2012 Tennessee Garden Thread
 

Contribute if you want, kibitz if you dare, post pictures when interesting things begin to happen, share your experience.

May a good time (and excellent crops) be had by all!

I got end of the year seeds from WEEKS of N.C. at the end of last season - and will specialize in giant tomatoes and giant cucumbers this year for the pure fun of it...

I'm hoping to add anise and sweet cicely to my herb garden this year.

(?)


Tell me about WHY you want those things....

Okay - I'm already started. For this year - I'm building what I think of as "Tomato Bridges" which are trellis sections supported flat by short stakes made of PVC tubing.

This is based on my last years experience with vertical trellis' and cages.

The cages will be used for something else.

I have two of them set up already, about five feet wide by thirty or more feet long. They support the plants eighteen to twenty inches off the ground, right at the height where they begin to spread out a lot. Pictures to eventually follow - this will hopefully get them to spread out so that they are not all bunched in cages, and support the load a lot better than last years attempt!

I want anise because I like the taste/smell and it is used medicinally in several ways.

I want Sweet Cicely because it is also used medicinally, but also can be used in recipes to add sweetness without calories.

My birthday was yesterday, so I spent some time placing the garden gnomes and spinners I received in various flower and herb gardens. I noticed that the crocus are blooming, along with bachelor's buttons and camassia quamash. My Sweet Alyssa never di die...it is still thriving unprotected on my front porch.

I particularly notice when the small yellow Daffodils come out - they are my first indicator that winter is moving to a close.

I don't trust it until I see larger trees and bushes begin to bud out; which they are doing in my area. It's better to observe nature for hints about the coming season, there seems to be a lot of good results by those who pay attention to nature as opposed to almanacs!

I am also going to have a lot more green leefy stuffs this year, they did so well all on their own last year that I have modified my basic plan because of it!!!

I had what I believe must have been an endive last year that didn't bolt until just at the end of autumn. It had a peppery flavor that went well with bacon and vinegar with garlic salt

Seed from various kinds has drifted all over the garden, but I know what they are now and transplant them once they reach good size to a special spot reserved for:

"Leafynessezzz" Oo.


Nothing on earth is prettier than a group of different lettuces and such all growing together in many colors...

What do you make of the temperature trends so far this year?

Will it frost or not?

When will be the last?

WEST TN! WHEN YOU RECKON IS THE BEST PLANTING TIME???

Do NOT get too impatient. The average last frost date in East TN is the first week of APRIL. I think we're going to get at least one more cold snap in March----probably 2 with snow in at least one of them. FWIW, the largest snow event in Chattanooga in recent memory occurred in April.

I always try to start planting some seeds indoors (going to plant some tomatoe & cilantro seeds TODAY) to help keep me from planting outside too early. I also start planning what seeds/plants I am going to put in my garden(s) and where I'm going to place them. Get everything together so the process is more efficient in a couple months---probably planting the outside gardens the second week of April.

The lawn grew so much the past month, I was forced to MOW in February! The peach and plum trees are starting to bud and the herbs have begun sprouting----maybe Spring HAS sprung early this year.

It was EIGHTY for a while this afternoon...


(I saw it on the bulb)

This is way above the norms for this time of year.


What if there IS SOMETHING to a gradual warming pattern???

GD meth heads stole dads tiller from the barn, took the gate off of the post and drove up to the barn, got the bush hog too, lookin for another old Troybuilt, I found him a rear section to build his engine and put it on, he ***** footed around until all of them sold now we have nothing! Can't break the ground until we can get another rear tine, yet he wants to wait and dismiss every one I find, either too far or too much, he knows they're expensive, yet thinks he'll get one as a give away! They stole the hand tools, tomato cages, animal traps, etc, I wanna do some shooting out at the farm, you can't have anything, I see them stealing my uncles tractor next.

That was done by someone who knew exactly what was there - and ALSO had to use some of the stolen stuff...

Think it over, who knew about it all?


Have you been pissing someone off that would do that?

The opposite, these punks are searching all properties in the area taking an inventory of everything, they broke in the house a couple times, and hit the one down the road owned by my other uncle, and other families. The antique stores in the area are taking the stuff they know is stolen, family and friends have been there numbers of times getting their stuff back, police know about it, and have no intention of stopping it. Cop told a friend that he don't care if he catches them stealing, he can't shoot at them, or detain them, or he'll go to jail. The homes all around are farm houses that no one lives in, so these guys have the ability to loot without fear of being stopped, they back up in the yard at great grandmothers house, up to the front porch and loaded the truck in broad daylight.

This sounds like the prelude to a Steven Segall movie...

They are junkies, friend of the family was tired of them stealing his gas, filled his can with an sugary sweet mix, up the street his neighbors kids hood is open and the punk is workin on his truck, debt repaid, now he knows his thief. It's sad that stuff that has been sitting 30 years undisturbed is disappearing and you can do nothing, unless you want to sit and guard it, need some bear traps.

GARDEN THREAD


- Okay, can we all see it now? 8D I mean, this is not the COMBAT AGAINST THE CRACK-HEADS THREAD, it is DIFFERENT



I mean SCHUCKS, Mark - you sound like you got some neighborhood enforcement to do, but DAMMITMAN!



* (?)

Is it possible, by the sound of it, to get within four city blocks of Marks house without combat armor?

So why does he live there?

*Yep, you got me confused.

No, it's out at the farm, the thieves pretty much looting peoples property.

Dad puts out a garden every year at my great grand parents property, people that live in the area are stealing stuff from the houses all around, especially those where no one lives, they break in and take stuff. No one has lived in the house for 30 years, my uncle maintained the property, keeps equipment there, and has occasionally raised animals in the field, so much for the country living leaving doors unlocked.

OUTRIGHT ROBBERY?

What is being done about it?

Nothin, cops aren't interested, just told Jess, a family friend the things he couldn't do, or get arrested himself, no protecting your property.

Good day to all...NASCAR? Relax and have fun.

Dad managed to buy another Troybuilt, gotta fix it up before it's ready to use, it's not runnin, these things are expensive, had a line on something else but the chain drive unit was busted, and parts are unavailable, no time to make due with it.

I believe with 80 degree weather later this week, it is time to till the vegetable garden.

Not sure WTF NASCAR has to do with this thread.

Maybe he's racing to the store to get garden supplies?

I fixed it.

- I have sprouts popping up everywhere right now in the Memphis area

Well, the apricot and peach trees have blossomed and the blooms are all but gone. The cherry trees are showing signs of blossoming SOON. I planted some seeds in my flower/herb gardens----Sweet Alyssa, Sweet William, hollyhocks, cleome, and a lavender plant from Kmart for the flowers; thyme, oregano, cilantro and nasturtium in the herb garden. The Sage, lemon balm and rosemary are all thriving as well. I plan to till the vegetable garden this weekend, but I'm still too chicken to plant any veggies until the first week of April.

Whoops----forgot that I planted some marigold seeds in a planter on the front porch. My lilac bushes are fixin' to bloom as well.

Gotta get the flywheel off of the tiller to replace the points, dad wants to get a jaw puller but I'm afraid of breaking it, it's time to turn the garden and get the beets planted, they are an early item, would love to put out some greens.

Planted a bunch more flower seeds yesterday: Sweet William, Morning Glory, California Poppys, Zinnia, Hollyhocks, Snapdragons & some Gladiolous bulbs. Just about out of space in my permanent gardens. Now I need to clean and prepare some containers for more herbs and veggies.

If you get even one Marigold that has the height, and spreading that you want - immediately begin harvesting the flowers as soon as they die off and dry.

Each flower contains between 50 to 200 Marigold seeds, once they have grown one time, they will become aclimated and grow well, and a very few dried flowers are enough to seed a huge area.

I had a one gallon bag of Marigold seed this year, all of it six inch high wide spreading and hardy plants! 8D

(The taller varieties tend to need support, which I have no time for!)

MOON FLOWER
~Have you seen this?

From Parks Seeds you can get one of the biggest varieties. A pure white bloom, like a morning glory, it spreads open IN THE EVENING in about 60 seconds total.

SIX INCHES IN DIAMETER! :eek:

I imagine you could see it moving...
*I have a lot of extra seeds for that. If you are nearby, you can have some. Also some serious wicked Habanero...

Moms looked like shrubbery, they lived long into the winter too, she'd keep her seeds to replant the next year, putting some at the garden this year.

That's what I'm saying - you can snatch the flowers to resead with!!!

I'm thinking about posting average grocery prices at Naifehs and WALMART or wherever to compare to my water bill

$1.68 a pound for near anything...

Anyone around Atoka looking for tomato plants?

I have a gadzillion beefsteak tomato plants sprouting, and hatched a deal to put them all in containers and sell 'em off for 50 cents each at yard sales. Me and a kid from next door are digging them up and setting them in sprout containers

These are from the cast off tomatos that I saw bug holes in or whatever last year - and just dropped in the garden. Those plants got five feet tall, spread hugely, made good tomatos and in fact busted every one of my cages before the end of the season...


~but they are not 'Weeks' Giant Delicious~

(I can't have 2 kinds growing at once)

Free to anyone from FTE who wanders by to see my frustrating machine 8D

Dads replacement Troybuilt, got it runnin good, sunk it down to till deep and boom, blew up like the last one with the 6HP Tecumseh, he bought a Kolar 6HP instead of a Honda, they are cheaper, just needs to get the season started, reverse fiber disk is shot, gotta replace it. This year is an adventure thanks to the thieves at the farm, should have listened to me and not left the tiller there to start with. Too early to plant unless you're putting out greens.

Due to clearing clutter, dads throwing away both the old Tecumseh engines, they could be rebuild, one likely will require a bore, but they were heavy engines, I'd like to build one but he said no, don't want them taking up space.
He's gotta hurry up and break the ground at the farm, but is waiting on the reverse disc for the new tiller, time to plant the beets, they're an early crop. I would like to put out some greens, I've started eating them.

Spent all day yesterday edging/mowing the yard. Noticed that I have marble-sized apricots & peaches already. The cherry trees have finished blooming and tiny cherries have set, and both of my apple trees have blossoms on the right now.

I also have daffodils, tulips, grape hyacinths, hyacinths, Sweet Alyssa and columbines blossoming around the estate.

My sage, rosemary, lemon balm, bee balm and fennel are growing gangbusters.

I think I'll start planting some vegetable this week and hope we are through with any hard frosts.

I'm beginning to consider rounding up all the Maple and Oak sprouts that are all over the place. Why don't I sell hardwood trees? Let them go a year or two in containers, and deal them off at the corner.

Can't keep them out of the flower bed, I hate those trees.