Weekly Garden Thread - December 28-January 3, 2020

December 28, 2019 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[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 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!

[MomwithHope]

Nice, that is impressive about the sweet pumpkins.

[TianaHighrider]

I love ducks. Well, maybe not the ones at our local park. They are like hungry piranhas coming at you!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I find it curious that here in Missouri, with so many waterways and lakes, there are no wood duck boxes for sale.

Hope the mother ducks don’t care if their egg depository was made in Wisconsin...

[daniel1212]

Question - Can winter squash be planted in the same garden space as the previous year? Any other rules about reusing same areas?

In general, the more you plant the same crop in the same area then the more depleted the soil becomes, and more disease is likely to be a problem.

Thus if you do so, add soil amendments each year, manure etc, and plant different varieties of crops.

That said, we have planted varieties of tomatoes, big and small, and they do well, though some kinds are prone to disease. The Supersweet100's are planted much the same spot though and have produced abundantly. Early Girl's seem to be the best for normal size toms, thanks be to God. A fair amount of soil amendments are added each tear to this 15' x 20' plot

However, the butternut squash did not do well overall this year, partly due to lack of sun and being planted in the same spot which does not get much in the way of soil amendments.

From front:

From back:

[tubebender]

This is a new one for us...

[tubebender]

Are the Snap Dragons blooming where you live...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

They’re under the mulch, LOL!

We are having just amazing weather today - 58 degrees for a predicted high; the rain has moved out, though it’s still overcast. The kenneled dogs are asking to get out, so after a rainy day yesterday, everyone gets a romp in the yard.

I turned the furnace off and have windows open! If I was going into town, I’d bet the farm that people are wearing shorts and flip-flops today. Record high broken from 1984. (I was a hard-chargin’ Army Girl back then, recently returned from Germany.)

December 29th! And are we ever going to pay for THIS, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The ‘left-overs’ in that sandwich look better than some of my ‘first-serveds,’ LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Happy Sunday!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I had serious (protected!) Brown Bat bat issues at my other farm - 3rd floor walk-up attic, insulated, and then for some reason my ex put plastic up across the insulation and it made a perfect haven for bats, which could get in, in some of the TINY gaps in the eves. One time I had 6 live bats in the house! *SHUDDER* I got very brave, and I never killed a one - just caught them in a towel and tossed them back outside.

When it came time to sell, I spent $12K having the entire attic torn apart, cleaned and sanitized and new insulation blown in on the floor. And did those bats ever return to THANK ME? Nope, LOL!

But, it’s the new owners problem now! Yay!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

5. Weed suppression: Cardboard between the rows. Start saving it now! Start ordering from Chewy for pet supplies and you’ll have all the cardboard you need! ;)

6. Trellises - Do you have a set pattern you’re using? Let me know and I’ll ask my ‘MacGyver’ if he has any ideas for you to simplify things! He needs projects this winter; maybe he could build some for you? He’s already making a fireplace mantle for a friend, so all of his woodworking stuff is readily available!

(Ellendra and I live near one another in Real Life.)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Hope the mother ducks don’t care if their egg depository was made in Wisconsin...”

Any duck worth her QUACK would be HAPPY to have a Wisconsin-Made nesting box! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Seeds-n-Such was new to me this year, too. And just like the Burpee catalog, my cover is different than yours.

That ‘Purple Boy’ tomato looks fabulous! Says ‘compact’ though it is indeterminate. I really want a DETERMINATE Cherokee-like purple, but haven’t found one yet.

The race is afoot! ;)

I am up to EIGHT catalogs now. I need to order one from Seed Savers. I think they’re still free. Catalogs are a huge expense; I helped put together the Seed Savers catalogs back in the day. Fun project - also maddening, LOL!

http://www.seedsavers.org

[TianaHighrider]

Growing up I loved bats. Still do as long as they stay out of my home and garage. I grew up in the ‘country’, lots of hills, hollers, etc. (laf, have to say it correctly).

My parents had a street light installed at our driveway. And the bats LOVED it. They would fly around it every evening. My brother and I found throwing rocks straight up in the air they would dive at them like prey. Hey, country kids have to get inventive. They fascinated me. Batman comics helped too(smile).

It is a wonder we never got them in the house or other buildings. Probably because they had an abundance of wonderful caves where we lived. Miss that place.

[Ellendra]

That would be a LOT of cardboard! And keeping it in place would be tricky, there are some strong winds on that hill. But, now that the driveway reaches to the edge of the field, hauling stuff like that became a possibility. I doubt I’ll be able to collect enough for the whole garden, but it should help for part of it.

I’ve also figured out a way to make smaller lightweight chicken tractors, so those will help clear some space early in the season. After planting, I’ll use them to prepare more land for next year’s garden.

That assumes I can camp out on my land all summer like I tried to do before. It didn’t work last time, but I know what I did wrong, and I’ll be ready by spring. Although if your “MacGyver” would like to try making small sheds disguised as round hay bales, I doubt I’d be his only customer!

I think that’s the only way I’ll be able to store stuff out there, at least until the house is built. Long story about why, but for the moment at least, I need my stuff to be as invisible as possible.

For my trellis, I’m making arches out of PVC pipe, with wire mesh across it. I tried this last summer, in the form of a long tunnel, but somebody called up the county and said it was a secret building project. I had to take it down or be fined. This time I’m doing narrow sections, 4-5 feet wide, with space between each one. As long as the ground covered by each arch is less than 100 square feet, it won’t count as a “structure”. I’ll also paint the pipes themselves so the color doesn’t stand out as much.

They should be fairly simple to put together, I just need a whole lot of them. At least 2000 row-feet of trellis space, just for legumes. Then I can start on the trellises for permanent crops, like grapes and kiwi. Those will probably follow the same model, just with slightly bigger pipes.

[tubebender]

Amen...

[Augie]

The last weekend of 2019 here in Central Missouri started off warm and wet. I’m not sure how much it rained on Saturday, but it was enough to raise the pond level a good 6”. It was cool and blustery yesterday, but we only got the occasional sprinkle of rain.

I had a houseful of kids, grandkids, and other assorted relations for Christmas dinner on Saturday. 16 altogether I think.

I mustered a bit of strength yesterday and pruned my pear trees. It’s incredible how much new growth those things put out every season. Several of the main-stem suckers on one of them were over 10’ long.

It was too muddy to do much of anything else, so after I finished the pear trees I went inside and took a nap.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Either way, ask if you need some help!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

We’re going shopping for a new refridgerator today.
Our fine old GE is clanking its compressor at nearly every cycle, indicating its time may be up. It was bought new in 2002 when the house was built.

Anyone have experience with 2019 appliances ?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Last year we bought a floor model Maytag side-by-side fridge/freezer with ice maker and cold water in the door. Fancy! Brushed stainless that doesn’t show TOO many fingerprints, but if you can afford it, get the finish that shows NO fingerprints, because it’s kind of a PITA.

It was listed at $1,500 but we got it for $1,000 after some wheeling and dealing. ;)

I’ve always had the freezer in the bottom of the fridge, so it took some organizing and well-placed baskets to get the freezer organized the way I like it. To me, it doesn’t seem to hold as much as the bottom-drawer freezer, but that could just be psychological on my part. ;)

I’ve always bought slightly used appliances, so if a few scuffs or dings don’t matter to you, go that route. I had to use some special cream that my Uncle suggested to buff out one door ding, but I can’t even notice it now.

Good side-by-side comparison, here:

https://janeskitchenmiracles.com/best-refrigerators-reviewed/

I’m waiting (patiently!) for the microwave to die so I can get a stainless version of that appliance, too. Then the stove. ;)