Posted on 08/19/2023 5:24:58 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
National Potato Day is August 19, so if you like spuds, this one’s for you!
Never celebrated this tasty tot before? Good news, we have the lowdown on how to do things up right with facts and links to turn you from couch potato to party animal.
Potatoes have been a popular food for centuries so it’s about time we recognize this versatile and ap-peeling favorite. Mashed, smashed, chipped, or covered in cheese, potatoes can be eaten with just about every meal — or as a meal! — making these starchy veggies a delicious and easy way to get iron, potassium and vitamin c. The puns are just baked right in! Now just fry and stop us from telling you the whole scoop on what makes National Potato Day so …spudtacular.
https://nationaltoday.com/national-potato-day/
Potato Facts:
22% - The standard cut might be a classic, but at nearly one-in-four, curly fries are the peoples’ favorite type of french fry.
46% - Nearly half of all people surveyed pick Lay’s as their go-to bag of potato chips.
34% - At over one-in-three people surveyed, McDonald’s is chosen more than any other fast food joint as the people’s favorite place for fries.
Not a potato related question but has anyone here ever dehydrated rhubarb and what did you use it in as far as recipes?
Interesting. Never thought to try that. I always freeze it or use it up as the season goes...
How to Use Dried Rhubarb?
Dehydrated rhubarb can never be turned back into juicy, fresh rhubarb. It will plump up when soaked in water, but it will have a slightly chewy texture. So use dried rhubarb in recipes where a little added texture is appreciated, e.g. muffins, oatmeal, pancakes, cookies, etc. The longer it cooks or stews in liquid, the less chewy it becomes, so you could also use it in sauces – rhubarb sauce on pork chops perhaps?
https://www.gettystewart.com/how_to_dehydrate_rhubarb/
Good Morning! :-)
Just a quick update so you guys no I’m not dead....have not posted I’m quite some time.
Moved into our newly built home 4 nights ago.
Dog and wife are in heaven and ai am still in “unpacking limbo.”
Garden is still churning out loads of peppers and apparently my soil is perfect for watermelons because I swear to the lord, baby, teenaged, and even adult Jesus, both varieties of watermelons iny garden are sweeter than cotton candy.
My cantaloupe plants are producing fruit but none are ripe yet.
Tomatoes very slow right now.....it’s Ben over a 100 degrees for about 2 months straight so the pollen is getting whacked pretty hard and sterilized by the temps.
Sin e I have about 150-200 plants I am still getting adequate production however for our small household.
The best flavor Tom’s so far have been the Abe Lincolns and Brandywine..
Along with my unknown heirloom I got out if a tomato at the farmers market in Chelan WA back in 2018....still getting seeds from that strain.
Eggplants are coming along well.
Scattered cowpeas in one bed for clay soil conditioning....ants grew well but no peas (will have to research h why they never flowered) so I weed whacked them in place to get some organic material into that bed.
I forgot to add, fall crop seed starts are getting dropped into the ground Starting tomorrow and my wife loves her new, huge, soaking tub.
I did my part! I grew German Butterball potatoes this season - a few more weeks and they can be dug. Foliage is starting to die back, now. I usually grow some Red Norland, too - a favorite red potato. :)
German Butterball Potato Characteristics:
“German Butterball potatoes are a gourmet potato variety with a brown peel and yellow flesh. These specialty potatoes have a buttery melt-in-your-mouth flavor and flakey texture. German Butterball potatoes are most commonly used as baking potatoes but can also be fried or roasted. This is a late-season variety that generally takes 110-135 days to grow to mature size in the garden.”
https://www.homefortheharvest.com/german-butterball-potatoes/
I really, really like potatoes!
“Since I have about 150-200 plants I am still getting adequate production however for our small household.”
Good Lord! I grew 36 plants LAST season and nearly killed myself, LOL!
So, SO GOOD to hear from you! You were missed, FRiend. So glad you’re settled in, now.
Happy Wife (and dog!), Happy Life! :)
Dilly potatoes- oil, butter, dill, salt and pepper (and if you want a little heat, a pinch of cayenne) - drizzle the mixture over boiled potatoes- preferably small potatoes the size of ping pong balls or smaller. Always a favorite at dinner table.
What’s not to like? IMHO, Potatoes are right up there with Chickens as one of God’s most versatile creations. ;)
My Grandma Edith: “Keep a few boiled potatoes on hand; you can ALWAYS make a meal around that!”
So true!
My Grandpa Elmer: “Some days in the Meals on Wheels we get TWO baked potatoes! You set that extra potato aside and fry that up with breakfast the next morning and you are living like a KING!”
I come from simple people, LOL!
Thanks, Pete!
Hasselback Potatoes are a favorite in this house. :)
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/hasselback-potatoes-5335518
Yes! Potatoes are great with ANY herb on top. I always have fresh Rosemary on hand, so that’s my go-to. :)
That sounds good too! I’m not a big potatoes eater but when it comes to dilly potatoes, I can’t resist. Will have to try rosemary on Them too.
Peonies in Albemarle Sound area if North Carolina, zone 8(a) seem to burn up in July despite water every 48 hours.
I have not grown peonies to any great extent but I have some that I would rather not loose as they are starts that my sister gave me that have traveled around the nation for 140 years with my family. I planted them last October in mild weather. Amended our sandy soil and they came up and even bloomed in April. Edge browned in June and seemed to brown off in July. Will they be back next spring? Might they show some regrowth this early fall? I don’t really understand this plant enough to speculate. Store bought peonies in other locations have done the same despite being different varieties.
These peonies did well in east Pennsylvania, east Kansas and Atlanta.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.