Texas Spring/Summer Thread

[Bird]

34 degrees this morning and we got about .06" of rain last night just before midnight. But a clear sunny day this morning.

 

[jinman]

Well, I think this is a record for late cold weather. I have two thermometers and they both say 30.5 F this morning. There's no frost out there though. I guess the air must be too dry. I just hope my Bush beans didn't freeze. I've pretty much written off my blackeyes, but I'm hoping the beans hang in there. I don't think my sweet peas will have any problem. It's supposed to warm up to 61 this afternoon.

Ron: Since you are picking your onions so early and not letting them mature fully, I don't see any problem with putting them as close together as you can get them. I'm surprised the deer have not found your onions. I thought they liked wild onions. . . maybe not. That deer fence stuff is great, but it won't stop 'coons. I saw a 6" hole in my netting about 10 days ago. It had just rained and there were 'coon tracks outside and just inside the hole. I also have some firewood stacked on my deck that the 'coons like to use for an outhouse. Like dogs, they seem to come back to the same spot. My grandson found it and there is probably half a dozen 'coon poop piles on the logs.

Kyle: I think I've said you could kill out poison ivy and greenbriars by repeatedly cutting off the tops, but not nutgrass. After a nuclear holocaust, the only things left will be roaches and nutgrass. You may be able to slow it down by pulling it, but even when you get the nut (tuber) out, you have to burn it and haul the ashes out 10 miles into the ocean to dump them to keep it from coming back. I had luck this last fall with using roundup. It just looked like it stunned the nutgrass, but this spring where I sprayed it has not come back or there are only a few sprigs. The place where I have the most is where I brought sand from the sandbar in the lake to fill and mix into my garden. If I don't weed those areas, I'll have beautiful nutgrass and cockle-burs growing everywhere. Roundup in the fall and control during the growing season should help me keep the noxious weeds/grass under control.

BTW Kyle, check your ground temperature and the germination temperatures for your seed by searching online. I've planted okra twice and can't get a stand because it has not been warm enough. Okra needs the warmest ground temperature to germinate. It would be happy to germinate when the temperature is above 90 F and the sun has the ground even hotter. Blackeyed peas like soil temperatures in the 80s. I got mine to come up during a warm spell, but the cold has just about frozen them out. I'm not sure about corn, but I'd bet it's a combination of temperature and planting depth.

 

[Lou66]

Jim, I know you've stated in the past that "if you just keep weeding nutsedge, eventually the roots will die". How long do you have to do this? Nutsedge has taken over my garden. I think how deep I tilled may have something to do with it? I scraped off about a foot of soil with my boxblade and then put it back after a few days to air out. Added some lime, fertilizer and ashes to the top and tilled it in about 6-8" deep. I hate nutsedge...I hate nutsedge....I hate nutsedge. (wish I could afford one of those little baby honda tillers, but I'd still have to weed close in to the plants). I have planted my rows about 3 feet apart so I can till with my 24" tiller in between. Wastes a lot of space.

Kyle the Master Gardeners of Brazoria county had an article about nut grass/ nutsedge a couple of years ago,, that I found interesting,, what they said,, if I remember correctly the root of the nut grass extensive into the ground a couple of feet,, and this root has a nut/nodules every few inches,, if you pull the sprout or shoot another one will take its place on the top and on the bottom.. no winner.. I have had some luck in killing them out,, well slowing it down.. Here is what they have to say about it.. use sugar and sifter, wet your garden then walk around with a sifter and few pounds of sugar,, I tried it and it worked takes a couple of months but it did work,, you can use it on your garden in the spring or lawn.. once you get the sugar on the ground again water it down.. but not to the point of washing it down the drain.. anyway good luck.. plus if you have an organic garden it痴 still organic.. Lou

 

[pacerron]

Ron: Since you are picking your onions so early and not letting them mature fully, I don't see any problem with putting them as close together as you can get them. I'm surprised the deer have not found your onions. I thought they liked wild onions. . . maybe not. That deer fence stuff is great, but it won't stop 'coons. I saw a 6" hole in my netting about 10 days ago. It had just rained and there were 'coon tracks outside and just inside the hole. I also have some firewood stacked on my deck that the 'coons like to use for an outhouse. Like dogs, they seem to come back to the same spot. My grandson found it and there is probably half a dozen 'coon poop piles on the logs.

.

Jim,
We have other methods to control coons up here:wink:

 

[farmgirl19]

My okra sprouted 9 days after planting, but the last 2 weeks of having frosts, have killed about half of it, and sure stunted the other half. I'll see how it all looks on Sunday, and decide if I am going to live with what I have, or replant all of it. Of course, if I replant, I'll be making sure another frost isn't predicted for next week.

 

[Bird]

Well, we'll hope we've just had the last of our cold weather. This weekend Muenster, TX, has their annual Germanfest. We went 2 years ago with a daughter and son-in-law and hope to go again this Saturday.

 

[Lou66]

I got two rack of pork ribs,, about 6 pound each,, I will be smoking them today.. one of my grandson brought them to me.. they have a couple of hogs hanging in the cooler and they wanted to make room for a couple of more.. their small chiller my good luck,, nice and cool outside,, a good day for some cold beer and a pig on the grill.. I like being retired.. Lou

 

[ronjhall]

Went to the Germanfest with Jim. Had a great time.

Sent from my iPhone using TractorByNet

 

[farmgirl19]

a good day for some cold beer and a pig on the grill.. I like being retired.. Lou

Every day is a good day for pig on the grill and cold beer!

 

[Lou66]

Come on down farmgirl,, they should be ready time you get here,:licking:, beer maybe gone tho.:confused3:. Had to move my smoker in on the patio,, looks like rain.. rain in a good thing,, Lou