Comments for Leslie Land

Comment on Coyotes! – Who Knew? by Bill Bakaitis

Bill Bakaitis — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:24:49 +0000

Although it is not a Coyote attack, and is not in the Northeast, I have received a few private emails linking to a story of a wolf attack in Alaska. The situation was similar to the Coyote Attack of last winter reported above in that a small pack attacked and killed a woman jogger.

From the article:
” “What the research shows is that in the last 10 or 20 years, as wolves have kind of re-colonized areas where they were extirpated around the turn of the 20th century, and as people have also developed more habits of going out into national parks and wilderness areas, we’ve had more aggressive encounters,” said Mark McNay, a retired Alaskan wildlife biologist who has studied wolf attacks.”

For the complete report, see
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-na-wolf-attack13-2010mar13,0,4711796.story

I understand that the growing aggression of Eastern Coyotes (Coywolves) was addressed at the Stone Ridge conference. If you attended and could send in a brief synopsis it would be welcomed.

Comment on How to Grow Garlic, with Harvesting and Storage tips and the story of the great garlic scape experiment. by Leslie

Leslie — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 03:15:40 +0000

Welcome, Stacie -

I’m afraid I don’t know any way to keep garlic from sprouting between now and fall planting time. Don’t know where you are, how cold, wet, etc. it is there, but your best bet is to plant them as soon as the ground can be worked, in well-drained soil so they don’t rot. They don’t mind cold; no worries about light freezes, but if it looks like it will go below 28 or so a loose temporary covering of straw mulch would be a good idea. By late summer, they will have formed small bulbs. Harvest those bulbs as described in the post, then save out the largest cloves and plant those.

Comment on How to Grow Garlic, with Harvesting and Storage tips and the story of the great garlic scape experiment. by Stacie

Stacie — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:39:15 +0000

I have some cloves that I want to plant in the fall. How can I keep them until then..its now March

Comment on Planting a Delicious New Year – Favorite Sources for Seeds by Lorna Sass

Lorna Sass — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:26:59 +0000

Oh, so many seeds and so little land…Will live vicariously at the moment and enjoy the gorgeous pictures of your harvest.

Comment on Amaryllis Are Blooming by Marolyn Charpentier

Marolyn Charpentier — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 10:52:24 +0000

Many thanks, Leslie, for this thorough checklist as I try to give my Amaryllis the best chance to bloom again. Your Benfica is Magnifique! Will look for it in the US when I travel there for a family visit in May. Your advice is much appreciated. Our winters in the Périgord are too cold to try keeping it outdoors, so it will live inside. Best, M.

Comment on Eek of the Week – the Real Food Challenge by MaineMan

MaineMan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 23:26:38 +0000

In the spirit of the thing, I thought I’d try to make my own Chateau Haut-Brion (my apologies to Joan Dillon). Then it occurred to me that – living in Maine and all – it might be easier to try making my own Berkasteler Doktor. I’ve got the SE-facing rocky slope, and a basement that could pass as a wine cellar. Now all I need are a hundred vines, more or less, of the same Riesling cultivar and a few odds and ends. Like casks, bottles, etc.

Oh, and I need to figure out how to live to age 113 or so.

Comment on Vegetable Gardening for Smarties (not Dummies) by Rocky Mountain Woman

Rocky Mountain Woman — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 20:41:46 +0000

Oh my, can’t wait for spring…can’t wait..can’t wait…

Comment on Vegetable Gardening for Smarties (not Dummies) by Lorna Sass

Lorna Sass — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:53:07 +0000

OMG, your garden is gorgeous. And those corn plants and purple flowers! (I usually don’t use so many exclamation points.) We are starting a little garden in the backyard of my building on W. 83rd St. so I am very grateful to you for sharing your favorite sources. Ours will be a container garden, but I’m pressing for a raised bed to grow veggies. We shall see…No doubt I’ll post pictures. Happy growing and cooking!

Comment on How To Make Your Tulips Rebloom by hopflower

hopflower — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:53:44 +0000

Your tulips should not have any trouble coming back, (barring deer, of course). Too much eating of anything by deer can ruin them. You have wonderful winters and cold where you are which tulips need, and hyacinths need even more than tulips. Potted flowers have also been treated to behave in such a way as to bloom in a certain time period, for sales! Most potted flowers in general are. But it can take a couple of years to get them to bloom, and if you have a favourite it is worth it. Leave the foliage on as that is how they photosynthesize to make food, but add some low nitrogen food the first year, say 2-10-10 in winter or early spring, and then 10-10-10 when it warms up. Scratching a bit of bone meal in when planted helps to shore them up, too.

Most tulips are treated as annuals here in California because of our mild winters. If we are lucky they will return, but rarely a third year. We almost ever have luck with lily-of-the-valley from the central north coast down to the south of the state. I planted some in a pot and placed it under a climbing rose and hope to see them again this year.

Primroses will bloom as long as it is cool; they dislike heat and will fade away.

That Estella Rijnveld is gorgeous!

Comment on How To Make Your Tulips Rebloom by ilana

ilana — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:30:34 +0000

Is this the same protocol for hyacinth? I just bought a bunch past flower hyacinths at the local nursery, hoping to plant them and see flowers next year.
I also brought home primrose – is it best to plant them out in a March warm spell or try to keep them alive until April or May and then plant them?