The Garden Thread - September, 2024

September 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!

[Paul R.]

Holy Carp! It worked. (The trap on top of the old swing set.) Well, at least once! I think Mr. Squirrel got in there once the rain just about quit - maybe around 2 pm or so. There IS about a 1-1/4” hole freshly chewed in the side of one of the Opo fruits too, so that may have been this same squirrel coming in from elsewhere, or, another squirrel. Hard to say, but as noted earlier, they usually do not come in singles. :-(

I wonder if it was the grape halves that did the trick? The bird food is mostly gone, but that’s because the squirrel mostly destroyed the bait cup. It’s chewed all to heck / mostly “gone”. Well, I have plenty more bottles where where that came from. (I also make temporary plant pots from them.)

The Opo fruit MAY recover. The hole is about halfway into it, but these can grow to as much as 3’ long, and ~5” diameter. So, it MAY be able to outgrow the damage and be mostly useable. It’s on the more damaged plant, though.

I’ve done the bucket trap with a 5 gallon bucket or a tallish large wastebasket, and an easily spun baited 12 oz. plastic bottle over the bucket or wastebasket. That worked fairly well for rats, but did not catch mice. Maybe the mice were too light for it.

I also tried the sunflower seeds approach, but caught nothing. But... that was trying to catch rats near the chicken house, at night, not grey squirrels in the day.

Hmmm... what on earth around here do I have close to a 10 gallon bucket?

[MomwithHope]

I think Menards sells empties with their logo. We’ve got 4 or 5 from when we had goats.

[MomwithHope]

Big time Congrats on getting a squirrel. Victory over a garden enemy is always sweet.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Marlena Dietrich was asked; "What is your favorite season" She replied "All of them!"

[Qiviut]

We had a short window of time today for hauling on the trailer while it was dry. After we crossed the Blue Ridge, dark & angry looking clouds were gathering on the mountain ridge ahead. We made it to the house & got the trailer unloaded on the front porch so if it rains, all should stay dry.

Now I have to get on the closet in the ‘office’ & take out several rows of wire shelving from the previous owners, then wrangle in 3 bookcases, 6’ tall & a bit on the heavy side, even with shelves removed. Once the bookcases are in the house, I can rest (mom in bed by 7:30!). The load in the PU bed can wait until the morning.

We have relatives in Western NC & have heard from all but one (getting concerning). Roads are flooded out, no power, water, cell services - under a state of emergency. They really got hammered ... a church camp near Linville had 2’ of water in the dining hall & walls on a couple of cabins got ‘blown’ out. My niece in SW VA had an F2 tornado touch down & travel 7 miles on the ground near her home - she & her family are fine. Just more rain the next couple of days for our area - river levels are up, farm ponds are filling a bit after a summer of drought. Next dry & cooler day will be Thursday - can’t wait!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

MwH. Very nice pawpaws! It is a nice understory tree!

Was this grafted or is it wild? If grafted, what variety?

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Liz;

Blueberry coffee cake! I like your recipe! More blueberry than flour! Will try it sometime, maybe Thanksgiving or Christmas morning.

[MomwithHope]

Purchased as young trees from a grower but I don’t know the variety anymore. There are natural pawpaws in Michigan. More in the southern part of the state. City - Paw Paw Michigan

[FamiliarFace]

I’m with you in spirit. I remember taking care of my mom in her last couple of years. We three sisters split the duties. I was furthest away so came for a full week once a month. I had Mom in bed around 8 every night. And then back to work. She woke up several times during the night, so it was never a good night sleep for whoever was with her that last year. Still, I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. I got to spoil my Mama! 😍

Try to get your rest. I know that gets harder the older we get.

[Paul R.]

I know Menards has their own 5 gallon logo’d buckets. I just bought 2 on sale, a couple weeks ago. searching for 10 gallon turned up nothing.

Rural King has a 10 gallon “tub” for $10. That might work, but they are out of stock throughout our area. :-(

Maybe someone else has similar...

[Paul R.]

https://www.ruralking.com/10-gallon-utility-can-10508gy-08?gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1

[Paul R.]

Well, in a sense it’s not too dissimilar from fighting terrorists. I got ONE.

[Liz]

Perfect treat for Christmas morning.

[MomwithHope]

This looks like what we have, price not bad. https://www.amazon.com/Letica-Gallon-HDPE-Bucket-White/dp/B00I0BVINY/ref=asc_df_B00I0BVINY/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693579308562&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=11337133400227014959&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9017247&hvtargid=pla-1948724850454&psc=1&mcid=e75075d4acff32dba6154447a381c77f

[Liz]

Autumn Hued Wild Rice Soup
Fresh seasonal produce, hearty wild rice, and a zesty creamy broth.

Ing 6 cups veg or chicken stock 1 cup uncooked wild rice* 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced 4 gar/cloves minced 2 med carrots, diced 2 ribs celery, diced 1 lge sweet potato, peeled and diced 1 small white onion, peeled and diced 1 bay leaf 1 1/2 tbl Old Bay seasoning 14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce options*) 2 large handfuls trimmed kale, rough-chp fine sea salt/black pepper

Steps Heat (an extra) tbl butter or olive oil in stockpot on med-high. Add onion and sauté for 5 min, stir occasionally, til soft and translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for 1-2 min, stirring til fragrant. Add stock, wild rice, sauteed mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning. Stir/combine. Simmer. Cook to a simmer. Then reduce heat to med-low, cover and simmer 30-40 min til rice is tender, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut milk and trimmed kale, stir gently to combine. Season w/ s/p (plus extra Old Bay seasoning) as needed. Serve warm.

Notes----100% wild rice is recommended. Cooking time may vary w/ wild rice blend or different type of rice.-----Alternate cream sauces: Swap coconut milk w/ 1 1/2 cups half and half. Or melt 3 tbl butter on med-high, whisking in 1/4 cup flour a minute, then whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk til smooth. Cook to a simmer, is thickened, then add to soup once the rice has completely cooked.

[Pollard]

Looked at that Stihl Yard Boss this morning and it’s got no spark, probably needs a new carburetor based on watching a youtube video and it seems like the gearbox is locked up. Tried to turn the clutch but it wouldn’t turn very far and never saw the tines move. The guy that gave it to me generally doesn’t give anything away that’s worth anything.

He gave me a chipper/shredder too. Got it running and it jumps up and down and all around. Come to find out, someone had left it outside and the leaves piled up inside and stayed wet. That rusted the big steel cutting flywheel so bad it lost weight on one side which threw it out of balance.

Searched Lowes for tiller and they have an electric tiller about the same size as the Yard Boss for $112.99 and a new Yard Boss is $529 so I think I’m just going to get an electric one for now. Watching videos of the electric ones, they look every bit as powerful as the little 2 stroke ones. Kind of a pain dragging a cord around but I’ll deal with it.

Still cloudy but the sun is where it would be shining on the solar panel if not for clouds and it’s putting out 13.5 volts. A 12 volt panel actually puts out 17-19 volts maximum to make up for cloudiness. The charge controller reduces it down to a charging voltage.

If the panels put out 16 or more in full sun, I might just keep it in the tunnel. Wouldn’t have to worry about setting a post and running wires underground because the batteries are going in the tunnel too. I can mount the solar panel up in the trusses near the North wall.

Sun’s out - bye

[Paul R.]

Ah, ok, just a “tall” 5 gallon bucket. I was thinking perhaps you’d gone with a wider “mouth” to help endure the squirrel fell in.

A couple more of the big Opo leaves got chewed off while we were away to town and church, today. So, as sort of expected, I have more battle to do. That one poor plant is really in a bad way... :-(

That’s also the only plant in a pot, which wrecks my experiment of how much we might be able to get out of a potted Opo. I can’t move it because it’s too intertwined with the fence and trellis.

In this war, neither side may really win. Sounds familiar, eh?

BTW, for your water trap, how far below whatever the squirrel was climbing on high did you have the bait level / water surface, and how filled was the bucket?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That soup is gorgeous! Will be adjusting my basic ‘Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup’ recipe that I make in the Fall for these add-ins. :)

Every few years Beau brings back a bag of Wild Rice from his travels ‘up north.’ It’s expensive stuff, so I only have a few ‘perfect’ recipes that I will use it in. LOVE the Carrots, love the Kale!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Progress! Glad you didn’t get hit too badly with Helene! I have a First Cousin who JUST moved his family to NC. Brand new house and everything. I called him to see how they weathered the storm and they only rain and wind - no damage to their new property, thank goodness!

“Next dry & cooler day will be Thursday - can’t wait!”

You deserve some dry and cool! May I ask, without JINXING you - how will you handle snow this winter? Or don’t you get much? Can’t remember...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Sun’s out - bye...” LOL!