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Garden Gate:  Garden Adventures  |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 28 2010 : 09:04:57 AM
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well its snowing here today.lol such is life. next week good. i have created a way of making flowers out of cold process soap. i do not carve or mold. i copy gum paste and fondant type flowers. i make one petal at a time. i have created a way to roll the soap.i also manipulate the blocks of soap. my personality is such that if challenged i love the overcoming of it. when i started with cp soap all books said what i do with soap can not be done. there is a place in india where cooking the soap hp it could be done. they have beautiful art.i wanted to keep the nutrients in the soap by doing cp. i like to tweak the medium i am working with. usually this is what i do when i have been ill. when i am stuck on the couch i can still be creative.i still can not load pics. i need to make fresh flowers. when i do i will post with my milkmaid friend lisas help. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2010 : 10:31:21 AM
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Kris - wish I could help with where to get rhubarb, but my plants are transplants from the apartment house where I used to live (9 years ago!). I see it for sale at places like Lowe's and Fred Meyer (Kroger) sometimes, and at the farmer's market in the summer, but it grows so great here, and is so hardy, I've actually never met anyone who had to buy it - we all just pass plants around!
(oh dear, lost my train of thought...Hugh Jackman (sigh) was defining the word, "concentrate" on Sesame Street...how ironic is that?)
Sherrye - thanks! I cure my clay (it's actually polymer clay, not natural clay) in my toaster oven, which I only use for clay...you can use your home oven, if you're not doing a lot of polyclay work, but it does leave a residue on the inside of the oven if you're doing a lot. Aren't those babies cute? I got the idea for them from Mimi Kirchner, a wonderful doll maker in Boston. My little magnets are a lot cheaper, but not nearly as beautiful. I do sell them on my Art Fire site, but I don't yet know the etiquette of posting stuff for sale on this forum.
Your soap flowers sound neat!
Megan - fingers crossed for you! And I LOVE your signature line!
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
Edited by - Butterscotch Grove on Apr 28 2010 10:44:26 AM |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2010 : 1:01:17 PM
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meagan what a precious baby. thanks for the pics. aint life great. congrats.sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 09:19:33 AM
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I know im late posting in here but i have planted the following since april 12th or so.
40 tomato plants
35 greenpepper plants
9 cabbage
9 head lettuce
9 cauliflower
15 broccoli
100 onions
10# seed potatoes
3 egg plant
24 yellow squash
24 zucchini
40 strawberry plants
15 grape vines
12 cantalope
6 watermelon
I think that is all that i have planted so far. Want to start a herb garden so need to go to the green house up the road and buy plants to start with. Also gonna start plans for fall garden and start some plants for it. I have already harvested 9 good size broccoli heads, have some yellow squash getting close to harvest time. I love it, it sure is a good stress releaver!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 09:24:17 AM
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forgot to add 20 hills of cucumbers!
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 09:41:02 AM
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Holy cow, Brandee! You're already harvesting??? Wow! I don't envy you the heat of a Texas summer (we all start sweating at about 70F!) but I'd love to have a longer growing season!
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 09:41:56 AM
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Wow, Brandee, you have been a busy farmgirl! You must have started with squash and broc plants to have alredy gotten some. I just love fresh broccoli right off the plant. You also must have really warm weather there. I have 4 grape vines so far. I am headed out to plant some more tomatoes, peppers and cabbage. I need to til again to loosen the soil back up. I hope it's still not too wet. I'll do it anyway.
Melissa, I was talking to a lady at a nursery the other day and she said it's just too hot here for rhubarb. But up on the mountain it's about 10-20 degrees cooler and people have it up there. So I guess I'll just have to get mine from the market.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 09:53:14 AM
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i bet if you found a micro climate spot on your place you might be able to get it to grow.
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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homsteddinmom
True Blue Farmgirl
441 Posts
Brandee
bullard
tx
USA
441 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 09:55:07 AM
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yes i am east texas so we have had over 80+ degree weather here already~ I planted the cold weather plants first by about a week or so. I grow strickly in compost, in container or raised beds. I am waiting for the local farm stores and the big box stores to start marking down there berry bushes and fruit trees as i want to plant 10 more blue berry bushes it will give me 18. I got the 15 grape vines at lowes, they had them marked down to $2 each! Now i am going to start an herb garden on my back porch! Not sure what im gonna plant yet tho.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 11:08:38 AM
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Brandee, I have an old cow trough feeder that's about 10' long. I am going to use it for an herb garden. I just need dirt to put in it now. Ace has really nice big herb plants for $3.99. Not bad. The rosemary is already over a foot tall. I want 2 of those, 1 on each end. Then some chives, thyme, oregano, parsley and a few other things. I want mint but in pots. I did find some wild mint down in the lower pasture near the garden. I need to dog some up. I love mint. And I don't care if it takes over some spots.
I can't get my tiller started. Darn it. It always starts with one pull. But it was left out in the rain this past weekend. So I will have to wait til hubby gets home. I hate that. And it's supposed to rain this weekend.
I could put some rhubarb under a tree maybe? I really want some.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 1:37:52 PM
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Kris, good luck with the rhubarb...it takes a lot of water, even here. If you can get a divided plant from someone on the mountain, that could be an inexpensive way to experiment.
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 4:31:37 PM
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I just planted 12 more tomato plants and a bunch of cabbage. Plus 9 red bell peppers.
I was wondering if anyone has ever interplanted cabbage and tomatoes? I read in my companion book and it said they do well together. So I put 3 cabbage then 2 tomatoes on down the row. I hope they do ok. I have never planted them in the same row together. I'd love to hear what others do about companion planting. And what you plant together.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2010 : 5:00:33 PM
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i love companion planting. it makes sense to me that some plants help others.like beans putting nitrogen in the soil. my old rodale book has a whole section on it. it works for me. i use garlic with my roses. sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2010 : 06:40:24 AM
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It's a beautiful day here today. And yesterday also. I have yet to see anything pop up that I planted last week. I am so impatient. My DD has green beans coming up already. I planted mine the same time. I do remember that I used a pack of last years seeds though. But all the rest are from this year. I think it's just been so cold at night and all the rain we had last weekend might be slowing it all down. But I go out every morning to look and back again in the afternoon. I am seeing red potatoes now! I was worried about them. And more white ones are popping up each day. And the paes are almost up to the fence now. They should be grabbing on any time and traveling upwards. And the beets came up last week and are looking good. Also the tomatoes I started from seed are looking good. I have lost about 7 and will replace them with some more I have going in pots. Also got some kind of heirloon tomato seeds from Dawn in Ohio and they are coming along nicely. I will plant them soom. Not having any luck with the pepper seeds yet. I think they take a little longer to germinate though.
Sherrye, I try to plant marigolds all around the garden to deter bugs. They do really well around tomatoes. Also dill.
I painted an old bike we got with the house. I got some purple and pink spray paint on sale last week. I painted half of it pink and the other half purple. Then the tires are the opposite. It's so cute. I need to find a bicycle basket now and a long flower planter for the back thingy and get some pink and purple petunias to put in them. It will be soo cute. I'm going out today and will get some for me for Mother's Day!
I hope everyone has a great day in their gardens!
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2010 : 09:08:45 AM
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the bike sounds so cute. ya gotta post a pic. unless your like me i have not learned yet. happy days in the garden sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2010 : 09:14:15 AM
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Rain, rain, come on down! Lay the dust and wake the ground!
Yea! Rain! 'Course, now I have to stay in and clean, but I need to do that anyway. I guess. If I have to. ;-)
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2010 : 4:11:21 PM
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It's supposed to rain here this weekend. We could use a little. I was out in the garden just now and saw some of my heirlooms coming up!!! Some of the okra, all the Royal Burgandy beans, Contender and Blue Lake beans. Oh and a few of the heirloom peas. I am so excited. After days of nothing to see those tiny little sprouts pushing the dirt up is amazing! I just love it. And in the big garden I saw a few of the BL beans trying to get out of the dirt. But that's it. I figure once it starts warming up they will start popping up all over. And it's supposed to be in the 80's the next several days. This is so fun. Well, this part is. Then in about 1 1/2 months I'll be out there all day picking beans.
I went and got bags of peat moss and top soil and garden mix and lots of herbs for my little herb garden in a cow trough. And also went to K-Mart and found a cute little plastic bike basket with pink and purple and got lots of pink and purple petunias. It's going to be so cute. If I ever figure out how to post pics this will be full of them soon.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2010 : 1:18:55 PM
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Yeah! I found a corn!! My True Gold heirloom corn. Just one so far but it's coming up! I am so excited to see that one little corn. I have not seen the pop corn yet but it may be soon after. I also saw some squash and zucchini today! I just love this. I wish it would go ahead and rain and get it over with already.
I planted some of the seeds I got in a secret seed swap. Some of them were sunflowers and I needed some more. I am planting them in between tomatoes and squash and zucchini to help shade them and for stakes for the tomatoes. And cucumbers too. I am not sure what the other flower seeds were. They kind of look like cosmos. So I put them where I have some others.
I also dug up around my bird bath. It looks so good. It had gotten taken over by grass. So I had to dig it all up. I will add good potting and top soil and plant perinials there. I also had some pink spray paint left so I painted a black iron plant hanger with the blackbird on top. It looks so cute. And put the rest of the pink and purple petunias in a hanging pot and painted it pink too. It looks cute near the pink and purple bike with the petunias in the basket and flower pot. I need to get pics on here.
I can'r believe I did all that. I am hot and sweaty and dirty now. But it feels good to actually be working. I was going to mow but the darn mower won't start. I got the tire pumped up real easy and it's full of gas and I charged the battery up for 30 minutes. But nothing. It makes me so mad when that happens. Had the yard all picked up and I was ready.
I also got 6 red geraniums and put them in pots and put them on the cedar stumps along the driveway. It needs weed eated bad so I can see them from the house now.
I also got a good idea for my bottom corner under a big ole maple tree. There's hardly anything growing under there so I thought I'd get a nice bench and plant some azaleas and shade loving plants. And then put up some picket fence to keep goats out. That will be a nice cool quiet place to sit then. I have wanted to do something down there for as long as we've lived here. And that's what I'll do. For Mother's day. For me and my mom to sit and talk. And the grands. And maybe even the DD's.Might even let my hubby sit there sometime too. If he helps me do it all. Like the fence especially. The he might get to sit there on the bench.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2010 : 10:54:27 AM
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Kris, I love your maple tree idea (especially the "if he helps, he can sit. Maybe." part! LOL) I miss maples. :-( They don't grow in Zone 2. But you've inspired me to go get the mailbox post cleaned up and ready for planting. I've been wanting to spruce that up forever. And congratulations on getting all that done!
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2010 : 4:20:10 PM
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It's raining here now! We sure needed it. I went out this morning in the big garden and saw a cucumber and sunflowers and the beans and peas and corns but still no melons. They were from last year. So I may need to replant. But I'll wait a few more days just in case.
Melissa, what are you going to do around the mailbox? I love to see people's pretty mailboxes. I might have to work on mine now too.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2010 : 6:53:42 PM
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good grief woman. you are a garden warrior. we have frost in june. go figure. i am so wanting to see your garden,. i wish i could say mine is like that but not. inch by inch we are getting there. we planted a pound of cascadia peas today. good job kris wow. so glad its raining for you. i know you were wanting it. happy garden days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2010 : 05:54:00 AM
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Melissa, I saw the mailbox but no flowers. I am not good at finding things. But it looks like you have alot to work with. Do you have vining flowers going up the post? That would be pretty.
I looked out this morning after heavy rains and storms all night and my big garden is under water in the middle. I have got to get more soil for that. It's way lower than the rest of the garden and always gets flooded. I should have learned by now. I was going to see if the tiller guy could bring a truck load of dirt before he plowed but I never goat around to asking him. SO now this. Again. It's where the Hickory King corn and okra are. The corn is pretty cheap so I can get more of that. But it was just starting to come up after 2 1/2 weeks. It might be ok since I don't have those stinkin' ducks any more swimming around in it. That's what messed it up last year. 4 ducks and 8 webbed feet pushing around out there. I hope we don't get any more rain. And I know this is nothing compared to Tn. And Ky. They really had the flash floods and several deaths. So I am not complaining a bit.
Even the little flower bed I dug out Sat. was washed away. It of course is right in the path of the flood waters. And so is the bottom corner of the yard. And somehow the cat-dog room always gets flooded too when it rains like this. It's in between the kitchen and garage. with the milkroom at the end. Those 2 rooms never get wet. So I have to take all the dog beds out to dry. And it stinks too.
Sherrye, good luck with all those peas. I have never grown peas before so this is a new thing for me. I just planted 2 packs of seeds. They all came up but they are very slow. I put some 3' fence up between the 2 rows. They are about 7" tall now and some are grabbing on to the fence. I hope they do ok. I'll have to send you some pictures soon.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Butterscotch Grove
True Blue Farmgirl
196 Posts
Melissa
Fairbanks
AK
196 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2010 : 11:17:28 AM
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Kris - sorry to hear about your flooding woes. Good that the ducks aren't there now, though...were they ducks you were raising? Or wild ones? My mailbox has never had anything planted there...that's the "before" picture, I guess! We'll see what it looks like in a month or two.
Melissa
My blog:
http://ButterscotchGrove.wordpress.com |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2010 : 1:13:04 PM
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Yes. I had 4 pesky nasty white ducks. They are so cute when they are little but then they grew up and became twice as pesky and nasty. When they discovered the nice big new pond in the middle of the garden, I guess they thought God put it there for them. They were out there all day swimming around. So I had to replant all that I had planted. Noy fun. The ducks are all gone now. Something got 2 of them while I was gone for a week. And the other 2 went to a friend with a real pond.
The water is gone from the garden now. The sun has been on it all day and it is HOT and humid now. I had to turn the AC on. I keep all my soap on the backporch-laundry room and went out there this morning and htere was moisture on most of the bars. So I brought them in and turned the AC on. I guess it's about time to do that. I hate to but also hate to sweat inside.
I can't wait to see an after picture now of your mail box project.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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Garden Gate: Garden Adventures |
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Garden Adventures
