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Weekly Garden Thread - May 21-27, 2022 [The Language of Flowers Edition]
May 21, 2022 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

Posted on 05/21/2022 6:57:35 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!


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: food; garden; gardening; hobbies
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To: MomwithHope

I MIGHT tuck in a few more tomatoes this year. I keep thinking back to my ex-Amish neighbor who gave me the best compliment EVER last year when I shared tomatoes with him and his wife and boys because I had SO MANY. He said, pointing at me:

“You, Girl, KNOW how to grow a tomato! They taste as good as my Mother’s!”

High praise indeed! :)

His wife called me later: “Enos keeps eating your tomatoes like apples! He was making such a mess of the kitchen that I sent him outside to eat them!” LOL!


81 posted on 05/23/2022 4:07:52 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Pollard

If you are growing them for the first time, they are smaller compact and bushy plants. Mine are 6” tall too straight from the nursery. Will be putting them in our good garden soil tomorrow.


82 posted on 05/23/2022 5:17:34 PM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: MomwithHope

Cool. I did notice they have grown faster since sticking them in the ground. Many more leaves.

Glad you found some.


83 posted on 05/23/2022 5:25:58 PM PDT by Pollard (If there's a question mark in the headline, the answer should always be No.)
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To: All
Book recommendation if you are looking to add some veggies to your life/landscaping but are constrained by Home Owner Association (HOA) rules or City rules about what you can plant in your front yard and such:

I saw used copies on Amazon for about $5.00.

Really, 'KAREN!' It's JUST decorative KALE! *SMIRK*

84 posted on 05/23/2022 5:34:50 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Pollard

Your greens are going well! The fence is working well for the peas!

Remember to prune peppers get them to bush out.

(At least with regular peppers.... are shishito the same?? I guess yes from this you tube, one answer!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Eo5pAIAaas

Nice repurpose on the camper top! I bet the Chickens like it, especially when it rains.


85 posted on 05/23/2022 7:22:13 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: Augie

Pesto! I see some pesto dinners in your future!

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/257938/spicy-thai-basil-chicken-pad-krapow-gai/

And maybe Thai Basil Chicken!


86 posted on 05/23/2022 7:24:39 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I haven’t found any correlation between seed size and longevity. There is a definite correlation between the hardness of the seed coat and longevity, but even then there are exceptions. The biggest two factors are humidity and temperature. According to the guy who runs the Baker Creek seed warehouse (awesome guy), the goal is to keep the temperature (in F) and the percent humidity low enough that, added together, they equal less than 100.

In 2020 I took a bunch of old tomato and pepper seeds, some as old as 1997, and planted them. Most were for varieties I didn’t really want, but they came free with a catalog order. I assumed most wouldn’t germinate, especially since they’d been stored near a heating vent in the same room as the humidifier, so I was mainly just getting rid of old seed.

Every single one of them grew!


87 posted on 05/23/2022 7:52:15 PM PDT by Ellendra (A single lie on our side does more damage than a thousand lies on their side.)
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

I watched that you tube it was stunning in a WTH way. I have never pruned my shishitos and they bear heavily and quite nicely. Yes the bottom peppers mature more quickly but we got loads off 1 plant. I’m watching him cut branches and flowers and in some cases small peppers thinking - what!!?!??!?! Maybe in a climate when the plant can grow for more than a few months would someone do this. Thanks for sharing. I was surprised to see anything on youtube about shishitos.


88 posted on 05/23/2022 8:17:45 PM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: MomwithHope

MWH. I thought it was a bit severe which is why I said it was A way.

Shishito peppers are indeterminate. In warm climates like Mexico peppers just keep on growing until they are bushes, or disease or insects get them. It is possible to protect them and grow them again next year if you have a warm greenhouse to store them in!

My peppers die at the end of the season. I prune them above the 3rd or 4th branching.

For balance try this you tube! I would not wait until they were that tall...I might cut a bit higher! ( Maybe I just enjoy watching Veronica gardening! )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syhPPONJDKY


89 posted on 05/23/2022 8:37:30 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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YEAH....I got some plants in....roma and yellow and beefsteak type tomoatoes....more winter squash and more zucchini...I think....I start out well marking the plants but the containers get mixed up a bit and between the winter and summer squash, who knows...

onions looking good...garlic good...lettuce getting there...finally have all the potatoes...soaking green beans right now for planting tomorrow afternoon.....

90 posted on 05/23/2022 10:09:23 PM PDT by cherry (;)
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

Thanks Pete that makes more sense to me. I have 6 Shishito’s. two of the plants are doubles. I’ll try that technique with 2 of them just as an experiment.


91 posted on 05/24/2022 5:49:46 AM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: cherry

I’m behind on a few things, but it looks like we’ll have warmer night time temps after this Friday. I hope so! It was 45 when I got up this morning.

It’s almost June! Yeesh!


92 posted on 05/24/2022 6:49:42 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: MomwithHope; Pete from Shawnee Mission

I couldn’t make it through the video because of the music playing during the entire thing so I went and watched a bunch of other shisito/pepper/pruning videos.

I did see enough of that one video to where it looked to me like he decimated the poor plant.

Seems like 50/50 for or against pruning/topping.

This one explains pruning a little better imho. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPKFbFvg6pw

This one’s a follow-up of topping shisitos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJfL1__fwqE

Seems like pruning will give you more peppers but they mature later and may be smaller. It’s also supposed to make it so you don’t have to stake them.

Another video I watched leaned towards pruning small fruited peppers but not big ones like bell peppers.


93 posted on 05/24/2022 8:25:23 AM PDT by Pollard (If there's a question mark in the headline, the answer should always be No.)
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To: Pollard

I haven’t looked for any more videos than the two I watched. I will be putting my plants in the ground this afternoon. I think most of it depends on your growing season. We are in west Michigan zone 6 barely. Two of my plants have side shoots starting off the very top leaves. I think that is as far as I will go with the 2 plants out of 6. I think its been 7 or 8 seasons we have grown shishitos. They never get more than about 16 inches tall and are very bushy.


94 posted on 05/24/2022 10:33:29 AM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: MomwithHope

Follow u video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tiqf_CPRXg


95 posted on 05/24/2022 10:53:01 AM PDT by Pollard (If there's a question mark in the headline, the answer should always be No.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Good afternoon. I went outside today to see if I could rearrange my garden pots. Nope. It is extremely windy from the rain storms we had lately. Had to come inside because I was so cold. Maybe tomorrow I can start planting the plants purchased yesterday. Brrrr.


96 posted on 05/24/2022 2:05:51 PM PDT by tob2 (So much to do; so little desire to do it.)
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission; Augie; All; MomwithHope; Jamestown1630

If you aren’t making Pesto from Kale, you don’t know what you’re missing! You could even do a combo of Kale and Basil - Pesto is VERY forgiving and still tastes great.

https://www.loveandlemons.com/kale-pesto/

How to Use Kale Pesto

You’ll love having this kale pesto on hand in your kitchen! It’s super versatile, so have fun experimenting with different ways to use it. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Toss it with pasta. Use it instead of basil pesto in my Easy Pesto Pasta recipe. For a lighter dish, replace the regular pasta with spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles.
Spoon it over a frittata or sunny-side-up eggs.
Swirl it into mac and cheese.
Scoop it onto a bowl of soup. I love it on my Ribollita, Tortellini Soup, and Tomato Basil Soup!
Serve it as an appetizer with crusty bread for dipping.
Slather it onto a Caprese sandwich, a grilled cheese, or any sandwich you like.
Dot it onto homemade pizza.
Toss it with roasted veggies for a yummy, healthy side dish. It’d be fantastic with roasted cauliflower, butternut squash, or sweet potatoes!
Dollop it onto a grain bowl.

Diana here: I LOVE adding it to HOMEMADE Mac-n-Cheese; a total INDULGENCE if we have a ‘Cheat Day’ around here. ;) Also adding it to homemade soup is absolutely DIVINELY inspired! I made a big pot of Weight Watchers Veggie Soup today, and I’m going to add some Kale Pesto to it. (Don’t tell Oprah, LOL!)


97 posted on 05/24/2022 4:36:44 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Pollard

Yep, the music was irritating. I was originally looking for Veronica but did not find her until after posting to you!


98 posted on 05/24/2022 5:37:15 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: All
"Corn's all in, Pa!"

Planted two 30' rows each of 'Kandy Korn' and 'Ambrosia' Sweet Corn, today. Beau did me a solid this evening before supper and put in four 20' rows of 'Puffy Pop' Popcorn and two rows of 'Glass Gem' decorative corn - which can also be dried and popped.

We haven't had a 'Popcorn Year' in a few - Popcorn is a great thing to grow if you have the room and like popcorn and don't mind the work it takes to shuck it all. SO worth it, IMHO. We gave it as Christmas Gifts one year - well received. :) Generally, the 'coons leave the Popcorn alone; we grow the Sweet Corn in The Big Garden East of the house; so far no raids there, either. Having a few dogs in the yard each day helps with that.


99 posted on 05/24/2022 5:37:27 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set. )
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I have never grown kale. I did buy a package of seeds for this year because of your love of kale. Have ‘t planted them and I am running out of room but I guess I will squeeze them in.


100 posted on 05/24/2022 6:44:42 PM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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