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!

[Liz]

Glad you can adapt it to your recipe.

[MomwithHope]

Half full on the bucket. Float the seeds on top of the water. Just set it right next to whatever they are climbing on that’s vertical and touching it. Fence post, whatever. The ten gallon is tall enough they can’t get out. For dry for ice the smooth vertical sides are impossible for mice to climb. We never had a rat problem so I don’t now about them. The seeds last 4 or 5 days before they begin to sink and we would put in fresh ones.

[MomwithHope]

ice=mice

[Qiviut]

Two options: Mom wants to buy a snow blower. I talked to a guy who cuts my cousin’s grass & he also clears snow.

We had some small accumulations after we bought the house in January. The road by our house is a main road into town so it’s kept cleared. If necessary, we can just park vehicles near the end of the driveway.

[Pollard]

and by the time I made it out there, the sun was behind clouds again and didn’t come out again until it was behind trees. Supposed to be sunny this coming weekend. Meanwhile it’s maintaining just fine with the only load being a little water pump for 20-30 minutes every few days.

If I end up mounting the panel outside permanently, I’m not going to be able to do it until Summer after I’ve studied the sun path through solstice, equinox etc with this new obstruction in the yard, the tunnel. Few more trees need to come down.

The panel will have to go outside at some point because - shade cloth. Just now thought of that.

From 10am-2pm to 9am-3pm, depending on season, is prime charging time. Either side of that is weak and more like ambient light or a cloudy day. It’s all coming back to me now. Been about 10 years since we had solar. So as long as I have a clear path between those hours, I’m good.

My super bright high bay light is out for delivery today. I’ve got some 16’ fiberglass poles so I’m going to use one to hoist it up in the tunnel tonight and see what it does.

Measured the distance between the shed and tunnel yesterday and 50 wire/cable will just make it so a 50 foot direct bury Ethernet cable is the next purchase.

Made up some starting soil yesterday. Forest floor humus mixed with bags of compost/manure. Two more batches will extend my middle bed all the way and I think I just barely have enough drip for it. Plenty of little after work projects and bigger weekend projects.

Gotta restart weekly purchases of top chain link fence rail again and get the ends braced up and framed, doors and sides made.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

More pictures of progress when you have time, Please! :)

[Liz]

Spice Glazed Apple Cider French Crullers

Ingredients 1 cup farmer's market apple cider stick butter 1 tbl br/sugar cinnamon stick 1-1 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp k/salt 3 eggs. Glaze 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp cardamom 1/8 tsp ground cloves cup conf tsp vanilla

Steps BTB apple cider, butter, br/sugar, cinnamon over med-high. Reduce heat, simmer 5-10 min, reduce to about 1/2 cup. Cool offheat 5-10 min. Toss cinnamon stick; stir in 1 cup flour, salt. Mix in eggs singly to incorporate (if dough seems stiff add 4th egg). If dough is not stiff, add additional 1/2 cup flour as needed. Transfer batter to pastry bag w/ 1/2" star piping tip.

Heat 2 inches or more of oil to 350 deg. Pipe out 12 rings onto parchmented sheetpan. Scissors parchment around dough to separate. Place one cruller at a time into hot oil, paper side up. Remove paper with tongs. Fry each side golden brown, 2-3 min. Liftout to drain on p/towels.

Glaze. Combine cinnamon, ginger, all-spice, cardamom, cloves. Add conf, vanilla and about 1/2 tsp spice mixture. Add 1-2 tbl water and whisk. Drizzle over the crullers. Serve.

[Augie]

I got downright ambitious on the clean-up business over the weekend. I've been needing to get a bunch of scrap metal loaded so it could be hauled off to the recycling yard and finally got it done. I'd been putting it off in hopes of building fence with the load of posts and planks that have been setting on my trailer in the barn for the last three months. I didn't really want to handle them an extra time but I needed the trailer so I tossed some cribbing on the ground and unloaded the posts in the paddock close to where they will be used.

While we were loading the scrap I noticed one of the trailer tires was going to be a china bomb if I took it out on the road so after we finished with that I unhooked the trailer, jacked it up, and removed the wheel with the bad tire. I'll drop that off at the tire store later today to get a new tire put on. This one will be the 5th trailer tire that I've had to buy since June.

Mrs. Augie has been picking at the remains of our woodpile since we got rid of the outdoor boiler. She'd used up most of the little stuff in her fire pit so I got out there with Nanner, picked up the pieces that were too big for that, and hauled them off to the sippy hole.

After we finished that I got a bucket full of dirt and we used that to fill in the craters left in the yard by the dogs digging for moles, and put two more full buckets against the foundation of the house to compensate for settlement of the backfill.

The dogs found a bunny nest under the carry-all basket on Saturday. I rescued these two before they got chomped. Daughter's doberman had one of them in her mouth and gave it freely when I asked her to. I dried them off and put them back where they came from. Had quite a time keeping the dogs from going back there afterwards but so far so good.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We have that same trailer and you’re right! It ALWAYS seems to have a flat and/or leaking tire! Ugh!

Cute bunnies - we have our share of them swallowed whole by the Beagle every spring. *Rolleyes*

[Augie]

This poor trailer has been rode hard and put up wet more times than I can count over the past 30 years. I’ve replaced the floor twice and I need to do it again. While I’m at it I’m also going to give it a new set of fenders, replace all of the wiring, replace the tongue jack, and install a new toolbox.

I ordered a new 18’ utility trailer a month or so ago. The 16’ trailer is just a little short for hauling tractors that have an implement attached so I’m going one size bigger. Also getting it with the full rear ramp gate so no more tossing heavy steel ramps when I need to drive something on.

I’m not thrilled about adding four more tires to the maintenance schedule, but a guy can’t have too many trailers.

[Augie]

I’m 1.5mi south of I-70 exit 133.

Herman is always a great time during Octoberfest. We haven’t been down for it in many years. Need to get back. One of the wineries there used to make a sweet cherry wine that was absolutely delectable. I thought it was Hermannhof but I don’t see it on their menu now.

[Paul R.]

Noted - that’s about the same water level as I was doing with the rats / spinning bottle trap. The wastebasket I used is, IIRC, about 17” tall. Might be enough?

I could also cut the bottom out of a 5 gallon bucket and stack buckets. (Flush cut - nothing for the squirrel to hang on to. With very slight ingenuity, that gives me variable height. Which makes me think I messed up by buying only two 5-gallon buckets instead of 4 @ Menards yesterday. $2.67 ea. after rebate...

I also have a tall rectangular cross-section (as viewed from above) trash can that just has composted soil in it. It’s a little “big” (26 gallons, maybe), but it sets out there right by the Opo, so, it’s not new to the squirrels.

Biggest problem is that running around in town yesterday, no striped sunflower seeds. Just black. I’d tried the black seeds in a “float on water trap” a couple years ago, and, you are right, they sink soon. I might be able to float them (or bird seed including them) on something else unsubstantial though, such as a shallow foil “plate””, surrounded by broken up foam noodles.

I’ll also lube the bigger working trap. There’s been no sign of any more opossums around the garden the last few days, and I still have a couple foot traps out. If the big trap is hair trigger enough after lubing, it can get a grain bait dish of it’s own. (Of note, the little pet food -”untippable” dishes @ Dollar Tree look good for the small traps. The “foot” self-spaces the bait away from the sides of the trap, and goes just over the edge of the trigger. Yeah, I extolled making my own bait trays, but, this is better, the squirrel won’t chew it up (I hope) and it’s only $1.25 ea. :-)

[Paul R.]

Of mention (someone had mentioned “lead”), I did shoot a squirrel off a branch ~35 ft. from the garden yesterday. Saw another, later, but no shot. (Too far & branches in the way.) So, as expected, there are more marauders to take out. :-(

That shot was at least 50% luck: I’m not really that good, even though my Crossman 1377 (.177 long barrel pellet pistol) is. My hands are just not THAT steady...

Bummer: The Wayne pump I’d mentioned (my “minor yard flood” battler) stopped again, at the end of our heavy rains from Helene. Well, at least it was at the end! Probably has a pebble or piece of hickory nut shell jamming the impeller again. It’s a bad design - the pump is rated for up to 1-1/2” solids, but a 3/16” bit of hard debris can jam the impeller! So, I’m gonna clear it, see if the whole pump will fit into a 5 gallon bucket, and if it will, drill a whole lot of 1/8” holes into the bucket to improvise a sort of small screened sump pit. Or, I may try to do something with larger (4” x 4”?) holes and 1/8” (or a bit less) coarse screening, if I can find such.

If the bucket won’t work, I can use something larger. Might have to do some digging to make that work. In the clay mud. Yuck.

[Qiviut]

We got 2 inches of rain last night as Helene remnants, which had gone to the mid-west, circled back & came through our area. This morning, around 7:10, we lost power. We left to get breakfast around 9:30 & it came back on while we were out & about - whew! Rain & heavy downpours at times are still in the forecast for today & tomorrow.

Our last relative ‘of concern’ in western NC is safe. He lives/works in Asheville, NC & is near the river. He hunkered down on a 2nd story at work to spend the night, didn’t try to get home .... a good thing because his apartment/car are both flooded. We are grateful he’s not one of the 1,000 people that are still missing.

Since I can do nothing outside (periodic rain, ground is super soft so I have to be careful where I drive .... can’t park the trailer off the driveway right now), I am inside and making phone calls. I have talked to the internet folks & submitted paperwork. The service is ‘installed’ & ready at the house - they left the equipment since the previous owner told them people would be ‘moving in’ ... of course, it’s only taken us 9.5 months (LOL). I did not hook internet up before because then we would have had a bill for it at both houses .... we’ll be paying 2 bills for a month or so & then down to one. No cable ... I will have to check out Youtube TV, etc. .... about all I watch is sports anyway.

Electric & internet are the only two utilities. We may get trash pickup - will have to see about that. The old pickup we use to go to the dump has a bad battery - I need to take that out & get a new one & hope it starts ... maybe tomorrow (batteries are heavy!) as I am still ‘recovering’ from loading/unloading Saturday late & yesterday. As much as I’ve done since about late February, I’m trying to pace myself so I don’t overdo the back/knees, etc. as we come down the home stretch. I admit to being fatigued ... can’t wait to have some ‘sit & relax’ time with a mountain view later this month. :-)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“...can’t wait to have some ‘sit & relax’ time with a mountain view later this month.”

You deserve that, for sure! :) Your place is going to be so efficient and functional for so many of your hobbies when you get it all sorted.

[MomwithHope]

I was the one who said “lead”. stacking the two five gallon buckets sounds like it would work. I had to go to Tractor Supply to find striped seed, and that was a few years ago. We will take care of groundhogs with lead but the bucket worked best for squirrels and we had so many.

[MomwithHope]

Ace Hardware carries striped seed.

[Paul R.]

Thanks, we do have a Tractor Supply within reasonable distance / just a bit out of the way if I have some other reason to go to town. I’ll try giving them a call tomorrow.

There’s also a “Rudy’s Farm Supply” that way too, if I make that jog. :-)

[cherry]

Dropped to 32 degrees last night..

[Pollard]

More pictures of progress when you have time, Please! :)

As soon as I make some pic worthy progress LOL. I've been doing things that make no real visual difference. Much of it is temporary. I've never built or grew in a tunnel and this one's not exactly going to be a standard tunnel:)

It will be at least the end of the month before visual change. Trenching for wire and cables and building the end walls and sides. The North end wall will need a place to mount things, a shelf for potting up etc so the bottom half will be wood. Lotta work and some money.

I'll probably be posting pics of finishing touches this time next year.

Other than that, it's time to ready for Winter and finish up some non garden related projects.

High bay light came in so I have it on in the tunnel earlier. As expected, it does a decent job of lighting up half the tunnel so I'll get another one when I need it.

Next year, I WILL record a video of the sides opening when it hits a certain temperature.

One interesting thing. I planted Chijisimai and Tatsoi. Chijisimai is a cross between Tatsoi and Komatsuna and is getting eaten up big time while the Tatsoi right next to it remains nearly untouched. Wish I had some Komatsuna in there to see if it's just the Tatsoi/Komatsuna cross or if Komatsuna would get eaten up too.