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!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

There HAS been a big jump in price on 4 & 6-packs from last year to this year! I am being VERY selective on the ‘extras’ I buy - I start most of my stuff, anyway.

I’m wondering if we’re going to see people hit home gardening again as hard as they did during covid with the food prices as high as they are.

I’ll have to look around for some news articles on the topic; gardening (and chickens!) was the ‘New New Thing’ when covid was being crammed down our throats.

[FamiliarFace]

As I’ve mentioned to other FRiends from time to time, you and I are cut from the same cloth.

Hubby and I have been doing two meals a days for 3 years now. Like you, we *maybe* have snacks in the early to mid-afternoon. He does more often than I do. Salads have been a big component. Sometimes we have an appetizer before our meal instead of a mid-afternoon snack.

Homemade dressings are so much better! ❤️ Like other cooking from home recipes, I know exactly what’s going into those dressings. The older I get, the more I watch my waistline. I’m trying my best to age gracefully and still be attractive. So far, so good.

When CoVid happened, our kids acted like we had one foot in the grave. I was bound and determined to prove them wrong, so we are both now quite fit for our age. I don’t like to say how old I am anymore, because people think I’m several years younger and it feeds my ego to fool them like that. Not that I’m some beauty, I just want to keep them guessing. (Does she or doesn’t she? Only her hairdresser knows for sure! - I bet you remember that tv commercial.)

I love the cribbage playing in the midday. My Dad was an avid cribbage player, and one of his ways of discerning who was good enough for his daughter was if my boyfriend would engage him in a game, and how cleverly he played. Hubby passed that test.

Here’s more. My best friend from childhood plays cribbage with her husband at lunch nearly every day (they were sweethearts from our growing up days). So when they visit (they live in MN now), we all take each other on in friendly competition. Mary wins more than she loses, and she also gets great cards! It’s almost uncanny to watch her. Too much fun!

[MomwithHope]

Two meals a day here too, and supper is early like 3:00. Headed to the grocery today hoping for the Bonnie truck. All I want is a few shishito pepper plants. Everything else we start from seed. If the grocery does not have them I’ll check the tractor supply too. Our garden has been tilled twice next step is to spread compost. We are still early on everything. I would have left all our caddys of seedlings outside if not for the raccoons. We are into a rainy spell and that’s good.

[Qiviut]

The next door neighbor (2 pastures over, house mostly out of sight) & his 2nd grade daughter stopped by to introduce themselves when they saw me weed eating the ditch along the road last evening. Nice folks, glad to finally meet someone.

The neighbor told me the former owner cut the bank, going up & down, with a large zero turn mower. I am trying to get my nerve up to mow down - don’t think the small mower has enough umph to mow up. That bank will be the bane of my existence if I can’t mow & have to use a weedeater.

5:50 this a.m.: peck .. peck .. peck .. but on metal, rather than wood. The ‘bad bird’ turned out to be a male bluebird. Since I know it’s not a woodpecker & it’s not pecking wood, the only thing that I am peeved about is the 5:50 a.m.wake up pecking!

I did get to watch 3 deer browsing on the other side of the fence while I was drinking my coffee this morning. They were in the yard yesterday afternoon. I suspect they are keeping an eye on the grape arbor - walked right under it yesterday.

Today is major limb trim/removal day.The pines are first, but there are 2 large dead limbs on one of the chestnut trees. My tree guy suggested he could come back in the fall (after we recover from the financial shock of taking 5 trees down) & do some trimming - the one large chestnut branch might be a stretch, but most of the rest I should be able to do. For sure, anything trying to decapitate me while mowing is a goner.

[Pollard]

Mo money, mo money, mo money

Just putting some band straps in the cart and took a closer look at their trusses.

Instead of flattening the ends of the pipe and drilling a hole through it, they make special end caps with a tab for bolting.

They're just about as cheap as the straps they bolt to but it would take 6 per truss, plus I need 4 straps per truss. I already have straps for my arches which are bigger dia than anything they sell. So 6 end caps and 4 straps per truss ends up at $210 plus shipping. I don't know if it's any stronger than flattening the ends and drilling a hole in them but it sure would look more professional.(way cooler looking - very important)

Mo money, mo money, mo money

I had a dreadful thought yesterday. Rest of the year, all spare money. What if after a year's work and $5k, I decide I hate every aspect of growing in a tunnel? Guess I could pour some concrete and screw corrugated roofing over it and call it a shop.

Gonna have to take a month of tunnel spending and spend it on me and my son so I don't get burnt out on no money, no money, no money.

Once it's done and I'm fairly proficient at growing, I do hope to find some restaurant to sell to and get come money back.

According to Farmer Jesse of No Till Growers(Kentucky), timing is everything for winter growing. You get stuff in and it grows full size just as it gets so cold that it stops growing. They continue to stay alive and your only job is winter harvesting.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I knew as soon as I taught him to play Cribbage, Beau would become obsessed! He tracks EVERYTHING and has a notebook that shows our wins and losses and any outstanding hands. I have been in a Losing Streak like no other I’ve ever had, so he’s enjoying it greatly. The worm will turn!

In the Army it was Euchre that we played on breaks and in the evenings. He already knows that, as it’s a must to play at his various hunting camps. We play with his brother and his wife when we get together. Tammy & I always win. Always. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m hitting the Walmart GC today, too. I’ll report back on any ‘Bonnie’ plant finds. This is getting to be a yearly tradition with us! :)

Rainy here, too. Looks like some sun MAYBE on Tuesday. Since we’ve had such a mild winter (finally!) all of the rain that’s been falling has been soaking right in and no flooding from backed up ice-damns, which is VERY much appreciated by all that live in the lowlands below us.

The Pecatonica River (The Most Crooked River in the World!) is usually flooded somewhere along the line, but she’s stayed within her crazy banks this season. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You’re going to have the perfect set-up for growing for profit! I enjoyed my days working with my In-Laws when we sold to restaurants and did a Farmers Market on Saturdays and sometimes Wednesdays if we had extra produce to unload. My ‘Honor System’ Farm Stand at my other farm was a success as well. Never was ripped off.

I’m glad we’re living in a time when locally grown and fresh is a Big Deal. I’ve read that Herbs (of all kinds) get you the most dollar for your efforts, with salad greens and tomatoes right up there, too.

It wasn’t unusual for us to make $3K on a Saturday selling Raspberries. Of course, that was five, 8-hour days of MIL and I picking, but it was good, honest work and we got a lot of the world’s problems solved while we picked in long rows, face to face all day. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You’re going to have the perfect set-up for growing for profit! I enjoyed my days working with my In-Laws when we sold to restaurants and did a Farmers Market on Saturdays and sometimes Wednesdays if we had extra produce to unload. My ‘Honor System’ Farm Stand at my other farm was a success as well. Never was ripped off.

I’m glad we’re living in a time when locally grown and fresh is a Big Deal. I’ve read that Herbs (of all kinds) get you the most dollar for your efforts, with salad greens and tomatoes right up there, too.

It wasn’t unusual for us to make $3K on a Saturday selling Raspberries. Of course, that was five, 8-hour days of MIL and I picking, but it was good, honest work and we got a lot of the world’s problems solved while we picked in long rows, face to face all day. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Look who showed up at the feeder, yesterday! Mr. Red-Breasted Grosbeak. Spring is officially here! If all goes as usual, the Orioles will be next, then the Hummingbirds.

[FamiliarFace]

We had Mr. RB Grosbeak show up at ours yesterday too! He may have arrived on Saturday, but I wasn’t around to view him. Here the hummies arrive after the grosbeaks and before the orioles. The gray catbird showed up middle of the week last week. Still no hummingbird sightings, but I have 4 mini feeders up for when they arrive. The Northern Parula is out there somewhere. I haven’t seen him yet, but hear him all day long. I peeked into the bluebird house yesterday. Took one quick photo to see how many babies might be in there. Definitely four of them, but maybe one more? They should be fledging any day. I hope it won’t be today. It’s raining.

[spankalib]

Was at a church pot-luck, and ate the bestest "spinach"

...except, it wasn't spinach - it was lamb's quarters!

[spankalib]

Do you have problems with sparrows (attacking the bluebirds)?

I did. The sparrows were ruthless to the bluebird eggs.

[FamiliarFace]

Ha! I have lived in the Midwest now about 35 years. I didn’t learn how to play euchre until about 8 or 9 years ago, when I discovered that some of the women in the neighborhood played once a month. We barely knew a soul, other than a few neighbors and some people at church, so I was desperate enough to want to learn the game. As empty nesters, you have no kids in the school system, so it is harder to meet people. I jumped at the chance to become a sub for one lady that overwintered in Florida. Then her husband got sick, so I became a permanent player, and she became one of the substitutes. The ladies tell me I picked it up quickly, but that’s because I practiced with a game app to sort it all out. I do win fairly frequently, but not always.

Side note on the birds, Mrs. RB Grosbeak just showed up at the feeders, so I’m guessing Mr was here on Saturday after all. They both seem very hungry.

[FamiliarFace]

I’m glad you got to meet your neighbor. Do be careful with your mowing! My husband goes sideways on one of our slopes with a push mower. It’s not very big or long, but he doesn’t want to use a riding mower on that. It’s enough to use the push type.

[FamiliarFace]

The house sparrows can be mean, but they don’t seem to argue with the bluebirds much anymore. Not sure why. I did see a house sparrow chase off a Goldfinch atone of the feeders yesterday. The other sparrows seem fine.

The bluebirds around here have successfully had 2-3 clutches a year for 4 or 5 years now. We have several nestboxes for them, and they always choose this one Amish made one first, every year. I clean it out a day or two after the babies fledge. Sometimes they do their second clutch in there, but sometimes choose one of the 3 others available.

[MomwithHope]

I’ve been out already and checked the two places, nothing. There was an early delivery week before last, one rack with an assortment. The shishitos sometimes come first. But nothing from Bonnie since, they have not brought anything to TSC yet. I did the Lowes, and Walmart runs 40 minutes away for a few years, they never get the shishitos. One year a few years back I ordered them from Bonnie. They advertise two plants for 17.99. But they really ship 4. So 4 for 17.99 is not bad, the Bonnie plants are 4.95 this year. I may have to do that.

[Qiviut]

No way I could go sideways with any mower. I was just glad to hear it was ‘mowable’. I have a large zero turn that eventually will be here (and has a roll bar) but for now, I have a small, tractor style mower. The engine is in the front, the gas tank & my weight is toward the back, so it’s fairly well balanced & I hope that will help. My issue now is getting the nerve up to do it - doesn’t look too bad from the bottom, but sitting at the top edge & looking down is scary - I hate heights.

[FamiliarFace]

Our slope that he mows isn’t very big. More of a patch than anything, maybe 10’ x 12’. It’s not dangerous how he does it. I think yours sounds like a bit more than what we have.

[Qiviut]

This is one of the best bluebird sites & they have an extensive discussion on house sparrows (HOSP) - here’s the link:

https://www.sialis.org/hosp/