[gardeners] spring is sprung in Central Texas
Allen and Judy Merten (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Wed, 03 Mar 1999 16:35:09 -0600
Hi All,
Yall know that I plant by the moon signs. Also by old folk tales,
too. One of the old folk tales about last frost is that when the
Mesquite starts budding out no more frost.
I took that to the bank since the Mesquites are budding and leafing
out and planted 37 pepper plants and some Collards yesterday. It was
also the last day by Moon signs until the 17th to plant peppers.
We planted 6 TAMU Mild Jalepenos, 6 Jalapeno Grandes, 6 Serranos, 6
Habaneros, 7 Cubanelles, 6 Big Bertha Bells. Still looking for Jupiter
Bell another variety that along w/Bertha did so well last year. I wanted
to plant 12 Jalapeno Grandes but some of the more delicate palates in
the family wanted a milder Jalapeno. The Grandes are about the hottest
Jalapeno that I have ever eaten. Um good! They can real well also. We
came up short on canned peppers from last years crop, last jar was
emptied about 2 weeks ago. Same on pickles, only one quart left. All
pickle eating sons, s-i-l's, etc are verboten to touch my last jar of
pickles. This year there better be a few more pickle pickers and packers
when pickin' and packin' is done.
I have a new/old philosophy about produce sharing with the young and
strong. "This is the bucket, this is the garden, what you pick you can
have. This is the bucket.......". This year when the phone rings and
someone says "Would it be all right to run over and pick up a bucket of
xyz?" The answer is going to be, "no, but you can drive over and pick
some." Yall don't want me to get started on what happened to too many
jars of blackberry jam. I figure if you don't get stuck fingers you
don't get jam. It's a new leaf I'm turning over, I tell ya.
I got to go. 'Bout to work my blood pressure up.
Happy Gardening,
Allen
Bluebonnet Blooming Bastrop Co., Tx.