Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival => Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board => Topic started by: lighter on April 23, 2008, 10:35:01 AM
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I've planted two near each other.
One died the other's thriving and producing grandly.
My friend has one poor little fig tree that produces almost nothingnbut greenery, though it looks heatlhy enough.
I'll look it up on the internet but would like any comments if someone has experience with this.
Thanks
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Dear Lighter,
I have grown figs. Amazing how popular figs are, once again.
I tend to read from reputable gardening websites, of which there are many.
Glad to know that you are enjoying 'serenity' in the garden.
I do so love the word serenity, I have used the word serenity, for over 20 years now.
More so, I value the gift of genuine serenity, within.
Enjoy your planting and growing. I do, so very much, flowers, herbs and vegetables. Just starting off a grapevine.
Love, Leah
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I have a beautiful fig tree that my husband and I planted together. It has never produced a fig. Wonder why.
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Ahhhh, GS..... maybe we'll find the key to producing figs yet.
Leah.... garden variety serenity is a very nice brand, indeed: )
Have fun nurturing that grapevine.
What kind is it?
Lighter
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Healthy fig trees will yeald two crops yearly. One around memorial day ( if you're in Cal.) and the second around mid to late Sept. Lots of water, good AGED cow lmanuer and fish emulsions. To make a start offan existing tree just take any branch/twig/limb/sprout and set ohn top of soil and it will to it's thing pretty much by it's self. I believe some varieties produce every other year, skipping one year betweedn crops. Keep the branchesw proped up off the ground whould they reach, otherwise, you'll have them rooting where they touch. They seem to like the long, lenthy branches when producing fruit. I think it has something to do with the sunn being able to be spread accross a much largter surface area that encourages growth. Doin't disturb the rooting soils to much when you feed, just spread around on top the surface area of the rooting systems. If you are in a frost prone area, use hay to protect the roots, they seem to like the way it incorporates into the mulching or theie growing soils.
This is what I can recall , I hope it will help. Nogadge
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I am sorry, I just noticed how awful my spelling is this morning. I didn't realise how dirty my glasses had gotten and in needed of a cleaning. YUK. No wonder I couldn't see.
Be careful not to drown your roots when watering. Nogadge
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Lighter - what the heck does this have to do with voicelessness and recovery...perhaps Dr. G should start a whatever column on this board so that we can take our trivial stuff, I'm not trying to discount your question or need to understand about growing figs, but I do believe that when other people here are trying to process pain and talk about deep shame, emotional issues, bringing up a topic about growing figs is somewhat discounting and dismissing, which is a subtle form of emotional abuse.
Oh please.....go to a botany.com board.
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figs need total sun and semi-dry conditions. they grow great in my zone.
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Gabben:
Please stop responding to me on the board.
It's easy enough to skip the threads that don't interest you and it's clear that we may all avail ourselves to that option.
This is a formal request.
Any further responses to me will be considered harrassment, not abuse, and be reported to Dr. G.
Thanks,
Lighter
Lighter - what the heck does this have to do with voicelessness and recovery...perhaps Dr. G should start a whatever column on this board so that we can take our trivial stuff, I'm not trying to discount your question or need to understand about growing figs, but I do believe that when other people here are trying to process pain and talk about deep shame, emotional issues, bringing up a topic about growing figs is somewhat discounting and dismissing, which is a subtle form of emotional abuse.
Oh please.....go to a botany.com board.
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figs need total sun and semi-dry conditions. they grow great in my zone.
My friend's fig tree seems to be in very shady area.... that's part of the problem I think.
I feel bad moving it in this heat..... it's what I'm doing for serenity and meditation though so....... it's getting moved this weekend.
Light
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Gabben:
Please stop responding to me on the board.
This is the first time I have responded to you in months.....months.....I will gladly NOT start responding you again, but I did feel the need to speak up and say something here.
Perhaps your name should be...................... gaslighter.
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If it hasn't formed tiny fruit buds yet, I don't think it will hurt to move it. Just be sure to get the root all in a ball and move it en toto, so it doesn't really know it's been moved - 'cept for the extra sunlite! :)
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Nogadge...... I don't give a fig
::wiggling eyebrows::
about spelling.
Thanks for the info.
Anyone have any recipes using figs? I made a wonderfully French pork dish with reduced balsamic vinegar and figs once.
I love fig season!
Lighter
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towrite:
I'm so glad to be posting with you again.
There was a time I was very hurt by your absense from the board.... I was in a lot of pain and turmoil myself, at the time.
I realized part of my feelings were about where I was, not just that I needed to hear you were ok and you weren't responding.
I stepped around your posts for a while.... all about that sad time..... it's passed now.
As for the fig tree..... I'll take as much root ball as I can muscle around on my own.
Do we know if they like peat or other enrichment?
Lighter
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Figs grow well where I am, a Mediterranean climate. But there are varieties that do not pollinate well in certain areas--that could be the problem with non-producing trees. They also don't like over-fertilization, extreme temperatures and many varieties have a long (say, 5-6 year) period of non-production when they are young. As for recipes, because they are so sweet figs pair well with salty foods, such as blue cheeses or prosciutto, and balsamic vinegar. Enjoy!
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They also dehydrate well, make great preserves/spreads and bake fabulously, saute them, anything your heart desires! Poultry-pork-beef...not sure about fish, but should lend to shell fish, and definately salads.
I think positive deviations from our pain is always a good thing to share and re-enforce between each othe. Thanks, Nogadge
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True! I also use them in stuffing for roasted pork, and the leaves are great for fish--wrap the fish in a leaf and barbecue or bake. Or serve the fruit with salt fish and crostini.
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Try looking up a vinegar out of California.
It's this magical blend of balsamic, figs and lemon..... fresh and wonderful on fruit, salads and recipes.
I think google takes you right to it.
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It sounds to me that I'm not the only one with the secret life in in the kitchen :D :D :D :D :D Nogadge
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Not so secret! I grow 30 varieties of heirloom tomato, many other veggies, herbs and roots (all seasons), all organically. I've spent days huffing seven cubic yards of compost in from the alley by wheelbarrow this year, because the soil's too depleted to fix via legumes or other cover crops. No figs, though, I have to steal those from a friend. He has lots.
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I LOVE obsessed gardeners.
It's food for the soul.
Hops
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You are so right, fixing food for and with others does so much more...it feeds ours and their souls, nourishes ones mind and well being. I have missed it. Nogadge
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Very obsessed. I moved from NYC a decade ago, and I grow everything imaginable, mostly food crops to be used fresh, frozen and canned, but also for the local food bank. And of, yeah, I have flower gardens too. But the best soil goes for food. For anyone out there who wants a hobby that will take you out of yourself, and help others, in ANY climate, grow food for those less fortunate. At any age, any gender. It makes such a huge difference.
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When I was single..... after my first divorce.... I grew about 20 tomato plants and assorted other lovely squashes, peppers and beans.
Getting lost in all that lush (tall) greenery, in my little backyard, was an unexpected pleasure.
I had no idea pulling weeds and tying branches to a cage would be so important in my life.
Nurturing things, turns out to be what makes me happy, and so now that my children can go potty themselves......
it's back to the earth again.
Tomatoes.....
not like the red sweet variety my grandmother grew in the black soil of Ohio,
but similar.....
YES.
ps I really enjoy reading about your avid gardening/kitchen enjoyment, gjazz.
And ((Hops....))
how are you?
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http://www.amazon.com/Fig-Lemon-Balsamic-Vinegar-8-45/dp/B000J01C5S
Hope this comes up..... such a nice summertime/fall/winter treat!
Lighter
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lighter,
Wanted to say that I have a sterile fig tree. About five years old, kind of leggy and no fruit. I've enjoyed your thread on figs. I practically started drooling when you mentioned that California vinegar.
It's good to hear that you and the kiddles are doing well.
tt
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How big's your tree, tt?
Maybe if you dig part of it up....
plant it a bit aways off.....
it'll do that....
cross.....
pollination....
thing?
Still have a lot to learn about fig trees, I'm afraid.
But we can both get some lemony fig balsamic vinegar: )
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Hey lighter,
I was wondering about that pollination part. I only have one tree. It's about seven feet tall.
The limbs seem to be too far apart compared to the fig trees we had when I was a kid, but then the ones we had when I was a kid were inland about 30 miles where the soil is different. I think I should read up.
Thanks,
tt
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All this talk about figs has brought back a most pleasant memory, previously tucked away and forgotton about.
Few years ago, in my office I had a coffee maker, for myself and others, and I would try various ground coffee types and blends.
My absolute favourite, and much favoured by others too, was the "Viennese Coffee with Figs" (ground coffee blend).
The aroma was lovely, and the taste was superb.
Memories of that coffee, which I have not enjoyed since leaving the company, wherein, many good friends were made, and enjoyed.
At some point in time, I may attempt to source that particular coffee blend and enjoy.
I am very much interested in the Californian Fig Lemon Balsamic Vinegar, available from amazon, which is good news.
Thank you for reviving that pleasant memory.
Leah x
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I crave it too, what a yummy idea. BUT...I crave a recipe for making it myself, since it's expensive and I am no longer a believer in importing food across the continent in a truck, because of fuel and the issue of climate change.
LOCAVORE is a new term for people who "eat locally" in order to consume less oil, pollute less air, produce less carbon. I have just begun to change my awareness about that. Apparently one of my mainstays, spring mix, is a collossal waste of fuel during its life cycle. So I gotta grow my own.
(Not to say I never order anything that's delivered UPS. Not so. But...it's a start.)
In addition to all this preaching, paying almost as much for shipping as for the bottle of vinegar is REALLY what stopped me! (I just got 2 books from Amazon. Both, ironically, on Square Foot Gardening, which is where I'm growing organic veggies.) Oh, choices. We have so many.
But yikes, this would take me a month. Suddenly that bottle on Amazon's looking pretty good!
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/how-vinegar-works2.htm (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/how-vinegar-works2.htm)
Oh well. I guess we have to buy some stuff from other places.
sigh,
Hops whose climate is changing
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I have to get something for my health, each month, from overseas, and I too have struggled, however, I do have a balance in my life with growing my own vegetables, and also buying locally grown vegetables.
There is a good local store, with locally grown food, and local honey, and other food stuff, which is not more expensive, when one takes in account, the organic source, and the quality.
Quality of food, not quantity of food -- is my foodview (made that expression up, as worldview did not seem apt!).
All local eating establishments cook with locally grown, fished, and reared, food ingredients.
One superb eatery is within a healthy walking distance!
I have sampled, quite recently, some Tea, grown here in England (organically) which is amazing, and it was just as pleasant as my favorite overseas varieties, so I am happy to recommend this, and truly quite surprised.
Love to all,
Leah
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Amazing you said that about the tea, Leah, since I was just staring at my box of Constant Comment and wondering what life will be like when I no longer have imported tea. HMMM!
Article for those interested (when you get an ad just wait a sec, then click on Enter Salon upper right corner):
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/04/24/oil/ (http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2008/04/24/oil/)
Off to drive my dinosaur to work.
xo
Hops
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I don't order much, that has to be shipped.
The balsamic is worth it, trust me.
I'm wondering how to flavor coffee with dried fig.....
powder?
That sounded so nice, Leah.
Hops..... I've been mindful about what I consume and consuming less since you mentioned it almost 2 months ago.
I know you've mentioned it before but..... it really has resonated with me lately.
Lighter
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I had already changed over to Potato Flour to make my bread,
however, last week I read an interesting report on-line, with regard to the Wheat crisis, and impending shortage, and the viability of returning to Potato Flour, only thing is that most of the Potato flour mills went into disuse years ago. But, never say never, to restoration.
Market gap and opportunity, as I see it.
Leah x
PS. I walk and cycle as much as I can, for personal budget (petrol prices here in UK are so high) and for the environment.
We have a "car share to work" initiative -- which has proved to be successful.
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I don't think wheat products are good for us..... at all.
I buy soft oatmeal bread from Pepperidge Farm, though it still has wheat in it: /
If I could find a bread, the girls would eat, sans all wheat products..... I'd serve it. Tell me about the potato bread, Leah.
I try not to purchase anything with corn syrup either... speaking of which.....
I've been making whole frozen fruit popsicles bc there's NOTHING worth buying at the store.
It's all impossibly full of sugar and corn syrup.... fake sugar. Ach.
I need to find popsicle molds.... if anyone has info on that, please post it: )
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I'm wondering how to flavor coffee with dried fig.....
powder?
That sounded so nice, Leah.
It is really lovely, Lighter
I rarely drink coffee at home, when I am alone, when I have guests, or friends round for dinner etc., then I have always had some coffee on the go, so it would be nice to have some, at some point, for an occasion such as that.
For some time now, any coffee that I have purchased, along with my Cocoa (I so love my nighttime drink, snuggled up warm in bed) is Fairtrade products, as a means of support to others, overseas, who rely on the export income, to live and survive, and especially, the coffee growers receive premium pay for the coffee they sell.
Love, Leah
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What is a 'Popsicle' ? is that what I know as a 'lollipop'
or, frozen fruit on a stick!
I used to make frozen lollipops in plastic molds for my son. Gosh, that brings back warm, happy memories.
Gosh, I have had an extended 'lunch break' here, I had better crack on with some work.
I will post about Potato Flour / Bread later on, if that's okay.
Leah x
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That's fine Leah.... the flour post can wait till I've done some intense editing of closets.
And yes.... frozen fruit on a stick is a popsicle.... summertime favorite here in the South.
Lollipop is candy on a stick here. All sugar. Ack.
Lighter
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Oh, well in that case, I made frozen fruit Popsicle's (favourite here too, in summertime)
(I never gave my son sickly sugary stuff -- he has wonderful teeth to show for it)
My friend makes her own ice-cream -- and it is absolutely wonderful. I buy organic ice-cream, but may well have a go this summertime.
Very quickly, here are my 2 resources for info ...
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/158977_Goodness_Potato_Flour_500g.html (http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/158977_Goodness_Potato_Flour_500g.html)
http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/431858_Doves_Farm_Gluten_Free_Brown_Bread_Flour__1kg.html (http://www.goodnessdirect.co.uk/cgi-local/frameset/detail/431858_Doves_Farm_Gluten_Free_Brown_Bread_Flour__1kg.html)
Doves Farm is good.
http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/ (http://www.dovesfarm.co.uk/)
Leah x
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Thanks Leah.
I'm elbow deep in clothes and will look those up later.
Here's the popsicle mold company I ended up ordering from.
They had 10 pop molds. I also ordered sticks from them too.
http://www.prairiemoon.biz/icepopmolds.html
Most molds came in 6 and 8 molds.
An article on figs..... most of this went ::whoosh:: right over my head.
Lighter
FIG
Ficus carica L.
Moraceae
Common Names: Fig (English), Higo (Spanish), Figue (French), Feige (German), Fico (Italian).
Related Species: Cluster fig (Ficus racemosa), Sycomore Fig (Ficus sycomorus).
Distant Affinity: Mulberry (Morus spp.); Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis Fosb.); Jakfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.); Che; Chinese Mulberry (Cudrania tricuspidata).
Origin: The fig is believed to be indigenous to western Asia and to have been distributed by man throughout the Mediterranean area. Remnants of figs have been found in excavations of sites traced to at least 5,000 B.C.
Adaptation: The fig grows best and produces the best quality fruit in Mediterranean and dryer warm-temperate climates. Rains during fruit development and ripening can cause the fruits to split. With extra care figs will also grow in wetter, cooler areas. Diseases limit utility in tropical climates. Fully dormant trees are hardy to 12° - 15° F, but plants in active growth can be damaged at 30° F. Fig plants killed to the ground will often resprout from the roots. Only the hardiest cultivars should be attempted in areas such as the Willamette Valley, the Sierra Nevada and high desert. However, all cultivars are suitable elsewhere in California. Chilling requirements for the fig are less than 300 hours. In containers figs are eye-catching specimens inside or outdoors. It is best to choose a slow-growing cultivar.
DESCRIPTION
Growth Habit: The fig is a picturesque deciduous tree, to 50 ft tall, but more typically to a height of 10 - 30 ft. Their branches are muscular and twisting, spreading wider than they are tall. Fig wood is weak and decays rapidly. The trunk often bears large nodal tumors, where branches have been shed or removed. The twigs are terete and pithy rather than woody. The sap contains copious milky latex that is irritating to human skin. Fig trees often grow as a multiple-branched shrub, especially where subjected to frequent frost damage. They may be espaliered, but only where roots may be restricted, as in containers.
Foliage: Fig leaves are bright green, single, alternate and large (to 1 ft length). They are more or less deeply lobed with 1 - 5 sinuses, rough hairy on the upper surface and soft hairy on the underside. In summer their foliage lends a beautiful tropical feeling.
Flowers: The tiny flowers of the fig are out of sight, clustered inside the green "fruits", technically a synconium. Pollinating insects gain access to the flowers through an opening at the apex of the synconium. In the case of the common fig the flowers are all female and need no pollination. There are 3 other types, the caprifig which has male and female flowers requiring visits by a tiny wasp, Blastophaga grossorum; the Smyrna fig, needing cross-pollination by caprifigs in order to develop normally; and the San Pedro fig which is intermediate, its first crop independent like the common fig, its second crop dependent on pollination.
Fruits: The common fig bears a first crop, called the breba crop, in the spring on last season's growth. The second crop is borne in the fall on the new growth and is known as the main crop. In cold climates the breba crop is often destroyed by spring frosts. The matured "fruit" has a tough peel (pure green, green suffused with brown, brown or purple), often cracking upon ripeness, and exposing the pulp beneath. The interior is a white inner rind containing a seed mass bound with jelly-like flesh. The edible seeds are numerous and generally hollow, unless pollinated. Pollinated seeds provide the characteristic nutty taste of dried figs.
CULTURE
Location: Figs require full sun all day to ripen palatable fruits. Trees become enormous, and will shade out anything growing beneath. Repeated pruning to control size causes loss of crop. The succulent trunk and branches are unusually sensitive to heat and sun damage, and should be whitewashed if particularly exposed. Roots are greedy, traveling far beyond the tree canopy. Figs are not a fruit tree for small places. The fine roots that invade garden beds, however, may be cut without loss to the tree. In areas with short (less than 120 days between frosts), cool summers, espalier trees against a south-facing, light-colored wall to take advantage of the reflected heat. In coastal climates, grow in the warmest location, against a sunny wall or in a heat trap. For container grown plants, replace most of the soil in the tub every three years and keep the sides of the tub shaded to prevent overheating in sunlight.
Irrigation: Young fig tees should be watered regularly until fully established. In dry western climates, water mature trees deeply at least every one or two weeks. Desert gardeners may have to water more frequently. Mulch the soil around the trees to conserve moisture. If a tree is not getting enough water, the leaves will turn yellow and drop. Also, drought-stressed trees will not produce fruit and are more susceptible to nematode damage. Recently planted trees are particularly susceptible to water deficits, often runt out, and die.
Pruning: Fig trees are productive with or without heavy pruning. It is essential only during the initial years. Trees should be trained according to use of fruit, such as a low crown for fresh-market figs. Since the crop is borne on terminals of previous year's wood, once the tree form is established, avoid heavy winter pruning, which causes loss of the following year's crop. It is better to prune immediately after the main crop is harvested, or with late-ripening cultivars, summer prune half the branches and prune the remainder the following summer. If radical pruning is done, whitewash the entire tree.
Fertilization: Regular fertilizing of figs is usually necessary only for potted trees or when they are grown on sands. Excess nitrogen encourages rank growth at the expense of fruit production, and the fruit that is produced often ripens improperly, if at all. As a general rule, fertilize fig trees if the branches grew less than a foot the previous year. Apply a total of 1/2 - 1 pound of actual nitrogen, divided into three or four applications beginning in late winter or early spring and ending in July.
Frost Protection: In borderline climates, figs can be grown out of doors if they are given frost protection. Brown Turkey, Brunswick and Blue Celeste cultivars are some of the best choices. Plant against a wall or structure which provides some heat by radiation. Or grow as a bush, pruning the trunk to near ground level at the end of the second year. Allow several stems to replace the trunk, and grow as you would a lilac. For further protection, erect a frame over the plant, covering and surrounding it with heavy carpet in winter. Keep the roots as dry as possible during winter, raising a berm to exclude melting snows during thaws. In northern climates, the fig is best grown as a tub or pot plant that can be brought into a warm location in winter and taken out again in spring. Dormant buds are more susceptible to freezing than wood. Freezing may also create a trunk without live buds; regrowth is possible only from roots.
Propagation: Fig plants are usual propagated by cuttings. Select foot-long pieces of dormant wood, less than 1 inch diameter, with two-year-old wood at base. One-year twigs with a heel of two-year branch at the base may also be used. Dip the cuttings in a rooting hormone and allow them to callus one week in a moist place at 50-60° F. Summer cuttings may also be made, but they do best if defoliated and winterized in a refrigeration for 2-3 weeks before potting. Leafy shoots require a mist bed. Particularly rare cultivars may be propagated on rootstocks, or older trees, topworked by whip, cleft or crown grafting, or chip or patch budding. Rooted cuttings should be planted in 22 to 30 feet squares, depending upon the capacity of the soil and the ultimate size of the tree. Keep roots moist until planted. Never transplant or disturb a young tree while it is starting new growth in spring, as this is likely to to kill it. Cut the tree back to 2 ft high upon planting and whitewash the trunk.
Pests and Diseases: Fig tree roots are a favorite food of gophers, who can easily kill a large plant. One passive method of control is to plant the tree in a large aviary wire basket. Deer are not particularly attracted to figs, but birds can cause a lot of damage to the fruit. Nematodes, particularly in sandy soils, attack roots, forming galls and stunting the trees. Mitadulid and Carpophilus dried fruit beetles can enter ripening fruit through the eye and cause damage by introducing fungi and rots. They frequently breed in fallen citrus fruits. Keep a clean orchard by destroy fallen fruits and do not grow near citrus trees. Euryphid mites cause little damage but are carriers of mosaic virus from infected to clean trees.
Mosaic virus, formerly considered benign, probably causes crop reduction. Symptoms resemble potassium deficiency--leaves are marbled with yellow spots, and the veins are light colored. Symptoms are often not apparent until the tree is older or when it becomes heat or water-stressed. Do not purchase infected trees and isolate those which show symptoms. Botrytis causes a blast of branch terminals, which dry out and turn charcoal-like. The attack usually starts from half-grown fruits damaged by the first frost of winter, then enters the main stem as a reddish expanding necrotic zone. The infection is generally self-controlling and stops in the spring. It can be prevented by removing mummies and frost damaged fruits as soon as they are observed. Fig canker is a bacterium which enters the trunk at damaged zones, causing necrosis and girdling and loss of branches. It usually starts at sunburned areas, so it is important to keep exposed branches whitewashed. Rhyzopus smut attacks ripened fruits on the tree, causing charcoal black coating inside the fruit, and is worst on cultivars with large, open eyes. Most ripe fruit losses are from Endosepsis (Fusarium) and Aspergillus rot which is introduced by insects, even pollinating wasps. The fruit appears to burst, or a ropy, mucus-like exudate drains from the eye, rendering the fruit are inedible. The best control is to destroy all crop for one year, apply diazinon granules beneath trees to eliminate insect vectors, and destroy adjacent wild trees. Penicillium fungus will attack dried fruits in storage but can be controlled by keeping them dry, or sulfuring before storage.
Harvest: Figs must be allowed to ripen fully on the tree before they are picked. They will not ripen if picked when immature. A ripe fruit will be slightly soft and starting to bend at the neck. Harvest the fruit gently to avoid bruising. Fresh figs do not keep well and can be stored in the refrigerator for only 2 - 3 days. Some fig varieties are delicious when dried. They take 4 - 5 days to dry in the sun and 10 -12 hours in a dehydrator. Dried figs can be stored for six to eight months.
Commercial potential: Because of losses in transport and short shelf life, figs are a high-value fruits of limited demand. The best outlet is direct sale at roadside or farmers markets, but do not permit handling of the fruit. Figs for shipping are collected daily just before they reach the fully ripe stage, but yield to a soft pressure, usually indicated by small cracks in the skin. They should be immediately refrigerated. For commerce, choose a cultivar that parts readily from the branch and does not tear the neck.
CULTIVARS
Adriatic (Fragola, Strawberry Fig, Verdone, White Adriatic)
Origin central Italy, Small to medium, skin greenish, flesh strawberry colored. Good, all-purpose fig. Light breba crop. Large vigorous tree leafs out early; subject to frost damage. Prune to force new growth.
Black Mission (Beers Black, Franciscan, Mission)
Origin Balearic Islands. Fruits all-over black purple, elongated, Flesh watermelon to pink, fairly good taste. Easily dried at home. Single best all-round variety for south, north, coast, interior. Brebas prolific, fairly rich. Tree very large, plant at maximum spacing. Do not prune after tree reaches maturity. Commences growth midseason.
Blanche (Italian Honey fig, Lattarula, Lemon, White Marseille)
Medium to large, skin yellowish green, flesh white to amber, very sweet, lemon flavor. Light breba crop. Valuable in short-season, cool-summer areas. Slow growing, dense, hardy tree.
Brown Turkey (Aubique Noire, Negro Largo, San Piero
Origin Provence. Medium, skin is purplish brown, flesh pinkish amber. Good flavor. Best when fresh. Light breba crop. Small, hardy, vigorous tree. Prune severely for heaviest main crop. Does best in southern California.
Celeste (Blue Celeste, Honey Fig, Malta, Sugar, Violette)
Small to medium, skin is light violet to violet-brown, flesh reddish amber. Very sweet, usually dried. Light breba crop. Tightly closed eye, good for Southeast. Small, productive, hardy.
Conadria
Origin Ira Condit, Riverside 1956. First artificial hybrid fig. Fruit pale green, medium, flesh strawberry red. Mildly sweet. Good fresh, excellent dried. More productive than Adriatic but of lesser quality. Light breba crop. Tree vigorous, tends to excessive growth under irrigation, best in hot climates.
Croisic (Cordelia, Gillette, St. John)
Only edible caprifig. Fruits very early, only brebas are useful. Fruits pale yellow, small, pulp nearly white, without a lot of character. Tree low, dense, spreading. . For north coast and Pacific Northwest.
Desert King (Charlie, King)
Origin Madera, Calif. 1920. San Pedro type. Large, skin is deep green, minutely spotted white, pulp strawberry red. Sweet, delicious fresh or dried. Commonly matures good fruit without caprification near the coast. Tree highly vigorous. Hardy, best adapted to to cool areas such as the Pacific Northwest.
Excel
Origin W.B. Storey, Riverside, 1975. Large, skin is yellow, flesh light amber. Fruits practically neckless, blocky. Very sweet. Excellent, all-purpose fig. Light breba crop. Similar to Kadota but more productive. Tree vigorous, even rank. Does well in most parts of California.
Flanders
Origin I.J. Condit, Riverside, 1965. Seedling of White Adriatic. Medium, long neck, skin is brownish yellow with violet stripes, flesh amber. Strong, fine flavor. Excellent all-purpose fruit. Good breba crop. Ripens late. Tree vigorous but requires no great pruning. For south coastal California, San Joaquin Valley.
Judy
Origin Leonard Jessen, Pasadena, 1986. Probable seedling of California Brown Turkey. Large and broad, fruit is brown to black, pulp pink.
Kadota (Dottato, Florentine, White Kadota)
Medium, skin is yellowish green, flesh amber, tinged pink at center. Flavor rich. Resists souring. Little or no breba crop. Tree upright, requires annual pruning to slow growth. Requires hot, dry climate for best quality.
Len
Origin Leonard Jessen, Pasadena, 1984. Seedling of Black Mission. Fruit smaller than Mission, black, pulp pink, quite sweet.
Osborn's Prolific (Arachipel, Neveralla)
Medium to large, skin is dark reddish brown, flesh amber, often tinged pink. Very sweet, best fresh. Light breba crop. Tree upright, bare, will grow in shade. Ripens late. Only for north coast, Pacific Northwest. Poor in warm climates.
Panachee (Striped Tiger, Tiger)
Small to medium, skin is greenish yellow with dark green strips, flesh strawberry, dry but sweet. Best fresh. No breba crop. Requires long, warm growing season. Ripens late.
Tena
Origin W.B. Storey, Riverside, 1975. Small, skin is light green,flesh amber. Fine flavor. Good fresh or dried. Good breba crop. Bears heavily. Tree strong, dense. For coastal California and interior south.
Genoa (White Genoa)
Medium, skin is greenish yellow to white, flesh yellow-amber. Sweet, good fresh or dried. Light breba and main crops.Tree upright, requires constant annual pruning. Best adapted to cooler regions of the West. Very late in northern California, continuing to ripen even after first frosts.
Ventura
Large, skin is green, flesh deep red, long neck. Excellent flavor. Good fresh or dried. Good breba crop. Ripens late but matures well in cool areas. Compact tree.
Verte (Green Ischia)
Small, skin is greenish yellow, flesh strawberry. Excellent fresh or dried. Good breba crop. Small tree. Recommended for short-summer climates.
FURTHER READING
Condit. I. J. The Fig. Waltham, Mass., Chronica Botanica Co., 1947.
Condit, I. J. Fig Culture in California. Extension Service Circular 77, 1933.
Condit, I. J. Fig Varieties: A Monograph. Hilgardia 23:11 (Feb 1955).
Eisen, G. The Fig - Its History, Culture and Curing. U.S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin 9 . 1901.
Eisen, G. and F. S. Earle. Fig Culture. U.S. Department of Agriculture Bulletin 5, 1897.
Morton, Julia F. Fruits of Warm Climates. Creative Resources Systems, Inc. 1987. pp. 47-50.
Ortho Books. All About Citrus and Subtropical Fruits. Chevron Chemical Co. 1985. pp. 46-48.
Schurrie, H. The Fig. Timber Press Horticultural Reviews 12:409 (1990)
Starnes, H. N. The Fig in Georgia. Georgia Experiment Station Bulletin 61, 1903.
Starnes, H. N. and J. F, Monroe. The Fig in Georgia. (2nd Report). Georgia Experiment Station Bulletin 77.
See Index of CRFG Publications, 1969 - 1989 and annual indexes of Fruit Gardener for additional articles on the fig.
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Too late, but I was going to suggest re-using small yoghurt containers as popsicle molds. Insert scrubbed popsicle stick...presto.
Three Rs:
--Reduce (purchasing, consumption)
--Reuse
--Recycle
The first two Rs often get overlooked (by me, too, always consider me to be preaching to myself).
Leah, sounds like you're walking the walk. Thanks.
Hops
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Hops.... I was re using little containers but..... they overturned in the freezer regularly and that's a sticky mess to create on purpose.
I needed something I could re use that wouldn't keep bobbling about.
Also.... I had the unhappy "I WANT THAT ONE!" conversation with the children bc the containers were different sizes and shapes.
Now..... the molds will be the same same everything and no more mess.
Light
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Ummmmm..tt?
There's a certain kind of fig plant that requires cross-pollination 'by a special wasp.'
If this is the case...... then it will never set a good crop.
Best to put in a tree from cutting of one you know produces fruit.
I'll send you one of mine, if you'd like: )
Some other easily understood facts, sent to me by a friend.
Soil Prep: ALways use preplant soil test. If soil pH is low, adjust the pH to 5.5 to 6.5 with dolomitic limestone. Spread the limestone evently over the entire area where the figs will be planted, then till hte soil. If possible, till at least a 6-foot by 6-foot area where wach bush will be planted and at least 8 inches deep.
Seems simple enough :shock:
May be set as close as 10 feet apart in a row and 15 feet apart between rows if planting in bush form.
Before planting a bare root tree, prunse about one-third of its top, unless it was topped by the nursery.
Set trees in the planting hole 4 inches deeper than they were in the nursery to encourage low branching for bush form. (I guess we're going for bush form.) Fill the hole with soil; water heavily enough to settle the soil around the roots. Do not apply fertilizer in the hole at planting.
The article goes on about training the bush selecting three to eight vigorous, widely spraced shoots to serve as leaders, removing all other shoots. This to be done after the bush has grown through the first season..... late during hte winter.
Make sure the leaders are far enough apart to grow to 3 to 4 inches diameter without crowding each other. Very important!
If more branching is desired, head back the bush each spring beginning the second year after planting, after danger of frost is past but before growth has started. Do this by removing about one-third to one-half the length of the last year's growth.
Also, prune all dead wood and remove branches that interfere with the leaders' growth. Cut off low-growing lateral branches and all sucker growth that is not needed to replace broken leaders.
Do not leave bare, unproductive stubs when you prune. These stubs are entry points for wood decay organisms. Who knew? Make all pruning cuts back to a bud or branch.
Fertilization: Limit fertilizer..... use one's with analysis of 8-8- or 10-10-10 in areas with poor fertilization or crowding from other plants.
Apply 3 times a year to bushes you are trying to bring into full production: early spring, mid-May and mid-July. Mature bushes can be fertilized just once a year in the early spring.
On bushes 3 to 5 years old you are trying to bring into full production, apply 1/3 pound per foot of bush height per application. If the fruit are not reaching maturity and ripening properly, excess fertilizer or drought may be the problem; fertilization should be reduced.
Mature bushes 6 years and older should be fertolized once a year in early spring; half pound fertilizer per foot of height, up to 5 pounds per year. Scatter Fertilizer evenly under and around bush. A satisfactory amount of shoot growth for mature plants is about 1 foot per year.
WATERING: Rule of thumb: 1 5o 1 and a half inches of water per week from rain or irrigation is adequate. Yellowing and dropping of leaves may indicate drought.
MULCHING: Figs respond well to mulching with organic materials and may reduce nematode problems. TT have your soil analyzed to see if you have a nematode problem.
NEMATODES: Root-Knot nematodes are the leading killer of fig trees in South Georgia. This article is from the University of Georgia Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Cooperative Extension Services bc I'm in Georgia.
An on the spot dx of root knot infection is poosible. Dig up a few roots and look for the characteristic galling caused by the nematode. There is NO other similar problem in figs. There's a pic but you should look this up on the internet. I can't really explain it properly.
Root knot nematode infected fig trees CANNOT be cured with chemical treatment. Might as well select a new sight, far away from those darned nematodes, and take another sample. If nematodes are present, don't bother planting there either.
There's more on what can go wrong, Rust, Souring, pink blight (eek) and leaf blight (thread blight) but I'm not quite ready for that info yet.
So much to figure out.
Lighter
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I'm in Zone 6. Thinking of putting a row along the front sidewalk.
xo
Hops
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Hi lighter,
Well, my fig tree is suffering from a number of the things you mention. It is definitely in the region where fig trees thrive, but I'm now convinced that it needs to be in the intensive care unit! PH - needs lime. I know that from a test done several years ago. No other fig trees close by. I know where to get a cutting though from one that bears. I think it does need a prune since I planted it when very small. Fertilizing. I can do that now. Mulching. Have lots of that. This is very helpful :D. I think my fig is on it's way to good health. :D :D
Thanks,
tt
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Popsicle molds---try paper cups, 4 ounce playtex nursing bags, ice cube trays, ect....any thing you find that matches/resembles the size and amount you want them to be. Think out of the box for creative solutions, it's so much fun!
You can also find the actual molds thru Tupperware, and Rubbermaid type of manufacturers items. Dollar stores/outlets will probabley have them. Use wooden sticks, straws, coffee stir sticks, chopsticks, plastic utensils as handles. Nogadge
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OK... so I order the popsicle molds and my SIL walks in the door with some....
from Target.
Hmmm..... funny'ol world.
I made 4 strawberry and 4 pineapple/blueberry/watermelon, mmmmm.
Both soooo nice.
I guess we'll be the posicle house this summer.
Fine by me.
Thanks for the suggestions Ng.
Hops..... the bush I got my little bushes from is as big as 3 sheds.
Careful what you wish for my dear... they just might eat your sidewalk....
and yard.... and neighbors yard....
and house.
TT.... let me know how your figs bush grows along.
I'm definately moving my buddies bush on Sunday, after church.
Be exciting if we can get these bushes to produce.
::wishing ripe, sun warmed figs for us all::
Lighter
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Gardening…..
Spent yesterday (in 80+ degree weather) digging out plants and these monstrously huge tree-like bushes and re-planting cause we are putting in a retaining wall.
Well-worked sore and tired muscles; the scent of fresh turned earth filling my nostrils; the feel of nourishing the transplants in a new spot with plenty of water and fertilizer; dirt under my fingernails, cleaning them out; grilling shiskabobs [sp? – don’t give a fig ;)] of fresh pineapple, steak, pepper, and onion soaked in Italian dressing and herbs with baby red potatoes in foil, drenched in garlic, butter, and seasonings (ok, I admit it, I am hungry!) – and how much everything tasted better when I lifted the food with my tired, sore muscles.
The best part – helping my five year old save the worms from certain shovel death. And boy did we find A LOT of the slimy little buggers – of course I refused to touch them - and did she ever have a huge, belly laugh at my fear of worms……”mommy – they can NOT hurt you!!!! They are NICE!!!” (I can handle fish, mice, frogs, crawfish….but worms, snakes, and spiders – not going there!)
Yesterday was a good day in 3-D, I can still smell the scent of soil.
Thanks Light,
Peace
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FP....
why did I not remember you have a 5yo, too?
And.....
::groaning at the thought of shishkebobs and red potatoes on the grill....mmmmmmm::
I love mommy food (some other mama cooked: )
::raising smoothy::
To saving the worms.....
and other important tasks, 5yo's undertake.
Lighter
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SPRINGGGGGGG
I hope and pray my back will get stronger and let me really dig and heave the way I used to. Well, no heaving. But digging....
I was actually asking if anyone has experience growing BLUEBERRIES, Lighter...I changed the subject line but that's easy to miss. I don't have enough room for a fig tree, but ohhh it sounds lovely.
I was thinking of putting a row of blueberry bushes along my front sidewalk, perhaps with a small pickety fence behind them. The fence, because I have a future small dog in mind (my big one's never been able to use the front yard much since she's aggressive with other dogs, but it'd be fun one day to have a new little companion out in the front garden w/me while I putter).
Blueberries? Zone 6? Clay soil?
:?
Hops
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We planted 4 very nice blueberry bushes at my father's several years back.
They haven't produced or grown much.
Plant them in peat is all I know.
Must do some research on them this year too and see if I can't get them producing as well as the figs: /
I hope you have plenty of sun there.... and that blueberrys thrive for you: )
Lighter
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Heard today there is a shortage of figs in Turkey, which reminds me guess where I am going in a weeks time ........yep, Turkey and if I come across any figs I will eat them and think of you Lighter.......oh for some sunshine. Don't know anything about growing blueberries.......miss my garden now that I am in the city....loved all that pottering.
axa
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Then you must plant little pots of lovely (insert approprate plants) whatever grows heartily in your city.
Herbs and panseys always make my heart happier.
My Grandma used to plant purple and yellow pansies... they remind me of her.
Lighter
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Thanks, Lighter...for the peat, too. I never knew that.
I have a well-drained sidewalk edge, slight slope down.
Full sun.
I hope you have many blooms and fragrant herbs, all the comfort of nature...
Axa, how I envy your travels! TURKEY? Any special reason? You going alone?
Be careful ...
xo
Hops
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Too late, but I was going to suggest re-using small yoghurt containers as popsicle molds. Insert scrubbed popsicle stick...presto.
Three Rs:
--Reduce (purchasing, consumption)
--Reuse
--Recycle
The first two Rs often get overlooked (by me, too, always consider me to be preaching to myself).
Leah, sounds like you're walking the walk. Thanks.
Hops
Hi Hops,
As I mentioned last year, on simplicity thread, I have been into "recycling" and "reusing" for over 10 years now.
Huge Compost Makers in the garden of each house, which I started to learn "how to" back in 1992 - and I am amazed just how the years have flown by, as I share this. I was very 'green' then - excuse the pun, and learned much of "how to" in the garden, with my gardening books on the patio table - which makes me laugh now, at the memory of it all. Precious happy memories with my son, who had his 'children's garden seeds' pack, and the expression on his dear face as he ran to his own little seed/flower bed each day, to check the progress of each young growing plant.
Almost everything out of the kitchen goes into the Compost Makers - including eggshells (though eggshells crushed and placed around young seedlings - keeps pests from crawling up the stems and munching!) and all newspapers go into the Compost Maker - as dry material.
Aluminium Foil - I have not used that for years now - as what happens to that in the Landfill site? It is not bio-degradable.
Anyway, I could take for hours on the subject, as we do at the local charitable environmental group, that I am an active member of.
Looking forward to Sunday, going with a group on an annual "Bluebell Woods" walk.
I hope you enjoy your weekend.
Love, Leah
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Hi all,
Peace - I so enjoyed reading of your garden toils and pleasure - also, the 80+ degrees, and food, captured pleasant thoughts!
Blueberries - I am growing them for the first time, this year. (The supermarket blueberries come from either Poland or Mexico).
Herbs - have built that up over the last 3 years years, to include Hyssop and many other unusual, and useful, herbs.
I am fascinated by Herbs - including, making ones own creams and remedies.
Maybe I should have been a 'herbalist' ? lol.
Love, Leah
Axa - wow, off on your travels, how wonderful, do enjoy Turkey, and please take good care of you whilst there.
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Garden pix, Leah? I'd love to see...
And any basic blueberry advice would be terrif.
But I don't need to be lazy, I can look it up...I used to work at the company that publishes Organic Gardening, spent time at their experimental farm, we even had compostable plates in the company cafeteria...I haven't produced gardens like you but have been mildly obsessed anyway.
Really enjoying this gardening thread that came from your figgie pudding, Lighter thank you!
Hops
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Hops.... Blueberries love full sun. Sounds like you have good growing space for them.
My in laws grow and pick gallon after gallon every year..... I used to make 3 cobblers a week.
Of course, they're quite nice drenched in cream and sugar, fresh and cold. I love bananas that way too.
Leah.... I composted years ago. Now that bins grown over with ivy. I have 2 big rain barrells that seemed like a great idea at the time.
Then I was up to my elbows in babies and renovations.
They haven't had much use, I'm afraid. \
Lighter
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I have blueberries and I never get to eat them. Well some but the neighborhood kids eat them including my own. Beats them coming in a thousands times for snack though and a healthy one at that.
Love
Deb
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I can't think of a better summertime snack.... than blueberries off the vine.
Lighter
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RAIN BARRELS!
I'm going to a rainbarrel workshop next month at a local brewery. $35 gets us a 55-gal. barrel and all the fittings.
I am very excited about that.
Car washing in drought? No guilt!
Best one I've seen is www.aquabarrel.com (http://www.aquabarrel.com). I think I'll order those parts instead of using the usual kit with screen.
I love the idea of kids swiping your blueberries. What a lovely notion. What a gift to them.
I'm glad I'll be planting mine by the street. High school kids from the school across the park wander this way sometimes.
xxxxxxxxxoooooooo
Hops
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I have waterbarrels - my seedlings love the enriched water.
Did you know that you can grow Watercress (which I love with fish) on the top of your waterbarrel?
I only found out last year, and had a go - and it worked.
Just something that will suspend into the top of the water and fill it with compost (from composter of course!) and enjoy!
Love, Leah
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My waterbarrels were real old whiskey barrels..... can't take the tops off.
Do your barrells have lids that come off, Leah?
Lighter
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Oh, I did not think of that, Lighter
I have one that has no lid at all, because it is a re-used item - huge plastic cylindrical container (from a farm) and I painted it green.
Then the other waterbarrel has a removable lid.
So, if you have sealed topped waterbarrels then you can't do Watercress in there, only option would be to catch rainwater in something else, open topped, if you would like to grow some Watercress.
I have seen beer barrels cut in half and used as flower planters, and they looked lovely.
Leah x
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These barrells are lovely and actually came smelling of whiskey.....
so....
::expecting token pat on head from Hops for recycling::
I love watercress, btw.
Just couldn't picture it growing happily under water...... or out the tiny hole drilled in barrel for tubing. :shock:
Lighter
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Happily taking my favorite shovel and pruning shears in truck..... they belonged to my Grandfather, who kept them oiled and in perfect maintenance.
Must remember to take bag of soil enrichment.
A handful of crystals that absorb water and keep roots wet during dry periods.
What else....
gloves and clothes to work in.
Yes.
I'm going to lop off the top third of that bush and plant it in a new big deep hole, sans fertilizer. Can't wait to see if it thrives in it's new sunny spot: )
Lighter
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::patpatpatpatpat!::
Wot kind of bush??
:)
'ops the gahdnah
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Heh.... I forgot to mentoin that, didn't I?
It's the fig bush that started this thread..... my church friend's listless little, planted in the shade specimen.
Gonna see if I can't us a bunch of figs: )
Lighter
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Missed Church but enjoyed a nice cup of tea at Auntie H's before I dug up the fig tree.
Then I dug up an apple tree, replacing it with the fig. There were 4 leaders and it looked healthy enough. About 4 feet tall and the leaves were healthy and green. She said she got 5 figs from it last year.
Lots of wonderful root breaking work involved and I adored every minute of it.
Hit a brick and thought I broke a small bone.
Ouch.
Didn't swell so took 2 tylenol and dug up 6! hosta's from the too sunny front yard.
One lone little crocus had to go too and all ended up happily situation by a shaded lushly occupied fence in backyard.
Exactly as I'd planned it.
That took about 4 hours of digging, dragging, mixing, watering and...
OH! OH!
One of the very best things about my day.
Right behind the fig tree was this lovely Rose bush... the medium sized pink blossoms looked like peonies..... so beautiful. They smelled like sweet old fashioned roses.... very very nice!
My friend said she'd lopped it all back to the ground, thinking it was just a thorny weed.
What a lovely surprise and I got to take home a few vines... it's a climbing variety.... can't wait to find a place for it.
We'll get a trellis for the one in her back yard then start moving all kinds of things about. The yard is planted very spotty.... must group everything together so it makes sense. Same with same and make sure their in the right sun/shade situation.
I feel so much better having dealt with the fig and getting the hosta squared away.
What a wonderful day. And my buddy was just so pleased..... wonderful day: )
Girls bathed and in bed..... had a lovely visit with their cousins.
::counting blessings::
Lighter
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Hi,
There is a woods behing my mom's house. So of course that is where you'd find lots of leaf mulch. I want to harvest some of the mulch to put around my fig tree which should be in the garden hospital.
Question: I have leaf mulch which is raw and I have leaf mulch which has been burnt to ash. Is one preferable to the other? I have plenty of either.
Burnt leaves - is the ash good in any specific ways for gardening that anyone knows about?
Thanks,
tt
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Hmm, TT.
I think ash is good for certain soil PH so you'd want to google that...maybe do a soil test first?
(I've never done one but I keep reading gardeners who know what they're about do it...)
I used rotted leaves.
Are there rotted leaves you can dig down to?
We had a bunch left in bags in our back woods, and now they're perfect compost.
xo
Hops
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::accepting token pat::
:D
Hops... the one thing I feel not so great about is that I didn't take out my Grandfather's tools, properly clean and oil them.
I didn't put them back in their proper place, (they don't have one right now, frankly.)
I left them, dirty, in the back to the truck for use today. :shock:
I'm trying to wrap my mind around putting off gratification of food to DO that part of the job.
Really.
I was just famished and had only a bite that morning to carry me through the entire day, which is a good thing, don't get me wrong.
I could have packed raisins.
::tapping foot::
I could have stopped for a grilled chicken sandwich on the way home.
I could have brought or borrowed WD40 and finished the job on site. :?
But back to the lovely day..... it was drizzly and cool and overcast and perfectly perfect for planting.
What can I say?
I'll honor my Grandfather this morning.....
::putting guilt away::
TT.... I used leaves for mulc, once. I think the do a fine job but.... they tend to blow around a bit.
::going to google info on burning leaves::
Oh Lordy, tt.... don't look.
If you mulch them up.... you'll have tons of lovely organic composte.
Apparently the burning takes away those nutrients and causes lots of smoke bc burn at a low temp.
Burned leaves do seem to add a bit to higher soil PH, for what that's worth. Not much but.... if yours is low, and you have the ash?
Lighter
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(((( Lighter ))))
So glad that you are enjoying your gardening.
May your labors produce much "fruit"!
Happy for you.
Love, Leah
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I am enjoying it, Leah.
Thanks,
Lighter
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Your Herb Garden sounds wonderful Amber,
all this sharing of our love and enjoyment of gardening, has brought back to me, some very happy memories of my dear Aunt, who had "green fingers" and I believe, she most likely was my inspiration.
Many happy days spent with my dear Aunt, in her greenhouse, and I most likely "watched and learned" at a young age.
Love, Leah
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Feeling quite saddened at the moment, as I have just watched a report of men, women, and children, starving, as they cannot buy staple food, as the staple food prices have tripled.
Little children with empty distended stomachs, because they are hungry, malnourished.
Reason being:
The food crops grown - is being bought up by the hungry West - for Bio Fuel.
Leah x
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Amber.... I have a friend who visits Provance France every year.
She brings me lovely lavendar scented oils and soaps...... stories and photos of the lavendar fields she adores.
I know she grows several varieties herself.
Always a pleasure to walk through her garden.... the lemon thyme smells just like LEMON!
I grow rosemary.... a wee bit out of control I'm afraid.
Just glad it's thriving.
The one lavendar plant I put in got huge then I lopped it off and it never came back.
The roses I planted in my old yard are huge and beautiful right now.... pleasure to see that today.
Lighter
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Lighter
your posts are wonderful and I wish I was your little girl who you are showing and teaching all these things.
will you adopt me?
Pweeese
Issee
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::Picturing you rolling through my brother's backyard with me, touching hosta, ferns and pond plants::.
Hmmmmm...... how would I get you on dat twee swing?
We'd manage and I wish I could adopt you......
Lighter
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I spent a bit of time researching climbing roses this morning.
So enjoyable.
I didn't find anything similar to the lovely little rose I brought home from AH's house the other day.
I saw similar roses but without pointy petals, if that makes sense.
Honestly, these pink blossoms looks so much like peopnies.... just amazing.
Lighter
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::picturing doing that seed
sprout
ing.....
thing, lol::
Sounds wonderful but I have to be honest and admit I've neever sprouted a seed in my life, lol.
With a bit of research and suggestoins from you guys.... I think that would be a lovely activity.
Please post a pic of your garden, Amber..... and I'll think about how I'll go about finding.... err....
harvesting.....
ummm.....
plucking.....
whatever it is I must do.....
to find seeds....
from my plants.
I'm guessing that some things will be easier to send a rooted bit? Bulb, etc.
Cuban basil and lavendar.....
Unsure of how to go about this but it sounds lovely!
Lighter
ps... I so want others to enjoy this beautiful pink rose and.... maybe you can find the name of it: )
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hi lighter,
Go to Google and choose Images. Type in rose and you just might find a twin.
xx
Izzy
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Sprout!
Thats my pet name for my daughter.
tt
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I googled and viewd many o many climbing rose specimens, Izz.
Just didn't see MY rose among'em.
Picture a light pink peonie.....
with pointy petals....
that's my rose.
Found similar with rounded petals....
not my rose: )
Lighter
ps... the guy who mowes the yard used an edging tool yesterday and lopped off about a foot of my vines.....
hmmmmm.
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Lighter:
here's the link to Jackson & Perkins website; maybe they'll have your rose... maybe your rose is a wonderful old heirloom, too and RARE...
http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/gifts/store/BECHomePageView?storeId=10053&catalogId=10005&langId=-1&cm_mmc=Search-_-Brand-_-Google-_-jackson%2520%2526%2520perkin
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Thanks, Amber....
::wondering when I'll have time to peek::
Lighter