Montana Gardeners-Let's Thread

A new weekend is upon us. What do you have planned? I have to fill out job applications. I'm moving back to Bozeman and I can't wait! I've a call into my new landlady to see what she has room for in her garden.

Yes, I have put a ton of time and money into my gardens here but that's OK. I'll come back in the fall or next spring and move what I can. It's great to be going home. Dee

I would like to hear how everyone battles delph worm. These critters are really starting to tick me off ARGH! I've yet to have a good delph year because of them. Tried wood ash. Nipping. Now thinking of cutting them right down to stop the cycle. Any advice or thougths? Still raining glub glub. But I'm planting out the dahlias and planting up the containers using dry bagged soil to ensure there are no air pockets.

I was told it snowed in Butte a couple days ago. Is that true? How much?

Hey, back to the Bozone for you, NS? I lived there for 18 years. What part of town will you be in?

picante--I'll be in the old neighborhoods on West Story--west of Willson and east of MSU campus. Can't wait to get back.

DigMontana--It sleeted an inch up north and it was snowing today for awhile but no accumulation.

Dahlianut--I remember seeing something in my Master Gardener literature. Let me see if I can find it.

Sorry to say it's too cold and I'm still too sick to be rooting around outside. Pray for warm and sunny weather, girls!

Hope you're having a warm, dry weekend! Dee

Northern, I always lived in that part of town. I call it the urban forest. Are you a co-op member, by any chance? I was a working member there for 8 years. -- Julie

Julie--Lifetime member! I miss the co-op. Maybe you know my new landlady, Georgette? And my friend, Kate, works there now. Tall woman married to Bronson and they have a little girl. I've been gone for six years so it's hard to remember everyone's name.

If it's the Georgette I know, she isFrench, and of course I know her, because I taught French in Bozeman. I don't know Kate by name, but probably by face. I know Dana & Kelly, the managers, and all the old-timers like Brenda and Kenda. I stopped working there shortly after the move onto Main Street, but I lived in Bozeman until 2004.

Ah, yes, Brenda! I was racking my brain, thinking, "Beverly...Beverly, no, that's not right". It's Brenda--a wonderful woman. Knew her through mutual friends. Man, I love Bozeman. We would probably recognize one another, if we met. And yes, it is the same Georgette. The move to the 'supermarket' atmosphere really lost a lot of people. It's geared towards an upper-scale clientele now and sort of left the hippies in the dust which was too bad. Very pricing, anymore--I go for the community more than anything else. Take care, Dee

Dahlia, I've never heard of delph worm. Do we have them in Montana?

NS, if you think the Co-op is pricey, try the Real Food Store here in Helena. Every time we go to Bozeman, we stock up on Ezekiel bread and soy milk and green tea and all those packaged items that are so much cheaper there.

The Co-op left hippies & single parents in the dust in other ways, unfortunately, mostly by scaling back the working member system. However, the membership doubled within a few months of moving onto Main St. It was astounding.

I'm sure we will meet one of these days. And say, oh, yes, of course I remember you!

Yupper picante they're in Montana too although I think you either have them or you don't. They don't seem to move around much as others in the neighbourhood don't have them. They are supposed to like monkshood too but leave mine alone. I grew all my delphs from seed so I wonder where they came from ? http://www.greenlandgarden.com/whatsbugging_insects.htm#delphiniumworm



This message was edited Jun 11, 2008 8:36 AM

Picante, I was in Helena yesterday on a buisiness trip with hubby. It stormed and snowed so bad their for a while. I went in the store without a longsleeve on and when I left the store it was freezing, snowing, windy, and black sky. After a couple hours, it became sunny skies. We got caught in a blizzard like situation for several miles on the Seely Swan road. So much snow we had to use 4-wheel drive.

I have a question for this thread. Has anyone planted tomatoes yet? I planted a couple weeks ago and we have had so much rain and no sun, that the bottom leaves are turning yellow. Will this hurt the plants or will they come out of it once the sun comes out again? We're suppose to get to 80's within the next couple days. DM

Mine are in the greenhouse Dig but the ones outside that friends have are all yellow leaved. This happens every year at this time here when we get a ton of rain. They just leave them alone and they green up when the sun comes back and it dries out just like you say. I hope the same holds true for other plants. My berginia, jasione and lewsia seedlings from last year are also yellow now.

dahlianut, its good to hear that they will be okay when the sun comes out. I feel so much better now.

My tomatoes and peppers have been in the ground for a couple weeks, and they're hanging in there, in spite of the cold and wet. The Gypsy Hybrid peppers that I got from critterologist are starting to flower. Last night my husband and I were out in the rain/snow creating makeshift greenhouses over them, though.
I think I've lost all my beans and corn. I have half a dozen tiny little corn plants, and exactly one bean plant, three weeks after planting seeds. None of my basil or parsley has shown up at all. Heavy sigh....

Sorry to hear that jayne_a. How disappointing.

It has been a quite peculiar spring, to say the least. Our trees finally leafed out and today it snowed again. Enough to stick on the ground for awhile.

I am presently planting my tomatoes into the ground in the hoophouse which is nearly a month later than I did it last year. Everything has grown slowly in the hoophouse this spring, just no zip to anything.

However, as a joyful note, Sofer's excess strawberry plants that I planted into pots have produced two ripe strawberries. And, wow, what sweet delicious strawberries they are!!! I can hardly wait to get the two long benches moved out for the summer so I can get these strawberries planted into the ground in the hoophouse!

Many thanks Sofer!!!!

Drool for fresh strawberries. I think we need to focus on the ups and count our blessings this awful, awful spring. Is it spring yet? One thing that has really happened well for me is my frantic april direct sowing. I have babies springing up everywhere even though there's no sun. I thought seed would rot for sure.

Hi everyone,

I pop in and out of a few threads, but decided i better introduce myself being that this is the MT thread. I have an organic vegetable greenhouse business and I struggle to keep my perennial gardens going each year. I'm trying a vegetable garden outdoors for the third time (at this location) also. So far I've only succeeded at getting a few ears of corn, two squash and one pumpkin. I do have luck growing lettuce, peas,radishes and early tomatoes in planters. I'm determined to give it an all out effort this year, but at the moment I need some people to commiserate with. We have about 6 inches of snow at our house right now. I know we are almost "over the hump", but it's getting more and more difficult to remain positive. My neighbor has recorded snow for the last ten years every second week in June so i shouldn't be too bummed out, but we haven't had much for sunshine either. I know it is right around the corner though!!

welcome upforachallenge. This is the place to commisserate for sure. It is getting REALLY hard to stay positive but the sun WILL come back. So much rain here that the new container soil with polymer crystals I tried in containers last weekend is now covered with jelly. Guess even the crystals drowned LOL.

Good news, everyone! Starting tomorrow, most of Montana will have 6 days or more of sunshine. Finally!

Another reason I need to move to Montana!!!! Who's your weather guy? I wonder if he would come and work up here?

LMAO so hard I almost peed!!! Just noticed (duh) that this thread is for Montana people and as usual I've been yaking away LOL oops sorry

This message was edited Jun 12, 2008 10:50 AM

But we're all zone 3 & 4, Dalianut. You're one of us. :)

Thanks NorthernSeasons ^_^ This thread is great for me as our conditions are pretty much the same. Not too many others get snow in June sigh.

I agree on maintaining an upbeat attitude in the face of challenges. And, Dahlianut, you should know by now that Rocky Mt. Forum is extremely loose and relaxed. We wander constantly off topic on threads and welcome everyone who is interested. Last year we had an Australian regularly posting on here, and we all enjoyed it.

Geographic boundaries are not that important, topics are not that important, what is important is sharing gardening with congenial people. So don't sweat the small stuff.

And, I am sure you will be pleased to hear some of the dahlias I have in pots in the hoophouse have actual buds!

whooooooooooo hooooooooooo mulch!!! Very exciting news!!!!

Yea, i guess it's time to get off my pity pot. things are way worse for other parts of the world. I feel for people dealing with floods, tornadoes, etc. Dahlianut, i'll take the humor any day. I agree, geographically you're close enough, i get asked all the time if i am from Canada. Being from ND i guess i have a bit of an accent, so i've been told. I went to college in Missoula and made several road trips to calgary. Great place! We had lots of fun.

I think we're doing an OUTSTANDING job of looking on the up side IMHO (there is no 'bright' when its always raining so have to say 'up') On a really sad note, IA made our news this morning. Seems evacuations are happening in many places and its not looking any better for them. Some of the dahlianuts are from there so I'm very worried.

dahlianut, I've joined the Montana group too. I'm kinda lonely over here on this side and they graciously accepted me. ^_^

You think you talk funny JoanJ? Try saying 'eh' all the time LOL

This message was edited Jun 12, 2008 12:40 PM

None of you can hold a candle to an old family friend in Texas. She is British and has gone back to England every summer for many years. She has the English accent with a Texas drawl overlaid. Now that is so wild I lose track of what she is saying because I am so entertained by how she says it.

The final capper to this is she works as a police dispatcher. Those officers must be good at paying attention to her!

Just stepped outside and it's, it's....The SUN!!!

No way northernseasons. Are you sure? Is it bright and sparkly? Does it look like this?
http://www.luckyoliver.com/photos/derived/blbePUb-Sr26chadbivJjM/LO-cartoon_sun_gradient_color-50758.jpg
Just checking cuz I THOUGHT I saw it briefly earlier but I must have been have a hallucination cuz gone.

Sun! I was out weeding and the SUN came out! Yes, it still exists!

and then there was h*a*i*l..... I jinxed us here by posting a thread about it and not putting in the asterixs to denote its power as a four letter word. ARRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHH! No damage to me cuz really small but my northern friends????? Glad you guys are getting really truly beams though.

Weeding? What's that? Are those the things covered by the snow??? I'm sure we'll get reintroduced this weekend. The sun is trying really really hard right now to peak through.

LOL upfor, maybe you can shovel weed ^_^ THE BEAMS ARE HERE NOW TOO!!! Just pinched myself to be sure. I hope the dahlias don't die of shock :o

Welcome, Upfor! Howdya like that-- you join a thread and within 2 seconds you've got this hilarious nickname. I have friends in Livingston: Glenn & Barbara, and their kids are Mia and Hannah. Do you know them?

Time to go for a dogwalk out in the sun. Bless the rain for making everything GREEN and beautiful!

Took the tarps off my tubs for the first time in two days of snow and cold. Sunny and warm today, the flowers look relieved.