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Old 28-07-2011, 12:10 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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at last!

Nad, you might get some from this
one (if you are between Port Huron
and Detroit) . !!!

looks good for later tonight too
for more (but i won't believe it
until i hear it on the roof).

it was a perfect day to be out
trimming a field and spreading it
around (for green manure). i had
just finished most of it and had
only a little to go and the first
sprinkles came down, hmm, i say,
so i finish the last bit i could
get done, wrap the cords up and
get the trimmer in. stops sprinkling.
of course. so i go back out and
spread the trimmings around and
pack a large bin (so i can feed
the worm farm tomorrow morning) and
used a bunch on the new rhubarb patch
to give them some cover and more
worm food.

took the hose out there and
gave the whole area a good soaking
as the clay was heavily cracked
and i wanted to get the dry stuff
wetted down to keep it from blowing.
then i went and rinsed out the bird
baths and got the bean patch watered.

nice to have a cloudy cooler day
to get out there and get it done.
last time i was out chopping last
week i had sweat dripping off my nose
so fast i had a trail.

now i can hear the tomatoes singing
in happiness from getting some real
rain for a change. the cherry tomatoes
are just now starting to turn.


songbird
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Old 28-07-2011, 01:30 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 410
Default measureable rain

songbird wrote:
at last!

Nad, you might get some from this
one (if you are between Port Huron
and Detroit) . !!!

looks good for later tonight too
for more (but i won't believe it
until i hear it on the roof).


I see rain on the radar, it is raining north and south of me, I hope it
does not break up as usual when it gets to me. I could use a soaker, my
grass is like half brown half green. I have gotten enough rain so far to
fill my rain barrels and use that water between rains. But a bunch of
lights rains is ok, but I need a soaker for the corn and grass. Tomatoes
are growing nicely again as the temperatures have dropped to normal.

I have to be vigilant now, the good thing about hand watering the plants
one tends keep a watch on them. The last three days I have found nine
infamous Tomato Horn Worms (Green like Caterpillars). I remove them and
smashed them with my shoe. so far they have done very little damage and my
plants look heathy. I have thirty tomato plants growing.

it was a perfect day to be out
trimming a field and spreading it
around (for green manure). i had
just finished most of it and had
only a little to go and the first
sprinkles came down, hmm, i say,
so i finish the last bit i could
get done, wrap the cords up and
get the trimmer in. stops sprinkling.
of course. so i go back out and
spread the trimmings around and
pack a large bin (so i can feed
the worm farm tomorrow morning) and
used a bunch on the new rhubarb patch
to give them some cover and more
worm food.


The last two days was a picture perfect day. Low Eighties, nice breeze,
blue sky with white clouds floating by. I mowed and trimmed the lawn
yesterday. Today I took apart my forty year old rusted out gas grill apart
and got it ready for the scrap yard. I missed having a good steak this
summer. I am hoping for a good sale this fall on a new grill. Looking at a
small new infrared gas grills for my back deck. Some day I plan on a
building a small covered patio in the middle of the back yard garden with a
charcoal grill under it. Sorta like an outdoor kitchen, but will have to
piece it together over the years, money is tight.

took the hose out there and
gave the whole area a good soaking
as the clay was heavily cracked
and i wanted to get the dry stuff
wetted down to keep it from blowing.
then i went and rinsed out the bird
baths and got the bean patch watered.


Big cracks also in my new soon to be garden area. It will take time to
transform the soil like the rest of the yard. My main lawn has no cracks in
it. Last year that section of land was a hay field. The newly planted grass
has already made it look good from a distance. But I will add compost and
grass seed to the area each fall. In four years it should look good.

now i can hear the tomatoes singing
in happiness from getting some real
rain for a change. the cherry tomatoes
are just now starting to turn.


I see my cherry tomatoes coming in also, about two more weeks. Two cherry
100s and one Sun Gold. I hope in two weeks I will have my first complete
salad from the garden: head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots
and celery. My peppers seemed to really suffer during the heat and the leaf
lettuce bolted.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)
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Old 28-07-2011, 06:09 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 3,072
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Nad R wrote:
songbird wrote:


at last!

Nad, you might get some from this
one (if you are between Port Huron
and Detroit) . !!!

looks good for later tonight too
for more (but i won't believe it
until i hear it on the roof).


I see rain on the radar, it is raining north and south of me, I hope it
does not break up as usual when it gets to me. I could use a soaker, my
grass is like half brown half green. I have gotten enough rain so far to
fill my rain barrels and use that water between rains. But a bunch of
lights rains is ok, but I need a soaker for the corn and grass. Tomatoes
are growing nicely again as the temperatures have dropped to normal.


so far two rounds of rain and more
looking very possible tonight. yay!


I have to be vigilant now, the good thing about hand watering the plants
one tends keep a watch on them. The last three days I have found nine
infamous Tomato Horn Worms (Green like Caterpillars). I remove them and
smashed them with my shoe. so far they have done very little damage and my
plants look heathy. I have thirty tomato plants growing.


we have 26 tomato plants, only two cherry tomato
plants, oops, i forget we have three other
volunteer tomato plants growing in another patch,
but i have no idea if they will taste good. if
they provide fruit we'll give them a try and
if edible they'll be welcome in the jar or on
a sandwich.


....
The last two days was a picture perfect day. Low Eighties, nice breeze,
blue sky with white clouds floating by. I mowed and trimmed the lawn
yesterday.


i got more done today than i have in
weeks.


Today I took apart my forty year old rusted out gas grill apart
and got it ready for the scrap yard. I missed having a good steak this
summer. I am hoping for a good sale this fall on a new grill. Looking at a
small new infrared gas grills for my back deck. Some day I plan on a
building a small covered patio in the middle of the back yard garden with a
charcoal grill under it. Sorta like an outdoor kitchen, but will have to
piece it together over the years, money is tight.


i've always thought that separate kitchens
was the way to go. use all wood and
brick then when it gets too grungy just
set a match to it and start over when
the bricks cool. especially in the
south... having done too much restaurant
floors and seen what they look like after
a few years (and the smell, whew!) it's
bad enough to put you off ever eating
out again.

for cooking outside a fire pit and a
grate is good eating too. simple and
inexpensive if you have a wood supply.


took the hose out there and
gave the whole area a good soaking
as the clay was heavily cracked
and i wanted to get the dry stuff
wetted down to keep it from blowing.
then i went and rinsed out the bird
baths and got the bean patch watered.


Big cracks also in my new soon to be garden area. It will take time to
transform the soil like the rest of the yard. My main lawn has no cracks in
it. Last year that section of land was a hay field. The newly planted grass
has already made it look good from a distance. But I will add compost and
grass seed to the area each fall. In four years it should look good.


i'm confused, are you transforming hay field
into garden or hay field into lawn? or lawn
into garden?


now i can hear the tomatoes singing
in happiness from getting some real
rain for a change. the cherry tomatoes
are just now starting to turn.


I see my cherry tomatoes coming in also, about two more weeks. Two cherry
100s and one Sun Gold. I hope in two weeks I will have my first complete
salad from the garden: head lettuce, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots
and celery. My peppers seemed to really suffer during the heat and the leaf
lettuce bolted.


we had plenty of good results last year
from the sweet 100s we didn't put any
other cherry tomatoes in. someone gave
us some of theirs that they grew and the
were horrible (i can't believe i say that
about any tomato).

have you ever tried growing romaine lettuce?

the lettuce here did ok as far as growing
went, but it was a mix and most of the mix was
bitter (i don't mind some). next time we grow
the kind that wasn't bitter and leave the mix
for a much smaller amount just to add color and
variety. the spinach bolted almost immediately.
i picked some leaves here or there and even ate
some of the seed heads before they got hard.
those patches also had peas in them, now both
are being taken over by volunteer squash plants.
no idea if the squash will be good, but i sure
hope so. we love it.


songbird
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Old 28-07-2011, 12:23 PM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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songbird wrote:
Nad R wrote:


The first good soaking rain since May. An all night slow rain. I can here
the sweet sound of thunder in the distance as I type this.

Big cracks also in my new soon to be garden area. It will take time to
transform the soil like the rest of the yard. My main lawn has no cracks in
it. Last year that section of land was a hay field. The newly planted grass
has already made it look good from a distance. But I will add compost and
grass seed to the area each fall. In four years it should look good.


i'm confused, are you transforming hay field
into garden or hay field into lawn? or lawn
into garden?


Turning a 1/4 acre Hay Field into a lawn/garden with raised beds this
summer.
Grass will be in between the raised beds, I have just two 4x24 ft raised
beds in it for now. Hope to have a dozen raised beds built over the years
in that area. Using perennial grass next to the beds in the hope it does
not spread by the stolen like Kentucky blue grass does. I use a mower
string trimmer that makes the trimming around the beds a lot easier.

have you ever tried growing romaine lettuce?


Every year I grow lettuce. This year the romaine had a HOT taste to it, the
neighbors also had the same results and ended up pulling it up. However, my
Butter Crunch lettuce tasted great this summer. So it was not a total loss
for leaf lettuce this summer.

The dog is back indoors and I think I will get more sleep in. Rainy days
are shopping days... I will take the dog to the groomer, go the gym, get a
hair cut, do a little clothes shopping, look for summer bargains. By then
my little Yorkie will be ready for pickup.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)
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Old 30-07-2011, 12:28 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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Posts: 3,072
Default measureable rain

Nad R wrote:
songbird wrote:
Nad R wrote:


The first good soaking rain since May. An all night slow rain. I can here
the sweet sound of thunder in the distance as I type this.


i was watching it as it went and hoped it
helped over there too.

as it turned out here we had five or more
inches of rain that evening. the rain gauges
top out at five inches so i'm not sure what
we totaled. i do know that the ground was so
dry that it soaked up much of it. only a few
puddles remain in the low seeps and catches
i have set up. normally from what is in there
it would indicate about a 1 to 2 inch rain
and the field next door starts flooding us
at about 4 inches, but there is no standing
water there. so we were well due...

this is the first time we've had that much
rain in one night since we've been keeping
track of the gauges (14 years).


Big cracks also in my new soon to be garden area. It will take time to
transform the soil like the rest of the yard. My main lawn has no cracks in
it. Last year that section of land was a hay field. The newly planted grass
has already made it look good from a distance. But I will add compost and
grass seed to the area each fall. In four years it should look good.


i'm confused, are you transforming hay field
into garden or hay field into lawn? or lawn
into garden?


Turning a 1/4 acre Hay Field into a lawn/garden with raised beds this
summer.


ah.


Grass will be in between the raised beds, I have just two 4x24 ft raised
beds in it for now. Hope to have a dozen raised beds built over the years
in that area. Using perennial grass next to the beds in the hope it does
not spread by the stolen like Kentucky blue grass does. I use a mower
string trimmer that makes the trimming around the beds a lot easier.


those are nice to have. it was before my time
here that they had blown up one of those (didn't
mix the oil properly into the gasoline). they
used it to keep the two wild patches in the yard
and the ditches trimmed once in a while. now we
have a mower with a blade that uses lead-free
gasoline and starts easy. except for the lack of
edging it is much nicer, quieter and best of all
i don't have to get involved other than changing
the oil.

the wild patch closest to the house is now gardens
(when it was wild it had too many mice) and the
other one i've turned into a mixed legume garden
that i harvest for green manure to feed the worms
and put about 80% of the trimmings back to encourage
the clay to have more worms too. it being the end
of the first year for that process i've seen good
signs so far that the soil is improving, but it will
take more time. if a friend comes through with
several yards of ground up tree parts i'll spread
some of that out there to speed things up.

as for grass stolons... i won't say how many
hours i used to spend tracking them down through
various gardens, but it was enough. and the patches
of decorative grasses that i've had to eliminate
and then chase down all the escapees, i'm still
trying to get some species gone completely but
they keep popping up, and then the wild rice ...
well, let's just say that if the remaining 5% of
lawn/grass were to be turned into gardens i'd
shed tears alright, but tears of joy. not
too likely to happen anytime soon though...


have you ever tried growing romaine lettuce?


Every year I grow lettuce. This year the romaine had a HOT taste to it, the
neighbors also had the same results and ended up pulling it up. However, my
Butter Crunch lettuce tasted great this summer. So it was not a total loss
for leaf lettuce this summer.


i'll pass along the comments to the management
(that wants to grow romaine next season). thanks.


The dog is back indoors and I think I will get more sleep in. Rainy days
are shopping days... I will take the dog to the groomer, go the gym, get a
hair cut, do a little clothes shopping, look for summer bargains. By then
my little Yorkie will be ready for pickup.


a while ago someone described their yorkie
as going "noise first" into a snowbank and
that has always made me laugh to think about
it.


songbird


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Old 30-07-2011, 05:40 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible
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songbird wrote:

a while ago someone described their yorkie
as going "noise first" into a snowbank and
that has always made me laugh to think about
it.


I have a doggie door he comes and goes as he pleases. A few days ago i saw
the dog in the field he would not come when I called him. The little Yorkie
killed four new born rabbits. When I walked over he ran from me and
completely ate one of the new born rabbits...

I just got back from the 4H county fair with my brother, sister in law and
his kids. Had a good time watching the horse pulling contest and watching
all these kids with their prize goats, chickens and other animals as their
pets. Little kids competing in the Equestrian horse riding contest. Kids
young as ten years old taking their AlPacas and Llamas that are twice as
tall as the kids through their paces like in a dog show.

It was fun and a perfect night, low humidity mid seventies, after the down
pours from last night. Grass is getting green once again.

--
Enjoy Life... Nad R (Garden in zone 5a Michigan)
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