2018 Gardening, Landscaping, and Plants

[taldesta]

Bingo! and thanks ...

 

[Rose and Thistle Custom]

that is soo cool!
Oh, garden thread, here's my garden right now.

 

[22-rimfire]

You did well with video. I would have no idea how to insert that. This is the first year I have ever inserted pictures here.

 

[LEGION 12]

When do you know when to pick carrots ? The leaves are turning purple , time is running out for this season.

 

[taldesta]

If the foliage is no longer benefitting the plant, growth is done ... so, although the carrots may be immature, they may not be getting any bigger than they are right now - but would be tender and delicious. The carrots in earth should not be harmed by a light frost if you choose to wait. They did go in late in the season so my sense is that even a very modest crop is a gift with a short growing season. Good luck ... look forward to seeing the harvest

 

[taldesta]

You did well with video. I would have no idea how to insert that. This is the first year I have ever inserted pictures here.

Yeah, noticed the no pics thing while you did mention your camera. With videos third party hosting is required and I surprised myself indeed by managing to upload to YouTube and embed here in my post - all in one trip to wifi at the local library There's a quiet little corner in the resource section with no distractions, no people - among the old newspaper storage boxes. A place to focus.

The only reason I wanted to post the videos was to share that Busby is active and healthier compared to the featherless stills I had posted.

Of course I cannot see the videos I posted while online here from home on dialup.

 

[22-rimfire]

If the foliage is no longer benefitting the plant, growth is done ... so, although the carrots may be immature, they may not be getting any bigger than they are right now - but would be tender and delicious. The carrots in earth should not be harmed by a light frost if you choose to wait. They did go in late in the season so my sense is that even a very modest crop is a gift with a short growing season. Good luck ... look forward to seeing the harvest

Yeah. I would take a peak at the actual carrot "root" and make a decision. You could cover them and perhaps get a few more weeks out of them.... something constructed with plastic suspended above ground to warm up the area around the carrots. Then wait and see what happens....

Carrots can withstand a frost or three, but not a hard freeze and continue to grow.

 

[eisman]

Well it's getting cold enough here the ground will start freezing soon. We had a whale off the beach this week, which is unusual as they don't come this far into the sound often. Salmon are running and the eagles are feasting. I've got most of the trimming done except the trees, and things look a bit bare. We still have hummingbirds and I've got a few flowering plants now. The flowers are smaller, but since there aren't any bees it's good the birds get them.

The yellow plant is Mexican and smells like orange blossoms. I have planted another because they do so well (this one is 6' tall and round).

This and my rosemary are just getting started. I'm going to bring in a couple more late season flowers next year. I have a space planned, but first I need to get the new walk way in.

I picked up 36' of these large granite pieces at a local salvage yard and come spring they are going to get worked into a walkway around the front and part of the side on my place. I hope to add some large planters and on that side and clear an ugly patch of loose gravel (which I hate).

Here's a shot of my Aspen, if they looked this good all year I'd be a lot happier.

And off in the corners there's mother nature showing that hope exists.

 

[22-rimfire]

Nice to see some growing activity. We have had three hard frosts including this morning here in SE TN. I've cleared out most of the annuals in the beds and planted some pansies in the last week or so. I had planted pansies in containers in September and this last batch were planted for reduced price stock in the local stores. Looks nice. I didn't go overboard on the pansies. In the spring, I hate to yank them out to replace with my warm season stuff. It is always a mental exercise and little decisions.

My garden is done. I have some broccoli plants that remain from planting in September. Baring really cold weather, I may get some broccoli for the table. We'll see... Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I still have flowers that were somewhat sheltered from the frost on my front porch. They will be done once we get temps down into the mid 20's. Not going to bring them inside for a week or two's worth of growth.

All of my Amaryliss have been brought inside. They are in their "resting phase" and I hope to see the bulbs begin to sprout out in late December-January. Have a couple new bulbs to plant, but didn't really get much. I give them as gifts and folks always like them.

 

[LEGION 12]

Carrots didn't make it ground froze early this year , but I tried next year .

 

[taldesta]

Carrots didn't make it ground froze early this year , but I tried next year .

Smilies aren't working for me this morning, so just picture three big grins! This owl is old enough to have a name by now. Sorry about the carrots ... next year ...

 

[taldesta]

Nice to see some growing activity. We have had three hard frosts including this morning here in SE TN. I've cleared out most of the annuals in the beds and planted some pansies in the last week or so. I had planted pansies in containers in September and this last batch were planted for reduced price stock in the local stores. Looks nice. I didn't go overboard on the pansies. In the spring, I hate to yank them out to replace with my warm season stuff. It is always a mental exercise and little decisions.

My garden is done. I have some broccoli plants that remain from planting in September. Baring really cold weather, I may get some broccoli for the table. We'll see... Happy Thanksgiving to all!

I still have flowers that were somewhat sheltered from the frost on my front porch. They will be done once we get temps down into the mid 20's. Not going to bring them inside for a week or two's worth of growth.

All of my Amaryliss have been brought inside. They are in their "resting phase" and I hope to see the bulbs begin to sprout out in late December-January. Have a couple new bulbs to plant, but didn't really get much. I give them as gifts and folks always like them.

Pansies were the last home grown flowers I cut for Busby late in the fall ... they do like the nip in the air. Not this morning though ... around -9F here this morning. Live gifts for the garden are a fine idea.

The snowblower has been busy, clearing the lane and yard. The cost went up (EEK) this year and since I am more settled I decided to tackle it as I had been doing at my old digs. We'll see. Looong lane.

For now all is white and crunchy underfoot. Woodburner glowing, ecofan buzzing like a hummingbird.

6 red squirrels, 4 black ... should be scarce with the drop in temps especially today. Birds (Busby entertainment) include the chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, jays, about a dozen evening grosbeaks. Slate junkos, goldfinches seem to have left recently. My morning routine is very critter oriented ... prep nectar, feed wild critters, feed dogs ... all before daybreak ... then uncover Busby and place 'baby bottles' medicine droppers, provide bug dust snacks and spritz bath him. Seems that farm life will follow my tracks to the end. Loving retirement. Enjoying the critters so much.


Edited to ad pic - re: red squirrels not showing up - not so fast! Just now the view out Busby's window on the world.



... and also, one black squirrel

 

[22-rimfire]

The critters provide a huge amount of companionship and they are fun to watch. We have cats and the kittens are fairly big now. They provide constant entertainment and get in trouble a lot tearing up my plants. being a bit too friendly with the adult cats, dragging stuff around, you name it. I suspected that the kittens would stay with us as I know my wife. She can't let them go.

There has been certainly a big re-adjustment in terms of our other cats because of the kittens. One cat (Spencer) just can't stand the kittens and is always whinning. As a result, he wants to be outside just about all the time.

 

[LEGION 12]

Smilies aren't working for me this morning, so just picture three big grins! This owl is old enough to have a name by now. Sorry about the carrots ... next year ...

His name is Laurence.

 

[taldesta]

Well it's getting cold enough here the ground will start freezing soon. We had a whale off the beach this week, which is unusual as they don't come this far into the sound often. Salmon are running and the eagles are feasting. I've got most of the trimming done except the trees, and things look a bit bare. We still have hummingbirds and I've got a few flowering plants now. The flowers are smaller, but since there aren't any bees it's good the birds get them.

Always great to see the West coast foliage, blossoms, at this time of year ... the weather people here have been saying "February-like" way too much already.

Nice find for the spring project too.

Finally I found a feeder that limits the jays completely by the opening size ... while small birds use it freely. The small rose breasted nuthatches zip in and out like the chickadees and the larger white nuthatch just leans in for seed. Jays don't even consider it. I have seen only one jay land on it and for only a second. Now the feeder will accommodate two red squirrels at one time, though - and that's loud. A little height adjustment cured that ... mostly. Grackles - I'll find out in spring.

Still the design lacks shielding from the snow that collects in the base and blocks the seed as well as accommodation for cleaning the base out well, but this is minor - mostly a very decent design that works without a lot of balky moving parts.

Occupied

 

[22-rimfire]

We don't have many Blue Jays here. I don't mind feeding them. They are aggressive and pigs however. I have always been more concerned about the squirrels. I don't mind feeding squirrels; I just want to do it at an "assigned feeder". Frost again this morning even though the temp was 35 degrees F. Definitely seeing the beginning of the end of all summer stuff. We had freezing fog the other morning.... that is kind of scary if you're driving.... safe one minute, ice the next.

I need to set up another arrangement for my main cylinder sunflower feeder. It will be sort of out in the middle of the yard away from trees (so squirrels can't jump on it) and see if the birds don't mind the lack of cover. Will have to play that as it develops.

I have another feeder that contains a mix but heavy on the sunflower seeds. That one is kept full.

There is still what seems to be a lot of food for the birds, so I haven't been feeding heavily. This will change soon.

Seeing lots of blue birds of late. I will probably start feeding them soon. The cold weather kills the insects.

 

[taldesta]

We don't have many Blue Jays here. I don't mind feeding them. They are aggressive and pigs however. I have always been more concerned about the squirrels. I don't mind feeding squirrels; I just want to do it at an "assigned feeder". Frost again this morning even though the temp was 35 degrees F. Definitely seeing the beginning of the end of all summer stuff. We had freezing fog the other morning.... that is kind of scary if you're driving.... safe one minute, ice the next.

I need to set up another arrangement for my main cylinder sunflower feeder. It will be sort of out in the middle of the yard away from trees (so squirrels can't jump on it) and see if the birds don't mind the lack of cover. Will have to play that as it develops.

I have another feeder that contains a mix but heavy on the sunflower seeds. That one is kept full.

There is still what seems to be a lot of food for the birds, so I haven't been feeding heavily. This will change soon.

Seeing lots of blue birds of late. I will probably start feeding them soon. The cold weather kills the insects.

Bluebirds ... nice. Rare for me to see them.

Same here, I feed anything that turns up hungry - just not the fisher or bears intentionally. The little birds need their spot at the table and can't compete even with one jay or squirrel on a feeder - but I think I've got it down for this winter. I know it looks like a chaotic landscaping nightmare - but the one small-bird feeder combined with the two 8' x 2' platform feeders are working. Busby spends a lot of time hovering and everybody outside his window has food and space to eat without being chased off by the more aggressive squirrels and jays.

Still I want to work on a better small bird feeder design with more wind and snow protection - thinking plexi. I do want to get more shelter for areas on the platform feeders against the North-West winds. Also thinking plexi so the critters can spot a predator - they always want to keep an eye on the environment while they eat. Lots of weathered branches make great perches and keep birds constantly in view. Mourning doves seem to have left.

 

[22-rimfire]

The blue birds winter here or at least some do. My brother in PA says they have blue birds that winter that far north. Nice shot of the mourning dove! Keep thinking the spelling is wrong...

 

[taldesta]

The blue birds winter here or at least some do. My brother in PA says they have blue birds that winter that far north. Nice shot of the mourning dove! Keep thinking the spelling is wrong...

Here in the North, what my world needs is an intelligent bird feeder and a dog poop-scoop that won't disintegrate in sub zero temps when you kick it! Put my name on the patents and reserve my island getaway now

Sorry, I lapsed into Canadian for a moment ...

 

[taldesta]

For anyone following Busby's progress ... an update ... a quick one

Oct 14th - last still posted showed him eating from the medicine dropper - at that time he was just beginning to show some down regrowth shortly after he started on his complete food mix.

The pic below was taken on Nov 4th and shows a good inprovement (believe it or not!) in the down growth and tailfeathers too. Note the translucence in the neck area before feathers grow in ... the daylight shines right through as if it were a sausage casing. Also a section of Busby's long tongue is sticking out - part of his grooming is to clean the barbs of his tongue in a meticulous self cleaning regimen. With his tongue and beak he grooms all the feathers that are reachable, using his claws to work around the neck and head. Can't truly call them talons YET



There is a fresh bath set for him on the floor but he favours a spritz bath and he fans his tail and stretches his wings ... and grooms happily - but there is something that I've found that he really likes even better. I wash off his english ivy plant and replace it dripping wet with the trailing stems all around his trellis perch. He hovers and pushes his face and himself right into the firm wet foliage, snacking on traces of bug dust that I sprinkle on part of it ... then he grooms, clean and happy. Pic below. Today.



Both the Audubon and the illustrated Golden Field Guide on Birds showed and described the red throat as being present only on the adult male. Busby, when found flailing about, had the red throat of the adult male yet was lacking a lot of feathering as a juvenile might from a late nesting. Well, I dug out my National Geographic Society field guide, 1983 edition, to find this, "Immature male may begin to show red gorget by early fall." And so no longer so much of a mystery ... just a little guy who wasn't ready for the long migration.

One little guy who just may make it next year ... remaining hopeful