Sally's GF3 thread

[Sally PB]

I've never lived anywhere that I had to burn a wood stove for heat during the summer, so you're problem is beyond my scope of understanding, sorry.

Thanks for the input, anyway.

I've lived in Michigan all my life. I don't see myself living anywhere else; 61 year old roots run very deep.

We had a wood stove in the house I lived in as a teen. Mom and stepdad installed it in 1974, the middle of the oil embargo, when gas prices spiked (for that time anyway; laughable by today's standard), and there were lines at the gas stations. The house was all electric baseboard heat.

Wood stoves weren't common, and we bought it mid-January. It was expensive, and paid for itself that winter.

Where we are now, we have as much wood as we can use on our own property. The cost is the chainsaw, the gas and oil, and the labor (ours). We invested in a wood splitter last year. Splitting wood gets to be really hard on your joints, the older you are. The splitter is a beast and will probably outlast us.

If we had to buy the wood, there wouldn't be much savings.

 

[Sally PB]

It is officially Japanese Beetle season. I found 4, all on my asparagus. I started walking my usual hunting route, but didn't find any. They aren't on the grapevines yet. The ground is making a loud, humming, buzz. I think it's the beetles coming up.

The sweet potato slips are looking good, just very small. There are a lot of volunteer potatoes there, since it was the potato bed last year. (I have never NOT had volunteers.) I dug the taters that will be too close to the sweet potatoes, even though the potato plants are still growing. I figured I should do it now, and not disturb the sweet potatoes that WILL GROW THERE later.

And, I got enough potatoes to make roasted potatoes. I used 3 cloves of garlic, along with some powdered garlic. Thinking of you, @U_Stormcrow; I didn't want to be found wanting in the garlic department.

I planted a row of beans in what had been my potato onion bed (aka "multiplier onions). I moved the onions to the other end of the garden. Beans (and peas) don't play well with the alliums, so this is an experiment to see if they'll grow where the onions were. So far, the news is: They'll sprout. I have a row of beans coming up.

While I was weeding, I was serenaded by someone doing target practice. That made me want to get my Bullseye guns out and go punch holes in paper. The National Pistol Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, are next week. I haven't been to Camp Perry in uh... 18 years... Dang, where did that time go?

Bullseye Pistol is an accuracy game. No moving targets, same course of fire every match. A perfect score is 2700. It's never been done, at least on record. 2680 is the record.
https://competitions.nra.org/results-and-records/national-records/

I think my personal record is only around 2550ish. Very middle of the road, and nothing to brag about.

 

[aart]

I used 3 cloves of garlic

I think you planted garlic last year, yeah?
Is it close to harvest?
My bro did his(NY) this weekend.

 

[Iluveggers]

@Sally PB I have been eating so many scapes. Think my garlic is a week or two out from harvest. I leave 1 scape on (out of the 150 planted), and when it loses its curly top I know it’s time to pick it! 75 to keep, 75 to sell.

I hope yours comes out with nice big bulbs!

 

[Sally PB]

I think you planted garlic last year, yeah?
Is it close to harvest?
My bro did his(NY) this weekend.

I planted 60 cloves, and the Great Washout in April removed 6. I think it's nearly ready to dig.

The garlic I'm using now is from the missed ones that grew from last year's crop. (Volunteers, like the potatoes.) I dug them out a couple of weeks ago. Not ready, but I wanted to get them out of that bed and use it for something else. The cloves are smaller than the gigantic ones I'm used to, but oh! fresh garlic!

I have been eating so many scapes. Think my garlic is a week or two out from harvest. I leave 1 scape on (out of the 150 planted), and when it loses its curly top I know it’s time to pick it! 75 to keep, 75 to sell.

Can you elaborate on that? Does the scape straighten back out...? I'd only heard the "a few brown leaves, and dig one to check" ways of telling if they're ready.

 

[Iluveggers]

I planted 60 cloves, and the Great Washout in April removed 6. I think it's nearly ready to dig.

The garlic I'm using now is from the missed ones that grew from last year's crop. (Volunteers, like the potatoes.) I dug them out a couple of weeks ago. Not ready, but I wanted to get them out of that bed and use it for something else. The cloves are smaller than the gigantic ones I'm used to, but oh! fresh garlic!

Can you elaborate on that? Does the scape straighten back out...? I'd only heard the "a few brown leaves, and dig one to check" ways of telling if they're ready.

The scape will get straighter as the garlic gets ready to pick. They start off with a big curl and start uncurling. I can take a picture for you as it gets closer if you want!

 

[Iluveggers]

The scape will get straighter as the garlic gets ready to pick. They start off with a big curl and start uncurling. I can take a picture for you as it gets closer if you want!

Not sure who showed me this method, but it’s been pretty good! I also look at leaves. When there are only 5 green left at the top, it’s also a great indicator.

 

[aart]

I'd only heard the "a few brown leaves, and dig one to check" ways of telling if they're ready.

This^^^ is correct.

When there are only 5 green left at the top, it’s also a great indicator.

It's more about how many leaves have died off at the bottom.
The more that have died off the fewer layers of protection the head of cloves has during storage.

 

[Sally PB]

I can take a picture for you as it gets closer if you want!

Yes please!

 

[Sally PB]

I'll take a picture later to show what they look like. I have to go back out to retrieve my water bottle anyway.

My (very productive) weeding session was interrupted by a yellow jacket who was upset with me. To be fair, I think I jammed a trowel into its nest.