Weekly Garden Thread - March 20-26, 2021

March 20, 2021 | 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 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!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Yesterday my wife and I (yes.....20 yrs this year!) Went to my good sister’s place afore brother in laws 50th bday.

During the ferry ride, we were sitting in the car, and I mentioned that I wanted to create some unique and cool features in our garden and new home we will be having built in Texas.

I want to layout portions of the walkways in the garden and incorporate some window features in the home that recognize the vernal and autumnal equinoxes.

She kind of stared at me like I was crazy which I am totally used to.

I explained that I wanted to have the sunrise on the equinoxes to eqch fall down a path on the garden and land in a statue or some other feature/fixture.

She continued to look at me as if I were an insano....so I said “I know you are thinking this is me trying to re-do thr scene in Raider’s of the Lost Ark with the stick and the pendant....it isn’t going to be that. But now that we are talking about it....maybe a window feature on the house tha throws the light on a patterned tile on the floor on the vernal equinox too!”

She then said “this is your photographer/creative side of your brain. I never think about anything like that....”

Today I mentally hugged Diana in Wisconsin when I went to my greenhouse and found more tomato and pepper seed starts popping in the Jiffy medium.

I also took some 1/2, 1, and 2 gallon planting buckets and filled em up with garden soil and some 3 4 4 fertilzer....then put them inside a raised bed that I have a hoop cover on
Did about 40 and that is 1/3 of the raised bed....tomorrow I am going to knock out the rest if the raised bed.

These are in preparation for transplanting the seed starts.

DID I MENTION TODAY IS MY “Last expected frost date” ??????

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

A princess shpuld not have to work in the dirt! But a princess always gets to do what she wants so you have that going for you!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I forgot to mention....I saw a big giant huge black and yellow bumblebee flying around the outside of my house yesterday....always a good sign

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I add this for the Good of the Order....

I found out the hard way with pepper plants iny greenhouse.

Peppers and tomatoes, their pollen gets “sterized at temps over 93-95 degrees.

I had my peppers suspended up high iny greenhouse and even with the auto vents opening at 85 degrees...my peppers were not producing fruit....floweri g but not setting the fruit.

As soon as Google told me the problem I pulled the down and viola! Fruit set in 2 weeks.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Make that 29 years....fat fingered the cell phn keyboard.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’ve been married for 31 years - but not to the same man, LOL! (The last 10 years of my life shared with Beau have been the best - BY FAR! Took me until I was 50 to find True Love, but he was worth the wait.)

“I know you are thinking this is me trying to re-do the scene in Raider’s of the Lost Ark with the stick and the pendant...it isn’t going to be that.”

Now I’m disappointed! How about a compromise of some sort? LOL!

[Augie]

Here in Central Missouri we got a bit of relief from the rain towards the end of last week. 6"+ in my gauge in less than a week. The Missouri River went from ~6' on the Jefferson City gauge to 25' in six days time.

We cleaned up Mrs. Augie's flower beds in front of the house and hauled in some new compost for them. She has been wanting one of those antique pipe frame garden gates for a long time, and finally got one on Saturday. We got that thing installed in the kitchen garden fence yesterday. It's much more user friendly than the old cattle panel gate.

I've been watching the pond for perch ribbons, but not seeing any yet, so I spent a few minutes with a spin rod and chunk of nightcrawler yesterday morning. Mystery solved - ribbons are still in the fish! This little girl was about to explode, so it shouldn't be much longer before they do their thing.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Now I NEED Yellow Perch for supper, darnnit! :)

So glad you’re going to have plenty!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Augie]

Aside from annoying them by trapping and occasional hook-and-line sampling, my yellow perch are safe from the knife. For now.

This spring will be the second spawn for them. I trapped some of last spring’s youngsters over the weekend. They’re in the 5”-6” range. The fish I pictured is ~11”, and I’m sure was one of the ~4” fish from the original stocking in September of ‘19.

I’m going to show mercy for the rest of 2021. When 2022 gets here, the filet knife is coming out, and the release will be into the grease!

[Redleg Duke]

Household Six has the basement planting area squared away, many seeds in and seedlings up!

I just picked up four cattle panels and landscape timbers to add another layer on our raised beds.

Taking off the snow thrower, today. Prepare for 18” of partly cloudy!

[who knows what evil?]

Speaking of ‘yawn’...not into it this year...may throw my garden stuff out on the side of the road, and hope someone takes it away. Tens of thousands of seed...off to the dump.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Why are you giving up gardening?

[who knows what evil?]

Burned out is as good an answer as any, I guess.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

How about donating your ‘stuff’ to your local community garden, church garden or school garden? Or just pack it up and leave it there when there’s no threat of rain.

You will make many people so amazingly HAPPY! :)

I get the ‘burn out.’ 18+ years ‘In The Biz’ for me.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thought you might like to see MY sweet ride. 1954 Allis-Chalmers tractor and 'vintage' road grader. We use the grader on our mile-long driveway that is a combination of gravel and recycled blacktop. It's a two-man operation. We've had a lot of adventures with 'Alice.' We were hauling water and watering newly-planted trees in a terrible drought (2012) and the brake let loose, and the tractor was jack-knifing and heading straight for Beau! Luckily, he heard my screams and jumped clear or BOTH of them would've gone off the hillside! Supposedly, she's going to his Nephew, but for some reason, it's still here. Also - our barn is going to be replaced. The house has a new roof and is nearly finished being painted and I will post pictures later this year when it is FINALLY done. That barn is partially why I call our farm. 'Abandon All Hope' Farm, LOL!

p

[Diana in Wisconsin]

One reason you should grow, 'Nanking Bush Cherry' shrubs. They're pretty in bloom. And, as an added bonus, you get cherries - if the birds don't get them first!

[Augie]

That’s cool. I’ve been casually looking for an antique maintainer like that, but haven’t found one that’s better than scrap, so the search continues.

Pops and I got Mr. Clarence out of storage on Sunday. We were prepared to drag him into the shop the hard way, but sitting all winter with the clutch pedal wired down freed the disk from the flywheel, and I was able to put him inside under his own power. Super happy about that. I wasn’t looking forward to splitting him in half to change out the clutch, and it looks like I won’t need to.

We scored a 8’ Ford Flex-O-Hitch tandem disk last week. I just need to hook up the gooseneck trailer and go get it. I’m hoping to have Mr. Clarence ready to go by the end of May so I can use him to put in my sunflower patch.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Go, Mr, Clarence! :)

A sunflower patch sounds lovely. :)