fall is falling in KS

[tlranger]

Came calling,and no one is at home. Gardening is one of my favorite activites. Allows me to get closer to giha. So I'll just leave a note for the gods.
Tomatoes--biggest year for tomatoes in a while. Didn't buy starts from greenhouse this year. Used seed, hoping for better control of what I have to work with. Used 15 different kinds- old timers, roma, cherry, yellows, browns, oxhearts, and even some hybrids. Started as experiment -- results were as expected, But the taste comparisions blew me away. How does big-agro-business get away with it?
Peppers--went with milder types this year, wife was very appreciative. Had a slow start but production has been great as of late. Picked a chocklate colored one today, bigger than a softball. Have 10 different types, all did well late in year.
Cucumbers--did very well early, but then the bugs took them. Had my chicken extract my revenge.
Thinking of my hens, they all stopped laying when Katernia came onshore, started again after awhile, then stopped again this weekend about the time the earthquake hit. Wierd huh. Think maybe we don't have all the answers.
Tomitilla--new this year to my garden, very prolific, but it most be an aquired taste, to bitter for me. Lucky that the chickens loved them.
cillantro-- very good year, had enough to try drying some(spicey), also saved coriander seed.
Quess I'm rambling sorry about that. Diversity is a very good thing everywhere. Organic is the way to go.

Peace and have a good day T L Ranger

[toman]

cool. I wish I had a garden... :D

[tlranger]

Just walk in from garden --learned something new-- as usual. Chickens were fighting over dropped fruit. Tomatillia plant is maybe 6'6'' tall, when some fruit drops It's inside the chicken run and fair game. So I investigated, Early tries had yeilded very bitter fruit. But now with the husk turning yellow, and still on plant, they seem more like a pepper, very sweet now, with pepper-like seed cavity.
Friend stopped by yesterday, told her about them. She runs down to collect some, I stop to get her a sack, and by the time I get there, she is holding a bigg double hand full. She drops the tomatilla's in the sack and is looking around for more stuff. She's brushing at her face and neck, then her arms. she turning red in stripes. Went to house for soap and water, then gave her allo to spead on bad spots. Said it did not hurt and redness went away purdy quick. She still took the sack of them home.
The fruit seems to have an oil on them, no effect of me that I can tell.
Also placed a small solar powered spot light in chicken-greenhouse, hope lenghtening the day a little will make the hens happy, know the tomatoes will not mind.

Peace, Have a great day today and better one tomorrow T L Ranger

[treehugger]

Can I ask about where you live? Kansas? It's interesting that the chickens would react to Katrina.

It's great to read your musings. I too, have a garden although I have to admit, even though my handle suggests otherwise, I'm not that great of an outdoors person. I hire somebody to cut my lawn, LOL. So my garden tends to languish.

Although my asparagus is looking great. It needs no attention. :)

I planted heirloom tomatos this year and it's amazing how much better they taste than the normal supermarket hybrid ones. Really, really amazing. Although the skins seem tougher, too.

I planted a bunch of cayennes and now have a bunch of them drying on a cookie sheet in my back porch. :)

But I'm really, overall, a poor gardener.

Kath

[tlranger]

Think of my graden fence as yours.

Kansas- home of unintelligent design, Taught science here from '75-'85, would say I must have wasted some time, but when my wife took me to emergency room, there where 4 of my old students there trying to save my life. Glad they decieded to stay with the science angle.

Live in eastern third; about middle of the state. 60mi from BTK 20mi from the baby stealer. Just love the comfort of a central location.

Chickens--the day Katrina hit, one of the images that struck me was all of the chicken farms that where hit-it looked like a lot of birds, got me thinking about internal-spieces communication, alot of souls crying out, better get out the B.S. boots, huh.

Peppers--try some halepieno, my bushes just load up. If your really brave try some habinarios(hooot!!!).

Wife makes me skin any tomatoes I fix for her.

Lastly--wonder how much gas is used mowing lawns-yes, I mow mine.

Peace stop by again T L Ranger

[tlranger]

Feel like its time to get the garden cleaned up, but there is still stuff going!!

Tomatoes-- Early Girl VFF -plants were first with fruit, and are last with fruit. Taste was poor early but has improved. size-handball. Will grow in container, have one in chicken/greenhouse now.
Anna Russian(heirloom) -oxheart, heavy skin, tasty, size-baseball, slow starting but a few still left.
Sweet Million(cherry0 - I really don't count them but they are filling the c/ghouse, and feeding the chickens.
Beefmaster VFN - Still champ in my book, big; I like the B in blt, lots of fruit- I love giving away really red tomatoes that are bigger than softballs. real tast.
Marvel Stripe(heirloom)- lots of big friut, very tasty(mushy), yellow>red.

Cucumber-found 2 voluteers(10 more cukes salad) I grow them on terrelles (20' cattle panel bent in half-straddles the path between beds).

Peppers- still goig hog wild- have too prop up because of weight.

Have stated working on compost pile, every year, buy some straw hay. Reset some of my old pallets with steel post into bin shape, next to last years pile. Layer in Straw, leaves, chicken trash(Feed my kitchen scraps to hens-then to pile), then good layer of this year compost, repeat till out of stuff. let cook.

Have a gerber dasiey blooming in c/ghouse, where does nature get her colors!!

Finally - Harvested Holly-Hock flower stems for drying seeds, started 10' row this year want to expand it, they did very well.

Peace T L Ranger

[NattyKynd]

nothing more i like than spending time in the garden.... building a few raised beds sometime this fall to get ready for spring time...

had a nice harvest this year with corn,beans,pumpkins,sqaush,tomatoes,herbs,peppers, potatoes,, and so on more than we could eat for ourselves so we gave the rest to other folsk that liked them as much as we did... ohh yeah and we plantd blue corn this year like they make blue corn chips from... yummy that corn was baked up...

try some more of it this year grew better and faster than my sweet corn as well...
i like this forum...niiiiice
peace and blessings
chai

[tlranger]

Love the rainy nights! It's been warm and dry so far this fall. so the showers are nice. With the nice weather, locals tell me that the crops are very good this year. The lack of a killing frost has allowed things to mature out a little better than sometimes. Helps wght and taste. Sideline note-Not nearly as many aircraft searces(helicopter) this fall, may be combination of rescue+war+gas price. Usually creek across road gets one or two good looks but not this year.

NattyKynd- whould like to hear more, Any help growing potatoes, I need it. I try every year, my wife claims Irish decent, and I can't seem to grow them. Have been told that my high organic beds grow leaves not spuds, usually feel lucky if I can put together a couple of messes of peas and new potatoes.
Do bugs bother the blue corn, is it good fresh?
Beds work really nice- Keep paths wider than you might think, you never know.

Are pumpkins ready for H'ween. I remember when I stuck an M80(Old-school) in the mayor's porch pumpkin.

Green is good, Organic green even brighter

Peace- T L Ranger

[tlranger]

36 degrees this morning, put sme frost on the pumkin.

Peace T L Ranger

[ladywithafan]

Oooooh how I miss having a yard for a garden! We used to grow corn, tomatoes, peppers, bean, potatoes, carrots, and pumpkins :) Now i live in the concrete jungle and alas, there is nowhere to grow one by me. I think that next year I willl make some window boxes and grow some herbs (too bad not the good kind) That is great that you all have one though. it is so rewarding at the end.

[tlranger]

window boxes- neat garden tools-people will walk under something without looking up. most of the time. I like keeping some plants in buckets, just so I can move into green/chikenhouse(mother earth news), or relocate if needed.
You'll be surprised at what you can grow in a bucket. Keep your pot large, good drain holes, For growing medium, I prefer compost, but to each his own. But do like the new mosture control stuff that out there. I was using baby diapers(the inside part) for an inground H2o resevoir long time ago, and it really works well in big pot.
Friend of mine, grew potatoes in a big laundry basket, layer in straw as plant grows. tomatoes -watch type here, stawberries- mom fights that tower every year, all your herbs will go to town in a bucket with just a little TLC.
Long ago my high school term paper was about; 'Concrete - the Bane Of civilization', blame greed now instead. But short time in Big city, I lasted 3mo., convinced me, its not for me. But do understand that my upbringing makes it hard for me to really relate to some peoples concerns.

Like the song - I want to live where the green grass grows.

Peace T L Ranger

[ladywithafan]

yeah, I have lived in the "boonies" all of my life, and I thought that a change of lifestyle would be nice and different. But, after 2 months the fun has ended here in the city. I want to be able to go outside and take a hike and not have to hear the noise of the busy street. I know that some people couldn't live any other way, but this way of life definitely is not for me.

[tlranger]

Cold Today!! 9:30 am and still only 33deg, Frost enough to "need to scrape" windows. Pick the remains of garden today, green tomatoes- and a box full of peppers. Now the chickens get the rest. Plants from covered deck to c/ghouse. Getting ready for winter(I'm Betting on a sh**y one) but never surrender, never give up! Keep your powder and the important stuff dry!!

Peace T L Ranger

[tlranger]

Now's the time to start thinking about next year's food supply.

If you have ever had a really good tomato, or a fresh ear of really good sweet corn, an acorn squash(halfed, baked, butter and brown sugar), new potatoes and fresh peas, farm fresh eggs, milk with the cream still on top, a fresh wild strawberry, wild sand plums, an apple pear or peach from the tree, pecans from under the tree, then you know what I mean.

The best time to plant a tree was ten years ago.

Don't go hog wild!! Think about location, sun, water, traffic. Start small; smaller than your kitchen floor, just a few of some things(things you really love). Then mulch. You can mulch now and not dig later if you want. Mulch with anything, leaves, grass clippings, old hay, even that old piece of carpeting, or a piece of cardboard, just to get the ground ready.

You are what you eat, heard that somewhere.

Peace T L Ranger

[tlranger]

Picking pecans today- next door has 5 trees, told me awhile back to get some. Waited to pick up off the ground- squirrels cleaned 3 of the trees but was able to get 100# off the remaining trees. Picked them off the tree, before squirrels could find them.
Also picking up walnuts, squirrels race me for the 'English', but the black walnuts have to be picked up to.

Peace T L Ranger

[tlranger]

With 12'' of snow and 15 below, Winter is here, time to gear up

Peace T L Ranger

[hippie_chick666]

Wow, thasts alot of snow! i thought the last snow storm here was bad (between 6 & 7 inches). i dont know how i could live in an area that gets so much snow. do you have a snow plow? just wondering...

[treehugger]

I have a question, for those with greener thumbs than mine (heehee), I just bought a condo and one thing I'm really going to miss is my asparagus plot. Does anybody know if it's even remotely possible to grow asparagus in a pot? On a balcony with a mostly west exposure?

I am sooo going to miss my asparagus! :) Please let me know it's possible!

Kath

[TwentiethCenturyFox]

thanks for throwing in the gardening facts. i want to start a garden soon - mostly herbs though. does anyone have anything about how to grow catnip?

:)

[angel]

hello toman, my name is angel and i saw that you said you wish you had a garden. whenever i don't have much space for a garden, i just plant my veggies and flowers in 5 gallon (or whatever size you want) buckets. right now i have a full garden in my living room, sitting on a shelf. i have garlic, and onions and strawberries growing and so many flowers. they grow so good inside as it's warm and then i plant them outside after the frost and when it gets warmer in california. good luck, hope this helps.
angel

www.stayhuman.org :hippie:

[tlranger]

:bandit: Survived the big snow, it was also the lightess snow I've seen. gone in a hurry.

angel- agree buckets are great, holes for drainage, keep stuff clean, good humus dirt- you can grow anything- but even in a place like heaven you still must have to worry about the day-night cycle? My problem in the livingroom.

catnip growing outside- west side, partal shade, cover with mulch in winter to protect- has been coming back- cats likr to tear up.

asparagus- going to be tough, I think you can keep it alive, enjoy the ferns, maybe even harvest a few same shoots- but the 2-3 year time frame sounds like a lot, but it is pretty, mine in beds, outside-7years, last year first really heavy harvest.

Back to work- using my cloning table to start peppers this week 7 kinds, 2weeks more, then do tomatoes.

Peace T L Ranger

[tlranger]

May have jumped the gun alittle in my starting- Its been 0* for the last few days- But it will get warmer.

Peppers up at growing- 0 germination out of the chocolate for some reason will try that seed again.

Have noticed the attack of the cloners lately- but it sure is a valuable tool in a grarden. Bought mine at the dollar store. two plastic containers (one holds cuttings, top compartment)(other is the water resevior), small table top water fountain pump-moves water from one to other, gravity drain it back to the reas. through hole in bottom of top growing tray. Bought digital timer walmart the big exp. $20. If you can manually water every 4hrs. you don't need the pump or timer, but with them and plastic wrap for top, you can get 95% gen rate. REMEMBER: warm and clean!!!

Peace-T L Ranger