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Post by brittonfaith on Feb 6, 2006 5:21:39 GMT 12.75
We lucked out. Only about 1/2 inch of snow. But the temperature is going to top out at 24 here. Wind is howling, too. Windchill is around 9 degrees. BRRRR!!!!!!!!! Took all the seed trays out from the cold, drafty window sills and set them near the floor registers in the living room. Then laid some clear plastic wrap over everything. Just hope the dog stays out of them. We have an old plank floor with big gaps between the boards. The cellar is fairly well heated. The furnace is just under our couch. So that heat is also rising up through the cracks for them. Got some pedigreed seeds yesterday from the 1st and 2nd place watermelons at one of the Ohio weigh-offs. 1st place melon weighed 183.5, 2nd place weighed 176.5. We might end up doing the Watermelon Crawl this fall if ours get any size to them! They usually ripen up just before our county fair. We always put on a big feed & square dance for the 4-H & FFA kids the night before our cattle show. They love it when someone brings some iced down watermelons from the garden! We adults usually have a couple of "corked" ones hiding in a camper or stock trailer somewhere, too. ;D I'm going to try using similar techniques to the ones we use on our giant pumpkins & squash. Any of you have experience growing competition watermelons? Want to share some secrets?? ;D
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Post by brittonfaith on Feb 8, 2006 5:50:42 GMT 12.75
Seed packets often say to plant "in late spring", "after frost danger has past", etc. Sometimes stuff grows. Sometimes it comes up so-so. I found this chart a couple of years ago and it sure has helped me. Hope you find it as helpful. www.heirloomseeds.com/germination.html
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Post by treetop on Mar 3, 2006 10:16:18 GMT 12.75
Wish I could start my now. At best maybe end of april. Anybody use raise beds sure cuts down on weeds not as hard to bend over to weed either
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Post by brittonfaith on Mar 3, 2006 11:20:06 GMT 12.75
I've had raised beds in the past. They work fine. I've just got way too much garden to raise up anymore. I decided to cut down on bending this year and bought a planter. It's suppose to arrive tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how it works out. I started using mulching film last year around the small stuff. I'm going to use it again this season with more things. In larger areas, I have a little push cultivator set up with a blade that whacks the weeds just below the surface. In the past, I've even used some Roundup. You just have to made dead certain that there is NO breeze and not to get it on the garden plants. Planting here started a little early. But not as I had expected. The men were spreading manure on the garden and "planted" the tractor and spreader. The bearing went out of one of the spreader wheels. The wheel fell off and rolled out into the adjacent hay field. As they were trying to limp the rig out of the garden, the tractor got stuck. Now there she sits! Sunk up to the axles. I'll just have to work around it until everything's repaired and dug out. Anyways starting next Wednesday its suppose to be in the mid-40s and stay there. And by Thursday, I'm not seeing very many more nights below freezing. So, cabbage plants, spinach, green onions and peas are going in. ;D ??Has anyone here tried Banana Legs, Giant Belgium, or Sausage tomatoes. If you did, let me know what you thought of them. I've got some started.
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Post by Paws on Aug 23, 2006 2:46:24 GMT 12.75
Here is a little help for we who may not have a garden planted! ;D www.pickyourown.org This link helps you find a farm where you can pick your own produce and then shows you how to handle it. I think you will like this site! ;D
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Post by Paws on Aug 31, 2006 3:09:36 GMT 12.75
Faith, I saw in the news this morning that a Wisconsin little girl grew a huge honkin' cabbage! ;D
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Post by brittonfaith on Aug 31, 2006 3:32:49 GMT 12.75
What part of the state was she in? Had not herd about this. Only news we're getting here is about the Minn. State Fair. Twin City stations seem to ignore Wisconsin.
I've got a flower bed along the side of the garage that would be wonderful for growing a couple cabbage. Biggest I ever grew in Ohio were a 21# red rock and a 28# OS (F1) hybrid. Would love to see how big I could get 'em here!
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Post by brittonfaith on Sept 22, 2006 15:36:15 GMT 12.75
Barnesville Pumpkin Festival results are in. 48 pumpkins were weighed-in Wednesday evening. This is about half of normal. "King" category (over 500#): 1st place 1251# 2nd place (1st place locally grown) 1106#, 3rd place 958#. 400# category: 1st place 370# 300# category: 1st place 275# 200# category: 1st place 200# 100# category: 1st place 100# I've asked my brother and The Times Leader newspaper to email a picture of the 100# pumpkin to me. The entrant is the same guy I had caring for mine after we left. The morning we pulled out of Ohio, I had 4 that were over 80#. From all we've heard, none of his made it past late July. I know he had a hard time getting his seed to germinate. The plants he did get growing had a bad case of powdery mildew and were aborting pumpkins the last time I walked through his patch. I don't want to stir up anything. Let the market steer fellows fuss over doctored and swapped entries. Just more curious as to which and whose pumpkin made the grade. Is it possible? Was one of my left behind babies actually accepted for weigh-in? I've got the sleuths on the trail. Local weigh-off for this area of Wisconsin will be Oct. 21 in Stillwater, MN. I'll keep y'all posted. Rumors are that there will be a 1200+lb one there too.
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Post by brittonfaith on Jan 20, 2007 15:58:38 GMT 12.75
Well according to that big sheet of paper with all them little squares I got hanging on the wall (not the toilet paper, the calendar) and those two or three puny little white things that fell from the sky this morning (wasn't bird droppings, so it must have been something related to snow), IT'S TIME AGAIN!! Started maters, brussel sprouts, cabbage and pepper plants indoors this afternoon. Think I may turn reins of the garden over to the daughter this year. She needs an FFA project and it looks like I'm going to be tied up with work and renovating the house.
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