The Garden Thread - October, 2025

October 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.

[left that other site]

I’ve only had six doggies, but they have been of different breeds:
A Samoyed
A Maltese
A Border Collie
A Lab/Chow mix
A brindle American Staff
A Blue heeler

Every one of them had a different personality!

The Border Collie was a real Houdini though. She disconnected the Electric Fence before sho burrowed under it.

[FamiliarFace]

He’s so sweet! What a lump of love right there!

[goodnesswins]

Thanks for that...I have huge green beanshanging on an arbor. I was bemoaning that I did not pick them early enough.

[Liz]

Glazed Salmon W/ Honey Mustard Brown Sugar Crust

Ing---4-6 oz salmon fillets, K/salt/pepper 1-1 1/4 cup dk br/sugar 1/4-1/3 c Dijon honey mustard

Prep--Remove skin; rinse fillets; check for bones; Pat dry. Cook--apply K/salt/pepper liberally; rub in on all sides. Crumble br/sugar on plate to disperse lumps. Brush mustard all over salmon; then coat w/ br/sugar. Grill on direct heat (3-5 min); turn once. Check doneness w/ fork; should flake. Let rest several minutes. Serve w/ fave veggies or salad.

[Liz]

BROCCOLI CASSEROLE w/ Cheese Sauce
Nice Thanksgiving side; would go wonderfully w/ the Swordfish or salmon dishes seen above.

Ing-- 1 lb broccoli crowns 3 tbl Parm, 2 tbl unsalted butter 1 tbl evoo 2 minced gar/cl 1/2 c Italian bread crumbs (or use crushed Ritz) 1/2 tsp paprika 3 tbl fresh parsley, minced

Steam or briefly boil broccoli 5 min (not quite tender). Plunge into cold water to stop cooking---broccoli should be bright green and retain a crisp crunch. In 2 1/2 quart casserole, melt butter and olive oil in microwave with minced garlic til butter has melted and garlic is sizzling. Toss bread crumbs w/ melted butter mixture to coat; stir in parsley. Scoop most of bread crumb mixture onto wax paper, and set aside (some bread crumbs may remain in casserole). Cover bottom w/ steamed broccoli. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle w/ buttered breadcrumbs or Ritz crumbs. Top with grated Parm. Sprinkle w/ paprika for extra color and piquant flavor. Brown on the top third shelf 350 deg 15 min til nicely golden.

Sauce: 1 c milk or cream 1/2 tsp salt 2 tb butter 2 tb flour 1 egg yolk 1/2 c Gruyere or sharp Cheddar 1/2 tsp Coleman's Mustard

Micro/melt butter; whisk in flour and when blended, slowly stir in milk. Heat 3-5 min, stirring til mixture thickens. Beat a few tablespoons of the hot liquid into 1 egg yolk; then transfer the egg yolk back into the sauce, whisking quickly. Add Gruyere or sharp Cheddar cheese and dry mustard. Micro 1-2 min til cheese has melted.

Vary--add 1/2 lb cold cooked chicken on bottom then proceed. Add Cooked elbow macaroni and sliced mushrooms before topping w/ sauce. save on clean-up and extra prep----make sauce in micro, but may also be made in a double boiler, as is done traditionally.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Border Collies are the Einsteins of dogs, for sure! I would never have the patience for one. And, the FACT that the DOG is smarter than ME would not sit well with me, either! ;)

I’m hoping I still have the time and energy for ONE more house dog. Another Basset Hound (I’ve had three) or a Chocolate Lab. I’ve had two Black Labs and a Yellow Lab, but I STILL want a Chocolate. ;)

What I’ll probably do is go to the Pound and take the oldest dog there and give him or her a nice ‘retirement’ out here on the farm. That’s kind of been my MO for the past decade, now. ;)

[left that other site]

Penny, the Pit-Bull was 6.5 yrs when I got her at the shelter. She lived another six years and was the best dog I ever had.

[Pollard]

I did honey mustard on salmon once and it was really good. Tried to duplicate it and failed because the first time I was just winging it and didn’t record what I did. Will have to try this.

[Liz]

I did honey mustard on salmon once and it was really good. Will have to try this.

---

Glad to hear it......plus this recipe has the added filip of the brown sugar glaze.

[MomwithHope]

Beautiful job on the mailbox.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Qiviut; That is an odd looking cow face but a nice pasture!

Thank you for these threads Diana!

Goodnight ladies!

[Qiviut]

Thanks! It should be a much safer situation than what we had before. I will put a note on the old now-empty post for the carrier first thing tomorrow. We had permission from the postmaster to move to the other side of the road, not sure she knows that.

[Qiviut]

Morning has Broken ...

Mornings here are so beautiful. We often get fog off the river (1/2 mile away) that creeps up across the pastures and yard. Some mornings are rose-colored if the sunrise has a lot of pink. A recent morning was foggy but the frosted pasture was sparkling like diamonds as the sun broke through. The cows are often black shadows, moving in the fog and mist. I try to be up for sunrise - the beauty is a spiritual start to the day for me.

A 'rose' morning.

Fog & frost - the trees kept frost out of the yard, but the pasture was sparkling. You can see one 'arm' of the beautiful old sycamore that is the signature tree in our front yard.

[FamiliarFace]

Stunning and so peaceful! Thank you for sharing!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

So pretty! We have the best Sunrises and Sunsets in the fall; I just love the angle of the light this time of year. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Augie]

Isn’t he handsome! Giving Howard a run for the Mascot Money, LOL!

Howard missed the final round at the beauty pageant Saturday night. He was asleep on my lap again.

Howard now gets free reign while we're working outside. He still has to wear the training collar when he's off-leash, but I don't often need to use it. He wore himself completely out on Saturday, and did the same on Sunday. He was so tired after his supper yesterday that he didn't ask to come indoors for couch time. Since we started the "let's see if he can be a house dog" experiment he will let me know when he's done eating so I can let him inside, but not last night. He got his belly full and passed right out. It's almost lunchtime now and he is STILL asleep in his new doghouse. That NEVER happens. He always wakes up when the rooster starts crowing but not today. lol

The rain predicted for Saturday didn't arrive until after the sun had set. Mrs. Augie and I spent most of the day chopping/dragging brush. All of the big chunks and most of the brush has been relocated to the sippy hole. We've got a couple spots that still have some brush to drag off but we're pretty much down to the yard rake stage of cleanup.

It rained most of the day yesterday (.4" in the gauge this morning), which kept me to doing mostly indoor (barn) chores. I've been chipping away at picking up/putting away/organizing things out there. I've got a couple shop projects coming up that are going to require some space to accomplish so I'm trying to get ahead of the mess before I start making another, bigger, one.

I've had a bucket of peppers fermenting in the summer kitchen for the last six weeks. I'd originally intended to let if ferment for a bit longer than that, but it was in the way of cleaning so I opened that up Saturday evening after we got done dragging brush. Added some granulated garlic, a bit of cumin, some onion salt, and two cups of vinegar to the mix then ran it through the food processor. After it was pureed I transferred it to a stock pot, brought it to a boil, then shut it down and let it cool overnight.

I bottled it up yesterday and put it in the bomb room until it's time to start wrapping Christmas gifts. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. It's nice and fruity with a good (but not too much) kick of heat that lingers just long enough to satisfy.

[Qiviut]

Made a major decision this morning. I am going to make cinnamon apples in the crockpot the way I always make them, let them cool & freeze. Per the recipe, they last 3 months in the freezer. No canning required!

I have one batch (8 large apples) in my small crockpot already which is what I usually use to make a batch for company. This will tell me how many quart jars I need (probably 2). I am going to put 2, maybe 3 batches in my large crockpot as soon as mom gets out of the kitchen (late lunch).

This will leave me with one peck bag of apples, maybe 15-16. Between eating & cobbler, we’ll likely use them up that way. Mom wants to go back to the orchard, probably this week - works for me!

I need cinnamon apples on hand, already made - everyone loves them. The holidays are coming up with lots of feasting & we just got a letter from some folks at our old church who want to visit :-)

[Paul R.]

Ugh. Yesterday was chilly and rainy, today has been chilly, drizzly, and misty. No fun trying to get anything done outside.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

And how DOES one get on your Christmas List? LOL! That hot sauce looks great!

So happy Howard is being a Good Boy. He has found his Humans, for sure. :)

I got a few more beds cleaned out today, but still waiting on straw for mulching. It’s still going to be warm for another few weeks (by ‘warm’ I mean in the 50’s & 60’s) and we’ve only had the one frost so far. Found a few ‘blushing’ paste tomatoes so brought those in to ripen - they’ll be good on supper salads.

Beau is off mowing for the neighbor - just a little more to do and he’s pretty much done for the season. His BIG project was a prairie mow for the local ‘Prairie Enthusiasts’ that have donated a chunk of land for nothing other than its beauty. I like those kind of people!

Our trip to Menard’s yesterday was successful. The new pressure tank was under $300 bucks, and it’s now finally ON HAND in the event that things go south. There is a new gauge on the old tank and he upgraded some other part, too, so I feel confident that I’ll have running water for me and all the critters while he is hunting Mule Deer in CO.

He also bought three huge, covered TUBS to use in organizing the garage. We shall see, but this is the FIRST hopeful sign I’ve seen that Mr. Pack Rat is taking my heart-felt pleading (NOT nagging!) seriously about the absolute MESS of Guy Junk he may be leaving behind for me in the future. I’m already older than I ever thought I’d be! I don’t want to be cleaning up his mess into perpetuity - and THAT is exactly how long it would take! Farmers. Can’t live with ‘em, can’t eat without ‘em, LOL!

Tomorrow is a Grocery Run, VA appointment on Wednesday - just my annual physical, “Lose some weight, exercise more, no Martinis on the weekend (Not!), watch your blood pressure...” Yes, Ma’am! ;)

Then some FUN stuff - Lunch and a movie with my BFFs on Friday and a big ‘coon hunt on Saturday night.

Livin’ La Vida Loca! :)