What did you do in the garden today?

[Acre4Me]

After digging up the roots, and getting rid of them, I found out yesterday that we are supposed to kill the flowers, and not the roots.
let me find the article...

Quick & Dirty Morning Glory Control​

• Although morning glory makes for a beautiful plant, the mature vines create the biggest problem. You will want to take them down with a sheet below the plant to catch any falling seeds. A trellised morning glory usually has hundreds of seeds waiting to fall to the soil below and germinate the following spring.
• Pinch the heads off of any morning glories peeking out of the soil to prevent the sun from providing the majority of the energy that feeds into the plant.
• Do not pull morning glory weeds up from the roots. Although it sounds counter-intuitive, pulling the roots creates new, more numerous fibrous roots. These roots spread underground and help cultivate the plant in new locations, many feet away. This is why morning glory is considered an invasive species, perhaps second only to the kudzu plant.

https://dengarden.com/gardening/How-to-Get-Rid-of-Morning-Glory-Safely-Permanently

Good to know, and what I was suspicious of. However, I’ve been able to remove a lot of whole, intact roots. I’m trying to catch all bits too. Basically if they come up around the edge of the bed, I’ll cut/pinch and possibly spray it with something. But, we were trying to avoid spraying the actual bed and related soil.

last year, I think I made it worse bc I put plastic on the bed during June into July. The roots I think just bulked up. So, I found many large root clumps in the middle of the bed.

To this point, I wonder if:

1. I should leave the bed fallow this entire season, turn and get rid of roots or alternatively allow them to come up in the fallow bed and spray them at that point.

2. Keep going through the bed until mid-May then use it for plantings. That bed will likely get beans (pole and bush) planted in it if I use it this year.

3. A hybrid approach. Turn over bed repeatedly or let MG grow and spray/kill it through early/mid July, then begin to plant fall
items, bush beans, beets, carrots, as examples.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Good to know, and what I was suspicious of. However, I’ve been able to remove a lot of whole, intact roots. I’m trying to catch all bits too. Basically if they come up around the edge of the bed, I’ll cut/pinch and possibly spray it with something. But, we were trying to avoid spraying the actual bed and related soil.

last year, I think I made it worse bc I put plastic on the bed during June into July. The roots I think just bulked up. So, I found many large root clumps in the middle of the bed.

To this point, I wonder if:

1. I should leave the bed fallow this entire season, turn and get rid of roots or alternatively allow them to come up in the fallow bed and spray them at that point.

2. Keep going through the bed until mid-May then use it for plantings. That bed will likely get beans (pole and bush) planted in it if I use it this year.

3. A hybrid approach. Turn over bed repeatedly or let MG grow and spray/kill it through early/mid July, then begin to plant fall
items, bush beans, beets, carrots, as examples.

The only thing we’ve found that kills it is spraying for several years in a row several times a year. You could probably get similar affects by cutting them to the ground with scissors before they flower. They don’t need disturbed soil to spout either. They like to come up all over the lawn here.

 

[Acre4Me]

Onion seeds - two kinds. They need it hot to sprout, and it seems to have worked.

Here are a few of the sprouts just peeking out

Other starts: top bin are gourds. They are difficult. Take a long time to sprout and seems viability is lower than other seeds. But there are luffa and birdhouse that are the largest right now. Next bins are all tomatoes and peppers (with one of squash)

My mini greenhouse - keeping the youngest ones warm and protected. Top shelf has Marigolds, and pepper/tomato starts. Lower shelf has marigolds and more tomato/pepper starts (that haven't sprouted yet).

Rain, wind, thunderstorms on tap this afternoon, evening, so they will all come inside within the next hour.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I'm jealous....lol. None of my sprouts look like that. However, my established plants have exploded overnight. I'm not exaggerating when I say that many plants (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, etc) have all grown 3-5 inches almost literally overnight. I went out Tuesday night and planted the Marshall strawberry starts that just arrived (thanks Penny!) because I knew it was going to rain on Wed. I also planted the 5 replacement trees that Arbor Foundation sent me. Of course, it rained quite a bit yesterday. I went out and looked at everything this morning and was amazed at the growth. Taking off like a rocket ship.... Even the plants that were damaged by the light frost last week are looking like they are trying to recover. They are sending out new leaves. Of course, the WEEDS are also going crazy.... I haven't had a chance to weed anything yet. And one thing about new seedlings in the ground is that it is hard to tell the seedling from a weed sprout sometimes...

And naturally, I need to get more tires filled because I have a TON of other stuff left to plant.... the replacement alpine strawberry seeds I ordered, nasturtiums, poppies, cosmos, and a bunch of other beneficial flowers. I still have at least a dozen seedlings to plant (tomatoes & peppers mostly). I also have the Pink Lady apple tree and French Plum trees to get planted. The apple trees are flowering like crazy! Lastly, Springhill Nursery sent me half of my backyard flower order - honeysuckle, a peony, and several tuber rose plants. I haven't even STARTED on the backyard.

I think my gardening is becoming a full time job! I may have bitten off more than I can chew...ha ha.

ETA - oh! I almost forgot! My yacon plants have shipped too! They will be here tomorrow! You have no idea how excited I am about this.....

 

[AmeliaBedelia]

The only thing we’ve found that kills it is spraying for several years in a row several times a year. You could probably get similar affects by cutting them to the ground with scissors before they flower. They don’t need disturbed soil to spout either. They like to come up all over the lawn here.

I would snip them all at ground level, slip a sheet under them, then gather the stems. The sheet should catch seeds. You can also buy herbicides you drip on the "open wound" after you cut to poison the plant. That avoids poisoning the whole area.

 

[Acre4Me]

and one thing about new seedlings in the ground is that it is hard to tell the seedling from a weed sprout sometimes...

So True! I think my Marigiolds that I planted directly in the raised beds last year got "weeded" by one of us.

However, my established plants have exploded overnight. I'm not exaggerating when I say that many plants (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, grapes, etc) have all grown 3-5 inches almost literally overnight.

Love it when that happens! It reaches some magical temp/sun quotient and BAM! tons of growth!

I think my gardening is becoming a full time job! I may have bitten off more than I can chew...ha ha.

Absolutely! Always something to do!

 

[NewBoots]

Got tons done yesterday - got the mulch pulled back & fertilized all the berry bushes, garlic & shallots & then got them remulched. Side dressed & mulched the onions. Planted some bean seeds in the garden & was flipping the plexiglass in place, it hit my big toenail & ripped it 97% off. So,

AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I hope your poor toe gets better fast.

It's funny, I purposely grow morning glory on my fence, but it doesn't get invasive here. I'm not sure if it's a different kind, of if our winters just kill it. If I don't let it reseed it does not come back the next year. The hummingbirds love it.

The weed that everyone hates (me too) is called Bind Weed around here and are generally white or pale pink flowered. Morning Glories come in lots of colors and are a beautiful climbing plant and lots of folks confuse it with the cursed Bind Weed. My favorite color is the most common and hardy, deep purple one. And that said, the deep purple will reseed pretty freely but is easy to pull out if you decide to. I love them and we planted some in a out of the way place in the back garden.

I've learned a couple things recently: Comfrey is as great a compost tea as Borage is, and using really stinky compost tea in a small greenhouse is an arguably questionable thing to do. I'm hoping the odor fades.

 

[Sueby]

Thank you @NewBoots for the explanation of the 2! I was starting to wonder if I shouldn't have reseeded this spring, lol. This is mine from a couple years ago:


& thank you, the toe is on the mend now! But @Wee Farmer Sarah is correct, no mention of pain control from the podiatrist. But it's fine, it's not too bad.

 

[jerryse]

Had a DR appointment so since I was in town I bought a new self propelled mower and some coneflower roots . Potted them and did some mowing . Old mower was getting troublesome . Tired of fixing it .

 

[Sally PB]

As long as we get some sunshine, my green house will stay warm enough for the seeds to sprout. I stuck a thermometer in one of the pots, and got a reading of 80 degrees. That should convince tomatoes and peppers to sprout!

I have a side of the garden that has grass growing into it. I hope to put a chicken moat on that side, as much as I have fence for. Today I raked off the 3-4" of leaves and started digging up the blasted stuff. I got a cartful of roots out. About 20 more to go!

My next door neighbor got chicks this morning. 16 day old pullets of various breeds. She will have a very pretty flock.