Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread, July 25, 2020 [KT]

Hello to all you gardeners, putterers, outdoor loungers and dreamers! Today, we start with a little fanciful garden art from this spring:

Hi, KT ... I hope this finds you well and virus-free. This is a peony I found still in bloom as I walked the area around the pool after soaking up what I hope is excess Vitamin D for about an hour. It has the pool fencing behind it, which gave rise to the title 'Prisoner of the Garden.' Maybe the appropriate music for viewing would be Fats Domino's "The Prisoner's Song" which expresses the desire to escape in the line "If I had the wings / Of an angel / Over these prison walls / I would fly" ... yeah, you rite, Fats.

However, peonies don't got dem no wangs, so they're pretty much tree-bound. They're still pretty, tho'. Enjoy, and thanks again for all the great images you post that are sent in by the Horde. Hey! Is it conceivable that we could achieve 'Horde Immunity' ... ? Just a thought ...

(Dr_No)

Okay, Dr_No, here ya go. Still not convinced that's a peony, though:

Here's a cheerier photo, back lit.

Get outdoors! Don't be a prisoner!

Tom Servo sent a photo of his back yard. This is part of it (edited to remove a child). Also,

Second is of my Crinums and White Spider Lilies. They always bloom in July here in East Texas!

Tomatoes

KarlHungus commented last week:

Westside Oregon moron checking in. I have 60+ heirloom tomatoes in 30 and 45 gallon smart pots. Smart pots are the felt material raised planters. I like them a lot for temporary spaces and they also automatically root prune your plants so none get root bound. My whole gravel side yard is basically a tomato forest. Varieties: Boronia, Cherokee Chocolate, Cherokee Purple, Black Cherry, Red Cherry, Siletz, Genovese Costuloso, Ivan, Arkansas Traveler, Mortgage Lifter, Ashleigh, Hawaiian Pineapple. Also 6 tomatilloes which are going crazy.

What I failed on is the hot peppers. If anyone has any advice on them, they basically stunted, got to about 4" and stopped growing despite having plenty of space and nutrients and water. Carolina Reaper, Early Jalapeno, Serrano, Ghost. Maybe I'll send a pic in next gardening thread.

Any suggestions on the peppers? Western Oregon.

He sent in three photos:

Heres a boronia in a 7 gallon smart pot. Also an indigo apple and Ashleigh starting to ripen.

My grandpa loved tomatoes and his one hobby was tending his few plants every year, so I probably picked it up there. I didn't even like tomatoes till I grew a few heirlooms last year and discovered grocery store produce is garbage. So I've been getting into growing my own, and micro nutrients, glacial rock dust. What I did this year was order whatever sounds interesting in some etsy seed sites, I had the Boronia seeds from last year though. I would like to get some land around here but with the California cancer spreading it's getting harder and harder to afford. Which is sad since I'm like a 4th gen Oregonian with a lot of history in the state.

Tomatoes are lookin' good. Have you tried any of the varieties on his list?

Okay, now for some practical advice on growing tomatoes, from MarkY:

Since everyone has a different name for their various tomato staking methods (Texas weave, Florida weave) we've decided to name our attempt.

The KC cascade.

The metal fabric shown in pic #1 was used as a stiffener for our ICF house build. About 8' long. 6" wide.

We pulled the plants back to the east, and arched the metal about 3' out, staggered. (pic#2).

Laid the whole shebang over, to the west, using the stakes to help. Pulled the stakes and cut the strings and ribbon.

Voila! Plants off the ground for some air circulation, yet rambling, as is their wont.

We'll see how it works.

We also have 2 rows of Jetsar. One rambler, one staked. Again, side by side comparison. We know which is less work!

Interesting trials! Hope I got these in the right order:

Tools for people who like tools

Dyspeptic Curmudgeon has another tool source recommendation, from last week's comments. Also note JQ's directions for making Oregon Grape Jelly, which came in late in the tread last week:

If you are looking for good gardening tools, try Lee Valley Tools. leevalley.ca

Lee Valley started out doing specialist tools in the early '70's and has expanded both stores and products. Good, well made tools, including slightly different, ok weird, stuff that you will not find elsewhere. It now has a full Gardening catalog of its own, to go with the Tools, and Hardware catalogs.

The Tool catalog is a big boys toy shop. You have been warned.

Afraid we've been doing "meters" at our house this week.

Gardens of The Horde

Miley and Publius' Garden

Dear Garden Thread,

The other night, someone suggested we send in a couple of pics of
our garden. Here's a couple, showing the tomatoes, and then the corn,
squash, beans, okra, and peas. This was taken on July 6th, ignore the
erroneous year.

-Publius

We have been curious. Thanks for sending them in!

And from Diogenes, some "throw-away" blooms:

A few years ago I had a couple of extra bulbs of "something." No idea where Mrs D came up with them so I just threw them into the ground in a very ignored part of the garden on the side of the house. This is the result. They are among my favorites.

What do you think? Know what they are? He does. Now.

Pluots are on here in the South Central San Joaquin. Lambs quarters are tall enough to provide shade for the dogs when they are in the back yard.

What's going on in your garden?

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

ktinthegarden
at that g mail dot com place

Include your nic unless you want to remain a lurker.

posted by Open Blogger at 01:13 PM

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