Chit Chat (9)

[angelwind]

Good morning folks...I started the day early with walking Gracie...we went to the big park...she had a wonderful time with the sprinklers and mud puddles to run in. She gets rinsed off before she gets inside and today a very good grooming.

Not much else happening...I will fill out my absentee ballot and vote...I thought a lot about not voting at all...I have no real choices of heart on the ballot.

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

Hubby is off work the rest of the week, so we will be doing some spring projects (putting in a small garden etc).
We just got our errands done, are having a quick lunch, and will try to get a walk in with Penny.
Have a blessed Wednesday

 

[birdie29]

Hubby is off work the rest of the week, so we will be doing some spring projects (putting in a small garden etc).
We just got our errands done, are having a quick lunch, and will try to get a walk in with Penny.
Have a blessed Wednesday

I have not planted anything this year... I am so ashamed. I prob still have time for a blue berry bush or two... However, I had a spot all cleaned out for kale and then changed my mind... might change it back... learned about kale chips. You pick it, wash it, cut it off the stem in chip size pieced. rub a little garlic and olive oil on it, spread it out on a cooky sheet and pop it in the oven at 300 for 3 minutes...my kind of cooking I dug my holes and turned up three spots for potatoes but the dirt got all hard and I haven't went back to it... I hear potatoes can be grown just about any time you choose to stick them in the ground. so i have time there.... bought a rose bush but its' still in the pot. sigh

 

[nChrist]

My wife and I are also thinking about a small raised garden plot this year (8' x 16'), but we haven't made our mind up yet whether to do flowers or vegetables. We tried vegetables last year and had a miserable failure. I feel quite sure that we did a list of no no's, but we did try. Regardless of which way we go, we'll probably use lots of gypsum, peat moss, and mulch. We got a load of dirt last year before we started, but we still think that our soil is overall poor. We even used Miracle Grow and failed except with some Okra and Cherry Tomatoes. In short, we would have gotten at least 5 times our money's worth by buying produce at the market. I must add that we usually have triple digit heat to deal with, so it's a challenge regardless of what we do.

 

[davedajobauk]

My wife and I are also thinking about a small raised garden plot this year (8' x 16'),
but we haven't made our mind up yet whether to do flowers or vegetables.
We tried vegetables last year and had a miserable failure.
I feel quite sure that we did a list of no no's, but we did try.
Regardless of which way we go,
we'll probably use lots of gypsum, peat moss, and mulch.
We got a load of dirt last year before we started,
but we still think that our soil is overall poor.
We even used Miracle Grow and failed except with some Okra and Cherry Tomatoes.
In short, we would have gotten at least 5 times our money's worth
by buying produce at the market.
I must add that we usually have triple digit heat to deal with,
so it's a challenge regardless of what we do.

"Where there is a will, there is also a way"

Align your 'rows' from east to west
and hang 'vertical curtains' between the rows

yes, curtains

Garden Fabric, Row Covers, Shade Netting: Gardener's Supply

This 'fabric' allows 60-70% of light to pass through
but will provide SHADE against the burning sun

While the plants enjoy this 'shade', mist spraying, of the plants
and root watering, of the rows, can be carried out early morning /evening
without fear of burning the leaves
There will always be sufficient overhead [indirect] lighting for plant growth


example:

dave

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

Those kale chips sound interesting...and yummy

It has been years since we gardened; the landscaping done last year, opened the yard to more sun once again.

Hubby got cuke, tomato, and greenbean plants.
Next year we'd like to build/use a cold frame and start things from seed (ambitious I know )

Anyway....IF these plants grow, and IF we can keep the wildlife from munching on it before we do....it will be a success .

I had never heard of curtains...a pretty good idea for hot areas

Hubby is digging out the soil today, and I will try to get a walk in with Penny before the storms come through again.

Have a blessed Thursday

 

[davedajobauk]

I have been to 'school' all day

There is just so-much to read

LOL

'one day at a time'



dave

 

[angelwind]

My wife and I are also thinking about a small raised garden plot this year (8' x 16'), but we haven't made our mind up yet whether to do flowers or vegetables. We tried vegetables last year and had a miserable failure. I feel quite sure that we did a list of no no's, but we did try. Regardless of which way we go, we'll probably use lots of gypsum, peat moss, and mulch. We got a load of dirt last year before we started, but we still think that our soil is overall poor. We even used Miracle Grow and failed except with some Okra and Cherry Tomatoes. In short, we would have gotten at least 5 times our money's worth by buying produce at the market. I must add that we usually have triple digit heat to deal with, so it's a challenge regardless of what we do.

We have very unforgiving soil here...clay, with a lot of rock...we would need to amend a lot of dirt to make anything grow. We tried tomatoes...it was either too hot or too cold...and not worth the effort.

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

I have been to 'school' all day

There is just so-much to read

LOL

'one day at a time'



dave

Good luck on your moderator training Dave

We have very unforgiving soil here...clay, with a lot of rock...we would need to amend a lot of dirt to make anything grow. We tried tomatoes...it was either too hot or too cold...and not worth the effort.

Our soil is clay/ledge, with lots of oak and pine; if it wasn't for the new lawn we put in with good loam, we wouldn't even bother!

We just planted what we use most and will be cost effective.
Other veggies are not worth the money and work because we can get them cheap here from other larger/local growers

 

[birdie29]

My wife and I are also thinking about a small raised garden plot this year (8' x 16'), but we haven't made our mind up yet whether to do flowers or vegetables. We tried vegetables last year and had a miserable failure. I feel quite sure that we did a list of no no's, but we did try. Regardless of which way we go, we'll probably use lots of gypsum, peat moss, and mulch. We got a load of dirt last year before we started, but we still think that our soil is overall poor. We even used Miracle Grow and failed except with some Okra and Cherry Tomatoes. In short, we would have gotten at least 5 times our money's worth by buying produce at the market. I must add that we usually have triple digit heat to deal with, so it's a challenge regardless of what we do.

my vegitable garden failed last year as well. However, my perrinial fruits and veggies are doing remarkably well. Next year I actually get to eat asparugus from my asparagus bed. you have to wait two years to let the plants get established. ... my strawberries were amazing this year (almost done now) and my blackberries will be nice if the birds don't get them before I do. I am actually thinking of increasing the size of my asparagus bed... It could actually feed me for a time if things got tough... and I do have a grape vine and a blueberry bush.. they are still alive but I didn't know what to do with either one of them... they didn't produce last year The blueberry bush is not really growing very fast. lol my blackberries are EVERYWHERE

 

[birdie29]

PS... some of my strawberries are in a raised bed... they are doing very well. However, the first year they did not. it seems to have taken a while for them to adjust to the new soil. or maybe the fact that I layered leaves under the dirt caused it to take exactly one year for the leaves to decompose and act as fertilizer. ????

 

[birdie29]

can I change my mind about praying for Lizzy??? .. just kidding.. she took a bite out of me yesterday the minute I got to work. OUCH!!! I knew it would happen though... with someone I prayed for... does every time... I guess that's the devils way of making me think twice about doing something... yet another reason to keep each other in prayer... helps keep the evil one from sneaken in.

I should confess that I was pretty mad at her most of the day.. then this morning when I got online I had remembered that I had requested prayer for her... (I had actually forgot all about it. lol... my mind just rambles sometimes)... then I couldn't be mad anymore... at least not for now.

 

[nChrist]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas on gardening. We already have a raised plot outlined with RR timbers. I like the idea of curtains Brother Dave and think I'll check into that more. The RR timbers give us secure anchors for just about anything we want to try. We also have the water bill to think about.

 

[birdie29]

I had a bad dream last night, but in it my mother was still alive and I was sitting next to her.. I have to say, it made it worth having a nightmare to have my mother next to me. strange feeling ....

another subject:... do you guys remember the story of jacob and how one son stole the blessing of another....???? do you ever ponder those blessings and what they actually were... in bible school as a child I learned to bless meant either to make happy or to enable... Have you ever lost someone close to you but felt like they were helping you...?? or felt like they had left you something of value (an ability)... my question??? is that the same sort of blessing that jacob or abraham or someone else might have left their first born??? just wondering. sometimes i have not necessarily felt the presence of a loved one but I seem to be able to do things (all of a sudden) that I relied on them to do for me... it is either that I actually learned from them and was just being lazy or that they left me that ability when they parted this earth... I cannot determine which...

 

[angelwind]

can I change my mind about praying for Lizzy??? .. just kidding.. she took a bite out of me yesterday the minute I got to work. OUCH!!! I knew it would happen though... with someone I prayed for... does every time... I guess that's the devils way of making me think twice about doing something... yet another reason to keep each other in prayer... helps keep the evil one from sneaken in.

I should confess that I was pretty mad at her most of the day.. then this morning when I got online I had remembered that I had requested prayer for her... (I had actually forgot all about it. lol... my mind just rambles sometimes)... then I couldn't be mad anymore... at least not for now.

OOOOO, sounds a lot like me....

 

[sk8Joyful]

We tried vegetables last year and had a miserable failure. I feel quite sure that we did a list of no no's.
Regardless of which way we go, we'll probably use lots of gypsum, peat moss, and mulch.
We got a load of dirt last year before we started, but we still think that our soil is overall poor. We even used Miracle Grow and failed

Go to this Forum: Square Foot Gardening - they're Homegrown experts with Pictures, & free Tutorials galore... Outstanding Gardening resource

 

[davedajobauk]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas on gardening.
We already have a raised plot outlined with RR timbers.
I like the idea of curtains Brother Dave and think I'll check into that more.
The RR timbers give us secure anchors for just about anything we want to try.
We also have the water bill to think about.

Tom

The 'intermediate' curtains, do not need to reach the floor [?]
You only need to be providing 'shade' from the burning effects of direct sunlight

A 'waterproof membrane' below the contained soil, will aid water retention
as will, a 'mulch' surface dressing



dave

 

[servant of Merciful Love]

FYI: the Blessing function has been restored #98

 

[davedajobauk]

FYI: the Blessing function has been restored #98

WOOHOO

c'mon everyone claim your IOU's



dave

 

[angelwind]

We are a quiet bunch today...I talked for 2 hours to Phyllis by phone...did some errands...then seemed to do a lot of nothing...had a lot of dirty dishes to clean up. Phyll and I had to laugh at ourselves, what used to take us 4 hours to do, now takes us 2 days.