Weekly Garden Thread - May 15-21, 2021

May 15, 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!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Greenhouse or She Shed Goals:

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My 'plan' for the rest of the week is to get as much mowing done as I can on Friday, and get up at dawn on Saturday to get the tomatoes in, and the same on Sunday to get the peppers planted.

And pick up our new PUPPY on Saturday, too! Yay! English Coon Hound. Can't wait to meet her.

This week looks pretty brutal. I'm running fans and trying to tough it out and not turn on the A/C quite yet. ;)

[Liz]

Supermarket peppers are 89 cents....each.....cucumbers 68 cents......each.

Gardening gets more desirable by the minute.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Gardening gets more desirable by the minute.”

Crazy, isn’t it? Too bad so much of that $$$ goes to Big Ag and not ‘The Little Guy.’

All told I spent about $50 this year on seeds, seed potatoes and a few other misc. garden needs like a fresh bottle of the fertilizer that I like. Oh, I DID spend another $50 on a Cherry and an Apple tree. Still, I can’t walk in and out of the grocer for under $100 these days as it is. Granted, I haven’t hit my favorite greenhouse yet, but I’m spending some of my ‘Uncle Sugar’ money, there. Thanks, Fellow Taxpayers, for supporting my local Economy! ;)

High prices are also the reason we’re raising a beef steer, too. Once he’s processed it comes out to about $4 a pound - from Burger to Tenderloin.

Of course, Beau complains long and loudly about having to keep him on grain for a while yet, when there is plenty of grass for him to eat - and ‘Weber’ gives the mule competition for grass these days, ;)

Another tip? Be the LAST person hanging around the Farmer’s Market when they’re packing up to go home. You can get great deals on crates of canning tomatoes, cukes for pickles, zukes, etc. They’d rather sell them at a loss than load them up again, only to compost the items that won’t last another week in the cooler.

(I used to work a market with my In-Laws. We sold Raspberries, so we never had anything leftover, but ‘Ma’ was a good one for scouting out the bargains from other Vendors. She taught me well!)

[tubebender]

Beautiful clear skies here north coast of Calif but the wind is about 8 to 12 degrees cooler then “Normal”.

[bitt]

3rd day of 80-95 degree weather here in MA - and another 2 days predicted! Watering and thunderstorms..

[bitt]

my mystery flowers finally reveal themselves..they blew into my perennial bed..I can't move them and mulch until I know what they are..primose or poppy or WHAT????

please help!!

[bitt]

[Bon of Babble]

I know this is an old thread (I was searching for something and saw your post). If you haven’t found out by now, I know exactly what your mystery plants are:

Those are Mexican Evening Primroses. I know b/c I grow them in my Southern California garden. They will spread out over the years and might become a pest. I love them and think they are beautiful. Hope you enjoy them too. They take very little care.

[bitt]

thanks for your post!

How they drifted into my little garden in MA is a mystery! But they looked great for almost a month - they were fading out this week and then some varmint ate off all the flowers and tops of the stems!

I’ll move them over to my slope where I need some ground cover - they can spread to their heart’s content! By the time they become pestiferous, I’ll be outta here..

[Bon of Babble]

Glad to be of help. Didn't know they grew in your part of the world. They only last a month or two at most in my yard - blooming that is. Although I do see one on my dog walk that seems to bloom almost year around. I may have to ask for a cutting of that one.

Your Mexican Evening Primrose will never be as much of as pest as this one:

I knew I shouldn't have planted it when I did - but did anyway because I love them. Now they are the bane of my garden and I have to hack at it constantly to keep it under control - which I knew when I planted it...