What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Moonbear]

Thanks, Ouabache!

OMG, you guys - I know why I am fascinated with turbo's photo now. It reminds me of the most powerful object of desire that I have ever known in my life. I first laid eyes on this at the age of three when it came on a television commercial, and I knew that some day, some how, it would be mine:
http://www.nypost.com/entertainment/gift_guide/galleries/kids/photo01.jpg

Maybe some of you know what I am talking about.

:!) It's Inchworm, It's Inchworm! Yeah, my parents had about the same reaction as Turbo when I'd want to play with the inchworms and insist they were cute too.

 

[Math Is Hard]

I was too big to have one. But you can never be too big for Teddy Ruxpin!

We should make kids toys for adults.

I totally agree. And it could be a very practical idea. I have this vision of the future where gas prices are so high that people give up cars and ride hippity-hops to work.

 

[Moonbear]

We should make kids toys for adults.

That would be a great theme for a gym! I'd LOVE to go work out if I got to ride around on an inchworm or hop along on a hippity hopper (is that what they were called? The big rubber balls with handles to bounce on?), or bounce around on a pogo stick, or race people on bigwheels!

 

[Math Is Hard]

:!) It's Inchworm, It's Inchworm!

Yes! Those were happy days.

edit: oh, cool! Did we both think of hippity hops at the same time?

 

[turbo]

That would be a great theme for a gym! I'd LOVE to go work out if I got to ride around on an inchworm or hop along on a hippity hopper (is that what they were called? The big rubber balls with handles to bounce on?), or bounce around on a pogo stick, or race people on bigwheels!

Could we go outdoors and play pickup baseball or softball? I used to love sprinting from base to base, running hard to make a clean catch, etc. I don't see a lot of that kind of play off-season, here. Kids are not getting the exercise that they require, anymore.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Could we go outdoors and play pickup baseball or softball? I used to love sprinting from base to base, running hard to make a clean catch, etc. I don't see a lot of that kind of play off-season, here. Kids are not getting the exercise that they require, anymore.

I remember that not too long ago, someone started an exercise program for adults called "Recess". It was just playing on the jungle gym and monkey bars, and games like dodgeball and hopscotch. Clever idea.

 

[Moonbear]

edit: oh, cool! Did we both think of hippity hops at the same time?

Yep!

I remember that not too long ago, someone started an exercise program for adults called "Recess". It was just playing on the jungle gym and monkey bars, and games like dodgeball and hopscotch. Clever idea.

I wish they'd do something like that here! There's this little fitness area along one of the walking trails in a park here that has monkey bars, but they're still just a little short for adults. If my feet still can touch the ground, there's no way they'll work for anyone else. I can't do monkey bars with my legs bent, because I need to use my legs to get a good swing going. They are a bit taller than ones for kids, just not enough (they probably had to keep them low enough that if a kid tried using them, they wouldn't get hurt if they fell).

 

[Ms Music]

We should make kids toys for adults.

You mean boats, sea doos, ATVs, sports cars, motorcycles... those aren't enough? But I WOULD get a hippity hop...



Hey, if that worm was as big as your middle finger, how big would the moth be? I have never seen one of them (knock on wood) in my garden (or anywhere), but one time I did find a moth that was 3 or 4 inches across sitting on my door knob. I let my daughter put it in a jar and take it to preschool. I have never seen another moth like that before, or since. Except DEAD at the science exhibits.

(ps, I thought he was cute too...)

 

[turbo]

(ps, I thought he was cute too...)

If you could see what that fatso did to my jalapeno chilies, you wouldn't think he was so cute. I NEED my chilies to make hot stuff with. Man, hornworms are destructive!

 

[Evo]

If you could see what that fatso did to my jalapeno chilies, you wouldn't think he was so cute. I NEED my chilies to make hot stuff with. Man, hornworms are destructive!

I swear those hornworms can go from zero to 2" in a few hours.

 

[baywax]

Thanks! That was with my Canon 30D and 28-135mm at 135mm and about at the closest macro distance. He's one real ugly fellow - well, he was anyway. He is an ex-horn worm since shortly after I took his obituary photo.

We sometimes get frosts before summer is officially over - a northerly prevailing wind bringing down Canadian air is part of it, and very clear nights for maximum radiative cooling "seal the deal" as it were.

That's ok, blame Canada man! Its about the only press we get up here!

 

[baywax]

Now that we mention it, we're seeing snow in the interior. Shocking! Mainly because summer isn't over for another 11 hours.

Any pumpkins growing out there?

 

[turbo]

Now that we mention it, we're seeing snow in the interior. Shocking! Mainly because summer isn't over for another 11 hours.

Any pumpkins growing out there?

My neighbors' pumpkins and squash are all picked and in storage. My squash died in the torrential rains, clouds, etc, as did my cucumbers.

 

[turbo]

I just got back in from spreading milky spore on my lawns. It's not a foolproof control for Japanese beetles, but I figured it was worth a shot, especially since my organic-farmer neighbor with all the fruit trees is treating his entire property. We still will have neighbors with untreated lawns that will host the larvae, but hopefully, we will get some relief from the pests.

 

[hypatia]

I won't be able to make it back to my northern garden, so friends up there will gather what they can use.
My downstate garden is still giving me herbs and tomatoes. And yes, my water peppers{heheh my new species} are still amazing me with their productivenesses. They taste just fine, and each holds ruffly 1/4 cup of water.

 

[Evo]

The overpriced grocery store has the widest variety of weird gourds and pumpkins I've seen in one place.

Here are the warty pumkins, pretty ugly up close. Sorry it's not a better picture, but my grocery cart was hurtling toward a display of chrisanthemums so I had to be quick with my shot.

http://img522.imageshack.us/img522/7082/pumpkinwartsov1.jpg

 

[turbo]

One of my neighbors grew warty/colorful turban squash this year and he gave me an armload of them to take home. We'll eat them, but won't bother planting them in our garden. They are hard as a rock when raw, so cutting them up is a pain - worse than well-cured Hubbards, even. I wouldn't mind that so much, but the squash has very little flavor - certainly not the rich nutty taste of a nice buttercup. Still, food is food (as long as it's not disgusting).

 

[hypatia]

Oh Evo, please never go that close to those squash again. Thats scary!

 

[turbo]

Oh Evo, please never go that close to those squash again. Thats scary!

Can squash have STD's?

 

[baywax]

The next few weeks are going to be interesting when it comes to pumpkin contests.

Here's the WORLD record holder from September 29, 2007... a 1689 pound pumpkin from Rhode Island!

http://www.pumpkinnook.com/giants/giantpumpkins.htm

Like I keep polishing my fingernails about, the one time I've entered this kind of contest I had my own 200 lb pumpkin that got blown away by the 729 lb at the local fair.

But, it was big enough for my then 3 year old to fit in and secure the 5 candles it took to light the jack'o'lantern! Its really quite fun!

Turbo... er, pumpkin protection?

 

[Astronuc]

Worm Composting How-to
http://www.gardeners.com/-/5714,default,pg.html?SC=LNA7040B

Worm Bin. There are two basic options. The first is to have a series of shallow, stacked bins with screening on the bottom of each bin. When the worms have finished digesting the food scraps in the first bin, they will move into the bin below, in search of fresh, undigested food. Once the worms have moved out, the finished compost can be removed. Move the empty bin down and refill it with bedding material and kitchen scraps. A commercial version of this design is the Worm Chalet.

I don't recommend putting one of these in the basement.

We have a compost pile in back, and I've found some huge worms in there.

 

[baywax]

Worm Composting How-to
http://www.gardeners.com/-/5714,default,pg.html?SC=LNA7040B



I don't recommend putting one of these in the basement.

We have a compost pile in back, and I've found some huge worms in there.

The same kid that fit in the pumpkin used to build worm hospitals for the worms that got cut in half by my shovel. The hospitals were like catacombs in the dirt and they all got better x 2.

 

[Evo]

Well, the weather is holding out and my bell peppers, tomatoes, and tomatillos are all still setting fruit. I pulled up the squash and cucumbers, they were a major dissapointment. First time I've even tried growing the container variety in containers. Not enough sun, I guess.

I guess I should try planting radishes and see if I have better luck now.

 

[hypatia]

Under threat of frost, I've been gathering and hanging my herbs. It smells so good in my drying room.

 

[turbo]

Here is the fruit of hardest work in the garden. Digging up and washing the root-balls of the giant sunflowers (to save the good soil for the garden), hauling the stems out to the boonies to rot, etc. I broke the fiberglass handle of my spading fork while trying to dig up those sunflowers, and before the washing, some of the root-balls were well over 100#. Anyway, my father dropped off some squash and apples for us this afternoon, so we sent him home with some fresh-baked zucchini/pineapple muffins and apple muffins, and I gave him an armload of sunflower heads to hang out with his bird feeders. The biggest one in this picture is over 18" across.

 

[turbo]

Under threat of frost, I've been gathering and hanging my herbs. It smells so good in my drying room.

My Russian and German garlic have cured well, and my detached garage no longer has that wonderful smell. Darn!

 

[Moonbear]

Can squash have STD's?

They looked moldy in the picture to me. I can't imagine them being very popular, even as a decorative squash. Well, maybe they're good for Halloween scary food.

 

[hypatia]

Wow turbo, some giant sunflowers! Did you expose them to gamma rays?

 

[turbo]

Wow turbo, some giant sunflowers! Did you expose them to gamma rays?

Something even more powerful - BS.

 

[turbo]

I hereby announce the first annual PF carrot day. Every PF member who shows up at my house before noon on October 7th gets a free carrot. Hurry! Supplies are limited.

P.S. the carrots have been washed and are currently drying on newspapers, so you won't have to clean off the mud.