Downtown Tomatoes
A gardening club for the rest of us.
- Last build:
- Sat, 09 Jun 2007 22:28:06 -0500
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RSS FEED IDEMS: Downtown Tomatoes
- Square foot gardens in the Weed Patch
Bed #1: (L to R, T to B): zuke, zuke, Early Girl Tomato, Sandi's painted rock, radish, radish, marigolds, tarragon, lettuce, Japanese mustard spinach, basil, thyme, lettuce, lettuce, lettuce and marigolds.
Bed #2: kuri, kuri, cuke, cuke, jalapeno, jalapeno, habanero, habanero, japanese turnip, marigold, marigold, habanero (Bob likes habaneros), beet, stir fry greens, stir fry green, italian turnip.We bought more plants & seeds & Mel's Mix ingredients -- two more beds to go.
Sat, 09 Jun 2007 22:28:06 -0500 - 'Don't Like New England's Weather?' Asks Bob.
'Wait a few minutes.'
Sat, 09 Jun 2007 14:36:21 -0500 - Wild turkey in the backyard
Joey, one of our cats, charged it, then thought better of the idea. Wild turkey, bobcat, deer, and bear are common where we live in the semi-burbs outside Hartford CT.
Tue, 05 Jun 2007 10:13:24 -0500 - A cure for poison ivy. Zanfel
There is now a genuine cure for poison ivy. Zanfel is the first lotion that removes urushiol, the toxin responsible for the itching, from the skin. Moreover, it works at any time, not just in the first few hours after exposure.
Up until now, lotions and spray for poison ivy like Tecnu and Ivy-Dry, while relieving some of the itching, can do nothing to get rid of urushiol.
Upon moving back to Connecticut I got a severe case of poison ivy on my ankles and legs by doing weeding in pachysandra, an ankle high shrub, in our yard. What I wasn't looking out for were the poison ivy vines that were interspersed in the pachysandra. It was still winter, so there were no leaves on the poison ivy yet, else I would have seen it. Pachysandra has leaves year round, and thus hid the vines.
A week of prednisone slowed the poison ivy, but it came back. Another week of predinose helped, but still it returned. My sister, who has lived here all her life, says mine was about the worst case she'd seen in an adult.
Sue went web surfing and found out about Zanfel. I tried it. You work it into a lotion on your hand, then scrub the affected area for three minutes. Normally this kind of scrubbing would make the itching much worse.
After one scrubbing with Zanfel, the itching was virtually gone. That's because the urushiol apparently was no longer on my skin. Now, about 15 hours after the first scrubbing (plus one more scrubbing) the rash is almost completely gone.
A 1 oz tube of Zanfel, good for 15 washings, is $42. CVS Pharmacy has a generic for $22, that's what I used.
And I'm a believer.
Sun, 03 Jun 2007 13:13:02 -0500 - Bindweed
"Gee, look at the pretty flowers." When we moved in, there was a clump of this stuff flowering in one of the flower beds east of the house. We thought it was pretty-- and it was one of the few things growing here.
What we didn't know was, it's called Field Bindweed. It looks a little like morning glory, because it's in the same family, and is sometimes called "wild morning glory." But it's a different animal, so to speak. For those who survived the 70s, its seeds do not contain the hallucinagenic lysergic acid (and it's therefore safe for goats to eat), but the dissimilarity does not end there. It is a virulent, invasive weed whose extensive root system goes up to 20 feet deep, and whose seeds can sprout up to 50 years after they mature.
This year, we have bindweed on the north, east, and south of the house, and it's spreading fast. It was choking my flower garden, so I pulled huge handfuls of the stuff. The lady at the Extension Service said, "Don't even bother to pull it, it just makes it worse." I hate to use chemicals, but this morning I got out the Roundup, mixed it extra strong, and sprayed the heck out of the bindweed. Hopefully that will help reverse the infestation.
Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:50:31 -0500 - New Garden Sprinklers
Here's a photo of one of our raised beds-- we planted six this year. I replaced the center sprinkler today with four corner sprinklers (that you can just barely see in the photo), theoretically cutting our garden water usage by a third.
Here you can see kohlrabi, lettuce, spinach, and peas along the edges. I planted tomatoes in between. A cold spring slowed the growth of the spring crops, so they're going to have to share space with the summer crops for a few weeks.
BTW, the big green leafy plant at the bottom is Indian Mustard, which grows very well here-- no surprise, since the weeds that grow best are all in the mustard family.
Thu, 31 May 2007 13:18:42 -0500 - Salmon azalea
Simsbury is azalea territory -- they escape gardens and grow carelessly by the road.
Thu, 31 May 2007 00:07:00 -0500 - Weeping Japanese Maple
By the front walk -- I'm told this one stays red for the whole growing season .
Thu, 31 May 2007 00:04:57 -0500 - Native Rhododendron
Deene tells us this rhododendron is native to Connecticut. It blooms once a year -- our yard is a riot of color right now.
Wed, 30 May 2007 00:00:43 -0500 - Luminous clematis by the back door
I don't know what her name is. She sure is beautiful.
Tue, 29 May 2007 23:58:17 -0500 - Not much to look at ...
Now that we've had our last frost, I'm starting vegies for the garden. The view's a bit premature -- you'll have to use your imagination!
Mon, 28 May 2007 23:54:45 -0500 - Homegrown
This morning's accomplishment: French toast made from home-made bread, home grown eggs, hand-milked goat milk, and served with home-made strawberry-lemon marmelade. I was pretty proud.
Mon, 28 May 2007 00:10:59 -0500 - Flowers at the reservoir: Wild violets 2
Fri, 25 May 2007 12:52:20 -0500 - Flowers at the reservoir: Wild Geranium?
Fri, 25 May 2007 08:51:24 -0500 - Flowers at the reservoir : Lyre-leaved Rock Cress
Lyre-leaved Rock Cress
Arabis lyrata
• Family: Mustard (Brassicaceae)
• Habitat: rocks, sandy soil
• Height: 4-12 inches
• Flower size: 1/4 inch across
• Flower color: white
• Flowering time: April to May
• Origin: native
Fri, 25 May 2007 00:50:33 -0500
