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The Garden Thread - April, 2025
April 1, 2025 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

Posted on 04/01/2025 6:11:07 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.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: april2025; food; garden; gardening; hobbies
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

On Saturday, there’s a Master Gardener event at our county 4-H center. There should be some classes AND vendors. I cannot wait to go! Hoping to find a few more Virginia Bluebells to add to the ones I bought a few years ago. You never know. Those are so hard to find.

Also hoping to get some amazing herbs if the vendor I’ve bought from before shows up.

Fingers crossed.


541 posted on 04/23/2025 6:57:53 PM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin; Pollard; All

NWS-Paducah provided a link to a nice GIF of our heavy rains earlier this month. I can’t get it to post in FR (I just get stuck on “loading”, but here’s a link to the page:

https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/GIS/apps/rview/warnings.phtml?osite=DMX&tzoff=0&layers%5B%5D=nexrad&layers%5B%5D=warnings&layers%5B%5D=cwas&layers%5B%5D=uscounties&layers%5B%5D=blank&site=PAH&tz=CDT&archive=yes&year=2025&month=4&day=6&hour=3&minute=0&warngeo=sbw&zoom=250&imgsize=640x480&loop=1&frames=169&interval=30&filter=0&cu=0&sortcol=fcster&sortdir=DESC&lsrlook=%2B&lsrwindow=0&extents=-96.22%2C39.23%2C-91.22%2C44.23

I believe the proper term is “good grief”!

(Pretty cool page w/ many options, BTW.) :-)


542 posted on 04/23/2025 8:13:53 PM PDT by Paul R. (Old Viking saying: "Never be more than 3 steps away from your weapon ... or a Uriah Heep song!" ;-))
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Absolutely! Mushrooms are one of the best ingredients for pretty much every cooked non dessert recipe!


543 posted on 04/23/2025 8:32:29 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

I can’t get onions, green or otherwise, to grow worth a darn except in pots. (I don’t have any raised beds.)

BUT, I discovered while removing a bunch of small trees and bushes springing up in the ditch east of our house that there are spots alongside the ditch (our property side) with really good looking, loamy soil. There’s a little gravel in it too, but, not too bad. I think this is soil thrown to the (our) side when the county comes through and (in effect) re-digs the ditch every several years. It’s NOT consistent - the “good stuff” is just in patches. The organic content surely is a bit high in juglone from all the hickory trees nearby. Sunlight is marginal, but, that sure doesn’t seem to slow down any of the stuff that wants to grow in or alongside the ditch. So... Onions are supposed to be resistant to juglone: I’m thinking it might be worth a try to plant some onion starts that I have extras of, out there, and see what happens. (My budget for potting soil and pots is shot!) I hit a couple spots today, with Roundup as “prep”, which should slow down the competition for a while. We are supposed to get some rain the next few days, so after that, I’ll plunk in a few starts


544 posted on 04/23/2025 8:40:24 PM PDT by Paul R. (Old Viking saying: "Never be more than 3 steps away from your weapon ... or a Uriah Heep song!" ;-))
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To: Paul R.
17.8 mb


545 posted on 04/24/2025 3:12:48 AM PDT by Pollard (Zone 6b)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Pulling up my ‘big girl pants’ today & planting the remaining 3 boxwoods. One is in the ground, two to go as soon as shade hits where I am working. I am taking many breaks to keep the back loose & so far, so good.

I set the herbs & dahlias out in the sun a couple hours this morning. Once May rolls around, the dahlias should be able to go in the ground. The herbs are the happiest bunch of plants & will go out as soon as the raised bed is ready. The jalapeños look happy, too.

So yesterday, ALL day & into the evening, there has been a bull in the feedlot next door, bellowing nonstop. He keeps clanging something metal, usually before or after a bellow. At one point, a bull in the pasture across the street chimed in - sounded like quite the ‘conversation’!

No luck trapping the groundhog thus far. I am seeing BunBun a lot, morning & evening, sometimes in-between. I think the raised beds are high enough to keep rabbits out.


546 posted on 04/24/2025 9:29:44 AM PDT by Qiviut (Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!)
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To: FamiliarFace

Report back on your 4-H Center Gardening event, Please! :)


547 posted on 04/24/2025 3:47:44 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Qiviut
"I think the raised beds are high enough to keep rabbits out."

LOL!

548 posted on 04/24/2025 3:51:14 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
All done, right at sunset. Mulch will be extended tomorrow out to the white string.


549 posted on 04/24/2025 5:08:10 PM PDT by Qiviut (Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!)
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To: Qiviut

Beautiful job!!

Diana you could not give me the best battery powered weed whacker. I had a black and decker with two batteries. After a few years they would not charge all the way and just not enough power for what we have around here. Hubby bought a gas powered one but its too heavy for me. I have had a corded one for About 5 years now. Runs like a horse. Two 50ft long orange extension cords and I can go anywhere. No breaks. Best part is it is very lightweight. I just tossed a battery powered hand drill too. Worthless after a few years. Going to get a corded one.


550 posted on 04/24/2025 5:36:18 PM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Will do! A few years ago it was really great, and last year was a big disappointment. I hope this one is like my first time there. I found a great tool (the rotoshovel), Virginia Bluebells, and the best French tarragon I’ve ever had. All of those purchases are still going strong.

I’m getting the Spring planting fever! I will have to temper myself and hold back as best as I can. I’m a sucker for things that are beautiful but that I have no experience with. I also usually purchase more than I can reasonably plant in a couple of weeks. Notorious actually.

I have to be very disciplined this year. I will be away 3 of 4 weekends in May, and two of those are long weekends (Thursday to Monday). I must not overpurchase! When I get back in June, I will have a week or so to finish up.

I hope this event on Saturday is more like the one in 2022. I’m really hoping it all works out!


551 posted on 04/24/2025 6:02:54 PM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: Qiviut

😍😍😍 Beautiful!


552 posted on 04/24/2025 6:03:43 PM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: FamiliarFace

French tarragon is not easy to find. Mine died last year and I’m still looking for some. They have something called Mexican tarragon that isn’t even tarragon.


553 posted on 04/24/2025 6:05:14 PM PDT by ladyjane
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To: ladyjane

It’s not like French tarragon at all. I have 3 plants that have survived. 2 are robust. One is struggling but making it. It’s so delightful though!

I brought some last June to my sisters when I visited in my carry on bag. They both loved it, but my older sister was over the moon about the flavor. If I can get extra plants this weekend from the same vendor as before, I will bring her a small plant to keep at her house. It won’t be perennial there, but she can enjoy it for the season.


554 posted on 04/24/2025 6:21:39 PM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

That approx. 3 foot snake I caught while working in our ditch a few days ago turned out to be, I THINK, a Prairie Kingsnake with unusually dark, muted top and side colors. The record is 43”, so this is a relatively big one. These are great mousers, not that I have any idea how to get it to stick around once released. ;-)


555 posted on 04/24/2025 9:07:24 PM PDT by Paul R. (Old Viking saying: "Never be more than 3 steps away from your weapon ... or a Uriah Heep song!" ;-))
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To: All

Chicken Roulade is a classic elegant French dish. Delicious thin-sliced chicken pounded flat, then filled with a mixture of tarragon, cheese, ham or bacon, mushrooms or spinach, then rolled and secured w/ kitchen twine. The roulade is then baked or sautéd til golden. Flavor can vary depending on the filling. A great meal served w/ a French side dish and roasted vegetables.

556 posted on 04/25/2025 2:20:30 AM PDT by Liz (This then is how we should pray...."Our Father, who art in heaven......" )
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

A fellow in TX who ran, essentially, a cabinet manufacturing outfit, and was a customer of the company I then worked for, bought a piece of land with many large oak and cedar trees on it, built himself a small sawmill, and proceeded to build a big house with lumber from his own land, featuring of course the beauty of the wood itself. Everything was varnished, not painted. It was SPECTACULAR. Given today’s cedar prices, not to mention construction costs in general, I can’t even begin to guess it’s present value. Except... It might not pass fire codes.


557 posted on 04/25/2025 3:24:52 AM PDT by Paul R. (Old Viking saying: "Never be more than 3 steps away from your weapon ... or a Uriah Heep song!" ;-))
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To: Liz

HaHa. Right after Paul’s post about the snake I see your picture. First thought - you were giving us a cooked snake recipe. Thanks for a smile to start my day.


558 posted on 04/25/2025 4:15:08 AM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: Liz

Mmmmm…yum! Bacon, cheese, and tarragon wrapped with chicken! Thanks for the idea!


559 posted on 04/25/2025 5:45:07 AM PDT by FamiliarFace (I got my own way of livin' But everything gets done With a southern accent Where I come from. TPetty)
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To: Paul R.

SNAKE? Yikes! We have Bullheads and they can get massive. Harmless, but they still give me a heart attack whenever I see one!

I admire people that can build things. I can GROW things, but not necessarily BUILD anything. Well, maybe a scarf or a hat or an afghan, LOL!


560 posted on 04/25/2025 6:46:47 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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