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Post by richardw on Feb 4, 2018 17:39:29 GMT -5
I'm pleased that you say they are doing that well, keep ya updated.
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Post by reed on Feb 15, 2018 17:53:53 GMT -5
I was wondering about that. Generally when it gets warm like this there are more cold spells on the way. I kinda got a feeling that might not happen this year, we have been in 40s and 50s and above freezing at night for some time and supposed to get warmer. Hope I haven't missed my chance. Think I'll walk down there tomorrow and check it out. I just want to give it a try, one gallon of syrup is plenty.
I looked it up one time but how many gallons of sap would it take to make that gallon of syrup?
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Post by mskrieger on Feb 26, 2018 17:05:23 GMT -5
I was wondering about that. Generally when it gets warm like this there are more cold spells on the way. I kinda got a feeling that might not happen this year, we have been in 40s and 50s and above freezing at night for some time and supposed to get warmer. Hope I haven't missed my chance. Think I'll walk down there tomorrow and check it out. I just want to give it a try, one gallon of syrup is plenty. I looked it up one time but how many gallons of sap would it take to make that gallon of syrup? Depends on many variables but it should be in the range of 20-30 gallons of sap makes one gallon of syrup. Consistent temps 40 plus during the days and above freezing at nights is a sure sign that sap will be flowing, probably already is there. I've seen buckets in the woods around here--it's been sugaring weather lately in Connecticut, although the nights have been kind of warm lately, not had a freeze for a week already! May not be the best sugaring season if it continues warm like this... |
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Post by reed on Feb 27, 2018 12:54:40 GMT -5
I gave up on the idea of syrup for this year. Way too warm and wet for too long and buds swelling on the trees. I'm going to be more alert next year to catch it much earlier. I'v never done it before and don't know what I'm doing but I think late January early February might be better time to look for it.
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Post by khoomeizhi on Feb 28, 2018 5:02:50 GMT -5
In mountainous north carolina we had sap running pretty good 2 weeks ago. Our window's generally pretty short, though.
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Post by reed on Feb 28, 2018 10:23:09 GMT -5
I imagine it is still possible here but the end of winter beginning of spring is so blurred now. I think a person would really have to know what they are doing to tell when the time is right. Plus there are not nearly as many big sugar maple trees as there used to be. They were one of the most common yard trees but nearly all of the big ones died off a couple decades ago.
Most big ones that are left have dead areas and many have black slimy stuff covering part or all of the trunks. I'd be afraid of getting some kind of fungus toxin from those. The ones at the bottom of my hill are plenty big enough I think and appear to be healthy. One reason I never tried to make syrup in years past was fear of doing them harm. I know it isn't supposed to hurt them and maybe in the old days it didn't but with other issues affecting them I was just a little spooked about it. Still I want to try it, just once, and plan to give my best shot next year.
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Post by richardw on Mar 5, 2018 2:15:31 GMT -5
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Post by reed on Mar 5, 2018 5:12:43 GMT -5
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Post by richardw on Mar 5, 2018 15:40:32 GMT -5
A purple would be lovely, any day now the other three should start to open.
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Post by richardw on Mar 5, 2018 15:42:29 GMT -5
So will these bushes die during winter or are they perennial?
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Post by reed on Mar 5, 2018 18:51:22 GMT -5
They're perennial but an individual plant only lives two or three seasons. They die down completely and come back up from the roots. I propagate by cutting them down when the seeds are ready and shaking them in the breeze all around the yard. Apparently they do well cultivated, I'v never seen them as large as yours.
On their own they do best under trees or mixed in the berry patches, places where they don't have a lot of competition with grass or other things.
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Post by richardw on Mar 6, 2018 1:44:24 GMT -5
They did so well i reckon because - one they were grown in the veg garden with no competition and two, started off early winter and grown inside the tunnelhouse, so they got a good start.
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Post by reed on Mar 11, 2018 5:52:39 GMT -5
Well shucks, very little of anything survived through winter this year. None of my B oleracea, none of my B rapa not even turnips which always come through fine made it this year. Only thing out there is what I believe to be wild mustard. Fine with me, if wild mustard genes is what it takes to make my winter hardy greens, that's what I'll use. A single lettuce lived but it is a different kind than what lived prior seasons. It has very wrinkled,frilly leaves, I transplant and pamper it to make sure I get seeds. Not one oat or barley plant made it, I'm very disappointed in that. I'm gonna replant some more very soon. There are two plants which I believe to be wheat. I'll pamper them too. I'm shocked that no turnips made it as at least a few always do and all are descended from those that did in prior years. It only got to -14 F last year which isn't quite as cold as the year before but it did it twice with a warmer period between. Lots of stuff still looked pretty good after the first spell but the second one took it all down. Onions and garlic are looking fine now but even they were burned in the second cold snap. We've had a few frosty mornings last week or so but it hasn't been real cold for quite awhile. It's drying out too. I what to get some things in the ground. I might have already done so but a wind storm dropped a big dead tree on my back garden. It took out my fence and covered 1/2 the area with it's crown. It's all cut up for firewood and fence is fixed but still got to get all the wood and bark cleaned up. I'm debating on whether to get the tiller out or to try going completely no-till this year. I'm leaning toward no-till at least for part of the garden. richardw , have the other asters bloomed? Did you get a purple one? |
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Post by richardw on Mar 11, 2018 12:59:12 GMT -5
Another aster is starting to open atm, should know its colour by Wednesday i reckon, that leaves one more which is quite a way behind the other two.
The no-till, no dig in my case works so well that it would be great if the smaller one metre wide beds could be done that way too, i only dig this beds so as to bury the compost.
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Post by ferdzy on Mar 11, 2018 13:15:05 GMT -5
I'm shocked that no turnips made it as at least a few always do and all are descended from those that did in prior years. It only got to -14 F last year which isn't quite as cold as the year before but it did it twice with a warmer period between. Lots of stuff still looked pretty good after the first spell but the second one took it all down. Yeah, the freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw cycle is what gets stuff. This is the time of the year, here, where I go out and gloat over all the things that survived the winter; but in another month 90% will probably be gone and that's why. I'd rather a good hardish winter with lots of snow cover to a "mild" one with freeze-thawing see-sawing. |
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