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Post by philagardener on Jul 5, 2015 20:05:05 GMT -5
Picked my first Chalk's Early Jewel this afternoon! Weighed in at 6 3/4 oz. This is a local heirloom, introduced in 1899 by James Chalk in nearby Norristown PA and distributed widely by both Stokes and Burpee over a century ago. Unfortunately, it's hard to find now, so I am glad to see it doing well in PA soil once again! Now that's local flavor
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Post by philagardener on Jul 1, 2015 14:28:22 GMT -5
That means they really can't be Oxheart, doesn't it?
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Post by philagardener on Jun 28, 2015 22:27:09 GMT -5
Interestingly, Peace Seedlings describes Opal Creek as a heat tolerant variety. I also was a bit disappointed in Opal Creek's pod size when I grew it last year, but it did seem reasonably productive for me.
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Post by philagardener on Jun 28, 2015 22:09:28 GMT -5
May that be some good MoeJoe!
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Post by philagardener on Jun 27, 2015 19:14:57 GMT -5
Sorry to hear the weather is being a challenge for you too. We had a severe front go through the mid-Atlantic earlier this week and it left more folks without electricity than following Superstorm Sandy. My garden did OK but lots of trees came down in the area and are still being cleaned up. One step at time.
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Post by philagardener on Jun 23, 2015 18:03:58 GMT -5
Philagardener: Black raspberries are the best. Pennsylvania is the epicenter of black raspberry happiness. Might try to grow them up here at some point...any favorite cultivars? Bristol has done by far the best for me so I am glad to recommend it. I had difficulty getting them established, but after that they have been very reliable. Berries are a bit small but the plants make up for that by bearing in quantity. I use a food mill to remove the seeds from about half of a batch to make what seems to me a good jam.
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Post by philagardener on Jun 23, 2015 6:42:03 GMT -5
We finally bought a farm this spring and are working on getting things in the ground. Sounds like wonderful news!
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Post by philagardener on Jun 22, 2015 20:58:38 GMT -5
I've had a nice crop of black raspberries and put up a batch of jam just yesterday. Red raspberries are not far behind.
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Post by philagardener on Jun 22, 2015 20:51:16 GMT -5
Japanese beetles bothering the corn a little bit. They seem to like the the su sweet best. Discovered an unexpected ally the other day. I think it is one of those borer bees that I try to run out of the shed rafters. Never occurred to me it was a predator. Great picture of a robber fly! It is a bumble bee mimic and a voracious predator. Note the fleshy pads on the feet - you will never see those on a bee. Check out this page for an exact match. And yes, they like Japanese beetles (although they will eat all kinds of things, including good pollinators too).
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Post by philagardener on Jun 21, 2015 18:07:31 GMT -5
templeton , any particular reason that you plant the greenhouse peas in styrofoam boxes? Does that keep them insulated from daily temperature swings, or are they just something that was available?
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Post by philagardener on Jun 21, 2015 6:53:27 GMT -5
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Post by philagardener on Jun 21, 2015 6:52:00 GMT -5
Thanks for the tour, T! Your garden looks really nice!
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Post by philagardener on Jun 20, 2015 19:57:43 GMT -5
As long as you have a public URL address for the image it should work, regardless of where it is uploaded. On some photo sharing sites that is easier to find than on others.
Album page addresses do not work, and that is the most common reason for difficulty.
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Post by philagardener on Jun 18, 2015 6:20:44 GMT -5
Good use for it! If you haven't already done so, you might want to cover that compost pile with a black plastic sheet to get it cooking ASAP. Johnson grass is pretty aggressive stuff.
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Post by philagardener on Jun 17, 2015 20:56:45 GMT -5
Looks like things are off to a good start. Nice sunflowers coming along!
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