gardening

I have a cultivar of strawberries that won't quit making runners. I planted it in the front garden 3 years ago and it's clearly too aggressive for that spot. It makes lovely sweet but smallish strawberries so I want to encourage it. But I'm not sure where to start a new strawberry bed. The lawn? It doesn't have much grass, but it does have enough to require ripping up or else it'll be a mess later. The pachysandra bed under the line of small trees? Pachysandra is even more aggressive than these strawberries, although at least they won't get mowed there and maybe they can battle it out. The overgrown stone wall in the back back yard? I'd like that option if there weren't still so many invasives to remove, and I need more time on that project. Near the house? Fewer animals to nibble on them, except chipmunks - our perimeter is riddled with chipmunk burrows. But the soil is lousy. Behind the shed? It's better soil back there, but also has a lot of poison ivy.

Wherever I put it, it'll probably keep spreading, so if I change my mind later, I'll most likely be all set to start again!

mdehners

So, it's basically mid Sept and 10F above the usual day temps this time of yr but I can't hold off any longer. It's already too late here to plant Napa Cabbage seeds if you hadn't started them indoors already. Putting a note in my journal to remind myself next yr....
Got 2 kinds of Daikon planted, a Chinese and a Korean. Surprisingly, no Japanese Daikon this yr;>. Pak Choi, Japanese Turnips, Rainbow Carrots and Green Onion seeds are in this am. Planted the rest of the Kohlrabi seedlings and the 1st Collard and Leek seedlings. Tomorrow I'll start on the Biannual and Perennial Flower seedlings.
Cheers,
Pat

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Michaela Petri Radio

ysabetwordsmith

Humble Bundle is offering a batch of "For Dummies" books on self-reliance and off-grid skills. There are 25 books, available in various electronic formats. Asking price is $25, minimum $18, and proceeds go to charity.

Current Mood: busy

mdehners

I've been a big Heirloom fanatic since the 70's. Even the African Violets I grew were species or hybrids decades old(including 3 of the original 10 hybrids;>!). The Florida Panhandle was depressing. The seed companies after WW2 successfully wiped all local cultivars. The closest were some Georgian Heirloom greens.
Here, E TN has a much better record of saving. For next yr I've found Winter Squash and melon Heirlooms but the WINNER is a Green Bean originally from a town 20 miles from my house that the gov't "removed" in the 30's...Cade's Cove. Can't wait to grow it next Spring!
Cheers,
Pat

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Faun Radio

mdehners

So....for the last few yrs I've been starting my Biennials and Perennials at the end of July/1st week of August for next yr indoors. Usually, that means I can start planting them out beginning the 1st week of September but this yr?
Some I think could handle the heat but the Spring blooming Stocks esp? Add in this yr's "doing" Lunar Gardening and the available planting days are less. The only veg I'd grown before and so far? Tomatoes WERE doing incredible until the Hornworms but still are nothing as close to as bad as before. While I've grown melons before this is the 1st time with Korean melons so....could it have helped? Dunno. I know it didn't mean diddly with the Green Onions, Radishes and Winter Squash. Most are dead, but this yr's been rough, even for plants used to E Tennessee Summers. Since a number of other veg were wiped out by deer, again dunno;>.
Next week I'll be heading out to HD to get some raised bed soil for the grow bags I'll be planting as soon as the night temps drop below 80F and the Moon is in the right place;>!
Cheers,
Pat

Current Mood: aggravated
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Pet Shop Boys Radio

mdehners

My silver Line Korean Melon vines are going gangbusters and I've harvested the 1st 2. The subject line says it all. Not awful, just "meh". Basically, a mediocre supermarket Honeydew with a texture somewhere between an apple and a carrot. Don't think I'll grow it again, though it grew so well;>!!!!!
However, it's encouraged me to grow melons next Summer. I've ordered already because I've experience waiting till January to order and find out the seeds have been discontinued.
Melons: Kajari, Hara Madhu, Petit Gris De Rennes and Tennessee Muskmelon. Oddly enough, the one I worry about growing is Tennessee. Even though it's a state heirloom variety, it's supposed to be difficult to figure out the right time to harvest. Doesn't slip, tendril doesn't shrivel, starts perfuming the patch pretty much a week or so after the blossom falls off. Oh, and apparently it's best slightly ripe;>!
I'll also be giving Ayote Green Fleshed Winter Squash another chance. Supposedly, it's good to start up to the 4th of July. I planted it the 1st. It hasn't bloomed yet so I'm not holding my breath for a Winter but I may be able to use it as a Summer Squash.
In A couple of weeks I'll start planting my Fall/Winter veg. Yesterday I started some Kohlrabi seeds indoors. The rest will wait till the nights get below 80F to plant in ground.
While my garden has always been a lifesaver for me, it esp has been this week. Last Wednesday morning my Partner of 30+ yrs Chuck Passed. He'd been in a nursing home for the last 3 yrs but I went and visited every Sunday. The Sunday before he Passed he had a wet cough and was pretty much unresponsive which is never a good sign so I wasn't surprised, just sad.
He had been a very active man so being bedridden drove him nuts so He's surely glad he's free of it.
Cheers,
Pat

Current Mood: melancholy
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Pentangle Radio

moonhare

I was in the side yard yesterday, with the pup, when I looked toward the garden and saw a doe looking back at me: from inside the garden! I went out the gate and stopped to (1) assess how to get her out, and (2) take her pic. I got the pic as she turned away-

Enlarged (click to see original full size)

As I headed up the side of the garden to see if she needed help getting out she turned and bolted out through the space between the fence top and the electric wire.

Did I say bolted? She glided, tilted on her side, through that 16” gap, tilted back and performed a perfect quadrupedal landing, barely causing any wiggle of fence or wire! Oh, I wish I could have caught that on video: so impressive! I can’t even be mad at her for eating a couple of green tomatoes :D

*sigh* At least I understand how she got in. I’ll string another wire across that space.

Current Mood: impressed
Current Music: Wild Wild Life, Talking Heads

mdehners

This month I'm getting my Fall perennials, biennials and cool season veg ordered and started. The ornamentals are all planted and some have even germinated(the Stocks mostly. It's only been 2 weeks;>!). The veg, the ones I don't have any left have mostly been ordered.
Mostly, it's my Winter Greatest Hits; Leeks, Turnips, Radishes, Pak Choi, Green Onions. My only totally new(well, here) is an Artichoke. I'm trying a 1st yr type, starting it in August, planting it in late Sept-early Oct and overwinter to hopefully produce in Spring. I tried in NW Florida but the Summer Heat comes on in May so it didn't like that AT ALL. Hopefully, we'll have a Spring like this yr....nice and long.
I've got a single plant of both Oca and Ullico left. The Ashitaba seemed to recover shipping then last week dropped dead. The Skirret and Scorzonera are barely alive since deer REAAAAALLLLY like them. Almost as much as they like Hostas and Parsley! The Turkish Rocket's holding it's own and 'Good King Henry' is actually thriving.
I've been Harvesting the Red Brandywines since last month and the Ground Cherries have just started. Perfect Weeding Rewards;>! There's finally female blossoms forming on the Korean Melons so hopefully I'll get a few. The ones I grew in Florida barely produced and were more like slightly sweet cucumbers. Go to look up when to ripen since I'm pretty sure I won't luck out with them ripening like watermelons or muskmelons....
Cheers(and LOTS of SWEAT!!!!!)
Pat

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Spiral Dance Radio

moonhare

I spent a lot of time in May, last year, shoring up the garden against intruders; other than mice and chipmunks no critters gained entry. The major effort was made to dissuade deer and rabbits, and all was well until a week or so ago.

It appeared that the local young bunny, kitten, actually, got in and sampled the green beans *nibble nibble* Only a small animal could maneuver behind the electric wires, climb the 8” wire mesh barrier, and wriggle through the 2x4” wire fence, and then just eat some tips off the plants.

Or so I thought. I applied Repels-All critter repellent at the garden’s edge and on and around the beans. I did not see any more damage after that…

While spraying fungicide yesterday evening I noticed a tomato plant with nibbled tips: too high for any rabbit!

Deer! A deer had gotten into the garden, either by leaping over the 5’ electric wire above the 4’ fence (unlikely) or jumping a gap over the 4’ gates (quite plausible). *sigh* At least they didn’t savage the plants! In looking at the bean plant photo I can see what may also be a hoof print.

One of two gates I strung a heavy wire across to discourage intruders. Here’s hoping!

Current Mood: impressed
Current Music: Psychedelic Furs

ysabetwordsmith

Recently I attended a permaculture club meeting at Douglas-Hart Nature Center.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

mdehners

It's been a busy couple of weeks, at least when it hasn't been Raining;>! All the Creole Garlics are harvested and all but one cultivar is bagged for storage. AND my 1st Tomato(Red Brandywine) is Ripe! Right now there are 4 golf to softball sized greenies growing.
I've started my late season/Fall seed planting. A Japanese Cuke, Chinese Radish and a Hard Squash are all in and Watered. Around the 1st part of August I'll plant out the Pak Choi and Chinese Cabbages. I'll either start the Perennials and Biennials then or about mid July.
In August I'll order the hardy Annual seeds to plant out in Sept or Oct, depending on what the weather this Fall looks like.
The Oca looks like a probable total failure. Only one plant remains. The Ullicos are good so far as well as the Yacon. Surprisingly, I lost one of the Sunchokes. Probably our resident Groundhog(Maury;>). Lots of blossoms on the 3 Groundcherry plants...
I thought the older you get the better you like Heat. Unsurprisingly, I'm an Anomaly;>!
Cheers,
Pat(the Sweaty but Happy)

Current Mood: bouncy
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Lisa Kelly Radio

low_delta

I've got aphids. The recommended treatment is to knock them off the plant with a jet of water. They won't be able to crawl back up the plant. That's great if you're looking at a rose bush infestation. Unfortunately, I'm looking at a prairie. It's mostly goldenrod, which are mostly infested.

So the water isn't very effective. I feel like the water will knock them off of one plant and onto another. Plus, it's hard to get to all sides of the plants, because there's a whole small field of them. Not only that, but the goldenrod leaves tend to get blown upwards by the water, which then protect the bugs on the stems.

I've seen a few ladybugs, but nowhere near enough.

So I've been walking through the field and smushing them with my fingers. I just slide my fingers up and down the stems in between the leaves. Turns my fingers red.

mdehners

Everything is planted with the exception of 2 last minute orders; a Good King Henry and (3rd times the charm;>) Yacon starts. Harvested 2 of my Créole Garlic cultivars(last one next week I think) and the last of the Mulberries on the tree I planted this Spring.
Got a single large green 'Red Brandywine' Tomato growing and a couple small ones. Actually have a dwarf Comfrey cultivar dying. The Bocking 14 and the species forms from seed are doing fine. My other green manure is a species Tithonia but all but one of the cuttings have died.
Lots of flowers, bees and butterflies with the exception of Monarchs,which I've seen none this yr. Only a couple Hummers as well....not our usual numbers though the last few yrs have been down.
My "Not My Cat", Jack is AWOL this morning. I'll worry if he's not back by Friday(not that I could do anything about him. He's someone's outdoor cat). My "Jack Tolerant" stray, Fluff had no problem eating for two;>....
Cheers,
Pat

Current Mood: chipper
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Spiral Dance Radio

ysabetwordsmith

How to weave an obelisk with Dave Jackson The Stick Smith

Dave Jackson a.k.a. The Stick Smith teaches how to weave a willow obelisk, for climbing plants; be they peas, sweet peas, runner beans, jasmine, etc.

This is a very sophisticated weaving method. It's not so much difficult as it is particular. Following these steps will give you a very consistent and durable structure. However, you could just as well make the basket ribs and do a simple over-and-under weave that would suffice for many garden purposes.

Weaving is a garden craft that lets you make many useful things. It also lets you obtain more yield from your permaculture or other garden. Many types of willow can give you a near-endless supply of excellent weaving materials. So will bushy dogwoods, hazels, and some types of maple. You can use these whips to make baskets, mats, obelisks, fences, and more depending on how thick you let them grow before harvest. Coppicing is the technique of cutting back a bush or tree so it sends up new shoots. You can do this for many years with the same plant.

Current Mood: busy

mdehners

Got almost everything planted today: Eggplant, Oca, Ulluco, Lemon Verbena, Flowering Tobacco, Sweet Annie, Holy Basil, Dahlia and a couple cultivars of Morning Glory. Hopefully, I'll get the rest in this week.
I still have one order that hasn't come in; my replacement Yacon. The wrong plant my last order(from another vendor), the Longevity Spinach is doing well.
The Canterbury Bells are covered with buds and the Autumn Sage is COVERED with blossoms and bees. Enjoying the cool Spring weather, since usually it's about a week or two between Winter and Summer;>!
Cheers,
Pat

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Location: Lenoir City(Nevermore;>!)
Current Music: Andrews Sisters Radio

moonhare

It’s been wonderful weather for outdoor work: more mulching has been done and brush has been cut and removed. I also gave the rototiller a quick pre-season going over: motor and gear oil topped off and a flat tire taken care of.*

I’ve had a furry friend keeping me company out by the shed since February; a rabbit has taken up residence nearby :o)

Waiting patiently to see what might be available.

Soooon…

Edit - I just noticed that this bunny is probably a New England Cottontail: there is a dark patch on the forehead and not the white spot of the Eastern Cottontail! Click the pics to expand them.

* I probably mentioned this before in regards to the tiller… When I was about 16 I watched, in awe, mind you, a friend of my sister manually replace a tire on his 1970 Road Runner. He took the original tire off the rim, and replaced it with another, with tire irons. To seat the bead he looped and tied a rope around the center of the tire, tightening it by turning a lug wrench slipped beneath it while filling the tire with air. Heh, I use the rope trick on the tiller tires, when necessary, with baling twine, a crescent wrench, and a hand pump.

Current Mood: accomplished
Current Music: Turn! Turn! Turn! various

winterfirelight

It's been busy times in the garden! I got the last of my cold-stratified seeds planted last night. On Sunday we took on the big project of replacing the old wooden bed out by the street that's been slowly rotting away and was full of grass anyway. It's all concrete underneath, and the bed was too shallow to be able to plant anything substantial, much less anything that I'd feel comfortable harvesting. In it's place we put in four 2x2 corrugated steel beds that are much taller, and there's space for another 3-4 small beds of that size if we decide we like how these first ones are working. Still some cleanup to do from that, but otherwise it's looking much better.

I've gotten the feverfew, oregano, and thyme settled in those new spaces, with the last bed ready for the tulsi seedlings whenever they're big enough to transplant. The nights are still getting quite cold, so I'm waiting a while longer before making the little things have to brave the weather. It's supposed to be a temperate variety that can handle our cooler temperatures, but I've previously only grown the more tropical tulsi, which makes me a little more cautious than I maybe need to be. I'll be curious to see how the varieties differ.

The elecampane officially survived the winter, which I'm very happy to see! I thought for sure I had lost it. It's much slower to wake than the rest of the garden. I'm not sure if that's just how it is, or if it's a function of the place where it's been planted. It seemed to lag behind other plants in growth last year, too, but I imagine the second year will tell me quite a bit about how it feels where it is.

There's plenty of maintenance work to do in the garden, but in terms of plants, it's back to a waiting game. All the big plant sales and swaps won't happen until May, and none of the seedlings are quite ready for transplant yet, so I shall bide my time and be patient. I still haven't quite decided where everything will go, or what else I'll buy when the sales come along. There's a real risk I'll run out of space, but at least the soil is amended and weeded and ready to go. Hurrah for warmer days!

Current Mood: chipper

rebeccmeister

This is largely cross-posted from my personal blog, since I figure a lot of us spend a lot of time thinking about soil quality and composting! I love worm bins because they can be made to work for all kinds of lifestyles, including people who live in apartments, since a well-managed bin does not smell and can be designed to fit in all kinds of spaces.

I think I'm reaching the stage where there's something of a steady-state for managing my new-ish worm bin bench. To begin with, by myself I generate around 1 batch of kitchen scraps a week that can go into the bin. My kitchen scraps mostly include spent coffee grounds, banana peels, apple cores, and vegetable trimmings from whatever I happen to be cooking that week. Eggshells now get handled separately, and citrus goes into the yard compost outside because citrus is toxic to worms.

( photos and description below the cut... )

angrboda

The below is a crosspost from my own dw. Has anybody else experimented with a garden journal? What sort of stuff did you write in it?

For Christmas Husband gave me a nice Critical Role notebook as 'something to go with', so I have been vaguely pondering what to use it for. I have now decided to have a go at making it a garden journal.

I have no idea how one does that. I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm basically just putting stuff in there and seeing where it goes. I don't even know how long I'll be able to keep it up,* but we're having a go anyway. So far I've put in a list of what's in the different beds off the top of my head, I've put a todo list of tasks I'd like to get done during the spring (lol!),** and I've put in a number of ideas for how I would like to do the terrace pots and a list of other plants I might like to try and plant.

It occurs to me that it might also come in handy when we go to the garden center because I can take it with me and look up what I was considering, which feels far more attractive than a note on my phone, and I could potentially also put in things that I saw at the garden center that might be interesting later on, especially if I remember to also bring a pencil.***

This decision coincides, or is probably partially born from, the effort Husband is currently making to get through a vast stack of garden magazines that have piled up. We tried putting them in a specific place, so that they weren't always lying around on the dining table. This worked splendidly for me because it was more tidy, and not at all for him because the magazines tended to just accumulate and he'd never actually get around to looking in them. So now the magazine storage situation is a bit unclear. Anyway, he's making his way through them, tearing out the pages he wants a closer look at, and I got trough after him and do the same.

On one page, I was mainly interested in a small bit in the bottom third, so in a fit of inspiration I cut it out and glued it into my journal. I had a bit of leftover hobby glue that was still good, so I used that. I discovered that the paper is really too thin for this to be an ideal solution, but on the other hand, I'm kind of enjoying the tactile way the paper has gone a bit crinkly now where it has dried. Might acquire more unsuitable glue and do it again.

---

*But it is giving me some opportunity to use highlighters. I have far too many highlighters. But they come in so many colours, and you obviously have to have one in each colour. I mean, obviously!
**If I do a third of them, I'll call it a success.
***Not a pen. A pencil. And definitely not a mechanical one. An old fashioned one that you have to sharpen. I've been favouring them for years now. I think it has something to do how it feels to write with it.

ysabetwordsmith

April 2026 is National Native Plant Month

Please help to spread the word that the month of April is Native Plant Month and plan activities in your community to make a real difference by planting native plants, removing invasive plants, and teaching others about the importance of native plants as a source of food and habitat for wildlife.

( Read more... )

Current Mood: busy

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30

Overzealous strawberries

Weather!!!!

Books

Miracle!!!!!!!!

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Meh-lons;>!

Intruder

Fall Plans...

Breach!

Permaculture

1st Harvests 2026

aphids

Early Summer!

Crafts

Getting There....

Tiller time again!

Spring Has Sprung!

Worm Dirt Harvesting

Starting a garden journal

National Native Plant Month

Profile

September 2026

Syndicate

Most Popular Tags

Page Summary

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags