I am going to try wintersowing the tomatoes (and eggplant too, while I'm at it).
So far, I've done heliotropes, love lies bleeding, and some zinnias that I found a packet of. Oh, and cosmos.
I have fresh zinnia seeds coming, so I'll wait on those per your advice. Good tip- our whole winter is basically cycles of warm and cold!

Very cool!

Karen

As a northerner who lived in the south (Alabama) for seven years, I came to love okra, slime and all. We can even grow it up here in Iowa. Best of all the ways to make okra edible, at least to my taste buds, is to pickle it. The more sour, the better. If you haven't tried pickled okra, Dave, you should. We can get it at our favorite grocery store here. By far the best brand, as far as I'm concerned, is Talk O' Texas. The brand name alone should make you want to try it. It has just a bit of heat added to kick up the flavor. I think there is also a hotter version, but it's not available here.

Regarding the universal calendar app, I think you're much too modest about what you've achieved, Dave. I bet there are publications out there that would live to have you write an article on how you developed it. I'm going to do my part by mentioning the app in a monthly column I write for our local paper.

I never ate okra until I moved to MS when I got married. I loved it fried and boiled. Yum. Bet I would like it pickled also.

I made pickled okra last year. I gave it all away because I couldn't get these people to eat it

I tend to think of it as slimy too but I do like it vegetable soup.

Pickled okra is great on salads too.

What a great podcast!

I've been so out of the loop these past few months it's like popping in to a new - and impressive - site! I really liked hearing the two of you just chit chatting in a front porch manner and inviting us all to a chair (or sit on the railing, or the stoop!)

I got a lot of new ambition from listening. After years of neglecting winter sowing maybe I'll join the club and try a pot of tomato seeds. I also learned I need to teach ya'll how to cook okra so it isn't slimy!

Dave, as much as you like melons does that mean you finally found a way to combat those ever-present squash bugs? I've nearly given up on most cucurbita except cucuzzi squash (or gourds) and melons/yellow squash seem to attract those critters. I can get one quick crop of squash before the plants are taken over but never got melons to mature in time.

Again, great podcast! Looking forward to the next one.

Shoe (who thinks the purple zinnia you mentioned might be Benary's Giant..does that ring a bell?)

Thank you, Shoe. I'm tickled pink that you liked our podcast. I definitely want to learn how to cook okra proper like and if anyone can do it, you can!

I found the purple zinnias we grew:
http://www.zinniaseed.com/prod...
Zinnia 'Giant Lavender Gem'

These are called "Giant Lavender Gem" and it was a Ferry-Morse seed packet from the local feed store.

Now as for the squash bugs, we definitely have NOT resolved the squash bug problem. They end up taking almost all our squash plants but we usually have just enough survive to give us some fruit. So we enjoyed maybe 10 harvested cantaloupes last year. This year, however, I'm going to try a new method of control: a vacuum cleaner. I'm going to take my little hand held vacuum out every day and suck up the bugs as I see them. That'll be easier than squishing them which is nasty, nasty, nasty. I'm hopeful it'll work out well!

Pretty zinnia! Thanks for the links, I'll check them out next time I see a Ferry Morse seed rack. And thanks, Trish, for bringing those to the forefront.

Good idea on the vacuum, Dave. I've heard some people have done that. Looking forward to your results as it sounds like it'll work for many other bugs. And I can see those multitude of squash nymphs being sucked up while they are still grouped together; the vac oughta get rid of quite a few of those future headaches.

Shoe (who just sowed some pepper seeds, onions, and Swiss chard seed today. The season begins)

I'm actually sowing those same things today, too! I just came inside for a brief break between working.

Guess our minds (or our wants) are on the same channel!

By the way, where are the podcasts "stored"? If I want to replay them from time to time are they in a certain forum, or will there be a Podcasts link? I can't seem to get to them from the Home Page.

"Ideas" tab, Shoe. Across the top of your page.

Thanks, Sharon! (I'm re-listening to it as I read/type, just took a while to find it.)

Hope you are thawing out over your way.

Shoe

For me it's still cold-ish, Shoe.
For the rest of my visiting clan, it's warmish.
Could be because they live in Indianapolis
Soon though, very very soon, I'll be warm again.

Oh, that sounds so good Sharon. It never got above freezing here today. And we still have the rest of this month and next month before we will start warming up.

Horseshoe said:By the way, where are the podcasts "stored"? If I want to replay them from time to time are they in a certain forum, or will there be a Podcasts link? I can't seem to get to them from the Home Page.

Sharon is right that they are all published under "Ideas" and it'll stay that way. Once I get enough of them published, I will add a permanent link under Ideas for Podcasts. Also, the podcasts will soon appear in itunes (for the convenience of anyone who actually uses itunes to subscribe to podcasts).

Great! Thanks.

Shoe (NOT an Itune person, just an ATPer who now knows where to find the podcasts.) :>)

I thought of another way: just click on my name. All the podcasts are published under my username so if you scroll down to "Gardening Ideas by dave" you'll find them all.

Perfect!
Thanks.