any gardeners?

“General Backpacking/Outdoors
Anything backpacking, or outdoor recreation related.

Gardening is outdoor recreation.”

“Today I receieved a Breck's catalog (bulbs) in the mail. Does anyone have any experience with them? For that matter, what catalog companies do you all recommend?”

“Brecks is alright---I have no complaints. I like and usually order from Dutch Bulbs though.”

“I've ordered from Perkins in Medford, Or with good results.”

“How about links to garden plans? Any suggestions for that? I have a small backyard that has no plantings whatsoever except for my raised tomato beds. It is 2/3 solid shade and 1/3 full sun so I layout ideas for both areas.”

“Nimble, if you do the corn on the grill or fire, be sure to remove the silk and then soak the husks or you will burn up the husks before the corn is done.

Sorry if you already knew this.

I'm growing a whole lot of dirt in my backyard AT THE MOMENT!!”

“Rosey, I didn't know it. Thanks for the tip. My garden has done incredibly well for a sandy-gravely area that hadn't been tilled before. Maybe it was the llama poop.

Next years crop should be even better. Know where I can get a camo netting that will make things look inocuous from the air? Just kidding.”

“If you don't want to, you don't have to pull the silk off before roasting. When we roast corn, Jon soaks the whole unshucked corn for a few hours in sugar water before throwing them on the grill. The silk comes off easily afterwards.”

“We've had no significant rain since mid July, and the temperatures have been 90 or higher for 27 days straight. My yard is baked dry. I just water the specimen plants now (trees, shrubs etc.) and the one thing that's loving the heat and dryness is the patch of cosmos flowers I planted from seed for Laurel to pick. THey're taller than me now and couldn't care less about the weather.”

“I saw my garden this morning.....cried...its a loss....#$^$^ a total loss....everything.”

“Sorry Spirit :-( You put so much into it.

The last couple of summers my passion flower has been beautiful but something is eating the blooms out of the little 'pods'...I think it is the squirrels!!!”

“My baby peony plant is looking very, very sad. I hope I can save it with some watering. Next year I'm going to move it somewhere else, if it survives the winter.”

“that's right - this isn't a hiking or backpacking forum anymore. I stand corrected.”

“No it is a community of people who happen to backpack and hike and have other things to discuss in life other than that.”

“WIngding0, if you have such a big #&%!$ing problem with the categorization of these threads, take your whiny b!tching to the "Hey Elise!" thread. Do us all a favor, huh?”

“Tree you crack me up...that was kinda my point in the previous post...just in a round about way!”

“We don't even soak our corn. Just toss it on the grill, by the time the first layer of the ear starts to burn through, the corn is steamed perfectly.”

“I managed to salvage one ear of corn. Im gonna eat it with butter damn it. Cholesterol be damned.”

“Lots of butter.

So, I met with the building head guy at Abby's school. One cottage garden, split by a door, 49' on one side, 27.9' on the other. At least eight feet deep. $300 budget. Southern exposure. Sheesh. Much bigger than I anticipated.”

“Dang, $300 budget? That's not much! Fall is a good time to transplant stuff, at least! Are you doing all smaller perenials, or will you do bushes and shurbs and stuff too?

I wish the nursery my sister worked at wasn't so far away from you, otherwise I could probably get you a few things from them. I'm not sure they'd support a school so far away.”

“My tires potatoes didn't do so well, netting about 5 lbs from 3 tiers of tires. No doubt the drought played into it because it was 100 yds from the main garden and seldom got watered. Next year will be better.

I also pulled the rest of the carrots. They too provide a learning experience. Making certain the soil is loose and not rocky seems to be the main one. Can't wait til next year.”

“Nimble, how did you know that the potaoes were ready? I have heard that once the blossoms die they are ready, no blossoms yet though.

Carrots were always boom or bust for us. But dayum, fresh carrots are good.”

“Birch, the whole plant was dead and it didn't seem that the spuds could possibly get any bigger thus being so. The plant died because someone in this household neglected to provide the necessary water. I'm not certain of the culprit, but a committee has been appointed to ferret this weasel out. Strong measures will be taken.

As I type, the corn's slowly cooking, potatoes are steaming and I'm drinking a beer and posting while I should be grilling steak. This MUST be rectified. BTW, did you get an email asking questions about my renovation?”

“I hope you are successful in your search. Its a real shame that your kids come visit and they decide to phuck up your plants. I thought you raised em better.

I got the email, sorry about my slow response. I was hoping to get to it today but I ended up working 9hrs. Sunday.”

“Not a problem, money will slow me down more than anything else anyway.

We've had our dinner and everything was great. It's never about the food so much as the company. I can talk to my kids endlessly and get so much out of it. My daugher and her boyfriend will return home tomorrow afternoon and my son and I still have 2 days for a little tubing, canoeing and a drive up the north shore. Life has never been better.”

“Glad its been fun Nimble, its cool that you and your kids are so close. I dropped you an email, no rush in responding though... You have far better stuff afoot.”

“Holy tomatoes, batman. I think we picked 30 yesterday, and need to pick about 20 or so more today. My mom's bringing her canning stuff when she comes to stay, but that looks like its another week out.

Pulled the beans and lettuce and cilantro, they were way past their time. Drying basil right now. Froze some leaves too, I'll see which method I like better.

Apparently I'm not going to the farmer's market this morning. FIrst time I've missed it and not have been out of town. Oh well.”

“I just started freezing sweet corn. I've got about 2 dozen ears ready to go if the water ever boils (I'll quit watching it, that should work). The all knowing internet says 9 minutes blanching for corn on the cob. It only takes 10 minutes for it to be ready to eat. The blanching time seems a tad excessive. Any comments, knowing full well it will be in the freezer when you reply. Just curious.

Love,

Nimblefoot”

“Well, alrighty then....

...on to my next gardening question:

The pumpkins are big and many of them are ripe (if being completely orange is the sole indicator). Should I pick them now or will they last longer if I leave them on the vine as long as possible. I figure it's a toss up between rotting quicker after they're picked, or the bottoms rotting if they remain in the garden too long. What's the word?”

“Its better to pick them, then let them harden off in a sheltered area like in a barn, up off of the ground. THey last longer that way.”

“and pick I will.

Thanky”

“I have a ton of tomotoes, too, from our CSA. I need to make some serious spaghetti sauce this weekend.”

“Just ate my first cantalope from the garden. Yummy. Looks like they'll all be ripe about the same time. Trouble ahead.”

“Just stay close to a bathroom, you'll be fine! Cantaloupe dehydrates into something like candy. The alternative is to puree it in a blender and dry it like fruit leather. Its awesome that way. Add a little lemon juice to keep it form turning gnarly brown though.”

“that sounds great treebait....caint wait to try that”

“Had a fantastic spaghetti squash the other night. The garden is still going gangbusters.

On another note altogether, I got a sweet pitcher plant at home depot, of all places. It was only $10 too!! Some of the catalogues, and places online, sell them for $40 each!”

“That's cool, Sass.

Since we're on water restrictions now, my yard is hard clay.”

“I brought a plethora of tomatoes to the hospital to share with the nurses there. Then my mom picked another plethora yesterday and took them home with her, they'll end up back in my house canned. Looking forward to planting some new things next year!”

“Would that be 2 plethora, plethorie or plethorae? Anyway, it's a whole bunch.”

“In regards to the conversation back on 6/13/07, thanks, Sass. I tell ya that transplanted rose is damn hardy. It has returned from the dead after butchering it.
last edited: 9/07/07 8:54:06 PM”

“Pictures?”

“That's cool ,USA. My roses are about happiest, healthiest things in the yard right now. Not counting the aquatic plants covering the koi bin.”

“Our first frost could be tonight. I brought the (ripe) pumpkins into the pole barn, but am wondering about the cantalope. I doubt they'll take much of a frost, but will they ripen indoors?”

“Bring 'em in!”

“I don't do anything special to my roses, but put a little bit of fertilizer and refresh the mulch in the spring. The only things that have aggravated them this year are the Japanese Beetles, but other than that they are pretty hardy.

One rose repeated gets mowed down (accidentally) and comes back every year. I attribute it to buying only roses that grow on their own roots and are not grafted.....

I came back from our trip out west to realize that I had forgotten to tell my neighbors to water the tomatoes--they are nearly dead, but lots of little grape tomatoes on them (and very sweet! I grew them in organic soil).... Hoping that if I continue to water them they won't die out completely.

I just love home grown tomatoes and I will only grow roses that have a scent to them.... :-)”

“I don't do anything special to my roses, but put a little bit of fertilizer and refresh the mulch in the spring. The only things that have aggravated them this year are the Japanese Beetles, but other than that they are pretty hardy.

One rose repeated gets mowed down (accidentally) and comes back every year. I attribute it to buying only roses that grow on their own roots and are not grafted.....

I came back from our trip out west to realize that I had forgotten to tell my neighbors to water the tomatoes--they are nearly dead, but lots of little grape tomatoes on them (and very sweet! I grew them in organic soil).... Hoping that if I continue to water them they won't die out completely.

I just love home grown tomatoes and I will only grow roses that have a scent to them.... :-)”

“They smell so nice she typed it twice, lol.

The cantalope are in. Now what the hell do I do with 30 cantalope on the kitchen counter? Wait a minute, one of my fat friends is on his way over.”

“You can dry them for hiking or snacking, or freeze it and use it to make smoothies and ice cream.”

“My brother gave me a bunch of antique irises - what am I suppsed to do with them? Plant them now? Dry them out? I'm so clueless!!! They still have green tops on them, he just dug them up the other day (I think).”

“Plant them ASAP.”