What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[turbo]

I missed most of chat last Sunday. I picked all my remaining apples, then I cracked all my garlic, planted it, and mulched it in oat straw. If all the cloves sprout and do well (I got 100% yield last season) I should have about 140 bulbs of the large German garlic and and about 350 bulbs of the red-striped Russian garlic. The garlic cloves will start to develop roots and sprout a bit until the ground gets really cold, then lie dormant until spring. For those who would like to play around with garlic, get hard-neck varieties. German garlic has very few cloves/bulb, but they can be HUGE! I cracked a few large bulbs, to find only 2 massive cloves. If you want to grow garlic and save some for propagation, get Russian garlic (with the pale purplish-red stripes), because typically each bulb will have around 6 cloves on average, so you can propagate them more quickly. I was given equal numbers of German and Russian bulbs to plant last winter, and I ended up with about 1/3 German and 2/3 Russian, due to clove/bulb count.

 

[baywax]

I missed most of chat last Sunday. I picked all my remaining apples, then I cracked all my garlic, planted it, and mulched it in oat straw. If all the cloves sprout and do well (I got 100% yield last season) I should have about 140 bulbs of the large German garlic and and about 350 bulbs of the red-striped Russian garlic. The garlic cloves will start to develop roots and sprout a bit until the ground gets really cold, then lie dormant until spring. For those who would like to play around with garlic, get hard-neck varieties. German garlic has very few cloves/bulb, but they can be HUGE! I cracked a few large bulbs, to find only 2 massive cloves. If you want to grow garlic and save some for propagation, get Russian garlic (with the pale purplish-red stripes), because typically each bulb will have around 6 cloves on average, so you can propagate them more quickly. I was given equal numbers of German and Russian bulbs to plant last winter, and I ended up with about 1/3 German and 2/3 Russian, due to clove/bulb count.

Where'd you get the oat straw?

 

[turbo]

Where'd you get the oat straw?

My wife picked it up at the local Agway store for $5/bale. That's 4 bales' worth in the picture. Last year their straw looked too weedy, so I had to rely on my father's neighbor, whose daughter works at a tack and feed shop. Their straw was excellent, and it was so thoroughly threshed that only one oat seed germinated and grew.

 

[lisab]

I missed most of chat last Sunday. I picked all my remaining apples, then I cracked all my garlic, planted it, and mulched it in oat straw. If all the cloves sprout and do well (I got 100% yield last season) I should have about 140 bulbs of the large German garlic and and about 350 bulbs of the red-striped Russian garlic. The garlic cloves will start to develop roots and sprout a bit until the ground gets really cold, then lie dormant until spring. For those who would like to play around with garlic, get hard-neck varieties. German garlic has very few cloves/bulb, but they can be HUGE! I cracked a few large bulbs, to find only 2 massive cloves. If you want to grow garlic and save some for propagation, get Russian garlic (with the pale purplish-red stripes), because typically each bulb will have around 6 cloves on average, so you can propagate them more quickly. I was given equal numbers of German and Russian bulbs to plant last winter, and I ended up with about 1/3 German and 2/3 Russian, due to clove/bulb count.

All that could NOT have been more fun than chat, turbo...

 

[turbo]

All that could NOT have been more fun than chat, turbo...

Well, it was satisfying to get next year's crop of garlic in the ground, though the backs of my legs are still lame from all the stoop-labor. I can't kneel or squat down comfortably because of arthritis in my knees. For an idea of how that went, imagine bending at the waist and touching the floor for a few seconds (set and bury the cloves) - then multiply that by about 500 repetitions. I've never gotten this lame in chat.

 

[baywax]

My wife picked it up at the local Agway store for $5/bale. That's 4 bales' worth in the picture. Last year their straw looked too weedy, so I had to rely on my father's neighbor, whose daughter works at a tack and feed shop. Their straw was excellent, and it was so thoroughly threshed that only one oat seed germinated and grew.

That's amazing!

I've never heard of using oat straw for cover. I have a feeling its an East USA kind of tradition... probably 400 years old.
Right along the lines of those Covered Bridges you guys have out there that used to thrill the crap out of me as a visiting 5 year old Canuck. You may not believe it but, at that age, I went hunting down Ben Johnson's and Paul Revere's graves somewhere outside of Boston. I think that because the Canadian history was so sparse, American history became fascinating.. and very handy, just across the boarder. Stay free USA!

 

[turbo]

That's amazing!

I've never heard of using oat straw for cover. I have a feeling its an East USA kind of tradition... probably 400 years old.
Right along the lines of those Covered Bridges you guys have out there that used to thrill the crap out of me as a visiting 5 year old Canuck. You may not believe it but, at that age, I went hunting down Ben Johnson's and Paul Revere's graves somewhere outside of Boston. I think that because the Canadian history was so sparse, American history became fascinating.. and very handy, just across the boarder. Stay free USA!

I would have thought that with the grain-growing sections of Canada, you'd have ample access to clean straw (wheat, rye, oats, etc). Oat straw is nice, it's hollow and well-lofted, so its insulation factor is high. After it has protected the garlic and suppressed weeds and the garlic has all been pulled, it goes right in the compost bins.

 

[baywax]

I would have thought that with the grain-growing sections of Canada, you'd have ample access to clean straw (wheat, rye, oats, etc). Oat straw is nice, it's hollow and well-lofted, so its insulation factor is high. After it has protected the garlic and suppressed weeds and the garlic has all been pulled, it goes right in the compost bins.

BC has a small percentage of grain growing going on. The only crops around here are hops, vegetables, cranberries, and award-winning Cannabis sativa. In Texas the good ol' boys make fun of us. We got to jam with a swing band there and our introduction was "oh yeah, here's these guys from BC. You know, where they grow the stuff that makes you hear the music before it gets to your ears".

How good is oat chaff for compost?

 

[turbo]

Almost all grain chaff is good for compost. Oat straw composts well. It is hollow, light, and thin-walled, and if the conditions are right (moisture, good mix of nitrogen-rick additives, etc) it composts well.

 

[Evo]

I walked into my living room and had a squirrel knocking on the window. I usually feed them every day, but it's been raining, so I hadn't put anything down.

I put some food out, they were a little ticked off. Just what I need right now, a squirrel attack.

 

[turbo]

I walked into my living room and had a squirrel knocking on the window. I usually feed them every day, but it's been raining, so I hadn't put anything down.

I put some food out, they were a little ticked off. Just what I need right now, a squirrel attack.

If you feed squirrels, they will plague your patio-garden again next year. Also, if you feed them and that improves their breeding success (they are quite prolific when food is plentiful), you will have more of the buggers stealing your vegetables next year.

 

[Evo]

If you feed squirrels, they will plague your patio-garden again next year. Also, if you feed them and that improves their breeding success (they are quite prolific when food is plentiful), you will have more of the buggers stealing your vegetables next year.

I know, it's a double edged sword. They didn't start stealing vegetables until late in the season. I'm going to have to put something around the tomatoes next year.

They are just so cute that I can't resist feeding them.

We are supposed to have a hard freeze tonight, so I am going to let the tomatillos go. They are just too big to drag inside.

 

[Borek]

Perhaps making your spider attack your squirells will solve all problems in one take?

 

[Evo]

But, I *like* the squirrels.

Look at this patriotic little guy.

 

[turbo]

But, I *like* the squirrels.

Look at this patriotic little guy.

That's a lady squirrel, Evo. No wedding tackle.

 

[Evo]

He's been neutered.

 

[turbo]

He's been neutered.

AND trans-gendered? Someone has far too much money kicking around. Send it to me.

 

[baywax]

This guy's been flying around my place, taking on the mad neighbour and her critter traps.

 

[turbo]

That's just GOT to be a Photoshopped fake. (No phone booth.)

 

[baywax]

That's just GOT to be a Photoshopped fake. (No phone booth.)

This supercritter fits in a cell phone case.

 

[Evo]

This guy's been flying around my place, taking on the mad neighbour and her critter traps.

:!) My Hero!

 

[baywax]

:!) My Hero!

Mine too! You've heard of "Kal-El" (Superman's Kryptonian name) well this is
"Squir-El" Kal-El's 2nd cousin, thrice removed.

I used to have two walnut trees and I never saw a squirrel in either of them. It wasn't really squirrel country I guess... more like chipmonk territory.

When cleaning up after hulling black walnuts, it is best to place leavings in the trash. Do not compost walnut husks. Juglone, a naturally occurring chemical released by all parts of black walnut trees, can have a toxic effect on many vegetables and landscape plants.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgarden/ygbriefs/h404blkwal.html

The husk is probably really toxic to any insects and chipmonks etc.. The hulls of black walnut are reported to be toxic enough to rid the intestine of parasitic worms...

Here's the "Wiki answer" to that...

Available scientific evidence does not support claims that hulls from black walnuts remove parasites from the intestinal tract or that they are effective in treating cancer or any other disease. Early evidence from the lab suggests that juglone, a compound in black walnut, may possibly reduce cancer risk. However, studies in humans have not been completed
Source:
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3X_Black_Walnut.asp?sitearea=ETO

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Does_black_walnut_hull_kill_parasites

 

[karmington]

Kerrie-> intersting note on the traveling and bagging plants. Couple of weeks max though i imagine?
gnome->You guys are missing out on the joys of the chainsaw. how true. Felling a tree == killing an animal || making a house || earning a cognac bottle
enigma->_ spraypaint the concrete green. valid choice if no thing better at hand.
gardening is good. farming is the same, many want produce of some sort.
neverminding the difference, i have been forced to cultivate under synthetic restrictions for the most part. Worked stints as a gardener an went to forestry school.
It seems to give a sense of harmony with a natural growth pattern. Seeing the massive trees of age far beyond one's own may be quite profound if so inclined.
Clausius2->what a surprise! And i would have imagined visiting spain that the garden is one of the main things if one lives outside of a big city. Such lush growth everywhere. But urban life is a different story. If one accepts we live in a concrete jungle then we must bring ourselves the forest to the city. Once met a Canadian girl working as a tree doctor in ny city for example.
BicycleTree->lawn vs. pines. Absolutely agree. Most of the recreational forest cabins in Finland are 'rough', meaning they are 90% natural forest undergrowth. lawns are control things. If you have a purpose for it, like playing a game or parking your vehicle, wahtever, it will pave it's own way half and you can clear the other half. Mostly lawns are bulldust, aesthetics. But without aesthetics perhaps the ellipse might not have been found so soon. re: old story about sunking gardener.
matthyaouw-> you know the flora and fauna well. cudos. may your guineapigs develop camouflage colors vs. sparrowhawk :)

 

[Borek]

Winter home garden

 

[turbo]

I like sprouts in garden salads, though I fall out of the salad-eating habit as soon as we have to rely on produce from stores. It's just not the same.

The sprouts remind me of a salad that I used to make - spinach, alfalfa sprouts, and sliced onion with crushed walnuts and crumbled feta cheese - oil and cider vinegar for the dressing and top with ground black pepper.

 

[Evo]

Here are my squirrels (taken from my bedroom window). There are nine of them. This picture is from a couple of weeks ago.

I started to put their food out on the rocks when I got home today and there was not a squirrel in sight. Suddenly the trees came alive and the thundering of tiny feet racing through the thick mat of dried leaves at the bottom of the ravine became deafening. Then tiny gray bodies started popping up all over the rocks. They didn't mind that my dog, a.k.a. the "Fruit Bat" was with me. These were squirrels on a mission and nothing was stopping them.

 

[baywax]

Here are my squirrels (taken from my bedroom window). There are nine of them. This picture is from a couple of weeks ago.

I started to put their food out on the rocks when I got home today and there was not a squirrel in sight. Suddenly the trees came alive and the thundering of tiny feet racing through the thick mat of dried leaves at the bottom of the ravine became deafening. Then tiny gray bodies started popping up all over the rocks. They didn't mind that my dog, a.k.a. the "Fruit Bat" was with me. These were squirrels on a mission and nothing was stopping them.

Wow that is so cool... or disturbing... don't know which.

I've never seen that many squirrels in one spot like that, except maybe in Stanley Park.

They are aggressive though, with sharp teeth! My cat will chase them but keeps his distance. They don't really mind that.

The gene pool among them here is more varied... black ones, grey and brown.

 

[turbo]

Today, the temp is above normal for this time of year, but yesterday was just gorgeous - sunny and ~45 deg F most of the afternoon, so I spent the afternoon pruning my apple trees. It's amazing how many vertical suckers the trees can throw off in a single year. They leaf out and shade the more productive branches while stealing nutrients from the fruit-bearing branches, so off they go! Hopefully, next spring is a little warmer and drier than last, so the blossoms get better-pollinated.

 

[baywax]

Hopefully, next spring is a little warmer and drier than last, so the blossoms get better-pollinated.

Any news on the bee colony crisis?

 

[turbo]

Any news on the bee colony crisis?

I had a few (VERY few) honeybees show up toward the end of the summer, but none in the cold, wet spring when my apple trees needed to be pollinated. Small bees (solitary mason bees) and wasps did some of the pollinating, though the bulk of that fell to the bumble bees.

There are lots of hollowed-out trees on properties near here, and I have hopes that a wild honeybee population will establish itself, for the sake of my trees and garden.

No definitive word on CCD, but I suspect that it is a man-made problem. Lots of corn now has been genetically modified to produce the toxin secreted by bacillus thuringiensis. The absolute lack of monarch butterflies this year and the lack of honeybees may be attributable to the use of such strains of corn. Bees have been found to have problems in the gut, when autopsied, and that's exactly where BT acts on insects. It paralyzes the gut and renders them unable to eat and unable to process the food already eaten.

 

[baywax]

I had a few (VERY few) honeybees show up toward the end of the summer, but none in the cold, wet spring when my apple trees needed to be pollinated. Small bees (solitary mason bees) and wasps did some of the pollinating, though the bulk of that fell to the bumble bees.

There are lots of hollowed-out trees on properties near here, and I have hopes that a wild honeybee population will establish itself, for the sake of my trees and garden.

No definitive word on CCD, but I suspect that it is a man-made problem. Lots of corn now has been genetically modified to produce the toxin secreted by bacillus thuringiensis. The absolute lack of monarch butterflies this year and the lack of honeybees may be attributable to the use of such strains of corn. Bees have been found to have problems in the gut, when autopsied, and that's exactly where BT acts on insects. It paralyzes the gut and renders them unable to eat and unable to process the food already eaten.

Perhaps we need to get the Monsanto execs running around in the fields naked, pollinating our crops for us.

 

[Evo]

It's snowing outside, but it's 36F, so it's not sticking to the wet ground, at least it's nice to watch.

 

[turbo]

It's currently 41 deg and sunny and the snow from yesterday is slowly melting. I don't mind this part of winter so much. When northeasters dump 12-18" of snow on us at a time, that is another thing entirely.

 

[baywax]

Its not snowing below 1500 ft here (lots of mountains). But we've had two large meteors make it to the ground out in Western Canada. That makes them meteorites. Everyone is running around looking for their remains. Well, not everyone!

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/video/128

 

[Borek]

It was white here, but temperature get up to about 7 deg C yesterday, so all snow is gone now.