Garden Time Coming

Gardening and Household tips. Good food. The Lighter side...

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 06-19-2014 02:05 PM

Weeds and more weeds here also on the CO plains. All the rain we had sure got them going and the hail that hit the plants I had in didn't phase the weeds at all.

We have that dang bind weed here which is a sort of morning glory imported from Europe in the 1800's and followed the settlers here. It is like yours, you have to get every piece of root out which is near impossible as some go down many feet. Best one can do is keep pulling and starve the big root over the years.

Some beds are almost free of the stuff but I need to attack others and also outside the beds and garden area to really get it to at least slow down.

Runs hot up to 90 then down to 70's where it is now so the weather is unstable so far this late spring.

Maybe summer will be better I sure hope.

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Post by Bobbi Snow » 06-19-2014 02:12 PM

Cherry, Nutgrass tubers can be eaten in times of famine. I don't know if they have to be cooked first... If not, perhaps they can be used in soups or salads, like dandelion plants. But if you have ever used Round-up or any other kind of weed killer to try to get rid of them, the soil and the tubers stay contaminated for the life of the plant(s), so don't try it.
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BenSlain
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Post by BenSlain » 06-19-2014 11:43 PM

I'm growing grapes.:) Three years now. This year I will have fruit.
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Post by Bobbi Snow » 06-20-2014 01:53 AM

I'd love to grow grapes or berries. But I'm too old and unable to tend to them now. I miss my many years of gardening. And besides, the raccoons would eat them...
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Post by Cherry Kelly » 06-20-2014 09:35 AM

Leslie - yes - rain and more rain - then days in 90s and humidity very high does not help when trying to go out and rid the gardens of weeds. So far no hail -but we have had high winds and it did knock over some of the metal "cages" - well tipped a few did not completely knock them and only a few - plants are okay.

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Don't use Roundup - except on the weeds that grow in the gravel driveway, but not even the horse will eat the nut grass.

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YES grape vines look decent and hopefully will produce enough for some eating and for jelly. :)

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Had about 2 tens of an inch of rain Thurs morning - slowed down working in the garden, but am down to just a couple of areas that need to be weeded. (Mostly between the growing corn plants.) Other rows are weeded, more weed/feed paper between groups of planted rows and a few weeds that come up beside the plants.

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 06-20-2014 09:50 AM

I am going to try blueberries here in this soil but first they are going to live in planter pots and get upgraded in size for a couple years while I get the plot acid enough for them.

Soil here is very alkaline so lots of work needs to be done to even bring it into the normal range for most plants and even more to get it ready for the blueberries.

We're dry now as all the rain has soaked in and evaporated so I am spot hand watering with the last from the rain barrels then it will be pumping from the well unless we get the predicted rain this weekend.

Am starting to get the weeds under control but you know weeds. Take out one and six more come to the funeral.

I keep all Monsanto junk away from the house. It's bad enough now that I have seen it is being carried in the air and by default rain everywhere now due to the overuse of it.

Strictly organic here. :)

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 06-20-2014 01:51 PM

leslie -- hmm know anyone near who has horse manure that could be composted with some egg shells and coffee grounds? If so - get a pile, stir, let sit over winter and put some on top of soil, till it in - let it sit and till again. MIGHT help improve your soil area.

WAS very disappointed with the "Jiffy" seed starter mix - loaded with weed seeds!! grumble... Won't get that one again and have complained too.

Love the weed/water paper as it really DOES cut down on so much weeding. Of course first you have to get things weeded and then put it down. When I use it for setting out plants, I go to the middle of the sheet, cut a small "X" (big enough to transplant) - fold the edges back, dig, water, transplant, fold back the edges with a small bit of dirt around top. YES get a few weeds there, but sure beats the hundreds and thousands one would have to pull, hoe, etc.

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 06-20-2014 05:54 PM

Lots of horses around here but sadly they have every chemical known to man put into them so the manure is no good.

I got a good load a few years ago and had it dumped in the north 40 and from there I took smaller loads to the garden beds. Hardly anything grew and it was hard getting things back and still there is residue.

At the big 5-ton pile no weeds are growing at all so that was my clue and even today no weeds.

Working in coffee grounds and good compost I'm making to improve the soil.

Sure do under stand weeds in starter mix, not good at all as I had that happen here also.

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Post by Bobbi Snow » 06-21-2014 02:25 AM

Weeds, if left to grow and the plowed under before planting, enrich the soil which means we don't NEED petroleum-base fertilizers. The weeds do it for us. We did this in the 50s and 60s, and had wonderful, delicious veggies. STOP GMOS from ruining our natural crops!
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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 06-21-2014 07:56 AM

I agree there. I take the pulled weeds and let them dry to the bone in this hot sun then they go back as a help for the mulch cover than get turned in when the beds get turned. I have noticed those beds I have done that with are getting less and less weeds every year so maybe the weeds that are thinking about it are getting the idea that if they pop up in that bed they are goners.

That large pile or horse manure does not have any weeds but maybe in a few years the will take over then I will plow them under and repeat the cycle for a few years until the nasty chemicals are out of it then maybe plant a lot of corn over that area. It's been 5-years already that pile has sat there so it may take a lot longer. At least I will know and can pass on how long it takes to have mother take care of the junk we put on her. :realmad:

Happy First Day of Summer !! :D :crazyjump :)

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 06-21-2014 11:39 AM

Wow - horse manure piles with no weeds - must have some really bad food situation for those poor animals. Don't they eat a lot of grass and some clover, maybe an apple or carrot throw in? My horse manure compost has weeds - so guess its probably why it works so well. And as noted it sits over winter and sometimes two years.

Things are growing fairly well considering the late start this year.

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YES GET RID OF GMOs!!

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 06-21-2014 06:41 PM

These so called horse owners around me are more Yuppie than real ranchers so all the crap they can give the animal goes in it and junk crap comes out. They are too busy to graze the animals and really treat them well but they are within county limits so nothing can be done.

I figured I would do the manure hauler a favor. This is a guy who comes and gets their manure for disposal as they do not run it over their land and I can see why.

Anyway, few years ago I asked him if he would mind dropping a load off at my place and he was happy as he charges them to remove it then has to pay a dump fee so he could charge them and then dump a load at my north-40 for free so keeping more money.

Bad mistake as no weeds are growing and most likely will not for a few more years which is sad.

Just think what is in the animals that come from the factory farms for people food. Most likely nothing at all you really want to eat.

Storms over so back out in the cool to do more work.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 06-22-2014 09:44 AM

Leslie - I feel sad for those horses not being allowed to graze - sheesh.

At least I know where our beef comes from - and yes those cattle (black angus) graze on the land. They do get grain the last few weeks before slaughter, but they are also grazing as well.

Wish I knew more about the hogs as I have seen some terrible farms and some decent ones too. Wish they labeled them as to where they are obtained.

Chickens - lady down the road raises egg layers so for most of the summer - oh ya!! :) And they are out in open - fenced in of course from all the dogs that run around.

Thing is - people need to cook foods properly and do as much as they can to stay away from GMO stuff. (and monsanto) - getting harder all the time. People have tried to force proper labels but with their big $$ and lobbying - it does not seem to be working very well.

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LeslieV
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Post by LeslieV » 06-22-2014 10:14 AM

Sadly we are getting more and more junk in the food under the guise it is needed to produce as much as is needed.

It's been shown over and over that proper land management will produce as much if not more and better quality food. Sadly that impacts the bottom line a little and cuts into the multi-millions bonus packages every year.

Had a bad surprise this AM. Darn deer got in and managed to get a lot of my good lettuce crop and chard. I had gone out looking to get a nice haul for salads but the deer got a lot of it. I managed to get enough then spent the past couple hours improving the one temporary fence and putting up those scare sliver strips along the fence and on poles in the garden. Should keep Bambi out for a while.

I need to rig more scare items and move them around and maybe a scare crow standing in there that I can move from place to place. I have solar motion lights but they don't seem to bother the deer, just gives them light to eat by.

Out to the garden to get more weeds and rig more deer scare.

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Post by Cherry Kelly » 06-23-2014 09:18 AM

LeslieV - Got some old CDs - old scratched ones? Hang them on a string in places where they can move in a slight breeze - deer don't like them. Got some hanging in apple trees to keep the deer from climbing up to get apple. (AND YES PEOPLE deer will climb a tree for fruit if they can.) BUT deer do not like those shiny things - especially if they move around.

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