The Garden Thread - September, 2025

September 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.

[Uncle Miltie]

Foodie beard: -1.

[Qiviut]

Evidently not slow enough for my back. We have company tomorrow so today I mowed the whole place on Little Red. Clyde decided it was a fine time to have a bad starter. I was super sore from planting the Helleborus Saturday. Bouncing around on Red (not a smooth ride!) didn’t help. Toting the blower to clean off the driveway added to the overall soreness.

I’m trying to make food for tomorrow. Apples are cooked for cobbler. Walmart was out of the bagged Cole slaw mix so I had to buy cabbage & get out the food processor which is always a mess to clean up. Cole slaw is mixed, but clean up has not yet occurred - it’s going to be a struggle. I still have to make potato salad - that might have to wait ‘til morning. My back isn’t ‘out’, but it’s very unhappy. I’m also really sore between the shoulder blades - all the chopping hard dirt & lifting heavy stuff.

Getting Clyde fixed is going to be a problem. He won’t fit on my trailer unless I take off the mower deck. Even if I can get the deck off, I don’t know how I would get that heavy mower up the ramp because it won’t run. I looked at the console where the starter should be & I see how I can get it off. I am going to research changing out the starter with the goal of doing it myself & see where that takes me. Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

[Liz]

ASIAN BEEF & NOODLES / Fast and Easy
Swap shaved steak or thinly sliced beef or pork for ground beef.

Ing 1 1/4 lb ground beef 2-3 oz pkgs Oriental-flavored ramen noodles, separated 2 c frozen oriental vegetables 1/2 tsp freshly ground ginger 3 tbl green onion, in 1" pieces 1 med onion, chopped 1 tbl minced garlic, 1 tsp soy sauce 2 c beef broth or water hot pepper flakes or cayenne, to taste

Method----brown ground beef on med 8-10 min. Add garlic and onions after 5 min. Remove beef w/ slotted spoon; add seasoning packet from noodles. Place noodles in same skillet. Add vegetables (or use frozen broccoli or snow peas), 2 cups water or beef broth, soy sauce, ginger and seasoning packet. Btb; reduce heat, cover/simmer several minutes til done. Add beef to skillet, reheat 1-2 min.

======================================================

Variation: Swap ramen noodles and flavoring packet for leftover or pre-cooked pasta and one beef bouillon cube. Omit ginger and soy sauce. Add 8-12 oz can diced tomatoes, tomato soup, or tomato sauce to skillet after beef has browned; continue as above. Serve with micro-melted cheese, or sprinkle with grated Parm.

[Qiviut]

Survived the night i.e. got the slaw/food processor mess cleaned up, went to bed, & actually got some sleep! I feel like a semi-new person this morning.The potatoes are on to boil at 7:30 & I am cleaning the kitchen as I go.

The couple coming to visit are hiking in the mountains first, so I don’t expect them until mid-afternoon at the earliest. I plan on having an apple cobbler in the oven about that time - love the smell of cobbler baking. We have BBQ, slaw & potato salad & cobbler if they want to stay for dinner or just cobbler & ice cream if they only want a snack. I’m betting on dinner because the guy & mom will be talking up a blue streak & it won’t be a short visit.

I still have to trim, blow the rest of the driveway (ran out of battery last night) & shovel some mulch in a few places around the front walk.

Nature Report:
While mowing, I noticed quite a lot of deer poop around the big acorn tree at the front corner of the house. This is evidently a major ‘acorn year’, at least for this tree. I had taken a Helleborus out of the pot & was cutting roots before putting it in the freshly dug hole - in that short amount of time there were already 3 acorns in the hole. I got those acorns out - do not want oak trees growing with the Helleborus! When I peeled & cored apples for the cobbler last night, I put the scraps under the acorn tree ... some deer hit the jackpot & got a surprise treat!

Scared the dickens out of Dodger while mowing yesterday. He (or she) is not as mower tolerant as Bunbun who would have moved off a bit & kept on grazing. Dodger took off as if a pack of coyotes was on his tail .... something that could actually happen around here.

Potatoes are done - time to move on to the rest of the recipe. It’s a 2-stage ... a ‘dressing’ that goes on the warm potatoes to soak in, then a creamy dressing to finish it off. At a minimum, it will be tastier than Walmart’s!!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Girl! You need an OFF button, and you need to stop feeding every stray relative that shows up at your door. :)

Also, I know you won’t, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That’s easy enough! My, ‘World Famous Egg Drop Soup’ starts with chicken Ramen. ;)

[Liz]

The Asian Noodle dish is cheap, easy........and good. Cant beat that combo.

[Qiviut]

I’m good with the relatives- we don’t have that many (unfortunately). The thing is, mom has invited everyone from our old church to visit! Her Circle group (5 made the trip) has been, another couple & one lady.

Here’s the latest:
She invited the Seniors group from church for lunch & she’s friends with most of them. The President was supposed to get a date & rain date from the group, then run those dates by mom. She left out the “run these dates by mom” part. So mom gets the church newsletter via email on Saturday & sees the announcement that there will be a trip to our house for lunch on October 1.

It’s a good thing mom saw that notice! The date just happens to be ok - we have an appointment the 2nd & more company the 4th (2 sisters from church that mom used to sit next to). The group could have shown up on the 1st & mom might still be in her bathrobe & I’m in a dirty T-shirt & sweat pants, with no lunch available!

How many are coming? My guesstimate is between 10 & 20. I am making Cole slaw & baked beans .... if mom decides on bratwurst, I’ll do a side sauerkraut dish & I’ll make tea & lemonade. Everything else has to be bought & mom is making the brats. She might go for BBQ instead, but that could be pricey depending on the number of folks showing up for lunch.

Our old place was not conducive at all for company so it’s a joy (despite the work!) to have a beautiful, charming place for people to visit. Once the major projects are over (landscaping, tree removal, planting bushes, building & establishing raised beds, etc) it will be less of an ordeal to have folks visit because I won’t have to divide my time so much.

Latest project mom wants, btw .... replacing the slate step stone walkway from the patio to the driveway/shop with paving blocks. It will ‘only’ take 25 and they ‘only’ weigh 38 lbs. each. I told her it’s going to be a long while before I get that fine (if ever, frankly). Off to weedeat & blow leaves!

[Qiviut]

Fine = done.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Found this to be a pretty comprehensive list:

If I Could Only Stockpile 10 Foods

https://www.askaprepper.com/if-i-could-only-stockpile-10-foods/

Sauerkraut
Jerky
Beans (Dry & Canned)
Rice
Lard
Potato Flakes
Sugar
Tomato Paste
Powdered Milk
Powdered Eggs

(I would add Chocolate, Peanut Butter and Flour)

[Augie]

Mild weather this past week here in Central Missouri. Except for Thursday. Thursday a nasty squall line moved through just before race time and things got a *wee bit* blustery in the campground at Lucas Oil Speedway. Friday and Saturday the weather was perfect and we were able to enjoy two nights of great racing.

I came up with this idea for a camper decal and pitched it to my buddy Terry earlier in the summer. He owns a souvenir trailer that he takes to the tracks around here most weekends. He liked the decal idea and had some made up.

Howard hasn't been sufficiently domesticated for travel yet so he stayed home while everyone else went to the races. He wasn't very happy about being left behind but Booger enjoyed a few days without being drug around by the scruff.

I picked peppers and tomatoes before we left. Didn't make it out to the garden after we got home but there will certainly be more peppers and toms to pick after work today. I'd have gotten it done yesterday but another round of thunderstorms rolled through just about the time I got finished cleaning out the camper. So we went inside and relaxed instead of doing outdoor chores.

And speaking of the peppers... I took a dozen jalapenos and two dozen lunchbox peppers to the track to make poppers, AKA Atomic Buffalo Turds. The ones made from lunchbox peppers were super nice. The ones made from jalapenos were pure hellfire and brimstone - they tasted great going down but the burn after swallowing was darn near unbearable. The women folk wouldn't even try them after seeing their big strong men drooling and crying like little babies. It was pathetic. lol I was a little worried that I'd come home to raised beds with a bunch of dead baby plants, but got lucky with the mild temps. I've got a decent stand of kale/collards one one bed and semi-decent stand of rutabaga/turnips in the other. Need to get spinach seed in the ground in the next couple days.

[Qiviut]

I made “cowboy candy” one year - sliced jalapeños in vinegar & sugar. I loved the recipe because all I had to do for pepper prep work was slice the jalapenos. I gave a jar (8 oz) to my brother & my niece’s hubby who likes ‘hot’.

My brother called me to tell me how delicious they were (taco night), but after he got off the phone, he proceeded to eat the whole jar. My SIL said she thought she was going to have to take him to the ER - he had heartburn so bad, he thought he was having a heart attack, was lying on the sofa moaning & groaning. She tried all the remedies , even gave him some of her Prilosec. Eventually he recovered without a trip to the ER.

He & my SIL were visiting my niece when niece’s hubby told my brother to please tell me “ no more cowboy candy”. Evidently, he made the same mistake & ate the whole jar (yum yum, SO good!!) & suffered the consequences. He told my brother (too embarrassed to tell me personally) that he felt like “fire was shooting out of my butt and I think I got hemorrhoids!”

I must confess, I laughed, even though I know he had a painful experience. I have not made cowboy candy since.

[Augie]

Hey, Augie! Lefty wants to know if she can come over and teach Howard how to drive your Zero-Turn!

Look at her sitting up there like she bought that thing hereself! lol

Send her any time. I'm in favor of anything that reduces my chore load.

[Augie]

I like sweet/hot when it’s cayenne in dark chocolate. I’m not crazy at all about cowboy candy, though I absolutely love jalapeno jelly. That doesn’t really track, but there’s no accounting for taste, right?

And this wasn’t a case of “ate the whole jar”. This was ate one popper, thought “dang that was hot I need another one to be sure” and then barely being able to finish the 2nd one.

These things were evil. PURE. EVIL.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

'Lefty' was from the litter before this last batch I raised. She LOVED sitting on that mower for some unknown reason. None of the other dogs ever paid it any mind. Her sister 'Sunshine' (Sunny) has gone on to be the top Raccoon Dog in all of Minnesota - right out of the gate; Sunny wasn't even a year old!

Lefty ended up in TN, I believe; we've lost touch. I was raising her for someone else, anyway. The two males from that litter were less than worthless on both raccoon and black bear. They were re-homed to be family pets.

Beau tells me he's not too impressed with my little 'Blackfoot.' She'll tree if the bear is already UP the tree, but if it's on the ground, she runs back to Pa, LOL! She also lost her expensive tracking collar in 10 foot of water this week, so she's really not scoring any points, though Beau has PROMISED me that he WILL bring her back home to me. He'd better!

Got attached to Blackfoot as she came right out of the chute and I had to feed her every two hours 24/7 while Mama Taylor was having a C-section to get the rest of the puppies delivered. You kinda get close under those circumstances. ;)

I need to decide if she's gonna be 'my' dog. If she's any good on a Show Bench, she may get another lease on life. Girlfriend Hallie is currently winning ALL THE RIBBONS for her bench dog, Patsy. She's an English Hound - very pretty, though not as pretty as my Blackfoot! ;) Hallie has been bugging me to get into Bench Shows with her.

Oh, gawd! Yet ANOTHER project, LOL!

'Blackfoot' at about 10 weeks:

[Diana in Wisconsin]

On years that I make Cowboy Candy I grow a pepper called ‘Sweet Heat.’ It is perfect - not too hot, not too mild and good flavor all on it’s own.

https://www.totallytomato.com/product/T03088/64

[Paul R.]

WELL!!!

We got about 1/2” of rain last night. Some areas around us got more. It’s not a drought buster, but, with almost 3” more forecast for the next few days, it’s a good start.

What with us having just been “placed” in D3 drought last week, the soils can soak up quite a bit of intermittent rain before we become “soggy” again. I suppose that for the garden, this equates to “good drainage”, in a way.

The bad news is that a sizable chunk of a large (~18” dia. trunk) dying tree out by the east end of the garden, came down. I was planning on taking the whole thing down this fall, after the last of that part of the garden dies off, as that’s pretty much the only place it can go. Last night, undoubtedly helped by our thunderstorm, the biggest branch came down anyway, clipping several plants including my now monstrous Opo plant in a couple places, but, fortunately not clobbering the section where 3 of the fruits are growing. What with near ideal conditions the next few days (highs around 80 deg. F, lows around 65-70 deg. F, and occasional rains, the plants I think will recover - none got a direct hit, somehow...

I have some of the debris cleaned up already: Another hour should suffice. And, now I don’t have to worry about that branch clipping the fence when I take the rest of the tree down - Yay! Got a bit lucky, actually - a couple feet further west and the branch WOULD have both taken out the fence and really clobbered the Opo.

The fruits on the Opo continue to do well: Two are now 4” diameter and right at 17” long. That’s “harvestable”, but my plan is to monitor them and harvest right when they stop growing. With luck, that will be at 3 feet or more long.
Past that point where the fruit’s growth stops, the skin gets much tougher and you lose the volume with the seeds in it - sort of like cucumbers, etc. Of course, that last is “ok” if one wants to harvest some seeds.

I was driving home late last night between t’storms, and I don’t know which was “thicker”, the deer out, or the wet leaves completely covering the road in many places. Those wet leaves are really slippery - it was almost like driving on ice. I cut my speed by about half in those areas, so I got in pretty late. :-(

[Paul R.]

Haha - That was “only” Jalapeno’s. Sneaking in one or two of my Serrano’s would have been just plain malicious!

The Thai’s I grow for my wife are even hotter, but are tiny. One little 5/8” long pepper (with simmering) can set a 2 qt. bowl of - whatever you want to set on fire - on fire. I marvel that she can tolerate them.

Great pic of Howard!

[MomwithHope]

I am convinced - you are Superwoman!!