Glade of Growing

For Fangorn is old, old even as the Elves would reckon it.
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Welcome to the Glade of Growing

At the edges of the forest, where the trees start to thin a little before opening out into the plains of Rohan, there is a small glade. Whilst shaded around the edges, in the centre the trees have parted to allow sunlight to dabble the ground, and a small stream bubbles across the Southern edge. Everything looks very orderly, and after a short while it becomes clear why - this is a space dedicated to the care and growth of plants.

In a quiet way, the creatures of Fangorn have created here a small haven for plantlife, where all manner of plants, from mighty tree to smallest sprout, is encouraged to grow. It is also where some of the region's experts have gathered to offer advice and support for visitors who wish to learn more. So please, whether you are guest or expert, please feel welcome to have a look around, ask the experts for advice and learn from the experience of others.

Guidelines:
[*]This is a loosely IC thread, but you are very much encouraged to bring your OOC planting problems here for advice, including photos etc.
[*]None of the experts take any responsibility for any loss or damages caused by following, or not following, their advice
[*]If you know which expert you want to ask your question to, feel free to @Mention them, otherwise, the next passing expert who knows the answer will attend to you
[*]If you have an area of expertise in plantlife you would like to become an expert on, please complete the following form:
Name:
Area of Expertise:
Summary of experience:

If this thread proves popular we will look at introducing titles and ranks for experts. For now, please could experts post in Green, and everyone else post in a different colour.
Experts

[*]Berries, currants, fruit trees - Fairy Nuff as Isilyan
[*]Trees/Tree Herding - Oakie
[*]Vegetables - Tomatoes, onions, garlic - Taethowen
[*]Container plants, herbs, native plants, bird lore - Lailyn as Mossveil
[*]Vacancy
[*]Vacancy
Last edited by Fairy Nuff on Fri Jun 12, 2020 7:53 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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IN the glade enters Oakie with her application.

Name: Oakie
Area of Expertise: Tree Herding
Summary of experience: Many years of experience in a tree herd - head Huorn of the mixed herd that included many species of trees. I can identify many different kinds of trees. I know their individual personalities. I still have my own private herd that is sizable.
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Isiliyan was tending to some aphid-ridden apple trees when she heard Oakie enter the glade. She jumped up with most un-Entish haste (acceptable as she is not an Ent), and ran over to her old friend. "Oakie, I'm so glad you made it! You are exactly the right person to fill the tree expert vacancy, with all your experience and your knowledge of trees. We're not very busy yet, but I am sure people will want to ask all sorts of questions like, what is this tree, and what leaf is this, and so on, which you will be able to answer."

Isiliyan picked up the large slate by the entrance to the Glade, and wrote Oakie's name on it, next to her own. "There, it's official now! Perhaps while we wait for visitors, you can help me remove the aphids from this poor apple tree. I've encouraged some ladybirds to land here but they can't do it all on their own, so I've been wiping the worst affected areas with this wild garlic leaf, as the aphids hate the smell.".
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Oakie looked at the Apple trees, "Oh the poor dears." Oakie stroked their leaves removing the aphids as she did so. "Wild garlic, and yes they do not like onions either. Either will do. It's the smell they don't like". Oakie moved into the group pf apple trees and set to work, wiping the aphids off thier leaves with her own soft leaves. Aphids didn't particularly like the Hourn's leaves.
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So I'll start this with an OOC question - I bought a bunch of seeds a while back and never planted them (like cucumbers, tomatoes, basil, cliantro, etc). Is it too late in the year to plant them or can I still get a good crop of veggies in my little garden?
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Taethowen had rarely ventured near Fangorn, even during her time in the Cavalry. Having grown up in the Eastfold, nearly in the shadow of the White Mountains, Fangorn had been nearly far enough away to be almost like a fairy story.

She'd had to come north on an errand, though, and once she was finished with it she'd found that Fangorn was within sight, and found that it had a different feel to it than the Firien Wood. She quickly found herself drawn into a little glade. As she wandered in through the dappled sunlight, her breath caught as she saw an ent (Oak). She never thought she would see one with her own eyes!

Then she spotted another woman (Isiliyan/Fairy Nuff) (Or was she an elf? Taeth wasn't quite sure at first glance.) just across the glade's entrance, hanging a sign up.

"Westu hal!" Taeth called, crossing over to greet her. "Oh, this is the Glade of Growing? I can practically feel the life suffusing this place. May I help with anything?"

Name: Taethowen
Area of Expertise: Vegetables, but especially Tomatoes & Alliums (garlic, onions)
Summary of experience: 7+ years of growing (and sometimes failing) vegetables in a place with weather extremes (very hot summers, sometimes very cold winters, and always tornadoes or flooding). I have a deep interest in permaculture.


@Mojo Some of that will depend on where you're at (do you have any idea what your USDA hardiness zone is? If not, I can get you a link for that).

Tomatoes are tricky to do from seed, and to transplant them in spring people usually start the seed indoors in January or February. You could *maybe* start some indoors now and have them ready for a fall crop of tomatoes if you have a relatively long growing season.

Cucumbers and basil should be just fine if you get them planted within the next week or so.

Cilantro does better in cool weather, so it would be best to either grow it indoors in a pot, or to wait till fall to plant outdoors. The heat makes it bolt (go to seed) very fast, but it also can't tolerate more than a light frost, so you've got to time it just right.
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Isiliyan smiled as she watched Oakie get started on sorting out the aphid problem, and was just setting the sign right again when two more people entered the glade.

She waved at Mojo and Taethowen, and headed over to see how she could help, and was delighted to see that not only was Taeth offering to become an expert, she had already started offering sound advice to Mojo. "Welcome to the Glade of Growing, both of you! Taethowen, it is fantastic to see an expert on the vegetable side of things as I don't know as much in that area. We are very happy for you to join the team, I will add your name to the board. I'm Isiliyan by the way, I'm a tree spirit, one known as Tavari in the Elvish tongue, or dryad in Westron - I am bound to the forest and here to protect it, and help it grow - so you can see why vegetables may not be my strong point! That sounds like good advice you have given Mojo, thank you for your help!"
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Oakie turned. "Welcome to the glade. Your Alliums will certainly be helpful to these poor Apples, as Aphids do not like them. I use them to keep these pest off the smaller Olvar by placing them in plantings. I used to grow tomatoes, until squirrels and Deer started to eat them up."
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Taeth's smile widened as Isiliyan greeted her and Mojo, accepting Taeth's application to help in the Glade. "I'm glad to be help!" she answered, then listened with fascination as Isiliyan explained that she was a dryad. "For being so close to each other, so little of what goes on in Fangorn has made its way to Rivendell," Taeth replied. "I had no idea such a being as a tree spirit existed!"

Mojo appeared to be lost in thought, so Taeth turned to greet the other advisor in the Glade. "The sign said your name is Oak, correct? It's wonderful to meet you! I honestly did not know that alliums could be used to repel aphids, though I've heard of many other uses for them with pest control. They can, actually, be planted around tomatoes to deter those pesky squirrels and deer as well."
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Oakie's friendly golden gaze turned toward Taeth. "Yes you can call me Oak. I am doctor--sort of - to trees. All sorts of creatures are repelled by Alliums. They don't like the sharp smell or taste. Squirrels and Deer dislike them. Plain green onions are just as effective as the bulb type as a repellent. The green ones are easier to grow too.

Black Walnuts are a good repellent to insects too, but they don't get along with apples, or tomatos too well. There are a number of them living in Fangorn Forest. Onions make better companions for a vegetable garden".
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An entwife arrived at the glade and was glad to see others had gathered there. She listened to Taethowen and Oakie upon arriving and tucked away the tidbit that alliums could repel pests in her memory. "Good day to you, fellow gardeners," she said, lifting a branch their way in greeting. "I am Mossveil. I wondered if I may join you. Your Apple Trees look like they will yield a mighty fine crop especially with the care you are giving them."

Seeing a sign for experts to sign up and share their knowledge, Mossveil considered. "I am not sure if I can claim an expert. Despite my many years of living in the forest, I have dabbled in many things, but become master of none. Though I do know a fair bit about the birds who live in the trees and I most enjoy cultivating a native plant garden to support all the birds and bees and other creatures who need habitat." Mossveil smiled as she thought of all the hasty creatures of the wood she so enjoyed watching throughout their lives. "I will be happy to help if you will have me."

Name: Mossveil / Lailyn
Area of Expertise: Mostly container plants, herbs, native plants, birds and backyard bird habitat
Summary of experience: Like Mossveil, I am not super experienced or an expert, but a beginner. Until last year, I only ever did container plantings, mostly of herbs and decorative/native plants. Last year I started composting, planted a section of native plants and did my first go at tomatoes, pepper and strawberries. So, I kind of dabble but don't have tons of experience.

I've just planted my seeds for summer flowers a few days ago then we had a whole lot of rain. I'm USDA zone 8b. Is that likely to be bad for my seeds? When I direct sewed them last year, they were successful but the weather was much drier and sunnier. This is only my second year trying this!

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It depends on the kind of seeds. Rain if it puddles and stands can cause a phenomena called 'damping off' which is a caused by fungus that either kills the seedling as they come up or causes the seeds to rot in the soil. Rain water that sits there is bad for this. The best prevention is to start the seeds in sterilized, soil-less seedling mix or other planting media, using only sterilized containers. Use clean water on the seeds, not stored rainwater or pond water.

I live in Zone 4b. Damping off is a bad problem for the corn and soybeans if we have heavy rains and it stands in the field. As the crop comes in there is a bare patch where the water was left standing.
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Isiliyan smiled at Taeth "Oh, there aren't many of us and we're quite shy. I am lucky to have friends like Oakie who give me confidence around other folk." She listened to Oakie give advice about repelling aphids with interest. "I did not know that about black walnuts Oakie, I must remember that, though you are correct that they would be out of place on a vegetable patch."

At at moment another visitor entered the Glade, and Isiliyan went over to say hello. "Hello Mossveil, it is quite uncommon to see entwives active these days, what a pleasure it is to have you here! We would be delighted to have your input on container and native plants, and herbs. And it will also be interesting to see how birds interact with our growing efforts - I imagine some are a help and some are a hindrance?" she asked, thinking to herself that this was an aspect of growing she hadn't really looked into deeply before. "I'll add your name to the list, good to have you join the team".

"When it comes to your seeds, I agree with Oakie that standing water is going to be your biggest threat to the seeds. If they are in well drained soil, or containers, or there had been an extended period of dryness beforehand, you may be ok. If you stick your finger into the earth by about an inch, see if your finger comes out wet and the soil clings to it - if it does then your soil may be too damp which will encourage rot. If you've used your own compost or have used a mulch like bark chips, your soil will be able to drain well by itself If not, if in a bed and not a container, you can make holes a few inches deep which allows the water to pool, drying the soil around so the seeds are able to grow."
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That's what I'm mostly worried about, Oak. My soil is very clayey, so it can hold onto water for a while even though I've added mulch and compost. I guess if they don't sprout, I'll just try again! The seeds are for Black-Eyed Susans, Zinnia, Sunflower and Daisies. I tried them indoor in containers last year but after sprouting they became "leggy" I think from lack of light so this time I wanted to try a direct-sow. Thanks!


Mossveil greeted Isiliyan when she approached. "Yes...I was rather lost for a time, but I have found my way back now. I cannot say I have seem many of your own kin much, either." Her green eyes twinkled at her in appreciation. "You are of one of the Tavari, yes? It is good to see you, too, and tending the trees as in the days of old."

"Thank you for allowing me to join. Yes, birds can be both hindrance and help. They eat and spread seeds far and wide, some even pollinate flowers, but others still may pick your garden clean. Especially of fruit." Her voice was light as she recalled a funny memory. "I remember once a flock of sparrows ate all the strawberries from my crop. But I did not begrudge them for they only did as they ought to to survive and feed their chicks. There were many more seasons to grow strawberries yet."

She listened to Isiliyan's advice on her seeds and rustled her branches as if to nod in thanks. "I shall dip one of my smallest branches into the soil and see how damp it is. If it sticks to my bark, then I will heed your advice to dig small holes to create drainage. Thank you for your advice. It has been some time since I tried the delicate work of sowing seeds and my branches are not as nimble as they were when I was but a young Entmaiden many years ago."

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Now to share with you a common threat to young trees, the Sap Sucker. It is a wood pecker that drinks sap. I have a young elm in my herd Elma that gets attacked by these birds. I found her this week with her trunk pecked up. She was bleeding sap.

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Here are some of her wounds.
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The rumour of the Glade of Growing had led to Elarith riding north to seek it out. The tree herders would certainly have the knowledge to help her with her problem - if she could find them.

After hunting along the outskirts the forest for some time, she stumbled upon the Glade with relief. Leaving her horse at the edge, she stepped into the clearing, eyes widening at the varied and wondrous Ents there. She wasn't sure who to address her query to, so she cleared her throat and spoke loudly to the space as a whole, in the hope that someone would listen and know the answer.

"So, hello. I know this is the Glade of Growing, and all living plant life has its value, but... I would like some advice about weeds. I have some paving, and the weeds are growing between the bricks like anything. I've been on my knees taking them out but it is getting quite wearing now," she said, pointing to the thinning patches on her trousers. "So is there anything environmentally friendly - and preferably cheap - that I can use against them? I have heard salt is worth a try?"

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@Elarith
Oakie turned her attention from doctoring the piteous Elm.

"Salt would kill most weeds as they do very poorly if you put salt down in the cracks." said the leafy Huorn. "It works by dehydrating the plants. I would advise against using it anywhere near a garden as it would render the soil unsuitable for growing plants. It would take many years for the rains to wash it from the soil. It is why plants do no not really grow in salt marshes except for plants that are especially equipped for dealing with salt water. Making a salt weed killer mixture isn't difficult at all. You can add rock salt or salt from a salt block to water until it dissolves. Make a fairly weak mixture to start with – three parts water one part salt. You can increase the amount of salt daily until the salt begins to kills the weeds in the path."
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Elarith was grateful when one of the Ents, Oak, looked away from a poorly tree and gave her some advice. “Thank you. The area where the weeds are is just laid bricks where I don’t really want anything to grow, so I shall try the salt. But I’ll go carefully with it.”

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Mossveil waited until Oak finished giving the Horse-woman excellent advice on her brick-invading weeds before offering Oak what she knew of Sapsuckers. Elarith's arrival was welcome by the Entwife as it gave her the time she needed to mull over the wounded elm. Humans could be so hasty sometimes, running to and fro and riding horses as if their own legs were not fast enough!

The entwife sighed and it sounded as of wind in a tree-hollow. "Oh, I do hate to see a lovely lalven tree in pain," she told Oak. "The Sapsuckers will be working extra hard to feed their growing chicks right now. But sometimes if they only peck here and there, the tree will be unharmed. It will be best if you keep a close eye on this tree as the Sapsucker can easily girdle a tree by pecking holes right around its trunk."

"If you want to prevent the voracious bird from doing so, you can wrap some burlap around the trunk using a flexible type of rope to allow the tree to keep growing. This will prevent the bird from over-pecking your Elm."

"Otherwise, if the bird decides to feast on the tree, you may wish to sacrifice it to save the rest of your herd, but this is not a decision made lightly..."

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Oakie did wrap Elma in burlap as she was the youngest member of the herd. The other herd members are big enough to not be harmed by the bird. "I have given Elma a burlap dress for her a wear until the SapSuckers migrate to their breeding grounds. It was a juvenile that kept pecking at Elma.
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The dark strips are stretchy kind of cloth with to which I have applied a glue. It will come off as she grows."
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Isiliyan found herself a shady spot and took out a notepad made of bark strips that had been peeled from fallen trees, bound by nettle rope, and a charcoal stylus. She began to write notes, to help her and others remember the information shared in this glade. She hoped the other experts would also write their tips in the book.

Isilyan's Apple Tree Tips #1

Apple trees will very enthusiastically produce fruit - more than they can bear without stress to the tree. In June, the apple tree will choose some fruit to discard, and will let them drop. This is known as the June Drop, and helps the apple tree focus on the remaining fruit so they are bigger and juicier when they ripen. However, apple trees are optimistic, and often leave more fruit than they should to ripen, which will stress the tree, and make a good harvest next year less likely. Therefore they need our help to thin the fruit further. We should aim to leave 1 fruit per 8 inches of branch - this does not mean that they have to be 8 inches apart, but if the branch is only 8 inches long, it should only have to support one apple, but a 16 inch branch can support 2 apples. You also want those apples that remain to have plenty of room to grow, so ideally no more than 2 per cluster. Established apple trees can have 8 or more apples per cluster, so you do have to be ruthless or you will end up with small apples, a stressed tree and a poor harvest next year.

Often the apple in the centre of a cluster (known as the king apple) will be the biggest, but it will also have been growing squashed on all sides by the surrounding apples, which makes it a good candidate for thinning. Apples that are significantly smaller than the rest should also be thinned.

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(Image from https://slofarm.wordpress.com/2011/06/1 ... pple-crop/ as mine was too blurry)


You should also target any that are misshapen, maggoty, diseased or damaged. Common culprits are codling moth larvae and apple sawfly.

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codling moth

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apple sawfly
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"How is your little elm tree doing now, @Oak?" asked Mossveil. "Have there been any more visits from the sapsucker?"

"Very interesting notes on the apple tree, Isiliyan. How very clever of the tree to drop some early fruit for the benefit of the others. Thinning the apples reminds me of trimming new suckers on a tomato to help the fruit grow better."

"Speaking of tomatoes..." Mossveil turned to @Taethowen. "I wonder if you might have ideas about some of mine. My tomatoes have begun fruiting, but they are growing in a rather long shape similar in appearance to a bell pepper rather than a round tomato. Do you know why that might happen or if its normal in some varieties?"

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Taethowen had become a bit distracted, wandering around the glade and observing the different types of trees, and she had to pull herself away from the daydreams she'd found herself drifting through. There were some lovely spots here where some small garden patches for shade-friendly vegetables in the shadow-dappled grove might fit, and she was also wondering if she could convince the others to put in a small chicken pen...

Mossveil (@Lailorn) asked her a question, then, and Taeth smiled, happy to be able to help someone again. "Variations in shape are definitely normal in many types of tomatoes," she answered. "However, if the shape is drastically different from what you were expecting for a specific type, it may have also been mislabeled. Do you know what type of tomato it's supposed to be?"


OOC - If you have pictures, that would be fantastic to help identify if it really is a mislabeling issue or if it's just a quirk.
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"Wait here, if you don't mind, and I will go fetch some fruits so you can see for yourself, Taethowen." It was some time by human standards, but none at all for an Entwife when she returned.

"Here I have a San Marzano (top) variety, I've no idea what language that name is..." And she could have delved into that discussion for a long time, but she recalled she was speaking to a human who would be uninterested in such things. So she turned her attention to the tomato she held in her other branch. "And a Roma (bottom). I confess I know very little of tomato varieties. Do they look healthy in your expert opinion?"

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OOC: Now that I've googled my varieties it looks like they actually are more oblong-y tomato types! *facepalm* Here's what I get for picking random varieties at the greenhouse! Mossveil shall be suitably embarrassed. :embarrassed: And sorry - my cell phone has retro-level resolution.

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When Mossveil returned with her tomatoes and their types, Taeth laughed softly and smiled. "Ah, yes," she said, examining the fruits. "These ones are supposed to be oblong in shape. They fall into a family known as plum tomatoes. While they are excellent for raw eating, their true purpose is making sauces. They've been bred to have less watery flesh and less seeds, so that they don't have to be cooked down as long. But they look wonderfully healthy overall! I'm sure you'll harvest many tomatoes from these plants this summer."

OOC @Lailorn - San Marzano and Roma tomatoes are both plum varieties bred in Italy, and are very popular sauce-making and preserving types. I have over a dozen Roma tomato plants in my garden this year, actually. However, they are both determinate varieties and will only set one big crop one time. There may be some straggling tomatoes after that, but not a lot all at once.
Last edited by Taethowen on Wed Aug 05, 2020 5:29 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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"Oh well that's a relief to hear." Mossveil replied, feeling somewhat abashed. She ought to have known such things, but then again, she did not harvest plants to eat but to enjoy watching them grow. "Plum tomatoes. How very interesting. I have learned something new today. Thank you for that. Perhaps when they are ripe I can give you some so you can make yourself a nice sauce..."

OOC: Nice, thank you for that info! That's exciting. Last year I had so many tomatoes I didn't know what to do with them! I wound up crushing them and then freezing to be used in sauces/chili/soups over winter, which was a treat! Maybe I'll be able to do so again with my plum varieties. :smile: yum.

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@Lailorn
Little Elma is doing much better. She has pushed out quite a few more leaves. The wood peckers are leaving her alone now. This is a temporary measure until she gets big enough to fend for herself. I have a ash tree that the woodpeckers like. But that tree is big enough that the woodpeckers don't do so much damage.
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Oh good I am so happy to hear that, @Oak! They may have moved on, too. I'd love to see a picture as she gains her fall colors.

I'm sad to say my seedlings never sprouted, so I guess this Entwife doesn't have the greenest of thumbs. But I had a lot of other priorities this spring that took my attention away from the garden. At least my tomatoes are ok! I also had a nice surprise when an old strawberry plant decided to naturalize in my garden this year. I removed it from a container over winter and added it to a pile of scraps and it decided to sprout and fruit.

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Taeth smiled at Mossveil's offer of fresh tomatoes once they'd ripened. "That would be delightful!" she replied.


OOC @Lailorn - I almost wish I could have some of yours for real, LOL. Spring/summer has been weird here and it took a while for my tomato plants to get going. They're loaded with unripe tomatoes now, but they're taking forever *to* ripen.

Also, re: your seedlings, were you perhaps working with old seeds (they do become less viable as time passes), or were they perhaps drowned or snatched up by birds? But YAY for the strawberry plant! Strawberry plants are challenging to get established here in Oklahoma.

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"I will be happy to share my harvest with a fellow gardener, but you will have to come get them yourself. I don't venture out of the woods these days unless it is possible to post them to you?" Mossveil asked @Taethowen . She was not certain tomatoes could be shipped across the tree-less expanse of Rohan without getting smashed to pieces, but if she was going to make a sauce anyway, Mossveil did not see how it could matter.

OOC: Oh no! Taeth I'm sorry to hear that. I'm not sure how mine will turn out but if they do well I wish I could actually share some with you.

You're probably right about my seeds. They were a year old and probably drowned...I think a couple of them said they could be planted late-season so I may give those another go. The birds definitely got to my strawberries before I did, but that's ok with me. I hope they enjoyed a tasty snack! Next on my agenda is transplanting a lavender I've had in a container to the actual garden.

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Isiliyan had wandered off to tend her little vegetable patch in a clearing by the river. She was growing carrots, beetroot, chard, beans and cucumbers. Or at least she was trying to.

"Oh fred" she wailed as she stomped back into the Glade. "Some pesky squirrel has come and eaten all my carrot seedlings. They've left the rest, and everything else is growing beautifully, and so quickly - does anyone know why the squirrel only targeted the carrots, and is there anything I can do to protect them next time? Perhaps our vegetable expert @Taethowen " she asked the assembled experts and visitors. She knew it was too late to plant again for this year's harvest, but it was so distressing to lose young plants so soon after planting them out into the ground.

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Starbreeze ~ Lily Knotwise ~ Itarildë Tinehtelë ~ Peachleaf ~ Isiliyan ~ Aelflaed Goldhawk ~ Dagnead

Thain of The Mark
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"It might be possible to post them!" Taethowen smiled at Mossveil's suggestion. "If you pick them just as they're starting to turn red, and pack them loosely into a box with straw, they should be fine for a bit of travel."

Isiliyan came storming back into the Glade then, complaining about squirrels eating her carrot seedlings. Taethowen had a problem with squirrels stealing her tomatoes, so she knew the frustration well.

"I don't know why the squirrel would have eaten only the carrots and nothing else, other than personal taste," she answered. "However, you do have a few options to try and deter them. You can sprinkle chili powder on the soil around the plants, or blood meal--though this will alter the nitrogen content of your soil, or you can put up some kind of physical deterrent like netting or a wire cage. If the problem persists, you might consider obtaining urine from predators--such as wolves--to spray around the garden's perimeters. But you'll have to re-apply after it rains."


OOC @Fairy Nuff - Carrots are actually a crop you can grow practically year-round in most moderate climates. What's your gardening zone and how many days do you have till your first frost?

High Lord of Imladris
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Fuin wandered into the glade and the first thing she heard about was carrots. Oh to be able to grow carrots where she was year round. To grow ANYTHING year round would be a blessing. She managed it but only because she kept several fruit trees that were quite exotic to where she was indoors where they were warm. If not entirely happy about the lack of strong sun no matter how much light she let them get for it was often dark for more than 16 hours a day where she was for weeks at a time.

"I know I am horribly late to the party, but you can also try leaving hair clippings around them, most animals absolutely HATE human hair and it tends to be a bit longer fix than chili or garlic dusting, as you must reapply those after each rain where hair has a better chance of staying put longer. Unless it's bird nesting season then it will be in nests very very quickly."

She was as it were a bit of green thumb when it came to growing things in the most happenstance of ways, mostly because she was always busy doing something and generally felt that if a plant couldn't take care of itself then it had no business growing at all. Especially if it was one meant to grow outside.
Name: Fuin Elda
Area of Expertise: Animal Control, Getting the most out of your Garden possible with the least possible effort, How to annoy orderly hobbit farmers with anarchy gardening.
Summary of experience: Animal Control - grew up on a farm with deer, skunks, raccoons (the worst for corn thieving), in the city primarly dealing with squirrels and rabbits (rabbits being the worst offenders), 11 years of growing a garden in a 10x10 little plot... and getting over 1000 tomatoes out of it as well as more carrots peas, beans kale, spinach, beets onions and garlic than I could shake a stick at never mind when part of that patch also had my raspberry cane in it, and NOT weeding it or thinning anything most years. and finally my father is a farmer, he believe in nice neat orderly rows. Nice neat orderly rows DOES not get you the most food from a limited space. Am fairly certain I have almost caused him two strokes, the first when I told him he couldn't put round up on the cleaver around my garden the second when he figured out there was only about 8 inches between my tomato plants. He has given up trying to do anything in my garden aside from actually picking things.

This coming year I may be adding orchard/fruit tree maintanence to my list of things I know as my new dwellings come with several very well established fruit trees, and pest control is likely going to now include 'bears'

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