What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Ms Music]

I had mushrooms like that here at work. It either came from contaminated Miracle Grow potting soil, or contaminated seed (none of my pots at home had the mushrooms, but they were outside).

Don't eat them.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html

 

[Evo]

I had mushrooms like that here at work. It either came from contaminated Miracle Grow potting soil, or contaminated seed (none of my pots at home had the mushrooms, but they were outside).

Don't eat them.

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/leucocoprinus_birnbaumii.html

That's it! You are awesome!

The potting soil has been the same for the last three years. I recently brought the plants outside, and they must have gotten hit by a spore release because three pots sitting next to each othr got them at the same time.

 

[rhody]

Turbo,

From the link:

There is no getting rid of it, short of replacing all the soil in your planter (and even then it might reappear).

So are you going to replace the dirt ? Second, do you treat where the dirt came from with bleach before you do ? I used to get these in mulch near my bushes, don't use mulch anymore, I just weed it every once in awhile.

Rhody...

 

[turbo]

Turbo,

From the link:So are you going to replace the dirt ? Second, do you treat where the dirt came from with bleach before you do ? I used to get these in mulch near my bushes, don't use mulch anymore, I just weed it every once in awhile.

Rhody...

All of my dirt is native to this place, along with sand (drainage) and organics ( composted manure). This garden-spot was clay, rocks, and crap-dirt that the previous owner flogged with Miracle-Gro to try to get any vegetables.

 

[Ms Music]

The shrooms are very cute. I would possibly have even left them, but I was growing arugula, basil, thyme, and oregano last year. Poisonous mushrooms can just stay OUT of my food! I plucked them and tossed them out the window. I wonder if they will grow outside now? Next question, where did that dirt go... I hope they don't show up at home...

 

[Evo]

Turbo,

From the link:


So are you going to replace the dirt ? Second, do you treat where the dirt came from with bleach before you do ? I used to get these in mulch near my bushes, don't use mulch anymore, I just weed it every once in awhile.

Rhody...

It wasn't turbo, it was me. I'm leaving them as the article suggests.

 

[rhody]

It wasn't turbo, it was me. I'm leaving them as the article suggests.

Leucocoprinus birnbaumii won't hurt you, unless you eat it. It won't hurt your plant. It won't hurt your pets or your children, unless they eat it. There is no getting rid of it, short of replacing all the soil in your planter (and even then it might reappear). Since it makes such a beautiful addition to your household flora, I recommend learning to love it--and teaching your children to love it, too .

Evo, yeah I missed that part, loving and leaving, hey isn't there a song to those lyrics ? hehe...

Rhody...

 

[Evo]

RHODY! The ghost pepper is up!

The others aren't up yet, I might plant more seeds.

I AM SO EXCITED!

 

[lisab]

RHODY! The ghost pepper is up!

The others aren't up yet, I might plant more seeds.

I AM SO EXCITED!

Grow, Casper, grow!

 

[Astronuc]

This is the creek at the bottom of the ravine in my backyard.

Nice!

 

[Evo]

The tiny ghost pepper is up on an altar. It is surrounded by candles.

There will be an all night candlelight vigil for it.

 

[dlgoff]

Yesterday I cut four cauliflower heads; two big ones and two huge ones. They weighed 7 lb. I'm enjoying some made with four cheese as I type.

 

[lisab]

The tiny ghost pepper is up on an alter. It is surrounded by candles.

There will be an all night candlelight vigil for it.

I hope...the candles...aren't too...erm...close

 

[physics girl phd]

This is the creek at the bottom of the ravine in my backyard...
Today the fruitbat and I sat on the edge of the ravine looking down, listening to the gentle babble of the water around the rocks and contemplating our place in the universe. The fruitbat was wearing his hartz reflective collar.

It's a great shot... but I want a picture of the fruitbat... It's been a long time since I've seen his cute face on PF!

Poisoned shrooms... lit candles. Get that picture up for me soon before your next accident.

 

[Borek]

Poisoned shrooms... lit candles.

...ghost peppers and hailstones poking holes in windows. Why does it make me to think about Esme Weatherwax?

 

[hypatia]

Potatoes are up! I just cut some that had sprouted and buried them, so I don't know how big they will get. Peppers have blossoms, so do the tomatoes. Many herbs overwintered, all the makings of a great summer garden!

 

[Borek]

I have at least one pepper that is already size of my small finger. No idea how large it should get, as its a variety I never heard of, I got seeds as a free sample together with Peter Pepper seeds.

Which are underperforming, but perhaps that's the way they are.

 

[Evo]

My ghost pepper, thanks to Rhody! Yes, I used a jiffy 7 pellet, I love those things. I planted the ornamental peppers in regular light potting soil suitable fo seedlings, and nothing yet. :(

 

[Insanity]

We planted some pickling cucs, sweet peppers, habaneros, serranos, and chili peppers. A mess of tomatoes as well and some rhubarb in another spot to grow.

May throw some radishes or onions bulbs in the spare space.

 

[turbo]

The blueberry bushes are doing well, as are the raspberries. The grapes look good, too, but I'm almost certain of another Japanese beetle infestation this year, and they ruin grapes.

Edit: My organic-gardening neighbor and I applied milky spore to our lawns to kill Japanese beetle grubs, but that treatment is quite expensive and our neighbors are not really motivated to apply the stuff to their lawns, so they breed all the Japanese beetles that we can stand.

Today I picked up a brimming truck-load of pine shavings from a neighbor who has been planing wood like crazy, and we'll mulch the berry-bushes with that. Actually, I have much more than a truck-load because I loaded the shavings into very large paper leaf-bags, and packed them into the bed, so the shavings in the bags are at least a foot or more above the edge of the bed. The old lady that delivers the papers stopped raising chickens and doesn't stop by for shavings for bedding, so my neighbor asked us to take away all the shavings that we wanted.

 

[Borek]

Half of my peppers:

One of the largest one now:

 

[Evo]

Very nice looking Borek!

 

[rhody]

Nice Borek,

Are those banana peppers ? Very nice plants, two of my new hot pepper plants I stripped the nasty leaves from and they are growing new leaves, and the two old ones from last year are sprouting new leaves from the bottom, so there is hope for me yet.

Rhody...

BTW Evo, are any of yours (hot ones) coming up ?

 

[Borek]

Are those banana peppers ? Very nice plants, two of my new hot pepper plants I stripped the nasty leaves from and they are growing new leaves, and the two old ones from last year are sprouting new leaves from the bottom, so there is hope for me yet.

The single one is a banana pepper, the other picture is several varieties - unfortunately, I know only Polish names.

 

[dlgoff]

Yesterday I cut four cauliflower heads; two big ones and two huge ones. They weighed 7 lb. I'm enjoying some made with four cheese as I type.

Wow. Is it age or what? I woke myself up last night from the smell of cheesy cauliflower farts.

I don't remember that happening before. Edit: with cauliflower that is.

 

[dlgoff]

... unfortunately, I know only Polish names.

Just curious. What are peter peppers called in Polish?

 

[Ms Music]

Speaking of peppers, my jalapeno has misshapen leaves on all the new growth from the last few weeks. Is that because of the cold wet weather we had? (I know I should have brought it back inside, but it gets so little daylight) Thank DOG that summer finally arrived this week. I think I see teeny flower buds, so hopefully soon my pepper will flower.

I have a handful of green cherry tomatoes. Everything else is finally getting big enough to grow quicker than the slugs can eat them. I want ducks! but the cat would eat them. double

 

[turbo]

I have redstarts this year. Hopefully, they will eat Japanese beetles - no other birds will touch them.

 

[Evo]

Crazy damn squirrels, I just found one of them sitting in my jalapeno plant holding a branch between it's paws and stripping it bare with his teeth. It might be the same one that grabbed my poisonous mushrooms an hour earlier and ran off and ate them like they were candy, I hope they don't affect squirrels.

 

[dlgoff]

I wish a damn squirrel was the only garden varmint I had to worry about. The tomato plants are full of blooms a small fruit and yesterday I noticed lost of fresh deer tracks on both sides of the row. The wire cages probably helped this time since most of the plants are still inside but within a few more days they would have been easy pickings had I not found some old field fence wire and t-post. So now the individual plants are in cages that are inside of a row cage inside the fenced garden. Damn deer.

 

[Evo]

I wish a damn squirrel was the only garden varmint I had to worry about. The tomato plants are full of blooms a small fruit and yesterday I noticed lost of fresh deer tracks on both sides of the row. The wire cages probably helped this time since most of the plants are still inside but within a few more days they would have been easy pickings had I not found some old field fence wire and t-post. So now the individual plants are in cages that are inside of a row cage inside the fenced garden. Damn deer.

Beware these deer have fangs. They can eat squash through a picket fence.

 

[dlgoff]

Beware these deer have fangs. They can eat squash through a picket fence.

Thanks. Just what I needed.

edit: I've been looking for some 10 foot steel t-post to drive along side of my gardens fence hedge post and put another 4 foot on top of the existing 4 foot. They can jump 6 feet but [STRIKE]10[/STRIKE] 8 feet causes them problems.

 

[rhody]

Thanks. Just what I needed.

edit: I've been looking for some 10 foot steel t-post to drive along side of my gardens fence hedge post and put another 4 foot on top of the existing 4 foot. They can jump 6 feet but 10 feet causes them problems.

Don,

Forget the damn fence, get out your Evo Banning Gun, that ought to scare the Be-Jesus out of them.

Rhody...

P.S. The dreaded E-Gun is multifunctional, it shoots loud, 140 db barks, or, failing that can shoot small plastic (non lethal) projectiles, snork... Speaking of deer, while on hiking trail a day or two ago, came across a young buck, in full velvet, by not making direct eye contact I was able to get about 15 feet from him, till he bounded, then wandered off. Kind of cool.

 

[dlgoff]

Yesterday I got a second cutting from my broccoli plants and got more than the original first head cutting. I just made a big dish of Broccoli and Four Cheese to go along with the mesquite BBQ hamburgers I planning tomorrow. :!)

 

[Evo]

Yesterday I got a second cutting from my broccoli plants and got more than the original first head cutting. I just made a big dish of Broccoli and Four Cheese to go along with the mesquite BBQ hamburgers I planning tomorrow. :!)

There is nothing like home grown broccoli and caulifower. The first time I grew cauliflower and tasted it, it was like butter. I was amazed.

Someday, I hope to have a real garden again.