Peat pots

[primsong]

Now everyone say it with me... If Prim puts plants in peat pellets, plus pouring the pitcher upon them, how many pop-up peat pot plants does Prim produce?

That's my question for this coming spring - I'm happily experimenting with those cute little pop-up peat pot pellets in my little greenhouse, and soaking the seeds for my favorites (sweet-peas) tonight to pop into the peat pots, along with a few other fun seeds, delphiniums, foxgloves, some tomatoes and summer squash...that sort of thing. There are so many bulb-tips coming up out of the ground in this yard I am rather boggled - I'll have to get pictures when it all starts blooming.

Anyone with advice on whether its worth it to spray fruit-trees? I have apple, Italian prune and cherry - there's some sort of dormant spray that you're supposed to get on them before the leaves come out, isn't there? And Tinidril - thank Faithwalker for me for the suggestion of using the corn gluten to keep the weeds down around the grapes. :-)

I am such a newbie at this, but enjoying it too. Back to my peat-pots now - I'm going out to see if they really popped up like they were supposed to if you poured water on them. :-D

Comments

What I want to know is...

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

... how long did it take you to come up with that tongue twister? I even had to READ it slowly, LOL!

No advice from me, just eagerness to see the pix of the finished product. We still have snow here, so I'm not even thinking about plants. More on my mind is the imminent job of removing old wallpaper and preparing our place for plastering and painting.

Hmmmm, guess it's not so hard to come up with alliterated sentences without even thinking about it... :-D

[rosienicarus.livejournal.com]

Oh, thanks for the reminder... February = time to start peat pots. Don't you just love them? They remind me of those little capsules the kids get at the dollar store that when water is added, turn to some wonderful little spongey dinosaur! :-)

I would spray cherries... they are so yummy, and get so wormy if you don't. Seems like you have to do several aplications. As for apples, I always cut them up anyway to dry in a dehydrator for food storage so i didnt mind cutting out the worm spots, and as apple trees tend to produce over-abundantly... there always seemed to be enough that were untouched to put on the table. I never had to spray prunes, but maybe the bugs in Oregon are different? Anyway.. sure wish I had some fruit trees! I am sure your new yard will be full of all sorts of delightful things this spring! :-)

[siradaono.livejournal.com]

if you spray you have a better chance of no worms, but if you don't...then cut your fruit first, Tine' and I have gone no spray on those and a pear tree as well as cherries, we cut and clean, then eat. Try yours a season without spray and see.

[solodancer.livejournal.com]

Those peat things remind me of those craft sponges that you buy and they're all flat so you can cut them into shapes, then when you water them the poof out.

We have cherry trees and we've never sprayed them. Now we are close to a busy street as you know so it's possible I guess that the noise and the heat from the cars keep the bugs down, but all I know is we've never sprayed and we maybe have one cherry in 50 that migh thave a bug in it,if even that. (I've never actually counted)

You should search the interests here on LJ and see if you can find a gardenting community to join. I've found the hamster one I joined to be very informative and helpful.

Good luck.

Hmmm...I think if I have the money I should really plan my trip to see you around harvest time. You'll probably need the help!

[rosiegardener.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't spray the apple trees - after all you get apples full of pestizides in your supermarket... what's better than a self grown bio-apple ? :-) We have 5 apple trees in our garden and to keep away the worms we put up a trap for the moths who infest the apples with their grubs. This has to be done when the trees are blooming. In the trap there's a certain scent that attracts the male moths. I have no idea if anythin like that is available in the States, but you could give it a try and ask in a garden center or anything like that.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Now this makes a lot of sense - it was those moths that were concerning the the most, and I'm sure there must be something like that around here someplace.... I've used something similar with great success when we had moths in our pantry a while back. Thank you for the idea to pursue! This way I have time to track some down before the flowers come. (((Rosie Gardener)))

[onegoat.livejournal.com]

I love sweet peas too, they're 'real' flowers ;)
Your garden sounds like it will be properly hobbity, tomatoes heaped haphazardly beside the foxglove, and a beautiful roit of colour -perfect! (((((prim)))))

Hello

[faramirgirl.livejournal.com]

Can not be of any help, don't know anything about gardening. But good luck, I am sure that you will do just fine.

[psychotic-kiwi.livejournal.com]

I'd say it with you, Prim, but I have been drinking the mix recommended by gondoriangirl in her prior post, and can't quite get my mouth around it. =D Sounds like you are going to be awash with blooms of all kinds; should be gorgeous! I'm planning on starting lots of little plant seedlings this year with Brynn, in little jello cups so that he can see things grow from the start. Maybe I'll do some for his whole class, they have a nice sunny room.