We pulled all the still good stuff out of the fall garden yesterday and
I was going to till today. Instead I've been watching it rain, heavy for
awhile and then drizzle at the moment.

Got six trays of New Zealand spinach drying right now for use in soups
and stews this fall. Getting ready to freeze 8 bags of swiss chard that
is frozen on a bun pan in the big freezer. Got to use my new combo pot
to blanch the stuff but found out that particular brand, Invitations, is
not as good a deal as I thought. I now have tiny pin pricks of corrosion
on the pot and the insert. Must be a poor grade of stainless steel. No
warranty on the stuff so no hope of a refund. Will just have to grin and
bear it I reckon.

Back to watching it rain and happy the new roof was on before the spring
rains came.

George

I'm curious. Just a simple city boy up north who has never done
gardening.

You said "fall garden." Does this mean that you can get two crops per
year of the same plants? I've heard the phrase "winter wheat" and
wondered whether the farmers planted and harvested twice a year.

wrote:
I'm curious. Just a simple city boy up north who has never done
gardening.

You said "fall garden." Does this mean that you can get two crops per
year of the same plants? I've heard the phrase "winter wheat" and
wondered whether the farmers planted and harvested twice a year.

We can plant two crops a year, not necessarily the same plants. Green
beans, yes, we can grow spring and fall, same with some squash. Greens
are a fall crop for us while okra, tomatoes, peppers, etc are generally
a spring/summer crop. This last year was particularly warm as our area
was hard hit by Hurricane Rita, three days after the storm, wind, rain,
tornadoes hit, we had temperatures up to 115F at high noon, normally in
September it would be a little bit cooler.

Winter wheat is planted in the fall, IIRC, and harvested much later.
Lots of different wheat grown in the USA. Some wheat farmers sometimes
do plant two different crops, most often not on the same ground or field
but separately.

I live in SW Louisiana, USDA zone 9b, very nearly subtropical most of
the time. Last really cold weather we had was an ice storm for three
days in January 1997. Really hot weather is most of the time. If you saw
the note above at 115F realize that our really hot weather is August and
September and temps of 100F or more are common along with humidity up to
96%.

Taking all of that to account I wouldn't live anywhere but on the Gulf
Coast of the US. Have lived in the desert of Saudi and Yemen, in New
England and even in South and Central America. When we lived in a couple
of big cities we grew plants on our patio or balcony, depending on where
we lived. Even in the deserts of the Middle East we grew some food crops
and lots of flowers. In Saudi I had over 200 orchids growing under a
trellis for shade, that dropped the temps to around 75 to 80F and we
misted them three times a day. Local folks came every spring to see our
orchids bloom. Even in a city you can grow different things. Saw an HGTV
show yesterday where a woman had an entire roof area outside her
penthouse apartment growing a beautiful garden. Just depends on how
badly you want it and how much money you have to spend.

George

In article . com,
" wrote:

I'm curious. Just a simple city boy up north who has never done
gardening.

You said "fall garden." Does this mean that you can get two crops per
year of the same plants? I've heard the phrase "winter wheat" and
wondered whether the farmers planted and harvested twice a year.

Oh, cripes, Jim! Don't encourage him! He GLOATS about his fall and
spring gardens, when I'm either buried in leaves or snow! "-)
--
-Barb
www.jamlady.eboard.com Updated 3-17-2006, The $400K Condo in the
'Hood
"If it's not worth doing to excess, it's not worth doing at all."

Michael "Dog3" Lonergan wrote:
Melba's Jammin' hitched up their
panties and posted :


In article . com,
" wrote:


I'm curious. Just a simple city boy up north who has never done
gardening.

You said "fall garden." Does this mean that you can get two crops per
year of the same plants? I've heard the phrase "winter wheat" and
wondered whether the farmers planted and harvested twice a year.

Oh, cripes, Jim! Don't encourage him! He GLOATS about his fall and
spring gardens, when I'm either buried in leaves or snow!


I'll have to double this. The only thing out is Forsythia. I've got tulips
coming up but none blooming and they are predicting a nasty frost tonight.

Michael

We have double poppies, huge things, blooming where the white oak tree
used to be before Rita ate it. Also the standard Louisiana beardless
iris are blooming, the common yellow and the common purple ones and also
one variety we have that has bronze flowers. We're waiting with bated
breath to see if the red and the pale lilac ones are still with us. It's
definitely spring here but we're expecting another cold snap this
weekend, temps probably in the high thirties.

George

Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
wrote:


You said "fall garden." Does this mean that you can get two crops per
year of the same plants? I've heard the phrase "winter wheat" and
wondered whether the farmers planted and harvested twice a year.


I did not plant one this year, but we have our rainy season from Novmeber
to March. The rest of the year there is no rain. There were not many left,
but my Jalepneo peppers and tomatoes died out in Decemeber.

We let the wild plants take over the garden for the rainy season, but I
did plant some parsely in pots which is doing well.

If I was really organized, I could have planted letuce and celery.

Geoff.



My wife and I were both raised on small farms and had Dads who gardened
for the house intensively, me in SW Texas and she in S Maryland. I think
it's sort of ingrained in us to plant, no matter where we live. I worked
for over 40 years in the hydrocarbon processing industry, chemical
plants and refineries. High stress job as a safety professional
including plant security, fire fighting, and rescue. Gardening became my
stress reliever, kill a weed instead of some idiot who refused to do
things the right way. VBG Plus we enjoy eating the food we grow and
then preserve. Wife is an artist and loves to sit in her own yard and do
watercolors of the flowers and plants she grows as well as the birds
that are attracted to them.

I encourage everyone who can to garden a little just for the joy of it.

George

George Shirley wrote:

I encourage everyone who can to garden a little just for the joy of it.


I've been gardening since I was old enuf to poke seeds in the ground. Even in
the Army, I had at least a potted plant in the barracks window. Got chlorophyll
in my blood I guess.
Edrena

The Joneses wrote:
George Shirley wrote:


I encourage everyone who can to garden a little just for the joy of it.



I've been gardening since I was old enuf to poke seeds in the ground. Even in
the Army, I had at least a potted plant in the barracks window. Got chlorophyll
in my blood I guess.
Edrena



I didn't garden the 3+ years I was in the Navy. Met my life love early
on (age 18 for bofus) and helped in her Dad's big garden. I think the
Navy would have frowned if I had tried to garden aboard a warship. VBG

Used to hang around with some farmers in Rhode Island. At first I
thought all they grew was rocks as all I ever saw them do was pulling
rocks out of the soil. When I told one I had an explosives MOS he asked
me to help him with his blasting. After that we were fast friends, what
else can you do when two good old boys both like to blow stuff up. Some
of those rocks were as big as cars so you had to break them to get them
out of the ground. That's when I learned exactly what frost heave was in
cold climates and why they built their house, barns, and fences out of
rock. Heck, I never saw a rock bigger than gravel until I left Texas at 17.

Nowadays I don't do much heavy work and the gubmint don't let me blast
anymore so I read a lot, work at the computer a little, and do the
cooking and cleaning. I still like to get out and pick stuff and then
preserve it though.

George, waiting for the greatgrands to get here

"Melba's Jammin'" wrote in message
...
In article . com,
" wrote:

I'm curious. Just a simple city boy up north who has never done
gardening.

You said "fall garden." Does this mean that you can get two crops per
year of the same plants? I've heard the phrase "winter wheat" and
wondered whether the farmers planted and harvested twice a year.

Oh, cripes, Jim! Don't encourage him! He GLOATS about his fall and
spring gardens, when I'm either buried in leaves or snow! "-)

Yes, but chard and spinach will stand through winter - mine's still growing,
despite the snow and deep frosts - as is the purple sprouting. I'm in
northern England.

Mary

We have double poppies, huge things, blooming where the white oak tree
used to be before Rita ate it. Also the standard Louisiana beardless
iris are blooming, the common yellow and the common purple ones and
also
one variety we have that has bronze flowers. We're waiting with bated
breath to see if the red and the pale lilac ones are still with us.
It's
definitely spring here but we're expecting another cold snap this
weekend, temps probably in the high thirties.

George


You should take photos and post them!!

Mary Fisher wrote:
"Melba's Jammin'" wrote in message
...

In article . com,
" wrote:


I'm curious. Just a simple city boy up north who has never done
gardening.

You said "fall garden." Does this mean that you can get two crops per
year of the same plants? I've heard the phrase "winter wheat" and
wondered whether the farmers planted and harvested twice a year.

Oh, cripes, Jim! Don't encourage him! He GLOATS about his fall and
spring gardens, when I'm either buried in leaves or snow! "-)


Yes, but chard and spinach will stand through winter - mine's still growing,
despite the snow and deep frosts - as is the purple sprouting. I'm in
northern England.

Mary


In cold climates they will but we live in zone 9b, USA and only have
about 150 hours a year below 45F. Stuff goes to seed quickly here unless
grown in "cool" weather.

George

I've gone to seed here just waiting for cooler weather.

George Shirley wrote:

Got to use my new combo pot
to blanch the stuff but found out that particular brand, Invitations, is
not as good a deal as I thought. I now have tiny pin pricks of corrosion
on the pot and the insert. Must be a poor grade of stainless steel. No
warranty on the stuff so no hope of a refund. Will just have to grin and
bear it I reckon.


If you bought the pot at a retail store (as opposed to online)I would
take it back and ask for a refund or credit toward a different brand or
pot. Stainless isn't supposed to be that fragile, even cheap stainless!

Editorial comment: If more people complained and returned faulty
merchandise, merchants might take more care with their selection.

Oh, by the way, as usual I am jealous of your gardening/climate.

gloria p
living through Colorado's snowiest month

OK, a follow-up question frm the simple city boy:

Some plants (can't remember between annuals and perennials) go through
a dormancy stage, drop their leaves, and come back the next year --
like trees and bushes. In warmer climates, do they still do this, or
simply keep their leaves year-round, and hence not need to produce new
leaves and blossoms as often?
..
I'm serious in my ignorance. Or perhaps just seriously ignorant.
Having taken annual trips to Da Quarter, it took me a while to realize
that I seldom saw dead, fallen leaves. I was amazed at the courtyard
gardens. Especially the year-round herb gardens, and one place
(perhaps Ursaline Convent?) with miniature (trees? bushes?) growing
tiny oranges and lemons, the size of cherry tomatoes. The vigilant
tour guide kept us away from them - otherwise I might have snipped a
couple to sample later
..
Meantime, in my dept. office, some of us approaching-oldtimers have a
continuing conversation about where we might move and what we might do
in our eventual retirements. I want a winter apartment in the French
Quarter, and a summer cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin. I'll rent
out rooms and cook for paying guests at each place.
..
But the winner is the lady who wants to buy a farm and raise plastic
plants. "It's so logical!" she says. "Just consider how many things
are made out of plastic these days. There must be a great market to
sell the raw ingredients."

wrote:
OK, a follow-up question frm the simple city boy:

Some plants (can't remember between annuals and perennials) go through
a dormancy stage, drop their leaves, and come back the next year --
like trees and bushes. In warmer climates, do they still do this, or
simply keep their leaves year-round, and hence not need to produce new
leaves and blossoms as often?

Some do, for example, I have hot peppers planted in the spring of 2005
that still are producing, still have their green leaves and stems, and
are doing fine. I've sometimes grown the same pepper plant for three or
four years. Oak trees and other deciduous trees still drop their leaves
in the south.
.
I'm serious in my ignorance. Or perhaps just seriously ignorant.
Having taken annual trips to Da Quarter, it took me a while to realize
that I seldom saw dead, fallen leaves. I was amazed at the courtyard
gardens. Especially the year-round herb gardens, and one place
(perhaps Ursaline Convent?) with miniature (trees? bushes?) growing
tiny oranges and lemons, the size of cherry tomatoes. The vigilant
tour guide kept us away from them - otherwise I might have snipped a
couple to sample later

Bear in mind that Nawleans is a tourist trap, they keep the dead leaves
swept up to increase the mystique.
.
Meantime, in my dept. office, some of us approaching-oldtimers have a
continuing conversation about where we might move and what we might do
in our eventual retirements. I want a winter apartment in the French
Quarter, and a summer cabin in the north woods of Wisconsin. I'll rent
out rooms and cook for paying guests at each place.

Bad idea, Accuweather is predicting at least another 17 hurricanes in
the gulf in this hurricane season. Hurricane season is June 1 through
the last day of November each year. They are predicting at least four of
those will be Category 4 or higher. A great deal of New Orleans is below
sea level. Before Katrina NO had a population above 500,000, now it's
around 150,000 and not expected to get a lot bigger. Where are the wait
staff, cooks, etc to come from. It's 75 miles to Baton Rouge and no
public transport. A great many of the folks that used to live there
won't be back as they have found, a) better paying jobs, b) cheaper
places to live; all elsewhere from coast to coast.
.
But the winner is the lady who wants to buy a farm and raise plastic
plants. "It's so logical!" she says. "Just consider how many things
are made out of plastic these days. There must be a great market to
sell the raw ingredients."


Good joke, I don't believe anyone could be that ignorant.

George, who despises "party central" aka New Orleans