Posted on 05/01/2024 6:00:41 AM PDT by 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!
Flea Beetles look terrifying when enlarged, but they’re really small in Real Life. Small enough to miss, but once you see them, they’re easy to spot; a bit bigger than a grain of ground black pepper.
I blast them with insecticidal soap if/when they show up.
1 tsp. mild liquid soap (Castile works great) with a quart (4 cups) of water in a spray bottle.
Easy Ways to Use Chive Flowers in Your Everyday Meals
https://gardenbetty.com/chive-blossom/
After you’ve separated all the florets, here are a few different ways you can use chive flowers in your everyday cooking:
Garnish rice and noodle bowls.
Garnish roasted vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry.
Garnish bowls of soup at the table.
Add them to herb-infused oils.
Add them to herb-infused vinegars (or make chive blossom vinegar, below).
Add them to salad dressings.
Toss them with all kinds of salads (green, grain, pasta, tuna, egg, potato, or fruit salads).
Stir them into softened butter or cream cheese.
Stir them into brie, goat cheese, or other soft, spreadable cheese.
Mix them into deviled egg fillings.
Mix them into biscuit dough or savory pancake batter.
Sprinkle them over your favorite aioli or dip.
Sprinkle them over crackers and cheese.
Sprinkle them over eggs, omelets, frittatas, crepes, toast, and other breakfast meals.
Sprinkle them over polenta, mashed potatoes, smashed potatoes, or baked potatoes.
Diana here: I like to make a compound butter with both snipped Chives and the Chive Blossoms. It has a slightly onion-y taste, but not overwhelming. Great on chicken or fish or pasta and nice spread on a toasted bagel. Recipes at the above link.
It LOOKS like, we’re past the frost danger, but......
I’m resisting putting the tomatoes in. It’s going to be a cool, wet week, perfect for planting all the tree seedings I got from the State Forest nursery, but also perfect for blight on the tomatoes.
BUT.... I will be prepping the beds anyways. Then the tomatoes can go in as soon as it looks reasonable.
My last frost Date (Zone 5a) is May 15th. I’m doing all the prep work now, but I don’t risk tomatoes or peppers until the end of the month.
*** The food bowls too... She “forgets” to feed ‘em 90% of the time too. “Forgets” as in “I’m busy on the computer with my friends - Dad will do it.” Bah!!***
You have a couple of choices here. If you’re trying to teach her responsibility, make it her responsibility and stick to it.
Another option is an automatic feeder. We finally got one, and it’s been very helpful.
I think there are similar things in the litter box department.
Maybe make your daughter earn the money to pay for them if these are to be “her” cats.
Or you can keep on going as you are.
I can’t stand when packages are misrouted. Pet peeve of mine.
OK- do I measure the temp during the night, when it would be lowest?
I didn’t realize temperatures could change throughout the garden. Interesting. I was going to get one anyway because my last one broke. I mainly used it for moisture and I was wondering what those other gauges were for, lol
thx for the ping
Looks like a soil thermometer is totally different than that other gadget. Can I use my bread thermometer, lol! I have half a dozen of those, I can reallocate the one that rises slowly
Tell her that she takes care of the cats or they find a new home.
Little gardening web search trick so you’re results aren’t nothing but a gazillion overly wordy gardening blogs full of amazon links.
flea beetles extension edu
or if you want a pdf you can download
flea beetles extension edu pdf
The extension edu will give you mostly AG university results.
Got a lot done so far. Hubby and I working together on chores we used to do separately. So far the garden was tilled twice, compost pile emptied and spread, garden tilled again this morning. We are picking asparagus every other day, garlic doing really well, about 12” tall. Taking a break this afternoon. Tomorrow will be putting in our 3 biggest broccoli plants. Also planting some seed, zucchini, cukes, cilantro. Lots of seedlings just too small to plant yet. And I found a small borage plant - made me laugh. We thought we pulled every single plant before they put out seeds. They engulfed the whole front south edge of the garden last year. They all went into the compost bin so its all good. This one was growing just outside the brick edge, about 6” tall. Will probably eat the young leaves in a salad before we yank it. Life is good.
No thanks on this one, new GMO purple tomato. Video at the first link, and article at the second link.
https://truthsocial.com/@epochtimes/posts/112384055231279509
On the article there is a button to continue reading without registration.
UGH!
Not working.
What’s the gist of the article?
A blueberry update.
Earlier today, I found a real, live, honest-to-God blueberry on the scrawniest of my 3 container bushes. It’s maybe around the size of smallish buckshot. Don’t see how I could’ve overlooked it before. Hopefully at least one or two more will appear in the near future.
I feel powerful. Heh.
I guess her more modest neighbors can be thankful she is wearing “mom jeans” so that she does not look like a refrigerator repairman on World Nude Gardening Day.
DailyMail says the above woman is from Arizona. Fess up, AZ freepers!
The genesis of the GM Purple Tomato marks a significant milestone in agricultural biotechnology. Unlike previous GM crops primarily targeted at commercial producers, this tomato is the first GM food crop directly marketed to home gardeners in the United States, offering an opportunity for individuals to engage with biotechnology in their own backyard.
The GM Purple Tomato was deregulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2022. According to a statement from the USDA, the GM Purple Tomato is not subject to regulation by the USDA because it does not pose a plant pest risk:
In 2023, the Purple Tomato received a “no questions” letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which means the Purple Tomato is considered “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) and, therefore, does not require premarket review or approval by the FDA.
To qualify for GRAS status, Norfolk Plant Sciences submitted data from tests conducted internally.
The GM Purple Tomato was engineered by scientists at Norfolk Plant Sciences in the UK.
(in other words, FDA says the company, in the UK, saying "safe and effective" makes it so)
http://www.norfolkplantsciences.com/
http://www.norfolkplantsciences.com/anthocyanins-double-the-shelf-life-of-tomatoes/
Once again, it's not about our health. It's about tech profit. TRU$T THE $CIENCE
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