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lavender

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  • 2 weeks later...

Would you settle for Beefsteak tomatoes? If not you, can always plant the stuff without a fence and eat revenge venison.

I'll tell you what, I grew up in Indiana (the state) and really haven't had an incredibly good tomato since I left.  Others are good, but I just don't get that same Hoosier flavor elsewhere.

 

When I was a kid, we'd eat blt sandwiches without the b or l, just tomatoes on toast with Miracle Whip when they started coming off our vines.  Mmmmmm, probably just one of those childhood memories.  We've grown them here, a lot of different varieties, but they just aren't the same.

 

Like the one where I think Dr. Pepper tasted a lot better back then than it does now.

 

 

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I'll tell you what, I grew up in Indiana (the state) and really haven't had an incredibly good tomato since I left.  Others are good, but I just don't get that same Hoosier flavor elsewhere.

 

When I was a kid, we'd eat blt sandwiches without the b or l, just tomatoes on toast with Miracle Whip when they started coming off our vines.  Mmmmmm, probably just one of those childhood memories.  We've grown them here, a lot of different varieties, but they just aren't the same.

 

Like the one where I think Dr. Pepper tasted a lot better back then than it does now.

 

 

Made with a couple slabs of warm home made bread, and real butter...miracle whip is ok, but I like mayonnaise better...

 

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I never had luck growing morning glorys. What's the secret?

Start them indoors. I put them in the Styrofoam cups and then just peel the outside off. They seem to need a bit longer growing season than we have around here. Or at least where I live, which is in a cold pocket. They never reseed for me, actually they never set seed. When I lived in zone 6 they reseeded themselves and never had to be replanted.  

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Guest buellman22

I'm with you fox, mayo all the way, down here, only dukes will do.

mater sandwiches need only five ingredients, toast,maters,salt, pepper , dukes mayo. Mmmm. Mater samich. Mmm

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Start them indoors. I put them in the Styrofoam cups and then just peel the outside off. They seem to need a bit longer growing season than we have around here. Or at least where I live, which is in a cold pocket. They never reseed for me, actually they never set seed. When I lived in zone 6 they reseeded themselves and never had to be replanted.  

I always just planted the seeds. I'll try starting them in the cups. Thanks!

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I start them about 5 weeks before the last frost.  Then give the soil a good loosening, feeding, and water the plants in.  They don't like cold so make sure the soil where you put them has warmed up well.  You might want to put a piece of black plastic down where you eventually want to plant them.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Burpee's seeds are in at Lowe's, too. They have Neon Lights mix swiss chard. It's so pretty. I haven't planted it in years but I seem to remember that the yellow plants aren't as robust as the pinks and reds. We'll see if that is true this year. I think we are going to have a very early spring and I'm getting this stuff in as soon as the soil is workable. Found a lettuce called Giant Caesar. Never saw that one before and am going to give it a try.

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  • 1 month later...

The seeds are finally in! Check out the 50 cent seeds(American Seeds)  at Wal-mart. There are some good old fashioned varieties there at a great price plus a few hybrids. Got a Garden Sweet Hybrid cucumber that looks interesting. My great find was Ferry-Morse Danish Ballhead cabbage. This is an heirloom that is a great keeper. I am not a fan of early cabbage; too busy eating broccoli and cauliflower to want early cabbage.  I like a late cabbage and this is is. It is very hard to find them any more unless you order. Can't find the Penn State Ballhead even it catalogues. It was my favorite. Makes good sauerkraut and the heads are really too big for practical use but soooooo impressive. Now I have to find some red cabbage, which keeps all winter. I still have two heads. Still have Ag-way and a couple of others to check. Bulk seeds at Tru Value are a true value. Hoping they get them in this year.

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Clean out all of the "stuff" from last year. It can harbor insects. Let the ground dry sufficiently to be plowed or dug. Lime if if you need to do so. Add your compost/fertilizer. Plow or dig unless you keep it mulched all the time and don't plow. It's really too early to plow but if you don't mind doing it twice it won't hurt and keeps down weeds.  Just don't plow while it is wet! This comes from some very bad experiences with impatient plowing.

This is for veggies, of course.

 

You can clean up your flowerl beds in the same way. Remove debris and any annuals that remain,  add more compost and mulch to your perennials and prune back damaged areas.  Individual perennials will need different treatment. Some will have to be pruned back to the ground while others require minimal pruning. Don't pull stuff even if it looks dead! Tidy up things like hostas and helebores that go into winter with big floppy leaves.

You can cut back your big grasses now.

Remove any perennial weeds that might still be in your beds

It is probably a little early to divide plants but not impossible if your ground isn't very wet. I doubt if anybody actually has frozen ground.

 

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So sorry! Henceforth I will put in XXX's for where the seeds are to be found. Anybody who wants to know can pm. me or email [mail]downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com[/mail] . I don't really care where anyone shops and we all know that these stores exist and carry seeds.  This is just a running comment on interesting seeds for the gardener not an advertisement.  If Steve wants to go in and remove the store names he has the power to do so. I can no longer change the posts.

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So sorry! Henceforth I will put in XXX's for where the seeds are to be found. Anybody who wants to know can pm. me or email [mail]downtoearthgardenclub@hotmail.com[/mail] . I don't really care where anyone shops and we all know that these stores exist and carry seeds.  This is just a running comment on interesting seeds for the gardener not an advertisement.  If Steve wants to go in and remove the store names he has the power to do so. I can no longer change the posts.

carry on hon unless it's walmart

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Just got my box of Jung's seeds today...will start the peppers first.  Have also not been able to find Penn State Ballhead cabbage as Lavender indicated...used to be common.   Early spring has been great for fruit tree pruning, only two trees to go.  

Wildflower:  Blossom End Rot is an indication that there is not enough calcium in your soil.   Add hydrated lime to your garden.  You can also sprinkle some around the base of the plants when you plant them as it also helps to deter soil-crawling bugs from getting to the plants.

Hint for buying seeds from any discount displays:  You get what you pay for.  Some of the old varieties are still quite good, but some may not be what you hoped for and therefore a waste of garden space.  Check with others who have grown varieties you are not sure of.  There is usually a good reason why many are called "heirlooms".

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You can get a soil test from Penn State or just go with a standard fertilizer such as 5-10-5 or 10-10-10.

Calcium is indeed the remedy for blossom end rot but even with sufficient calcium in the soil you can get hit with it if there isn't enough rain to get the calcium to where it is needed. It is needed in the fruit for the building of cell walls.

I have to agree re: the heirlooms. Heirloom tomatoes have become something of a fad lately and I think that most people aren't going to be happy with them. First they aren't all that resistant to disease. Most of them that I have tried don't produce the amount of fruit that hybrids do. I've never tasted one that was terribly outstanding as to taste. I do like the heirloom sausage and one that I think it is called German green. Haven't had much luck with the latter lately and forgot to order the former.  You need something that is adapted to your particular area to be really successful with heirlooms.

However, there is still nothing better than Bloomsdale long standing spinach for this area and Cherry Bell radishes are about as good as you are going to get. They survive our wet springs and taste just fine. If I can get these older varieties for a lesser price than what the major seed companies charge for them I can splurge on the new hybrids. Seeds have gotten ridiculously expensive.

I'm still looking for a pepper that is reliable in DuBois. The yellow bananas work fairly well every year but green peppers are hit or miss for me. Just depends on the weather. Anyone have an heirloom pepper that is from our area? I was on the trail of one for awhile but the fellow never got back to me.

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