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

Posted on 07/01/2025 5:32:22 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: Diana in Wisconsin
Glad you and your neighbors are OK! No, I know that Dodgeville is a about 1/2 a county away, just not sure the media knows!

Its raining here, which is good. I hate spending money on water. (My father paid about $15 a year for city water which came from Lake Michigan. Here that would be a week or two depending on the weather.)

A lightening strike and power surge and my Battery/surge protector shut the computer down, although not the lights in the house. Restarted with no problems. Happy cukes! I suppose I should start some. Tomatoes are coming in. Picking at color break and ripening inside. I removed some larger suckers from my tomatoes about 5 days ago and stuck them in glass jars in water. They kicked out roots and I planted them just before the rain. (Used some of the 70-75 day varieties so hoping for some Indian Summer tomatoes.) The volunteer pumpkins are growing aggressively and will be happy. Same for the Sweet potatoes.

I picked the 2 pound Old German (or maybe Pineapple) slicing tomato and it ripened perfectly. I decided to celebrate by going and buying an excellent rosemary sourdough loaf (3 days fermenting before bake) and we had that, the tomato, and basil for lunch and dinner. Primo!

Alas tomato queen! Perhaps you will be able to salvage something after everything dries off!

441 posted on 07/16/2025 7:43:30 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: FamiliarFace
Alas! I don't remember that!

(I do have some Aunt Ruby's Green tomatoes that probably ripen green and probably fry up better than actual green tomatoes!)

442 posted on 07/16/2025 7:46:32 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

You should watch it again. Great acting! That movie and Driving Miss Daisy are two of my favorites. Jessica Tandy is in both of them. She nails her characters!

I’ve never had a ripe green tomato that I know of, just the early red ones before they change color. As soon as they start to turn, they aren’t the same.


443 posted on 07/16/2025 7:55:19 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
Expensive repairs! It does not sound like your arborist made any money on your tree removal.

You could also try a fragrance garden with things like lilacs and Mock Orange. Diane might have some other suggestions.

444 posted on 07/16/2025 7:59:21 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: MomwithHope
Thanks! In looking at it on the internet its a bit like a jungle!

I hope whatever you have growing is doing well!

445 posted on 07/16/2025 8:01:19 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: FamiliarFace; Diana in Wisconsin
Green Tomato....It does have some blush and softens up a bit to let you know its ready. While you want the red in tomatoes, I suppose it is not a bad thing to have a tomato that ripens without reddening if you have a lot of warm weather!

(Brave aggregator gives this info: "Tomatoes stop producing lutein when temperatures reach 85°F to 90°F. At these high temperatures, the plants do not produce lycopene and carotene, which are responsible for the ripe tomato color, and this likely affects the production of other carotenoids like lutein. Additionally, high night temperatures above 70°F can interfere with the ripening process and the formation of red coloration in tomatoes."

446 posted on 07/16/2025 8:09:41 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: Qiviut

Stay safe! Hope you do not lose power or your roads!


447 posted on 07/16/2025 8:13:16 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

LOL ....power is out! Two hours after the storm cleared & no warning, just suddenly out. We belong to a cooperative & they usually do a pretty good job restoring power. Per the app where I reported the outage, 1,500 people are out in our area & a crew is on-site. Estimated time to fix is another hour & a half.


448 posted on 07/16/2025 8:17:48 PM PDT by Qiviut (Imagine waking up in the morning & only having the things you thanked God for yesterday. (S. Peters))
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission

Sadly, they did not. We have worked with his gentleman and his family for years, so he gave us a really decent offer. We offered to pay in cash, and he accepted. When we handed him the cash, he said, you know, this is going straight into the night deposit slot!

I think going forward he will probably have to recoup some of his losses on this one. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame him. It wasn’t our fault, and it wasn’t his fault. It was just one of those things that happen. Normally, if another company had done this much damage to our lawn, I would be upset, but with these guys, I just can’t be. It will take us some time to recover the grass, but with time, it will be okay.

I think the idea of a fragrance garden is a good idea! Thank you for that idea! So much needs to change over there now, but I like that fragrances can help you be meditative and relaxed, which was the point of the old garden. It was full of native wildflowers, mostly because there were so many hickory nuts dropping in the soil that whatever was there HAD to get along with those nuts.

It was a lovely sitting area. The one thing about this that works for me is that sometimes you need to make a change. I tend to get stuck in my old ways. This is forcing me to rethink the design of the area.

I try to make my yard a bit like a country Victorian garden, since our house is Victorian style, and a little bit like a botanical garden. And a little bit rural and woodsy. LOL. I want a bit of everything, don’t I?


449 posted on 07/16/2025 8:21:56 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

I hope that works!

We have a portable generator because where we are, there are so many mature trees, a branch or two is bound to fall on a power line with any storm that comes through.

Stay safe!


450 posted on 07/16/2025 8:24:41 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: Pete from Shawnee Mission

Power back on - yay! They beat their estimated time by about an hour.


451 posted on 07/16/2025 8:38:59 PM PDT by Qiviut (Imagine waking up in the morning & only having the things you thanked God for yesterday. (S. Peters))
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To: Qiviut

Good deal!


452 posted on 07/16/2025 8:50:42 PM PDT by Pete from Shawnee Mission ( )
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To: All

Oreo Mousse Cake
So simple to put together, tastes as decadent as fancy restaurant desserts. Have fun garnishing it as you like, using crushed or whole Oreos, additional whipped cream rosettes or chocolate shavings. . Can you make Oreo mousse cake ahead of time? Oreo mousse cake tastes best when it's served within 1 to 2 days. Since you can make it ahead, it's great for parties.

Ingredients for 16 servings 1 package (14.3 ounces) Oreo cookies, crushed 1/3 cup butter, melted 8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped 3 cups heavy whipping cream 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar Additional whole or crushed Oreos, optional

Directions Crust mix 2 cups crushed cookies and butter. Press onto bottom of a greased 9-in. springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Mousse: Pour 1/2 c heated h/cream over chocolate to melt; stir smooth. Cool to room temp. In 2nd bowl, beat cream and confectioners' sugar to stiff peaks; fold 4 cups into cooled chocolate. Spread over crust. Spread remaining whipped cream over top. Cover/chill to set, about 3 hours. Garnish with additional Oreos.

453 posted on 07/17/2025 12:36:26 AM PDT by Liz (')
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To: Pollard; All

Heweeyy-golly. Wifey still wants to go camping, and the humidity is going to be awful. Next week it gets even worse, with dewpoints around 78 deg. F, and the heat index is going to be brutal. Maybe as high as 115 deg. F.

Hopefully this won’t do in either me or the garden. I’ll try to be careful with both...


454 posted on 07/17/2025 2:32:53 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: FamiliarFace

I stumbled across it while looking for a tomato issue that they give mention to for July and also have a link to a page with fuller info.

Environmental (Abiotic) Problems of Tomatoes

https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/help-for-the-home-gardener/advice-tips-resources/insects-pests-and-problems/environmental/environmental-abiotic-problems-of-tomatoes

(I don’t think I’ve ever seen a url that long that wasn’t because of a bunch of tracking code added on the end. (6 folders deep on server))

I have blotchy ripening with yellow spots and also have internal whitening, in my case, a white ring not far under the skin. A similar form is under ripening on the shoulders along with the white inside.

One cause is low potassium which I doubt is the case here since I used goat manure which is mild and the highest of the NPK is K. Other causes are all weather related, too dry, too wet, too hot, too humid.

Got 2 out of 8 tomatoes that are fine. Solid red inside and out. My soil was saturated for a while even though it’s under a tunnel roof. It seeped in sideways. Then before I mulched, my bare soil was 98 degrees and direct sown bean/melon/cuke seeds wouldn’t germinate. Mulching fixed that.

Sparse foliage allowing too much sun OR overcrowded foliage can cause issues too. I need to do a little pruning because I planted them too close together but I’m pretty sure the problem is/was heat, humidity, too much cloud cover with all the rain, and at one time, saturated soil and after that, hot temps with 98 degree soil.

The weather has gotten a bit more normal which probably gave me the two good tomatoes. Prune them up a little and hope is doesn’t get weird again and with indeterminate, I should still get a bunch of normal maters.

My taste test and opinion of Rutger’s changed with a solid red fruit. Still thick skinned but not as tough and all else was better. Still seems better as a sauce tomato but determinate makes more sense for that. Then again, 3-4 processing sessions might be more desirable than one huge session. Once a Month Cooking.

Solutions to Environmental (Abiotic) Problems of Tomatoes? Make sure potassium is good in this case but in general, “buy resistant varieties” but there are no official/scientific names like Fusarium Wilt etc so you have to look for things like “can handle the heat”.

Might start looking at regional varieties like Arkansas Traveler, Amish Paste, Ozark Pink. Could look at MO Extension for varieties but then you end up with 100% commercial F1 varieties with names like H723-A.


455 posted on 07/17/2025 3:45:06 AM PDT by Pollard (rain gauge, yes | rain, no)
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To: Qiviut

My co-op has an app like that but at some point, they quit listing the ETA for repair. Now it’s just, yeah, we know. We’ll get to it when we get to it.

Same thing happens here too. Rain stops, wind dies down and then electric goes out. I think it’s bad/rotten trees that get saturated with the rain and can’t handle all the weight so down they go on a power line.

Rural life. It’s not like someone calls them and says there’s a power line down on Oak Lane. There are 100s of 1000s of miles of power line running across pasture and through forest in flyover country and here, hill country ta boot. I don’t envy the linemen.

I’m at the edge of the county in a sparsely populated area so I’m not their top priority.


456 posted on 07/17/2025 3:56:31 AM PDT by Pollard (rain gauge, yes | rain, no)
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To: Paul R.

Hopefully there’s some body of water where you’re camping that you can cool off in?


457 posted on 07/17/2025 3:59:04 AM PDT by Pollard (rain gauge, yes | rain, no)
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To: Pollard

We had an outage a couple of weeks ago on a Monday morning, heard a “boom” and everything was out. I reported we were out on the app & when it came up, we were the only ONE. Ruh roh. I kept hoping more folks would show up, but it was just us. I kept waiting for the app to show ‘investigating’ or something like that, but nothing. At 40 minutes, I had made up my mind to try to call them when our phone rang - it was our area code & just showed a nearby town. When I answered, a lady said she was an engineer with our co-op - she’d been waiting 30 minutes for our meter to ‘clear’ i.e. it wasn’t a house issue, it was their issue since the meter was getting no current. She asked me to go look at the meter & tell her what I saw - meter was blank, showing nothing. Her response was “crew on the way!” Within 30 minutes, a big ol’ electric company bucket truck was coming up the driveway. The older guy on the crew said he knew ‘exactly’ where we were & predicted a squirrel had tripped the transformer to our house. Evidently, until some nearby hickory trees were removed by the former owner, squirrels tripped it all the time. It turned out it was a crow who had fried itself on the transformer. Power was back on in 15 minutes. I was really impressed with the service.


458 posted on 07/17/2025 4:33:51 AM PDT by Qiviut (Imagine waking up in the morning & only having the things you thanked God for yesterday. (S. Peters))
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To: Pete from Shawnee Mission
an excellent rosemary sourdough loaf (3 days fermenting before bake) and we had that, the tomato, and basil for lunch and dinner

The first two years we lived in MO were those heat wave years about 13 years ago with the second year being 105 - 110 for several weeks. It ended up that I found a two story house to tear down in exchange for me getting the wood so we got a 14' camper and moved to that house and spent the Summer tearing it down. AC in camper was useless until about 8pm and then would make it bearable for sleeping. We started at 6am and spent days under a carport after 1pm when it got too hot.

My wife and I ended up eating cherry tomatoes and seasoned Italian or French bread from walmart every single lunch for weeks. It was the only thing remotely appetizing to us. Too hot to eat anything heavier. Tomatoes were salted of course to replenish what we had sweated out and water was our beverage.

I threw out most of the weather injured Rutger's yesterday but ate the whole good one - with salt.

It's 6:30 now so I'm heading outdoors while it's cool. Been hanging out indoors for too long in the mornings. Guess I forgot the old hot weather working rules. I have another good tomato, salt and croissants that need nothing extra on them to eat and have plenty of Nestle Pure Life water so there's all morning beverage and lunch.

459 posted on 07/17/2025 4:38:07 AM PDT by Pollard (rain gauge, yes | rain, no)
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To: Qiviut
You knew they were going to cause some kind of issues. Didn't know they'd be taking out utilities.


460 posted on 07/17/2025 4:42:59 AM PDT by Pollard (rain gauge, yes | rain, no)
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