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

Posted on 06/01/2025 5:48:14 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: food; garden; gardening; hobbies
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To: metmom
We need to wait for the rain to stop for much of anything. I fear it’s going to decimate my tomato crop.

I see that most of the rain the past night and this AM went north as it is now, but the southern edge is getting us now. Which is timely, since I had not watered plants since the deluge 6-23, and some rain on 6-24.

Tom's farthest away from building are doing best, due to the roof water not being so much there.

181 posted on 06/07/2025 11:52:00 AM PDT by daniel1212 (Turn 2 the Lord Jesus who saves damned+destitute sinners on His acct, believe, b baptized+follow HIM)
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To: MomwithHope

I love stories like that. Man’s best friend. Unconditional love.

How are you doing? My shishito pepper plants have flowers all over. I keep wondering how this will go over the season. Eventually I’ll find out if I’ve been successful.

So far none of the seeds I’ve overwintered and planted are sprouting. I hope something will soon.

Hubby told me just now that our front walkway looks amazing, and that I’ve done a nice job of making it welcoming. Always nice to get a pat on the back from someone else.


182 posted on 06/07/2025 12:06:05 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: metmom
The garden is going great except for one jalapeño that I planted got chewed down to a stub by what must have been a mouse. I saw a mouse tunnel right next to it. I know there are mice in the garden, i’ve seen them. But I put out some bait blocks and we have owls and foxes around, so that’ll help. Maybe some mouse traps would be good as well.

You could use a good mouser cat. Here in the city there is a cat, "Lo-li" (not that she responds to it) whose residence is the middle apt on the building across the street, but she does not like to stay on, or be cuddled (dangerous). And she had 5 litters (!) - all given away - before they put a stop to that.

But she is a predator, who catches mice, rats and birds. Thank God for her.

And eats all or most of them. Which is fine as concerns the first two, as mice get into buildings and rats eat their way thru trash barrels. .

Last week, she was playing with a mouse underneath the donation" bench on the sidewalk (where i work on bikes for free, by the grace of God) in front of our building, and it got away. I got it with my foot across the street, and with my pliers I brought is to Lo-li, who proceeded the eat the whole of it. However, she cannot deal with the raccoons, who act like they own property at night.

183 posted on 06/07/2025 12:06:24 PM PDT by daniel1212 (Turn 2 the Lord Jesus who saves damned+destitute sinners on His acct, believe, b baptized+follow HIM)
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To: ansel12
I’ve planted tomatoes early and my impression was that I gained nothing, they just sat there until the soil warmed up and things got to where the tomato plant wanted it to be in the first place.

Yes, it has been my experience that toms prefer warmth over a lot of sunlight. But my seedlings in small cups under cheap LED lights were getting to tall for the cups. Which cost $.

184 posted on 06/07/2025 12:10:43 PM PDT by daniel1212 (Turn 2 the Lord Jesus who saves damned+destitute sinners on His acct, believe, b baptized+follow HIM)
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To: Augie

Give Howard a Milk Bone from me! :)

That is SO much rain! I have the same rain gauge. We got a scant 1/2” out of the last round - not enough to settle the dust, even. I mowed today and it is dry, dry, dry. Some rain predicted for tomorrow. I love rainy Sundays, though I’m sure you’ve had MORE than enough! ;)


185 posted on 06/07/2025 12:15:46 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: daniel1212

I believe that you should repot seedlings into a larger pot anyway, the second potting and resulting growth makes for a stronger plant with a well developed root system when you put it into the ground.

All that “too tall” stem would be put under soil in the second potting and it would develop roots itself.


186 posted on 06/07/2025 12:16:24 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: MomwithHope

Oh, what a sweet story; those Ginger-dogs are the best. :)


187 posted on 06/07/2025 12:20:25 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: daniel1212; Diana in Wisconsin; MomwithHope; metmom; Qiviut; FRiends

Thinking today about how you say to be thankful for everything. Last night at 1:30 am, we got a phone call from our son that our daughter was in a terrible accident, and that she was ok, but he wanted to let us know. She is roughly 4 months pregnant with her first child.

So we called her right away. She had spotty cell service as she lives near mountains (the Cascades). She was driving their Land Rover to pick up her husband who was nearby but stranded riding his mountain bike. She took a curve too wide and hit gravel, and then she overcorrected and went tumbling down about 30 feet, through trees and a slope before it came to rest. She should’ve been severely injured, but her Guardian Angels were clearly with her. She said her seat belt and airbags saved her life. The passenger window was broken so she crawled out through that. She also managed to find her cell phone and her little purse bag, grabbed the keys and climbed back up the slope to the road.

It was 15 minutes before another car came along, as it is a somewhat remote area. It was just past sunset so she had light for about 45 minutes after it happened. The sheriff who arrived took her to the hospital himself, because an ambulance was too far away. The ultrasound showed the baby is fine, too. What a blessing!

So today we are so grateful that she was spared, and gives thanks to God for her protection. We had a FaceTime call with the two of them, and she recounted such a harrowing ordeal, but she has been through other crises which have prepared her to handle this. She is an avid hiker so accustomed to rough terrain.

Also, it was heartwarming to hear of the Good Samaritans who stopped to assist her. Thanks be to God!


188 posted on 06/07/2025 12:26:07 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

WOW! I’ll bet you want to wrap her in bubble wrap and keep her confined until that Grandbaby is born! ;)

Glad she and baby survived that. Yeah, ‘somebody’ had her back, for sure!


189 posted on 06/07/2025 12:30:52 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: ansel12
I believe that you should repot seedlings into a larger pot anyway, the second potting and resulting growth makes for a stronger plant with a well developed root system when you put it into the ground. All that “too tall” stem would be put under soil in the second potting and it would develop roots itself.

Yes, you are right, yet I might have put them in by 5-15, and the deluge of 5-23 would have decimated many. Best to grow more in cups, wait to 5-30.

Meanwhile, what think ye of this? There is a tall maple tree on the East side the building in which we life, and with an area of bare ground spotty grass and weeds under it. LL lets me manage it, and I bought some perennial rye grass, and did some soil clean up and prep, and I do not remember seeing any Maple seed "helicopters."

However, after two days I found quite a few. And which is what happened a few years ago when cleared, dug up the whole area so that it was bare ground. The tree really rained down its seeds.

I read that Maple tree seeds fall from late summer to early fall, but IIRC in the previous case it was also early summer. I actually suspect that the tree can sense when the ground is ripe for growing.

190 posted on 06/07/2025 12:35:12 PM PDT by daniel1212 (Turn 2 the Lord Jesus who saves damned+destitute sinners on His acct, believe, b baptized+follow HIM)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin; All

Rain again, over a half inch from about 1:30 yesterday afternoon, overnight & until 11:00 this morning. Some of it was hard enough to wash mulch in places.

Yesterday, it was so muggy & ‘close’, I was in a major sweat after 10 minutes outside. It was the perfect time for a trip in the air-conditioned truck over the mountain, through another gap to Lowe’s. I picked up 8 landscaping timbers, weed killer & 2 more sections of landscape edging so I can finish the front of the house. Meanwhile, the sky was turning very dark to the west. There was another stop I wanted to make, but decided to skip it & skedaddle home. The storm was in my rear view mirror the whole trip & big winds/rain hit about 20 minutes after I got the truck in the barn.

Trying to do things in the shade for the afternoon - repotting my basil, unloading the truck, reorganizing what I have stashed in the barn, painting my double washtubs & stand. The Belmont is at 6:30 so I’ll probably have an hour after that until sunset when it should be ‘cooler’. We’ve gone fairly directly from Spring (50’s last week) to Summer (90’s).


191 posted on 06/07/2025 12:35:45 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

I got the mowing done, so I’m going to knock a few more things off my To-Do List for the day.

Dog chores will take longer than normal, today. The idiots managed to dig under the fencing AGAIN, even after Beau repaired it, and we had a few ‘escapees’ yesterday. He didn’t have time to fix anything because they were leaving for Canada yesterday, so the dogs are squirrely as heck without being able to go outside, even though their kennel runs are big enough to trot around in if they want to. Maybe I’ll teach them to jump rope this week, or jog in place, LOL! They screwed themselves, that’s all I can say.

Beau power-washed everything for me, so when I go down to the barn later, I will let one out at a time to run around in the kennel shed while I clean the floor, refill their water, then lure them back in with dinner. Should be interesting. MOST of them are pretty well behaved and obedient. I’m thinking of ONE right off that will be a troublemaker, LOL!


192 posted on 06/07/2025 12:43:55 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: daniel1212

Interesting about the Maple but I don’t know anything about them.

The repotting I mentioned was that when your seedlings have matured enough that it is time for a larger pot, then repot them into a larger pot while still inside the house, don’t put them in the ground outside until the second growth is full and ready.


193 posted on 06/07/2025 1:02:12 PM PDT by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

This girl has always been incredible. She’s adventurous but really keeps her wits about her. She survived being in a monsoon in India with rolling blackouts for a week until we could get her enough information via text about bus schedules to get out. The airports closest to her were closed. Limited spaces on buses but after a few days she found a spot that got her away from danger.

Both she and her husband are extremely active in outdoor sports. Extreme hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, cross country skiing. They’re a good match.

I can’t wait to go to Mass tonight and give my thanks for such a blessing of protection.


194 posted on 06/07/2025 1:22:18 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

Thanks for the reminder about the Belmont. With life’s happenings this week, I had totally forgotten. It will be a nice diversion for me.


195 posted on 06/07/2025 1:35:21 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

Not thing you anything new here, but I can validate your experience ...

Growing up, we had beagles for pets - one of them was an excellent deer dog. The other 2 were not so good at hunting, but champion escape artists ... diggers & climbers. My niece’s hubby has beagles for deer hunting ... again, escape artists - one should have been named ‘Houdini’.

From my experience, “hounds” seem particularly interested in ‘escaping’ and are very good at it! Nothing like being ‘free’ & finding something to chase. We also had Brittany Spaniels & English Setters over the years - if they got out, they were ‘gone’, looking for feathers/fur, but they were not escape artists ... no comparison with hounds.


196 posted on 06/07/2025 2:53:31 PM PDT by Qiviut (Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Correction: not telling you anything new ....


197 posted on 06/07/2025 2:54:54 PM PDT by Qiviut (Come! Live in the light! Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!)
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To: FamiliarFace

Oh my gosh. The angels were surely surrounding her. Prayers up for continued healing. Hugs.


198 posted on 06/07/2025 4:51:08 PM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: ansel12
I believe that you should repot seedlings into a larger pot anyway, the second potting and resulting growth makes for a stronger plant with a well developed root system when you put it into the ground. All that “too tall” stem would be put under soil in the second potting and it would develop roots itself.

That is sound. I should've saved more quart containers,

199 posted on 06/07/2025 5:03:05 PM PDT by daniel1212 (Turn 2 the Lord Jesus who saves damned+destitute sinners on His acct, believe, b baptized+follow HIM)
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To: MomwithHope

Thank you. ❤️ The towing people today said it’s a miracle she walked away from the accident. The Land Rover protected her like she was in a cage as it rolled down and around the mountain. She has only sent us one photo.

We all know that we’ve had a personal miracle. Incredible!


200 posted on 06/07/2025 5:12:49 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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