The Garden Thread - April, 2024

April 1, 2024 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a 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 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/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.

NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m in SW Wisconsin and we bought one a number of years back. Unheated. I find it most useful from April through May for growing early spring things, and hardening off veggies that are eventually going into the garden.

Even on a sunny March day - that thing can hit 114 degrees if I don’t open it up!

There is a learning curve for sure, but if you can afford it, I highly recommend having an unheated greenhouse for getting the season started off early and extending the season in the fall. One winter I had cherry tomatoes into December!

There are plenty of books on unheated greenhouses. Elliot Coleman is my favorite author on the subject - he grows year-round in Maine! If he can do it, so can we! :)

In reality, I need to make much better use of what I’ve already got. It’s a 10’ x 8’ set-up with two roof vents and double doors across the front.

https://gardenerspath.com/how-to/greenhouses-and-coldframes/unheated-greenhouse/

[virgil]

Thanks Diana! Maybe I should get a thermometer. 😀

[Pollard]

Hours and intensity of sunlight is an issue for Winter growing. Days are shorter because the sun is at a lower angle which also makes it less intense, hence the cold.

There's a youtube channel by a market gardener in KY that I watch. He says that even the cold/shade tolerant plants will stop growing in at some point in Winter but they'll stay alive for continued harvest as long as it doesn't get too cold. Row covers at night or on really cold days will help keep things alive.

They're best thought of as season extenders.

Personally, I doubt I'll want to walk out to the high tunnel when it's 20 degrees and windy outside possibly with snow on the ground. I'll go out and knock the snow off when/if needed but then it's back to the wood stove.

To heat a greenhouse, you either need a glass house or double layer of poly but even then, you'd probably pay more to heat it than the cost of the veggies.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks, Pete!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I have an indoor/outdoor one so I can see the temp in the greenhouse - whenever. Right now it’s rainy and 35 degrees, but it’s 55 in the greenhouse - even without any sun.

Meant to add that it ran us about $2,500.00 total between the kit we bought and gravel we needed to level a spot (we’re in The Driftless - hills, hills and more hills!) and lumber to build terraced beds around the house on the south side. It was an impossible incline for me to how, so that solved that problem.

Beau did all the work with his skid steer, I helped lay the gravel and did all the grunt work and clean-up, and we only had ONE fight while we put it together, so all in all the project was a success! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Here are a bunch of unheated greenhouse ideas, rated by Family Handyman:

https://www.familyhandyman.com/list/best-greenhouse-kits/

Ours is similar to # 1, but I’m DROOLING over # 2! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Hope everyone had a nice Easter. We had dinner at my Sister’s and it was lovely. She’s a good cook and we came home with plenty of leftovers. Score! :)

Yesterday was pretty much consumed with freezer prep - ‘Chuck’ came back from ‘The Spa’ in nice little packages, so we re-arranged things and he’s all tucked away for our future beef-eating enjoyment.

Chuck finished at close to 1500 pounds. Hanging weight was 790 pounds. Processing was less than we expected at 96-cents per pound. Beau didn’t do all the math concerning the feed we put into him from December through March (grain and hay) but he was on pasture the bulk of the time we had him (17 months; he was 2 months old when we got him and paid $300 for him - Angus/Holstein cross - 19 months when butchered.)

He was $3.50/pound combined for finished product, all cuts from hamburger to roasts, thick steaks, stew meat, etc. Beau saw Porterhouse steaks at the butcher shop where Chuck was processed going for $20/pound!

All in all, it was a much better deal to grow our own. We would NEVER pay those kinds of prices for beef in the first place. We still have bear, elk and some fish in the freezer, too. Just sausage and a few pork steaks left from the 1.2 hog we bought last October. Beau leaves for Canada in June for more fishing, so clearing that out takes priority and some of the trout is going to his friend who will smoke it for us. We had a big Fish Fry on Good Friday. Walleye. Yum!

And that’s the ‘Local Meat Report’ from SW Wisconsin. :)

[FamiliarFace]

I enjoyed hearing your story about Chuck. You’ll have plenty of good eats from that boy.

Also, I have a nice recipe for pecan crusted trout if you’d like. It was the best fish meal I’ve ever had. https://savorthebest.com/pecan-crusted-trout/

My sister used this recipe with chicken that she baked in the oven. She said it was superb.

[CottonBall]

Beautiful flowers. And that’s a gorgeous Tortie

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks! That sounds wonderful! Frying makes SUCH a mess - I don’t eat fish as often as I should and it has to do with the BONES in some of the fish Beau catches. I hate to waste food, but I also hate to waste time picking out bones.

I’ve told him of my displeasure and he’s watching some You Tubes on how to get those extra bones OUT of Northern Pike.

[FamiliarFace]

I haven’t scaled or filleted a fish in a bazillion years. I’d have to watch videos to remind myself of the process, it’s been that long. I hate fish bones, too.

[Pollard]

Red cedar and tempered glass. Personally, I'd leave off the table legs.

Only $30k

Quite a selection here. - https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/collections/greenhouse-kits

[jcon40]

Ping

[MomwithHope]

“Beau did all the work with his skid steer, I helped lay the gravel and did all the grunt work and clean-up, and we only had ONE fight while we put it together, so all in all the project was a success! :)”

So who won the fight?

Mail went out to you this morning, I did not get into town yesterday.

[virgil]

Thanks for the info. You’re right. It probably would not be worth it to install a heater.

[virgil]

Those are beautiful. It can double as a solarium lounge. I never thought of that. Cool. My first greenhouse will be smaller, cheaper for learning. 🙂

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My ‘first’ greenhouse was made from old sliding doors I found in the barn, with ‘pallet’ flooring. I put down the pallets, then leaned the glass doors at an angle against the south-facing wall of my pole shed.

PLENTY of sunshine, Right? I COOKED everything I had in there, LOL!

Yeah - there’s a learning curve, for sure. ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oh, Man, would that Cedar ever smell good after it was heated up! I agree on the ‘trim.’ Ugh!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Posted for Mr. Duke. Raised beds he constructed for his greenhouse:

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Me: "Eva! Get OFF the countertop!"

Eva: "Technically, MOM, I'm not ON the countertop!"

Cat Logic.