The Garden Thread - June, 2024

June 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]

Post #256.

Solving the lighting problem in your tunnel house! ;)

[MomwithHope]

Ha! we pay our card off each month but it’s not much of a balance so I just put our rewards against our bill. Check your freepmail in a little bit.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thank you!

[cherry]

here in eastern Washington we’ve had frost warnings this past week....we had sleet yesterday...:(

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Ugh! Sorry to hear that. You must be at a pretty high elevation?

[metmom]

Well, garlic scapes have been coming in and I’ve been clipping them and processing them.

Some will be used as is.

The rest I’m dicing up and either freezing or dehydrating so see which way works best for us.

With this heat, (mid-90’s) I didn’t want to run the stove, so put the diced up scapes on a cookie sheet and covered it with netting and put it out in the sun. They’re drying better than using the oven.

I covered the snow peas and Romaine with floating row covers and it seems to be helping. Nothing has bolted. Yet.

I’m going to harvest what I can because we’re going on vacation next week and there’ll be nobody yet, to babysit the garden and pick stuff. I guess I’ll be saving lettuce and pea seeds.

[metmom]

I have seen snakes, lots of frogs, and a rust colored newt in my garden.

Glad to see the good guys. That may explain why I haven’t seen much slug damage.

[MomwithHope]

Do you ever do anything with your peony seed pods? I never have. I was just reading that they may not grow back true to the original. Have lots of Bowl of Beauty if anyone is interested.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

When the flowers fade, I clip them and toss them into the compost - never had any ‘free’ Peonies in there, and I get LOTS of ‘free’ stuff out of those compost piles!

Right now I have lettuces and a volunteer tomato. And a potato. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

And, Re: Peonies. Root divisions from friends is how I’ve always gotten mine, though they are super-easy to grow from the rhizomes which I have done with the current four I have.

You can almost always find ‘Sarah Bernhardt’ (pale pink) at Walmart, and Jung’s, of course, usually has a great selection of potted Peonies at the stores or through mail order.

[MomwithHope]

I just have the one and that’s all I want. It’s the star of the flower garden. Probably get 24 or so blooms a year. I just don’t have room for anything else.

[Pollard]

I wonder how many fireflies the tunnel would support?

Well here I go again, buying gadgets.

It has 16 relays so I can turn all kinds of things on and off, including lights. The relays are rated for 2 amps so they'll handle the linear actuators for the sides and gable vents.

I already have a unit with four analog inputs. This one has four analog inputs for a total of eight. Analog is the expensive stuff.

I don't really think I need to open gable vent louvers just part way. I do need to with the drop down sides which will take four analog inputs. That leaves four but one's already being used for wind direction which leaves three.

Soil moisture sensors and pressure sensors are both analog so I'm thinking two soil moisture sensors and a pressure sensor. The pressure sensor is in the case of a major leak in the drip system or a tank running dry. In either case, the pressure will drop to zero or close to it and I want to shut the pump off when that happens.

This $125 purchase replaces about $600 worth of stuff I would have bought.

[numberonepal]

[Liz]

Heaven in a Pie Plate
It's that good. Makes 2 deep dish pies - 8 slices each. One for family, one for company.

Ing----2 cooled, baked flaky pie crusts. 1 c chp pecans 1/4 c butter 7 oz flaked coconut, 12 oz jar caramel topping.
8 oz pkg cr/cheese (softened), 14 oz can sweetened cond/milk, 16 oz tub Cool Whip, thawed

Directions TOPPING Saute melted butter, coconut and pecans golden brown; cool.
FILLING Mixer cr/cheese and sweetened cond/milk. Fold in Cool Whip w/ wooden spoon.

ASSEMBLY Layer in each pie shell 1/4 Filling. Add 1/4 caramel then 1/4 toasted Topping. Do this 2 times for each ingredient and each pie shell. Drizzle w/ bit caramel for garnish. TIP Freezes up to 6 months.

[MomwithHope]

Now this post I understand. Good pick!

[MomwithHope]

Sounds like I would love it!

[Liz]

You’ll love it....plus it makes a lot with so little effort.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

See? It really doesn’t take much to please a woman!

Beau DID replace both sets of brakes on my 2001 VW Golf yesterday, so he got a kiss for that! ;)

[MomwithHope]

I would have to cut it in half, just two of us. And probably wind up freezing half of it.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

WOW! That ticks all the boxes, doesn’t it? :)