Afternoon, Ladies, my post from about an hour ago hasn't made it on here yet, so I'll just repost!

Margo, we've got about an inch of snow, it's still coming down but not heavily. We're supposed to get about 5 inches before it's all over with.

Annie, have you filled out your Bracket yet?

Weed Bingo Word for the Day: Prostrate Knotweed!

Words called so far: Dandelion, Chickweed, Henbit, Wild Garlic, Annual Bluegrass, Wild Violets, Lambsquarters and Prostrate Knotweed.

And lest I forget again, here's your Weed Thought for the Day, and I quote:

Weeds as Adaptable Species:

"Weedy species that can quickly adapt to any environment have the ability to reproduce quickly, disperse widely, live in a variety of habitats, establish a population in strange places, succeed in disturbed ecosystems and resist eradication once established."

"resist eradication once established" Sound familiar?

Any thoughts, Ladies!?

Have a great day,

Shirley!

Sounds like my horseradish patch...lol

I made the mistake of planting it without any type of containment. Turns out it spreads worse than mint. Lesson learned!

We got about 1/2 inch of snow Friday and then it melted. We so needed it to melt and stick around...keep the dirt from blowing. It's been dry and blustery so if there's nothing holding the topsoil down it's been flying to Kansas. Heidi

Good Afternoon FOTESSERS,

Finally checking in after a few days...have had lots to do on the farm, as I call it. No it is not anywhere close to being a farm but there is tons to do nonetheless. Lots of WEEDING was done over the weekend......I weeded big time three weeks ago before I left for the East Coast. Rain brought them back.....Let's put it this way, I got a lot of thinking in while I was pulling them up. But I never pull all of them......a garden needs some weeds!

Speaking of weeds....when I was back East, I made stop at Longwood Gardens in the Philadelphia area. I had not been their in 20 years. Yes, their were NO WEEDS. The very large conservatory was just beautiful and the orchids...WOW. I might just have to give a go at growing orchids again. Shirley, you used to live in PA. Did you ever visit Longwood? Anybody else ever go?

No snow here, tiz 95...I have my ripped up tank top and shorts on...heavenly. But I would enjoy a little bit more Winter...........

And my tomato list....I am not growing as many varieties this year but growing a lot more of each variety.

Stump Of The World....a favorite of mine

Anna Russian.....love this

Sioux....love this

Jd"s Select....pretty good

Limbaughs Legacy....new for me

Neves Azorean Red....new for me

Plate de Chateurnard (sp).....new for me

Variegated Tomato...just planted this one. New to me...

Super Sweet 100....this is a goodie

Homestead 24.....love this

Mountain Princess....pretty good

All of the above are up and happy....knock on wood!

Today, I am going to plant some dwarfs...I am a little late on planting these but will give it a go.

You are reminding me...I bought plaintain seeds...need to plant those. I don't think I have ever eaten plaintains.

Shirley, did my bracket this morning........March Madness is on its way!! YAH!

Happy Day to all......

Annie

"Stump of the World" is one of my all-time favorites! I originally bought a pack a couple years ago, thinking it was such an odd name, and it's turned out to be a huge, flavor-packed rival to Brandywine, "Suttuth's."

If you've never tried it, I also recommend "Orange Minsk," another big beefsteak. Sweeter than Stump of the World, but very "meaty" and great on burgers. My 10-year-old son requests it be grown in the garden every year, and he babies those plants like a mother hen.

Yesterday when the sun was out, I went out to my herb bed, and noticed that the compost I had added there in the fall is now a bed of baby weeds! They're easy to manage, just simple tilling. MY 6-year-old daughter got out her hot-pink gardening kit and helped till over some of the renegades, lol

Well, Annie, I would send some more winter if I could. It's still snowing here and VERY cold. The roads look BAD. Can't complain, tho, like Margo said, it's been a mild winter, up to now, in these parts!

Lisa, I didn't know that about horseradish. My grandmother always had a patch of it, haven't eaten any in years. And what kinds of herbs do you grow?

Weeding already, Annie?! And Lisa and her daughter! Another question, Lisa, what do you mean by "simple tilling"? By hand? I think its great that your kids are involved with gardening!

Annie, I have never been to Longwood Gardens. Just googled it and they are beautiful! Not too many weeds there, I'm guessing!

I fill out the Bracket, just for fun. I always take Bucknell, both Michigans and VCU (my daughter went to grad school there). I look for Gonzaga and Michigan State to be in the Finals - yeah, I know, dream on! And what happened to UConn and the Illini?

Off to eat more dinner, have a great night, All,

Shirley!

Tomatoes don't like my garden so I'll just skip commenting on them.

Lisa, I tried horseradish once and it died after about a year. I must have done something wrong.

Annie, I have been to Longwood Gardens in the wintertime. It was beautiful.

I found these little guys blooming this week and don't remember getting them. Did one of ladies send them in a swap?

Ok, so this was last Sunday March 5th looking off my back porch.

And today, the temperature sign by the bank at 5pm said 87 degrees! Temps have shot up since that last cold spell / hail / snow and the weeds are sooooooo happy :-) Forecast was for 70 - I thought it was too hot ... I' ve snapped back all the lids on the jugs and am misting them a few times a day. We'll probably get another cold spell but a lot of times here we simply don't get spring - go from cold and wet to too hot for seedlings - had my fingers crossed for a decent transition this year.

Thank you Shirley - finally got to the post office and got my coloring pages. They're beautiful.

Ruth - Lucky! I didn't send them but love Galanthus / Snowdrops. In the right place they'll multiply but I've found they don't multiply here so I get new ones every few years.

I'd meant to add that you ladies are sending me to Google to look up all these tomatoes. Put Stump of the World and Orange Minsk into my seed spreadsheet - started a new page for 2018 as this year's garden is more than full!

The folks on the growing tomatoes forum are pretty passionate, and it turns out many of them do grow their tomatoes in pots - some 5 gallon pots although the general recommendation is at least 8 gallon or bigger.

Ruth, I have trouble with horseradish, too. My first horseradish plant died and I'm on the second one, but it doesn't look happy either. I guess it's a comment on our poor soil and hot dry summer, it's even hard to grow mint here! Sometimes I think a weed garden would be a lot easier.

Jeanne

I have visited Longwood Gardens in the spring and fall. It is so beautiful in both of those seasons.I bet winter with snow would be a treat too. Longwood is worth a visit at any time.

I grew Stump of the world once and it did not do well but it was a very hot dry season. I even lost a bunch of day lilies that year. Maybe I need to try it again.

Speaking of questionables........ I'm planting comfrey again. Here in AZ I'm not worried about it swallowing the house. Missouri, well maybe there it might. We shall see.

And, over the weekend I day a place selling seed for varigated plantain!

Good Morning!

Ladies, we have a new member, her name is Kaylee and she is brand new to Houzz/GW. Would anyone like to volunteer as her sponsor? She should be on shortly to tell us something about herself! Welcome to FOTESS, Kaylee, nice to have you with us!

And today's Weed Bingo word is: Broadleaf Plantain!

Words chosen so far are: Dandelion, Chickweed, Henbit, Wild Garlic, Annual Bluegrass, Wild Violets, Lambsquarters, Prostrate Knotweed and Broadleaf Plantain.

Have a great day,

Shirley!

What would a sponsor do? I'd be happy to volunteer but don't know how it all works...

In my herb garden this year I have an elderberry bush, a bay laurel, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme (like the song), various types of basil (I scatter those in the tomato beds, too), oregano, horseradish (you can bury a kiddie pool under the garden soil to prevent it from spreading), cilantro, dill, etc.

New for this year is a tea/medicinal garden bed. I've got a lot growing indoors under lights.

My daughter has a hot pink kid's garden tool set, and "hand tills" the baby weeds (similar to tilling under cover crops) with her little gardening fork/rake. She turns over the top layer of soil with the weeds, and tills them into the compost/sol. Any larger weeds get pulled or dug out with a little shovel.

We've got little snowflakes flying this morning, and I have to run to the store to grab some coffee! I can't wait for this weekend! The weather is finally supposed to warm up into the 70's again! It's winter's last gasp!

Lisa

Lisa, thanks for considering becoming a sponsor, but Annie just houz/messaged me to say that she would sponsor Kaylee. (sounds like a great herb garden).

Thanks, Annie!

Jeanne could probably tell you more about the sponsorship, but essentially, if you are new to Houzz and don't have any trades "under your belt" you need a sponsor - they answer any questions, give hints and advice, etc. They are also responsible for any swap not sent by the sponsoree. They hang in there with the sponsoree for her first three swaps.

Speaking of Jeanne, also Katie and Kaylee, I hope you all got my Houzz messages last night!

Shirley!

Oh, ok!

Lisa, your herb garden sounds fantastic.

Welcome Kaylee.

Shirley, I did not receive a message.

We have a beautiful sunny day here in North Texas expecting a high of around 65.

Ruth, sorry for the confusion - I messaged Jeanne, Katie and Kaylee!

Lots of Juncos at my birdfeeder today, I think they scared those obnoxious little sparrows away! And the Cardinals are putting in a late season appearance. Haven't seen much of them this year.

Later!

Shirley!

Sorry Shirley, I thought you had sent messages to everyone. I was thinking maybe it was a new address list.

Not a problem, Ruth!

I think Katie can update the list without sending a new one every time. I know that Maggie's address was added to the link Katie sent me, without additional emails/messages. If anyone needs the list, just ask Katie for the link!

Love the Juncos Shirley - they're migrating folks for me - I don't have them in the summer, they have enough sense not to stick around in the heat we get but I also have them now.

WEEDS - so, back in my SF Bay area days - Garden Tour in Oakland landscape designer named Bob Clark and Raul Zumba had edged the entire front of a perennial bed with Purple Mustard and it was gorgeous. I bought seed and had been growing it ever since, although I never did edge a bed with it. So, moved here, became a Master Gardener and Googled everything before bringing it to a plant sale - low and behold black mustard (and another mustard) is a noxious weeed in CA. Didn't check it out fully (oops), just stopped collecting seed and potting up. Turns out it's not mygorgeous Osaka Purple Mustard I need to worry about, they're completely different animals (this is a Brassica and they're something else). Found some old seed, just tossed it around last year and I do have it growing (yea!) so I'll let go these seed to replenish my collection. It does bolt with our usually hot spring weather so it's not a bed edger for me - just a nice pop of purple leaves among the daffodils (and a very spicy leaf to add judiciously to things).

Welcome to FOTESS, Kaylee!

Jeanne

Shirley ... your package is on the way I have tracking if needed.

Maggie ... your Osaka Purple Mustard IS gorgeous!

Lisa ... I agree, your herb garden sounds amazing.

Kaylee ... Welcome to FOTESS! =)

Kaylee -- Welcome. :)

Lisa -- Love the herb garden!

Maggie -- That purple mustard is absolutely lovely! What a pretty filler plant.

:-) Here's a photos from folks who did it better (from a Pin, I"ve not been to this garden) Bellingrath Garden

Hi everyone! Thanks for the warm welcome and thank you Annie for sponsoring me :)

My name's Kaylee and I'm from the Seattle area. I grew up in the forest by a river and now I'm trying to recreate my childhood in the front yard, luckily my boyfriend is very supportive. He had honey bees when he was a kid so they're next on the list. Them and some chickens!

I've always wanted to live on a farm in the country, unfortunately now that I'm here it's getting developed, very sad but we're on the look out for something better. And that hasn't stopped me from planting anything I can get my hands on! This is only my third year gardening and already it's looking great, shockingly I actually got some seeds in the ground in time for spring! I love growing edible flowers and things you can't find in the store, like yellow watermelon and purple peppers, and my family loves them too! Right now I'm on the hunt for a good orange tomato to surprise my sister with. My mom had a garden her entire life until she moved to Washington so I grow a lot of things she likes. And she LOVES tomatoes. So I do too. We used to can stewed tomatoes all summer with my little sisters and it's still one of my favorite things to do together.

I'm can't tell you how happy I am I found this site, I have exactly one gardening friend and she's not nearly as bonkers about it as I am. I'm excited to get to know everyone! I wasn't sure how much of an introduction to give so hopefully this isn't too long and rambly! In summary: forest gardening, colorful food, family fun, canning, in denial of the fact that I am in the suburbs, happy to be here!

Sounds like you're going to fit right in here, Kaylee!

Jayeanne, I'll be on the lookout for the package; yours in going out tomorrow, if the glue dries!

Maggie, where did you find the seeds for the purple mustard? I checked out the link to Bellingrath, I've never been there either, but that name is so familiar to me, can't think why.

Game on tonight, I'll be back on when I need to take a break - we're playing Cleveland - in Cleveland. Never a good scenario for the Pistons.

Shirley!

Welcome Kaylee! You will love this group of really special garden ladies! I sure do!

Ladies, I'm getting notices that HP is going to update my computer, will be back when they are done!

More on weeds - I was Googling to see how long mustard seed was known to be viable (the seed company recommendations - those 3 to 5 years are really so you have a high germination rate) and found this on a Fed site: "Prof. W. J. Beal, of the State University of Michigan, started one of the
earliest of these tests. He buried 20 pint
bottles of weed seeds mixed with sand
in the autumn of 1879. Each bottle
contained 50 seeds each of 20 kinds of
weedy plants. He buried the 20 bottles,
with mouths tilted downward, 18
inches below the soil surface.

After 40 years in the soil, but not
after 50 years, seeds of the following
five plants were still viable: Amaranthus
retroflexus (pigweed), Ambrosia dalior
(ragweed), Lepidium virginicum (pepper-
grass), Plantago major (plantain), and
Portulaca oleracea (purslane).

After 40 and 50 years, but not after
60 years, two additional species grew:
Brassica nigra (mustard) and Polygonum
hydropiper (knotweed).

After 40, 50, and 60 years, but not
after 70 years, Silene noctiflora (eatchfly)
grew.

And after 70 years, three species
were still germinable: Oenothera biennis
(evening-primrose), Rumex crispus (a
dock), Verbascum blattaria (mullein)."

The article is pretty fascinating (to a nerd like me anyway as it starts off talking about some of the oldest seed that has germinated). There's actually quite a few tests on weed seeds as they're the bane of the farmer, but seeds aren't that different within a species - I bet any verbascum seed you might have and think is old isn't 70 years old!

Welcome Kaylee! Shirley, I'll just pop some of my old stuff in the mail to you with a note to plant the whole packet. Checked the web and Bellingrah is in Alabama - not sure if that helps you out. I'd hoped my link would go directly to the larger mustard picture (you can click on it) but alas, it went to the blog page with teeny pics.

Maggie -- Awesome info! And your pack is going in the mail tomorrow. Tracking number: 9400 1096 9993 9771 1552 13

No updates yet. And I agree, Erica, awesome info indeed. No wonder we can't get rid of those weeds!

Maggie, I would appreciate it! Thank you! And I think I figured out the "Bellingrath" thing - would you believe there's a reference to those gardens in "To Kill a Mockingbird"? Shades of Boo Radley!

The Pistons are getting slaughtered.

Shirley!

Erica - I'd just put the finishing touches on yours and will mail and have a tracking number tomorrow :-) .

Shirley - WOW! you have a great memory. I had no idea it was referenced in that book.

Kaylee...Welcome!! You are now officially a FOTESSER or is it a FOSSETTE?? LOL!

I could not say it any better than Doug Larson.....so true.

"A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows."
Doug Larson

Happy Wednesday!

Annie

Morning, Ladies!

I haven't been up this early for quite a while! Lots of running around today, so I'll post the Weed Bingo words, yes, words, now! Two words today, celebrating heaven knows what, certainly not a Piston win, but in any event, here are the words for today: Purslane and Nimbleweed.

Words chosen so far are: Dandelion, Chickweed, Henbit, Wild Garlic, Annual Bluegrass, Wild Violets, Lambsquarters, Prostrate Knotweed and Broadleaf Plantain, Purslane and Nimbleweed.

And here's an Assignment for you - Tell me everything you know about the weed, Lion's Tooth.

Have a great day, All!

Shirley!

Lion's tooth What is a Lion’s Tooth, you ask? It’s an abundant wildflower- many call it a weed- that has an interesting name origin.

The name of this particular nemesis of manicured lawns comes from the French, who originally called it dent de lion, or lion’s tooth. Somebody saw a resemblance in its coarsely toothed leaves with the fearsome beasts’s dental layout, so there you go. More recently, the French term for this flower is pissenlit, which roughly means “pee in the bed”, which refers to this plant’s diuretic qualities. An English folk name echoes this- “pissabeds”. Our modern name is a corruption of the original French word, rendered as “dandelion”. It was a bit of an odd journey through language to arrive at this name!

Dandelions are part of a large genus of flowers, though we typically call 2 species of worldwide distribution by this name- the Common Dandelion and the Red-Seeded Dandelion. They are extremely hardy and grow in any disturbed soil. This is partly due to the fact that it can fertilize its own seeds, and each plant is able to produce 5,000 seeds a year. They are commonly called weeds because homeowners don’t appreciate their presence on their lawns, nor do farmers like it when they show up in their fields. However, dandelions have a good side.

Dandelions are edible if you’re not allergic to them- you can eat the flowers, the young leaves make good salads and can be cooked like spinach; the roots can be ground into a coffee substitute, which is naturally caffeine-free. Roots can also be used as a vegetable in soups. The flowers can be made into wine. This plant has a good amount of vitamins and minerals, so it’s actually quite nutritious to consume. People have been eating this plant for thousands of years, for good reasons.

I know it's dent de lion but I always picture a dandy lion with a top hat and a cane! The flowers look like a round lion's head with a yellow mane.

Seeds were first brought over on the Mayflower as a food crop and medicine, and for wine making. We used to put dandelion petals in banana and zucchini bread, even pound cake, it has a nice warm honey kind of flavor. Buds and leaves are also good in stir fry, soy sauce works really well with the bitterness. Never had dandelion wine but I do have the book by Ray Bradbury.

They look very similar to yellow salsify and sow thistle (except dandelion grow on a single hollow stem) I wonder if they all have the same diuretic properties?

The dandelion blossom has fluffy parachutes attached to it's seeds for the purpose of dispersing them far and wide. The wind does a fine job and is occasionally assisted by youngsters who want to make a wish.

These willing travelers have even migrated into Denali National Park in Alaska. I remember hearing reports of how many pounds of dandelion roots volunteers were able to dig in a week of work. I do not know if they are still trying to keep it out or not but I'll willing to bet that the Dandelion will win this battle.

Dandelion petals were added to the feed of commercially grown chickens to make the skin look more yellow (Buttery) and increase their eye appeal.

Wow ladies - great info! Not sure I can add .... Ah, here we go (Google is your friend). Snooped dandelion jam recipes after seeing it mentioned on one of Amy's links. One (I'll let the site remain nameless) was half this and took 2 TBL extract - that's a lot! So, settled on sharing this quick and easy one the Martha Stewart site - she doesn't sterilize and seal, just has you refrigerate and use it in 2 weeks. Some of the recipes out there are half this - so I"d probably halve Martha's if just checking it out. My dandelions aren't in bloom yet, if I try this, I'll let you know.

When I was a kid, my Grandmother told us that if we picked 100 dandelions and gave them to her, that we wouldn't have to wear shoes outside. She made the best recipes using those flowers, and I had happy, dirty feet!

Just finished my coloring page! I had "Cockleburs."

Oh you creative wonders! Looks great.

Kaylee welcome to the group! We'll be your crazy garden buddies anytime and all the time! Heidi

Yes! Welcome to the group, Kaylee! We have a lot of fun here. I have tons to share, so feel free to message me anytime if you want to do a trade or SASE (self-addressed stamped envelope) or something. Warm weather is almost here! Happy gardening!

Lisa

Lisa -- Holy cow! You are a fantastic artist! Great job with your picture.

Well Done, Ladies!

First of all, good job, Amy, Kaylee, Beth, Maggie and Lisa! Lots of great information there! Many things I didn't know about Lion Ears!
Secondly, BEAUTIFUL pictures, Lisa and Margo! Very Good! Love the Bricks, Margo! Lisa, what did you color your picture with?

And, remember, you have until the 25th to post your coloring page. We'll vote for Best in Show, on the 26th and 27th.

Long day today, but it's finally done. I have another running day tomorrow, so I might be on early again. Last night was the first time I set my alarm since I retired!

And, last but not least, Pink, your Weedy package went out today. I have the confirmation number if we need it.

Have a great evening, All,

Shirley!

I used Micron black technical pens, and Prisma watercolor markers/pencils. I absolutely love to dabble in all things creative. Gardening included! There's always something to learn and it keeps me both curious and humble.

We're supposed to FINALLY get some much-needed warm weather starting tomorrow here in Nashville, TN. I can't wait to get outside and catch up on a few things.

My last-remaining hen who the kids named, "Chubby Cheeks," passed away. She was the lone survivor of a coyote attack a few months ago. I recently bought some new chicks at the co-op to raise and keep her company, but I think either illness or loneliness beat us to it. We plan to make some better adjustments to the coop tomorrow when it's warmer, and do all we can to make this next batch of chickens as happy and spoiled rotten as possible.

I hope you all have a wonderful evening!

Lisa

Not sure what's going on, had a houzz message that there was new comment on the site, about 40 minutes ago. Don't see it. Did get to read part of it, from Lisa, telling us what she used to color her picture. Wonder what's going on?

Erica - your tracking number (at my post office the link won't be active until tomorrow, always takes an overnight so don't worry that it won't show tonight).

Shirley - not sure what's up - this morning I couldn't connect to a server here for a bit.

Heidi, thank you so much, I definitely need more garden buddies!

Lisa I might just take you up on that! And I love your art style it's very similar to my sister's, the shading especially. We're illustrating a Lovecraft-esque picture book and that's the style we're going for, eerie but cute! Mine comes off more "elegantly sinister" if you know what I mean. Not great for kids really but it's coming along!

Morning, All!

Todays Weed Bingo word is: Smartweed!

Words called so far: Dandelion, Chickweed, Henbit, Wild Garlic, Annual Bluegrass, Wild Violets, Lambsquarters, Prostrate Knotweed, Broad Leaf Plantain, Purslane, Nimbleweed, and Smartweed.

Important Programming Note: I'm going to open a new post to continue the swap with. Anyone who has posted their coloring page can re-post it on the new site, if they would like to.

THIS SITE IS CLOSED - PLEASE GO TO NATIONAL WEED APPRECIATION DAY - PART TWO TO CONTINUE WITH THE SWAP!

Have a great day,

Shirley!