HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: patth@panix.com (Patt Bromberger)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens,rec.birds
Subject: Re: Birds in the garden
Summary: Bold Birds
Date: 24 Dec 92 18:23:15 GMT
Followup-To: rec.gardens
Distribution: na
Organization: PANIX Public Access Unix & Internet, NYC

In article <1992Dec23.143234.25317@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller) writes:
>> [deleted]
>>
>>Be warned that while it's very gratifying to have jays take
>>peanuts out of your hand, it won't be long before they're
>>demanding peanuts morning, noon, and night.
>
>He is in Minnesota, if I remember correctly, so he'll have neither Steller 
>nor Scrub jays, only Blue jays and possibly Grey jays.  The Greys are like 
>Scrub jays; very bold.  Bluejays however are quite timid.
>
>>Humans are SO trainable!
>
>Ain't that the truth!

Ha!  I loved your comment about BlueJays being "quite timid" and I
have an ex-father-in-law that would heartily debate that issue with
you :-)

Amusing anecdote:  one spring weekend my father-in-law decided that
the bluejays weren't going to next in the eaves of "his" garage so he
climbed a ladder and with a broom swept their next away and the birds
were having a fit, making all sorts of noises, etc.

Well, they relocated at the end of the driveway in a HUGE tree and
** every single day ** when my father-in-law would exit the back door
of the house leading from the kitchen to the driveway/garage, those
bluejays would dive bomb him!

Eventually he got this huge umbrella and half the neighborhood was
hysterical watching this guy come out of the house on a sunny day and
open an umbrella just to be able to get to his garage or into his car
without being attacked by these bluejays!

P.S.  They never bothered anyone else in the family; we were all
	amused by their behavior but I can assure you that my
	father-in-law didn't think they were charming at all. :-)

>


-- 
Patricia Ann Bromberger                            patth@panix.com
This quote borrowed from: Gary.Petraccaro@f12.n2610.z1.fidonet.org 
... "It matters not so much what you sing, but why..." J.S. Bach
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: s5uagm@fnma.COM (Andrew Miller)
Subject: Re: Potted vegetables, ideas needed.
Reply-To: s5uagm@fnma.COM
Organization: Fannie Mae
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 15:32:56 GMT

In article fWMPekm@quack.sac.ca.us, pharvey@quack.sac.ca.us (Paul Harvey) writes:
>In article <BzFHG7.1D9@dale.cts.com> npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan) writes:
>>Does anyone know if it's feasible to grow potatos in a pot?  That might
>>be kind of fun.
>
>Yes. They grow quite well in pots and fine potting soil. The trick to
>growing potatoes is to keep mounding up the soil around them as they
>grow, meaning you keep adding soil and burying the plant as it grows
>except for the top couple of leaves. The potatoes are formed on the stem
>underground. So, for potatoes you'll need a tall pot. A trash can works
>well, but smaller containers will do also.

	Why go to all this trouble to grow a crop of something which is 
readily available, stores well, and cost so little at the green grocer?

	If it was a a 100 liter tub of _T_omatoes, I could understand, but 
_P_otatoes? 

			- Andrew -
From: jhb@calmasd.prime.com (Jim Bishop)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: essential veggies to grow
Date: 29 Dec 92 22:00:05 GMT
Organization: -

In article <1992Dec29.045857.15192@math.ucla.edu>, 
ramirez@julia.math.ucla.edu (Alice Ramirez) writes:
> If we are going to discuss essential vegetables to grow, the ones that
> absolutely are inferior in the stores, I have to cast my vote for homegrown
> leaf lettuce.  There is no comparison between the tender, picked-slightly-
> immature leafs grown at home and those motheaten heads of pale, medium
> and/or reddish lettuce (fully mature, large-leafed, somewhat tough, often
> beaten-up looking ) available at even the best markets.  The only
> problem with growing your own leaf lettuce, picking it as mesclun or
> waiting until it's a little larger but still very young and tender is that
> you will never ever be happy with storebought lettuce again.  (I am not
> mentioning iceburg lettuce because I don't consider iceburg lettuce to be
> food.  This is my opinion, not necessarily the opinion of my employers
> or coworkers.)

So Alice, what are your favorite varieties of leaf lettuce to grow?  I
thought I'd order the red leaf lettuce mix from Thompson and Morse
(or is it Thomas and Morgan?  I'm braindead this week.).  I find that
that snails and slugs don't like the red lettuces as well as the
green.  They also don't like leaves with ruffled edges as well.  I
guess it is harder for them to get a grip and start eating or
something. 

Also, now that our Southern Califonia "winter" has hit, any hints on
getting lettuce seed to germinate when directly sown into the garden?

Jim
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: lp@well.sf.ca.us (Lily Pond)
Subject: purple passion roses
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1993 03:18:50 GMT


I saw on the Rose Bowl Parade that they've introduced a new purple rose -
deeper than the Sterling Silver. Anyone got a lead on a source?

Thanks!
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: jsbus@netcom.com (JSB Corp)
Subject: free iris, shasta daisy
Summary: free thinings in Santa Cruz
Keywords: iris free daisy
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Distribution: ba
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 00:14:58 GMT


I've got a wheelbarrel full of beaded iris free for the taking.
Also, a clump of Shasta Daisythat will divide into around 8 or 9 
plants.

Free to whoever wants them - on the westside in Santa Cruz, 
Call 408 426 8124, ask for Tom or Deborah before 12/23.

-Tom
From: jfarmer@cs.utk.edu (JOHN FARMER)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Keeping Christmas tree in pot year-round
Date: 30 Dec 1992 17:58:23 GMT
Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville - CS Department
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: duncan.cs.utk.edu
Summary: small tree for Christmas Can I keep it Daddy?
Keywords: tree spruce live potted Christmas

Greetings all!

I have a simple question (or maybe not :^>).  We usually get a balled
*live* (what other kind of tree in a ball could you get?) Christmas
tree for our living room.  This years is a Norway spruce. A nice
tree which will be planted this Friday (1st).  So far no problem.

We have a small *plastic* tree for our son's room (it actually looks
pretty good, for not being real and all...).  However, this year,
Thomas (our son) picked out a small (2' to 3' tall including ball)
blue spruce for his room.  Being the stern, unyielding parent that
I am, we of course came home with two trees....

Now the question.  I have the little blue spruce (kinda catchy.. 
Hmmmm maybe there's a song in that....) in a 14" dia pot which is
slightly larger than the ball.  I'm planning on keeping it in a 
pot so that my son can bring it in next Christmas for his room.
Should I leave it in the 14" pot or put it in a much larger pot
now?  I'm not going to leave it simple balled-up, I'm going to
actually plant it (you know, good dirt, gravel in bottom for 
drainage, etc.).

I suspect that after next Christmas, the tree will be too big
for Thomas' room (might be big enough for living room...).

Anybody done this successfully?  Any suggestions, comments,
thoughts welcome.

John T.

-- 
John T. Farmer, Jr.					jfarmer@cs.utk.edu
Full-time Daddy, Part-time Grad Student,
Full-time wage slave, Wood butcher when I can.
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: dipirro@star.dec.com (Steve DiPirro)
Subject: Organic controls for cutworms?
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 22:41:09 GMT


Last year, for the first time in many years of growing potatoes,
many were damaged by what I believe to be cutworms in the soil.
These 1/2-3/4", orange-ish, segmented, hard-shelled worms/larvae
with pinchers for mouths would burrow into my potatoes, do some
damage themselves and weaken the potato to allow moisture and rot
to set in. I had most of 60 plants worth of potatoes ruined.

I can only use organic controls for such things. So I do not
want to use diazinon in the soil, although I've heard this works
for cutworms. If I'm not dealing with cutworms, then I'd like
to know that too. If I am, I'm interested in any organic controls
for these beasts in the soil. Thanks. 

------------
Steve DiPirro        dipirro@star.dec.com
                     --or-- dipirro@star.enet.dec.com
                     --or-- ...!decwrl!star.dec.com!dipirro
                     --or-- dipirro%star.dec@decwrl.dec.com
------------
From: jane@soave.swdc.stratus.com (Jane Beckman)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Birds in the garden
Date: 22 Dec 92 23:59:20 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc., San Jose, CA

>There are five birds which are or are becoming real nuisances in North 
>America, all introduced; the House (English) Sparrow, the Starling, the 
>Rock Dove (pigeon), the House Finch and the Monk Parakeet.

Since the house finch (once called the "Hollywood finch") came
from the West Coast, I would revise "North America" to read "other
areas," since we were still a part of North America, last time
I checked.  (I realize that rumors of California falling into
the ocean are vastly overblown, in some areas.) ;-)
>
>The House Finch, a west-coast bird, was inadvertantly introduced in the 
>east when several pairs which were being illegally sold in New York City 
>were let go just as the federal inspectors arrived.  They have since spread 
>rapid in the east and have even displaced the House Sparrow in some places.
They have spread over 1000 miles from their release point,
since the 1930's!  (They were actually being sold in several
Eastern cities, and might have been the result of several
releases.)

There are also smaller colonies of European songbirds around
several major cities (Portland and Cincinnatti come to mind)
where these species were introduced in the 19th century.  And
let us not forget the ring-necked pheasant, another
introduction brough in as a game bird.

There is a colony of cockatoos in an area of San Jose called
"Willow Glen."  Back when my best friend and I made numerous
bird-catching expeditions (mostly ill-fated), she and I made
several attempts to catch a few.  They were too smart to fall
for our attempts.  Last I checked, they were still there,
happily living cockatoo lives.

Released birds muck up ecosystems.  Likewise fish.  So many
folks "set free" their goldfish, guppies, etc.  It plays merry
hell with the ecosystem.  Just ask anyone in Florida about
introduced species!

--
  Jilara   [jane@swdc.stratus.com]

"The field of pseudo-science hasn't progressed much in ten
years, except to gain access to the net." --from ca.earthquakes
From: klier@iscsvax.uni.edu
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Dogwood split from snow, Can it be saved?
Date: 23 Dec 92 10:52:22 -0600
Organization: University of Northern Iowa

In article <4943@ceylon.gte.com>, rv01@harvey.gte.com (Robert Virzi) writes:
> One tree presents a particular problem for me.  A pink 
> flowering dogwood that occupied a prominent place in our
> front landscaping was literally split in pieces.  The spreading
> habit made the tree hold snow until it split right down the
> main trunk, in four major pieces.  Looks a little like lightning
> hit it directly down the center.

I've used the "bolt the splits together" technique, using carriage bolts
on several trees of various species split in two.  Never tried it
on a four-way split.  The results were less than satisfactory, but
it kept the pieces together and looking +/- OK till the replacement
had some growth on it.  We had about a 75% survival rate over 1 yr.
Always cleaned up the split and bolted it ASAP after damage.

Dunno if that's the approved technique or not.

Kay Klier Biology Dept  UNI
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: zkym02@hou.amoco.com (Keerthi Y. McIntosh)
Subject: Re: essential veggies to grow
Reply-To: zkym02@hou.amoco.com
Organization: Amoco
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 14:46:59 GMT


Alice Ramirez writes:
> If we are going to discuss essential vegetables to grow, the ones that
> absolutely are inferior in the stores, I have to cast my vote for homegrown
> leaf lettuce.  There is no comparison between the tender, picked-slightly-
> immature leafs grown at home and those motheaten heads of pale, medium
> and/or reddish lettuce


I am going to start my FIRST garden this summer.  Santa was good and brought me
the book entitled "Square Foot Gardening"  I am planning to try the same concepts
but in big pots or wooden boxes.  I live in an apartment in New Orleans... long hot
summers  


The vegetables I am planning to grow are:

Any recommendations on what kind to buy and where to get them would be greatly
appreciated.

a. tomatoes ... just enough for me and my husband... I am thinking 1 plant with 
    three plantings

b. Lettuce.. I was thinking Boston lettuce... but I would like to try others... 
    store bought lettuce is expensive and you end up throwing most of it away.

c. Yellow, Red and Green Bell Peppers --- I am hoping they will be easy to grow.

d. Something else ... kind of exotic... but I haven't figured out what.



Keerthi McIntosh
From: exulox@exu.ericsson.se (Lasse Ohlsson, T/TDT, 1129)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Re: Potted vegetables, ideas needed.
Date: 22 Dec 92 23:48:00 GMT
Reply-To: exulox@exu.ericsson.se
Organization: Ericsson Network Systems, Inc.
X-Disclaimer: This article was posted by a user at Ericsson.
              Any opinions expressed are strictly those of the
              user and not necessarily those of Ericsson.

Hello there, 
Yes, it is possible even though my father (who has done some veg. gardening
in his time) said that it wouldn't work. I  had a 5 gallon plastic bucket with
holes punched in the bottom and I actually planted a piece of potato that had
sprouted. It grew like gangbusters and then I left it out one cold night and 
the foliage was ruined. Since it hadn't flowered yet, which I was told was the 
harvest signal, I didn't expect anything but lo and behold, NEW POTATOS! Oh, 
the only other thing, fill your container only half full when you first plant 
and then add soil as it grows, making a fake hill. I found my tiny harvest to
be quite rewarding as I hadn't done a thing besides plant. 
Good luck, Lee Svedeman (Lasse's friend)
---

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Lasse Ohlsson         Ericsson Network Systems Inc.         (EXU Dallas) |
| E-mail: exulox@exu.ericsson.se          Internet Z-car club member # 48  |
| My company does not trust me to have my own disclaimer... So I won't.    | 
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: Carol F. Topp <ctopp@cup.portal.com>
Subject: Re: Preparing clay soil for planting
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A768D498430100EF@cdr-va-macs2-dynamic.stanford.edu>
X-Xxdate: Thu, 31 Dec 92 00:47:20 GMT
Organization: Private
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d13
Date: Fri, 1 Jan 93 00:44:21 GMT

In article <1992Dec31.164639.4332@slustl.slu.edu> Guy Smith,
guy@slustl.slu.edu writes:
>In article <1992Dec30.213154.29463@mintaka.lcs.mit.edu> 
>dmiller@theory.lcs.mit.edu (Dick and Jill Miller) writes:
>>>Subject: Preparing Clay Soil for Planting
>>
>>Manure is LOTS better than peat.  Peat only adds organic matter, manure 
>>adds nutrients as well.  As for getting it into the soil, that depends
on 
>>your energy level and power tools available.  For tilling, rent a 
>
>If your clay is like mine, you're talking a *lot* of manure to
>loosen it up adequately. What I use is a mixture of manure, peat and
>lots of leaf mulch. The leaf mulch is available free for the taking
>from my city. I haul it away by the truck load. Many cities are
>mulching/composting leaves now. Check and see if any is available.

I've heard concerns about the pesticide residues present in city
composted leaf mulch. Has anyone looked into the levels of 
residues present. I would want to know the answer before using
it for growing edible plants.

Carol
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: lp@well.sf.ca.us (Lily Pond)
Subject: Re: Birds in the garden
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Distribution: na
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 1992 02:12:24 GMT


>>
I have still found that, IN GENERAL, blue jays are very timid.  They will
not come to a feeder if they think they see you moving inside the house.
 - says Jill Miller

Well... I have begun a new relationship with a Scrub Jay (I may have
mentioned this). He swoops from anywhere to take peanuts directly from my
outstreched hand - even when my cat's sleeping in my lap!! He trained
himself to me; he started doing this on only our second meeting.

But he knows where my bedroom is. He'll sit on the roof and (thusfar anyway,
knock wood) quietly lean his head over the gutter and spy on me! Once I
stood up and he saw me getting out of bed and flew to the back porch. Oddly
enough, I think I like this!
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: Gordon_Croft@mindlink.bc.ca (Gordon Croft)
Subject: raised garden beds?
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 23:26:31 GMT

Does anyone have any good ideas on the construction methods and materials for
raised garden beds?

I am thinking of using concrete blocks.  With the beds about 3'-4' by about
10' (two of them).  I need something substantial because I will be making a
path to the garden shed down the middle.

Any ideas on size and orientation would also be helpful.

Thanks in advance,
Gordon

Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: drmax@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Marianna Max)
Subject: seed catalogs
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 20:16:13 GMT


Well this is probably a FAQ but here goes. I would like addresses, or
better yet phone numbers of seed companies so that I can order their
catalogs. I'm interested in both flower and veggie seeds, primarily though,
things that can be grown in containers.

Thanks, Max
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: bae@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (Beverly Erlebacher)
Subject: Re: Early Start Ideas
Organization: UTCS Public Access
Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 21:31:48 GMT

In article <1992Dec18.132003.13774@kodak.kodak.com> bryant@neural.Kodak.COM (Steve Bryant) writes:
>Living in the great white north (Rochester NY) I am constantly
>thinking of ways to get more out of my growing season. With a blanket
>of snow a foot deep I am huddled in my house dreaming thoughts
>of foot long carrots and basket ball sized cabbages... and how	
>to get them with ten days of growing season.

I always get a kick out of this sort of thing.  Do you know that there is
a whole large country complete with farmers and market gardeners located
to the north of you?  Also, many people are very successful in raising
veggies in U.S. areas like New England, Minnesota, and Montana, not to
mention Alaska!

No problem raising "foot long carrots and basket ball sized cabbages"
in your climatic area.  Basket ball sized melons are iffy, but not
impossible.

>I'd like to here from the friged netters what tricks they have learned
>to eek out a few extra days of growing season, or any way out ideas
>they would like to try.

Stretching the season is not too difficult.  Just using some bits of
scrap wire and some plastic dropsheets left from when we painted the
house last year, I'm still harvesting chinese cabbage, bok choy, tah tsai,
winter radishes, endive, green onions, parsley and 6 kinds of lettuce. 
I'd have spinach if the slugs hadn't gotten it.  This week may be the
limit for stretching it here this year - it is supposed to get down
near 0F later this week.  Next year I may hack up something a little
better designed and keep veggies all the way through the winter.  Of
course, they don't grow much after the middle of November or so, but
they stay crisp and fresh and very tasty!

I hope to start harvesting salad veggies from the garden by late April
next year, and if I get better organized, even earlier.  This means eating
from the garden for 8 months of the year at 43 degrees north latitude.

This past spring I spread some old clear plastic dropsheets on the garden
beds in March to both warm them a little faster and keep them from getting
even soggier in the heavy rains.  This let me plant sooner, as my heavy soil
can't be worked when it is wet.

Plastic lasts for quite a few years as long as you only use it in spring
and fall.  Summer sun deteriorates it rapidly.

There are a lot of books around with good ideas on extending the season
at both ends.  Look around your public library.  Reading gardening books
is a good way to cope with winter in any case!

Here are some suggestions:

	The Harrowsmith Northern Gardener by Jennifer Bennett
	Jeff Ball's 60-Minute Vegetable Garden by Jeff Ball
	High-Yield Intensive Gardening (Rodale Press)
	Organic Gardening in a Cold Climate (by ??)
	The Cook's Garden by Shepherd Ogden
	Step by Step Organic Vegetable Gardening by Shepherd Ogden

and lots of other stuff written by New England and other Northern gardeners,
a most enthusiastic lot, undeterred by cold soils and climate!
	
Beverly Erlebacher
Toronto, Ontario Canada
From: gfrancis@comtch.spk.wa.us (Greg Francis)
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
Subject: Tea growing in the northwest
Date: 30 Dec 92 02:44:55 GMT
Organization: Waffle BBS at CompuTech Spokane, Washington

Is it possible to grow teas in the northwestern US, specifically eastern 
Washington? My wife and I just moved into a new home with room for a 
garden. She's both a tea and gardening fanatic. I was wondering if she 
could take care of both interests in one fell swoop.

Greg Francis
gfrancis@comtch.spk.wa.us

--
gfrancis@comtch.spk.wa.us (Greg Francis)
IEAx for lack of a better name... (509) 624-0744
Newsgroups: rec.gardens
From: pharvey@quack.sac.ca.us (Paul Harvey)
Subject: Re: Potted vegetables, ideas needed.
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'.
Date: 21 Dec 1992 18:37:35 UTC

In article <1992Dec21.153256.5860@almserv.uucp> s5uagm@fnma.COM writes:
>In article fWMPekm@quack.sac.ca.us, 
pharvey@quack.sac.ca.us (Paul Harvey) writes:
>>In article <BzFHG7.1D9@dale.cts.com> 
npm@dale.cts.com (Nancy Milligan) writes:
>>>Does anyone know if it's feasible to grow potatos in a pot?  That might
>>>be kind of fun.
>>Yes. They grow quite well in pots and fine potting soil. The trick to
>>growing potatoes is to keep mounding up the soil around them as they
>>grow, meaning you keep adding soil and burying the plant as it grows
>>except for the top couple of leaves. The potatoes are formed on the stem
>>underground. So, for potatoes you'll need a tall pot. A trash can works
>>well, but smaller containers will do also.
>	Why go to all this trouble to grow a crop of something which is 
>readily available, stores well, and cost so little at the green grocer?
>	If it was a a 100 liter tub of _T_omatoes, I could understand, but 
>_P_otatoes? 

You can grow cultivars that are much better than the ones you will find
at your green grocer. Commercial potatoes have been selected for high
yield, disease resistance, long storage and uniform consistancy for
machine operations. If you want cultivars that have been selected for
taste, you'll have to grow your own.