October 2020, Week 2
Comments (76)
dbarron
3 years agoRelated Discussions
March 2020, Week 2, Spring Has Sprung!
Comments (98)It rained on and off all day, though mostly drizzle and fog and mist, so I couldn't do anything outdoors. There was nothing I wanted to do indoors. So, we went to Gainesville "adventuring", just to see what was going on. There wasn't really anything much that we needed, though I wanted to get some sour cream and some ice cream if the stores had any. I was just thinking that if the coronavirus becomes too common around us, we'd just stay home but that hasn't happened yet, so I wanted to get out for a little while. Atwood's had a ton of plants outside, and I wanted to stay out and look at them, but it was raining, and it started raining harder, so I quashed that dream and went inside. I bought more vinegar for pickling and a few minor things, but nothing big. The major revelation was that the sell bacon grease (rendered bacon fat) as an official product! I think it was called Bacon Up, and they had small containers and really large ones. We've saved it from cooking our bacon forever and used it forever in cooking certain things, but I've never seen it sold in stores. It was kind of cool to see it there. Except for Atwood's being completely out of toilet paper and mostly out of paper towels, the store seemed normal. No panic shopping there. So then we went right next door to Wal-Mart, which did have several aisles with empty or mostly empty shelves, but once again, it was just the predictable items: beans, rice, pasta (all about 90-95% gone), canned meat and canned fish, soups, (about 90% gone), toilet paper and paper towels (100% gone), and bottled water (95% gone, and most of what was left was just distilled water in gallon jugs). I did buy us some sour cream, ice cream and a few other minor items but, really, most of the store looked fine. We didn't even go to the other side of the store, but I saw no hand sanitizer, liquid soap, rubbing alcohol, OTC painkillers and OTC cold/flu medications in anybody's carts, so I am sure those still remain sold out, as they largely have been for several weeks here. That's largely because it has been an awful flu season and those items have been hard to find since early January. Wal-Mart had a ton of plants out in the rain, so I didn't get to see them either, but I could tell as we walked by that they had a ton of cool season transplants that were getting pretty old and big, and a ton of freshly arrived smaller warm season transplants like tomatoes, peppers and squash. About the time we were leaving there, my son called and asked me to watch for brown rice because he could use it as part of a homemade bird food formula for his tropical birds if he cannot find more when their current supply is exhausted. Since there wasn't any rice in the two stores we'd just visited, we went to Tom Thumb, which showed the least signs of panic buying. They still had everything, though toilet paper was in fairly limited quantity and paper towels in very limited quantity. They still had all the other foods that were sold out at the Wal-mart up the road, and plenty of people shopping but nobody looked like a panic shopper or a doomsday prepper. I actually am surprised more people weren't stocking up, but maybe all those folks had done so on Friday, since that community had one person awaiting COVID-19 test results. I learned this evening the test was negative. Yay! If the weather is nice tomorrow, which is iffy because rain is in the forecast, I'd love to go plant shopping. I just don't want to do it badly enough that I'm willing to shop in the rain. I'm hoping all this rain keeps knocking down the pollen in the air. With family still down in the DFW metro, I follow the news from there closely, and panic buying made everything a big mess, especially at all the big box stores. Desperate metro shoppers were venturing into east Texas from the east side of Dallas, and driving as far as 80 miles without finding what they were looking for. Others drove north up to Sherman, and found a lot there, although I don't think Sherman residents were very pleased to have their stores invaded and raided. : ) Really, adventuring today just reinforced two things: I'm glad we prepared in advance and weren't out frantically searching for a lot of different products. We easily could live without sour cream and Blue Bell Ice Cream if we had to. And, there's lots of plants in the garden centers and the rain is keeping me from seeing them, enjoying them and maybe buying some. Then we came back home to the land of mud and puddles, and I started hating on the rain all over again. Our driveway is a river and more rain is coming. Tim picked up and then dropped a flat of tomato seedlings on the floor. I was not amused but resisted the urge to kill him. I always tell y'all that he is a plant killer---when he comes into the garden, plants die, which is why he stays out of the garden at last 99% of the time. Now he has expanded his killing to innocent seedlings growing under lights indoors. I scooped up everything and saved what I could. There is a reason I always start more than we'll need to plant. Despite the broken and dead seedlings, I should have enough to plant since I wasn't planning on having that many this year anyway. Marleigh, Your husband has my sympathy. I cannot imagine how frustrating all this panic shopping is for people in his industry right now. I saw lots of reports today of many grocery retailers cutting back their hours, even 24-hour stores closing down at night, to allow employees to clean, disinfect and restock and I think that's a great idea. I hope it makes the situation more manageable for the store employees. Here's your book at the website of used book reseller, half price books online: How To Cook A Wolf Larry, Your nutrients do look high, but your soil pH is great. I hate soil tests. Trying to decipher them makes my eyes cross and my brain explode, so I haven't had one done in years. I figure if something is deficient in my soil, I'll be able to see signs in how the plants do or don't perform, and the plants I grow look fine each year and produce well so I just don't worry about it. Your area is like mine---high in minerals. That is the one good thing about clay soil---we are having to scramble and add various nutrients to the soil. Nancy, Are your freezers full of a lot of fish? (grin) That would be my guess. Our freezers are so full after we crammed in the ice cream that we cannot buy another single thing that needs to be in the freezer, but we will eat well without shopping while the coronavirus rolls through the region and makes going out increasingly risky. I did think twice about not going to Gainesville today, but I think this could be our last good weekend to be out rather fearlessly, so wanted to do it. The whole time we were out, I never heard a single cough in any store except in Wal-Mart where one woman was hacking up a lung just outside the lady's room, near the water fountain. Her coughing was so hard and painful it scared me for her. I hope she isn't walking around in public with pneumonia or bronchitis. The cases of coronavirus in the DFW metro are rapidly expanding although I haven't seen reports of any deaths from it yet, as they are similarly expanding in various other major Texas cities, so I think we'll avoid Texas after this weekend and just go north to Ardmore. Tiny is such a garden cat! I used to grow valerian for our cats, but it was such a garden thug that I really didn't want it in the garden and eventually dug it out. Sometimes a volunteer valerian plant still pops up in the yard outside the garden. Valerian has a pheromone that affects some cats the same way that catnip does, and our cats seemed pretty fond of it. They'd walk on it, lie on it, roll on it, etc. just as they did with catnip. Graham crackers with milk was a favorite childhood snack of mine too, and one I still enjoy occasionally as an adult. Rebecca, I am glad you grounded your mom. I'd be doing the same if my mom were still here. I worry about you being around all the sick people that come into the store, so please take good care of yourself too. I've never had anything from High Mowing Seeds that didn't sprout, but I've also not grown zinnias as winter-sown seeds or started them this early since they are true heat lovers. So, I don't know if you've got a germination issue due to the seeds or if maybe it still is too cool for them. Zinnia seeds ought to germinate in about 4 to 8 days if the soil temperature is 75-80 degrees, but will be considerably slower in cooler soil temperatures. I don't "think" the seeds would get cold rot if wintersown, though, because mine reseed every year and I get tons of volunteers in the spring. If cold, wet, clay soil doesn't kill them, then being wintersown shouldn't. Maybe your seeds just need some sunshine and warmth. Jennifer, I always expect late cold weather, but was thinking this might be the Spring that we don't have that. Now it looks like, from your forecast, there's a cold night lurking out there. I don't want to go look at my forecast because I don't want to see the same thing. I don't have any tomato plants planted out either in the ground or in large containers, but my son does, so I'll tell him he needs to watch his extended forecast. While the fruit tree blooms are fading as tiny fruit begin to appear on the trees, the native redbuds are blooming everywhere around us now, and a couple of days ago the first Indian Paintbrush in our wildflower meadow began blooming. While both of these plants will jump the gun and bloom before the end of the freezing weather, they usually don't get too terribly far ahead of the weather either, so seeing the paintbrush blooms made me think that maybe the cold weather is behind us now. Oddly, the redbuds are blooming just about right on time, and not a month early like the fruit trees were. It is interesting that they didn't jump the gun and bloom far too early. Look how much I wrote y'all! I practically wrote a book tonight. (grin) There's no one awake but me. The grandkids aren't here, the pets are asleep and Tim is upstairs, presumably asleep although his phone keeps ringing so I think he is half asleep and getting crisis calls from work. Today, at the airport (and at any US airport with inbound international flights where passengers must clear Customs), US citizens and residents rushing home to beat the travel ban found themselves packed into the Customs area like sardines (by the thousands at DFW) as they lined up to fill out questionnaires designed by the Department of Homeland Security and U. S. Customs. Let's just say that frustrated travelers were posting photos and complaints on Twitter and leave it at that. Maybe it wasn't the best choice for them to fly off on trips overseas with the coronavirus pandemic making travel more risky? The airports did not create this situation, and those two government agencies are trying to catch people who might be traveling inbound with coronavirus so they can keep us all a bit more safe. It just seems like an unfortunate situation for the travelers to find themselves caught up in. Maybe they should have stayed home and planted gardens or gone panic shopping or something.... Kim, I hope you're having a great time in west Texas. Dawn...See MoreAugust 2020, Week 5-September 2020, Week 1
Comments (63)Yay for the violets, Nancy! And...you still have summer squash? The bugs killed ours long ago. Even the C. Moschata. I am pooped. So tired. We shopped today and I don't have to tell anyone that shopping is very unpleasant right now. However, Dillards allows you to try on clothes and I found a dress. It's not exactly the bohemian/fairy princess dress that I wanted. But it fits nicely and its a forest green color...and it's Robin Hoodish (not really), so I bought it. Paid more than what I wanted to pay, but it's done. DONE! Came home around 3 and sliced, breaded and froze okra. Then figured out how to use my pressure canner as a water bath canner and pickled some okra. On my own. The lids sealed so hopefully we're good. My house is getting to the point that I am very unhappy. I know a clean house isn't the most important thing in the world....but I enjoy a clean home. It just feels nice to me. However, a clean house isn't anywhere in my near future. I am hoping the robot vacuums are cheap this Christmas. That will at least help. We are celebrating Mason's BD tomorrow and that will be fun. It's at a very good restaurant that I haven't been to in a long time. Then grocery shopping and then maybe starting more lettuce seed. In between all of those things is animal care. Lots of animal care. There's always one of them doing something they shouldn't be doing or somewhere they shouldn't be hanging out. One of the fat buff orpingtons has figured out how to get out of the chicken yard. And she isn't swift. She is dumb--beautiful but dumb and wanders over by the dogs. So, I'm constantly leaving whatever task I'm working on to catch her or entice her back to the yard. And everyone is always hungry all the time. The 3 young pullets mingled with the main flock today. It went very well. Having a good rooster helps with that. They're roosting in their own coop, though. It will be a gradual thing as always. Momma Blossom will be tired of her chicks soon and those two chicks will need to move to the pullet coop at that time. Although, at least one of those chicks is a cockerel. Tom may or may not start doing meat birds and these two could be the start of it. They won't be THE meat birds, but they might be the parents of. I've named the one I think is a girl. Her name is Gwendolyn, which is sorta funny because Gwendolyn (actually related to Jennifer/Guinevere.) means white ...and Gwendolyn is a dark cornish. I'm simply rambling now....See MoreUMass Extension Landscape Message October 2, 2020
Comments (0)Landscape Message: October 2, 2020 UMass Extension's Landscape Message is an educational newsletter intended to inform and guide Massachusetts Green Industry professionals in the management of our collective landscape. Detailed reports from scouts and Extension specialists on growing conditions, pest activity, and cultural practices for the management of woody ornamentals, trees, and turf are regular features. The following issue has been updated to provide timely management information and the latest regional news and environmental data. ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Environmental Data The following data was collected on or about September 30, 2020. Total accumulated growing degree days (GDD) represent the heating units above a 50° F baseline temperature collected via our instruments for the 2020 calendar year. This information is intended for use as a guide for monitoring the developmental stages of pests in your location and planning management strategies accordingly. This most recent map (9/29) shows about one third of our state in extreme drought and at least half in severe drought: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?MA Water use restrictions and bans in effect in many towns as of 9/17. Check the MassDEP map:https://www.mass.gov/doc/water-use-restrictions-map/download ''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''...See MoreOctober 2020 Week 4
Comments (68)We're almost at time for the next week's thread. I got out this morning and looked over the garden, fall is definitely coming fast. Some thing's foliage looks ratty, others have already gone basal. It's neat seeing the brown eyed susan, cardinal flowers, and greater blue lobelia clumps with their new basal foliage, promises for next year,etc. Colorful foliage and fall crocus are about the only things looking fresh at the moment. Garden cleanup will probably be initiated in a week or so (I want to get the brown eyed susans before they reseed too much). I will probably leave the amsonia, hibiscus, and lobelia stems for the winter, some insects may possibly overwinter in the standing stems (like native bees, I think)....See Moredbarron
3 years ago
luvncannin
3 years agojlhart76
3 years ago
hazelinok
3 years ago
Larry Peugh
3 years agoI will try to post pictures to try to show where I hope to go with the wild life garden.
This is the very south of where I am working. There is a wet weather creek at my feet and I cant walk well enough to go to the property line, which is just this side of the chain link fence down just past the electric pole.
This is where I turned 180 degrees, and now facing north, the proper goes up to the line of up as far as you can see in the picture. The thicket on the right is too dense to walk in. Nearly all my work has been past the electric pole in front of the camera. It is very dry, the green you see is clover I have planted for the wildlife.
I will stop here and start another post, because I am not good at posting and afraid I will loose what I have so far.farmgardener
3 years agoLarry Peugh
3 years ago
We have moved north 2 acres now to where the land goes back out to the highway.. The area ahead is where I plant zinnias. You can see daikon radishes there now. They are the pale green plants along the ditch. I have removed some of the soil through here and placed it on an old road bed that I will show later. You can see the low areas that I create for drainage. I make these every so often, leaving the sod intact when I come back the next growing season to work the organic matter into the soil. This gives a gentle path for the water to drain without washing away the soil. The darker colored plants to the left are forage collards. The wildlife seem to like them better than the radishes, but the radish plants will penetrate the soil better, and leave radish sticking up to catch material washing by.
We have moved north another 150 + feet. This was the pile logs that I had planned on being a critter den till the rotted down enough to plant into. It was a big flop, it created a critter motel for critter to live in while they ate everything in sight. I am going to burn the pile and steal some of that soil to fill in the low spots in the old road bed you see in front of me.
I will post these to pictures, and grab a couple more.Larry Peugh
3 years ago
We have moved up to the north edge of the eastern side of the wildlife garden. Ahead you see a patch of turnips. You can also see the log pile, and the other turnips, radishes, forage collards, and winter peas. The top right you see part of the thicket that I dont plan on doing anything with. There is another patch of radishes, collards and peas the other side of the pickup. Next spring I plan on planting flowers along the highway, except where the drainage areas are, I dont want to disturb the soil and sod.
We have moved west about 150-200 feet and looking north east. These are my Old timey cornfield pumpkins, only about 6 plants survived the critter attacks. I should have 35+ pumpkins to harvest. I would not have had any if I had not put up the electric fence. The pumpkins were not plowed or weeded, and almost no watering.
We have moved another 100 to 150 feet west, looking almost due east. This is a pea patch planted for the critters. I tore up the land, but my neighbor did the rest. I have been staying away from people because I was exposed to covid. we are on the north side of the large thicket where the critters rule. It is too thick to walk in there. This view is also across the pumpkin patch and one of the turnip patches. The west boundary is about 50 to 75 feet behind me. The land across the highway is land that I worked on, or had worked on, but I lease that out. I still do some cleaning on it like spraying and brush hogging.dbarron thanked Larry Peughluvncannin
3 years agodbarron
3 years agoLarry Peugh
3 years agojlhart76
3 years agodbarron
3 years agodbarron
3 years agodbarron
3 years agojlhart76
3 years agoI think there's been a vitamix booth at the fair for as long as I can remember. I love going by there, mainly for the free samples but also for some ideas for smoothies. Of course my walmart special doesn't make them as liquidy as the vitamix does, but they still taste pretty close.
We lost our 3 year old girl (dog, just to clarify) over the weekend. No warning, just threw up & collapsed. Vet couldn't do anything so we had to let her go. Cliff took it pretty hard, so we wound up looking for a new one to join our herd. We named him Shadow because he's always attached to my feet. Only 2 months old so I'm scared he's gonna be a monster. He can't take her place, but maybe the distraction will help. Also, our boys are getting older & we need an active one here to entertain all the guests.
OklaMoni
3 years agoIt's a mystery! How can
so many aphids today be all gone tomorrow?
well, not tomorrows picture, but the stalk next to it. It always works, that the cutting size okra has no aphids. AWESOME!
Actually, I hadn't seen any aphids earlier this week, but yesterday while getting okra, here they were. I just had to go in and get my camera.
dbarron thanked OklaMonidbarron
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agojlhart76
3 years ago
AmyinOwasso/zone 6b