31337 Gardening's topics - tribe.net

Question

2008-07-11T01:40:34Z

I want to plant an organic vegetable garden in my Dads back yard but he told me he put a bunch of gofer pellets into the ground. How do I work the soil to remove the toxins from the soil so I do not poison the vegetables. Any help would be much appreciated!!! Peace Lulu

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Good source for Irises

2008-06-05T17:23:51Z

Anyone know of a good source for purchasing Iris bulbs/rhizomes, online?

Thanks,

Chip

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

strawberries: where to get seeds and a simple how to

2008-05-31T22:27:50Z

Anyone know where to buy strawberry seeds and a simple start how to?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Compost-garden poem

2007-12-06T08:56:16Z

I have a poem, six photos, and the cover photo published in the Winter 2007 issue of Abramelin: The Journal of Poetry and Magick (http://www.abramelin.net/).

The poem relates gardens to life and death.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

seriously moldy pumpkin

2007-11-12T19:57:28Z

Is it all right to put a grossly mildewy Jack o' Lantern (no wax in it) in my compost? It has flat black mold and hairy grey mold on it.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Whats the best tomato polinator?

2007-10-20T06:31:16Z

cherrie tomatoes!! Love 'em and am attempting my first grow. All input will be appreciated! I need to know how to get more flowers.
I was told there is some kind of "polinator" spray that makes the plants make more tomatoes. Any ideas?. Oh, and yes, I am using "The
Force" on them, however these are a "Sith" variety! Hee-Hee, Ha, Ha!

Genuinely, JediDale

posted in 31337 Gardening - 7 replies

Please Help

2007-09-10T04:33:52Z

Last night my lovely organic tomato's were beat down by an Oklahoma thunderstorm and are now all bent :( I'm so sad.... I don't know what to do ....I had the biggest plants this year ever. And I have the biggest tomato cages I could find around them. There are other big storms headed my way so anybody got any ideas on how I can help them to survive the winds?!! Any ideas would be helpful

posted in 31337 Gardening - 12 replies

Hollyhocks

2007-08-12T21:12:55Z

I have some hollyhocks which have not bloomed, but have lots of foliage? Anything I can do to promote bloom? Others have bloomed great.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

free tomato starts

2007-06-26T21:42:52Z

Hey - I have about 40 volunteer toms that I want to get rid of. Not exactly sure what kind they are but they are heriloom for sure.

In SE PDX - Woodstock, love for someone to take all. Need to pick up Wed or Thurs. Might be able to deliver.

M

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

driver needed to kootneys

2007-06-26T18:18:54Z

nelson/winlaw

any one out there in need of a paid trip to the kootenays, aaron, my love is stranded on the coast with an insured van and no licensed driver, we all need him here asap. we miss him alot. so please if you or any one you know is needing to migrate up here, or simply has a hankering for a mountain adventure, and has a license please contact me or, him, hes on tribe as well. and let us know. thanks
Posted by

Paris Prey
Canada

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

gerber daisies

2007-06-14T13:40:35Z

mine are planted in big pots with plenty of room to grow and looking rather sad. any advice on how to perk them up? they were so pretty a few days ago! thanks :)

posted in 31337 Gardening - 6 replies

My new puppy and castor bean trees

2007-05-09T03:19:07Z

Hi there,

I was wondering if anyone might be able to give me some information on my very large red castor bean tree? It is a gorgeous tree that I really like. However, I have LOTS of seedlings everywhere, and I just brought home a new puppy. I am very worried about her eating any leaves, seeds, etc. from the tree or any of the seedlings. I have pulled up all of the seedlings, and started to cut off any branches with seed pods. But there are so many, and I don't know if the effort is in vain or not.

Of course, my puppy (Sophie) is more important to me than the tree, and if I have to, I would certainly remove the tree. But I thought I would see if anyone might be able to offer any other information.

Thanks very much!

Chip

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Yellow Puke? Mold?

2007-05-08T18:19:50Z

I found this really gross pile of what looks like yellow puke in the middle of my garden. It is soft and spungy, but doesn't have anything in it that looks like it came from an animal's stomach. Is it some kind of fungi or mold?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 4 replies

Talk with me 'bout local growing/buying -vegetables

2007-03-23T20:05:33Z

I run a Community Shared Agriculture (CSA) in Alberta, Canada. This is a fairly new concept for this area. Maybe because we have so many farms on the prairies, maybe 'cause the cities are no where as big as Toronto or Vancouver, where there are more CSAs. I network with the 3 others around Edmonton, Alberta, that I know of, but hunger for info from elsewhere. Don't want to reinvent the wheel, don't you know. I don't mind sharing info, either. 'nature' of the game.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 4 replies

Ceropegias

2007-03-23T18:13:31Z

Does anyone know how to get Ceropegia dichotoma to grow well and flower?
And am also searching for seed distributors.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Kiwi fruit?

2007-03-18T21:07:37Z

Anybody here raise any kiwi? Is it doable in So Cal?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Rabbit Manure in LA area?

2007-03-03T18:40:31Z

Hey, are there any urban gardeners in the LA area here? And do you know where to get rabbit manure? NO ONE seems to carry it.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Spring seems so far away. I wonder what new type of plant I will try this year?

2007-02-06T04:43:14Z

I need to keep a journal, but tend to wing it.

Anyone else dreaming of spring? (as a few inches of snow is on the way here in the midwest)

DBrown
http://dbrowndesigns.etsy.com

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

Heifer.org holiday post

2006-12-02T23:21:38Z

If you or someone you know gives or receives charity gifts, I thought I'd post about this for the holidays. Heifer.org is a charity where you can sponsor an animal or animals for a family in need. There are all different levels of gifts, with animals used for different purposes:

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/

And once you buy a gift, you can print a card (so you can write on it and send it yourself), send a card (their mail deadline is Dec. 6 for Christmas, though), or send an ecard letting someone know you sponsored the animal on their behalf. They have cards for more than one holiday, or no holiday:
http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.901767/

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

CHIA HEAD PLEASE HELP

2006-11-08T01:03:23Z

I am starting to work on my halloween costume.. CHIA MAN
I will be covered in clay body paint and wearing a heltmet covered in chia pet stuff. I am not sure if this is possible. Does anyone have any tips or suggestions.

I found chia seeds by the pound online I thought I would cover the helmet in clay, carve grooves around the helmet like on the chia pet and hold the wet seeds and keep watering it every day for a week? The instructions on chia pets show that there is water in the anima/helmet. There is no way I can simulate that on my helmet, if I keep watering it will I be ok? Do you think it will work?

http://www.savontv.com/chia-faqs.html

posted in 31337 Gardening - 12 replies

Organic Gardening (Permaculture) Certification Programs

2006-09-29T22:56:46Z

In addition to a full permaculture design certificate course, this dynamic residential program provides a holistic introduction to social permaculture, ecovillage design and implementation. Most Universities offer students upper division credit, through program participation. We also have a Permaculture for Kids Summer Day Camp available for students with children.

Subjects include:
Organic Agriculture: Understanding soil composition, watersheds, swales, water catchment, and conservation, biological control agents, native plant guilds, annual, biennial, and perennial cycles, and other natural rhythms, patterns and biological relationships.

Natural Building: Looking at international design and selecting appropriate models to suit a given climate, we work with cob, straw bale, earthships, living roofs, passive solar and other techniques.

Appropriate Technology and Renewable Energy: Designing to maximize efficiency through energy conservation and retention. We explore passive and active solar, micro-hydro, wind, bio-diesel, rainwater catchment, and grey water systems.

Eco forestry: Harvesting food, energy, and medicine, while restoring damaged forest lands and monocrop tree plantations to diverse and productive systems.

Site Analysis & Design: Working with raw, developed, and semi-developed land to create home, garden, and village infrastructures, in harmony with the surrounding environment. Overview of zoning, permits and land-use laws.

Social Permaculture: Learning through dynamic personal growth workshops, communication skills, consensus and other decision making processes.

Community Living: Exploring Ecovillage economics, employment, education, self-government, health and wellbeing, and many other aspects of day-to-day life in community.

Instructors and Presenters include:
*Rick Valley, International permaculture instructor, nursery operator, Lost Valley Land Steward.
*Tree Bressen, Group facilitator, consensus trainer, founding member of Eugene's Walnut St. Coop.
*Mark Lakeman, Founder of City Repair, Co-Organizer of Portland's Village Builder Convergence.
*Toby Hemenway, Author Gaia's Garden, former editor of Permaculture Activist.
*Rob Bolman, Founder of Maitreya Ecovillage, Co-Organizer of NW Permaculture Gathering.
*Marc Tobin, Masters in Community and Regional Planning, Lost Valley EPCP coordinator.
*Jude Hobbs, Associate with Agro-Ecology, landscape designer, small farm consultant.
*Joshua Smith, Ecological landscape designer, eco-forester, author of Botanical Treasures of the West.
*Marisha Auerbach, Certified herbalist, ethnobotanist, permaculture & edible landscape designer.

Held at Lost Valley Educational Center, an intentional community, non-profit educational center, and nature sanctuary dedicated to learning, living, and teaching sustainable, ecologically-based culture located outside Eugene, Oregon.

See: http://www.lostvalley.org/epcp for details!

Nathaniel N-T
Outreach Coordinator
epcp@lostvalley.org
(541) 937-3351 * 112

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Garden Journal Formats

2006-09-20T15:52:04Z

I've been getting into gardening in a big way over the last year but all my reading (and what little practice I can get in given some issues going on with my house) hasn't been bringing me up to speed on things as quickly as I'd like. I think I really need to start using the scientific method and making careful observations. And a gardening journal/log would be a good place to start. However, what have people found to be the best format for such a thing? A calendar will allow one to look up things by time but not by type of plant nor placement in one's yard. A freeform journal could be a mess. What formats have you had the best success with?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 10 replies

houseplant cutting Starts

2006-09-20T15:31:56Z

What are some houseplants that you can take cuttings from and make little baby houseplants? I am exhausted with my philidendron. bored. Give me more.
-A

posted in 31337 Gardening - 22 replies

portland lesbian gardeners

2006-09-10T04:21:52Z

it seems there USED to be a women's gardening club. what happened? shall we band a new one?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

beautiful botanical tattoos

2006-09-04T23:41:57Z

I'm a SF tattoo artist specializing in botanical and nature-inspired tattoos. Now is the chance to grow your tattoo garden with some tasty produce or pretty flowers. I'm offering a 10% discount on botanical/nature tattoos to tribe folks for the rest of August. Please take a look at my website: dragonflyink.com Feel free to contact me.

thanks,
Sasha

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Gardenias

2006-08-08T03:17:28Z

Hello all,
I know gardenias aren't exactly food, but I'm still seeking advice. I have four lovely gardenia plants that came with the house we purchased and they're not looking as happy as they once were. Anyone have any experience with gardenias? Any advice appreciated.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Seedling Difficulties

2006-04-14T23:10:23Z

Hey folks,

I am looking for information regarding a condition of some apple tree seedlings. The stem on some of them is turning red at the point of the soil and below. This red stem then loses its structural integrity and the seedling begins to wilt. Perhaps there is some experience or information to be shared for help with this...

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

getting rid of blackberry - HELP!

2006-01-08T18:15:43Z

Any suggestions on something not too poisonius to put on the just cut stumps
of Blackberry to invite it not to return? There is way too much for me to dig-up.
I did the major work (ouch!) of removing the long branches and cutting up for compost.
I even got a systemic case of poison oak that has returned several times since I first got it in AUG while clearing the blackberry.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

want to grow white button mushrooms

2005-11-13T20:52:20Z

I have a package of button mushroom spores, or seeds, or whatever.
I really want these to grow. I scraped out some rotting wood from an old stump in the trees, as one website suggested, but thought I'd ask here first.
Anyone ever grow these? Is dirt or compost better? Any tips as to how to help them along?
I appreciate any help I can get! Thanks!!

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

Help

2005-10-08T15:33:57Z

I have heard if you hang your cut flowers upside down they will keep and reseed..Does anyone know if that true?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 4 replies

Seed Catalogs

2005-10-08T05:00:10Z

The Thompson & Morgan Catalog arrived this week. Next year I plan to do a better job starting my seeds--we'll see. I do enjoy seeing the new offerings every year, but I tend to notice more what's left out.

Thompson & Morgan has offered Senecio ciliocarpa polypodon for several years, but not this year; too bad I like that plant a whole lot. The flowers are a wonderful color, a true lavender--well not lavender as in lavender plants, T&M says "lilac-purple." I've never seen the seeds anywhere else.

Lots of old, but wonderful series of popular plants fall out of favor and become hard to get, for example I love the Disco series of marigolds, and they're hardly ever offered anymore. One reason I like T&M is because they often continue to offer some old-reliables.

The trouble, and maybe part of the charm, of getting a whole bunch of seed catalogs is that all of them seem to have the one thing none of the others do. That interests me. I'm curious about the flower and vegetable seeds people like, and particularly the ones that don't show up in every catalog.

Any suggestions?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Where to get plastic 55 gal. drums in PDX?

2005-10-06T02:00:21Z

I'd like to setup a rain barrel system at our new house and wanted to know where to get some rain barrels for free or cheap.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

My gardening blog on Tribe

2005-09-07T00:13:56Z

Hi ,

I have been a professional gardener, garden designer and horticulturist for over 19 years. I have started a blog about gardening. People can ask questions, or share ideas with me and I will share my thoughts and secrets on gardening with anyone who is interested.

Maryann

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Wearing Your Garden

2005-08-31T16:17:39Z

Here's a way that I found today to use garden material as a fashion accessory. I would be interested how others enjoy wearing their flowers. You can see picutres of the one I made today. It's easy and practical.

For some time I have thought it would be nice if people wore flowers more often; taking my advice only so far as to wear an occasional rosebud in my jacket lapel. Occasionally, because it's not so often in the summer I have occasion to wear a sports jacket. However today walking in the garden I paid attention to the wealth of floral material that would be nice to wear if only I could find a good way of wearing them. The solution I came up with is simple and effective.

On my dressing table I found a metal button from an old uniform. The embossing on the button is SFD and I haven't a clue what that stands for, but am happy to have a reason for making a story. Using a 24 inch length of Dacron fishing line folded in half, I threaded the two open ends through the tang of the button, securing the button by passing these ends through the loop made by the threads at the other end of the button tang. What I ended up with was a metal button in the middle and a right and left thread, a perfect arrangement to make the button in the middle spin to a cool effect. On each of these open ends I tied red beads.

Then into the garden I went. One of the first flowers that caught my eye were the blooms on my hens and chicks growing in the wall. The flowers on the succulent don't quite seem the ones I'd expect: small daisies that bloom along a flower stem. Most of the flowers have passed leaving the blossoms brown and gone to seed. I noticed one stem which still had a few open lowers at the top and pulled it out from the roots. Then I sought out a nice brown catnip bud. And snagged a sprig of Sweat Autumn Clematis. I love the strong smell of Calamint and snagged a little sprig of it. And taken with the beauty of the tiny pink flowers looked for some Catmint with their pretty blue but tiny flowers. The bouquet taking shape in my hand was pretty and smelled wonderfully.

Soon I was looking all around my garden for suitable material for these diminutive bouquets. The number of choices astounded me. I liked the dark purple Virbinum fruit with the cream pearl Snowball bush fruit which looked splend with the dark black seed cases of Baptisa. The dark browns of a spent Monarda blossum have a fur-like quality and the dark colors throughout the bouquet make for a dignified display to wear.

Once I had collected my bunch, I wrapped the two beaded ends of my button and string around the floral material, securing them by passing through the loop in the threads at the button and then drawing the bouquet tight. I'm wearing a polo shirt with four buttons. I threaded the beaded end of my string though the second button hole and pulled so the metal button met the button hole. Then I buttoned the shirt button and the one above it. Then I simply looped the strings over the third button making the beads dangle in bouquet. The whole arrangement was secure and yet simple to take off. What's important to visualize is that the bouquet is facing down relative to the way that it would be displayed in a vase. And as I sit at my desk as I write the bouquet is resting that way in my pencil cup.

There's a long tradition of making floral bouquets to wear. It seems the herbs that I choose made the bouquets resemble most the tussie mussies worn by Victorian women tied by a ribbon to the top of their gloved hand which they raised to their nose to mask the putrid urban odors that would offend their sensibilities.
Wearing tussie mussies seems something that gentlemen and ladies of today would enjoy. Indeed that's preferred because it opens lines of communicating with the language of flowers. That there exist plenty of information regarding meanings attached to particular plants and flowers seems to allow for creating stories about any of the material you choose; that is of course if you are there to tell. Picking flowers is fun in itself, but there's particular pleasure in giving them. How nice to exchange. I look forward to making tussie mussies for myself and others. Wearing them could become a fad and then a custom, because I think we'd all agree that it would be nice to see people wearing flowers more often.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 4 replies

fern propagation question

2005-08-17T16:36:04Z

i've been teaching myself about propagation a lot this year, having finally got my own garden *aaaaaaaaah*, and one of my goals has been to propagate a fern (from spores) that grows like mad down by the beach (I live 3 miles from the North Sea, on the east coast of the UK).

my question is this - how much do I need to protect the spore-growth from frost and snow? we get a good amount of snow up here, and some deep frosts, even on the beach itself - do I need to bring the pots indoors for winter, or would it be enough to cover them with dead fern/undergrowth and leave them outside?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

hollyhocks

2005-08-17T05:18:13Z

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on hollyhocks, I have one that is really tall and has buds all over, almost ready to bloom, I want to keep this nice, so does anyone have any do's and don'ts?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 13 replies

rainbarrels.

2005-08-10T02:14:12Z

I want to purchase a rain barrel to collect rain in the winter and keep full inthe summer as I have no means of watering the plants on my deck. Any ideas of where to find one? And should I buy wood or plastic? (i'd prefer wood aesthetically but I wonder if it will last or become too algae-ish

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

Snails

2005-08-01T20:38:39Z

Anybody know of a good way to get rid of them.... there are a couple of cute salamanders in my garden, and I don't want to kill them in the process of killing the snails. Any suggestions?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 25 replies

Orange Burrowing Wasps?

2005-07-31T01:48:23Z

I've noticed that I have a lot of holes in the ground near my house. There are large orange wasps (I assume) living in them. I've watched one return to the hole with a small grasshopper, and drag it down into the hole -- I assume as food for larve. Is this something I need to worry about?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

it finally bloomed

2005-07-22T02:42:18Z

I added a picture of my hollyhock....it's purdy

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

japanese beetles -- Organic control?

2005-07-17T20:06:20Z

They're eating my basil. What do I do without chemicals?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

datura/brugmansia varieties in pdx?

2005-07-15T16:55:25Z

so i'm completely in love with all them pretty trumpets...

and i'm looking for a variety that does particularly well in portland. anybody out there have any ideas for me?

i especially love the fragrance, so any that are particularly heavy on the scent are good in my book. otherwise, yellow, orange, fading gradient-like trumpets, i love 'em all.

if anyone has experience growing these species in pdx, i'd certainly appreciate your advice!

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Poison Ivy Infested Bush

2005-07-14T20:11:50Z

I've got a 6' tall bush/tree in front of my house that is infested with poison ivy. I can see the hairy vines inside, and the leaves are every where. I don't want to trim the bush, because I don't want to throw poison ivy leaves all over the place. I've sprayed the ivy with ivy killer, but I understand that the dead leaves and vines are still dangerous.

Is there anything to do? Or should I just have the bush removed?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 6 replies

Comfrey

2005-07-05T17:01:54Z

I love gardening and my garden, but I'm the incompetent gardener, so take anything I say with a grain of salt. One of the things that makes gardening so fun is having opinions!

I really like comfrey plants, but they fall into the category of plants that can be catastrophically successful. The problem is not that they seed themselves, but that bits of root will easily grow making them hard to remove. The plants also grow pretty big and the foliage has a tendency to flop, so people who put it in their gardens often want it out. Nevertheless it's a pretty and useful plant. I grow it in a difficult area under a huge old willow and along a drainage easement. In early spring the shape reminds me a little of hosta and really create bones for the early garden. The flowers are pretty too, but once the plants get to blooming the plant begins to flop. That's okay really because by this time of year plenty of plants are growing up around the comfrey. So I just cut them to the ground.

I always heard that comfrey was a good compost plant, so I put this stuff in the compost bin. That's good, but I learned from Organic Gardening that you can just use the cuttings as a nutritious mulch for plantings,and that's great. The cutting turn brown quickly so look like mulch in just a few days. And the comfrey plants seem to manage several cuttings through the growing season. So I'm even more fond of comfrey having started using it like this.

Lots of plants that can be a wee too successful and I grow a number of them. It often happens that the plants that other gardeners give away fall into this category. Caution in accepting such gifts is in order, but on the other hand every garden needs super easy plants too. I gave a friend some amaranth seedlings one year and she's cursed me ever since. She has a point, I looked at my vegetable garden and was astounded by the number of amaranth seedlings that have popped up. But I never tire of the plant. There are so many interesting varieties to grow that every year I seem to experiment with a new one. The seedlings are easy to spot and to kill with a hoe.

I would be interested in hearing from other gardeners want weedy plants you must have in your garden:-)

posted in 31337 Gardening - 9 replies

Iris's

2005-06-29T03:43:55Z

What do I do when the flower on my iris has died? do i pull it off the plant or leave it or what? will it bloom again?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 5 replies

Building Communtiy Herb garden in Portland

2005-06-27T20:30:19Z

Location at Liberty Hall

What I need, any herbs and edible plants that regrow every year or ones that don't.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

plant trading in Portland

2005-06-27T01:12:14Z

Anybody want to trade plants in Portland? I'm mainly interested in herbs and other edible plants that I don't currently have.

Currently have:
Valieran
comfrey
rosemary
spalantie
chives
tomatos
oregano
sage
spearmint
fennel

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Need bamboo and river willow!!!

2005-06-23T02:09:07Z

@@@@@@@@@

We are creating an amazing project for Burning Man
this year...an
instillation called MINDWEAVE...

It will be a state eliciting space designed to
induce peaceful
awareness...email if you want details or want to get
involved!

The reason I am writing this is that I need to
gather a large amount of
flexible bamboo, river willow, and other such organic
materials between 4-12 feet
in length to create the space by weaving a twelve
foot dome! I am aware
that bamboo some times goes wild and needs to be
cleared so if you have any
or know someone that does, PLEASE let me know....I
need about 500-1000
pieces!!

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

habenero wierdness

2005-06-17T06:37:17Z

get a load of this, two habenero plants, both planted at exactly the same time, 6 inches apart, same water, same fertilizer, one is about 7inches tall and one is about 3

http://23.org/~flea/habenero.jpg

anybody else ever grow these? If you're thinking about it, plan way in advance, these plants are about 6 months old, they took about 4 weeks to germinate and you really want them to fruit while it's hot out. The hotter the temp of the environment they fruit in, the hotter the shu of the pepper.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 7 replies

noxious weeds

2005-06-17T06:26:24Z

I live near Denver, and recently bought a house with a yard that was basically untended for the past 9 years. There once had been a nice garden (about 75 ft. wide x 7 feet deep) in the back yard that became overrun with thistles that I swear were 8 feet tall. I managed to pretty much eradicate the ones in the garden area by hacking them down, digging them out, and tilling everything over with a shovel. A few still pop up now and then (I read the seeds are viable for something like 20 years) but I can weed them out fairly easily.

The problem is that the thistles' root systems have spread into the lawn area and I can't figure out how to get rid of them without ripping out the lawn and replacing it. The grass is really healthy now, and I hate to kill it all just because of a few thistles, but I want to walk barefoot on the lawn! The front yard also has a few thistles, but is mostly infested with bindweed. Again, I hate to tear up the entire lawn for the sake of some weeds.

Anyone have ideas/suggestions on how to get rid of these weeds?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 9 replies

SF Mayor Considers Greening of City

2005-06-15T17:19:00Z

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/15/BAGPED8PMC1.DTL

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Bay Area tips for beginner

2005-06-13T19:25:18Z

I've recently bushwhacked the jungle-like back yard at my house and want to turn it into a useful and enjoyable space...the problem with that being that I have NO IDEA where to start.

Anyone know of a good gardening book to get me started? (I'm thinking something along the lines of "Gardening for Dummies" but with lots of pictures).

Anyone in the Bay Area know of a great gardening store that I can use for both resources and advice? I'm originally from the Northeast and have no idea what to do with this climate...I'm guessing it's easier to keep things alive out here (what with the lack of 4 months of frozen solid ground and all).

Any advice or tips would be GREATLY appreciated and will be rewarded with flowers, veggies or soiree invitations when my visions come to fruition.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 9 replies

Propogating roses

2005-06-05T05:54:04Z

I have a white trailing rose and would like to propogate it and start a few along my fence. What is the best and quickest way to propogate roses? I've propogated many plants before but never roses but have bought a large property and want to have alot of plants fast.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Uses for used potting soil

2005-05-12T04:17:04Z

I had a question about using used potting soil. Here's the deal, Fred Myers has been throws into it's dumpster pallets of germaniums. Most are in good condition and I got like 12 of them now.

Since I'm mainly doing container gardening on my backporch and need more dirt. Would getting the potting soil from the dumpster plants work? Pro and cons.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 6 replies

roses/poison

2005-05-04T02:00:21Z

my neighbor just put this white ortho ant poison powder around the base of the rose bushes, arrrrrrrrrrrr..... not to mention all the bad things this will do, we like to eat the rose pedals in salads, etc. will the poison make its way to the roses? can we still eat them?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

needed PDX Rototiller

2005-04-18T02:47:44Z

Anybody got one?

We're going to trying expland the side of Liberty Hall into a patch of Corn and Pumpkins.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

#$%&! Cutworms

2005-04-10T22:50:09Z

This is the year of the cutworm in my garden. I have been easily finding 6-12 of the fat munching buggers on a variety of plants that were showing major damage. They are really going for my hardy geraniums which are usually unbothered by pests. They've also devoured my clematis down to bare stems. I know they like mulch so I guess that's one of the reasons they are so abundant in my yard as I mulch a lot.

My usual way to deal with them is to just let them eat things like foxgloves (these still bloom but are less tall and have multiple smaller flower stalks after being chewed on, not a bad trade off) and hand pick them off heavily damaged plants. Anyone else have any cutworm control tips? I noticed some nice big ground beetles while poking around in the mulch today, anyone know if they eat cutworms?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Native Plant Resources for your yard, our neighborhoods, and beyond...

2005-04-06T02:53:34Z

NPSO tribe-
http://NativePlantsocietyOregon.tribe.net

NPSO website-
http://www.NPSOregon.org

Portland Chapter website-
http://www.Portland.NPSOregon.org

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

In competent Gardener

2005-04-03T05:12:32Z

I live on just under three acres in Western Pennsylvania in an old farm house. The grounds around the house have several out-buildings and we leveled many more. There was an old barn. The way they used to dig foundations was to use a mule pulling a drag, so the soil in the old foundation area is hard pan soil. The barn yard area is full of rocks probably thrown in to deal with the mud of the dairy cows moving in and out of it during the many years of service.

What got me into flower gardening was that there were many areas on my grounds that were quite difficult to mow sometimes because of debris like rocks and remnants of the old buildings. All of these garden areas had hard clay soil too. My garden beds were in the worst spots in the yard and so were part of site repair. The garden beds may not look so to everyone, but I find them quite beautiful now.

One garden area is along a drainage ditch that drains about 40 acres of adjacent fields. I used some of the rocks I removed in other areas to sure up the sides of the drainage easement. The ditch is dry much of the time, but can fill up in periods of hard rain, so soil preventing soil erosion was a concern. Along with the bramble, poke weed and other tough plants growing along the ditch was rhizomous witchgrass. Given half a chance it will smoother out flowers and it's hard to get rid of because even little pieces of root will regenerate. Nevertheless, it's a great soil holder.

I cut a line about six feet from the edge of the ditch. I then removed the turf and tangle of roots to make a planting bed only a little over a foot wide. All the plant debris was dumped along the edge of the ditch. During the growing season I just cut the weeds down in the area between the ditch and my planting area, using the fodder as a kind of mulch to restrain the witchgrass along the edge of the ditch. The following season I widened the growing area a little bit both in front and behind the growing area I prepared the previous year. Using this method over the years I now have over three hundred feet of flower beds on both sides of the ditch. The beds are between four and eight feet wide along the meandering stream. In some areas the soil was pure clay.

Generally the advice for building a garden is to clear the area and to amend the soil. Obviously that's good advice, but in rough areas with poor soil, this little-by-little approach is less daunting. Most of my garden beds were built in this way, some in soil that required using a pick to loosen.

Anyone who gardens in tough clay soil knows that the volume of soil amendments required is huge. Every little bit helps, but discovering plants that will grow in heavy soil is the key. Plants themselves do a remarkably good job of tilling the soil. Another thing is that it takes lots of plants to make a garden. Starting out small allows you to find perennial plants that will survive and then provide plant stock for the rest of the garden. Annuals are necessary for filling in, an some self sow providing another source of free planting material.

Different selections of plants are appropriate for various areas of the country. I've discovered some that grow well here. I'm happy that in my quest for plants that I planted many herbs both annual an perennial. Planting the herbs was mostly out of an effort to economize as the seed was relatively cheaper than flower seeds.

Sometimes I call myself an incompetent gardener because of the haphazard way my gardens have taken shape. One of my favorite garden writers is Lauren Springer who gardens in the high country of Colorado. She has great advice for gardening in tough locations and wonderful plant lists in her book “Undaunted Garden.” I think undaunted gardener is better than incompetent gardener. The basic thing to remember is that if something already grows in a place, then a beautiful garden is possible there.

I added a picture: Along the Ditch

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Plant trading in Portland

2005-04-03T05:01:14Z

Anybody interested? Me and a few friends have been trading plants a lot and wondering if anybody else would be interested.

Also looking for people interested in renegade gardening in vacant lots and stuff.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 18 replies

afraid of my yard..

2005-04-03T01:58:10Z

I am afraid of my yard. Well, I am afraid of my soil to be more exact. To top it off, I am not a natural green thumb, it has all been trial and error for me.

Here in Sacramento we have clay. I am rather ignorant to the conditioners that many people add to their yards and rather hesitant to spend a bunch of money so I can plant a few vegetables.

We have broken rental equipment trying to till in topsoil and other products - so I am a bit hesitant to try this again. Has anyone created planer boxes for their garden, if so, how did it work out? Any tips/suggestions on keeping the price down?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 6 replies

Newby Gardening

2005-03-23T05:01:50Z

This is my 2nd year gardening and this year, I'll be using the Community Gardens in Portland. Last year, I added some fertilizer with each starter plant and then re-fertilized every 1-2 months. I watered the plants every 1-2 days during the Summer. So, I was thinking about adding some compost to the soil this year and am looking for any starter suggestions. First of all, I'll need somewhere to purchase compost or mulch in NE or SE Portland and am wondering how much I should use for a 20 X 20 spot. I'll be using starter plants, such as tomato, hot pepper, basil, squash, letuce, kale, chard, etc. I have limited experience and have done some research, but personal experience from others in this area would be great. Please post any helpful info. Thanks, much appreciated!

Charlie
SE PDX

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Drought in Portland

2005-03-20T23:01:56Z

I don't think I'm going to fertilize anything this year because it looks like we've got a drought coming.

What else can I do besides investing in mulch?

Hey California...

Why don't you toss some of that rain our way?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 10 replies

street gardens

2005-03-14T17:51:41Z

just a question from springtime london. we have just plated thirty new trees in our 'hood. part of the paradise project weve been running for 8ys. many specied from new zealand and s.america. putting in some fan and date palms in a few weeks.

my question is can pl think of interesting plants that can cope with city life in london. big problems are cars crashing into plants, oil leaks and dogs. so sturdy, quick recovery var are good. ive been thinking grasses...but would love some fern/exotic sp. just as a reminder london has a relativly dry climate and temp ranges from just below zero in winter to 25c in summer. soils ph neutral and light sandy/loam...

posted in 31337 Gardening - 4 replies

SteveC photo's in the gallery

2005-03-12T12:26:03Z

Hi all,
Just wondering is anyone would know what sort of small bush these photo's show. It's grows to about the size of a large overgrown Buddlea!
My mother in law has this in her garden and so far seems to have stumped all of our garden centre as to it's identification.
Any idea's?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

plum tree

2005-03-03T14:43:30Z

We have a green gage plum tree in our yard and I need to know when to prune it. I don't know a thing about fruit trees. We've lived here for a year and last summer the tree was loaded. Some of the lower branches were so heavy with fruit that I had trouble mowing underneath. This is an old mature tree.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

Strawberry transplanting

2005-02-24T22:29:16Z

One of my neighbors has dug up some strawberry plants and offered them to me. I've read that I should plant them early in the spring, but, like, it's not spring. Should I plant them now in the ground? Or should I plant them in pots then replant in the spring? Anyone have experience with this sort of thing?

Thanks!

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

starting a garden

2005-02-24T17:45:29Z

hi there, i am new to this tribe, i would like to say hello to everyone. i searched thru old postings, could not find something similar, but i hope i am not repeating

i am starting a new garden, my first one! we live in southern mexico, Oaxaca City, 4000 feet high, we have a well, plenty of water, with lots of calcium in it.

the dirt here is not great, when it gets really wet, it turns to mud, and when it dries its like a rock. but our papaya and banana trees have no problems.

in this future garden spot, i am digging up an herb, "hierba santa", this plant is like 10 years old at least, has recieved no attention, not even water, but grows huge, i am leaving a few of these for future fish bakes! the roots go way deep, past 2 feet deep

my plan is for a garden in an open area, sun all day. 10 x 3 feet. i was told to make it 2 feet deep, can i do less? i am doing this all myself with a shovel. i was also advised to mix the soil with 25% sand and put a layer of top soil on top of it all. could i do layers with the sand and soil instead of mixing it all up?

the only topsoil i can find in tierra negra (black dirt) its sold in 31 pound bags for 5 dollars (is this expensive?) how much do i need, how thick of a layer, at a minimum, and maximum?

we plan to plant herbs here and also strawberries to start.

please tell? how do my plans sound? i am very inexperienced, this is my first time gardening. thank you all in advance, your future gardner, mark

posted in 31337 Gardening - 7 replies

Bringing it inside

2005-02-18T05:58:47Z

Now that it's less fun outside, what are you growing indoors?

I had a Fatshedera that I never got around to putting in the ground that's now in a big pot behind my desk.

I dug up my Elephant ears, broke off the offshoots, and now I've got like 6 pots started in the dining room. They look like they'll grow just fine.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 5 replies

green tomatoes

2005-01-28T01:18:01Z

Alas, I still have a tons of green tomatoes on the vine, and I have to pick them before they rot, because the weather here in Vancouver is already too cold to ripen them naturally.

I'm willing to ripen them indoors (I've heard putting them in a paper bag with ripe apples and bananas works well), but I was wondering if there's anything yummy I can do with green tomatoes besides frying (I don't fry).

posted in 31337 Gardening - 5 replies

What's your favorite?

2005-01-15T17:09:03Z

Do you have a favorite plant? One that captures your attention more than the others? I planted a gunnera in a huge pot this year to shield my gardenias when this summer gets hot and I'm finding that I keep coming back to just sit and look at this plant. What are you growing?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 27 replies

Finch question

2005-01-15T01:37:48Z

Would love to find finch food sans thistle seeds. I weeded more thistle plants this season than I ever want to again. Any suggestions?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

water gardening

2005-01-12T20:16:06Z

I live in the midwest and it gets mighty cold here but i've kept the same water lilies and generations of fish going. Is there anyone in the gardening tribe who is also interested in "ponds". Would like to share info, advice, & perhaps plant suggestions.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

lawn drainage?

2005-01-10T04:48:41Z

I have a very high water table under my house. My front lawn has a few depressions that are constantly wet. One option is to dump a few tons of dirt on top and raise the level of everything by a few feet. I'd like to avoid that.

I was thinking that I could dig out a large patch, put down gravel and a few perforated drainage pipes leading to a pond, and then cover it up again.

Anyone think this or something like it will work?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Gardening for butterflies -- call for info on organizations, ideas...

2005-01-03T16:26:04Z

Hi, I'm Spikey and I co-founded a community garden "down south" in Frisco Land...

I love engaging the life around me when gardening -- bet you do, too!

Asclepsia, buddleia (butterfly bush) -- are some of the basics I love. I'd love to hear others tell their fav's...

...But what I want to hear is info on the groups who help promulgate / introduce butterlflies (appropriate to area) in the gardens we love -- anybody know about this?

How about your favourite plants...don't forget the lantanna!

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Exotic Orchids

2004-12-13T05:56:34Z

Dear Friends,
Mabuhay!
I would just like to share with you a site wherein you can purchase exotic Philippine orchids., http://www.tecsonorchids.com/

Hope you like it.

Thanks
Godbless

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Figs - when are they ripe?

2004-09-09T23:49:44Z

I've got this big fig tree in the yard of the house I rent, and it's full of figs, which is great. But I don't know how to tell whether or not the figs are ripe! The figs are green on the outside, but already sweet on the inside. Also, some of them have gotten HUGE, which is weird. I mean, like, deformed huge. Is this a problem?

Also, does anyone have a tried & true recipe for stuff like fig preserves, fig newtons, or dried figs? I hate to see them go to waste.

Thanks!

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Necrosis on pepper plants

2004-08-28T02:12:50Z

Hey all, I've been involved in my family garden since i was a wee little tot, but now that I've grown a little I started getting more into it. I also started getting into technical gardening. Now For two years I've had to more or less take over all gardening duties and I have noticed something very odd about my pepper plants. All the bell peppers, red green, and jalapenios have had necrosis. The chili peppers never have. They develope blackening on the internodes and on the fruits themselves. Sometimes it will travel up the stem but usualy its consentrated around the nodes and the fruit. Sometimes they come that way from the nursery, others will develope it slowly. Anyone know what might cause this and how to get rid of it?
Many thanks.
Blessed be,
Jeff

posted in 31337 Gardening - 4 replies

A New Seed

2004-08-23T00:14:42Z

Sharing information is of vital importance. I am broadcasting a seed for change. I have decided to start my own tribe for people to come and learn to implement sustainable local protein food production methods. I have named it Grow Your Own. I intend to use this tool to promote sustainable land based aquaculture as solution to corporate controlled food sources, as solution to strip mining our oceans, as solution to contaminated food, and as solution to environmental damage done by conventional protein production and harvesting. This tribe is being created to challenge as many consumers as I can to put your money where your mouth is, take control and make a change. "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him to (grow) fish; he eats for a life time."

This method is adaptable for an individual, a community, a co-housing development, for soup kitchens, alongside community gardens and greenhouses etc. We have also found it to be economically sustaining.

The main goal here, of course, is to get ~ the ~ clean ~ fish ~ on ~ the ~ market. If it’s not made available than consumers have no option accept to stop eating fish period. And are they really going to do THAT? And how many need to make that choice to impact a change? And that's ~just ~fish. What it takes to impact water conservation, pollution, environmental damage, even wasted land raising cattle and pig and all the damage continuously done doing THAT protein food production. Gotta make available a better alternative.

We are located in Maine and have a fish farm ourselves. We believe strongly that anyone concerned with health, environment, sustainability, ecology, corporate control, local food production, and local economies and the communities effected, as well as water conservation and land conservation should take a real good look at this solution. I invite you to participate. Hello.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies

Cleome Spinosa

2004-08-22T15:55:48Z

Just added a couple of photo's of this amazing plant.
It has now self seeded in my UK garden - and for the second year is more like a weed!
I find this plant particularly interesting not only for it's amazing flower, nor the fact that it flowers on many stems right throughout the year to the first frosts. But more so because it can continue thriving whilst being devoured by Large, Small and Green Veined White caterpillars (. These caterpillars usually devour huge amounts of cabbage crops. Yet the Cleome seems unaffected by this pest.
Perhaps better photo's of the same plant can be found here:
http://www.missouriplants.com/Pinkalt/Cleome_spinosa_page.html
It brows best when thinned out to 1 plant per 3/4 feet.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Tree Roots in my Vegetable Beds!

2004-08-22T13:18:01Z

I finally figured out why my gardens have been so struggling and unproductive! There are four liquid Amber trees right next to my four raised beds and they are sucking up all the water. I only realized yesterday that the beds are full of thick healthy woody roots and scrawny, dehydrated, barely surviving vegetables. What do I do? Move?
Joan

posted in 31337 Gardening - 5 replies

Favas & Potatos

2004-08-08T15:04:19Z

Hola,

Reminiscing about my days in the mountains of Colombia made me want to grow some potatos. I guess I'd like to plant them next Spring, eh? What time should I plant the Favas to fix the nitrogen in the soil?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

Fruit Flies in my Compost

2004-08-02T14:48:49Z

Does anyone have any recommendations of how to avoid getting fruit flies in the compost.? They are flying in every room of my home now?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 5 replies

Praying Mantids

2004-07-25T16:06:52Z

Woohoo! I discovered my first praying mantids! Wow are they freaky looking. I saw one of them turning its head to look at my dog. lol

I heard these fellas are good insects or beneficial because they get rid of all your pest bugs in the garden. BUT...I heard they can also get rid of your good bugs in the garden as well. My big pest are ants. There are some nice ones that most likely aerate the soil and there are the others that I want to kill because they bite me! I had a full fledged attack on me yesterday when I was weeding. The ones I hate are just everywhere. There are some tiny ones and then there are some that look like the nice ones but smaller.

Anyone have experience with praying mantids in their garden? I put one in there just a few minutes ago and the first ant he saw he started gobbling within a few seconds. I found two of them while I was weed whacking, unfortunately I chopped one of them in half but he/she has been a alive for a few minutes so I put it in the garden as well. I was like "I'm sorry little buddy...if you're going to die, you'll die happy in my garden with the millions of ants." hehe

posted in 31337 Gardening - 0 replies

Good or bad idea?

2004-07-21T16:32:47Z

My container garden is going great, but these ladies need alot of water!When I have to be away for more than a few hours I've been putting ice cubes in my pots.
It's very hot here, so the ice melts quickly.
Also I'm carful not to get the ice on the base of my plant.
Is this really a good idea or could I really hurt my plants in the end?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 5 replies

Worm Bins

2004-07-19T18:37:33Z

Any of you doing this? I want to start, but every website I see is a different variant of the same theme. I want to hear what's working for you all before I get into it.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 1 reply

other community gardeners?

2004-07-15T19:14:30Z

I've got a plot in a city community garden, and would be interested in hearing from other gardeners in a similar situation. How do you deal with theft, tiny plots, and having to lug bags of manure on public transit?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 4 replies

Anybody in LadyBugs in Portland?

2004-07-12T18:06:50Z

I'm about to go buy ladybugs at the gardening store and they are $12 for 1500 ladybugs. Which is a lot, so wondering if anybody wanted to split the price and ladybugs with me.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 12 replies

the real problem with growing organic

2004-06-24T18:00:10Z

Yesturday morning I noticed seasame seeds on my red bell pepper plant.Aphids!My husband and I rushed out to buy Lady Bugs.Lady Bugs are not readily available.Stores won't carey them because half are usually dead on arrival.So I have to get a spray.There are many organic spray solutions available,but the poison is definatly going to rid you of the Avids.Whenever this happens I feel like the criminal that relizes to get out of this alive they will have to take a hostage!
I was told to order the lady bugs on-line.I can't sleep knowing that all my babies are at the mercy of the postal service!I can't count on Chirstmas cards getting to my family, why would I risk my garden! Organic, I feel like every one is saying it, but it really isn't available!I get really mad about these things.This is more than a buzz word, it's conciuos choice to do things naturally.
I bought the organicish spray.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 16 replies

How do I rid my garden of Aphids???

2004-06-24T13:32:05Z

They are destroying my brocoli and cauliflower. For the last week, I've been using soap and water in a spray bottle. That's has been working to some extent but they still come right back within a day or two.

I heard planning dill will attract ladybugs which will eat aphids.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 10 replies

Growing from Seeds - help

2004-06-24T05:16:02Z

I have a growing bed and light and can get the seeds to germninate but when I transplanted them last week into my outdoor garden they don't seem to be doing that well.

Does it take seedlings a bit to get established, or am I doing some thing wrong?

Thanks in advance for any help!

posted in 31337 Gardening - 11 replies

Windy Rooftop

2004-06-22T13:59:05Z

I have a rooftop that I'm not allowed to go onto, but that is accessible from windows lining the entire south and west sides of my apartment (11 windows total!). I would be all over the potential except that wind blasts the roof every day between 1pm and 4pm and at assorted other times, too. There is a whole uber-failure story already from one of my roommates putting out plastic tubs which the wind blew over(too light), as well as most of the soil being blown away and aphids blowing in to munch on the plants that survived.

I was totally inspired by the container gardening thread and stories of cucumbers growing up the sides of houses, but am wondering how to protect anything I put outside the windows from getting blown away and also what edible plants are most likely to thrive in such windy conditions?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 2 replies

Chelsea Flower Show 2004

2004-06-22T13:52:46Z

Anyone else attending the Chelsea Flower Show next week?

posted in 31337 Gardening - 7 replies

Human hair as fertilizer

2004-06-21T03:39:08Z

Before I run out and pester all the day spas for their clippings, has anyone heard of this? A guy I work with is telling me to lay in human hair at the bottom of the hole when I plant, that it's a long-term source of slow-release Nitrogen.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 8 replies

Spider Web

2004-06-16T19:29:30Z

http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_web20021129

PRINCE GEORGE, B.C. - A biology professor in northern British Columbia has spotted a clover field crawling with spiders and the results of their efforts.

Brian Thair of the College of New Caledonia in Prince George said he saw a silky, white web stretching 60 acres across a field.

"When you see horror movies with spider web festooned from this place to that place and so on, it comes nowhere near approaching what occurred in this field," Thair told CBC Radio's As It Happens.

Spiders weave silk lattice
A typical barbwire fence on wood posts surrounded the field about six kilometres east of McBride in the Robson Valley. Thair said it looked like the whole area was covered with an opaque, white plastic grocery store bag.

The thin, elastic coasting was not soft and fluffy like webs built by individual spiders. There were about two spiders per square centimetre laying the silk, which first appeared in early October.

Spider web mistaken
for ground frost
Thair said the web showed great tensile strength– enough to put a handful of coins on it without them falling through.

Crazy ideas proposed to explain web

There were "in the order of tens of millions of spiders running frantically back and forth," but they weren't interacting with each other.

Since the spiders didn't seem to care if an occasional insect stumbled into their construction, Thair doesn't think it was built for trapping purposes.

He suggests the spiders encountered an enormous quantity of high quality, nutritious prey to be able to accomplish this feat.

But he's also heard other suggestions.

"Some people have said, 'oh yes, well it's a trampoline for aliens,'" Thair joked. "Or maybe it was an effort collectively by these spiders to try and catch a sheep."

Snowstorms and wind have blown away much of the web since he first spotted it the week of Oct. 27, but Thair intends to return to the field to see if the spiders have mated successfully.

posted in 31337 Gardening - 3 replies