spicieangel: what a coincidence....2 doors down from me my neighbours have a strawberry tree in their back yard...I havent known them to eat them tho, but the native birds parrots, cockatoos, rosella parrots etc etc just love them :)

chupacabraVS2: I did a search and found this site which describes and so on http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/a/arbut053.html

chupacabraVS2: neat looking, Ive never heard or seen them before. Where are they indigenous to?

I have an idea for sort of something we can do/share.

how about a challenge to anyone interested,
find a picture online & post the link to share here of:
an unusual flower or an unusual fruit
use the subject:some fun for us gardening people
-
I will pick the strawberry tree.if you have ever seen one,truly strange fruit.
I donthink they are edible.dont know for sure.

http://abbeynews.net/gallery/PortolaHills.jpg

nobleheart:
Yes they are and can we get back on Topic about Gardens please.Everybody!!!!!!!!!

bwildman: I read somewhere bats are the biggest nature resevoir of rabies.

rule of thumb...underground plants..are planted in the dark of the moon...they are very prone to going to"tops"
Scarlet..yes...Missouri qualifies as both midwest and south.

ScarletRose: Ohhhhhh wow we have none of that where i live.Dang plows woke me up.

Foxy Lady: we have areas where there is high amounts of bentonite.. so if you are a home garden grower lover.. you have to really check out the soils around the property.. before purchasing the home.. I remember that one house in Greybull had lots of bentonite in one part of the back yard.. luckily the back area was huge.. when bentonite gets wet.. it acts like quicksand.. and pulls you in.. James lost many shoes in them.. haha..

ScarletRose: Our garden is mostly clay soil which we really have to add to.I planted beets one year all i got was the greens which i learned to love.Now we add topsoil,peatmoss,and manure every year.Water we just keep our water hose handy.Ever use a compost tea? Works great just put the compost in a pail of water and it will be black.Use just the water.I add the compost in the late fall to the garden.

Foxy Lady: Our Seasons are pretty evenly distributed here.. Springtime is my favorite though since everything is nice and green..

we can get frosts up til about mid May.. so plants that are out in the open.. well.. that is chancie.. I did plant Tom bushes in Early May.. and we had a frost but, was prepared and able to protect them since it wasn't too bad of one.. so just depends on what type of plants and if they are exposed to the air .. Most peeps will start planting stuff indoors about this time and then wait to transplant in mid may.. for home gardens though.. haha.. tough to do for farmers but, then again they grow sugar beets, corn, and barleys and wheats as well as alphalpha mostly..
we are a very dry climate.. so limited to certain veggies..

ScarletRose: We still have frost sometimes in Mid May........I planted in early June this past Spring.Summer whats that? We have from July till the beginning of Sept than Fall is here.

BerniceC: Thats not funny ohhhhhhh i wish for 60 degrees.

Foxy Lady: we can start planting about mid may also.. but, earlier on some things.. we also have a short season.. harvest here I believe is Early September..

But again.. it is what you are planting and how much water is needed..

Wild?? you are considered Mid West as well?? Wow.. the mid section of the state must make up most of the territory.. haha.. never knew that..

we have one continuous summer lOLOL
12 months of it....winter is about 6-10days at most LOLOL....and we freeze in our 60degF temps hehehehe

bwildman: Our Summers are short we harvest around August.

thats a short growing season...by mid May,we're harvesting green beans,radishes,lettuce,and such.

bwildman:
We can't put anything in the ground here until the end of May.Sometimes mid May if were lucky.

potatoes...and in my opinion,the best you can eat.
The sooner you can get them in the ground...the better.here in the midwest...they are usually planted during the dark of the moon after St Patricks day.This gives them a full growing season and you'll get more bakers.

bwildman: I'm not trying to be smart but what are they?

Foxy Lady: ever raised Kinnebecs?

Foxy Lady: rabbies shots are not somethng I'd wish on anyone.

bwildman: I was referring to the squirrels
and any animal can be rabbid plus carry only God knows.I mention squirrels cause we have a big problem with them.If my 6yr old was bit she'd have to have the shots whether she needed them or not.
Thats the health law in NYS.

St. Patty's day is just around the corner...has anyone ever raised Kinnebec's?

I've never seen a rabid chipmunk! LOL:) do they foam at the mouth?LOL
squirrels can develop rabbis...but its extremely rare. generally its skunks,racoons,and opossums.

nobleheart:
What people don't understand these cute animals can carry rabbies.

nobleheart: This is the place and thanks for the info.

Foxy Lady: ..your post reminded me of a friends cottage I used to go to.it was secluded,way out in the bush on a small lake.
I made friends with a family of chipmunks.they lost their fear of people,we were so nice to them..they used to come visting at the cottage porch & windows for peanuts.

..ok good idea.
my fav flowers:
virginia dayflower
http://www.mtnwildflowers.com/dayflower.html
beach pea
http://www.capelookoutstudies.org/plants/plants4.shtml
columbine
http://boundarywaterscanoearea.com/wildflowers/flowerimages/lorrainespictures/columbine.jpg
portulaca
http://www.zentekfarms.com/pages/Portulaca-1a.html
ginger flower
http://www.marshbunny.com/garden/garden09.html
yellow hibiscus
http://www.windycityart.com/maui/pages/yellow%20hibiscus%200079.htm
http://home.maine.rr.com/candjbutler/flora/common_buttercup.html
goldenchain(laburnham)
http://jlbussey.typepad.com/ce/2004/week21/
catalpa
http://www.garten.cz/article.php?sid=152&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0

ScarletRose:
It looks great........sure wish Spring was here.

ScarletRose:
Ok i'll check it out.

Foxy Lady: It is up here Foxy.. hehe..

LQQK at the new stuff over at Just Us Gurls.. I have been creative as anything.. hehe.. must be Spring fever! Whoo hoo

Oh where is Spring? I'm so sick of Snow.

Just by the way :) I have just been outside to read the naphthalene box...it has no breakdown of what it contains except to say contains 990g/1k naphthalene.It goes on to say it is safe to use clothing, blankets, etc and is also a pesticide:)
It says...do not ingest but if you do..drink milk and go to Doctor. There is no warning on it being a petroleum product. But our cars run on petroleum and those fumes would surely be more damaging than my little garden shed with a few naphthalene flakes in it.

CW57: thanks but that is no use to me...Im in australia and we dont have most of what is talked about and to be honest, I have used it for 20 years and I remember my mother, grandmothers using it as well....anything else i can buy for rats, mice, cockroaches etc are not good for cats and dogs, of which I have one of each...thanks anyway

Rose:
Oh i know what you mean......and trust me we do the squirrels no harm.You should hear them running thru the eves at 4 in the morning.These have to be families that have been here for years.Talk about being bold they come with suit cases and leave in the Spring.

Foxy I get where you are coming from I do. I guess I was meaning more so for the folks who dont want the squirrels eating their bird seed put out for birds. Thats the part that i dont get.. That site CW listed has some great advice thats safe and non toxic for asking critters to move on else where

CW57:
LOL i tried the pepper and these squirrles at us.

Rose:
Reason i don't want squirrels around my home is they have become way to tame.They come on the porch tore up my wicker chair cushion for nesting.
That's not to say what only god knows thats in the eve of our house.My 6 yr old plays on the porch weather permitting and i don't need to have her get bit.I don't starve them nor do i feed them i
don't want them moving in as they have.They can be very destructive.

CW57: Great site BTW! thanks for posting it

CW57: I guess I am just a lover of all creatures. I cant see why ppl want to rid themselves of squirrels. People feed birds but want to starve out the squirrels. I dont think I will ever under stand that type of thinking. If ppl wanna starve one WHY not all? Im not trying to start something. I just dont get how ppl can like only certain creatures. When I see squirrel baffles on bird feeders I shake my head. Its ok to feed birds but not squirrels? ok sorry my rant for the day..

BerniceC: I highly recommend www.dirtdoctor.com for safer solutions to pest control.

BerniceC: Moth balls and napthalene flakes are petroleum products, and if you can smell them, they are getting into your lungs, and that is NOT good for you! To rid youself of pests, deprive them of their food supply. Cayenne pepper will repel mice and squirrels.

yep moth balls or napthalene flakes....we put them on the floor of our shed...no cockroaches or mice :) and it smells nice :)
but if you have scavenging pets, or small children..crawling etc that will put anything in their mouths BEWARE they are deadly poisonous

bwildman:
Mothballs also work great keeping the dogs from going potty on my trees.

Rose: works great.

Moth balls really work on keeping spiders and wasps away? Gotta try that then. My windows and doors are always covered in huge spider webs. DOnt mind spiders just tired of them taking up all the window an door space

bwildman:
Once we have the house resided this Spring they won't be able to get in.I hope anyways.

Foxy Lady: try hanging small bags of mothballs near the corners.You can use craft lace and thumbtacks.It will also keep wasps and spiders down.

Rose:
Squirrles oh please we have a family that lives in the eves of our house every year.They move out in the Spring.We had them removed and taken away but they came back every year,so we gave up .