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Re: Peony problem

If it's an animal, I'm thinking maybe some sort of mole? problem, possibly. I can't see anything that looks like damage ON the ground so it would have to be a burrower.  There is an extension agent nearby; I know he will come out and check soil pH, etc. I would think he would have to know about various plants for his job, but he was originally located here for the tobacco farmers. He may be worth a shot, though :) 

Re: The 3 winters are coming earlier every year

Every spring we have a cold period that will last a few days to a week, and this one prompts the redbuds to bloom. The next cool period will prompt the dogwood trees to bloom, then finally the last will prompt the blackberries to bloom- I'm trying to think of a good process to compare it to. I know it sounds odd, but it's absolutely true. Once blackberries bloom here, it will consistently stay warm until fall reappears.

Peony problem

I have 8 large bunches of peonies that have been in the same spots for 29 yrs (that I know of). The last 3 yrs they are drastically dying back. They will grow foliage and bud normally but won't bloom (I only had 2 flowers last year). Now 2 sets didn't even sprout this year, and 3 others are about a third of the original size. They did excellent before 2013.  I've always heard that peonies thrive and do best if left undisturbed, which is how they have been. I do not see any visible sign of disease or pest and it's like the roots are simply disappearing.
Any advice?
I've got to figure out how to stop this! 

The 3 winters are coming earlier every year

We're heading into blackberry winter next week- temps are going back into the 50s and 30s. We've had redbud and dogwood already. I've noticed over the past few years that our last frost has moved up quite a bit- generally early/mid-April now. I would LOVE for that to become the norm- a whole extra month of gardening! 
-just my random thought of the day :)

Re: Have You Planted Your Tomatoes

I've found whether I start under lights, start in pots, or direct sow tomatoes, I always seem to have really long stems up to the first set of leaves (go figure). I just decided that it's easier to control in the pots/cells. 
Nobody ever gives me anything cool like a tomato plant:( I always get everyone's surplus of bearded iris- I've got those suckers stuck everywhere! 

Re: HOMESTEADING: Printables for the homestead

Nice link:)
We've had chickens a couple of times. I liked getting the eggs, but couldn't stand what a mess chickens make. The last ones were 'taken' by the horde of fox(es?) that moved into my back yard. 

Re: Have You Planted Your Tomatoes

I have some Cherokee purple, red calabash, and ugly started in cells on my porch. I started them the last week of March and they're a couple of inches tall now. (They would probably be about 4" now but I always cover the stems as they grow.) My plant date is around May 15.

Old wives' tales: gardening and the weather

I was having a conversation with someone today about strange things that the 'old timers' have passed along and still swear by today. Here are my top 5:)

Predicting the weather:

-Wooly worms predict the weather  -Several towns in NC and VA (and probably many other places as well) have festivals that celebrate this little fuzzy creature.   The length of the colored bands forecasts how long and severe the winter will be.

-If there are no walnuts on the ground in late summer and fall, the winter is going to be harsh.   Supposedly woodland creatures know to stock up way before people do.

For drought:

-Kill a black snake and hang it on a fence or from a tree branch. It will rain until the snake falls off. 

My all time favorites:

-If you are canning vegetables, be sure to ask any female coming in the house if she is a "witch" (meaning that it is her 'time of the month'). If she is, she can not enter the house or the preserved food will spoil. **My grandmother was notorious for this**

-Likewise, if the "witch" enters the garden during the same time, any plant that is in bloom will not produce the fruit.

I don't know if these are regional or not (maybe most people around here are a little bit "off"), but people still believe this. 

So, did anyone else hear some 'less than sensible' advice while growing up?

Re: Gardening by the Moon

 I guess since that's how we were taught, I've just always believed it works. It's a really big way of gardening in central Appalachia areas at least. I had to do age-appropriate gardening chores; I was sowing seeds probably  before I started school. I'm thankful for all those years being forced to plant and hoe and dig as a kid:)

Gardening by the Moon

I don't know if anyone else does this or not, but I guess I just do everything the "old school" way. Everyone around here always plows, plants, etc. by the signs. I didn't know until a few days ago that the Farmer's Almanac has a section where they lay out the days for you; I always just get the calendar that has all the moon phases and 'signs' (feet, heart, bowels, etc) that the phone company or the funeral home publishes every year lol. This lays it all out for you so you can just check the date and see what to do, instead of remembering if it's a barren day or not.

http://farmersalmanac.com/calendar/gardening/