What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[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'

 

[rewebster]

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.

Ok---it may just be cheaper to buy them then--thanks both

 

[turbo]

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'

If you can, water the tomato plants in the morning, so that the water will run off/evaporate during the day. Leaving your plants damp at night can lead to late blight, powdery mildew, and other problems. Normally, that's not a problem here, but our cool wet summer caused a LOT of tomato and potato crops to fail due to blight, and lots of folks had to pull their green bean and tomato plants and burn them to prevent the spread of powdery mildew. If you'd prefer, you can lay perforated hoses on the soil right next to the tomato plants and water them without wetting the leaves.

One vector for blight was a large nursery (Bonnie Plants) that sold tomato seedlings to WalMart, Agway, garden supply shops, etc. They were contaminated with late blight spores, and in the damp summer, that spread to vast potato fields in Aroostook county, causing tremendous damage. Potato is the king crop up there. The public schools close for a couple of weeks during the harvest because sorting potatoes segregating diseased/damaged ones is labor intensive and they need all the kids they can get to help get the harvest in.

 

[Astronuc]

Last week, we had three or four nights where the low temperature was about 2 +/- 2°F. My kale plants did not freeze. Not only have they survived, they seem to be growing still. There seems to be some peripheral growth along the stalks.

Interesting plant.

 

[Dembadon]

My wife and I planted a wisteria vine in our backyard last summer. We are also using a trellis so that it won't fall in love with the nearby fence and rip it apart. Currently, there are no signs that it has survived the winter; it is completely brown. How hardy are they? We've gotten mixed responses from "professionals." Is it supposed to stay green through the winter?

We have a dwarf nectarine tree which has survived two winters here. It's a tough little bugger!

 

[dlgoff]

My wife and I planted a wisteria vine in our backyard last summer. We are also using a trellis so that it won't fall in love with the nearby fence and rip it apart. Currently, there are no signs that it has survived the winter; it is completely brown. How hardy are they? We've gotten mixed responses from "professionals." Is it supposed to stay green through the winter?

My parents have a wisteria vine that's been doing well for probably 40 years now. Here in Kansas we get sub-zero temperatures, so they are very hardy (once established I guess). However they don't stay green in the winter, but loose their leaves and appear to be dead until spring.

 

[MotoH]

My garden grows quite well, thank you for asking.

 

[turbo]

My garden grows quite well, thank you for asking.

Do you actually grow anything? If so, here is the place to share tips.

 

[Evo]

My parents have a wisteria vine that's been doing well for probably 40 years now. Here in Kansas we get sub-zero temperatures, so they are very hardy (once established I guess). However they don't stay green in the winter, but loose their leaves and appear to be dead until spring.

My mother and I both grew wisteria in Houston, TX and even there they lose their leaves and go dormant in the winter. I'm amazed that they grow here dl, but I did see a magnolia tree here and was shocked, it was huge.

 

[turbo]

There is a very pretty magnolia tree in back of the greenhouse on the campus of the University of Maine at Orono. They are tough trees with wonderful blooms. The organist in my old band was a horticulture major, and he lived in an apartment at the greenhouse, and kept an eye on things.

My wife and I are planning our garden now and will order seeds soon. If the economy stays in the tank, it's going to be very tough finding popular seeds later in the year, so we'll order early and store the seeds in one of the freezers until we're ready to start our seedlings in the greenhouse and/or direct-seed into the garden. Last year, the germination rate for pickling cucumbers was very poor and I had a hell of a time finding more seeds. Lots of people planted gardens last year, and many of them lost their seeds to poor germination in the cold wet soil.

 

[MotoH]

It is a family garden, but our carrots and cucumbers grow excellently. Must be the soil and the weather since we just water them.
to keep deer out of garden: Use irish spring soap. deer absolutely hate it.