The Garden Thread - April, 2025

April 1, 2025 | 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]

OK, ‘Debbie Downer!’ Let’s count our BLESSINGS!

* You don’t need stitches! Yay! :)

* You DO still have running water; you just have to turn it on and off at the pole!

* 90% of the DOZENS of Solar Lights Mom found in her garage work just fine - will look lovely in the garden at night!

* Benny did NOT die before we could give him his party! :)

* No more mice nibbling in the greenhouse! This is HUGE!

* We NEED the coming rain!

* I got to see one of my grown puppies, yesterday!

* Nasturtium seeds are soaking to be started in a few days. Mom got me three packets they were giving away at church for Lent.

* We don’t have a single ill, PREGNANT or injured animal on the property!

* Beau’s Rotator Cuff injury seems to be healing!

* This week I will be starting Zukes, Cukes, Nasturtium, Winter Squashes and Watermelon! ONWARD!

* Just picked the first stalks of Rhubarb and am making Rhubarb Sauce for a treat with ice cream tonight!

* All of my Tulips and Daffodils are blooming and putting on a show. I have a lovely mixed bouquet on the kitchen counter.

* Hascaps have set fruit - looks like a nice crop!

* Saskatoon Serviceberry trees are in full bloom. Lilacs soon to follow!

[MomwithHope]

Oh no. That’s a bummer. Beau will fix it. Sucks when you have critters and livestock. We’ve been there til we got our generator.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

It’s been a good exercise in water conservation. I didn’t realize how many MESSY jobs I tackle every day and how many times I wash my hands!

The cat is mad because she likes to drink from a dripping faucet. I told her she needs to, ‘Man Up.’ We’re all in this together! She can drink from the dog’s water bowl. Drastic times call for drastic measures! ;)

Rumor has it I’ll have running water after supper. Then I can:

Make coffee for the morning - PRIORITY ONE! :)

Do the dishes.

Let the toilets fill back up.

Fill the 12 empty jugs with water for inside and for the greenhouse.

Fill the ice cube trays.

Wash the dog down - Dolly rolled in SOMETHING, or SOMEONE, today. But, of course! *Rolleyes* She’s banished to the outside until the water comes back on.

Take a quick shower.

Oh, and the 4X has a gas tank leak - Beau is working on that right now.

It never ends! ;)

[FamiliarFace]

How awful about the well. I hope you discover the problem soon, and that it can be fixed easily. Whenever we’ve had no water, I give myself permission to use paper plates. It helps cut down on water usage for more important things.

I’m glad to hear that y’all had a nice party for Benny! I’m quite sure he loved it! I think it’s sweet that you got to see your puppy, even though it has a new name.

If I can think of one good thing about getting cut with a newly sharpened knife, it’s that (for me, anyway), sharp cuts heal up pretty cleanly and quickly. Don’t forget the antibiotic on bandage changes.

I hope your evening improves.

[FamiliarFace]

Ahh, I see the venting helped you get back on track! We have a little sign in our house that I found someplace that says, “There is always, always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for!”

Every day for the last 18 or so years, we decided that we would figure out one thing that happened that day to “celebrate”. It can be very mundane, like “the sun was out today!” to “I got something done from my to do list today” to birthdays, anniversaries, and the like, to an answer to prayer. It seems like if we look for it, we can’t help but notice how blessed we are, every single day. The key is to have an attitude of gratitude.

Today we will be thanking God for my husband’s amazing eye checkup. His vision is now 20/30 in the eye where he had the surgery, and the center of his vision is returning quite nicely! Thanks be to God!

[Paul R.]

Well problems are never “fun”!!!

(There’s an unintended pun in there!)

Hauling up 300 ft. of pipe - I assume that takes some piece of equipment? My shallow well hose/pipe is heavy enough...

Hopefully this one will not be too much of a “bugger” for you and Beau. Good luck!

[Qiviut]

Calendula salve is great for healing up scratches & cuts quickly- I wish I could ‘Star Trek transport’ you some.

I have lived with a well since 1981. The first was the old timey shallow well - move the big concrete top, look inside & you could see the water surface down in there. We had a hand pump on the top which came in really handy if something happened (pump crapped out, electricity went out, etc.).

After living there a couple of years & having to conserve water with the shallow well, we dug one that was 360’ .... dad had some extra depth added for good measure. Instead of a pump in the pump house, we now had a submersible pump. Over the years, lightning hit a big tree nearby & fried the pump - fun times. We had water tank issues too - water logged, pressure valve failed. Until something did happen, I tended to take the well for granted & certainly underappreciated it for all the times it was working, which was the vast majority of time.

I hope your well/leak issue gets resolved quickly. We have a well here at the new house too & I have no idea who to call if there’s a problem - at least at the old house, the company that drilled the deep well & installed the submersible pump(s) would come fairly quickly if we had an issue.

Happy the picnic went well - sounds like time was of the essence for Benny - you won’t regret doing it.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“There is always, always, ALWAYS something to be thankful for!”

That is SO true! And that’s why I tried to turn my ‘cr@ptastic day’ upside down, LOL!

I got divorced in January, 2010. It wasn’t my CHOICE, but it WAS my current situation. I did a, ‘365 Days of Gratitude’ project and it was amazing how that turned me right around.

Yeah, ONE person out of 8 Billion people doesn’t like you for some reason. Big Hairy Deal! Perspective in all things.

[FamiliarFace]

Perspective is so important!

Life isn’t perfect for any of us. I have learned that being present is really key.

A few years ago, we took a trip to SE Tennessee. Had to get away from a lot of negativity. We wanted to be where there was little in the way of being plugged in so to speak. We found a little house on a river with a dock. We weren’t close to anything. They did have wifi, but we didn’t use it.

Well, we spent a significant amount of time on that dock watching acorns or some such fall from a tree into the river. Plop! With a ripple. Then watched that ripple mosey on down the river to the bend of it. When we could no longer see the acorn floating or the ripple, we would hear another plop, and another ripple.

It taught us something that we needed to know.

Those acorns were life problems. They fell from the trees above. We had no control over them. But we watched the ripples and the acorns float away. And after a while, we couldn’t see that acorn/problem anymore. A new one had taken its place.

Isn’t that life?

You can watch the problems happen in your life, but very often, you can’t control them. They weren’t yours to control, but their ripple affect caught you.

We decided, sitting on that dock, that it’s ok to watch a problem for a little bit. If you can do something to help out, go for it. However, if you can’t, if it’s not really YOUR problem, let it drift on by. When it’s gone don’t try to bring that acorn back up the river to watch it drift by again.

We learned to be PRESENT sitting in that dock. All around us were problems swirling over our heads. We couldn’t control them. We actually had little to do with them other than the ripple effects.

We ended up understanding that what we have right here and right now is a gift, and not to waste it looking behind or looking forward into the future.

So, we’re left with:

Today is a GIFT. That why it’s called the PRESENT!

I know, a little gag-worthy to some, but it’s still spot on!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Sad to hear! So sorry about the water situation and your finger!

Glad you had a good picnic party and made some great memories!

[Paul R.]

Ok... I have several juvenile Muir Lettuce plants set up in my “cool”* basement under a 10k lumen 5000k LED light (fairly smooth spectrum).

Should I put that light on a timer to simulate day-night cycles, and, should I keep the “day” cycle under 12 hours?

*The temperature down there after an 86 deg. day outside is only 62 deg. F., but, that’s admittedly after a cool weekend with highs themselves in the mid-60’s. In consistently warm weather the basement will likely be around 70 - 72 deg. or so.

Muir lettuce is frequently suggested as THE most heat tolerant (without bolting) type of lettuce, so, this should be interesting...

[Liz]

Pork Chops in Brandied Morel Cream Sauce
One pan gourmet wonder will be a favorite; lemon brings out morels flavor.

Ing 2 tbl Ol/Oil 4 Pork Chops 2 tbl Butter 8 oz morels, halved 1 minced Shallot, 2 minced gar/cl 1/2 cup Brandy or Cognac 1 c H/Cream 1 tsp Worcestershire 1 tsp L/Juice, pinch Nutmeg chp Chives garnish

Directions In ol/oil on high heat add s/p pork chops. Sear 2-3 min per side til golden; hold on plate. Saute butter and morels tender, 5-7 min. Add shallot and garlic, cook fragrant and soft, 1-2 min. Lower heat, add brandy. Careful, it could flame. Simmer/reduce slightly. Add h/cream; simmer/thicken 10 min. Add pinch k/salt/pepper. Stir in Worcest, l/juice, pinch nutmeg. Add pork chops, simmer 5 min. Serve immediately garnished with chives, lemon wedges.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Under lights, I usually do 8 hours on, 16 hours off - just like a regular work day.

(Well, for some - my work days never seemed to be ONLY 8 hours!)

Your lettuce will like the cooler temps in the basement.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I like your, 'Acorn Analogy.' You should patent that, and sell it to Max Lucado! ;)

[FamiliarFace]

Ok, that looks amazing, and I have all of those ingredients on hand! Can’t wait to try this!

[Liz]

You’re a top notch cook......got a well-equipped kitchen, I see.

[Liz]

Today is a GIFT. That why it’s called the PRESENT!

---

Real cute.......and memorable.

[FamiliarFace]

Love Max!

That river trip was essential for us. It got us (me especially) back to a good place. That’s what good vacations should be.

Then you can go back to the salt mines and do the jobs that are your responsibility.

[FamiliarFace]

I don’t know who said it first, but it’s a keeper!

[FamiliarFace]

I think the yard and the kitchen are two of my biggest happy places. Not everyone feels that way.