Spring-2016 Gardening anyone? What do you plant? or not?

[segelkatt]

I wish someone would of told me we don't have homeworks, I remember spending most of the time after school doing homeworks, but I guess times have changed from that

Bucket method is something I need to do, but I hope to get some kind of porch done some day in future, that would give me bit more of solar heated space where I could get few extra weeks for growing stuff. I just don't know if that will happen for next summer yet.

Regarding homework for school  kids in Finland: this was described in the documentary by Michael Moore called "Where to Invade Next" and seems to be of a rather recent development.

 

[rubysmama]

Oh yes, about month ago there was no dark during the night, it starts to be bit darker now already, but still we get long day. At longest I think day was over 20 hours long.

I think that Alaska has some areas pretty much same as where I live.

200 miles southwest and summer is about 2 months longer, it is not that all of Finland would be so cold, I'm just in cold spot

I'd like to some day experience the midnight sun. But I wouldn't survive the opposite in winter.  I love the light, and already, here too, the days are getting noticeably shorter.

 

 

[segelkatt]

You do have Aurora Borealis in Canada where you live, don't you? When  lived in Washington State I saw it a few times, just some reddish lights in the Northern sky when it was really clear and late at night with no moon so that the sky would be really dark. I remember also seeing the same reddish lights as a teen  living in Northern Europe. I'm sure JTbo sees them frequently. We have no such shows so far South but there will e meteor showers next month and some more in December. I have also seen the space shuttle with bare eyes once somebody showed me where to look. The night sky is fascinating and I am lucky in that where I live we do not have as much light pollution as other places in SoCal and all the outside lights are required to be aimed down. Of course we still can only see a fraction of the stars that you can see if you go out into the desert but still.

 

[DreamerRose]

We've seen the northern lights a couple of times here in northern Illinois. They did not look like colorful curtains as you see in pictures, but like a spotlight flashing across the sky. They were a pale yellowish green and appeared for several nights in a row.

 

[jtbo]

For naked eye, they often look just like some glow, but when they are really going you can see dance of green to purple, even some near white going across the sky and all the snow glows green, it is really beautiful.

With a camera one can bring those really alive. It seems that all my pics from northern lights are at old computer, but I have taken few.

Found only this small one from the net, but I took this years ago and was chased off from that place by some kind of owl:

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• jtbo
• Jul 23, 2016

However you don't get to see them when gardening, too bright nights for those to show up during warm season.

Stars at night are quite nice too at times, when they show up, we have one of the cloudiest skies in whole world, so it is rare to see stars or northern lights because of the clouds

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• jtbo
• Jul 23, 2016

 

[rubysmama]

However you don't get to see them when gardening, too bright nights for those to show up during warm season.

Stars at night are quite nice too at times, when they show up, we have one of the cloudiest skies in whole world, so it is rare to see stars or northern lights because of the clouds

stars_at_night.jpg

• jtbo
• Jul 23, 2016

That picture of the Aurora Borealis is amazing!  As is the picture of the stars!

 

[segelkatt]

There is a web site with a live camera I think in Alaska that shows the Northern Lights on a continuing basis. I used to keep that website  on my computer but when I got a new one I forgot to transfer that one. I watched those lights literally for hours as they were quite spectacular. 'll have to see if I can find that web site again. It was called something like "the sky on acid". 

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the Northern Lights are mostly seen between September and April so they turn off the cameras during the summer.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

 
There is a web site with a live camera I think in Alaska that shows the Northern Lights on a continuing basis. I used to keep that website  on my computer but when I got a new one I forgot to transfer that one. I watched those lights literally for hours as they were quite spectacular. 'll have to see if I can find that web site again. It was called something like "the sky on acid". 

Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the Northern Lights are mostly seen between September and April so they turn off the cameras during the summer.

That sounds really neat to watch!  if you do find the site again; can you please let me know?  I really like to share that kind of thing with my kids; possibly with a lesson planned around it. 

 

  We watch a kitten cam now and I used to watch one of a watering hole in Africa and a bald eagle nest.  

 

[segelkatt]

 
That sounds really neat to watch!  if you do find the site again; can you please let me know?  I really like to share that kind of thing with my kids; possibly with a lesson planned around it. 

 

  We watch a kitten cam now and I used to watch one of a watering hole in Africa and a bald eagle nest.  

If you  google "Northern Lights web cam" you find a bunch of them, ranging from Alaska to Canada, Iceland and Norway/Sweden, take your pick. I couldn't find the one I had before but any of these will do but as I said they are pretty much closed for the summer, the sky is too light due to the "midnight sun" and there isn't much going on anyway. Winter is the time to watch and it is dark early there so your kids, depending on old they are, can watch before it is time to go to bed and even in the morning before school and before it gets light in those high latitudes. 

 

[segelkatt]

However you don't get to see them when gardening, too bright nights for those to show up during warm season.

Stars at night are quite nice too at times, when they show up, we have one of the cloudiest skies in whole world, so it is rare to see stars or northern lights because of the clouds

stars_at_night.jpg

• jtbo
• Jul 23, 2016

 

[AbbysMom]

My vegetable garden looks awful this year. :dk: We are in a semi-drought and I've been watering, but it just doesn't look good. Now we are supposed to get 2 inches of rain tomorrow, so I don't think that deluge will help.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

 
If you  google "Northern Lights web cam" you find a bunch of them, ranging from Alaska to Canada, Iceland and Norway/Sweden, take your pick. I couldn't find the one I had before but any of these will do but as I said they are pretty much closed for the summer, the sky is too light due to the "midnight sun" and there isn't much going on anyway. Winter is the time to watch and it is dark early there so your kids, depending on old they are, can watch before it is time to go to bed and even in the morning before school and before it gets light in those high latitudes. 

I think I'll put it on my calendar to remind me to look through them later this fall.  The time difference between the cams and where we are might make one better than another for us.

My vegetable garden looks awful this year.

We are in a semi-drought and I've been watering, but it just doesn't look good. Now we are supposed to get 2 inches of rain tomorrow, so I don't think that deluge will help.

We got almost an inch yesterday and our grass already looks better for it. I've been out watering a lot.  It's been so hot I don't even want to take my kids outside to burn their energy off.  My tomatoes look so sad this year; even with watering twice a day. They were taller than me!  Being in pots helps. 

  But that's still the tallest I've ever had them.  But they fell over the other day.  I had them next to the shed like normal.  I think the winds had pushed the tall vines away from the shed and then they started developing fruit; making them top heavy.  I had a few extra tall stakes supporting them but it wasn't enough.  I tried putting a brick in front of one pot and it helped for a few days.  Then earlier this week I went out and that pot was leaning so much the back side was about 2" off the ground!  But it was so heavy I couldn't fix it myself.  By the time DH got home that night it had fallen and taken 2 others with it.  

DH and I got them upright and dragged them to the chain link fence. He wired the tomato cages to the fence itself so they shouldn't go anywhere.  I was able to fix the extra supports too so they aren't top heavy anymore.  Falling and moving knocked 5 good size tomatoes off and some cherry ones too.  I put them inside a paper bag so hopefully they will ripen.  The bad part about being attached to the fence is now they have no real shade until late in the day.  And they are exposed to more wind and weather.  

But I've still had some nice tomato sandwiches. 

 

[angels mommy]

I haven't kept up with this thread that much, but here are my sunflowers, I've already plucked some out that were done, so there were a few more than shown. Because of them, hardly any of the mixed packet flowers came up. Next year, I will keep them at separate ends again!

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• angels mommy
• Jul 29, 2016

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• angels mommy
• Jul 29, 2016

 

[angels mommy]

I just brought these in. I don't get to bring them in often, because those tiny ants are usually all over them!

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• angels mommy
• Jul 29, 2016

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• angels mommy
• Jul 29, 2016

 

[DreamerRose]

Very pretty! Don't you let them go to seed? The birds will love you next winter.

 

[angels mommy]

I have just been popping off the dead heads, & breaking them up for the birds & squirrels, up in a pot Ive been putting bird seed in anyway. It's been quite busy up here. I texted a few pictures to my ex, & he said "word must've gotten out that there's a fancy new restaurant on the terrace." [emoji]128516[/emoji] I said " it's the Birdie Bestro." [emoji]128516[/emoji]. Lots of squirrels too. I was keeping fresh water out there for my neighbor kitty who visits sometimes, but noticed the squirrels were drinking it too, so I refill it w/ clean water a cpl of times a day, because its been in the mid to upper 90's here, w/ a 105 heat index, & it's so humid here!!
I've never saved any to plant the nxt yr. Maybe I'll try that this yr, from the big ones.

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• angels mommy
• Jul 29, 2016

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• angels mommy
• Jul 29, 2016

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• angels mommy
• Jul 29, 2016

 

[segelkatt]

It has been hot, hot, hot for the last week. I have to go to my garden every day to water and pick tomatoes. Right now I've got so many that I am making tomato sauce which I will can for next winter which isn't as difficult as many people think.. 

Some of the heirlooms are gigantic and they are really sweet.

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• segelkatt
• Jul 29, 2016

This is ONE tomato, bigger than my hand.

Since there are no more cats in the garden other four-footed creatures have been making themselves at home and eating our produce. Of course they don't eat a whole tomato, just take a bite of several which are then of no use to me. The bell peppers are not doing well, turning red before they get big but they will do to go into the sauce. Took a walk through the freezer and found a jar of pesto, some cut-up bell peppers, some leeks and some sweet onions already chopped up, all from last summer and vacuum packed, they all went into the sauce pot along with some garlic cloves

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• segelkatt
• Jul 29, 2016

I put all of that into the blender in batches, there were 6 batches, before putting it all on the stove to cook because I like my sauce smooth, no chunks for me.

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• segelkatt
• Jul 29, 2016

The kitchen smells heavenly.

I have dragged out the canner, ladled all the sauce into jars and processed them.

Here is the result, those jars will sit overnight to cool off, then they will be put away and wait for winter.

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• segelkatt
• Jul 29, 2016

I also picked some more rhubarb, it's really doing well, I will bake one more pie and what's left over I will turn into sauce to put on ice cream and pound cake.

The corn is gone, a few cucumbers are still bearing, about one a week, that's just enough for salad.

The dragon fruit are setting one after another. This means they won't all be ripe at the same time and there will be at least ten of them. Once they are full grown and start to get color I will post pics. 

The grapes are starting to get color and some of the individual berries are already ripe so I am getting a tease of a taste. Soon they will be ripe and I will have to cut a lot of the leaves to even see the grapes. Of course with this many leaves the birds don't see them either and thus don't eat them. 

The garden looks kind of messy because the heat has dried up some of the tomato vines at the bottom but there is still green on top where there are still more tomatoes. When the temps go down those tops will flower some more and there will be more tomatoes. I hope the same will happen with the peppers.  

 

[segelkatt]

I cut some of the branches of the grape vine to see how the bunches of grapes are shaping up. Oh my, they are in there as thick as thieves, just wish all the berries were the same color, well, here they are:

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• segelkatt
• Jul 31, 2016

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• segelkatt
• Jul 31, 2016

 

[boney girl dad]

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• boney girl dad
• Aug 2, 2016

Purple coneflower is a butterfly magnet. This is a giant swallowtail. They are about 1/3 larger than the tiger or black swallowtail most of us are familiar with.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I love purple coneflower.  I keep thinking I want to plant something like those in front of the privet hedge at the back of our property.  Something taller and wildflower like.  

I may have enough banana peppers to do some pickling and canning tonight.  I won't have time tomorrow and DH and I are supposed to have a date-day on Saturday; so tonight it is!  Sometimes it's worth staying up late after everyone is in bed so I can do these things undisturbed.  It takes SO long for my range to get the water-bath canner to a boil.  I need to invest in another large pot; smaller than the canner; but larger than the biggest pot I have.  I know you can can like that and it would probably save me so much time!  I need to review my recipe and double check I have enough new jar lids in case I need to run to Walmart for the 4th time this week.