Text 24137, 150 rader
Skriven 2012-04-26 20:19:27 av Ruth Haffly (1:396/45.28)
  Kommentar till text 24032 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
Ärende: 2012 Picnic 558                                          [1]
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Hi Janis,

>> may be too warm for say some types of lettuce and spinach  to do well,
>> in July one would be planting and/or replanting summer squash,
>> zuccini, potatoes, beets, and green beans for example.  The way I put

 JK> > OK, I'm used to my dad putting it in in early June, then the
 JK> possibility > of frost as early as mid to late August. He didn't do a
 JK> 2nd planting for > fall crops.

 JK> Sure.. makes sense.  I start in February with peas in a bed that's
 JK> been prepared in the fall, i.e., cleared and a trench dug, or
 JK> sometimes in years when I didn't get to that, I just push the seeds in
 JK> the ground (right through the snow if I have to (g).  When I had my
 JK> first garden in Orange County NY, I planted the whole 'main' garden in
 JK> March.  I still follow that as my starting month, since weather in NY
 JK> has been cooperative (g).

We've not had the chance to do too much gardening since we've been
married. Did put one in, one year down on the coast but didn't have the
time to keep it up so it was overrun by weeds. Other than that, it's
been a window box or 2 in Germany, a courtyard edge in AZ (got lots of
tomatoes, some peppers) and window sill pots in GA and the deer buffet
last year.

 JK> What I'll do in Ithaca most likely is find a place that looks like it
 JK> gets the most direct sun for the largest part of the day, and then
 JK> I'll just turn that over with our tiller, and plunk the dirt mix I
 JK> mentioned below right on top, using that as a garden bed.  Works great

 JK> >  His days of gardening are pretty much over now, except a
 JK> > few flowers and some lettuce & peas in the one flower bed. Breaking
 JK> the > hip 2 years ago pretty much ended his gardening; the container
 JK> gardening > he tried just didn't work out the way he expected it to.

 JK> I understand.. when gardening starts feeling like "work", or when it
 JK> makes you feel unconfortable it can be daunting.

Same as he's pretty much given up on the trains; most of the set up is
in the basement. Too cold in winter, too many "duck unders" and upper
reaches make it hard to have fun with any more. He will, occaisionally
bring a piece up and work on it, on the dining room table but even those
days are few & far between.

>> will depend on of course is my energy level this first year though.
>> With all we've got to get done after the move, I may be way to tired
>> this first year (g).

 JK> > I hear that too tired part loud & clear. I told Steve that the next
 JK> 10 > days or so we'll be doing a lot of eating out of the freezer.
 JK> Both of us > have school work; he's recovering from a sinus infection
 JK> & I just got 2 > weeks of antibiotics for bronchitis today.

 JK> So sorry to hear about the two of you getting hit with that kind of
 JK> stuff.  I know it was going around.  We were hit here as well (well,
 JK> the grandboys were). Ron and I avoided the worst with lots of
 JK> Emergen-C (It's mega C & B vitamins, etc.).

Steve was trying to keep it away from me but just couldn't do it. At
least I had the appointment scheduled already so didn't have to make a
separate trip down to Raleigh to see the doctor.


>> Yes, I think they will like it.. I think the thing they'll miss though
>> might be their ability to race through the house like 'mad dogs' Lol..
>> You know the type I'm sure.. starting at one end of the house, and
>> racing like no tomorrow all the way to the other end Lol. There will

 JK> > We had that with cats & kids more than dogs. Pom-Pom did it some but
 JK> Sam > only did when he was chasing a ball, then playing hard to get.
 JK> We didn't > have that big a place so he was limited on his run around.

 JK> My cats like cozy places to hide more than running.. there will be a
 JK> few places like that for them in the new house, probably more upstairs
 JK> than down.. That's ok as I figure to keep the dogs downstairs as much
 JK> as possible during the day :)

Our last cat was a hider but she'd been abused as a kitten so it was
understandable. She had her lurking spots; if it was loud in the
kitchen, she'd go into our bedroom. If it was loud in the living room,
she'd go into the kitchen, under the sink.

>> be room to run in the house, but surely not as much :)  Then again,
>> they're a little older now so maybe they'll not want to be such silly
>> dogs :)

 JK> > Doubt that, they're still young enough to have lots of play in them
 JK> yet.

 JK> Oh yeah, definitly have LOTS of play in them Lol.. All you have to do
 JK> is give Indy a kind of look and he'll start going nutso :)  I guess
 JK> that's his signal from us that we want to play haha  but compared to
 JK> what they were like when we first got them, the way they play now is
 JK> different.  They're not as destructive (thank goodness!!)  Indy has
 JK> had this stuffed bear he drags around with him for almost 6months

He's beginning to settle down, having a drag around chew toy is a big
help.

>> beds I start to keep the deer and other wild life out.. rabbits can be
>> disasterous if you don't put fencing down deep enough in the soil.

 JK> > I know my dad used chicken wire for fencing--and had lots of
 JK> rabbits. > but, living where we did, there were lots to begin with.

 JK> Yep, that's what I used.. chicken wire, all around the garden and sunk
 JK> deep enough to keep the bunnies from enjoying the garden :)  Works
 JK> great.

Big thing is getting it deep enough so they're discouraged from digging
under it.


>> The other option is to do hanging planters as you mention.. always a

 JK> > But they do suck up lots of water. Hang them on a level you're
 JK> > cofortable getting to.

 JK> Definitely.  With porches on the front and back of the house I could
 JK> probably forgo the garden this year as far as tomatoes are concerned

Big containers might work for them; you wouldn't have to reach up for
watering.

>> who needs that one :(  Since the cats will be free to roam outside, it

 JK> > Definatly! Going to put bells on them and a collar tag with a
 JK> contact > phone number?

 JK> haha I doubt it.  These cats have never outgrown some of their feral
 JK> habits.. They balk at and rip off any collars you put on them.  I may
 JK> try once we've moved so at least people see they belong to someone in
 JK> the beginning :)

Worth a try anyway. Are they microchipped?


>> CONTINUED IN NEXT MESSAGE <<


---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


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