and peat, and that was the first time I hadn't. It will be interesting to see if things do as well this next year.

 

[turbo]

I tried broccoli this last year. After chopping off the main head, I let the plants still remain and I picked small florets all the way up until the first freeze.

I didn't get around to turning the soil this fall and adding compose, fert., and peat, and that was the first time I hadn't. It will be interesting to see if things do as well this next year.

We had two types of broccoli last season. One type had a single large head, and the other type had multiple smaller heads that were not as tightly packed. Overall, we got more usable food out of the type with the multiple heads, plus the stalks were smaller and more tender.

 

[rewebster]

"Overall, we got more usable food out of the type with the multiple heads, plus the stalks were smaller and more tender."

I haven't seen that---did you grow from seed?

 

[turbo]

"Overall, we got more usable food out of the type with the multiple heads, plus the stalks were smaller and more tender."

I haven't seen that---did you grow from seed?

My neighbor started them in his greenhouse. I think the variety might be De Cicco. Once you cut the main head, multiple florets develop on the side branches.

The ones with the larger single heads were started by my sister-in-law.

 

[rewebster]

hey, turbo (or anyone)--

has anyone tried to grow or has grown the kiwi plant vines available for the more mid to northern zones?

 

[turbo]

There are none offered by the big seed companies in Maine, so I doubt that we could grow them without a greenhouse.

 

[Evo]

I've forgotten the name of this bird and he's not in my little bird book. Sorry, he would not stay still and I had to photograph him through a screen.

 

[turbo]

I've forgotten the name of this bird and he's not in my little bird book. Sorry, he would not stay still and I had to photograph him through a screen.

That's a starling in winter trim. He should be in the book - VERY common bird.

 

[Evo]

Thank you! I was thinking it was a starling. The picture of a starling in the book is too tiny make heads or tails out of it. They drop by here rarely.

 

[dlgoff]

Most starlings in this area flock up and head south before winter. Warning: Don't park your car under a tree full of starlings.

 

[turbo]

Most starlings in this area flock up and head south before winter. Warning: Don't park your car under a tree full of starlings.

I was doing some consulting work in KY one fall, and the groves surrounding fields west of Paducah were covered with starlings. There might have been over a million - I have never seen such huge flocks of any birds before. They blackened the skies.

 

[turbo]

This bodes well for my gardens if he sticks around. A beautiful little mink. Minks eat voles, field mice, red squirrels, etc. It will be a real bonus if it's a female looking for a nice place to raise babies. The mink was running around in my back yard, circling the pond, diving into the snow and popping out in unexpected places.

We have fishers here, too, though they tend to concentrate on larger animals like porcupines. Minks are a perfect fit for small rodents.

 

[Ms Music]

hey, turbo (or anyone)--

has anyone tried to grow or has grown the kiwi plant vines available for the more mid to northern zones?

I have a 5 or 6 year old female kolomikta vine that is doing extremely well, but I am not doing well in the male department... If my one surviving male (2nd time ordering ) makes it through the winter, I should have a great crop this year. But it seems the males die on me each winter. I hear they (arctic beauty) are good down to zone 3.

 

[turbo]

I have a 5 or 6 year old female kolomikta vine that is doing extremely well, but I am not doing well in the male department... If my one surviving male (2nd time ordering ) makes it through the winter, I should have a great crop this year. But it seems the males die on me each winter. I hear they (arctic beauty) are good down to zone 3.

I have heard the same thing, but I have a hard time coughing up $35 for one male and one female vine. So many "cold-hardy" vines and trees just don't survive here. We are supposedly Zone 4, but I find that claims of cold-hardiness on the part of commercial nurseries are just hype, and can lead one into some very costly mistakes.

 

[rewebster]

It seemed like the cold weather came/sneaked in earlier (or something) this last year---I missed my fall turning over of the soil (and adding all the 'stuff' in)

 

[lisab]

It seemed like the cold weather came/sneaked in earlier (or something) this last year---I missed my fall turning over of the soil (and adding all the 'stuff' in)

Me too, somehow . Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[rewebster]

if it warms early I'll turn it then, but otherwise, I just won't add as much 'stuff'----I usually add a lot, and if I added all that I normally do in the fall, it may do something to the roots

 

[Evo]

if it warms early I'll turn it then, but otherwise, I just won't add as much 'stuff'----I usually add a lot, and if I added all that I normally do in the fall, it may do something to the roots

I found that adding blood meal helped with breaking down soil additives.

 

[lisab]

If it makes a difference, we've had a very, very mild winter here in Western Washington...typical of an El Nino winter. So, the soil isn't as cold as it usually is.

 

[Andre]

Me too, somehow . Anyone have any suggestions?

Just skip it and don't do it in spring time. The good reasons for doing it in autumn turn into bad reasons not to do it in spring. For instance getting old dormant but vital weed seeds exposed who love germinating in the right time for the season.

Moreover I believe you did your garden last year with a picture series?

 

[turbo]

If it makes a difference, we've had a very, very mild winter here in Western Washington...typical of an El Nino winter. So, the soil isn't as cold as it usually is.

If the soil is still workable and you want to spade in some well-rotted manure or compost, go for it. The reason that fall is such a handy time to incorporate amendments is that much of the garden spot has been cleared of plants, giving better access to the soil. Still, there is micro-biological activity going on in there, although at slower rates than when the soil is warmer.

I am pretty much constrained to fall when adding large amounts of manure, etc, because in the spring-time my lawn and garden are VERY wet, limiting truck and loader access. Apart from that limitation, I would have no hesitation to till in a truckload of rotted manure in the spring, before planting. One caveat - when added rich sources of nitrogen to your garden soil you may get the unintended effect of low yields from your chilies and sweet peppers. With excess nitrogen, pepper plants can get full and leafy, and resist flowering. It seems counter-intuitive, but peppers flower and set on fruit more densely when they are stressed (heat, semi-dry soil, limited available nitrogen).

 

[rewebster]

yeah--tomatoes can grow in a swamp, but peppers seem to like to be treated like a drier weather weed-----

that's one reason I had separated raised beds to keep the tomatoes apart---soak the tomatoes day and night, then give the peppers a 'rinsing'