How's your garden doing?

[Professur]

I'm starting several buckets of potatoes tonight. Should be interesting to see if the skunks and raccoons leave them alone.

Alright, I've got one tatter per 5g bucket. Someone told me I should have got with 3 per, but it's too late for that now. They've sprouted well and are growing quick ... but I've got 3-5 tops per tatter. Will that produce several plants? just grow like a bush? Should I nip them off in favour of the tallest one? What should I do? Maybe uncover them and slice the tatter in quarters centred about each eye?

 

[catocom]

I sluce um by the eyes.

If you got the tatters in a grocery store, they may not get very big tatters,
but the plant will look good.
That genetic stuff ya know.

 

[Professur]

So I should unearth and slice 'em? Righty ho. Yeah, they're grocery store tatters, but if it's free, it's free. They were heading for the bin before I grabbed them.

 

[catocom]

hmm, I really don't know if it matters that much on the slicing.
That's just the way I was taught by my great grandmother. (and always did it)
She was 1/2 American Indian, and that was how she was taught...

You may not get anything big enough to use anyway.
Although you might get some as big a 'Irish potatoes" enough to stew.

 

[valkyrie]

ah, that's kinda what I figured...they look almost identicale to kale at first.

nope, no sighting yet on them.
Thanks for the foot work.

kale is a member of the Brassicaceae family (a.k.a., Cruciferae) same as cabbage. That's why they look similar when they're seedlings and it's nearly impossible to tell them apart until the kale-like leaves start to come out.

I just finish planting my Golden Queen corn, okra, and some carrots, ahead of the rain.

An old time family friend and neibor came yesterday with his tractor and tiller attachment,
and tilled mt big fiesd for the Silver Queen corn.
That was great. It saved me about 2 days.

You lucky SOB! I was so sore after using my hand tiller for two days. I've actually considered buying a small tractor and tiller attachment. They're so expensive though. Also considered an ATVs that can also be fit with a scoop on the front so that you have weight for pulling a tiller. This might have more use for me on my property, but also ... very expensive.

 

[valkyrie]

I pulled 3 onions from my garden that were planted last year. They never filled out completely (never got fat). They weren't as strong as I had feared they would be but they were strong, nonetheless. I used the leaves in one dish and the root in another. Waste not want not!

 

[MrBishop]

Not much growing except last year's basil, chamomile, and a few loose herbs. Oh, and weeds.

 

[valkyrie]

You might be able to eat some of those weeds.
Many members of the Oxalis family, such as Yellow Woodsorrel, can be eaten. I like Yellow Woodsorrel in salads... it's lemony sour and tasty good.

Dandelions are also quite versatile.

Here's a cool site I found...
http://houstonwildedibles.blogspot.com/

I have several books on wildflowers and wild edible plants. This is one of my favorites...
Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants

 

[Professur]

http://wildedibles1.wordpress.com/

That's another one doing what he can to learn wild veggies.

 

[valkyrie]

I have all space in my garden filled with something. I have no more room but I have 4 artichoke seedlings, 7 more tomatoes (Roma and Juliet), and 7 eggplant. I have room to place some pots but I'm looking for inexpensive self-watering pots since veggies use up a lot of water. I won't have time to water them twice a day when the hot weather hits late July through August.

 

[TexasRaceLady]

Tomato plants coming up nicely, though a little rain would help things along.

 

[Professur]

I have all space in my garden filled with something. I have no more room but I have 4 artichoke seedlings, 7 more tomatoes (Roma and Juliet), and 7 eggplant. I have room to place some pots but I'm looking for inexpensive self-watering pots since veggies use up a lot of water. I won't have time to water them twice a day when the hot weather hits late July through August.

Also very useful when the neighbouring biddies are looking for fodder to squeal to the water cops when the water restrictions kick in.

 

[TexasRaceLady]

Also very useful when the neighbouring biddies are looking for fodder to squeal to the water cops when the water restrictions kick in.

Thank goodness I don't have to worry about that. We have a creek at the bottom of our hill that we use for yard/garden irrigation.

 

[Professur]

OMIGAWD. Look who's here.


The missus last night asked to start a few potato buckets of her own.

 

[TexasRaceLady]

Yep, Prof --- the proverbial bad penny turns up every now and then.

 

[valkyrie]

Also very useful when the neighbouring biddies are looking for fodder to squeal to the water cops when the water restrictions kick in.

We have a well, no water cops and no neighborhood HOA to worry about. It's just not responsible on my part and we wouldn't want our well to run dry in the future. Conservation is good for me as well as everyone else.

Thank goodness I don't have to worry about that. We have a creek at the bottom of our hill that we use for yard/garden irrigation.

We don't have a creek on our property... must be nice! We have a seasonal spring but it's not reliable enough.

I'm not sure where in Texas you're at but we've had a nice season of rain so far. I hope it keeps coming all summer.

 

[TexasRaceLady]

We don't have a creek on our property... must be nice! We have a seasonal spring but it's not reliable enough.
I'm not sure where in Texas you're at but we've had a nice season of rain so far. I hope it keeps coming all summer.

I'm about 120 miles SE of Dallas. We had a nice, wet winter, so the trees are really putting out the leaves --- and the pollen. *sneeze*

Our creek comes from a spring-fed lake about 2 miles above our property. Has never run dry.

 

[valkyrie]

I'm about 120 miles SE of Dallas. We had a nice, wet winter, so the trees are really putting out the leaves --- and the pollen. *sneeze*

We have "cedar" (juniper) trees here that put out the pollen every February through March. My hubby and I never have a problem but the folks we know in the city get "cedar fever" (allergies) pretty bad.

Our secret: we work in the "cedars" so our arms and legs get small scratches all over. The pollen gets under the skin and it's like getting an allergy shot without the needle. I have, so far, never had even a little sniffle or runny nose from "cedar".

Our creek comes from a spring-fed lake about 2 miles above our property. Has never run dry.

Nice! We live in the Hill Country, west of Austin.

 

[catocom]

We won't have to mess with restritions this year. We had enough rain
to take care of that a while, if the feds do stop us drawing from the big lake.

Tomato plants coming up nicely, though a little rain would help things along.

I'm going to pick up my plants at the local agri/hardware supply this week.
I usually get 18. I'm going to get 12 Rutgers, and 6 Betterboys this year.

Sat. I hauled about 3-6 tons (not a real good judge) (12 loader buckets)
of good top soil woods dirt up to my red clay garden spot.
It's about a 1/3-1/2 acre.
I'm going right now to spread it, and trun it in some, and then I'll get started
tilling on it friday probably.
I have a doc appointment tomorrow, if the don't reschedule again.
Also later then it's my youngest god-son's BD. (also my nephew)
He's turning 12, so he always wants to go out to eat.
So I'll be tied up most of the day tomorrow.
Then thursday I'v gotta monitor my cousin's auction, and do web updates.

 

[TexasRaceLady]

Nice! We live in the Hill Country, west of Austin.

Know the area quite well. My grandparents lived next to Horseshoe Bay.

My brother lives in Kingsland.

I'm lucky that spring pollen and fall ragweed don't bother me in the least. Neither does the cedar.