Gardening

[MarionTh230]

Your sunflowers take my breath away!  I am a big enough person to admit that I am super jealous!!!  But, also very happy for you.  Enjoy them!

[MarionTh230]

Aug 14, 2023 7:03:08 GMT -5 happyhoix said:

Aug 13, 2023 20:36:01 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

My tomato plants have cooties now. It went from zero to 60 in a matter of days. There are a bunch of new babies growing, but I’m almost over those plants anyway. 

Mister picked 8 tomatoes off of them for me today, that were starting to turn red. I have what feels like a million tomatoes in my kitchen right now. In reality, it’s a few dozen, in various stages of ripening. I’m off work tomorrow, so I will do something with the ripe ones tomorrow, and freeze them one way or another. I will dice the Better Boys, and I guess roast the Romas, and maybe go ahead and make them into tomato sauce. Maybe. 

I am still all over the place with wanting to try to grow something this fall. The only thing I know for sure that I’m going to try is turnip greens. Everything I’ve read says I need to start them around this time, but I saw a FB post today in a gardening group that lives in the same part of the state I live in, and they said that if I want to grow them just for the greens and not the turnips themselves, to wait until next month to plant them, to reduce the chances of bugs nibbling on the leaves. I just want the leaves, to cook turnip greens. I remember my Grandmother use to cook turnips when I was a child, but I don’t remember liking them, and Mister said he doesn’t like them, so I just want the leaves. 

It gets really confusing to me, trying to figure out what to do and when to do it.

In my area, they plant pansies and ornamental cabbage in the fall. They overwinter well - but that’s in my area.

Ornamental cabbage sounds beautiful.  I don't see it way down here very often.  If I was the type that was good at landscaping it seems like it would be wonderful addition to a yardscape!

[oped]

I did not even weed this year. Kiddo is living at home and planted some tomatoes and zucchini but that is the extent. I just can't do the full time working and gardening, even if I do get 6 weeks off in summer. 

[happyhoix]

Aug 19, 2023 18:20:52 GMT -5 oped said:

I did not even weed this year. Kiddo is living at home and planted some tomatoes and zucchini but that is the extent. I just can't do the full time working and gardening, even if I do get 6 weeks off in summer. 

We have a big audit in September- I’ve been preparing for it for 18 months. So other than my four raised veggie beds I didn’t do much else. Haven’t been able to weed and the flower beds are over run with weeds - it’s the wet summer we’ve had. Normally by August the heat and dryness slows the weed growth down, but not this year. I think global warming is giving us a tropical environment.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I just came across this glossary I found it useful. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I hate spending money and my husband hates invasive blackberry bushes. 
We now have fewer blackberry bushes and less money. $600 for a removal in a small part of our yard.
Is the invasive blackberry bush just a PNW thing? Are they where you live?

[Tennesseer]

Aug 22, 2023 8:25:57 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I hate spending money and my husband hates invasive blackberry bushes. 
We now have fewer blackberry bushes and less money. $600 for a removal in a small part of our yard.
Is the invasive blackberry bush just a PNW thing? Are they where you live?

I am not aware of blackberry bushes are invasive in the south. Could be though.

But I remember visiting a friend in northwest New Jersey on time and we walked across the street from her home and picked blackberries on bushes located on an undeveloped piece of real estate.

Could be a northern states problem.

[daisylu]

Aug 22, 2023 8:25:57 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I hate spending money and my husband hates invasive blackberry bushes. 
We now have fewer blackberry bushes and less money. $600 for a removal in a small part of our yard.
Is the invasive blackberry bush just a PNW thing? Are they where you live?

Yes, they are everywhere. I am in Virginia. My understanding is that because they are rhizomes they will spread wherever they can, much like bamboo. We have both. The bamboo is so far contained by our road frontage, which helps keep the noise and debris down so we let it be. The blackberries pop up everywhere, often where there are no other plants within 50 feet. About 1 acres of our land is blackberries, which we love, but we are constantly killing new growth in areas that make no sense.

[Pink Cashmere]

I just finished messing with my tomato plants. I’ve been slowly cutting back the jungle, especially now that they have cooties. They are staring to look scraggly and bad, but they are still making baby tomatoes. I’d been hoping they might start looking and doing better when it cools off some, but they might not get the chance, it’s supposed to be close to or over 100° until Saturday.

I was considering pulling the Roma, thinking it was probably done producing, but nope it has a few tiny babies too.

I am looking at a black bird on my birdbath. I prefer the smaller birds lol. But I guess they all need water right now. I’d rather they use the birdbath  than start messing with my tomatoes. I got 3 or 4 tomatoes off just now, 2 of which managed to ripen on the vine. I’ve been watching them turning red, but I couldn’t get my nerves together to go get them off.

I’ve been sitting in the shade with the fan blowing on me, trying to rest a minute and cool off. My shirt was so wet that the a/c in the house was too cold. I’ll go take a shower in a few minutes.

[happyhoix]

Aug 22, 2023 9:08:19 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Aug 22, 2023 8:25:57 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

I hate spending money and my husband hates invasive blackberry bushes. 
We now have fewer blackberry bushes and less money. $600 for a removal in a small part of our yard.
Is the invasive blackberry bush just a PNW thing? Are they where you live?

I am not aware of blackberry bushes are invasive in the south. Could be though.

But I remember visiting a friend in northwest New Jersey on time and we walked across the street from her home and picked blackberries on bushes located on an undeveloped piece of real estate.

Could be a northern states problem.

No I am overrun with them in Georgia. I use a wide tip syringe to squirt brush killer on them at the roots, that’s about the only thing that kills them. They are horrible to try to cut back and remove .

[MarionTh230]

Managed to get the watering done this morning.  I have patches of brown in the front yard that I noticed yesterday when we got home from the store.  Which I have never seen happen before.  Apparently we have moved from "abnormally dry" to "moderate drought" according to this fun drought map that is maintained by NOAA and a couple of other governmental agencies.

There is carnage in the garden.  Not everything has lived through this excessive heat despite my best efforts.  I also have lots of deadheading and pruning that needs to be done.  It's just too hot though.  That man on TV that pretends to predict the weather says the excessive heat should break this coming week.  Along with rain being forecasted.  If he is right this time, I'll have a chance to get the surviving plants back to some semblance of normal.

The verbenas have started to bloom again though, so I'm hopeful.  I'm just hanging in there trying to minimize my losses.

[Tennesseer]

Saw this video on Facebook. How to propogate orchid pieces from an old stem into additonal plants. Just don't burn the house down or your fingers.

[Pink Cashmere]

The birds have discovered y tomatoes.

This morning when I went to turn the faucet off, a bird flew out of the tomatoes. And there was a red tomato that half of it had been eaten. 

Mister and I just got done with him removing that tomato and some more ugly ones. I went ahead and had him pull the Roma tomato plant for me. So now I just have the 2 Better Boy plants, both of which have green tomatoes on them. 

I am still more excited about starting over next year, with the things I’ve learned from this year, than I am about finishing this season. 

[MarionTh230]

There is a squirrel bothering DH's fall bed.  I put some cayenne pepper out which is deterring for the moment.  I expect that to be short lived though.  The bird feeders need to be refilled.  Free bird seed seems to be better than anything else at keeping the squirrels away from things.

DH's summer bed lost a zucchini.  Busted stem.  He wants to plant a yellow squash there to replace it.  I haven't decided yet if I want to agree to that.

I bought more containers.  Little cedar wedge trough things.  Super cute.  Not very big.  It's for my herbs.  I have basil, oregano, and sage that I started from seed.  And a thyme plant from the grocery store I got last year.  I picked up a sage plant and oregano plant at the big box store too.  Since mine are still small, I can use the plants until my tiny ones are ready for harvesting.  There's also cilantro and chives that are still living inside that will go out there one day.  Oh, and a mint I grew from seed.  Just one and it has to be in a container so this should work great for that.

I also bought a 6 pack of lettuce.  Why you ask?  Because of DH.  He wants lettuce.  It's too hot for lettuce.  Rinse and repeat since this is a conversation we have had many times.  I gave up and bought the lettuce.  I have slim hopes of keeping it alive long enough to get it to harvest, but DH is happy.

[MarionTh230]

DH will have okra ready to harvest in the next few days.  He has already harvested some cucumbers, but there are now pickleworms.  I've been helping him spray with BT and pick them off since his schedule is non-standard.  He does as much as he can when he is home, but he's not always home when things need to be tended to so I help him out as best I can. 

He will also have green beans to harvest in another week to 10 days.  Zucchinis will be ready.....well.....whenever they feel like being ready.  They haven't blossomed, but it seems like they will any day now since they have lots of buds that haven't opened yet. 

Also helped him direct sow some carrots and beets in his winter bed.  Current issue there is just keeping the squirrels away.  They like to run in that bed and eat the leaves off of things.  Not real clear on how well his winter crops are going to go because of that.

I want to start some more seeds.  But I haven't hade any motivation.  I usually keep flowers germinating/growing through the winter.  I have found that lots of flower varieties do fine in pots inside. Between the seed setup in the spare bedroom and my south facing window I usually have quite a few things that I can grow inside and then put out as soon as spring hits. Maybe my motivation will show back up one day.

[Tennesseer]

Pink Cashmere - did your tuberose bloom this year? Mine did not. Have plenty of foliage but no flowers.

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 19, 2023 18:33:48 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Pink Cashmere - did your tuberose bloom this year? Mine did not. Have plenty of foliage but no flowers.

Yes! I had one that bloomed a month or so ago, it’s done now. Another one is blooming now, the first of the flowers just opened yesterday. And another one is growing flowers now. 

[Pink Cashmere]

I went and took a picture, this is the one that is blooming now.

[Tennesseer]

Sept 19, 2023 19:02:40 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Sept 19, 2023 18:33:48 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Pink Cashmere - did your tuberose bloom this year? Mine did not. Have plenty of foliage but no flowers.

Yes! I had one that bloomed a month or so ago, it’s done now. Another one is blooming now, the first of the flowers just opened yesterday. And another one is growing flowers now. 

[Tennesseer]

Sept 19, 2023 19:10:10 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I went and took a picture, this is the one that is blooming now.

Does it have a nice scent?

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 19, 2023 19:10:12 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Sept 19, 2023 19:02:40 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Yes! I had one that bloomed a month or so ago, it’s done now. Another one is blooming now, the first of the flowers just opened yesterday. And another one is growing flowers now. 

I wish I could share some secret or whatever, but you already know I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, and that you are a much more experienced gardener than I am. 

I am stuck with several more peace lilies after Mister’s Dad’ funeral. His Aunt said she wants one, and she apparently thinks I’m kidding when I say she needs to hurry and come get it before it becomes a victim of my black thumb lol. 

I kept 2 from Mister’s Mom’s funeral in February, and despite my best efforts, I’ve already managed to kill one of those, and the other one is just barely hanging on. 

Want a peace lily? I have several from last week, that need good homes.

[Pink Cashmere]

Sept 19, 2023 19:10:47 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Sept 19, 2023 19:10:10 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

I went and took a picture, this is the one that is blooming now.

Does it have a nice scent?

Yes, they smell great!

[Tennesseer]

Sept 19, 2023 19:17:14 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Sept 19, 2023 19:10:12 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

I wish I could share some secret or whatever, but you already know I don’t know what the heck I’m doing, and that you are a much more experienced gardener than I am. 

I am stuck with several more peace lilies after Mister’s Dad’ funeral. His Aunt said she wants one, and she apparently thinks I’m kidding when I say she needs to hurry and come get it before it becomes a victim of my black thumb lol. 

I kept 2 from Mister’s Mom’s funeral in February, and despite my best efforts, I’ve already managed to kill one of those, and the other one is just barely hanging on. 

Want a peace lily? I have several from last week, that need good homes.

Thanks for the offer but I must decline. The moment it's in the house and my back turned, it will be tipped over and all over the floor. Cats are messily curious.

[Tennesseer]

Sept 19, 2023 19:17:49 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Sept 19, 2023 19:10:47 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Does it have a nice scent?

Yes, they smell great!

. Again.

[countrygirl2]

I am tired. I just finished emptying the dishwasher, loading it back up and turning on. Feeding the cats and shutting them in their room.

DD's pills, that's done, her hair is a disaster, needs cut and I have to get time to get her to the city for that.

She went with her behavior person today, they went to the city, had lunch, than went to her favorite place Five Below. She came home with 2 more shirts she doesn't need. But for $5 each, that's ok. It's just I really need to iron those.

I think I also just finished up with all the documents the purchaser wants. Just one more is needed and it will be from me requesting the PO to transfer the money to the new buyer, but I'm not doing that till almost the closing. I will ask the contract person, I finally have a contact number when that should happen. NOW the leasing department gives me a number finally, damn.

We are meeting Thursday with our realtor to list the house here too. Tomorrow to a luncheon, than I am going to have to come home and bust butt to get everything done over there. Hubs is done with his part. He needs to put curtain rods up. I have a pair of curtains for each bedroom and for the kitchen. Going to go downstairs as I think I have some I can use in the living room and I know I have shower curtains and rugs to match down there. Need to dress it just a bit. Some I could do Thursday, but she is likely to want to take pictures.

Now we are doing this, I am glad, its time for us to quit. Even if we move, its going to take a year to get rid of stuff here. I'm seeing a lot of houses up there suddenly selling on contingent. They are really taking a chance waiting for people to sell their homes first. I would never do it. So we are thinking some are getting desperate. But housing prices are still too out of sight. The prices around Lay look better and its not that far away, but I would still prefer to be nearer the mall and I also like Tumwater. Kind of the best of both worlds.  Than I'm thinking if hubs has surgery how long before he can go up there, will it be Christmas?  He goes on you can go and I will just stay here. Sure can't you see him being sick and me leaving? Not going to happen.  The kids may have to break down and come here. If they do I will cash in our tickets and buy theirs instead if they can get flights. For them having pet sitters is like our problem with pets.

He is worrying about someone mowing if we are not here. I told him the renter in his mom's house will like doing that if he lets him use his big mower. He really likes it there, I sure wish he could afford to buy it. But he just can't, that is really sad. I think he is the happiest there he has ever been. I told hubs he would likely mow here for us too for some money off his rent, if we need it. 

We have never needed help but I think we can get some if we ask and pay. We have helped a lot of people and will continue if we are able.  I know in just a couple more years DD can make use of assisted living respite if we need it a few days at a time. She won't like it, but it could become necessary. They have new owners so I need to check, but I think they still will if they have vacancies.

No matter what I still want to give son money for his garage, he can't decide where he needs to build it. He has over 2 acres but so much of it is treed, hubs tried to have him take out more when the guys did it for nothing. But he doesn't want to listen to the voices of experience. 

And my house needs cleaned badly. My porches are filthy, though the combining hasn't been done around us yet so might wait till that is done. Need to wash them down good and do the windows and screens out there too.  Then we need to clean the mobile, sigh. 

Maybe I can get caught up by the end of the week or by Sunday night. I don't like messy and dirty.

After that going to start decluttering, either have a sale of donate, one or the other. Oh and this is coats for kids week so I need to get a couple to donate.  We have kids here in need.



Hubs said he has another appointment on the 29th with the urologist and doesn't know why. I'm going with him so he can't blow smoke at me and try to hide stuff. I don't trust him to tell me everything.

And once again I forgot to buy ink for this printer.

We both bought DQ today, him a small blizzard and me a small dipped cone, boy was that good.



Hubs and I ran to town and ate lunch at Burger King today, I had a junior sandwich, then he bought a dryer cord the other didn't fit that particular dryer receptacle of course.

I also got a covid shot while there and picked up some of DD's pills. Now both arms hurt, LOL and about half hour ago I started getting a headache. My back is hurting too and feet so took a pain pill, I think it has helped my head. I just put my dryer bonnet on also and the warm air is making it feel better.

[countrygirl2]

Wow, that was a long post, sorry, didn't intend to write a book and did again.

[Pink Cashmere]

Tennesseer , I just noticed today that I have another stalk of tuberose flowers growing. So, one has done it’s thing already, another is flowering now, and 2 more are growing flowers.

I’m not trying to rub it in, I am just sharing because I never would’ve even heard of them if not for you, and I am grateful for you sharing bulbs with me last year.

These are different bulbs, that I bought myself this spring, from a family owned business in Tennessee, that grows them. I didn’t plant all the bulbs I bought, and there are still some somewhere in my house, that may have rotted or whatever by now, for all I know.

In hindsight, I wish I would’ve shared them with you, but if you’ve been reading my posts in other places on the boards, you know I’ve been kind of crazy this whole year.

I will order us both some more next spring from the Tennessee growers. Hopefully I won’t still be crazy by then.

I got brave and went outside just now, in the dark, AND turned the lights off to make the picture better, so I could show you.

[Pink Cashmere]

DS wanted to look at my tomato plants when he came over, and I walked back there with him. One of them has over 20 tomato babies on it! The other one has some too, but not as many. Maybe around 15. 

I have not tended to them at all in 2 or 3 weeks, not even watering them. The plants themselves, look horrible, the middle of both of them are brown, but then they are green again above the brown, and that’s where all the tomato babies and flowers are. The cages are leaning, the branches aren’t even in the cages, and flopping all over everywhere. It’s a mess, and I am really surprised that they are still trying to make tomatoes. 

I don’t know whether to try to tend to them again, or just keep leaving them alone and see what happens, since it seems that once again, the stuff I try to grow seem to do better without my “help” lol.

I hadn’t even been tending to the stuff on my deck for 2 or 3 weeks, or watering any of it. I haven’t even been out there. Which is why I didn’t know I had more tuberose flowers growing. I only saw that today because I finally went out to water my poor lemon tree, because it’s been looking pitiful for a few days. 

[Tennesseer]

Sept 26, 2023 20:52:18 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Tennesseer , I just noticed today that I have another stalk of tuberose flowers growing. So, one has done it’s thing already, another is flowering now, and 2 more are growing flowers.

I’m not trying to rub it in, I am just sharing because I never would’ve even heard of them if not for you, and I am grateful for you sharing bulbs with me last year.

These are different bulbs, that I bought myself this spring, from a family owned business in Tennessee, that grows them. I didn’t plant all the bulbs I bought, and there are still some somewhere in my house, that may have rotted or whatever by now, for all I know.

In hindsight, I wish I would’ve shared them with you, but if you’ve been reading my posts in other places on the boards, you know I’ve been kind of crazy this whole year.

I will order us both some more next spring from the Tennessee growers. Hopefully I won’t still be crazy by then.

I got brave and went outside just now, in the dark, AND turned the lights off to make the picture better, so I could show you.

Thank you. I still have a few packets of flower seed for you. They should be okay to scatter this coming spring.

[Tennesseer]

Sept 26, 2023 20:52:18 GMT -5 Pink Cashmere said:

Tennesseer , I just noticed today that I have another stalk of tuberose flowers growing. So, one has done it’s thing already, another is flowering now, and 2 more are growing flowers.

I’m not trying to rub it in, I am just sharing because I never would’ve even heard of them if not for you, and I am grateful for you sharing bulbs with me last year.

These are different bulbs, that I bought myself this spring, from a family owned business in Tennessee, that grows them. I didn’t plant all the bulbs I bought, and there are still some somewhere in my house, that may have rotted or whatever by now, for all I know.

In hindsight, I wish I would’ve shared them with you, but if you’ve been reading my posts in other places on the boards, you know I’ve been kind of crazy this whole year.

I will order us both some more next spring from the Tennessee growers. Hopefully I won’t still be crazy by then.

I got brave and went outside just now, in the dark, AND turned the lights off to make the picture better, so I could show you.

Hallelujah!

One of my tuberose plants is sending up a flower stalk and bud!