The Dawg Patch

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Whwoz
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#361

Post: # 38007Unread post Whwoz
Sun Jan 10, 2021 1:31 am

One advantage I have is no deer, seems like they cause a lot of problems for some of you. Yes, sweet potatoes grow well on a trellis, but they need to threaded through it as they don't naturally climb.

Sports injuries have caused me to spend nearly half a year on crutches, all up so good luck and keep up the physio afterwards, something it sounds like you are well familiar with

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#362

Post: # 38022Unread post GoDawgs
Sun Jan 10, 2021 9:57 am

I have had deer munch a few sweet potato leaves before but not much. The deer seem to invade the garden when the rest of the world is still in the brown of winter and they spy green stuff in the garden. As the pasture next to the garden greens up or when they encounter netting tunnels over their favorite brassicas ("The buffet is closed"), they move on. By the time sweet potatoes go in (early May here), the deer are pretty much a non-issue.

About two years ago there was a successful trial with one trellised sweet potato hill. After planting the row I had one slip left over, couldn't bear tossing it and put up one 4' wide trellis at the end of a bed. :roll: It worked well and I had fun training the vines through the trellis, trying to make a pattern until the vines got rambunctious and just took over, obliterating the pattern. :D
The yield from that one hill was great so this year I'm going larger scale with that; 10 or 11 hills down the middle of one 18' bed. I should be able to plant other stuff down the sides, maybe flowers.

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#363

Post: # 38946Unread post GoDawgs
Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:47 am

It's been slow with just some micro tomato putters going on, rain and cold, windy days. However, the last two days have been sunny with highs around 65, perfect for getting some beds broadforked and weeded. Today’s already cloudy with rain will be moving in late in the day. It will be the last chance for digging until Saturday. Knee surgery day is getting closer (next Wednesday) and I'm trying to get the three brassica and two pea beds prepped for planting next month so Pickles won't have to do it.

Tuesday I got Brassica #1 (of three) done. Yesterday morning I forked up and weeded Brassica #2 which was a solid mass of Bermuda grass. A bit worky, that one.

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The fork really loosens soil deeply enough that most of the grass comes out roots and all without too much trouble.

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After lunch I dug up eight clumps of dormant purple coneflowers that were started from seed last spring and grew to be really pretty. But they were in a bed where peas will be planted sometime in February. Since I have no clue where to relocate them right now, I potted them up in 3 gallon buckets using some compost soil from last year's tomato buckets..

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Now there are eight holes in Pea Bed #1 so one of today's tasks will be to fill those holes with tomato bucket soil, fork the bed (sigh, more Bermuda grass) and that bed will be ready. I'm also going to fork up Pea Bed #2 which is pretty grassless. Yay! That will leave just Brassica bed #3 to do but one side is currently occupied by turnips. The whole bed might not be needed come planting time (kohlrabi was scratched from the spring planting list) so for now just the empty side will get forked. That will be left for another day.

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MissS
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#364

Post: # 39059Unread post MissS
Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:03 am

Good luck on the surgery! It sounds like you have most of the beds forked and ready to go so that you can recuperate without being tempted to do things before you ready too. How long do they think that you will be laid up from this?
~ Patti ~

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#365

Post: # 39103Unread post GoDawgs
Fri Jan 22, 2021 2:51 pm

Thanks, MissS. I'm an old pro at this as I had the left knee replaced in 2000 and the right in 2001. Now after all those years, I had a "revision" of the old left one Oct 2018. That's what they call replacing the whole works. The plastic disk that acts as the meniscus had gotten so thin it had shattered and ruined various surfaces.

The right knee started catching about 10 days ago. Got a fast ortho appointment and then I was able to get a surgery slot quick. Hopefully they'll just replace the disk but will be prepared to pull the whole works out and install a new one if they think they have to once they get in there. Regardless, it's "git 'er done" so I can get going sooner. I hope it's just the disk but I won't know until I wake up.

I looked at my 2018 calendar and saw that my last day of rehab after that revision was ten weeks after surgery. By then I was driving and doing light careful putters in the garden. If the same happens this time, 10 weeks out would be April 7th which would be three weeks until bean planting. I thank the good Lord every day for my sister who's "all in" with carrying on the garden duties with a little direction from me.

I'm getting the early beds (pea and brassicas) ready and hopefully the potato bed too but she'll have to deal with all the rest. She can't handle that big fork but there's a one year old Mantis that will till 'em up in a hurry.

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karstopography
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#366

Post: # 39124Unread post karstopography
Fri Jan 22, 2021 5:38 pm

Good luck with that knee surgery. You’ve got me beat, I only have one prosthetic joint, my right hip was replaced in January 2018. Knees are supposed to be tougher to bounce back from. My Hip replacement surgery was the best and also the only surgery I’ve ever had. Zero complications and just an bunch of talented and truly nice group of professionals that cared for me. So very grateful there are so many fine people that have the skills to pull these things off. Hope your latest and upcoming experience mirrors mine. Life changing in such a good way it is to have a joint function perfectly and not hurt 24/7. Glad you have a willing and able team to step in and keep the garden going.
Zone 9b, located in the Columbia bottomlands, annual rainfall 46”

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GoDawgs
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Back In The Saddle; Good News

#367

Post: # 39645Unread post GoDawgs
Fri Jan 29, 2021 9:17 am

GOOOOD Morning! I didn't have to stay in the hospital two nights, just one and they let me out late yesterday afternoon. The best news is that when they got in there, they discovered the device itself was sound and in good shape so all they had to replace was the plastic knee cap and plastic meniscus disk. I can tell they did less work because I can walk really well on that leg. Recovery will be a lot quicker! Rehab starts Monday. After not being able to get comfortable in bed I spent the night in the good old recliner. Today will be spent halfway in La La Land, playing on the computer and dozing on and off. Pickles is a great nurse!.

The brassica seeds I started Tuesday were up this morning and are now under the lights to begin their life's journey. I think I have a few to start today but I'll have to check.

Y'all have a great day!

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MissS
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#368

Post: # 39652Unread post MissS
Fri Jan 29, 2021 10:30 am

This is the BEST NEWS of the week!!! I'm so glad that things went so well and that your rehab will go quickly. Congrats!
~ Patti ~

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goodloe
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#369

Post: # 39678Unread post goodloe
Fri Jan 29, 2021 3:48 pm

That's great to hear Miss [mention]GoDawgs[/mention] !! You oughta be in tip-top shape for Spring planting!!
I have 2 seasons: Tomato and pepper season, and BAMA Football season!

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Whwoz
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#370

Post: # 39680Unread post Whwoz
Fri Jan 29, 2021 4:10 pm

Fabulous news [mention]GoDawgs[/mention]. You will be back up and gardening in what seems like no time then.

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#371

Post: # 39935Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:06 am

I had my first PT session yesterday. I'm way ahead of where I was on the first session last time and I'm not using crutches, cane or walker. Still, I think there were too many leg raises done on Day 1 and they tweaked a lower right back muscle making it painful to straighten up after getting out of a chair. I will do none today and tell my therapist no raises at tomorrow's next PT session before easing back into them. Meanwhile, ice and elevation are two good friends.

It's time to start hardening off the first round of brassica plants for setting out Feb 12 or 13. It's 35 out there right now so I'll let it get into the mid 40's before they get a spell of real sun.

Speaking of sun, old Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow (on a cloudy, snowy day?) so six more weeks of winter up north. Meanwhile, Georgia's General Beauregard Lee didn't see his shadow so we'll supposedly have an early spring. Phil's accuracy rate is about 40% and I have no idea what Beau's is. :D

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goodloe
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#372

Post: # 39973Unread post goodloe
Tue Feb 02, 2021 4:16 pm

Good to hear that you're on the mend, [mention]GoDawgs[/mention] !! Take it slow and easy...
I have 2 seasons: Tomato and pepper season, and BAMA Football season!

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#373

Post: # 40433Unread post GoDawgs
Mon Feb 08, 2021 7:28 am

I'm bored. Tired of sitting, tired of reclining, in between seed startings, crappy weather, etc. Fortunately the rain went away yesterday and I was able to take my knee out for its first garden stroll. Time for an inspection with a side mission of pulling more carrots and scallions. Just the thing to cure the winter doldrums!

The carrot bed is getting pretty decimated. Yaya on the left, Bolero on the right and the last radishes in the middle.

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I pulled some nice ones on the Yaya side of the bed except those (on the left) coming from a 6' stretch at the end of the row. That is a known nematode-infected area and the carrots from there looked like golf balls.

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The bed with the collards, kale, cauliflower and kohlrabi needs cleaning. The caulis have been cut and the plants are yellowing up, needing removal. Old leaves need to be removed from the collard and kale plants on the near side.

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The Blauer Spec kohlrabi's on the far end are later plantings, looking good and just now forming heads.

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The Savoy cabbages are heading up. They're all supposed to be 'Savoy Perfection' (92 days) but I have no idea which of the three plants is what they're supposed to look like as I've never grown these before.

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I'll have to do a separate posing about the micro tomatoes.

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Whwoz
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#374

Post: # 40435Unread post Whwoz
Mon Feb 08, 2021 8:09 am

Good to hear that you are up and about [mention]GoDawgs[/mention]

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GoDawgs
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A Micro Tomato Update

#375

Post: # 40475Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Feb 09, 2021 10:09 am

They’re getting taller and some have been producing. I’ve had to rearrange the eight on the “tall” table, putting the tallest up front, mainly because of the Groovey Tunes and Chibikko overachievers. And on the other end, if the light can’t be brought closer to the plants, one brings the plants closer to the light. A few books under the smaller plants seem to be doing the trick for now. A bit precarious so I have to make sure I don’t bump into them but the plants seem to be doing OK.

The Groovey Tues and Chibikko got put into larger pots a couple days ago as they had outgrown the yogurt containers. I love the chartreuse foliage of the GT and can’t wait to see the fruit as it’s supposed to be purple with green stripes.

L to R: Red Robin (8”x12”) , Lille Lise (11”x12”), Groovey Tunes (12”x15”), Chibikko (17” x 10”)

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The Chibikko is starting to put on fruit.

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Behind the front row are smaller micros. The Pinocchio Orange seems to be leading that row in fruit set. No ripe ones yet.

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In order to make room for some Chinese broccoli that had outgrown the light shelves and needed the tall lights, I moved a little Jochalos to the light stand. It’s been producing even thought it’s just 4.5”x7-10”. It seems to be a lot shorter than the one I grew on the porch this past summer.

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Texgal
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#376

Post: # 40595Unread post Texgal
Wed Feb 10, 2021 6:15 pm

Those look fantastic [mention]GoDawgs[/mention] !
~ Emmie ~

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#377

Post: # 40625Unread post GoDawgs
Thu Feb 11, 2021 10:41 am

Thanks, [mention]Texgal[/mention] . It's been a nice diversion this winter.

The Jochalos, Lille Lise and Red Robin seeds were started 10/30. They're producing now and have been for a few weeks.

The Groovey Tunes, Chibikko and Pinocchio Orange (as well as the Birdie Rouge and Topftomate hiding in the back row) were all started on 12/14. They're blooming with just a few greenies starting on some of them.

I suspect that future plants will grow and produce faster when they're out on the porch this spring and summer, soaking up natural sunlight.

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#378

Post: # 40626Unread post GoDawgs
Thu Feb 11, 2021 11:13 am

These are the first round brassicas that will be heading out to the garden tomorrow. They've been hardening off for a week. The weather forecast is for highs in the 50's with lows in the mid-low 40's, nice for brassicas. I think we'll still put a tunnel over them right off the bat, ends open so that when it's needed there won't be any rushing around to do it. The bed was forked up pre-surgery so all Pickles will have to do is loosen up the planting holes, add a few magic herbs and spices to the holes and stick the plants in. She'll have a diagram showing what goes where.

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These are second and third round brassicas. They're coming along. I need to give the scallions another haircut.

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Tomorrow I will start the last broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants as well as more asparagus seed. Then there will be a break until the last week of this month when the pepper plants get started.

HenriSportif
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#379

Post: # 40658Unread post HenriSportif
Thu Feb 11, 2021 5:59 pm

Looks like things are going really smoothly, considering. Hmmm, magic herbs... You might get some really mellllllow cabbages ;) Might help your knee feel better though :lol:
~Bee

This then is life - How curious! How real! Underfoot, the divine soil - Overhead, the sun.

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GoDawgs
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Re: The Dawg Patch

#380

Post: # 40718Unread post GoDawgs
Fri Feb 12, 2021 6:52 am

[mention]HenriSportif[/mention] If they were THAT magical, the rest of me would feel super duper too! :lol:

It looks like there will be a break in the drizzle after lunch so we can get those plants planted out then.

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