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Summer 2014 Banter

Carvers Gap

By Carvers Gap,
in Tennessee Valley

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Stovepipe

Stovepipe

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Stovepipe...just mulched the flower beds, planted two shrubs, and cleaned-up the yard. Getting ready to put in lettuce (red and buttercrunch), potatoes, herbs, and onions. I really want a greenhouse - small.

 

That sounds fun, good for you!

 

My gardening addiction keeps getting stronger every year and I keep expanding.  At this rate, soon my kids won't have any space left in the yard to play!  It's a fairly cheap hobby though and preserving and eating the fresh stuff is friggin awesome.

 

Right now I've got garlic, potatoes, onions, mustard greens, collard greens, lettuce, kale, cabbage, dill, and fennel in the ground.  For the first time I decided to try to grow tomatoes and peppers from seed under grow lights.  Seedlings look decent, but it remains to be seen if they'll thrive though.

 

Summer is the real deal.  My main focus is gonna be on tomatoes (4 or 5 different varieties), hot peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, and basil (maybe green beans if I have room).  The idea is to can a ton of tomatoes, then make as much fresh salsa as possible and can that too, along with pasta sauce and maybe tomato juice.  Then, can many many jars of garlic dill pickles and freeze homemade pesto.  Mmmmmm mmmmmmm, I can't wait.

 

I've had a couple of loads of mushroom compost delivered that has allowed me to expand my gardening space rapidly via raised beds and raised rows.  That coupled with getting a crap ton of free wood chips from the tree service people to use as mulch.  Next year I'd like to get into fruit and nut trees and maybe berries.  It's addictive I tell ya.

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Carvers Gap

Carvers Gap

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That sounds fun, good for you!

My gardening addiction keeps getting stronger every year and I keep expanding. At this rate, soon my kids won't have any space left in the yard to play! It's a fairly cheap hobby though and preserving and eating the fresh stuff is friggin awesome.

Right now I've got garlic, potatoes, onions, mustard greens, collard greens, lettuce, kale, cabbage, dill, and fennel in the ground. For the first time I decided to try to grow tomatoes and peppers from seed under grow lights. Seedlings look decent, but it remains to be seen if they'll thrive though.

Summer is the real deal. My main focus is gonna be on tomatoes (4 or 5 different varieties), hot peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, and basil (maybe green beans if I have room). The idea is to can a ton of tomatoes, then make as much fresh salsa as possible and can that too, along with pasta sauce and maybe tomato juice. Then, can many many jars of garlic dill pickles and freeze homemade pesto. Mmmmmm mmmmmmm, I can't wait.

I've had a couple of loads of mushroom compost delivered that has allowed me to expand my gardening space rapidly via raised beds and raised rows. That coupled with getting a crap ton of free wood chips from the tree service people to use as mulch. Next year I'd like to get into fruit and nut trees and maybe berries. It's addictive I tell ya.

Greatly enjoyed reading that! FWIW, I am a member of SeedSaversExchange. Glad to hear gardening is a passion of yours as well. I try to go organic, but sometimes I have to resort to fungicide if the weather gets funky in July. Used to do grow lights and ran out of time which is why I want a greenhouse. Utilized a propogation heat mat. My main issue was getting the seedlings fed without burning them once they sprouted their true leaves. I finally went with a really, really watered down food that stimulated roots. Punched holes in a cup and dripped it on the base of the plant and not leaves. Jimmy Nardello sweet peppers are my favorites. I also like Cherokee Purples for tomatoes. I am putting Irish Cobblers(potatoes) in the ground this year. I do grow hybrids for my tomatoes - Big Beef. I like paste tomatoes but the summer droughts we inevitably get promote blossom end rot in that variety no matter what calcium supplement I use. Lost a seven year old rosemary plant to the cold. It was waist high. Anyway, my winter WX and garden hobbies are in different seasons. But my WX hobby does give a slight advantage when choosing varieties - during Nina summers I plant varieites that like it hot and dry. During Nino summers, I plant more varieties that resist blight. What is great is the kids love it. The garden is such a developmentally great hobby for them, and good for them too! WeatherNC, the mod on the SE forum, is also a gardener I think.

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Carvers Gap

Carvers Gap

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I'm jealous of the length of growing season you guys get, especially in Knoxville. Due to being in a majorly frost prone area my last freeze is usually sometime in the first week of May and my first frost/freeze is usually early to mid October.

Nothing is safe here until the first week as well. I don't put out my heat loving plants until after the Derby. That is my weekend for them. At your elevation, you should have a slight advantage over blight since the humidity issues are lessened...if anything, the air should circulate better. Roan Mtn folks seem to get very little blight. Am I right? I have always thought this, but have never spoken to anyone who gardens at elevation...

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Stovepipe

Stovepipe

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[internet Bro Fist] Carvers and John. I have a lot I want to say in response to your posts but I'm gonna start a gardening thread and put it there. I'll lobby Mr Bob to have these posts moved there. Just gotta find a spare few minutes. Lots to talk about, this is going to be a good discussion!

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Stovepipe

Stovepipe

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Well part of what I'd like to do with the gardening thread would be, in addition to trading advice and war stories, to compile a list of resources that would be tailored to gardeners in the Tennessee Valley region. I have a few links that I've found incredibly useful and I'm sure you do too. It would be nice to have all of the info and discussion nearly contained in one thread rather than allowing it to be spread across various months of banter threads. If I can find some time this weekend I'll try to get going on that.

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Coach B

Coach B

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From OHX this morning:

 

ENOUGH UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT WILL BE IN PLAY SO AS TO PROVIDE A POST
FRONTAL IMPACT FROM THIS SYSTEM. LOOKS AS THOUGH SHOWER ACTIVITY
WILL PERSIST MONDAY NIGHT AND INTO TUESDAY. THERMAL TROUGHING LOOKS
STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPORT NEGATIVE 850 MB TEMPS WITHIN THE POST
FRONTAL SECTOR OF THIS STORM SYSTEM. A CLOSE EXAMINATION OF SOUNDING
PROFILES DOES ACTUALLY SUPPORT A FLAKE OR TWO OF SNOW ACROSS THE
HIGHER PLATEAU ELEVATIONS ON TUESDAY. FOR NOW THOUGH...WILL ADHERE
TO THE CURRENT FCST AND ONLY INCLUDE A COLD SHOWERY RAINY DAY.

FOR THE EXT TEMPS...COOL DOWN EXPECTED BEHIND THE MONDAY FROPA.
TUESDAY LOOKING MORE LIKE A COLD RAINY AND RAW DAY FOR MID APRIL.
ASSOCIATED SFC HIGH TO BE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY ON WED MORNING. SO...AS
THE SKIES CLEAR...TEMPS WILL DROP INTO THE 30S FOR LOWS. FREEZE AND
OR FROST ADVISORY CRITERIA MAY BE REACHED AT SOME POINT.

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ConiferMtnMan

ConiferMtnMan

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I'm jealous of the length of growing season you guys get, especially in Knoxville. Due to being in a majorly frost prone area my last freeze is usually sometime in the first week of May and my first frost/freeze is usually early to mid October.

You guys have it good. Coming from a boy that grew up gardening in east TN and is going to start his first Colorado garden, May through October would be wonderful. I'm at 8300 feet, with freezing temps possible every month. Avg last frost is in early-mid June and first freeze in early-mid September. Definitely have to start plants indoors early here then transplant!

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John1122

John1122

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You guys have it good. Coming from a boy that grew up gardening in east TN and is going to start his first Colorado garden, May through October would be wonderful. I'm at 8300 feet, with freezing temps possible every month. Avg last frost is in early-mid June and first freeze in early-mid September. Definitely have to start plants indoors early here then transplant!

I assume in Colorado at 8300 you almost have to have a greenhouse. Heck, you'd need one on Mt LeConte at 6600. They have had sub freezing temps all 12 months of the year as well.

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ConiferMtnMan

ConiferMtnMan

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I assume in Colorado at 8300 you almost have to have a greenhouse. Heck, you'd need one on Mt LeConte at 6600. They have had sub freezing temps all 12 months of the year as well.

We will see. Like I said, it'll be my first year trying it. From what I hear, things like tomatoes are a no go. Potatoes, carrots and onions supposedly grow ok. Typically in July/August we get enough monsoon moisture and daily showers that it keeps temps above 40 at night. Fingers crossed for no Memorial Day snowstorms this year. Those are depressing!

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tnweathernut

tnweathernut

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Man, what a day for our neighbors to the west. I had friends move to Arkansas and I was tracking for them last night. Storms missed them just to the south, but it was close for them, and some of their family and friends were affected.

Here is an email from one of my friends.....

"[The storms] went just south of us but hit [brandon's] aunt and uncle and their family in Vilonia and El Paso right next to us. They've lost their offices, cars, and the new school where Brandon's aunt's brother was going to be principle in August. The town is flattened. And, I have multiple kids for therapy in the Maumelle and Mayflower areas, and Mayflower is also flattened. My brother works nights with a guy who lost his house in Vilonia, and he said nobody can find another guy who works with him at night. It's been a huge mess, and prayers are needed. Brandon and I are fine, thank The Lord."

Here are a couple of shots I took for them trying to give as much info as possible

genamuny.jpgrepupaqu.jpg

Nasty night for those guys, hope everyone stays safe today! Didn't know where to put this, so I decided to place in banter since it wasn't TN Valley specific

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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nrgjeff

nrgjeff

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Houston dewpoint is only 60. Our friends in the Plains can forget about a set-up this week. No way the moisture is there Wednesday and it'll be JIT on Thursday. Real weather post for the Valley coming after the Euro...

 

No storms worth writing about in the South. NWP tries Mid South storms Friday but Gulf MCS prolly blocks severe. Until then continue lovely sunny warm days with low humidity! :sun:

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