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Post by mogal on Dec 14, 2021 21:46:10 GMT
It was so warm yesterday that I ran around outside in jeans and a short sleeve shirt. In the hoop house, I had to turn on a fan to pull some cooler air inside. Today, it's a bit warmer but the clouds and wind make it feel cooler.
Anyway, I had a good time playing in the hoop house yesterday. I got all the in ground plants watered as well as the few I'm wintering in pots in one corner. I planted potato and Egyptian onions (new "seed" since onion maggots and some big caterpillar wiped out the few I had left) a couple of weeks ago and I'm amazed that some of each are a good 3" tall. One potato onion bulb I overlooked when I harvested them last summer is close to 10" tall. When I was near finishing, I dragged a hose out there to refill my 55 gal water barrel for the next time. I also got the garlic bed mulched with some shredded leaves and suspended some repurposed bale wrap netting a few inches over the bed. Sometimes the emerging roots will push the tip of the clove out of the soil and birds, thinking that white bit is a grub, will pull them up. The bale netting keeps the birds away.
Jenn, I'd be interested in hearing about your saffron growing exploits if you care to share. I've thought about trying to grow some but the seed price has always been off-putting.
We built that bed and a "twin" using lumber that has now begun to break down pretty badly. I'm debating if I should abandon the spot and move that good almost 100% compost soil into a bed contained with concrete blocks or let it go another year. The twin bed has strawberries in it. By spring, I probably won't have a choice but to move the bed. It's a bit far from the house/main garden to be convenient to tend.
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Post by countrymom22 on Dec 16, 2021 0:45:46 GMT
I can't believe it's mid-December and I'm still pulling weeds! I went to the garden to pick some of the long grass for my chickens and started to week the strawberry and raspberry beds. It made me really want to get into the garden again, but I know this weather is just a tease. It's going to make it even harder to wait until spring this year.
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Post by grannyg on Dec 16, 2021 20:12:41 GMT
I had to smile as I saw tiny specks of green popping up in all the containers that have collard seeds scattered about...cannot wait for rains later in the week to help them grow...<3
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jenn
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Posts: 226
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Post by jenn on Dec 30, 2021 15:15:40 GMT
I have tomatoes still ripening on a branch of my san marzano which survived a few frosts. Wish I had covered the whole thing for those 3+ nights. And a plant that never fruited is now doing so with sun getting past the trees now they are mostly bare of leaves. This year's project: onions started in fall for ? can I possibly get decent bulbs? As you envy my current weather, remember my Augusts and note that it took 5 seed companies to get me 11 different types of short day red onions to try. Why don't we have some seed handling firm that will get me the dozen or so weird varieties of something I want all for one postage fee? Maybe our local garden club coordinates something like that, yet I doubt it.
Any Southern gardeners? make sure you know these terms: CHILL HOURS for fruit trees, FALL PLANTING for most anything our Northern/ Mid country friends plant in Spring, and that Summer is when WE should hide inside (except to water and rarely weed) with our garden catalogs, Winter we should be doing everything we won't have the stamina for when the REALLY hot days resume (after a few days of heating earlier this month we have the AC on again a few hours for the past few days).
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Post by smokey on Jan 2, 2022 18:38:11 GMT
Winter finally found us.
It was rainy and warm yesterday and I did the evening chores in a T shirt. By 9 pm last night it was 30 degrees and dropping down to the low teens, It's 22 degrees out right now.
We have 5 heads of cabbage left in the garden right now so I covered them with large upside down flower pots and a frost blanket draped over that so hopefully they'll make it a while longer.
We've been taking about one head a week and I'm really going to miss our fresh cabbage when it's gone.
I think next year we'll plant more cabbage plants since we've enjoyed it so much and we need to come up with ideas for other fall planted vegetables.
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Post by bowdonkey on Jan 2, 2022 20:35:28 GMT
I have 2 feet of snow in my garden and it was -29 this morning. Today's high -4.
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Post by susannah on Jan 2, 2022 21:24:31 GMT
I have 2 feet of snow in my garden and it was -29 this morning. Today's high -4. You have me beat. My garden only has about 6 or 7 inches of snow in it, and right now it's a balmy 9 degrees above zero out. Outdoor gardening sure seems a long way off. At least the indoor garden has been producing. I shared a picture back in November of the baby lettuces, dill and the Easter Egg radish seedlings. I posted these pictures of Easter egg radishes on the prep journal thread last month, but thought I'd share them on the gardening thread so you can see how they've grown. Red and pink radishes. I'm actually not sure if the one on the left was a red one or a pink one, but the big guy on the right is definitely my first (and so far, only) purple. Regardless, they were incredibly sweet and delicious.
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Post by mogal on Jan 10, 2022 17:08:01 GMT
Normally, I would post a link but since in the past, it only goes to this lady's website, not to the particular article, I've decided to copy and paste the article with references. Lucky ya'll! You get the whole thing, right here. Anyway, DH is in town running errands. I called him to ask him to add a bag of masa to his grocery list since I have been thinking about experimenting with it for a while and this article is a good excuse to start sooner than later. We've also been talking about a run down to the Mennonite bulk foods stores just south of Jeff City. That will be given a higher priority now as well. Fertilizer isn't an issue for us because we have a barn full of "producers." However, I do need to restock bone and blood meal. I need to go re-read the articles I've seen about using diluted pee as fertilizer. This has me concerned because this is a highly agricultural area, lots of corn, soybeans, and winter wheat, and we depend on others to harvest our hay for us. It will hurt the local economy really badly if it all comes to pass as this lady mentions. She's usually spot on because she does so much research before she writes on any topic. DH and I had to go to Columbia Friday which meant nearly an hour's drive each way. Our main topic of discussion on the road was this year's home food production and while I've usually been the main gardener, I was pleased to hear what DH plans to add to the equation. Anyway, I thought I'd share this article. Food for thought. Prep School DailyMonday, January 10, 2022 Fertilizer Prices Set to Skyrocket While the onset of COVID prompted panic-buying of canning lids and garden seeds in 2020, fertilizer supplies were virtually unscathed and prices have remained about the same. Unfortunately, it looks like that’s about to change for 2022. Higher prices around the globe for coal and natural gas, which help create the industrial urea used in fertilizer, are making urea more expensive. China and Russia, the world’s top producers of urea, naturally, are both suspending exports of fertilizer for at least six months. You know, the period when it’s needed to grow crops here. They’re conserving it to grow food in their own countries. Urea is also important to being able to run diesel trucks, like the ones that deliver food to grocery stores, or the farming equipment that grows that food. Of course, skyrocketing costs for synthetic fertilizer will have a domino effect on other fertilizers. According to one source, the price for a short ton of manure in Iowa is now selling for $40-70, up from $10 a year ago. (It makes me really glad I bought a pallet of manure when this whole mess started three months ago.) Another domino with the urea shortage is that corn is considered a high demand crop, as in high fertilizer demand. So if the fertilizer is too expensive or unavailable, some farmers will grow something else. And as a little FYI, the vast majority of corn grown in this country is field corn, and it goes into just about everything that is manufactured, food-wise. Of course, a lot of the foods that contain corn as an ingredient have only a little and the price won’t be affected that much due to the corn content. Others, however, have a lot more corn and those prices will skyrocket. In addition, field corn is used to feed all kinds of livestock. The prices for chicken, beef, pork, eggs, and dairy will necessarily rise—much more than they already have. The rising inflation we see in the prices of food, fuel, and other supplies will wake a few more people when they recognize this as a recipe for disaster. Naturally, they will want to begin gardening, and this will prompt a rush on the fertilizer still in stores. Garden tools, seeds, and (more) canning supplies may also be affected. And because some of these people will remember what happened in 2020, they might start shopping a little earlier this year. You might want to start shopping a little earlier too, especially if fertilizer is on your list. And that’s because of something I’ve noticed here. I don’t know whether it will hold true in other areas. See, I make a stop at Home Depot as part of my weekly shopping trip. It started in spring 2021 with getting deeply discounted flowers and pallets of broken bags of soil amendments. It continued with end-of-season clearance on perennials. Those alone are reason enough to make Home Depot part of my regular routine. However, in the past little while, I have scored some amazing deals on fertilizer. In October, I got a couple of bags of blood meal for 50% off. Maybe I should have waited. That’s because in the middle of December, I happened upon a couple dozen quart bottles of 5-1-1 liquid concentrate fish fertilizer for $1 each. I bought most of them. Two weeks ago I got several bags of azalea fertilizer 4-3-4 for $2 each. Last week I picked up 11 eight-pound bags of organic flower and vegetable fertilizer for a dollar each. There were also bags of flea, tick, and ant pesticide for the grass, not something I normally buy, but for 10 cents each, I made an exception. I’m not sure why this is happening, but I’ve got a couple of guesses. The first is that some of these suppliers have gone out of business, and thus their products will no longer be stocked. The second is that the packaging is going to be changed—probably downsized and up-priced. I hope I’m just being overly concerned and that nothing serious will be happening to limit our ability to grow our own food this summer. But the past two years have been doozies, and I’m not really confident that life will return to normal this year. Besides, if the fertilizer isn’t needed this year, it will store well enough for future years. Better to have and not need, than need and not have. References: kscorn.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Common-Items-Containing-Corn.pdfukragroconsult.com/en/news/global-fertilizer-shortage-sends-demand-for-manure-soaring/www.businessinsider.com/everyday-foods-contain-corn-prices-soar-2012-7?op=1#baked-goods-12www.businessinsider.com/corn-product-infographic-2012-7?op=1
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jenn
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Post by jenn on Jan 11, 2022 2:25:44 GMT
mogal, I ordered 25 saffron bulbs from van bourgondien www.dutchbulbs.com/product/Sativus_Crocus along with enough other stuff to get free postage (hey, some people spend more on fabric than I do on gardening) and without postage it was only $12 for 25, can't recall if I had some other "order early" discount off that. I planted them all over- at least 20 of the 25 sent up leaves (like thick chive leaves but only 5-10 per bulb) which are still going strong. My dirt and watering/ care is very variable and I put a few in a pot with another plant, some in rich compost some in sand with a bit of compost topper. Only one bloomed- in rich compost- they are fall blooming- about a month after planting this fall. Gorgeous flower just like in the photo and three strands. I left it be. Hope next year all will bloom but who knows- all or some may die, certainly didn't expect 25 blooms same season they were planted. Will report next year's results then. Not gonna bother hoping for 25 x 3 strands next year. That is a fraction of the amount saffron I use annually (Lucia cats- Swedish saffron raisin buns)- but if they do well for a year and onward will plant more each year, and try to have hundreds in a few years. Since I can't grow crocus (and might do fall crocus but questionable this far south) this is an out of season sub for medium purple crocus which I miss even if they're never providing any saffron for the kitchen.
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Post by smokey on Jan 16, 2022 0:19:17 GMT
We're down to the last two cabbage heads left in the garden and with snow coming in I covered them again with large upside down flower pots and then draped a frost blanket over them.
This method has worked well for a lot of cold nights and allowed us to have fresh cabbage after the garden season ended.
We're planning to plant more cabbage next fall and maybe some other veggies that can stand some cold like Brussel sprouts etc.
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jenn
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Posts: 226
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Post by jenn on Jan 16, 2022 15:11:02 GMT
Got my 43 soil blocks of leeks out in the garden beds, and transplanted a few dozen onions from the clumps I started inside then put out in the beds. Just in time for the almost 2" rain so I didn't have to water yesterday. Everything's done fine through our few frosty nights, and the rain brings a few days warm weather so no issues for these transplants- they'll be used to the chilly weather before we freeze again. Might get the spinach in soil blocks out today- the ones done last month aren't too perky or growing much but they're alive and I don't have to water them twice daily inside (have my soil blocks right up under the lights- too lazy to adjust the height).
I am optimistic I will actually get bigger onion bulbs by planting seed in the fall. Too swamped last months at work in 2020 to do it then. One of my bigger onion starts (finger not string or pencil size) that was already solo seems to be bulbing a little. Now just gotta make sure I'll actually have some place to plant more lettuce and peas when the current crops progress and spots for tomatoes and peppers. So hard to just kill off plants (though the arugula which is doing 40x better than the lettuce and taking over is about to be compost) even when there's too many from seeds, and who has ever had too many onions?!?
Also eager to buy onion seed for this fall's seed starting- keep reminding myself they might not have last year's seeds harvested and ready to go yet, and so long as it is shipped to me this spring before the seed will cook in the mail I have time.
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Post by bowdonkey on Jan 16, 2022 18:21:21 GMT
I have two feet of frost and snow in my garden.
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Post by Weed on Jan 17, 2022 13:24:03 GMT
mogal , I ordered 25 saffron bulbs from van bourgondien www.dutchbulbs.com/product/Sativus_Crocus along with enough other stuff to get free postage (hey, some people spend more on fabric than I do on gardening) and without postage it was only $12 for 25, can't recall if I had some other "order early" discount off that. I planted them all over- at least 20 of the 25 sent up leaves (like thick chive leaves but only 5-10 per bulb) which are still going strong. My dirt and watering/ care is very variable and I put a few in a pot with another plant, some in rich compost some in sand with a bit of compost topper. Only one bloomed- in rich compost- they are fall blooming- about a month after planting this fall. Gorgeous flower just like in the photo and three strands. I left it be. Hope next year all will bloom but who knows- all or some may die, certainly didn't expect 25 blooms same season they were planted. Will report next year's results then. Not gonna bother hoping for 25 x 3 strands next year. That is a fraction of the amount saffron I use annually (Lucia cats- Swedish saffron raisin buns)- but if they do well for a year and onward will plant more each year, and try to have hundreds in a few years. Since I can't grow crocus (and might do fall crocus but questionable this far south) this is an out of season sub for medium purple crocus which I miss even if they're never providing any saffron for the kitchen.
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Post by Weed on Jan 17, 2022 13:40:51 GMT
I bought 25 saffron bulbs from Baker Creek in 2018 IIRC. I grew them in a 4’x12’ raised bed, planted in mid Sept. The first year approx 1/2 of them grew out/flowered. I left them in the ground & never bothered weeding the bed until the following year. That fall, every one of them flowered I left them in the ground again until following spring when i dug them…each bulb had multiplied x 6 to 8 bulbs. I saved hundreds of the larger bulbs and planted them back in the fall. Every one of those flowered as well. I have a few pics, if i can figure out how to post them i will
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Post by Weed on Jan 17, 2022 13:48:29 GMT
jenn, was hoping to post a few pics in case you were interested but thats a no go…i gave up my host (photobucket) that i used to tag the url from. The process of pic posting here at this forum always was a PIA…if you are interested send me a personal message…ill give you my email
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jenn
Full Member
Posts: 226
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Post by jenn on Mar 16, 2022 13:00:41 GMT
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Post by smokey on Mar 30, 2022 0:07:04 GMT
Has anyone tried any of the so called mini cabbage varieties? Spring planted cabbage usually doesn't make it here before the summer heat gets it but I stumbled across a 45 day "mini" hybrid that I'm thinking about trying this spring.
Anyone with experience with these? Good, bad or inbetween?
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Post by bowdonkey on Mar 30, 2022 21:53:11 GMT
youtu.be/PiQHGJUjVAs and youtu.be/tY_elt_eX-8 two tips I found helpful. I always presprouted my seeds in ziplocks, but this way is insanely easier. The manager at Kwiktrip let me have 10 of them for free. I thanked him profusely. You would have swore I won free gas for a year. Later I purchased 50 more at wally world for $4. I'm now set for life. I've started cold weather seeds outdoors ever since Martin showed us all how. I just thought the way this guy uses milk jugs was clever. I used a Kleenex box for a gauge to trace around the sides of the jug, stabbed a hole with a knife big enough to fit a scissors thru and finished the cut. I left the hinge under the handle. I also cut slots in the upper half so it would fit in to the lower easier.
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jenn
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Posts: 226
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Post by jenn on Mar 31, 2022 21:12:55 GMT
Bowdonkey I consider clear plastic vegetable and take out containers minigreenhouses. Started lots of parsley onion and leek seed inside in 3/4" soil or cm cubed soil blocks moistened and with lid on. Too warm where I am now to do it outside in possible sun but can do it out in shade if not topping 60-70 the days I might forget to take the lid off. Inside can just leave lid on until ready to transplant or pot up.
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Post by mogal on Mar 31, 2022 21:47:35 GMT
Smokey, I watch AR weather because we still have some family/friends there and noticed parts of northern AR were under a frost advisory last night. Did you have any damage to your garden?
Bowdonkey, what a clever idea to use a Kleenex box as a guide. I've done winter sowing for 3-4 years and really like the technique. I'll start cutting the slits in the top for a better fit--thanks for that suggestion.
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Post by mogal on Mar 31, 2022 23:28:39 GMT
Bowdonkey, I've already looked at those videos and put some old pepper seeds in some tiny condiment cups as the guy described. I'd saved from our last take out order. We're going to Sam's tomorrow so I checked what they had--a box of 2500 with lids. Maybe a bit of overkill there especially since I'm an old lady. I'll have to check with a local deli or something to find a supply because I will be doing this in the future.
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Post by mogal on Apr 3, 2022 10:38:26 GMT
I've been having some trouble with damping off. Somewhere in the dark recesses of my brain, I remembered that thyme tea would curb it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained and I don't use hard chemicals, particularly in the house where my seedlings are at present.
So, I used about 1/2 t. of plain old thyme from my spice rack in about 1/4 c. of hot water and allowed it to steep until cool. Strained it, diluted it to 1 c. sprayed it on the potting mix where I was seeing some mold looking growth and where I'd had damping off previously. Boy, did it work and right now.
Once the seedlings started to droop, they weren't salvageable but others in the same flat survived and are flourishing. YEAAA!
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Post by freelove on Apr 3, 2022 13:42:31 GMT
Thank you, mogal. I have heard of using chamomile tea the same way, but not thyme. First hand experience is appreciated.
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Post by smokey on Apr 3, 2022 20:28:14 GMT
Smokey, I watch AR weather because we still have some family/friends there and noticed parts of northern AR were under a frost advisory last night. Did you have any damage to your garden? Bowdonkey, what a clever idea to use a Kleenex box as a guide. I've done winter sowing for 3-4 years and really like the technique. I'll start cutting the slits in the top for a better fit--thanks for that suggestion. mogal, Sorry for the late reply,I just saw this. No damage, We covered everything with large pots and then draped a frost blanket over that. All of our warmer weather stuff like tomatoes is in smaller pots and we bring them in every night. They'll get transplanted outside after April 15th.
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Post by mogal on Apr 4, 2022 18:52:44 GMT
Freelove, I haven't heard about using chamomile tea but since thyme has anti-fungal, bacterial and viral properties, I figured it should work. Besides, I grow lots of thyme and have only a small patch of chamomile. Another thing to keep in mind to try in the future.
Smokey, we had a low one night last week of 26o. That was at our house. The official temps are taken at the airport about 35 miles SW of us and it tends to be a heat sink. The WX guys are predicting a low of 35 and 32 on Thursday and Friday nights this week. I can move everything back into the hoop house or into the house if I have to but won't be able to protect our fruit trees.
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Post by smokey on Apr 4, 2022 19:55:05 GMT
Our last frost date here is April 15th and I hope it's true this year. My wife's sewing room has seedlings stashed everywhere waiting for the danger of frost to pass so we can get them planted. Raining today and supposed to do the same tomorrow so I'm not getting anything done in the garden until Wednesday I guess.
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Post by smokey on Apr 6, 2022 4:26:24 GMT
I managed to get two raspberry bushes and one blackberry planted today and have four more still to plant along with a couple of blueberries.
I'll be glad when this particular job is done.
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Post by mogal on Apr 7, 2022 16:27:16 GMT
Bowdonkey, bless you, sir! I put some old radish seed and 2 varieties of peppers in little plastic cups with paper towel, etc., as the video described. In soil neither kind of pepper sprouted but I got germination with one. I saw the tiny rootlets (radicle?) Tuesday and put those seeds into soil. They haven't broken through the soil yet but I'm hopeful. The other seed didn't sprout at all. I have more to try. I had about 50% germination on the radishes and have planted them in one of my containers outside. Fingers crossed they'll survive the sub freezing cold we expect tonight and tomorrow night. I plan to put something over them for protection.
Anyway, thanks again for linking that video!
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Post by mogal on Apr 7, 2022 16:49:50 GMT
I have a birthday coming up within the next few weeks and my celebration is lunch with DH and a "greenhouse crawl" where DH and I go to local nurseries and greenhouses to look for herbs that I might have lost over winter and neat yard decorations, etc. This past Monday, we had 2 errands in Columbia then went south past Jefferson City to Centertown MO where we visited Longfellow's Nursery. Since I already knew what I wanted if I could find it, we really didn't spend a long time there. I got another lemon grass, an Arp rosemary, a stevia, a lemon verbena and 4 variegated thyme plants. Except for the rosemary, all are branched or thick enough that I can take cuttings or divide. A couple of the thyme plants had rooted in the next pot so I cut those rooted portions off to repot. Even though those plants had gone up in price like everything else, by the time I finish rooting, dividing, the cost per plant won't be too bad. Our next stop was Shirk's Country Market which is a Mennonite-owned bulk grocery and nursery. I had inventoried my spices and baking needs so had specific items in mind there too. Of course, I had to visit the nursery as well. They had some herbs, only a few brassicas left but a lot of warm season veggie starts and loads of flowers. I got a basil to trim and root, a 4-pack of about 15 little celery plants as an experiment, lettuce, and some bell pepper plants.
They have an onsite bakery and sell sandwiches using their bread. SO good.
Lots of fun but I guess not a biggie for a lot of folks.
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Post by solargeek on Apr 8, 2022 1:08:44 GMT
All of the garden groups I belong to say that sprinkling cinnamon on top of the soil is good for dampening off and any other kind of fungus
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