April 2022 Week 3

hazelinok

2 years ago

Happy Easter.

Spring Fling at the end of this week.

Did anyone get any gardening in this weekend?

Featured Answer

jlhart76

2 years ago

Moved rocks. LOTS of rocks. Cussed the former owner for putting in those rocks. And told my husband he was a genius for buying this truck unloader. It's just a roll of heavy duty fabric that you lay down your truck bed (or trailer). Then load up the trailer, & roll the cloth back up & watch everything fall off the end. I was able to unload a trailer filled with rocks in about 15 minutes.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (47)

slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Jen, that sounds great. I have seen the adds for the unloader, and sorta guessed how they work.

I have not done anything garden wise, its been too wet and cool. I did do a little work on my tractor yesterday. I have a lot of fix-up work to do everything around here. I had to replant some onions that got washed away, about half a dozen of them.
Related Discussions
April 2019, Week 3, Spring or Winter or Summer? Who Knows?
Q
Comments (65)
Y'all, I'm working my way backwards as I try to catch up. After 2 days of trying to keep up with 2 healthy, active grandkids, I am brain-dead and my body is not much better off either. Jennifer, We enjoyed the weather with the grandkids and later had a nice visit with Jana at their house. It was our first time there since they began unpacking and I'm impressed with the progress they have made in one week's time. The outdoor tour was the most fun. They had brought photos of their rose tree (more on that in a second) in bloom when they brought the girls over and I identified it as a Peace Rose and told them this variety has a beautiful history that they needed to Google and read. So, I knew it was a tall rose as you could see it through the 8' tall windows in the master bedroom and the rose went taller than the window.....yesterday we went outside and looked at it, sitting there on the south side of their house, and that thing has to be 12-15' tall, and part of it crawls sideways along the house's eaves. It's main trunk looks like a tree trunk. Sadly it is long neglected and we are not sure how much it can be rejuvenated without killing it. Chris wanted to move it, but I nixed that idea as it grows directly adjacent to a medium sized tree (I think that one is a hackberry) and the roots undoubtedly are entwined. So, he is going to take cuttings and raise some. Then, probably each Jan or Feb of the next three years, we'll cut back one of the three long main canes by a large percentage to see if we can spur new growth on that cane. Actually, if it fails with the first cane, I don't know if they'll try again the next year with another cane. I suppose the good news is that the Climbing Peace Rose is not old enough to be original to the period when their home was built in 1932, so they could take it out if they choose without feeling like they were stripping the home of its original plant heritage. I also noticed yesterday that an otherwise weed-filled front bed that runs alongside the covered front porch has three volunteer petunias in it. That entire bed is destined to have the soil amended and small mounded shrubs planted there as it is a pretty narrow bed that could have small mounded shrubs or a ground cover or shorter types of blooming annuals or perennials, but it really doesn't have space for all 3 types of plants between the porch and the sidewalk. With the Peace Rose, I believe they would prefer a new location, so if the cuttings work out and give them plants they may end up taking out both the hackberry tree and the overgrown rose later on. The whole landscape needs work on all 4 sides, so they are busy making plans for that now that their interior is finished and they've moved in. I didn't really find anything of historical interest in their yard, plant-wise, but the back yard has a lovely crop of clover and dandelions for the bees, and that area was being visited by bees, butterflies and one dragonfly yesterday afternoon. Mammy, It is sad but true that at the end of every beautiful day (and some not so beautiful ones as well), we gardeners end up sore and achy and in need of serious pain relief. Jen, I love reseeding zinnias. Mine have reseeded in the same spot for almost 20 years, but every few years I add some new ones to the mix just to keep it all from getting too monotonous. After quite a few years of reseeding, we ended up with mostly pinks and yellows, so I had to sow reds, purples, greens, etc. to get more color back into that bed. Nothing much attracts butterflies all summer long like the zinnias do. Do you have a house full of furbabies this weekend? And, the question is, do the dogs get to hunt for Easter Eggs (or something more dog-like)? Being pooped means a great day, right? Mammy, Welcome to the group and thanks for your kind words. Zinnias were one of the first things I planted here....in 1998 in a raised bed I built behind the area where our home would be built in 1999. Sure, why not plant a garden in the middle of a field a year before construction started on the house? We came up from Texas every weekend to clear overgrown brush and trees and to put up a barbed wire fence around our 14.4 acres. With decades of overgrown vegetation that included heavy woodland, it took us forever just to clear a narrow corridor and fence the land, but coming up every weekend meant I could water my plants (I hauled water up in here cat litter jugs because we hadn't even joined the water co-op and put in our water line yet). Those first two small raised beds had tomato plants, pepper plants, a couple of herbs, hollyhocks and zinnias. What impresses me most now is that the wildlife never bothered them because they've bothered everything we've planted since moving here. I remember the first zinnias I chose were Oklahoma and Will Rogers because, why not? Try as we all might to plan, to amend soil, to do things 'just right', I tend to plunge into planting projects with great enthusiasm and joy, not with a lot of deliberate planning. I just plant stuff and wait to see how it does. How it mostly did in the beginning was that it fed a lot of deer. Nowadays I confine my vast growing experiments to areas within two fenced garden plots with 8' fences, and sometimes one other plot with only a 4' fence, to exclude the deer. More plants survive that way. While I love growing edibles, I mix in flowers and herbs in every bed, which drives my old farmer/old rancher friends absolutely start raving mad because they don't understand why I 'waste' space on anything non-edible. I can tell them until I'm blue in the face that growing food feeds our bodies but growing herbs and flowers helps feed our souls, and they just won't concede I'm right about that. Apparently by planting it all mixed when we moved here 2 decades ago, I violated some unwritten neighborhood rule that the men tended large row gardens with nothing but veggies in them (narrow rows, wide dirt spaces between them to allow the tractor to travel through the garden) and the women were relegated to herbs and flowers in pots on the porch and in a couple of flower beds near the house. I caught hell for that, but just kept on being me and doing my thing. My husband isn't a gardener anyway and works long days that include a 3 hour round-trip commute to Dallas from southern OK every work day, so we would have been in trouble if we chose to garden in the traditional neighborhood style, as we wouldn't have had veggies or fruits grown here on our property I guess. It doesn't matter what mulch you use, just use something. Mine varies from grass clippings (we mow a couple of acres and use absolutely no chemicals on our grassy areas) to chopped/shredded autumn leaves collected in the fall to purchased wood mulch. For many years, several farming/ranching friends gave us bales of old spoiled hay and I mulched like mad with those, but stopped accepting all the kind offers of mulch hay (and livestock manure) in 2010 (after friends gave us 220 square bales of hay) because of the risk of herbicide carryover. It is a lot harder to come up with enough mulch nowadays, but I am glad we have avoided contaminating our garden areas with persistent herbicides. I have had friends, including some right in my own neighborhood, accidentally contaminate their own garden soil with herbicide carryover and kill their own garden plants. They didn't even imagine this was a possibility because they choose not to use that specific class of herbicide on their property, but they forgot they purchased hay in drought years, including in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014, so when they added composted cow manure and horse manure from their own barn to their garden, there was enough herbicide carryover to kill their tomato and bean plants, among other things that year. I am sure that if they'd thought about it in advance, they would have tested their composted manure by doing a bioassay, but they didn't. Luckily, being rural, they just went a little distance away on their large property and built a new garden, but it was a shame that had to abandon the well-amended soil in the original garden plot. Several years ago someone traveling down our rural road in a large spray rig apparently had some sort of accident and apparently lost several gallons of herbicide that ran into our bar ditch. We weren't home at the time, but as soon as I noticed the dying, splotchy grass and wildflowers, we stopped using grass clippings from that area, leaving them there on the ground when we mowed instead of gathering them in the grass catcher. Here we are three years later and the area that took the biggest concentration of that herbicide still remains largely weed-free, and even grass struggles to grow there. I am amazed at how long that spill has contaminated that area, even though I know that it is technically possible. Go ahead and plant those zinnias. My volunteers from past plants are sprouting in a pathway and have been for over a week now, and I have a flat of lemon-colored Profusion Zinnias to plant in the front garden today, and then I'll sow that flat with seeds of the same thing to plant in the back garden in a few weeks. The back garden is the little stepchild on our property---it is vole-infested and I don't plant it until the front garden is full because voles tend to eat anything planted too close to wintery type cold weather, making cool-season crops a no-go back there. Usually if I wait and plant the back garden in May (made easy this year by rain keeping it too wet to plant any earlier), the voles don't start eating plants until we get hot and dry in July, so at least everything back there has a chance for a while. Nancy, I know you've been busy with the family gathering and loved seeing the group photos on FB. What a large clan y'all have here! Kim, I am thinking of your mom, you, your sister (was she okay after that trip to the ER?) and the rest of your family. I hope this weekend is filled more with joy, peace and comfort than tears as y'all are traveling down a tough road right now. Sharon, I hope the service brought y'all comfort and joy yesterday as you all shared your memories of your mom. I smile when I think of her in heaven, reunited with your dad, and I see both of your parents in you and your girls. Larry, Did you get more rain? Did it freeze? George, I am sorry about your plants. I hate surprise freezes and am glad you had backups. Jacob, Can you start planting in earnest now or is the weather still too dicey? Rebecca, Sorry about the car repair bill. I hope that plant therapy helped. Amy, Is your dad doing alright? I know y'all must be busy getting ready for another wedding---this seems to be your family's year for weddings. Okay, see there...I have been paying attention and trying to stay caught up with everyone here in the group, both on FB and here on the forum, even though the girls have kept me running. Why does God give you crazy-active and crazy-busy grandkids after your body is old, exhausted and cannot run, jump and climb like it once did? We should have had the grandkids first when we were younger. I need to go start this week's thread as the weather takes aim at us yet once again, but enjoy today y'all. I intend to spend at least half of the day in the garden today. However, we did have three fire calls yesterday, and one was an All-Page, and I am concerned the All-Page fire will rekindle and ruin our Easter plans. It is odd for us to have a forest fire and not a pasture fire anyway, and our relative greenness is 89%, so that All-Page fire never should have happened. Somebody started that fire on purpose. We weren't even here....we were up at the kids' house in Ardmore, and by the time we stopped in at three stores, picked up dinner and headed home, they didn't need us at the fire. I guess we would have gone after we got home but we got lucky, and I was relieved because I felt too tired to deal with it. Dawn
...See More
April 2021 Week 3
Q
Comments (62)
HJ - petunia is a possibility especially if the true leaves have a fuzziness to them. I always struggle to ID petunias at first. They’re always one that I see come up and let grow because my brain says “this is something.” I’m not sure though until one day I look at them and facepalm for not realizing they’re petunias. As you all know, I have tomatoes in the ground. My lows are not forecast as low as some other areas but it’s going to be a close call. I’ll come back and add pictures of how we’ve covered my raised tomato beds because Houzz crashes for me when I try to add pics. I have a wireless thermometer in one of the beds and with nothing but a tarp, the temp is staying about 5° higher than the outdoor temp. Knock on wood that should be enough to keep them above freezing. Everything else is in my house so it looks more like plants live here than humans but I think Kim wins because I can only imagine in the tinyhouse! Larry, I’m impressed with your sweet potatoes. I might have a few slips ready in May but generally dont have “enough” until early June. I grow Red Delight which I understand is the same as Diane. I got 3 varieties from Taggerts garden center in Hennessy maybe 5 years ago. This was one and had been my most consistent performer. I’ve tried other varieties with not much luck so I will probably just continue with this one. My daughter is rooting a slip from one of the varieties that I got from my organic farmer friend that have sprouted in the pantry. She doesn’t remember which bag it came off of though so I don’t know which of the 3 varieties it is that he grows. The kiddo and I are struggling to start some Neptunia lutes (yellow puff) seeds. It’s the thornless native sensitive plant. Someone on the Oklahoma Native Plant group linked me to a research paper on how to start them. I guess the nursery trade is interested. It found scarification produced the best results. Our initial run at it didn’t work and we only have 9 seeds. So last night we tried a few treatments with 5 of the remaining seeds. The tests when we nicked with a knife or scratched with a nail file then soaked in water overnight seem the most promising. both had expanded from soaking up water. The research paper said that imbibing was the challenge with germinating these seeds so I’m crossing my fingers that we might have made some progress with this round. Compost Awareness Week is coming up - the first full week in May and as the state coordinator, I’m feeling like a slacker. Doing much was limited this year due to covid but its always easy to wish you’d done more. I was able to reach out to someone at OSU who I met just before COVID last year. She’ll be able to distribute posters to all 77 county extension offices. I’ll run those up to Stillwater on Thursday afternoon. That’s really all I’ve done this year though - pass out posters. Of course, the thought of being in Stillwater meant Bustani’s is calling. I was able to get an appt but I need absolutely nothing! We’ll see what I leave with. ;) speaking of needing nothing, I continue adding requests in the spring fling thread but have no idea where I’ll put most of what I’m getting. Where’s the “who are we? Gardeners! What do we want? More plants! Where will we put them? We don’t know!” meme when you need it! Have a great day and best of luck weathering the freezes!
...See More
Week 1 April 2022
Q
Comments (75)
Nancy, me too! I'm going to try sweet potatoes in mineral tubs this year. I didn't order any from George. Has he already sent yours? If not, I wonder if we could share shipping and I could pick mine up at the SF? That's if the timing works out. I know shipping has gone up a lot for him and I don't need to order more than a dozen. Anyway....let me know what you think. I should have made my own, but didn't. Also, my oakleaf hydrangea is leafing out. It looks good so far. It struggled the last two year. Lori gave some advice to me. So, hopefully it will continue to look good this year. Also a cattle panel fan. And a handy panel fan. Have many of those. I'm gonna do it. I'm going to put in the first 6 tomatoes this afternoon. Two trays are in the ridiculously big state---and I didn't even start them early! Oddly, the other trays aren't looking great and aren't so big. They don't look bad really, just a little something. I suspect they got wind burned. Maybe. It's the Jet Setters and Heidi. They all got a drink of fish emulsion this morning, so maybe they will perk up a bit. I would like them to get just a bit bigger before giving them out and before bringing them to the SF. Other than that, I cleaned up the area around the chicken pen. Tore out the old morning glory vine. I hope morning glory seeds aren't poisonous to chickens because they gobbled them down. And, the scarlet salvia. And whatever else was there and dead. Also trimmed up the "coral honeysuckle" or whatever kind of plant it is. I believe Dawn said the name was/is Pink Lemonade. It would be my luck that she accidentally dug up something else. LOL And that is what I have. Oh well, it is doing the job of shading the chicken pen, so that's good. And it's not ugly. I did quite a trim on it though. It just sat for a couple of years and really took off last year. Then....I scattered some wildflower type of seed that I picked up from the Okies for Monarchs group....and some that Stella gave me. We'll see if anything comes up. I scattered and watered down a lot of seed. Rest time is over. Time to deliver eggs and plant tomatoes. It's hard putting those first ones in.
...See More
August 2022 Week 3
Q
Comments (33)
Jennifer, that sure is cute, but I would sure hate to try to till that. I agree about liking the natural stone, this part of the country is just eaten up with rock. There is a town a few miles away called Rock Island, Oklahoma, there are rock quarries all around this area. Rock use to be cheap, but those days are gone. I have all of the fall tilling done now, except the food plots I am putting in. Neighbor is going to try to have all the fall stuff plant in a day or two. I brush hogged the pumpkin patch yesterday, it will have to cut up with the disc before it is tilled, but I may not have time to do that, I have another hospital trip planned for next week, depending on what is done, I may be down for a month. I expect that Madge or my daughter will shoot me in the foot if I start walking toward a tiller or tractor. We are already getting more okra than we need, I would like to find some way to use it, but Madge and I are both getting to the point that we don't want to do a lot, and she does not want to freeze as much this year. Hwy20, I would spray those stones, I don't like Black Widows or scorpions. Kim, I am feeding your grasshoppers very well, but I will need to send them home before frost, because I wont have enough food to overwinter them. I see on the computer that storms may be pushed this way. I hope we don't get a flash flood like we did earlier in the year, with all the ground I have tilled we wont have any soil left.
...See More
OklaMoni
2 years ago
I sawed and hit it with my axe, but the current root I am trying to take out isn't budging. The "lawn", is a whole other story. I use my masonry hammer to dislodge dandelions... the ground is so darn hard and dry...

but yes I did some yard work, before I did a loop around the lake.

Moni
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Moni, I am sorry, I wish I could have sent some of my water your way.

I seldom have a lot of problems with roots, but I have the tools to take out most of them. I do have to hire stumps taken out sometimes.
Nancy Waggoner
2 years ago
That WAS a genius idea, Jen! Worked out great for you, huh! AND really? You think the previous owner hauled rocks in? Wow. You've seen pictures of the rocks here, haven't you? lol We oughtta sell rocks.

I am so sorry it's so dry over there, you guys! How miserable for you. We've had plenty of rain here--about the right amount. I'll cross fingers and hope the rain finds you. Not the way to start a gardening season!

We didn't do anything over the weekend--it was too chilly! Today I planted Daikon radishes and rattail radishes and weeded some. I finally see asparagus! Yay. It popped up 3-4 days ago in 4 places. Be another year before we can pick any. And oh dear. The giant red mustart has reseeded and is coming up among all the strawberry plants. Not a good companion plant. But seems strawberries are worse for mustard than vice versa. . . and since I don't need the mustard, maybe I'll pull it. . . and maybe it'll be just fine.

Wow--the wind should be powerful SF Saturday. I hope it helps blow us there or back. Potato salad. Paper plates, power towels (for napkins). I've been fantasizing about Lisa's cornbread salad. . . I've yet to make it. Maybe this summer.
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
I had a pretty good day, did not do much, I planted some Roma ll beans, cleaned a couple of rows of onions, and worked on my mulch piles. I have the piles in pretty good shape for now, I have one pile I need to burn, but it is too windy, and the pile is too wet.

My plants are sick, they need to go in the ground, maybe some of them tomorrow.

I have a few beets coming up, the clover live mulch is also coming up. I have no idea if this living mulch is for me, but I think it would have worked better if I had plant the clover last fall, and then just used post hole diggers and planted the tomatoes through the clover.

I also planted some potato peelings, there were a few sprouts, so just though I would see what would happen.
jlhart76
2 years ago
Larry, I did that one year unintentionally. I buried some kitchen scraps, including some potato peelings, in my flowerbed. Then a stray plant popped up & I spent a month trying to figure out what I planted. Kept thinking "that looks like potato leaves, but I didn't plant any potatoes this year...."
Kim Reiss
2 years ago
First of the 30”x10’ planted. I definitely over planted but I will thin when I come back from fling. Tomorrow I will cover with row cover.
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Jen, I just dont do well with potatoes, I think that it is so wet here may be part of the problem.

I may not be able to come up with any Covington sweet potatoes this year. I just let the kids and who ever, just go and pick out my stored produce when ever they want any, Last spring I had a hard getting slips from Red Wine Velvet, so I only had two plants, which I saved for seed this year. The purple, and the Oklahoma Red made mostly long potatoes, which broke in my very hard soil at harvest. I had given my neighbor nearly all my Covington slips last year, so I had planned on using his supply as back up. He has his slip producing set up on his greenhouse. The storm we had the other night blew a panel off, he just called and said that the squirrels got into the greenhouse and dug up and ate all his potatoes. I will go over and see what we can salvage tomorrow.
HU-422368488
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Rodents are definitely a problem. I used to store onions and potatoes in my parents house over the week when I'm not there. but now the son of of a b****ches carries them off. Now I had been transporting tomatoes plants out to the East garden and keeping them in my parents house at a south facing window till I can get them planted on out.. Guess what . Now the sh**ts bite the plants off like a cut worm and carry the cut part off to where ever they carried the onions and potatoes. If I could just put out the old fashion rat poison (little blue pills) that would take care of the problem. (stupid government EPA I guess) won't let it .

Rick
Nancy Waggoner
2 years ago
Hey Rick! Are you going to come to the Spring Fling? Would be fun to meet you in person. Believe it or not, you all, and some of you will believe it--I am an introvert. I don't like groups of more than 2 friends at a time. But I make an exception once in a great while, like SF. Garry Dean is same as me. We are most happy here at home, just the 2 of us, though do enjoy going to the marina on Fridays. Good people.

We aren't normally bothered by rodents, though we had a vole infestation 5 years ago or so. It was amazing! Dozens and dozens of vole holes. I was freaked out. I was pouring garlic/hot pepper concoctions down their holes. . . don't now whether that helped. . . probably--but then the real heroes showed up. Snakes! All kinds or hero snakes. Now, I love my snakes. Now our cats keep the rodents gone.

I have onions planted 16 months ago that are still good--the onions are Candy. I just sorted through, and got rid of ones that had sprouted, and I still have 1 1/2 dozen or so that are good. Planted in Mar, 2021.

Larry, I didn't even try potatoes this year. . . they have never done well in my beds, and I am tired of trying, for now.

Kim, did you get all your plants from wintersowing? I'm thinking so. I did it one year and got so many flowers/herbs/plants, I don't think I'll be doing it again. Your bed looks great!

I have plants more puny than usual, but I DID plant them later, after all. I so look forward to seeing everyone next weekend, and wish I could see all of you. Danny and the rest of . you who are too far away. (And WE'RE not close!!--nearly 3 hours away.)

Larry, I am beyond excited about growing beets and carrots this year--never tried either before and both are going gangbusters!

Time passing too quickly. . . growing season in 2022 April 3rd week way cooler than I remember.
HU-422368488
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Can't. SF's don't work for me. Gotta go save my garden from the weeds and the rain and get out some more tomato plants and plant beans if it's dry enough........That's the way it is when you're long distance gardening..

Rick
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Nancy, my carrots did not come up, only maybe 1/2 doz. I also want to plant some kind of greens, I need a quick producing plant, to practice with. My goal is to have something from the garden every month of the year. I have never done that, but I think that with the problems we may be facing, that now is a good time to practice.

Madge and I had talked about trying to make Spring Fling, but we are having health issues, our plan was to come up on Fri. and get a motel where we could rest. It looks like it would be over 200 miles for us, and I dont think we feel that well at this time.

Rick, I have noticed that a lot of the things I use to be able to get are no longer on the shelves around here, some I cant even find online.
hwy20gardener
2 years ago
This sure has been a tough year to kick the plants out of the house. It's either the wind or low overnight temps. Most things are sunned off for the most part, so I think we are going to let all of the plants stay outside from here on in until they are planted. I've got a lot of flowers going into the garden, but it's hard to place them until all the warm weather veggies are in. There is ALWAYS a change here and there to the layout when things start moving faster.

This weekend we should be ready to seed a small block of sweet corn, then think about the tomatoes, eggplant, squash & cucumbers. Really want to make a few pickle jars this year, so i've got about 6 beit alpha seedlings going. Sure hope that is enough.
Kim Reiss
2 years ago
Oh Larry I wish we could meet you and Madge. What fun that would be.
hazelinok
Original Author
2 years ago
I was able to watch the Remembrance Ceremony. Haven't done that for awhile because normally I'm working. Brings back a lot of feelings, doesn't it?

We were living close to the airport and I was getting ready for class. Mason was a baby and sitting on my bed watching a toddler show when we heard the explosion. I thought an airplane had exploded, so went out to look. Tom was working nights some, so he was still asleep.

I woke him up and mentioned an explosion sound, but left him to care for Mason while I drove off to UCO in Edmond. Had no idea until I turned on the radio in my car. I could see it from the interstate as I was passing. Most people didn't have cell phones then. Once I got to UCO, I found a pay phone but there was a line of people trying to check in with family. We have a friend who worked for DEA. Something made her stay late the night before, so she was able to run up to her office and grab the warrant papers and head straight to the police station. However, she lost her partner and administrative staff.

Anyway...

The only amusing thing I noticed while watching the pictures of those lost, is that Glamour Shots was popular then.

Anyway....

Jen, super impressed with your unloader gadget.

Kim, I'm also super impressed with your new raised bed.

Moni, I'm not impressed with the drought and dryness. I keep waiting on a good rain to work on grass removal in a couple of areas. Also, I can't remember needing to water everyday in the spring. This is a first for me.

Also not impressed with the wind (and how it makes hardening off so difficult).

Also, also not impressed with the apparent MG potting mix issues that's bothering many of us.

I've fed fish emulsion and those "off" ones are growing...and maybe getting healthier?

I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. Tom has to work on Saturday, so that is a bummer. He's trying to switch with someone. He will smoke the meat. I'll warm it in the oven (I guess) before coming out. Hopefully I'll find y'all. I've never driven there--he has. I also need to figure out where to get the parking pass.

Maybe the rain will hold off until everyone makes it home. At that point, let it come!

The corn is popping up. Some of you might have seen my Garden Monday post.

Rick planted the beans too. Can't remember if I already said that.

Everything looks mostly good despite the wind. The kale, spinach, onions, garlic, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and some of the lettuce. The 6 tomatoes already planted are a little wind worn, but okay. I'm so ready to get the others in.

The strawberries don't look great. That bed is getting too dry. I put barriers in last night in case Finbar is messing it up too. Half the bed looks good--the Chandlers. The other half doesn't--Ozark Beauty.

A year ago yesterday, I had a nice strawberry harvest. And radish harvest too. I have forgotten to plant radish this year, so will probably do that today at some point before Pilates.

A year ago today, we had a nice carrot harvest--the overwintered ones. They were very sweet. I do remember that. We were also getting ready for the upcoming frost and had tunnels build over the tomatoes.

Remaining on the light shelf: peppers, eggplant, Xanthos cosmos, and roselle.

That's the garden report.

I wish you Arkansas people could come to the SF.

Oh! Lynn, the pine shavings seem to get better have they're had a bit of moisture on them. But I do imagine the fresh ones are blowing in this crazy wind.

Time to get up and get something done.
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Kim, we wanted to meet all of you guys also, we did meet a few at Nancy's, also had a great time.

I think the sad thing about it, is, that Madge and I are not the only ones that may be getting to the stage in life that we have to slow down whether we want to or not. We may not have a lot of opportunities left to meet one another.

I need to go pick some spinach, it overwinter well, but is starting to bolt.
AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
2 years ago
Well, I have my gardener's manicure again. Potted up tomatoes. They will be little, but they don't look bad. I was finishing up when the wind picked up and took the table umbrella away...and then threw it back at me. Ron was in the house, but he knows that tone of voice and rescued me from under the top side of the umbrella. I had extra Jet star and Jet setter maybe a couple of Heidi to bring to spring fling. I didn't start as many tomatoes this year, so not much to spare. The celeriac is growing. I have a lot of greens that either need to be planted or potted up. Anyone want greens at spring fling?

Jen, do you happen to have a link to your unloader? Years ago I tried to explain a DIY one I had read about but I got that I'll be patient and let you talk look. He might be more interested in his old age.

Kim I like your raised bed.that will be just the right width.

Jennifer I was surprised it was 27 years since the bombing. Travis was 5. I think I had just started working and was probably driving when it happened. I really can't remember where I was, I only remember the aftermath. Everyone knew someone effected somehow, even just a friend of a friend.

We need to have a fall get together, on the east side if the state.

Hope OKC area is getting rain right now. Sun came back out here.
Lynn Dollar
2 years ago
The mulch is holding up fine, its just the patio furniture that's getting blown around the yard.
hazelinok
Original Author
2 years ago
I'm glad they're holding up, Lynn. I'm not surprised the patio furniture is blowing around. It's crazy out there!

And no rain to make up for the wind.

Amy, no rain so far.

Super happy that Kevin is switching with Tom, so Tom can come to SF.
Rebecca (7a)
2 years ago
Car is serviced and wearing 4 new tires, so hopefully that won’t keep me from getting there Saturday. Also chocolate chip cookie dough in the freezer.

HJ, I think we can get the pass at the front gate.

Anyone have directions to our pavilion?

I don’t have a whole lot to trade this year, but I’ll bring what I have.
jlhart76
2 years ago
Amy, here's the one Cliff got. There are several versions, but I think the principles are the same.

LoadHandler Truck Bed Unloader - LH3000 - Fits Full Size Trucks https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FADR2C/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_P95F5CHS499YAP09AFWG

Directions to spring fling: looks like you can take highway 9 along the south edge of the lake, then turn onto Thunderbird Dam Road, or maybe look for Calypso Cove. Google shows a sign "South Dam Area" at the turn. Here's the pin for it on Google: Thunderbird State Park South Dam

https://maps.app.goo.gl/uz5j81degyGxNMx1A
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
I hope you guys have fun. I get to go have my root canal finished tomorrow, then go to the Hosp. at Fayetteville AR. for 3 days, starting Monday.

Lynn, I had a hay ring sitting against my shop wall. I am not sure how it jumped the pasture fence. It is an old ring, and not really round. My best guess is that the wind had it rolling so fast that its sorta egg shape got it to bouncing and it jumped the fence, it would had to have rolled and bounced about a 100 yards before it hit my shop. I am glad it did not hit the car or truck.
Lynn Dollar
2 years ago
I thought I saw a cow fly by , a few minutes ago :)
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Lynn, if that cow was from my pasture it was a very wet cow. We got more rain early this morning. I would like to send some rain to you folks that need it.
Kim Reiss
2 years ago
Larry they sure need it in the panhandle. Planting cotton in dust is a sad thing.
OklaMoni
2 years ago
My first sown carrots didn't do anything, and now, there are some here and there... maybe the first after all? I always put a few radish seeds in at the same time, sort of to mark where something is supposed to come up... as radishes come up rather quickly but nadda this time.
But, we do need moisture... and the watering I am doing just doesn't seem to cut it.

My elderberry I got from Lori, and the strawberries are doing GREAT (the plants, but no berries yet), so are my first asparagus plants, even the later ones have produced a few stems. Yeah, for my watering effort there...

Amy I have never been successful with celeriac. What's your secret? No rain yesterday, and putting towels on the line (today) while we had black clouds didn't help either. :(

Jen, thanks for the address/location link. :)

Moni
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Kim, I don't like planting anything in the dust, but I often have to water most of my fall crop because the ground is to dry for germination.

Moni, my first carrots never did anything either. My beets came up but a lot of them washed away. The clover living mulch came up pretty well, matter of fact I have more than I need. The rains have washed the seeds into many places I did not want clover. I could not see just where I was tossing the seeds because they are so small, you just have to sorta sling the seeds in the direction you want them, and hope they went there. I may be kicking my back side all summer over this clover, I normally dig it out of the garden.

My blackberries and elder berries in the wildlife garden died last year. I kept 3 of the blackberry plants and planted them in the north garden, hoping that I could use them to get starts from, now want to hook a tractor to them and just pull then out of the ground, but there are a lot of blooms on them, so I thought I would give them another year to prove themselves. To make matters worse, they are grown into my trellis, and vines are very thorny.
hazelinok
Original Author
2 years ago
Wow! It was hot today. 93. The rain missed us again. It's brutal.

Honestly, I can't remember needing to water the entire garden (minus the SG) EVER in the spring. It is DRY. The berry bushes, fruit trees. I need to spend time on the flowerbeds--give them a good watering.

I don't like flooding rain--like 12 inches in a day. Been there, done that in 2015. But....good grief.

The poor peppers in the hoop house were droopy, as were the broccoli. I got home from work and watered everything and they've perked up.

Amy, I think it was you, that mentioned the lateness of the some of the spring plants coming up could have to do with drought. I'm beginning to believe that fully.

Take the Indian Paintbrush. Haven't seen it this year. It showed up on my property 3 years ago. Not seeing it now. I completely honored it. Mowed around it. But, we are dry this spring and usually springs are wet.

Then, the asparagus. I've never watered the asparagus after the first year. It is struggling. I realize it could be due to a couple of other things. 1. the asparagus beetles. 2. Wind and 3. Not harvesting the asparagus at ground level. It seems when you leave the bottom part of the spear, it makes it difficult for additional spears to come up in a straight and healthy way. I try to go behind people who don't cut the spears at ground level and cut them down, but sometimes miss it.

I've never seen the asparagus struggle like it's doing this year. I will water in fully tomorrow. I decided that at twilight tonight.

Our place tends to be drier than the areas around us even. Last summer and fall was rough.

Our well must be reaching to a new level. It's making the water smell...and seems to be harder than normal. We treated the water tonight, so it's better. Our well is electric. Our OG&E bill is ridiculous. And now we need to water more often.

Things are really looking pretty good, though. Except the strawberry bed. It is very dry and must be watered everyday. (What will summer look like?!)

But, these strawberries are new. Next year we should get a good crop.

Anyway...I had fun being outside after work, planting radishes and watering things. As long as I'm in the shade, it's all good.
Nancy Waggoner
2 years ago
Our weather here is very different than yours is, Jennifer. 93 there and 58 here. I guess the only thing we had in common was the wind. Yes, it was too cool to be pleasant working outdoors until today, though I did get out with a jacket on and got stuff done. I have plants to get into the garden this afternoon and tomorrow. Milkweed, baptisia, shrubs, native clematis. Then I think I'm done until May gets here--will move a couple tomatoes and peppers out to the garden, and get some summer squash planted. Maybe cucumbers, though the cucumbers do so well for a fall garden, so maybe I'll wait.
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
I thought I was being so smart by not planting a cover crop, hoping that by keeping the ground bare, I could get the soil ready earlier. It worked so well, I did get the soil ready much earlier, but it was too cold to put in summer crops, and I did not want to tie up the space with cole crops. All I was really able to accomplish was to get some of my soil washed away in the heavy rains

My plants have just sat on the porch, I have not felt like fooling with them. I went to have my root canal finished yesterday. I was first told it would take two hours to do the job. The first sitting was 1.5 hours, Dr. said would not be able to finish and I would have to come back next month, well yesterday was "next" month, two full hours with my month open as wide as I could get it, and still not done. I have another appointment next month, this time my appointment is for 1:00, which will give him 4 hours, if needed. I now wish I had just had it pulled. I have had 2 pulled in the past, and, I though that they were going to have to get a tow truck to get them out. My mouth is so sore, the pain pills make me sick, and I just want to go play in the mud.
hazelinok thanked slowpoke_gardener
AmyinOwasso/zone 6b
2 years ago
Moni, re celeriac...beginners luck. They were freebies from somewhere. I started them in seed starting mix. Probably should have been sown direct. Too many seeds in each cup. 3 potted up to solo cups which will probably yeild 3 plants. I've never even tasted it.

Thank you Jen, I sent it to him on messenger. One review said it was hard to turn. You didn't complain so I'm assuming his was faulty or done wrong.

Larry I'm so sorry about your dental work.

It stayed cloudy on the east side of the state so we didn't get so hot. Still not bright out. We had .02 inches of rain last night. I guess Arkansas got all the rain.

Yes, H/J, the only thing I can figure that's different from other years the lack of winter rain. And now no spring rain either!

I've been lazy for 2 days.
hazelinok
Original Author
2 years ago
I'm tuckered out. (I've never used the word "tuckered" until now)

No one needs a rundown of my day, but I did get home by 5 and got dinner started and everyone fed, as far as the furry and feathered critters go.

The wind continues to be insane. It's slowing everything down as far as hardening off and planting go. As y'all well know.

However, we did plant some stuff. Rick didn't want to use the "off" Jet Setters in the SG, so I planted 4 of them in the KG. Had to invent spots for them, but it should work out. Basically they are in pathways next to the new strawberry bed. The soil wasn't bad there. Probably because there's been wood chips breaking down on the paths for a few years.

I was pleasantly surprised to see healthy roots.

SO...if y'all wanna pick up some of these "off" Jet Setters, I think you'll have some success with them. I'll be bringing several to SF. I'm only going to plant maybe 6 more in the back garden.

We also put in 16 tomatoes in the SG. Rick's Jet Stars (8) and 8 Heidis as well.

Also, the roots looked decent on those "off" Heidis. I think they'll be fine. Bringing many to SF. Please give them a good home.

We still need to plant about 28 tomatoes in the SG, but I only had 16 extra large food cans to put around 16. The food cans help protect from the wind. Didn't dare plant any without that protection.

Rick put in another row of black beans.

Maybe we'll get some rain this weekend. Maybe not.

Larry, sorry about your mouth pain. That sounds terrible. Wish the pain pills didn't make you sick.
hazelinok
Original Author
2 years ago
This was one year ago today at the OKC zoo. School field trip. Crazy.
jlhart76
2 years ago
Amy, most of the issue I had I think was because it was overloaded. We have an old truck bed turned into a trailer, so the thing was loaded to the point the tires were squished down, so I'm pretty sure it was more than the recommended weight. It was hard to turn because the trailer was leaning too far down so the handle kept hitting the ground. But once we got some weight off it, the thing cranked easily.

HJ, that's a lot of tomatoes! And here I thought my dozen was excessive.

Larry, hope you get the dental stuff fixed soon. I can manage migraines but mouth pain is horrible.
hazelinok
Original Author
2 years ago
Jen, 44 will go in the SG for canning purposes. The cherry tomatoes, the Heirlooms, and a couple of other ones are for eating fresh. The heirlooms normally don't produce a lot of fruit for me, but they're worth it because the flavor is wonderful.

Then...I just couldn't ignore the Jet Setters even if they're "off". So, I'm planting them too. It's ridiculous, I know. This wasn't the plan.

If you have some large pots, please take some of them home. If they do well, I can come out and help you can them. I remember you saying that you were interested in canning.
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
I feel like a new man today. I started taking a pain pill every 6 hours yesterday, and still taking them. I am a little sleepy, but feel fine. I hope to get some work done today. I would like to put some tomatoes out, but the weather has been so crazy that I never could harden them off properly. I also have sweet potatoes, arabat squash, green beans, and roselle that need to go into ground.
jlhart76
2 years ago
I have a couple mineral buckets that are currently or soon to be empty, plus a few larger nursery pots. I'm thinking about cutting the bottoms out of some of those, that way the roots can go into the ground. My brother didn't use any supplements for his cows this winter so he didn't have any more buckets for me. My biggest challenge is dirt. I know what I have isn't very good, it's mostly sand and little nutrients. But until I can get a few loads of woodchips, I'm stuck with it.

Thre city is getting ready to trim some of the trees & the guy who I spoke with said to just flag down the workers & tell them where to dump them. So maybe I'll have a couple loads soon.
hwy20gardener
2 years ago
Apparently there is a global wind shortage. Oklahoma area is borrowing all of it and leaving the valve wide open. Even the area by the house that is "sheltered" is getting hammered by the eddies.

The plants are just gonna have to suck it up because they have to go in the ground within a week's time. On the bright side, we finally caught a hummer at the feeder. I'm ready for the whole clan again.

Garden seems to be doing well so far. Just crossing my fingers that the weather will be decent to us this year. You guys out west aren't started off in the right direction, but hopefully that changes soon.
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
Jen, If your brother feed minerals, he is bound to have hay rings, or stalls to clean. You can build pretty good dirt with the scrap you can scoop up around a farm.

This last picture is the newest pile. I turn them every now and then with the tractor. I can but compost cheaper than I can buy it, but sometimes its hard to find, at the price I am willing to pay.

Nancy, this picture is for you. Look at the pollen in fuzzy's nose. I thought she might be making honey, but she still needs to work on the formula, but she has the biscuits down pat.

They line up each time I go to the pasture, waiting for their piece of candy, or a range cube.
jlhart76
2 years ago
Larry,I'd do that if I could, but he's 2 hours away. I've made friends with the neighbors across the street, they have donkeys & chickens so I got a wagonload of each. Hopefully they offer up a few more loads. And there are several others who have horses/donkeys/etc nearby so I need to make friends & offer to come clean their stalls.
OklaMoni
2 years ago
Under what name has hwy20gardener posted before? Does anyone know this person? I would like to know.
Lynn Dollar
2 years ago
I've got a lot of work needs to be done in the garden, but with the wind gusting to 45 mph, most of it won't be possible. To me, it seems to be windier this year , more than I can recall Or maybe its just another spring in Oklahoma. But we've been getting whipsawed by wind for about 2 weeks now.
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Lynn, I have had a productive day, for me. I am so slow at everything. I put in a row of potatoes, I know it is very late for that, but I hate to waste anything, and Madge had a bag of potatoes she was going to through away, that did not set well with me, so I planted them.

I repaired the roof on one of my out buildings, and brush hogged around the 5 small gardens in the wildlife garden. I have the wildlife garden divided to where I can drive my truck or RTV in between the smaller gardens so I don't have to do so much walking. We probably have about 3 acres tilled in the wild life garden. Since Covid we have been planting people food rather than grass and grain.

I am going to rest a while and then go to my neighbor's house and show him how to mount my seeder on his tractor. The equipment that I have that will fit his tractor, I just let him borrow it. I don't do well at changing implements anymore, but I can drive the devil out of a tractor.

I plan on hooking up some light in neighbors green house after we hook up the seeder.

I am burning daylight, better get going, will be back later.
hazelinok
Original Author
2 years ago
Well, we're getting rain now.

Probably too much.

How about you, Moni?

SF was great. I wish we could get together more often. I brought home WAY too many plants like always. :D
hwy20gardener
2 years ago
Slow, that sounds like a pretty productive day to me. We really couldn't get going very strong today with an early tball game away, then a wall of constant wind out in the garden. We ended up driving the last of the posts (for mater & tomatillo supports) and then seeded a little block of corn. I hope tomorrow goes a little better. What would really make me happy would be to fully plant the garden minus the okra tomorrow, but we'll see.

OklaMoni, I'm pretty new to the OK Gardening discussion, so don't have any prior names. I'm just a guy in OK that likes growing stuff, especially food. If you have any questions, ask away!
slowpoke_gardener
2 years ago
Madge talked me into bringing some of my plants into house, the others we move to the covered part of the porch. I would have liked planting some of the plants today, but I think some of the kids will come over tomorrow, they may want some plants. I know my youngest grand daughter will want some, she often wants seeds or plants. It pleases me to see her showing an interest in gardening. The last time grand daughter was here she left with a sweet potato to plant.

We are expected to get rain tonight and tomorrow. Just when the ground gets about right, we get another rain, that would be really nice if that would continue through the summer, but it wont.

We have so much that we think we need to do, but we really don't, if we die tonight nobody would even notice that our "to-do list" is nowhere done, and the only thing that will be done, will be to clean out all this junk we have collected.

I wish I could have been at "Spring Fling", but that would just put me farther behind, may I will get another chance to meet you guys.