The Garden Thread - May, 2025

May 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.

[Paul R.]

Yesterday our Rural King had several varieties of chicks including Easter Eggers and Americana (”cana”, not “cauna”, IIRC) on sale for $1 ea. I suspect they were in sale because they were getting big enough to be flying out of the bins soon. ‘Tis a great deal, but, we don’t really need more chickens right now.

I don’t know if other RK stores have this deal or not, but it is typical a few weeks after Easter...

[Paul R.]

This is reminding me that I need to see if I can fix that old blender someone gave me at a yard sale, because it didn’t turn on. If it’s an easy fix, it’d be good for chopping up eggs and esp. shells.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Very nice! You get a lot into a small space. Love the idea of protection with the DT wire baskets! Also, I should plant Leeks more often...

Had my first ‘Racoon Raid’ of the season last night. First step was replacing the suet cage with a sturdier one that they can’t get off the tree, and secondly to REMEMBER to bring in the bird feeders - a few days of that and they usually don’t return. If they do, Beau will Hav-A-Heart trap them for me and the WAR is on! ;)

You’d THINK we wouldn’t have any raccoons pestering things with the number of DOGS we have around here that are BRED to specifically hunt raccoon! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You are amazing! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Bone Meal HAS gotten pricey, for sure. I think the price has doubled in the years I’ve been using it.

I only need it for planting out tomatoes, peppers, zukes and cukes so the average size bag lasts me a season and I usually have a little bit left over. (I put 1/2 cup scoop of bone meal and 1/2 cup scoop of crushed eggshells in the planting holes.)

If you have a Farm & Fleet, or a Lowe’s or Menard’s or Home Depot nearby, maybe they can help? Tractor Supply? Any store that caters to farmers in general.

I found this, but I’m sure shipping will be ridiculous unless you’re spending $250.00 a pop! ‘Espoma’ is a trusted brand name to me.

https://www.greenhousemegastore.com/products/espoma-organic-bone-meal-4-12-0?variant=44368217768135&tw_source=bing&tw_campaign=662362846&tw_adid=76622409408664&msclkid=f26522c9bbc71e70505c4ae294ed1950

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oh, yes! There was a hog operation across the road from my other farm for the first few years I lived there. You did NOT want open windows on a humid August day with a southerly breeze!

So glad that operation moved elsewhere!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Oops, Sissinghurst! not -ham!

Hum. Anthropomorphizing your rose hedgerow!

"Do this to your climbing rose now, to make sure it behaves this summer: expert tips from a head gardener"

[metmom]

Thanks.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My Beagle says it’s not weird to talk to your rose bushes!

[Paul R.]

Good luck!

There are other “deals” online, but I’d have had to enter some personal info. in the checkout to see what shipping would be, and I almost never do that unless I intend to make a purchase.

BTW, according to NWS-Paducah, that tornado in S. Illinois a couple days ago was the strongest since the Mayfield tornado of 2021. As close as I can tell from the crude preliminary track map, that thing went right down a road that in the past I’ve traveled on hundreds of times. Luckily, it’s mostly rural and / or on / adjacent to the Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge, so it’s very sparsely populated. A few miles north and it’d have duplicated the path of the 1982 Marion tornado. That strip is now much more “built up”. Results were bad enough in ‘82. (10 dead) :-(

It seems like a lot of the tornados & severe storms that occur in that vicinity travel due East or even ESE. That seems to correspond somewhat with Illinois transitioning from mostly quite flat, to hilly in its far south, along a West-to-East line.

[Augie]

It was a dry week until last night here in Central Missouri. Got 1/4" rain overnight, but none of the hail that the weather guessers were guessing we might get. We've had light rain for the last couple hours this morning. It's quiet outside now, but big storms are supposed to be headed this way from injun country later today. Keep your eyes open, Pete - it may get wild out there!

Mrs. Augie survived her weekend getaway with the girls. They did a kayak float on the Niangua River Saturday and had a great time - she took a friend from work who had never been on a float trip. Said she had a couple close calls but managed the entire float without falling off the kayak.

I hauled in eight trailer loads of horse stall waste on Saturday and five more yesterday. ~85cu/yd of material. Factoring in only the out-of-pocket costs for trailer rental and truck fuel, it cost ~$3.50cu/yd. I didn't bring any home last year while I was preoccupied with building the new garden patch. It feels good to have the heap replenished, and it beats hell out of paying $6.48cu/ft for Black Kow at the Lowe's store.

This is one of Mrs. Augie's ornamental bushes. I don't know what it's called but it's kind of cool.

[Augie]

All 7 T-posts are OUT!

Good job on getting that accomplished.

It's proof that high-lift jacks are good for more than breaking your jaw when they kick out from under a load!

[Paul R.]

I realized I forgot to post that pipe thread and ID link:

https://www.depatie.com/thread-identification-types-guide?target=o-ring_face_seal

VERY handy!

[Augie]

Check the Summit Racing online catalog for a replacement radiator. The search function is quite good and lets you choose by dimension/inlet and outlet location/etc. You might find something that will fit with a bit of tinkering.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Oh, PLEASE ask Mrs. Augie what that shrub is! Looks like a Bottlebrush Tree, but the leaves are wrong and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in purple.

Siberian Pea Shrub? (Based upon the leaf structure.) But the bloom is wrong for that.

You stumped the Chump, LOL!

[metmom]

Tornadoes virtually always travel SW to NE, although due east is not unusual.

It’s due to the prevailing southwesterly winds and that the t-storms move west to east.

[metmom]

It feels good to have the heap replenished, and it beats hell out of paying $6.48cu/ft for Black Kow at the Lowe's store.

I've heard from a few online gardening videos, that Black Kow mulch is a rip off and often has actual trash in it and is not genuine manure compost.

We know a dairy farmer nearby to get some manure from and I've been trying to get that rolling for some time, but mr. mm is dragging his feet.

Frustrating.

[Qiviut]

I was VERY cautious. The ‘release’ to lower the jack was scary - did not want to pinch a finger so I used a large screwdriver. I also pounded in a large spike behind the base of the jack to keep it from sliding out, which it wanted to do under load. No one (me!) got hurt & I didn’t break anything so in addition to getting the posts out, it was a really good day!

[Augie]

I’m trying to find a decent size bag of bone meal.

Amazon has several available in the 50lb size - $100-$120-ish price range.

[Augie]

The google machine says that it is False Indigo Bush (Amorpha fruticosa L.), and can grow up to 12’ tall.

This one is maybe five years old and is pushing 7’ tall now.