Sponsored Content




Intermarkets' Privacy Policy
Support


Donate to Ace of Spades HQ!



Recent Entries
Absent Friends
Bandersnatch 2024
GnuBreed 2024
Captain Hate 2023
moon_over_vermont 2023
westminsterdogshow 2023
Ann Wilson(Empire1) 2022
Dave In Texas 2022
Jesse in D.C. 2022
OregonMuse 2022
redc1c4 2021
Tami 2021
Chavez the Hugo 2020
Ibguy 2020
Rickl 2019
Joffen 2014
AoSHQ Writers Group
A site for members of the Horde to post their stories seeking beta readers, editing help, brainstorming, and story ideas. Also to share links to potential publishing outlets, writing help sites, and videos posting tips to get published. Contact OrangeEnt for info:
maildrop62 at proton dot me
Cutting The Cord And Email Security
Moron Meet-Ups

NoVaMoMe 2024: 06/08/2024
Arlington, VA
Details to follow


Texas MoMe 2024: 10/18/2024-10/19/2024 Corsicana,TX
Contact Ben Had for info





















« It's Independence Day! [KT] | Main | Ace of Spades Pet Thread »
July 04, 2020

Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread, [KT]

Nigell.jpg

Happy Independence Day to all gardeners, putterers, outdoor enthusiasts and dreamers! Don in Kansas has posted a Garden Report that includes the photo above. It sort of reminds me of fireworks. There are more at the link.

The Nigella damascena flowers are pleasingly complicated and alien-looking, but nearly all of them are either white or blue. Blues are always welcome, but the package promised purples and reds as well. At least a third of them are single, and Nigella is one instance where double flowers are preferable. It's probably time for the seed producers to re-select their stock.

To go with that blue flower, here are some red and white geraniums. Remember our Swiss Garden Dog Guide? Her American Dog Cousin lives at the home where these geraniums are in the window.

geranrednwhite.jpg


And here are the geraniums in Gioia's window in Switzerland

swisswindobox.jpg

In addition to loving gardens, Gioia is a nature lover

swiiizdgg.jpg

And a cow lover.

swiiizcowww.jpg

Speaking of large hooved animals, a note on last week's crippled deer from Admirale's Mate:

I noticed, in the comments, that there was some concern the deer had Chronic Wasting Disease (comments 26, 27, 36, and 42). My sister had the following response:

The year before last, the dear was probably shot in her back left leg which left it useless. Then last summer it seemed she may have been hit by a car and her right front leg is pretty crippled, leaving it very difficult for her to get around. We contacted the game commission and even sent them pictures, thinking they would put her down, but no..............then, somehow, she got bred. I will never know how she was able to get bred, but now has a little fawn with her. She has such a time getting around, I am sure between that and feeding the fawn, she is literally wasting away, but does not have chronic wasting disease. Very sad indeed. She could never protect herself or her fawn if she had to, as deer rear up on their hind legs and strike with their front feet. Not an option for her. I expect that we won't see her next year.

Nature can be hard . . .

Plant that sounds edible

Last week, we discussed mushrooms and their prospective edibility. This week, another plant, thanks to Misanthropic Humanitarian:

I have planted grapes, but no wine.

We grew up with a huge veggie garden. After leaving the house never had the urge. Now flower beds are a different story. Someday we might have some nice ones.

Our move from 2018 has been interesting. Rabbits, deer, crappy soil & incredibly short growing season.

Sounds challenging. Then there are slugs:

pertatrc.jpg

glasnevin.jpg

petra2c.jpg

So, growing potato vines, the kinds that don't make potatoes, Solanum jasminoides, S. laxum or the one above, S. crispum.

Winter hardy to USDA Zones 9-11 where it is best grown in organically rich, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade. Also does well in average soils. In St. Louis, it may be grown in pots/containers overwintered indoors or as an annual vine. Grow from seed started indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost date. Pots may be overwintered indoors as houseplants in bright sun rooms with reduced watering or as dormant plants by cutting back stems and placing in a cool, dark corner of a basement or frost-free garage. Cuttings may also be taken in late summer for overwintering.

Makes little fruits, but they're not edible.

Actual edible things from the garden

Gordon promised to send us a photo:

The remains of the second strawberry rhubarb pie, and strawberry balsamic jam, strawberry jam with Jamison's Irish whiskey, and strawberry jam with half sugar/half stevia for a diabetic friend.

strawbrrr.jpg

And from his garden:

This patch is finally starting to propagate. Last year I harvested enough for four half pints of jam. This year there should be much more.

raspbr.jpg

Mmmmm.

And here's a fruit report from the desert, too. From the end of May:

Thought I would send a few pictures I took while puttering around this morning. I have a ton of fruit on the go in the yard. Mulberry season has just ended, but I got a bumper crop this year and froze some as well. I managed to make a mean Mulberry Margarita out of some of them.

I am getting a nice crop of Kaffir limes this year, and the Dorsett apple is doing itself quite proud.

I am going to get a few Mangoes as well which is nice because the last two years the Mango got damaged in the frosts but this year we managed to get through the winter unscathed and get some Carrie mangoes.

I am finally getting some Asian pears, I have had this tree for about 9 years, moved it twice and then heard that you need two pear trees to get fruit, and so last year I put in another Asian pear and I hand pollinated and am finally getting some fruit.

This is also my first year to get nectarines, the tree is about 4 years old so it must have needed some time to settle in.

It also looks like I will be getting my first Sapote fruit. It has started fruit before but they all fell off when quite small but I am finally getting a few that are getting bigger so hopefully they will get to full size this year.

Lastly my peach tree is putting on a spectacular show. Last year the frost/snow late in the spring took away all but 20 of my peaches. It is certainly making up for it this year. I have a feeling I will be freezing a lot of peaches and I may have to just make a batch of peach margaritas.

Wee Kreek Farm Girl

fruityd1.JPG

apppl2.JPG

pappy3.JPG

friuitd4.JPG

fruitd5.JPG

fruitd6.JPG

I asked about the Sapote:

The fruit get to be about as big as a lemon, but rounder, if that makes sense. The fruit has a custard type consistency and the flavor is kind of like a peach banana maybe a hint of vanilla and pear you eat the skin and flesh and there are seeds inside. The tree itself can get to be 15-20 ft tall. Mine is a white sapote. The fruit is still hanging in there so I am hopeful.

Gardens of The Horde

Jewells sent in some photos:

One is a my prickly pear cactus in bloom..so beautiful! The other is something that was here when we moved in in 2008 and I never could figure out what it is. It grows quite tall at 3-4 feet.

Anybody want to I.D. the last plant?

cactussj.JPG

cactussj2.JPG

jgardn.JPG

Here in the Central Valley, our first slicer-sized mater is ripe today. Anything going on in your garden?

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

digg this
posted by Open Blogger at 01:07 PM

| Access Comments




Recent Comments
[/i][/b]andycanuck (2yu8s)[/s][/u]: "750-pound alligator seized from home near Buffalo, ..."

Ben Had: "Only 30 more years of these moronic statements ft ..."

2008 is calling: "Mahalia Jackson>>>>>>>>>>>Affimative Action Jackso ..."

BillyD: "[i]158 Mind you, a Moron claimed the car would sti ..."

Diogenes: "DEI in action, and that's a good thing! Posted by ..."

Piper: "Have we discussed KBJ and her gripe the 1sr amendm ..."

Commissar Hrothgar (hOUT3) ~ This year in Corsicana - [b]again[/b]! ~ [/i][/b][/u][/s]: "[i]257 Watching another Boeing United Airlines iss ..."

Loose Emergency Door Plug: "Return to Newark? I'd rather ditch. Posted by: D ..."

J. Random UA Flight: "[i]Return to Newark? I'd rather ditch. Posted by ..."

Diogenes: "Watching another Boeing United Airlines issue in r ..."

Truthbomb : "Watching another Boeing United Airlines issue in r ..."

Ciampino - on time: "About 43 minutes [b]SpaceX - Falcon 9 - Starlin ..."

Recent Entries
Search


Polls! Polls! Polls!
Frequently Asked Questions
The (Almost) Complete Paul Anka Integrity Kick
Top Top Tens
Greatest Hitjobs

The Ace of Spades HQ Sex-for-Money Skankathon
A D&D Guide to the Democratic Candidates
Margaret Cho: Just Not Funny
More Margaret Cho Abuse
Margaret Cho: Still Not Funny
Iraqi Prisoner Claims He Was Raped... By Woman
Wonkette Announces "Morning Zoo" Format
John Kerry's "Plan" Causes Surrender of Moqtada al-Sadr's Militia
World Muslim Leaders Apologize for Nick Berg's Beheading
Michael Moore Goes on Lunchtime Manhattan Death-Spree
Milestone: Oliver Willis Posts 400th "Fake News Article" Referencing Britney Spears
Liberal Economists Rue a "New Decade of Greed"
Artificial Insouciance: Maureen Dowd's Word Processor Revolts Against Her Numbing Imbecility
Intelligence Officials Eye Blogs for Tips
They Done Found Us Out, Cletus: Intrepid Internet Detective Figures Out Our Master Plan
Shock: Josh Marshall Almost Mentions Sarin Discovery in Iraq
Leather-Clad Biker Freaks Terrorize Australian Town
When Clinton Was President, Torture Was Cool
What Wonkette Means When She Explains What Tina Brown Means
Wonkette's Stand-Up Act
Wankette HQ Gay-Rumors Du Jour
Here's What's Bugging Me: Goose and Slider
My Own Micah Wright Style Confession of Dishonesty
Outraged "Conservatives" React to the FMA
An On-Line Impression of Dennis Miller Having Sex with a Kodiak Bear
The Story the Rightwing Media Refuses to Report!
Our Lunch with David "Glengarry Glen Ross" Mamet
The House of Love: Paul Krugman
A Michael Moore Mystery (TM)
The Dowd-O-Matic!
Liberal Consistency and Other Myths
Kepler's Laws of Liberal Media Bias
John Kerry-- The Splunge! Candidate
"Divisive" Politics & "Attacks on Patriotism" (very long)
The Donkey ("The Raven" parody)
Powered by
Movable Type 2.64