Gardening Journal - Post your gardening updates here

4-23-23 Earth Day

It is Earth Day Saturday 2023. Presumably, a 1970s hippie commune Gaia holiday, I would just remind my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that in Genesis both Adam and Eve were charged to care for the earth and keep it. It's a great responsibility and a great blessing. It is true that the greed and wickedness of man will ultimately ruin this good earth that God made for man. However, until that day comes, we are still charged to be care takers and guardians.

I'm not suggesting that we go ballistic like Greta, but practicing some conservation and stewardship even in the little mundane daily matters goes a long way.

Psalm 85

10Truth shall embrace with mercy, justice
and peace shall kiss mutually:
11 Truth shall ascend from earth, righteousness
shall descend from high heavenly.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1649831766067396609

4-22-23

I am reminded that the Satanic Temple SatanCon will be coming this next week from April 28-30. They seek to further sow their evil seed and disturb the garden of the Lord.

However, though they gloat on their Satan on Walpurgisnacht and May Day, we will remember the secret truth of the passion of Christ and his resurrection on the Essene/Sadducean Passover that occured April 28-30, AD 32.

We trust God now as then that the waters of Christ will break forth in the desert to create the new oasis and garden.

Isaiah 35

6Then shall a lame man leap as the stag, and the tongue of a mute shall sing: for in a wilderness shall waters break forth, and streams in a desert.

7A parched ground shall become a reservoir, and a thirsty land springs of waters: in the very habitation of dragons, where each one lay, shall there spring flora with both reeds and papyri.

New one from James.

Looks like his spring food forest is getting in shape up there in New Jersey.

4-22-23

Out in the truck and doing some more research into Cleopatra's use of irrigation and ollas.

At last I traced it down. It was Athenaeus in his Deipnosophists who ascribed the olla to Greek invention.

Athenaeus was 2nd-3rd century AD when the olla was still largely associated with Egyptian irrigation and the Ptolemaic legacy of Cleopatra and her gardens.

"This invention of the earthen pot, which the Egyptians use for irrigation, has come to us from the Greeks" - Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists, Book V, Chapter 40

Indeed it is Cleopatra who popularized this irrigation in Alexandria. For I find that Strabo himself speaks directly of the olla in Cleopatra's Egypt when she herself was ruling during his lifetime. And apparently they had various kinds of ollas for different purposes. Some were reverse ollas where the water trickled in slowly instead of out.

In the matter of irrigation, the Egyptians surpass all others. They dig trenches which they fill with water and then sink earthenware jars in them, narrow at the mouth but widening below; then they place the plants near them so that the water, slowly trickling through the narrow mouth of the jars, may be absorbed by the roots" - Strabo, Geography, Book XVII, Chapter 1

I have to greatly admire Cleopatra's contribution to gardening. I see her as a sort of mother to gardening and I feel her magnanimous heart toward the care of her people.

The queen is quite a breath of fresh air. She used her intellect and talents to benefit mankind.

She was a servant to her people, and that is why Cleopatra was great and so beloved.

Her beauty was passing. Her benevolence never fades.

I found some interesting quotes too on the journey of rice and how it made it's way into Egypt.

Apparently, rice began to first be cultivated among the Babylonians along the Tigris and Euphrates after they had obtained the grain from India.

From Babylon it arrived in Persia in the crops of Cyrus and Darius.

From Persia it came to Egypt.

The rice also which grows in Babylonia, as well as in the territory of Assyria and Media, was originally introduced from India, where it grows spontaneously, and was first transplanted to Persia." - Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica, Book II, Chapter 1.

"He [King Darius] divided the lands among the Persian farmers and also taught them to grow Egyptian beans and a certain Indian plant, which bears fruit like the Persian bean, and also how to sow sesame and rice." - Herodotus, The Histories, Book III, Chapter 94.

"The rice of Babylon and the neighbouring districts, and the rice also of Media, and of the parts of Persia adjoining to Babylonia, is said to have been brought originally from India." - Pliny the Elder, Naturalis Historia, Book 18, Chapter 10.

"The land of Egypt produces also a great quantity of rice, a cereal plant which was brought there, it is said, from India by the Persians." - Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica, Book I.31.5.

"The Egyptians also cultivate rice in the fields, a plant which was brought from the east, as they say, and which grows in great plenty in Persia and India." - Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Book XVIII.35.

"The Egyptians in particular are very careful about their rice crops. They do not allow anyone to tread upon the young plants or to go among them, nor do they even allow asses or other animals to enter the fields where the rice is growing." - Athenaeus, The Deipnosophists, Book V.210b.

"The people of Egypt have the greatest abundance of rice, which is so valuable a food for them that they cannot do without it; and they are in the habit of cultivating it in the same way as wheat and barley." - Aelian, On the Nature of Animals, Book X.22.

I was thinking about the true death and resurrection of Christ solar date this coming week during April 28-30. Perhaps there is a purpose to all that is happening now.

Paul's words can be compared to an earthen vessel, or an olla holding the living water of the divine gnosis. The seed planted is the death, and it's sprouting it the resurrection to new life.

2 Corinthians 4

But we have this deposit in jars of clay, that the majesty of the power may be seen as from God, and not from ourselves. 8We are hexed at every side, yet not dismayed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9Persecuted, yes, but not forsaken; cast down, but not overthrown; 10Always bearing about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the raising to life also of Jesus might become manifest in our body.

To document Earth Day weirdness yesterday, I note Extinction Rebellion as a case in point of what we might not want to do.

I hold that it would be far better for the planet to simply present practical things people can do to encourage more greenery and conservation in their areas (like developing community gardens).

Most people are ready and willing to make their communities better and promote personal organic gardens.

I'm thinking walking down the street in strange red garb isn't really going to get a positive message through.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1649766168646029312

The Disneyland dragon burnt to ashes yesterday.

Another mission accomplished by Laser Shooting Dinosaur.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1650028029001826305

It's a pretty good Sunday afternoon discussion from David.

All that I would add in the context of survival gardening is to make sure to keep your seeds because those are extremely valuable in barter and trade.

A very happy birthday memorial to Robert B. Thomas on April 24.

Thomas is the founding father time forgot, but farmers and gardeners did not forget him.

Meteorologists and astronomers shouldn't forget him either.

It was Thomas along with Benjamin Franklin who formulated his long range almanac forecast based upon solar cycles. It was an enlightenment idea that greatly intrigued him. Franklin was also fascinated in researching how sunspots and solar cycles produced various weather trends on earth.

The birth of modern meteorology as it is known today is due in large part to Thomas and Franklin.

His long range forecast based upon sun spots and solar cycles sought mainly to bring order and regularity to agricultural practices in early America.

Thomas would have been fascinated by the current solar storm we are going through. Solar astronomy was his obsession.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1650314224655286274

This thread is getting way off track. Post gardening updates, nothing else!

I started this thread to be a journal of all things related to gardening that the gardener is doing or researching.

It's a sort of gardening think tank.

Feel free to post relevant research as well. :-)

You're not the Opie, and your last post about a 18th century almanac maker doesn't belong here.

Um, yeah, actually I am the OP.

And Thomas most certainly has a place in any gardening thread.

He spent his life to advance agriculture in early America.

You should read up on the man. He's a fascinating character.

Robert B. Thomas had a great way of summarizing his weather theories in a short, pithy statement or quip.

He had a great sense of humor and a wise wit much like Benjamin Franklin.

Writing short proverbs was popular to spread information back then and we should bring back the practice.

Some of his weather maxims are as follows:

"When the wind is in the east, it's good for neither man nor beast."

"Thunder in winter presages peaceable weather."

"A dry March and a wet May
Fill barns and bays with corn and hay."

"If the ash before the oak,
Then you'll get a soak.
But if the oak before the ash,
Then you'll only get a splash."

"If the first three days of August be clear,
Then winter will have much snow and drift.
If the first three be rainy weather,
Then will winter be mild and of light feather."

I post this to offer a simple reminder to community gardeners and survival gardeners working in groups that the garden plot needs to be secured and with functioning cameras if you are at all able.

Sabotage against victory gardens and survival gardens will become more common in times of active socialist culture war.

It happened in China during Mao's push to create total urban zones and it can happen here.

https://twitter.com/_/status/1646264428856242183

When I lived in China, I read up on the Chinese Culture Revolution.

During the Chinese Culture Revolution, there were numerous instances of sabotage against gardens, which were considered "bourgeois" and therefore ideologically unacceptable.

Many traditional Chinese gardens, including those in Suzhou and other cities, were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

These gardens were considered to represent the old "feudal" society and were therefore seen as obstacles to progress.

Many private gardens were confiscated and redistributed to the state or the collective. The idea was to eliminate the very concept of private land, which was seen as a vestige of the old society.

Gardening communities, which were popular among the middle and upper classes, were completely disbanded.

These societies promoted the exchange of knowledge and ancient Chinese expertise in gardening, which was seen as a form of elitism.

Gardeners, particularly those who worked in private gardens, were persecuted savagely during the Cultural Revolution.

They were seen as representatives of the old society and were often subjected to public humiliation and even physical violence.

The emphasis during the Cultural Revolution was on agriculture that produced food for the state instead of the individual citizen.

This led to a shift away from the traditional Chinese gardening practices and a focus on practical, utilitarian state agriculture during which time it is estimated that some 60 million Chinese nationals starved to death.

Survival gardening is a great idea if you have the space and if you can secure that space.

If you meet those two criteria, more power to you.

If you don't quite meet those criteria, you can always specialty garden. Instead of thinking in terms of sole self-sufficiency, perhaps think in terms of what will trade well when cash goes to crash. Think in terms of barter.

Ask yourself what others might need and want that they won't necessarily think to grow when doing the mad rush known as the survival garden.

It's EARLY in the season for canada but the weather is spring-like so I started with the spring mulching from last year's compost piles.

I had made a 3 foot tall pile of tree bark and kitchen waste mixed together last fall. I guess it was the mild winter because it composted over the winter!

The strange thing was when I dig into, it's still frozen on the top but underneath were big fat earthworms. I dug out 50 buckets of it and spread it across the landscape.

I need to make more but the dandelions aren't out yet. "I have to wait for the dandies." Dandelions are my favorite go-to for quick composting. I can get a new batch in less than a month using dandies and bark; even though bark is really hard to breakdown.

Last year I made my first batches of bark compost and the effect was something outta jack and beanstalk. Incredible growth! The entire organic factory of a tree concentrates nutrients in the bark to feed the roots. Those nutes are like a growth hormone for "normal" plants.

Happy Gardening...

Some things I found in my garden today - I know it's a terrible mess but I work insane hours and only have Sundays to play in it most days. We did have sleet earlier, so it's a bit too early to plant anything but I did see Lemon Balm which is one of my favorites but seems to be taking over everywhere, the garlic is coming up (paired with an edible weed known as Shepherd's Purse in the photo), and violets which we use to make a delicate jelly. We also have parsley and mint from last year (the bunnies haven't found it yet!), mullein, and Dead Nettle (yay, superfood!).

https://imgur.com/a/EdrsXHF

There's a few others, but that's enough for a salad already.

Garden placement is important. Plants need sun and space to grow. My garden is situated to where the rain that comes off the house flows across a limestone drive and then across my garden. Thus it gets the benefit of the lime and the extra water coming off the house. if you put thought into what you are doing it helps.

so i had a mystery plant in my peach tree pot...

https://imgur.com/a/VLPHLDX

https://imgur.com/a/T59SgVu

turns out it is a Gaillardia.. a RED Blanket flower.
i did not know they even existed.
thought they were all like the regular ones:

https://imgur.com/a/2n39Igy

one of my sunflowers attracted some beetles which i had to dig out..

https://imgur.com/a/vQ49moZ

i never knew these bugs existed even though ive been growing sunflowers for many years.
it is the first year for me to see these guys:

https://imgur.com/a/BgtEI86

they did not attack the other one though:

https://imgur.com/a/Du1PBIA

Last Edited by rob2 on 04/25/2023 06:40 PM

Those are beautiful rob!

I am hoping to grow some black sunflowers this year. But it snowed last night (all melted this morning) so it's a little too cold to plant still.

I'm trying to ID this plant (hand for scale)

https://imgur.com/A46Jt1X

and individual leaves

https://imgur.com/K4QfGQw

Ox Eye Daisy maybe? They taste good.

one of my blueberries has these tiny orange spots...i think that is bad.
anthracnose or something?

https://imgur.com/a/7iKOFec

what would help?
baking soda spray, soap spray, fungicide??

https://imgur.com/a/nNp04ka

That looks like Blueberry Rust. Can you take it to your local Extension office? They probably know the most up to date treatment

yeah, i think it is Oxeye daisy as well...
matches this pretty well.
[link to www.pnwfromscratch.com (secure)]

ive read that ROSEMARY loves to grow beside concrete or inside of concrete blocks on account of the lime..theres a few others that love it as well but i dont remember offhand.

black sunflowers, you say??
holy moley, they are REAL!

beautiful
[link to www.pinterest.com (secure)]

what would you even CALL a black flowered garden?
the white one is a MOON garden, but a black one?

no its far away...but if it IS rust i can use baking soda sprays whipped up at home.
thank you.
ill get right on that in the morning, im so beat tonight already pulling weeds half of the day.