The Garden Thread - April, 2024

April 1, 2024 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Pollard]

Got some rain yesterday. Had to take the long way home again

When I went the long way, I went ahead past the house and down the hill to see what the second creek looked like.

There was a nice hump in the middle. Not sure if there was something on the bridge or up against it causing that. The two creeks are about 1500 foot apart and around an s-curve so you can't see one from the other. Makes one more hesitant to cross one just to find out the other is impassable.

I'm wanting to fertilize the veggies but the soil is saturated right now so it will have to wait. They're calling for another inch Sunday night.

Local AG research center says they got 0.88 inches yesterday but the state of the creeks say closer to 2 inches. Really need to get me that rain gauge - tipping bucket. Think I'll go ahead and get one this week.

New neighbor's been clearing trees so most of the property is bare dirt right now and very little of it is flat. Bad timing. Who knows how much top soil is washing away. There's not much to begin with over there.

Made two trips to Menard's last weekend for chain link top rail. Bought four planning to run them lengthwise like a ridge beam and then decided to do cross members width-wise to start so I went back and got three more. Might get them put up today. Feeling lazy. Maybe putting shoes on will help.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

PING to Post 395.

I’m going to pass you on to Ellendra who does a lot of her own vegetable breeding and seed saving.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’ve planted ‘Lieutenant’ for three seasons running. I have NEVER grown a better broccoli in all my years of gardening!

It is a ‘Farm Fresh Select’ brand and I buy started plants (6 packs) at Walmart. I’ve let it go all summer long, and it doesn’t bolt in the heat - and these plants are in FULL SUN all day long. It puts out tons of smaller heads (which actually get to be a good size) into the fall if kept well watered.

And, yes. Composted manure really makes a difference, too.

[MomwithHope]

I totally missed you said broccolini. With gardening you can learn something new every day. I googled broccolini and also looked but I don’t see that they grow a main head. Check out Google images for broccolini. Some pictures show the perfect cutting size. They look just like broccoli. A few pictures showed spindly older stalks. I watch mine every day. On the broccoli, if the head gets wider and there is a hint of a yellow flower it is almost late.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We've all got them! May as well make the best of it. ;)

[MomwithHope]

I had some really old calabrese seeds and they all sprouted. The Bonnie truck has only come once to our town. No shishitos yet and they are usually on the first big drop. All of my seeds sprouted except those pesky Shishito’s. And the seeds were from mature red fruit.

[Albion Wilde]

[FamiliarFace]

Yeah, that’s it. I think it’s a great filler, and I also have one as a houseplant that my son’s girlfriend gave me one Christmas a few years ago. She had been taking a ceramics course, so made a small planter for me. It’s not huge, maybe 4” across and 5-6” high. Fits great on the kitchen counter, and is a happy reminder of the sweet girl that loves my youngest. We keep hoping they will tell us they are tying the knot, but this younger generation seems to wait forever to do that. She’s an angel.

[Albion Wilde]

All toads will try to eat anything they can pull into their mouths and swallow.

[FamiliarFace]

We are on the road today. I don’t know what variety of broccolini I got, so will have to check the tag tomorrow. It was $5 for the starter at Walmart. Looked healthy so I just grabbed it to try. I have one or two sunny spots just off the front brick walkway, so I will likely plant it there. Hubby says not to worry about the HOA. We voted out the last group that were overbearing, and there are fewer violation letters being sent these days, which is very welcome. I hate HOAs, but I love this house and property even so.

[FamiliarFace]

Lazy days are fun, too. Sometimes it’s your body telling you to take it easy.

As a side note, I worked a little too enthusiastically last week weeding and pruning. I have really done something to a muscle near my wrist and thumb. I finally broke down yesterday and bought a brace to help support my forearm, like someone might wear for carpal tunnel syndrome. I think I just keep re-injuring it with normal daily activity. The swelling hasn’t subsided much.

[FamiliarFace]

Maybe I’ll take some of the leaves from the dandelions and add them to a salad. I’ve never done that but why not? It sounds like they have some good vitamins.

[FamiliarFace]

I love that sign.

[FamiliarFace]

Toadally correct!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Report from ‘Abandon All Hope’ Farm:

Saskatoon Serviceberry trees are finishing up their bloom. Magnolia is finishing up her bloom. Still lots of blooming Tulips & Daffodils to cut for the house. My ‘Spring Snow’ Crab Apple (white, no fruit!) is in full bloom and gorgeous this season. Lilacs are in tight bud, yet. Pear and Cherry trees are in bloom - apples will be next.

My new baby chicks are all settled in. Picked up the Buff Orpington yesterday and believe it or not, the Barred Rock that are ONLY ONE WEEK OLDER were pecking at their eyes, so we had to make a separate holding pen for the Buffs which meant a trip BACK to town for another heat lamp. (We already had 2 waterers and feeders). So, I took pictures this morning of the coop and the chicks and will try to get them posted this weekend.

Storms last night, but nothing bad. They keep putting us on ‘Alert Days’ and then nothing happens. I guess I’d rather have that than the other way around and get blindsided by a tornado! Night time lows are staying in the 40’s and 50’s, so anything in the greenhouse now should be fine overnight without any extra. (I just throw sheets over everything. the trick is to keep the cold air off the leaf mass.) Warmer today - low 70’s but very windy.

Rain this evening, of course, as Beau and Emma Jolene have a big raccoon hunt to go on. Looks like we’ll get hit about 8pm, which is Prime Raccoon Hunting time!

Pregnant Taylor (Treeing Walker Coon Hound) is really ‘blooming.’ Beau has been letting her waddle around, though she still goes down into the woods to see if she can find a raccoon, LOL! She is due the first part of May. This was a planned pregnancy, unlike the last batch of yahoos. *Rolleyes*

The greenhouse is filling up and today I started Zukes, Cukes and some Winter Squash that Beau wanted. Also some more zinnia and marigold as bed edgers. Dahlia tubers are starting to come to life in pots in the greenhouse. All of the ones I got at 4-footers or bigger, so they’ll be real showy. Beau is growing ‘Peaches & Cream’ Sweetcorn this season (for the raccoons!) and he’ll grow ‘Puffy Pop’ Popcorn to feed MY addiction, though the ‘coons leave that alone for some reason.

Was at the Walmart Garden Center yesterday, and they are filling up WAY too slowly for my tastes! Next weekend will probably be their big push, so I’m ready! :)

Exciting project coming up! My Niece and her family built their ‘forever home’ and it’s time for landscaping. I’m not doing the WORK, I’m just telling her what should go where. Her parameters are NO BRIGHT COLORS and low to no maintenance. She sent me pictures of the house from all compass directions so I’m pulling together some plant lists for her for N, S, E & W sides of the house and she can go from there. There are no trees or anything near the house, but they have 8 acres or so of woodland behind them. No other homes in site. She’s a Cardiac Nurse and has three kids under 5, so she’s busy enough as it is. She’s hiring a landscaping firm to do the edging and rock and mulch work. (Thank goodness!)

Have a good and productive weekend, Everyone!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Have you figured out an electronic gizmo that measures rainfall? ;)

That is some scary water on the roads to your house! ‘Turn Around! Don’t Drown!’ is something our police and weather-guessers are always telling us. ;)

[MomwithHope]

As far back as the early 60’s I ate dandelion salad three or 4 times with fresh leaves. Every year until I left home but I do it now. Wash and dry new leaves or buy them at the store. Chop up a bit, add thin sliced sweet onion, real bacon bits and sliced hardboiled egg, I use a vinegar and oil dressing.

[MomwithHope]

PS- thats three or four times every year.

[left that other site]

Good Afternoon from a beautiful New England Spring Saturday.

[FamiliarFace]

Cool! Free food! Thanks!