Thinking about next year already ;)
stephanie_h12
8 years ago
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peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
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Thinking about next year.....
Comments (6)Doris - just to let you know. You aren't going to be able to get Joe Bidens that way. Joe Pye Weed and Bidens are different species so you can cross pollinate them all you want to but they aren't going to make any Joe Biden babies. Just like if you wanted to cross apples and oranges - just too different for them to make a love connection. :) If you are interested in cross pollinating in your garden you need to have both parents from the same species. If both parts of their latin name match, cross away. If only the first part of the latin name matches, they might cross or might not - depends on how much difference there really is between them. And if you are planning garden experiments to get yourself your own very special DorisL variety of something, you might want to consider selection instead of (or in addition to) planned crosses. As an example of selection, I'm starting to make my own heleniums. I started with seeds from Helenium autumnale "Helens Mix". Every seed grown from that is pure Helenium autumnale, but they are individuals and each look a little different. When one of them grows up to be an extra pretty favorite I can do tow things. Save seed from it and grow the kids - they'll all be individuals but should resemble mom plant to a reasonable degree. (But who knows, one of the kids might be even better.) Or since helenium is a long lived perennial that's easy to divide I could just divide my favorite and grow a whole garden full. All of those division would actually be identical to the mother plant because they are pieces of the mother plant. Not sure if I'm blabbing on about stuff you already know. Just didn't want you to get your hopes up about growing a Joe Biden or an appleorange. Lynda Here is a link that might be useful: Helen mix heleniums...See MoreThinking about next year: Late Blight and potatoes?
Comments (4)I did more research today and found out more info on Maine Potato Seed Certification: Maine Potato Board website: In order to be classified as "Certified Seed" the field undergoes two inspections of seed potatoes during the summer, disease evaluation of samples submitted for testing in Florida, and inspection during shipping to ensure the potatoes meet grade standards. There is also an online database listing who has passed these inspections each year. Also according to Cornell University's Late Blight Factsheet: "There are several potato varieties that show resistance to late blight. These varieties will slow down, but do not prevent, the development of the disease. Elba is currently the most resistant potato variety available. Potato varieties with moderate levels of resistance include: Kennebec, Sebago, Allegany, and Rosa. Unfortunately no late blight resistant tomato varieties are available." I feel a little bit better with the additional knowledge but understand that I can't control everything that may come along. Thanks for the replies. Rachel GrafixMuse's Garden Spot...See MoreGood Time to Think About Next Year's Garden
Comments (26)Sus, Oh but I've always thought that you had a lot of enthusiasm, so I don't think I have you beat there. You're nice to say that though. ;) I know what you mean about biting off more than you can chew. I do that a lot. Well, most of the time actually. I have projects galore that are sitting around waiting to get done. That's great that you're getting into birding too. I've been into that for probably close to 25 years and really enjoy watching the birds out at the feeders. I have bluebird boxes up for the bluebirds and have gourds on shepherd's hooks for the tree swallows. I also get wrens nesting here and other kinds of birds and lots at the feeders. I love birds and of course also butterflies. I'll have to email you sometime about birding. You mentioned sparrows, and I have some things to say about them and some other things. Maybe none of it would be new to you but I'll at least mention some things then. Isn't that odd how you have PVS one year and none the next two! Actually, that has fascinated me about different kinds of butterflies; I'll see them here and then not again for awhile. Well, I hope that you get PVS in 2010! Oh yes, I agree with your about those being like hyperactive kids. If you take the lid off the container, you'd better keep your eye on it because those critters move fast. I had one crawling on the table one day when I just walked away from the container for a short time thinking the cats would stay put. I might be imagining things, but they almost seem to sense when I take the lid off and want to hightail it out of there. Yeah, I raise a lot of Monarchs if you call hundreds a lot. The most I raised was I think in 2007 when I released about 520. This year was 350. It's a ton of work and I want to try to come up with a better way of doing it. You sure get to see a variety of butterflies there. I wish I would get to raise some more kinds. I only saw a Red Admiral here very briefly several years ago. Wouldn't you know it, I didn't have false nettle then. I actually thought I had it here because I have plants coming up here that resemble it but isn't that (don't know what though). So I planted some last year but didn't see any Red Admirals. I'm hoping that I will eventually though. I saw a Common Buckeye here for maybe a minute in 2008 but didn't get a picture of it (dead battery). I planted Verbena hastata in hopes of getting them to lay eggs but didn't see any at all this year. The one I saw last year was nectaring on the Verbena bonariensis. Unlike you, I've never seen any Tawny Emperors here, but I didn't have any hackberry trees here until this past spring/summer. They're not much more than a foot tall, but a Question Mark managed to find them and I raised a few of those cats. I think I've had American Lady cats here every year since I planted some pussytoes that some very nice person got for me. It's kind of hard to cut those leaves off to bring inside and raise the cats in here, so I think I'm going to make an enclosure with some boards and screen (any other suggestions are welcome) and put it over the plants. It will only cover a small portion of the bed. I was thinking I could move all the cats to that area and then move the enclosure as the food supply dwindles. I really don't know if it's a good idea or not, but every year I worry when I don't see the cats on the plants anymore. I think they mostly hide during the day and come out at night though, so I always hope that nothing gets them, but I'd rather be more sure of that with a covering to protect them from wasps and birds, etc. Of course, with as tight as those plants are, I don't imagine that it would be too easy for me to try to find all of the spiders that are on them to remove them. I don't have any overwintering BSTs like I did the past few years because the three that I raised eclosed in the spring/summer. I still have the GSTs here from last year when they overwintered. I think if they don't eclose in 2010, I'll probably take them out of the containers and give them up for dead. Only one of them eclosed out of about 40. I only have 5 out there (in another building, no heat) overwintering from this year. GSTs are discouraging for me to raise because a lot of them die. I feed them rue, but eventually I'd like to try raising them on wafer ash (I just started a couple from seed). I also have gas plants, but they are very small. I hope that my Wild Indigo Duskywings are okay that I have out there bunking with the GSTs. I fed them Baptisia australis and Lupinus perennis, which they are still on but not moving (as far as I know anyway). I've never raised any kind of cats before that overwinter (I mean that the actual cats and not the chrysalids overwinter), so it's making me kind of nervous wondering how in the world they'll be okay in the spring. I don't understand why they don't freeze and die. If they are alive, I hope that they quell their appetites until after my plants have some growth on them. You're absolutely right...every year brings a surprise and I'm so looking forward to this coming year to see what kinds of butterflies and cats I get!!! My head is always so full of plans! You've helped me and I really appreciate it! Cathy...See MoreDisappointing this year--already thinking of next year...
Comments (12)PixieLou, it's always a learning experience. My spinach was a dud this year. Planted only one week later than last year (which was a fantastic year) but a bust. Heard cold, wet spring affected others too in our area, even the market gardeners. I have a partly sunny space on the east side of our house, actually, some of it extends to the driveway so it also has a southern exposure ... but shade from a maple tree part of the day. I planted cherry tomatoes there this year expecting them to not do as well because of less sun and they are scrawny. We'll probably have plenty of cherry tomatoes, which are beginning to ripen, but not the huge harvests of previous years. This is the same bed that was originally my herb garden but I moved to herbs to a new bed next to my kitchen porch. They are doing astoundingly well in that location. Maybe that original bed gets evenn less sun than I thought. What are the sun conditions for your beds? Maybe those perennials need more sun? I used to try to grow sun loving perennials in part sunny conditions and it was really a waste of time and money. I can see where some parts of my garden need additional organic matter (the old herb bed) and a hurried lasagna style bed needs more manure/dirt. I see evidence of blossom end rot so a sure sign those particular tomato plants aren't getting enough nutrients. OTH the good news is that germination was better in pots (herb seeds) when I moved them away from a hot southern spot against the house (further reflection from white house) to the porch steps that get some of that maple tree shade part of the day. I am disappointed in my potting soil. The big plastic pots that are doing better have composted horse manure in the bottom, potting soil on top. The potting soil dries out quickly and seems to have too much peat moss in it. My vegetable beds which get the great composted horse manure are black, soft and full of earthworms. Not so, my flower beds. The herbs don't seem to mind. I'd say the poorer soil seems sandier, finer particles which probably don't hold water very well. Good luck to everyone. Striped cucumber beetles have made winter squash a bust this year and I'm only now just getting my first cucumbers for a second try. So even my great vegetable garden soil isn't enough....See Moreperen.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
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