Whatcha Up To???

[w_r_ranch]

Today I finished forming the rows & got all the stakes installed, so tomorrow I can finally get started on the planting. I also cut all the strips of plastic garden tape that I will need to tie the plants up as I go along.

The spring crop of inch worms hatched & are starting to drop out of the trees, so I will be dusting the plants with 'Bt' as I work on the planting.

Also found aphids on the pepper plants in the greenhouse so I mixed up some malathion in a spray bottle & misted all my flats. Dang things just sprang up overnight as the weren't there yesterday. Perfect climate for garden pests right now here.

 

[ErnieCopp]

You seem to have more bugs than i do, but i think that is because we are so dry out here. Our first year was wet, and we had lots of Flycatcher type birds, but seldom see them anymore.

I did have a bug eating the melon sprouts, did not have any Malation on at hand but mixed up some Sevin, and sprayed it on the ground and what little growth was there. Do you think Spraying it on the ground around the plants will help or does Sevin only work if you hit them directly? I will have some Malathion tomorrow so can do it again if necessary.

Ernie

 

[Rahab222]

Isn't that the pits? We work so hard getting our gardens in and then the bugs and critters come.

 

[wolffman]

Wolfman; I know the fields between Sugar Land, through Needville and onto Freeport well. All old stomping grounds. I think when the cotton comes in, I'm going to stop by the gin and ask for some free cotton burrs. That's where my Dad always got his.

Did you notice the weather forecast has changed for Weds. from an 80% chance of thunderstorms to 20% chance of rain? Scattered rain the rest of the week. Cool front this weekend. I had to go out and water everything today, including my transplants.

I'm off this Friday for Good Friday, so I'm praying to play catchup on the garden. Lots and lots to do. I really need to get all my tomato plants in. All my kinks are just straightening themselves out from last weekend's work in the garden... I really felt like my whole body was broken.

Luckily, the rain missed us today. I was able to till the last garden this evening. A lot of activity around here today, I can barely drive to work due to all the tractors on the roads. I have 2 busy days in front of me, lots of dirt work and planting right behind. Not the way I like to do it, but it will have to do for this year.

 

[Rahab222]

Wolffman; Then God blessed the farmers in your area if you didn't get the deluge. I was at Lowe's on Westhiemer around 1:30 p.m. today and everybody in the garden center just turned in unison to see and hear the black clouds rolling in. It came a real frog strangler! Lowe's personnel had tons of multi-level racks out stocking the plants outdoors. Then the wind and rain came through. It sounded like the whole roof of the garden center was going to come down. A few panels did disappear from the roof and the rain came pouring through as if from a downspout. There were plants toppled all over the parking lot - far and wide. I asked the cashier if those plants were free? He never responded, as a few people made a run for their cars because we could see the next cloud bank rolling in. I've got to get my rear in gear this weekend. Good luck!

 

[w_r_ranch]

Planted the cucumbers, spaghetti squash, green beans seeds, then the poblano & jalapeno peppers..

Watered everything that I planted today & the flats still in the greenhouse.

 

[ErnieCopp]

I removed a 3 X 20 bed of Day Lilys along the Veranda. Hundreds of beautiful flowers, but as their names indicate, the blossoms only live for one day. Most work of any flower bed on the place just picking off all those dead blossoms, so i replaced it with what will be a Rosemary hedge. Planted little 3 or 4 inch starts a weeks ago, and some have doubled in size so i had to get down on my knees today and tie them to stakes, or i would have had Rosemary ground cover, jinstead of a hedge.

Tomato plants are growing fast, but not seeing as many blossoms as i would like. Have some tomatoes shaping up, found a few onions big enough to bring in, but they will be better and sweeter when they are through growing.

I may lose my beautiful lawn this summer. Governor Moon Beam Brown mandates everyone reduce their water usage 25%, or face severe penalties. Of course losing a lawn is a penalty, too, so will wait and see which costs more, the Water Penalty or replacinng the lawn.

We would have eonough water if they did not flush so much of it down the Rivers to support the minnows and snails that they worry more about.

If people could take this climate with them, i am sure half the population would move out of state in a minute.

Ernie

 

[w_r_ranch]

Planted both varieties of corn & 25% (10/40) of the tomatoes... hopefully I'll finish tomorrow.

Watered everything left in the greenhouse.

Baked bread.

 

[wolffman]

Been at it since 7:30 this morning. 130 tomatoes planted, corn, squash, cucumbers, and okra. About 3 hours worth of labor tomorrow to finish it. Someone say a prayer for my lower back lol.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Give yourself another 25 yrs & you'll know what I feel like... it was hard to get moving this morning. 360 'toe touches' planting the corn & I was dragging for those 10 tomatoes... I hurt too.

 

[ErnieCopp]

It is comforting to hear you young fellows hurt, too. But no more toe touches for me, i have to get down on my knees, to plant the seeds.

Ernie

 

[Mr_Yan]

Starting to get nice out around here. Sunny out and about 50° F. Forecast calls for low forties and rain for much of next week.

Took advantage of the nice weather and cleaned up the front yard. I pruned the privet hedge before it leafed out and cut back last years flowers. I had left the daises, gray feather, and purple cone flowers up for the winter thinking birds may eat seeds if they need.

I harvested my parsnips that were in the ground over winter. The main garden bed was then topped off with mix from three containers I got rid of and ready for seeding when closer to planting dates. We're still about 6 weeks from average last frost / freeze.

 

[Rahab222]

Ernie; I read an article yesterday about California's new water conservation rules. Houston went through a severe, 3-4 year drought about 5 years ago. A lot of people in my section lost their lawns because they made no attempt to water them on the days that they could. Natch, then they had to deal with the Civic Association demanding they replant their lawns. I did water on my allowed days so salvaged mine. There were pallets and pallets of grass waiting to be laid throughout the neighborhood. People were encouraged to put food and water out for the birds. The only good thing about that drought was the hawks cleaned out all the ferrel cats - for food.

 

[Rahab222]

I want to be a weather forecaster! Doesn't matter if you're wrong or not. We were supposed to have three consecutive days of substantial rain, starting on Good Friday. We did have a fine rain most of the morning Friday, but nothing today. This allowed me to get my main bed planted with tomatoes. I spaced them 4 feet apart this year for Tycoon, Beefmaster, etc. Last year, I only did three feet apart and everything just grew together. I think I can fit a couple more pepper plants in the main bed and then that's it. Adding all the compost, etc. really fluffed my bed back up to a nice level. My lettuce hasn't bolted yet and that 4' x 4' is overflowing. I picked a bunch of it today for a big salad for Easter dinner. Everything needs attention/maintenance; especially the potatoes. I think I'm going to have to put in a new bed to plant my blackberry and raspberry bushes I bought on sale at Aldi's last weekend.

I am such small potatoes in the gardening arena compared to some of you. All the more reason I need to make each plant count/produce.

I think I have aphids on my young peach tree. Does Sevin kill these?

HOPPY, HAPPY and BLESSED EASTER to all my gardening buddies!

 

[w_r_ranch]

Still haven't finished planting the tomatoes... 2 days of frequent intermittent drizzle here...

 

[wolffman]

Got everything planted except for about 100 corn seeds that I'll plant in about a week. Watered everything in real good and applied a little calcium carbonate to each tomato plant. Layed about 50% of the drip tape, will have to finish this week. After that, I still need to stake the tomatoes and then mulch it all in with the rice stubble. About to be on cruise control for a few weeks.

 

[Rahab222]

W.R.; Same weather here in Houston - drizzle. Glad I got 95% of my main bed planted on Saturday. No work in the garden today. Was up until 3:00 a.m. Easter morning, after working a full day in the garden, making banana pudding and deviled eggs for our family's Easter dinner. Went to early church services with the clan where they had a play production with the lights out. I just closed my eyes for a moment and the nephew said I was sleeping. I asked him if he was sure?

 

[w_r_ranch]

Planted the last 30 tomatoes & watered everything. Next up is to till & form the rows in the melon patch.

Grilled steaks & made bread for supper.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Update on CA's last scheme to make money. When the water rationing was first announced, it was either cut back 25% or face penalties.. I was evaluating whether to pay the penalty or pay to replace my lawn. No Question now, as they announced the penalty will be up to $500.00 per day.
They are justifying this by saying CA Farmers only pay half as much for water as Australia does. I wonder why they compared that to CA instead of to Texas or Washington? And of course like all other business expenses, the Farmers do not pay it, the consumers pay it and the Farmer passes it along.

I am in the middle of re-doing a job that i thought was done. Instead of drilling the holes and using a top brace rail for the 30' Raspberry trellis, i thought i could get by with just concreting the end posts, but did not allow for the irrigation softening the soil that much. Result, the tension on the wires and the weight of the vines pulled the end posts in, so now Ian straighening the posts and adding a top brace rail. it would have been much easier to have done it first. Live and learn, but apparently we will not live long enough to learn everything.

Ernie

 

[wolffman]

Staked about half the tomatoes and then drank a beer and quit. Should be able to finish up tomorrow.

 

[Rahab222]

Ernie; You have a 30' raspberry plant? Is it a vine or shrub/bush?

 

[ErnieCopp]

Rahab,
No, I have a 30 foot long trellis to support a row of Raspberry bushes. The vines only live a year or two. In Idaho, they would grow one year and produce the next, but last year some of them produced fruit late in theiir first summer. The trellis consistes of four posts, with two horizontal wires betwen the posts, and i am installing compression struts between the posts to keep thhe wires from pulling the posts in on each other.

Ernie

 

[wolffman]

Tilled and rowed up a garden for a neighbor this evening. He has cancer and has been out of work for over 6 months due to the treatments. This will help him quite a bit this spring/summer.

 

[Mike]

Things have been busy around here but not in the garden. Still need to move my raised garden but it's been raining cats and dogs lately. Last Friday we got 6 inches of rain in one day. More rain yesterday and the rest of this week they are calling for rain. The backyard is starting to look like a lake at this point.

 

[w_r_ranch]

The 'inch worm' caterpillars are terrible this year, I don't recall ever seeing them this bad... Oak trees are darn near stripped clean. I sprayed a heavy application of insecticide on the garden, flowerbeds & our trees (especially the 5 yr old oaks) to kill them immediately.

Cucumber, beans & spaghetti squash are popping up in the garden.

Fed the cattle & unloaded half the feed.