Unknown Soldier

Whatever happened to the folksy "do it yourself" gardening shows?

These are my curmudgeonly thoughts today.

I can remember gardening shows on radio and TV, that were really about gardening. I just did a web search on "Doc and Katie Abraham" who had a show in the 70s, and came up with essentially zilch. As I remember (at this much later, I can't promise an accurate memory), their show was really about gardening - how to improve the soil, making compost, propagating the plants, dividing, taking cuttings, pruning, starting seeds, planting.

There was also Crockett's Victory Garden, in the same era. This was more sophisticated, but was still really about gardening - all of the above, and maybe more, like cooking your garden produce, and visiting gardens, and traveling to gardens in other countries. I'm not the only one who feels this way, of course - here is a related thread from the gardenweb.

Of course, the old "Organic gardening and farming" magazine was pretty much the same thing, pre-counter-culture, with a greater gardening aspect. But if you wanted to learn how to grow aspargus, or graft your apple tree, or get a start from your Dad's 50 year old grape vines, you could find it there.

What do we have now? HGTV, with all kinds of garden make-overs, curb appeal, ,'garden rooms' , landscaping, hardscaping, and lots of stuff to buy, of course. There probably is something that I dont know about, but it seems like it's all marketing and consumer oriented, instead of true gardening oriented.

Of course, there's the GardenWeb, where everyone can sign on and discuss their gardening, and all of the how to and success and failures. Maybe that's the 21st century answer to those old garden shows. And of course, some blogs.....

I would still like to turn on the TV, some time, and watch someone walking through their back yard and pull a grub off a leaf and talk about it. Dirty fingernails, and shirt tail half out, and all.

Apple grafting. Reworked tree.

This is the tree before reworking it. This is a "miniature" Golden Delicious. It's about 5 years old. All of the others have been bearing at this point, and this one had grown larger than the others (probably due to lack of fruit). It set a couple of fruit last year, but they were deformed and did not ripen properly. I'm not a proficient grafter - we'll see if any of them take!

I chose to do wedge grafting, similar to the demonstration in this web page.

This is the source tree. The owner "pruned" their side of the tree, basically topping it, but left many of the branches overhanging the fence. Apples that have fallen into our yard have been somewhat small, but with good flavor. I'm hoping that on a tree that is properly cared for, they might be larger and taste just as good. Plus, they'll be in reach and easy to pick on a small tree.

Here are the scions. I placed them in water while working.

It took multiple tries, but finally I started cutting smoothly with one fast cut.

Example of scion wood. As above, this isnt the best example but it's the one that came out in the photo. Again, after multiple tries, I learned how to hold the scion wood properly, and cut each side with one slice.

After completing the work, I counted fingers. There were 5 on each hand, and no bleeding.

Reworked tree when completed. I did not follow all of the grafting instructions perfectly. Without grafting wax, I tried melting actual candle wax and mixed with parafin, but that was still hard at room temp let alone outside. Finally, I just used petroleum jelly, which at today's temperature was thick and gooey, so it might work OK. Then, I wrapped with plumbers' silicone tape, which is soft, stretchy and flexible. Some grafts were held closed with dental floss before applying the petroleum jelly.

Microorganism that makes fuel from CO2?

Had to comment. This yahoo article claims that an organism is being created to make CO2 into methane.

How interesting. Methanogens have been growing in rumens and colons for, say, a few hundred million years?

Of course, methane is more of a greenhouse gas than CO2. A better approach is to learn to use less fuel, period. Live closer to work, fewer commutes, fewer vehicles used for commutes, would be both greener and healthier, compared to finding a new wonder fuel.

Im sure that he's doing interesting things with them genetically, but this looks more like self promotion than innovation.

clivia seed

Looks like it could not wait to sprout. This is Clivia "Sahin's Yellow". The seed is sprouting on the plant. The blossom was last year. I got these out of "dry dormant" storage last week, and noted this plant is responding as it is supposed to respond by sending up a flower shoot. The others did not, so unclear if that is coincidence or they are not mature yet.

Click on photo for close-upo. The largest fruit definitely has a root emerging.

These seeds will need to be planted. Here is one method (from a clip on gardenweb.com):



More detailed instructions for sprouting Clivia seeds can be found here.

For prior Clivia posts, click on clivia label below.

Sort of related, here's a link with lots of cool Clivia photos (courtesy Clivia forum on GardenWeb).

Compost Mulch

Here is the rose and fruit raised bed after adding a layer of yard waste compost. this is about 1/2 of a truck load, but since it's heavy, there is less than a truck load of bark mulch. Cost about $5.oo for what is in this bed. Since it's black, it should help the garden bed warm up.

I've also sprayed twice with a double strength neem spray. The reasoning is that since I missed covering the peaches this winter, I'm hoping for some benefit from neem in controlling leaf curl. The peach buds are starting to swell, so it seems like now is the time. I have not seen that this will work, but I already sprayed once with copper spray, and after reading that copper can build up in the soil, I dont want to over do it.

This garden bed started out with just roses, but now it also has 2 miniature peaches, 1 cordon apple (North Pole), a strawberry border, Fallgold raspberry, a currant, and various Spring bulbs. With all of the food plants present, non-organic is not the way that i want to go.

Pre-Spring Garden Log: Buds are swelling

 Tranquility Rose. All of the roses are at a simlar stage, buds about 1 inch on most stems.
 Chinese Chives. This 1/2 barrel received a layer of chicken house compost, then a layer of bark mulch to prevent weed growth, 2 weeks ago.
 Aprium buds. The Puget Gold Apricot also has a few small pink buds.
 

Pre-Spring Garden Log: Fig Trees

THe fig trees have no visible bud swelling yet. The embryonic brebas are probably no larger than in the fall. I keep looking at the Lattarula / White Marseilles / Lemon Fig and thinking it is dead. It is supposed to do well here. It is on the South side of the house, so hsould be early.

Lattarula

Petite Negri

Hardy Chicago

Pre-Spring Garden Log. What is growing?

Helleborus, unknown variety. It's been growing in this dry, eastern exposure spot since we bought the house, so at least 7 years old. It was large then so probably much older.
Victoria rhubarb. This received a layer of chicken house compost, then some coffee grounds, then a layer of yard choppings as mulch. That was done over the past several weeks.
Salix chaenomeloides, Japanese pussy willow. OK, I cheated. This was planted 2 weeks ago, a bare root from Fred Meyer, already in bloom.
Forsythia, unknown variety. This was grown from a stick that I picked up on the street while walking the dogs, about 2 years ago. The shrub is 6 feet tall, but only a few stems. Not ready to bloom yet.

eco-motion car

Will I or wont I? one question is whether this will go up the hill on Mill Plain on my way to work... especially with a big boy like me in it. Hmmmmm.
I would love to bike to work, but I can't do that AND work 14 hour days. I wish that I could figure out a better way. The hours are killing me. But so far, I havent found an answer. Anyway, at least if I drive a little solar cart to work I can feel more 'green'. Assuming, as noted above, that it will actualyl take me there. The truck gets 40 miles to the charge, and goes 40 miles per hour. Both are good enough for my in-town only, 10 mi each way, commute.