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!
I need to read this thread MUCH MORE OFTEN, as I am taking a liking to being outside again.... it is really helping me emotionally to be outside and garden.
I agree. Being outside every day helps me stay sane.
Hair’s a good compost additive.
Wow! A picture is worth a thousand words. That’s just awesome!
Thanks. When I get some lengthwise braces on tomorrow, it will be a major milestone. The rest is gravy, expensive gravy but gravy nonetheless.
Speaking of gravy, I make amazing gravy, often something out of near nothing. My family calls me the gravy queen.
Beautiful! Really nice shots. :)
Broccoli likes a kick in the pants via Ammonium Sulfate when they start producing heads. It’s pure Nitrogen which is what you need for big heads. (20-0-0)
It’s a granular/powder and High-Yield makes a good product, which I used to sell and have used myself. :) About $15 for a 4# bag, but it has other uses in the garden.
You can most likely find it at your local Garden Center. It’s good on anything where you want green, vigorous growth, so Kale, Lettuces, Spinach, Cabbages, etc. The Sulfate alters the Ph a bit, which allows the plant to take up the Nitrogen more effectively.
Also - Broccoli likes sunny and cool conditions. Is it getting enough sun? It’s tricky to get a good crop in the Spring if your Zone heats up quickly in the Spring. And, you have to deal with Cabbage Worms! Ugh! I do a Spring crop, but usually start more plants in August for a Fall crop when there are no bug issues and the weather is still sunny, but cooler. (I’m in Zone 5a)
Those white ‘Cabbage Moths’ that flit around in the Spring are the culprits, laying their eggs in our Broccoli. Row covers help so they can’t get to the plants if they are an issue for you.
That is so gorgeous! Looks like a Cathedral to me! I’m excited to see how it all turns out. :)
I never knew that about hair! After brushing the cats, I always toss their gathered fur outside for birds to use in their nests. So far, I don’t know if they actually use it.
I have a number of collected nests (fallen - I would NEVER disturb a nest!) that have both shed dog fur and hair from the mule’s mane and tail in them. Little Jenny Wren nests - works of art! :)
My favorite is a Wren nest from The Best Black Lab Ever EVER - Cinder.
So funny! If my house is burning, I’m saving family photos my (found!) feather collection. my purse and my bird nests!
OK, maybe Beau. But he’d better already be hot-footing it out of the house, LOL!
Seed, Soil, and Sun: Discovering the Many Healthful Benefits of Gardening
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthful-benefits-of-gardening
Key takeaways:
Gardening invites you to get outside, interact with other gardeners, and take charge of your own need for exercise, healthy food, and beautiful surroundings.
If you’re digging, hauling, and harvesting, your physical strength, heart health, weight, sleep, and immune systems all benefit. And those are just the physiological outcomes. Gardening can also cultivate feelings of empowerment, connection, and creative calm.
Whether your patch is large or small, a raised bed, community garden, or window box, getting dirty and eating clean are good for you!
I have been getting dirt-y a lot these last couple of weeks! Sometimes I forget to put garden gloves on and then my nails pay the price. I guess in some ways, I’m a bit of a tomboy. Playing in the dirt always came naturally to me.
Yesterday I got semi-pinned under a wheelbarrow full of garden soil. My hands were free, but I couldn’t lift the barrow off of me, as I was on a bit of a hill, too. I texted my husband, who of course didn’t see my requests for help until an hour and a half later.
Apparently it only took me 8 minutes to wriggle my legs out. I thought it was about 30 minutes that I was trapped. I’m glad it was only a wheelbarrow and not a tractor. Bruised but not terrible. My wrist is still messed up, and somehow managing to get the wheelbarrow off of my legs, tweaked it again. I think this will take a few more weeks to heal up. I plan to work through it. I can’t very well do all this work left-handed, so it will just have to be a slow heal.
Thank you. Those were from several days ago. I meant to post them earlier. Today I saw the babies fend for themselves for the first time. It’s a good thing, too, because Mama is back on the nest with at least 5 eggs. I’ll check again sometime when she leaves the nestbox to see if it’s still 5.
This will be a new first here. This house they chose is one they’ve never used before, and the House Sparrows have tried but I always intervened. Every time they would start building a nest in there, I would dismantle it. It’s the only nesting material I’ve ever gotten rid of. I guess they got the idea, and build their nests in the shrubs now, so this bluebird house, which I paid a lot of money for back in the day, is now being used by bluebirds! Hooray! (I think I bought that nestbox 8 years ago, and it was the first of four.)
Feathers too
I’m not putting my hard-won, decades old Feather Collection in the compost! No Eagle feathers - but I have a few wild Turkey and Pheasant. ;)
BUT, I will have chicken feathers in the future! The girls are growing fast and both breeds seem to be getting along - I don’t see anyone picking on anyone other than the usual minor ‘sisterly squabbling.’
I put out nesting materials (mostly that coconut coir) for the birds and was rewarded with an Oriole nest in the big Maple right outside of the house. I spotted it now, instead of when I usually find them in the Fall after the leaves have all fallen.
FF: Sorry to hear about your ‘adventure.’ Glad you survived it. If Beau is out ‘doing something’ it usually involves loud machinery, so he’s not coming to my rescue, either. Maybe we can get a package deal on Life Alerts? LOL! My sister and I are saving for our future OFF-ROAD Hover-Rounds. (Electric wheelchairs) :)
Dolly (Beagle) woke me up at 5am this morning to head out to hunt and I was moving very s-l-o-w-l-y myself after a long day of planting, yesterday! ‘Tis the Season! ;)
I couldn’t handle wheelbarrows either when they decided to be recalcitrant.
We use a gorilla cart.
I ‘ll get an image of it when I’ m on my computer at home.
I got my tomatoes in last week and they’re doing great.
The only thing that isn’t doing well is the onions I started from seed. Lost most of them, although the ones from the onion sets are doing very well.
I was going to buy more seeds for the red ones, but then had the brilliant idea of using some of the ones in the garage which are sprouting. I stuck them in the ground, watered them well, and they are looking very good.
So I’ll save the seed and try again next year.
My garlic is doing great. Asparagus is up and doing well. Lettuce is doing OK, and I’m going to go with the idea of using a high nitrogen fertilizer on them. Does that work well for asparagus, too?
My rhubarb bloomed with the butt ugliest “flowers” I ever saw. Is the rhubarb still useable?
Totally jealous of your orioles nesting! I had to look for images, and those are cool nests!
I have a feeling that the Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks and the Gray Catbirds have built nests nearby. They are always around now. The grosbeaks probably have one in the brush out in the woods behind our yard. There’s a lot of poison ivy that I eventually need to work on getting rid of. There’s just always other tasks that seem more important.
Funny about the Life Alerts, and I’m shunning the idea of walkers or canes yet at this point in my life. When CoVid first happened, our adult kids acted like we were old geezers with one foot in the grave. I made it my mission to get into good enough shape that they didn’t hassle us about it. I think I’ve proved my point with them. I may have gone too far, even, because sometimes they think we should have as much energy as they do after we’ve traveled for a whole day. (I dislike flying these days, and we all live across the country from each other.)
See post #369. Ammonium Sulfate should work well for your asparagus and lettuce.
Cut the blooms off of your Rhubarb; cut them off as soon as you see them starting in the future. You want the plant to concentrate on putting our leaves/stalks versus blooming. It will also bloom (bolt) if you suddenly get hot weather, which it does not like. Keep it watered well. I use a few shovels of compost on mine in the early spring.
And, yes. the Rhubarb will still taste fine, even if she’s blooming. :)
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