What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Evo]

I've only learned about garlic scapes since you've described them here on PF.
I've recently stumbled upon a fellow who features these on video clip. He has dogs
too and shows some of their antics. Do you like grilled scapes? Eric shows off
his technique in the last half.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF6xpezTNIs

I mentioned cooking wild garlic scapes here years ago, they grew all around my old house The Pit of Doom. I sautee them in butter and toss them into couscous.

 

[lisab]

I mentioned cooking wild garlic scapes here years ago, they grew all around my old house The Pit of Doom. I sautee them in butter and toss them into couscous.

Ah, couscous! Haven't had that in a while, definitely going to have some. Thanks for the suggestion .

 

[turbo]

My wife and I incorporate scapes into stir-fries, and she makes scape-butter and scape-pesto in small containers to freeze. Very nice.

Crappy weather, so I haven't yet tried drizzling them with olive oil and grilling them, but that's next.

 

[lisab]

Does anyone here know much about Japanese maples?

One I have is an amazing tree, because it has a strong will to live no matter what happens to it.

First off: I didn't plant the tree where it is, a landscaper did. A landscaper who should have known better, I might add. I'm going to post a pic in a minute, but the set up is: house - deck/walkway - tree.

A while back, it started blocking the walkway, so I cut it back a bit. Then my dog decided to dig up the roots on the other side of the tree, because...well I have no clue . This caused some of the branches on that side to die.

The combination of these two events seems to have caused a growth spurt back into the walkway area.

I need to clear the walkway again but I'm afraid that would remove too many branches, since (what needs to be removed) + (what the dog killed) = about 50% of its foliage in its natural state.

I think I have to wait for the other side to fill in again before re-cutting; is that correct?

Btw, despite all this trouble it seems to be quite healthy.

 

[lisab]

If you want to walk up onto my back deck, duck!

 

[turbo]

Deck, duck, goose!

 

[Evo]

I had a dwarf Japanese maple. They are beautiful. You're right, yours is rather lopsided. I would guess you could prune it back after it goes dormant in the fall.

 

[dlgoff]

I would get rid of this limb (see attachment) and it should fill out nicely.

By eliminating it now, you'll have all summer for the tree to grow and since the tree doesn't have to support this limb...

 

[lisab]

I would get rid of this limb (see attachment) and it should fill out nicely.

By eliminating it now, you'll have all summer for the tree to grow and since the tree doesn't have to support this limb...

It would definitely look better with that gone. So I can take that much off and it will be OK?

 

[Evo]

It would definitely look better with that gone. So I can take that much off and it will be OK?

I'd be careful. If you do decide to prune it now, be sure that you seal the cut with pruning tar.

 

[Andre]

It would definitely look better with that gone. So I can take that much off and it will be OK?

That's a great looking Acer palmatum var atropurpureum and no, Evo is quite right, most definitely, do not prune it now, especially not large branches like that. It might bleed which could weaking it considerably. You better wait until fall, when the pores close. Also Acer palmatum can be sensitive to fungus attack (at least here), however it is controversial nowadays if it is helping to cover the cut with tree wound dressing.

 

[Evo]

however it is controversial nowadays if it is helping to cover the cut with tree wound dressing.

I've heard yes and no on it. But I do see cuts healing better when I put a good seal on the cut, prevents insect infestation in the cut. Just my personal experience.

 

[turbo]

Lisab, it's best to hold off any heavy pruning until the tree loses its leaves and goes into its dormant state for the winter.

 

[lisab]

Lisab, it's best to hold off any heavy pruning until the tree loses its leaves and goes into its dormant state for the winter.

Yes I think that's what I'll do. Thanks, everyone, for the input .

 

[craftsmaster]

I grows them from seed, normally during winter. :)

Carmel

 

[Ms Music]

We have had such a miserably wet and cool spring that all my tomato plants have black spots on them... *grumble grumble* Anyone else having weather issues?

On the flip side of the coin, my slugs are very happy!

 

[Evo]

We have had such a miserably wet and cool spring that all my tomato plants have black spots on them... *grumble grumble* Anyone else having weather issues?

On the flip side of the coin, my slugs are very happy!

The weather has been terrible. I swear we are getting as much rain here this spring as in the tropical rainforest. I'm expecting to wake up and find that vines have encased my house.

 

[dlgoff]

This is the first time I've ever seen, with the perfect cool temperatures, cauliflower drown in the rain. I harvested one head out of eight plants. Even the broccoli had smaller large heads than they should have.

 

[lisab]

We have had such a miserably wet and cool spring that all my tomato plants have black spots on them... *grumble grumble* Anyone else having weather issues?

On the flip side of the coin, my slugs are very happy!

I definitely am, the cool spring is getting old. I use an iron phosphate slug killer - seems to do a good job and it's fairly safe.

 

[turbo]

This is the first time I've ever seen, with the perfect cool temperatures, cauliflower drown in the rain. I harvested one head out of eight plants. Even the broccoli had smaller large heads than they should have.

We have spinach plants only 4-5 inches high with baby leaves, BOLTING!. Normally, spinach does not bolt here until we get some real heat, but this year is very odd. We might be able to avoid bolting after re-planting, but I doubt it. We'd need some very cool nights to balance the warm days, but that's a low-probability situation. I hope my squash and cukes grow quickly, so I can plant some of our cool-climate spinach in the shade of those vines and hope to get usable amounts for salads.

 

[Ms Music]

I'm expecting to wake up and find that vines have encased my house.

That would make for an interesting excuse to not go to work.



Iron phosphate... Pardon my sounding dumb for a moment, but is that different than the normal stuff you get in a box? I have resisted slug bait in hopes that I might get some chickens, but I caved and put some down over the weekend... I may have to leave my chickens in Eastern Wa to get my garden healthy again...

 

[lisab]

That would make for an interesting excuse to not go to work.



Iron phosphate... Pardon my sounding dumb for a moment, but is that different than the normal stuff you get in a box? I have resisted slug bait in hopes that I might get some chickens, but I caved and put some down over the weekend... I may have to leave my chickens in Eastern Wa to get my garden healthy again...

The iron phosphate type is marketed as Sluggo (and some other brands, I think). The kinds that use metaldehyde are not safe around pets, but I'm not sure about chickens...I wouldn't use it if you want to eat the eggs.

It's probably best to check with a vet about iron phosphate. It's marketed as "pet safe" but you know how marketing goes.

 

[turbo]

I went to my neighbor's place to check my garlic plot today. Tomorrow, I should go snap garlic scapes again. There are some slacker German scapes that need to be harvested, and the red Russians are coming gang-busters.

I am so happy that he gave me his main garden spot for my garlic for this season. The "soil" is really rich compost and worm-castings, and the crop should be scary-good. If the garlic is really good, I'll split my crop with my neighbor for next year's seed, and we'll use his garlic for consumption and to give away to others who want to get started. I gave starter garlic to quite a few people last year, and this year I'll start quite a few more.

If there is a PF member that wants to grow garlic and can travel to central Maine by July or so, I'll gladly get you going. Hard-neck garlic is wonderful - WAY better than the stuff you can buy at the supermarket.

 

[turbo]

I snapped a large basketful of scapes today, and my wife broke out the olive oil, nuts, food processor, Romano cheese and seasonings and made enough garlic-scape pesto to last us a couple of years. Duke sat beside me on the back deck while we snapped scapes for processing (the lower part of the scape is what you want - the upper part is tough). He is too polite to beg, but he is a good hinter. He got a few pieces, here and there.

This morning while it was cool, I rototilled, rock-picked, and weeded the lower end of the garden spot, and hoed up the last two beds. Mostly to be used for staggered multiple plantings of herbs like cilantro, dill, etc, that need to be properly in-season when vegetables like tomatoes and peppers are ready for harvest.

 

[turbo]

Re: gardening tools. I highly recommend the Echo TC-210 tiller. It is a lightweight high-revving 2-stroke tiller with worm gear drive. It is capable of tackling thick lawn and turning it into a flower bed in no time. Very powerful for its size and weight. I bought the machine used from a friend who sells and repairs small outdoor equipment. He assured me that he had sold well over 100 of these units, and that after years, none of them have needed more than routine maintenance and minor repairs. He's a straight-shooter, and he only stocks and sells stuff that he believes in. Unlike the people at the garden shops, big-box stores, and others, he knows what works and what lasts. You don't have to trust his recommendation, but I do.

In the case of long stringy grass it's best to consider scalping the area first with a mower before tilling, because tough long grass can wrap around the final drive shaft and muck things up. The machine is easy to clean of such clogs - it's just a pain to have to stop and do so when a bit of pre-planning would have eliminated that problem. I bought a 6' PTO tiller for my Kubota, so fall and spring tilling is covered. The little Echo will cover the active growing season easily. I haven't tried a Mantis and can't compare, but the old Murray mini-tiller that I owned is a joke compared to this Echo.

 

[dlgoff]

He is too polite to beg, but he is a good hinter. He got a few pieces, here and there.

I'm sure that's okay but he is a big dog so I wouldn't leave him alone with the garlic.

Large amounts of garlic will produce similar toxicity problems in both dogs and cats. I think that the amount required is not likely to be eaten by a cat but there are probably a few dogs who would lap up a container of spilled garlic.

http://www.vetinfo.com/dtoxin.html"

 

[Evo]

On the flip side of the coin, my slugs are very happy!

My mother used to fill shallow dishes with beer. Slugs love beer, they go in and drown. But they die happy.

 

[Evo]

We're about to get hit with 70+mph winds and a raging thunderstorm.

I moved all of the plants under the covered patio and keeping my fingers crossed that my guess that the winds will be from the north, based on radar, that the bit of wall on the north side can protect them. Since all of the Evo Child's stuff is stacked everywhere waiting for the move, I don't know where I'd put them inside.

 

[turbo]

Good luck with the gales, Evo! We have 90 deg+ again here today in the shade. I pop out onto the deck periodically to check my baked (baking) beans. I'm using indirect heat from the side-smoker to keep the charcoal grill at about 300 deg. So far, so good, and the beans are smelling fine. When they are done and I need to start reducing the juices, I'll throw some chunks of soaked hickory on the coals to see if the smoke adds anything to the finished product. (hope, hope, hope)

 

[Ouabache]

My mother used to fill shallow dishes with beer. Slugs love beer, they go in and drown. But they die happy.

I remember reading about this method years ago, in Organic Gardening & Farming Magazine. Glad you're Mom had good luck with it. I wish it were that easy to eliminate other soft-bodied garden pests (cutworms, tomato hornworms, squash borers...)