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Thu, Jan 31, 13 at 14:39
| After reading through these messages I am wondering if posting on this Pennsylvania forum is going to be worth the time and effort ??? Being in the Indiana zone 5 area I enjoy reading about others questions/answers, occasionally I may have some input to offer... What say you people of PA. ????? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Join in. I still think PA gardeners are in hibernation. I posted the message looking for gardeners in bucks county pa. Southeast corner of state. I still think you should learn as much as possible until you leave this life. |
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| I cant believe any one who enjoys gardening goes into any kind of hibernating.. Good golly there is so much to do during the idle days of winter, their certainly not idle for me, I wait for the trucks at our local gardening stores....LOL.... |
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| Since I am unable to go ice fishing nearby due to the warm up. I figured I would post. I first posted last Friday on Garden Web. I got a reply to check on Pennsylvania As you can see it is only you and I. A few days ago I was asked went is the best time to build raised beds. I replied now. I will start my cole crops indoors in a few days. As you say there is plenty to do. Get my seed room and small lean too greenhouse ready. Then the battle begins. That notorious groundhog and small rabbits, and squirrels. What have you been doing? |
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| I recently finished this cold frame, have 4 raised beds 4X12, this takes over much of one. I'm considering a portable tent for early crops I don't want to move. Going to place this on one complete bed, have 1 bed completely dedicated to rhubarb and they are doing beautifully. Made a small bed last fall just for garlic, when the garlic come out maybe I can use it for a quickie something. Last week I started trimming our wisteria, going to try to get some flowers this season. Have a new project going now, gonna put some metal shelving together and make a small frame to start seeds early, I am going to do this all outside, if it works good, if not then we will see. Heck I can spend an entire day sitting outside just thinking of what I wanna do.. |
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| kohlrabi Planted this last August, grew slowly and came through some very cold weather, I placed it in the cold frame and it's doing rather nicely even now. Wife had 2 hanging baskets remaining that we didnt toss, I hung them on the deck and forgot about them. Just before that last cold snap I saw they were sprouting new leaves, in the cold frame they went, otherwise just compost fodder. |
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| Did you use standard plastic sheeting or agricultural plastic? |
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| Neither, about 25 years ago I had the option of getting plastic bags (industrial). They are about 100 gallon bags of hi quality 4 or 6 ML. They've been sitting in my basement, outside shed, etc and never shown any signs of decomposition. So I am using these till have none left. I may get some plexiglass, 2X4 sheets, thinking of it. |
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| Instead of plexiglass, which is expenses. I used corrugated sheets of plastic. You can get it at home depot 2' x 12'. You use wood corrugated strips to fasten them to. This is what I used on my lean to greenhouse ten years ago. It hasn't discolored or anything. If you need it air tight, you can gasket it with 1/4" backer rod. and use hinges to open. When I brought them. They were 18 a sheet. You use tin snips to cut it. |
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| Lucifer Thanks that's a great idea, I'll need to look into that. I just may change things around a bit, like hinges on the outside, split the front and hinge it also. So it can swing open. After sitting on the deck and looking at the project with a couple of cold one's, who knows what ideas can crop up into ones head. Pic is before I started cold frame |
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- Posted by pretty.gurl none (My Page) on Tue, Feb 5, 13 at 4:00
| Hey. Western PA here. I have an indoor garden going through the winter months. |
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| Pretty do you have any pictures ? Indoor gardens can be very interesting |
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- Posted by pretty.gurl none (My Page) on Tue, Feb 12, 13 at 22:52
| I have a couple on my blog and the link is on my profile. I haven't gotten around to doing more with that because the last 3 months have been crazy. |
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- Posted by pghgardengirl 6b (My Page) on Sat, Feb 16, 13 at 19:34
| Hey-SW PA here.... I have those same plastic bags! LOL...I sewed them together and plan on putting them over a green house I made of PVC pipe. Like a hoop house, kinda. I used them last year on small tunnels where I cut a hoola hoop in half and put the plastic over that, weighted down by rocks. Worked like a charm! I have started onions, kohlrabi, lettuce...and of course Winter Sowing my flowers. I have lights and shelves in a basement closet but it's cold down there LOL. I was gonna try the same thing with shelving and plastic this year. I have one cold frame I use to overwinter a few hanging pots of perennials. Wasn't sure how that was gonna work but good so far..just looked yesterday and they are still green. I think I have more ideas than I do time, also! :0) |
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| pghgardengirl Looks like your well on your away to an exciting planting |
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- Posted by earthlydelights 6 pushing 7 (My Page) on Mon, Feb 25, 13 at 23:33
| hey all, montgomery county here. itching for the weather to get a little nicer to get out there and do some serious clean up. did spend about 5 hours a few friday's ago, when the weather was grand, but it hasn't been since. last year was a bust, i had a HA, so suffice it to say, i did no gardening whatsoever, and with that, came a tremendous amount of weeds, or all shapes and sizes. this year it is my intention to put in some raised beds, to get the drums prepped and set up for water retention and if i'm lucky, to get the 10x12 greenhouse sitting in my garage assembled, up and running. oh and in all that, i want to sneak in just a few chickens, but we'll see. a girl can dream, right? it's always been my experience that this forum isn't all that active and i'm finding all over GW, that many of the forums are quite slow of late. maryanne |
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| Maryanne You've got a lot of work to do...LOL |
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| I'm hibernating on the montgomery/ lehigh county line. I have done basically nothing for months. If I didn't work, I would go out and so some cleanup around 230 pm each day with the sun to keep me a little warmer. But I never get home til after dark so no such luck! |
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| I'll promise you, within 2 months you'll get more heat from that ol man sun....LOL |
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| Montgomery County here, too, the part near Delco. How soon do you start spreading mulch? I only have room for a few beds. Wish I had your kind of space. I already have daffodils blooming on the sunny, protected side of my house. |
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| Blair county here. i'm not holding my breath but next weeks temps are looking up. I guess there may be hope..:) |
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| Dee Our daffodil's are already up and coming Breath easy spring is on it's way |
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| We are supposed to get a big storm next week -- snow or rain or both is to be decided. Many times my dafs end up lying face down in the snow or mush. Sometimes they do come back up. I noticed some weeds spreading in one of my beds last week. The ground is not frozen, so I yanked a lot of them up. The weather is crazy any more. |
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| dedtired I'm in agreement with you as far as the weather Usually by now our daffodils are up, this year their just peeking through, my thoughts are when spring does arrive this year it will be like a spring we haven't seen for quite some time. Plants, trees, etc etc will just explode with growth Isnt that a lovely thought ? It is for me...... |
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- Posted by Karolina11 6b (My Page) on Mon, Mar 4, 13 at 11:07
| Centre county here although hoping to move to lycoming soon. Our home is going on the market and we have not bought anything else so I am in standstill right now. Hopefully the bulbs I planted will come up soon so I can see them before we have to move. It has been a long winter, hasn't it? |
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| I'm really trying to hang in there, but every morning I get up open the curtains & YUK! Cold, cold, cold, windy, & snowy! COME ON ALREADY! |
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| When you really think about it, isn't every winter a long one ? So far if you really want to be objective this winter has been the nicest I think I have ever seen in PA. Considering the balmy weather we had till this year, it was great., of course this is my opinion. Remember Nov of 2011 ? very cold and snowed all the time. It's all over now, spring is here....LOL |
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- Posted by chriswanderer90 7 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 5, 13 at 19:46
| Wow japus, you are a prolific gardener. I wish I could learn gardening from you.. I'm a newb folks. I got a fly-catching plant from Lowe's from a dollar :). I had to feed it an insect because it was wilting.. And I just got interested in air purifying houseplants. I got a peacelilly and English ivy.. -Chris |
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| Chris I'm as new as new can be to gardening, for years I planted in a patch 10 X 20. 4-5 years ago I decided maybe raised beds would work for me, that they did.... About 2 years ago I purchased some gardening books. As with many books I purchase I just thought having them on shelves would be enough.. That didn't work, so I started reading them and really learned much. I heard about compost never realizing the importance of it.. Well I came across a book I had called Square Foot Gardening.....After reading it I felt like I was born again in gardening, and that I was..a born again convert to Square Gardening. I knew it had to be true, to simple, pure, and easy for it not to be, then after reading more about it, and already having beds to work it, I got into gear.. Just about ready when weather breaks to start up.. |
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| Every year I feel like I'm new to gardening, someone tells me something i didn't know, someone points out a whole new area I never even heard about! I'd be bored otherwise. Frank from Luzerne county |
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| I have an organic gardening group that meets every second Monday of the month. it takes place at Churchville Nature Center in Churchville in Bucks county Look up the Churchville reservour. We talk about all type of of topics. We have speakers talking about compost, bees, raising worms, chickens. Every year we have seed, and plant swap. We usually have at least 15 people. last year we had a record 66 people. Membership is free. We ask people to donate a dollar or two to pay the fee for the space and to pay our speakers.. |
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| Chriswanderer, do not plant that English Ivy in your yard or you will be sentenced to a lifetime of keeping it under control. My yard has lots of it and it is the number one gardening chore that I have. If I did not keep cutting that stuff back, it would grow over the entire house and every inch of the yard. It was here when we bought the house. I dig clumps out every year and hope to eradicate it one day. Wow, today is gorgeous!! |
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- Posted by chriswanderer90 7 (My Page) on Sat, Mar 9, 13 at 11:48
| Yes. I read that the ivy is invasive. But ironically, it is an excellent air cleaner.. |
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- Posted by bulldinkie pa (My Page) on Tue, Mar 12, 13 at 14:02
| I would love to be on here more.I go for dialysis 3x a week,II need a kidney when Im home Im too tired to do anything.It actually breaks my heart I cant garden etc when I want .I miss it immensely.But I will come on more Ive gardened all my life.I live scentral Pa. |
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| bulldinkle Come on here when your able. Will be good to help keep your mind on the gardening that you love. Hopefully someday you'll be able to get your hands dirty again, all that mud, grime, and stuff.. best wishes to you |
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| Hi japus! I think I spoke to you in Lowes a couple of weeks ago! I've started tomatoes, green peppers and cukes under grow lights. My hubby started some things too. probably too soon, but we've got tons of seeds. I've already planted some seedlings into bigger pots. |
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| Holy heck! I looked at "my page" and I registered here in 2011! I don't remember doing that, but then I found it in my gardening bookmarks! |
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- Posted by bulldinkie pa (My Page) on Tue, Mar 12, 13 at 22:32
| thank you
i will,hey when is a good time in s central pa to plant seed,its been so long .hubby wants to try it this year,I read 4-6weeksbefore last frost/?? |
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| Kathy4826 Yes I remember our chat, hope your doing well. Lowes is starting to fill up with planting items, spring goodies I'll say.. I started cool weather crops here, probably much to early, however I just wanted to practice seeding. My first batch was the best so far. Have you checked on square foot gardening yet ? A remarkable project in my opinion, shall be looking for you at Lowes. Bulldinkie. |
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| Japus, I bought the square foot gardening book last year. I want to follow it to the letter, but I've had to compromise. I'm not the only gardener in the house! We each have our own ideas! |
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| Chester County here. Hey I am new on this forum,lately moved from Virginia Beach. Please don't think I'm crazy, but I am wondering if anyone over here in the SE corner of PA has tried sweet olive shrubs (osmanthus frangrans). I think Longwood grows them so maybe they are ok. (We are zone 7 here, at least on my property.) I really, really miss Zone 8 and the South, so admittedly I am trying to recapture a little of what I had in Virginia. If you don't know them, they are absolutely gorgeous and fragrant. Second question, can anyone comment on fast they grow? Ok, ok, I know you will tell me to scram and go onto the Mid-Atlantic forum. I tried that but it is way too depressing with everyone talking about zone 8 plants! |
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| Hi Vforge Keep trying here, maybe another forum would help. I bet if you contacted Longwood Gardens they would help you.. Good Luck in any event Jimmy |
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| Cumberland County. Staggering after losing the meadow behind us to commercial development, but trying to recover :P |
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- Posted by Messymarsy2 none (My Page) on Thu, Mar 21, 13 at 8:51
| Hi Vforge. I am in Chester county too! We just bought the property last year. I checked there are several members of this family that are hardy here. Check Dave's garden. They seem to have the same sweet fragrance. Some seem to be hardy up to zone 6. |
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| Have our seeds starting indoors. A few things planted outside. Do mostly container gardening. Recently joined gardenweb. Love the site and learning a lot... |
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| Hi Gandj I enjoy container garden also, always have a bunch laying around and they seem to do better than my normal garden. This season I'm entering the Square Foot program. I've been running ragged trying to locate some ingredients, however now am ready to lock & load.. |
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| Japus where did you get vermiculite?? I am starting a sq ft too. Didn't buy any ingredients yet though but I was browsing today at the garden centers... It would have been like $80 for just the vermiculite. |
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| Japus, good luck with the square foot garden. Years and years ago when we had the space for a big garden, we had neither the time or the desire. Now, we only have room for containers. Our dogs use the tiny bit of yard for, well what dogs do... But on the plus side, when we sit outside and enjoy the weather, we're sitting right in the middle of our "garden"! |
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| kbard There is a local Feed & Supply store in our town, family run and very helpful. When I asked about vermiculite they told me three 4 cu ft bags were available. They were the fine blend, I asked if they could order coarse. They looked through their catalogs and told me it was available, I ordered 3 bags of coarse, also took the 3 bags of fine. The coarse cost me $25.00 per bag, the fine was $18.00 each. They were looking to get rid of the fine stuff, I'll use it somewhere. $25.00 a bag for the coarse is a good deal. I'd suggest you try your local garden center's, (not box stores) ask them if they can order from catalogs for you. $80.00 for a bag is to much in my opinion. Do this while their not busy, they may not want to take the time while the cash register is buzzin....during the spring rush. |
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- Posted by BarbaraMathias 6 (My Page) on Sat, Apr 20, 13 at 15:34
| SouthCentral Pa. here. I'm also new to this site. Lots of great info. I really jumped the gun and planted my window boxes last week and now theres a freeze warning tonight. What a dope. |
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| Certainly not a dope Barbara. Just think how nice they would have been if nature took it's normal course. They may survive this anyway. Good Luck |
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| 1st complete SFG bed, planted a few cool weather crops on Wed. Hopefully they were cold weather items. They had to go into the ground, What a pleasure working in the mix, I plan on 3 more beds.. |
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| I planted my cool weather crops about 2 weeks ago and there doing good but it is about time to warm up hopefully. |
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- Posted by floppedcrops none (My Page) on Sat, May 18, 13 at 20:40
| York County here...trying my hand at gardening, but could really use a personal gardening for dummies trainer...I cannot seem to get anything right...planted corn a couple of weeks ago...was doing great until the unexpected cold spell last week now the corn looks horrible...covered it but still...the leaves have a purplish streak and some look shredded, does anyone know if this is the weather or is something else the culprit? |
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| Your certainly not alone flopped, almost everyone to 1 degree or other has had problems with this years weather. My yard hasnt had a freeze in the 40 years we have lived here. This year some of the leaves on my kiwi plants have turned black, I'm blaming the 28 deg's last week. Nothing to do but move on.. |
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| I didn't know there was a Pennsylvania forum! I just seen it wile checking out someone's trade pg. I still have all my veg & flower seedling's im the lil greenhouse. That freeze freaked me out. It killed my wisteria. I'll plant out latter in the week. :) |
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