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!

[metmom]

Spring is just starting here in NH.

The bulbs are coming up but no flowers yet.

However, the spring peepers started peeping last night.

[FamiliarFace]

*** Another bird has been traipsing down my gutter guard just under the (slate) shingle edge until it gets to the main house where it starts pecking. When it flies off, it has very dark feathers, does not look like any of the woodpeckers around here although it flies somewhat like one. The pecking is slow & steady, not a rat-a-tat-tat. Yesterday, I was chasing it off all afternoon.***

Do you have the Merlin Bird ID app? It has sound ID now, which makes it easier to find out what birds are out there that you might not get a glimpse of before they take off again. Sometimes it only “finds” birds that are likely in the area, not unlikely ones, so it’s not perfect, but they improve it every year. It’s very helpful to me.

[Qiviut]

The dogwood blooms are much smaller than a regular dogwood, but I love the color.

I love barns, sheds, etc. so I am happy with what we have here. In the shed, my cousin found a snakeskin & a large hole (not fresh) that doesn’t look big enough for a groundhog - larger than a rodent. The other thing he noticed that sort of freaked him out: 2 turkey legs nailed to one of the posts. There’s also a pulley system for hanging deer (I see deer hair in the area). If I take up hunting because FJB has destroyed the food supply, I have a ‘processing’ spot! There is a herd of deer that hangs around - at least 6.

First thing this morning (7am), peck-peck-peck! Bird flew away as I opened the front door. My snake-head lizard is doing nothing, but I think my silver spinner jigs were working. I found 3 on the ground & the 4th twisted up still attached to the popsicle stick. The wind is REALLY blowing & took it down. I reworked it, taking out unnecessary slack, reattached so they hang more in a straight line. Now they are zip tied to a tent stake that is duct taped to the gutter. They are really fluttering & shining in the breeze - hope they stay up there!

Called tree man this morning & added tree #5 to the take down list. Tall pine, very rotten, threatens cable/power lines. I should have noticed how rotten it was before, but at least I saw it before he gets here, not after he leaves!

[metmom]

Lettuce is easy.

I started mine over a month ago and they are out in the garden now and doing very well. It’s been a mild, wet week which is ideal for transplants getting established..

Lettuce is frost tolerant but I put a frame over the lettuce to keep critters out and can lay old sheets or tarps across the top easily enough if there’s a danger of the weather being a problem.

What we did for our frames is take turkey wire and cut a length of it and made a tunnel out of it. Since it comes in rolls, it’s easy for that shape. The only trick is getting enough wire to make the tunnel for the width of the bed.

[AFB-XYZ]

Lettuce is easy.

I have some dumb questions on lettuce. (I'm in Zone 7). Found an unopened packet of seeds from 2 years ago. Do seeds that old "take"?

And, does it survive in containers that are on the smaller side? Not tiny, but not very big either. Similar size to an African violet pot.

Thanks in advance from this clumsy oldster.

[Qiviut]

No, don’t have that app. After seeing a glimpse this morning, I am fairly certain it’s a ‘Northern Flicker’ woodpecker. They are all over the place, pecking the ground & trees.

At our other house, we had a problem with them pecking wood molding (cracks where bugs might be). I finally put a fake snake on the roof & that solved the problem. They would also ‘drum’ when we had the wood covered with aluminum.

[metmom]

Seeds have a longer shelf life than many people expect. The only thing that I know of that’s pretty limited is onion seeds. They’re supposed to only be good for one year, but I easily got two out of them.

Here are some links to seed viability.

From the Farmer’s Almanac (they say 1 year):

How Long Do Seeds Last?
https://www.almanac.com/how-long-do-seeds-last

The Spruce is another good site for gardening info. (they say 6 years):

How Long Do Seeds Last and Are They Still Good?
https://www.thespruce.com/how-long-do-vegetable-seeds-last-1403089

[metmom]

I’d give it a try. You have nothing to lose.

[SkyDancer]

And you too!!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That sauce would be great on wild game, too. I might even eat a rabbit or a squirrel slathered in that stuff. ;)

[Paul R.]

Oh, golly, I hope you haven’t looked at chocolate prices recently! Headed further up too, supposedly. :-(

Yet another question for anyone:

Our forecast is for unusually warm weather, then a cold snap: Highs will be ~80° today, then 82°, 84°, 80°, 80°, then a cool down after that with a possible frost / freeze by NEXT weekend.

My cool weather veggies (lettuce, etc.) are still in containers, and I don’t think any plant is even 5” tall yet. It might be best to bring ‘em back in the (unheated) basement under my shop and under grow lights?? Take ‘em back out once highs decline and cover on frosty nights...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The smaller the seed, the longer they keep their viability. Your lettuce should be just fine.

A small pot like that would work - but just for ONE head of lettuce. I would do a loose-leaf variety...but better yet, find another container so you can grow more at the same time.

Lettuce has a relatively shallow root system. I am going to start a lettuce ‘box’ that Beau built for me. It’s the size of a standard flat with a mesh (hardware cloth) bottom so it should work fine. He’s adding handles to the side of it today for easier, less messy transport. It’s similar to the boxes in the pictures I posted of the ‘Salad Tables’ a page back. :)

[FamiliarFace]

This looks amazing! I try to keep dehydrated morels on hand, because they are so luscious. I’ve never tried them with bearnaise, but I LOVE bearnaise! I keep working at improving my bearnaise sauce making skills. I have yet to come up with a foolproof recipe, though each time I get closer. Two weeks ago I made it to top a prime ribeye and lump crab for our anniversary dinner (belated celebration). It was very very good. Consistency was correct but I missed something in the flavor a tiny bit. Probably not enough tarragon in the infused vinegar I made.

[FamiliarFace]

I try to keep red and purple flowers sprinkled around the yard so the hummingbirds will scout the area, and then find the feeders. It may take some time, but they’ll find you again!

[Liz]

Mmmmmmmm.....the crab/steak combo sounds luscious.

Maybe use a bit more demi glace in the sauce?

[Pollard]

Played with some programming in a language called BASIC that my controllers can read. I was surprised how east the code was but BASIC is a beginner's language and the company that makes the controllers have a short tutorial and code examples.

Did something super simple that I could have done with drop down menus and numbers typed in. IF it gets above 80 in the seed room, turn on the LED lights. It checks the temp every 6 minutes.

My son's been opening the window a little late. I can tell when he opens it by the data graph where the temp suddenly drops at 2pm or something. Yes, ny son is a data point. LOL

I need to add the outdoor temperature as a factor because if it's 86 outside, it's never going to get below 80 in that room and the LED lights will be on all day. He can turn them off but within 6 minutes, they'll come back on. I'll give him access to the code in case that happens while I'm experimenting. He can change 180 seconds(6 minutes) to 18000 seconds(5 hours) or something.

I can add complexity, compare indoor and outdoor temps, IF temp 1 + 8 degrees is > than the temp 2 AND temp 2 is over 85 degrees, do something. There's no way in the controller web setup pages to do; IF temp1 > temp2.

There's a few things like that for the tunnel that I won't be able to do with the menus, like comparing two or more readings. I need to be able to close the sides in high wind(>35) but if it's 80 degrees or more and the wind's not real bad(<45), only close them 70% of the way so I don't roast things but also don't have so much wind coming in that it builds up pressure. (all numbers subject to change LOL)

If it's nice and cool but raining and gets windy, close it up and turn fans on if it gets too humid. Found another code example that will turn on/off multiple relays at once, based on some condition(s). One little chunk of code will actually be easier and faster than going through a bunch of menus and pages, waiting for popups to open/close,, pages to refresh, click,click,click with the mouse AND do that six times for the four sides and two gable vents.

That reminds me. I need a rain tipping bucket with signal. Rainwise has one for $75 that meets NWS standards for accuracy. Super easy to configure. The tipping bucket sends a voltage pulse for each tip which is 0.01" of rain. Just count the pulses and add 0.01 for each pulse to a running total. Log and it once a day and reset it to zero once a week. Use the numbers to decide whether to water outdoor plantings. It can rain an inch at my buddy's house 6 miles away and not get a drop here so I definitely can't go by what the AG research station 8 miles away records for rain totals.

The wires that go to the little display will just go to a controller instead.

Found that one of my text editors will do syntax highlighting for BASIC, or FreeBASIC as they use. It grays out the comments plus makes a few types of things different colors. It will also collapse sections of code. with the little arrows on the left.

Much better than this

[FamiliarFace]

If you are like me, you have the kind of Northern Flickers that have bright yellow feathers on the bottom side of their wings. It makes them easier to distinguish from the other woodpeckers, especially Hairy Woodpeckers or the Red-bellied ones (which only have a hint of red on the belly, so why did they name it that?). The Northern Flicker is one of my favorite birds, though I don’t have one tapping on my house! Plenty of trees in the woods around here.

[Albion Wilde]

Does hard water reduce Roundup’s efficacy and am I better off mixing with distilled water, municipal water, or perhaps rain water*?

Most of the packages of lawn chemicals have an 800 number you can call for precise information.

[Albion Wilde]

I can’t have that [front yard vegetable garden] in my neighborhood, and unfortunately for me, that’s my sunniest spot.

Ditto. Curses on HOA overkill.

[Albion Wilde]

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