Spring Garden 23 April 2007

http://springgar.notlong.com/

23 April 2007 Zone 5 Spring Garden. The first warm weather arrived on 19 April. The plants are beginning to repond. Today 45 gladiolis bulbs were planted. Most of the effort is in preparing the beds and sorting out the compost. The pictures are annotated.

Durgan.

Garden View and Planting Peas 22 April 2007.

22 April 2007 Zone 5. http://gardenpeas.notlong.com/

Pictures of the Garden with emphasis on the method of planting peas. First the row is rototilled, a layer of toilet paper is put down and wet, then the peas are spaced carefully, then another layer of toilet paper is put over the seeds, then a layer of sand it placed over the row, then watered.

I use sandy soil for covering, since it does not coagulate (a hard crust forming) like a clay soil does after a rain. The sand absorbs the shock of the rain, and prevents disturbing the seeds until they germinate. The sand is more soil than actual sandy grains.

So far this spring I have planted fifty potatoes, onion bulbs, radishes, beets, carrots and peas. This is Zone 5 and most people would consider this too early, but from past experience I find these vegetables can withstand the frosts encountered over the next month. If the temperature goes too low I will cover with a large pool tarp, which I have available.

Durgan.

Artichoke Plants (Green Globe) 2007

http://artichoke.notlong.com/ April 2007. Artichoke Plants ( Green Globe) started 8 March 2007 under lights and on a heating mat.
This is my first year with this plant. The seeds were placed in a fibre pot surrounded with soil and put in a plastic pot. The fibre pot inside keeps the roots contained, and facilitates transplanting when the time arrives.

http://gaeso.notlong.com/ 25 August 2007. One plant has produced a edible fruiting body. There are three plants and they are in full vigorous growth in Zone 5.

http://ievar.notlong.com/ 6 October 2007. Some fruiting bodies allowed to flower/

http://eajoh.notlong.com/ 13 October 2007. Description and some flowers in full bloom. These three plants will be left in the ground to see if they will over-winter in my Zone 5. Some ground cover protection will be supplied.

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/MV011 Information about the Artichoke.

http://www.durgan.org/Blog/Durgan.html

Website and Sending pictures over the Internet.

Website and Sending pictures over the Internet If a tree falls in the forest and no-one hears it, does it make a noise? This applies to those wonderful, pictures you have on your computer. Sharing them with others is fun and they may even like to view them. I have tried all methods and this procedure I present here is by far the best. It is relatively cheap and non-intrusive for the recipient. I have about 20 thousand photos on my site over a time period of about 8 years. They are always available by sending the URL via E mail. This method is far superior to all the free websites that allow people to post pictures.

The procedure is: Downloading your pictures from camera to a directory on your computer. Open Breezebrowser to make an HTML file. Upload this file using FTP to the pub directory on your website. Copy the URL from the website and put it in your browser address line and hit go. Copy the address line and past into the Short URL table in Notlong.com. Copy this short URL and send it anywhere you like and anybody can open the directory to your pictures. This method is far superior to all the free websites that allow people to post pictures. I upload photos within literally minutes of getting home from a shoot, and notify all the recipients via E mail as to the URL of the site.

Method for Handling Photographs for distribution.

Get a web site. Probably less than $7.00 per month. There are many but here is one: http://www.bluehost.com/

Get Breezebrowser to make HTML of your photos, to file, plus annotation if necessary. It only requires a few minutes to process pictures at any size ready for uploading to the website. http://www.breezesys.com/BreezeBrowser/

Get WS FTP or any other FTP program to upload your photos to your web site. http://www.download.com/3000-2160-10018456.html

http://www.durgan.org/ShortURL/?CAEZO 14 July 2008 Sunflower (Helianthus) Here is a a sample of how the pictures are received. Simply click on the thumbnail and the larger picture appear. The size is determined by the maker of the HTML page. Simple and Clean.

Using the method described above you are free of the shrills and their constant advertising on the various "Free" photo websites. Your site will be clean and fast. The uploaded photos will be excellent for viewing but not necessarily for printing.

If the users want prints you can send the originals at a size that they can print using this free software via E mail. http://s6.yousendit.com/

Siberian Squill

Siberian Squill

There are only a few named varieties of Siberian squill:
'Spring Beauty' has somewhat larger flowers and sturdier stems than the species.
'Alba' is a pure white form.
Scilla sibirica taurica has bright blue flowers.

http://squrill.notlong.com/
9 April 2007 Garden pictures.

This little plant blooms about the same time as crocus's. It is a clear indication that spring has sprung. This small plant is often seen in lawns prior to the first cutting.

http://SSquill.notlong.com
9 April 2007 Information about the plant.

Durgan.

Preparing A Garden Bed

http://Gardenbed1.notlong.com

3 April 2007. One garden bed was prepared for planting. The bed was cultivated, wood chips and compost mixed was added about half a cubic yard, and worked into the underlying soil. The surface was raked level and a small ditch was dug around the bed. This is the first completed bed. It is still cool 8 C.in my area Zone 5

The bed is 8 feet by 20 feet and is raised about one foot. This bed will be used for cauliflower, Okra, broccoli, romain lettuce,leaf lettuce, radishes, celery, and peppers. The bed is in full sun all day.

Durgan.

Mixing Wood Chips and Compost

http://Compost2.notlong.com

2 April 2007. The city supplied wood chips, mostly deciduous, were picked up in October 2006 and the compost is garden waste brewing since October 2006. The two were mixed together in the shredder/chipper and will be left for further brewing for about a month then spread on the garden beds.

The deciduous wood chips are used to create a more friable soil to insure water gets to the plant roots. Basically the process is the addition of fibre and some nutrients, plus it is a convenient method of disposing of the garden waste. The amount of compost generated from the garden waste is very minimal about 4 cubic yards for the year.

Durgan.