"Bette" wrote in message
oups.com...
Doug Kanter wrote:

Someone who posts silly or offensive messages just to get people riled
up.
You are beginning to seem like a troll because you have refused to answer
questions which would allow people to give you excellent advice that's
specific to your location.
I live in Pa. Thought I gave an answer in that some regions require
early planting others like colder climates do not.

Yikes, I do not want to offend anyone. Because this is a bit new for
me, I tend to be a big cautious. Like my husband said don't tell
anyone where you live.
He's not on Newsgroups and does not recognize the nice people.

Here I was giving tons of info and not taking into consideration your
feelings.
Shall I continue or am I behaiving like some dork?
Bette



Look at a topographic map of Pennsylvania and tell us what you see. Or, if
you've driven across the whole state, describe what you saw. When you've
provided either form of information, we can continue, and you'll understand
why you need to be more specific.

"Lawrence Akutagawa" wrote in
om:


"enigma" wrote in message
. ..
"Bette" wrote in
oups.com:

Hi, I am new and just joined your nice group. I was told
not to plant tomatoes until the last full moon in May.
We would love to have a vegatable garden and wonder where
and when to start.

the last full moon in May? there's usually only one full
moon...

chuckle Not necessarily so. Remember the phrase "once
in a blue moon"? It refers, I believe, to the second full
moon in a month. Doesn't happen often, but happen it
occasionally does.

right, & this month there's only one
i have a nifty little program called moonphase that runs in my
taskbar. it shows the 2nd full moon as blue when it happens
anyway, since the OP is in PA, it's probably safe to put
tomatoes out now.
lee

--
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the
guise of
fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison, fourth US president
(1751-1836)

"Bette" wrote in
oups.com:

Doug Kanter wrote:

Someone who posts silly or offensive messages just to get
people riled up. You are beginning to seem like a troll
because you have refused to answer questions which would
allow people to give you excellent advice that's specific
to your location.

I live in Pa. Thought I gave an answer in that some
regions require early planting others like colder climates
do not.

Yikes, I do not want to offend anyone. Because this is a
bit new for me, I tend to be a big cautious. Like my
husband said don't tell anyone where you live.

do you know your planting zone? parts of PA are zone 6 & some
are zone 5. that would be helpful without giving away too much
location info.
of course, you did mention Amish neighbors, which is possibly
Lancaster county (although a lot of the Amish from there have
moved to southwestern NY & more rural areas of PA...).

Here I was giving tons of info and not taking into
consideration your feelings.
Shall I continue or am I behaiving like some dork?

you're fine. i don't think you're exhibiting any trolling
behavior (watch Doug when we mention loose dogs! g)
lee
--
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the
guise of
fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison, fourth US president
(1751-1836)

Bette,

I understand your nervousness about the Internet. Why don't you call
you county extension office and ask them which zone you live in, then
you can post that info here. A zone is a very large area no one will
know your location.

Phil

"enigma" wrote in message
. ..

do you know your planting zone? parts of PA are zone 6 & some
are zone 5. that would be helpful without giving away too much
location info.

Some areas behave like zone 4, too. Follow route 81 south through those
mountains....

"Doug Kanter" wrote in
:

"enigma" wrote in message
. ..

do you know your planting zone? parts of PA are zone 6 &
some are zone 5. that would be helpful without giving away
too much location info.

Some areas behave like zone 4, too. Follow route 81 south
through those mountains....

exactly! then there are the peculiar microclimates on a
property.
i live in NH, mostly zone 5b... but i have zone 3 pockets & i
have one neat little zone 7 pocket. microclimates are very
interesting things. they're also a PITA in some cases.
lee
--
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the
guise of
fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison, fourth US president
(1751-1836)

"enigma" wrote in message
. ..
"Doug Kanter" wrote in
:

"enigma" wrote in message
. ..

do you know your planting zone? parts of PA are zone 6 &
some are zone 5. that would be helpful without giving away
too much location info.

Some areas behave like zone 4, too. Follow route 81 south
through those mountains....

exactly! then there are the peculiar microclimates on a
property.
i live in NH, mostly zone 5b... but i have zone 3 pockets & i
have one neat little zone 7 pocket. microclimates are very
interesting things. they're also a PITA in some cases.
lee

It takes a few years to figure out a piece of property, but it can be very
interesting.

enigma wrote:
"Bette" wrote in

Shall I continue or am I behaving like some dork?
you're fine. i don't think you're exhibiting any trolling
behavior (watch Doug when we mention loose dogs! g)
lee
--
whew We live in Lancaster County, pa. I don't think anyone is
gonna seek us out.
N.H? Oh, now I am really homesick. My hubby and I would visit his
friend's cabin on
Lake Winnipesaukee years ago.

He is a loose dog? You mean he likes to take advantage of a Newbie?
Shame on you Doug. smiling I can take it.

To get back to gardening, we do want to plant some big tomatoes and
understand that marigolds keep the bugs away or is that just a wive's
tale?
Having fond memories of my dad's garden is keeping the memory alive.

Now is it okay to talk about that stuff or am I just rambling????
Bette

"Bette" wrote in message
oups.com...
enigma wrote:
"Bette" wrote in

Shall I continue or am I behaving like some dork?
you're fine. i don't think you're exhibiting any trolling
behavior (watch Doug when we mention loose dogs! g)
lee
--
whew We live in Lancaster County, pa. I don't think anyone is
gonna seek us out.
N.H? Oh, now I am really homesick. My hubby and I would visit his
friend's cabin on
Lake Winnipesaukee years ago.

He is a loose dog? You mean he likes to take advantage of a Newbie?
Shame on you Doug. smiling I can take it.

To get back to gardening, we do want to plant some big tomatoes and
understand that marigolds keep the bugs away or is that just a wive's
tale?
Having fond memories of my dad's garden is keeping the memory alive.

Now is it okay to talk about that stuff or am I just rambling????
Bette


Marigolds seem to keep nematodes away, but they're not much of an issue with
tomatoes. And, forget the moon.

Doug Kanter wrote:
Marigolds seem to keep nematodes away, but they're not much of an issue with
tomatoes. And, forget the moon.

Had to google to understand menatodes. Something to do with fungi, but
not keeping the bugs away.
Do you use a chemical bug spray for your veggies? If so would it be a
dry or spray on.
How do you keep out the critters other than using a fence.
I heard dry blood does the trick, but when it rains, it is washed away.
Bette

"Doug Kanter" wrote in message
...

"Bette" wrote in message
oups.com...
Travis M. wrote:

This is such a cool group. Thanks for your info and humor.
Bette
Troll anyone?

I am not only new at gardening but not familar what a troll means.
Bette


Someone who posts silly or offensive messages just to get people riled up.
You are beginning to seem like a troll because you have refused to answer
questions which would allow people to give you excellent advice that's
specific to your location.

Hi Doug, I live on Willowen drive in Rochester NY (hope that is specific
enough for you)

What excellent advice can you give me about tomatoes?

bette, figure out what zone you are in an plant accordingly. Here in
pittsburgh, we are in zone 5. still too cold at night to plant tomatoes.
"Bette" wrote in message
ups.com...
enigma wrote:
"Bette" wrote in
oups.com:
the last full moon in May? there's usually only one full
moon...
anyway, it depends entirely on your location. i'm in zone 5.
my last frost date is May 11 (the full moon in May is May 13),
so i can put my transplants out after May 11.
of course, i want them to grow faster so i'll build them
little mini greenhouses around thier raised beds & keep them
nice & warm until June. i have little faith in last frost
dates
lee

Thanks for your information. I like the mini greenhouse idea to
prevent frost.
Bette

Doug Kanter wrote:
"enigma" wrote in message
. ..


do you know your planting zone? parts of PA are zone 6 & some
are zone 5. that would be helpful without giving away too much
location info.


Some areas behave like zone 4, too. Follow route 81 south through those
mountains....



I grew up in one of the cold parts of Pensylvania -- northwestern
Susquahanna County.

Tomatoes were not planted until Memorial Day. Usually that was late
enough to not get frost, but I could still find snow in the deep pine
woods until mid-June.

-matt

Go to http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ for a map showing the zones
gardeners us and figure out which zone you live in, as all advice
requires that information.

I live in zone 5 and I start my seeds indoors, under lights, then move
the trays outside to acclimate the seedlings about a week or 10 days
before my chosen planting date, which is around Memorial day.

Every year I plant one tomato seedling early (I did it today),
protecting it with what are called walls of water, a ring of plastic
pouches that, when filled with water, form a teepee over the plant and
protect it from freezing. I then pamper this plant. Meanwhile, the
rest of the seedlings are planted on Memorial day and not pampered at
all. Guess which produce the earliest and most abundant fruits? I
don't know why I keep trying to get earlier fruit from this pampered
plant; it never happens.

I would suggest you use the next few weeks to improve the soil in your
garden, doing a soil test and adding what is missing, and digging in a
lot of organic matter.

Bette wrote:

Hi, I am new and just joined your nice group. I was told not to plant
tomatoes until the last full moon in May. We would love to have a
vegatable garden and wonder where and when to start.

Thanks so much.
Bette

"Bette" wrote in
ups.com:

Doug Kanter wrote:
Marigolds seem to keep nematodes away, but they're not
much of an issue with tomatoes. And, forget the moon.

Had to google to understand menatodes. Something to do
with fungi, but not keeping the bugs away.

nematodes are worm-like critters. some eat roots & some are
beneficial. here's more than you probably want to know:
http://nematode.unl.edu/

Do you use a chemical bug spray for your veggies? If so
would it be a dry or spray on.

not at all. i keep the veggies organic. no chemicals.

How do you keep out the critters other than using a fence.
I heard dry blood does the trick, but when it rains, it is
washed away.

first, do you have critters & what kind? rabbits, deer, red
squirrels, chipmunks, chickens? different animals need
different controls. a 3-4 foot chicken wire fence with about a
foot buried & angled outward will stop most rabbits, but none
of the other animals i listed above. deer would require an 8'
fence or a 6' double fence setup. my chickens can go over a
6' chainlink fence, so i'll probably put a motion activated
sprinkler in the garden to keep them away (they *love*
tomatoes & peppers).
dried blood doesn't seem to work well on keeping things out
(or not for long anyway), but it's good for the plants.
marigolds & basil are both good companion plants for
tomatoes.
lee
--
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the
guise of
fighting a foreign enemy. -James Madison, fourth US president
(1751-1836)