Posted on 12/01/2025 5:54:31 AM PST 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.
So today I made a batch of Nagi’s Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots:
https://www.recipetineats.com/brown-sugar-glazed-carrots/
My only issue is that instead of 25 minutes to roast, it took 50 minutes! The only thing I can figure is that my carrot pieces were too large. The 5 lb. bag of carrots had giant carrots - biggest I have ever seen. I cut the thick ends down to half, but next time will do quarters.
The carrots are delicious .... I took a few in to mom to taste test (she is in the middle of her Christmas cards project) & when I went back to get the plate, she told me the carrots were so good she ‘licked the plate’ LOL
I will definitely include them as a side dish for Wednesday, but will probably roast them the day before & reheat per Nagi’s instructions.
Re: Yellow thanksgiving cactus
I went to Jungs in Stoughton today to use up my Jungs Dollars, and I got a gold-peachy colored thanksgiving cactus, it was labeled Yellow, but to me it is more golden.
They were 25% off.
I repotted into clay, and it’s going to be so pretty next year. It has a few more buds still forming, had a few past-peak open flowers that I removed.
Also bought a 40% off amaryllis called Apricot Parfait, and potted it up in a clay pot.
Had to rearrange my over-crowded plant areas by the windows. 😅
My old favorite way is to steam, then roast in butter, some real maple syrup and chopped pecans.
Butter, maple syrup & pecans ... YUM!!! :-)
Sounds pretty - I keep meaning to hit that ‘new’ Jung’s Garden Center! Mom and I were going to visit it and have lunch at ‘Cheeser’s’ but it didn’t happen this summer. :(
Printed! I was going to bake a Butternut to go with our ‘Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions’ tonight, but I have carrots on hand, so will give your recipe a try.
If Mom licked the plate, you KNOW it’s good, LOL!
December Gardening Tips and To-do list by Planting Zone and Region
Zone 5a for me:
1. Protect Your Overwintered Crops
Do you have some crops in your garden you’re planning on overwintering? This is typical of root vegetables because the frost actually makes them sweeter over time.
If this is your plan, add row covers to the crops and insulate them with a thick layer of mulch or straw for added protection.
2. Be Festive
This month is an excellent time to prune your evergreen trees and shrubs, but don’t waste the clippings because they can be useful.
Instead, become festive and turn the clippings into a DIY garland. You can make your own natural evergreen garland.
3. Protect Your Trees
This time of year, the deer come out to play. It makes for a beautiful sight when you see deer against the fresh blanket of snow.
However, these same deer will wreak havoc to the trunks of your trees. Protect them with a layer of burlap around the trunks.
4. Check-Up Time for the Houseplants
So you’ve brought your houseplants indoors. They seem to be doing fine, but you don’t pay much attention to them aside from watering them.
Well, this month, give them a check-up. Take the time to see if they look sickly or if you see any signs of bugs. If you do, treat them accordingly.
https://morningchores.com/december-gardening-tips/
Herbs vs. Spices: What’s the Difference and Why Does it Matter for Gardeners?
As the author of the book Grow Your Own Spices, one of the questions I am often asked is “what’s the difference between herbs and spices?”
From a cook’s perspective, there are a lot of right answers to this question. We could probably spend an afternoon debating the finer points – and have a great time doing it! However, from a gardening perspective, there is a clear answer.
Herbs are the tender green leafy parts harvested from immature plants, used for culinary flavor or aroma. Spices, by contrast, are any parts of a mature plant harvested for culinary flavor enhancement and aromatic purposes.
Here’s why the distinction between herbs vs. spices matters in gardening.
Spices vs. Herbs
Herbs are quite straightforward to grow. You need to know the basics of when to plant and how to care for herbs. You also need to understand how to harvest tender leaves without taking too much so you don’t kill the plant. Still, that’s about the extent of what you need to know to grow herbs.
For spices, you must understand the same basic care requirements as are required to grow herbs. However, then you also need to know a whole lot about things like pollination, flowering, planting to time harvests in accordance to day length and soil temperature, senescence, nuanced specifics on when to harvest, curing, and more.
Also, for beginners, growing herbs is a wonderful low commitment way to get your feet wet by gardening. So, if you don’t have a lot of time to spend gardening and aren’t entirely sure if you are going to love it, then starting with herbs is ideal.
Spices are a longer-term commitment which means there’s more risk for things to go wrong. However, they are also the most wonderful teachers of advanced gardening skills if you really try to understand what they need as you raise them to maturity.
Growing and harvesting spices from mature plants can help you delve deeper into plant lifecycles to further hone your gardening expertise.
More at link: https://morningchores.com/herbs-vs-spices/
saved that for my puzzle program. Great picture
Crunchy Thai Peanut Salad
https://plantbasedonabudget.com/crunchy-salad-with-peanut-dressing/#wprm-recipe-container-18831
Just allow extra roasting time in the event your carrots are slow roasters like mine!
I gave mom some carrots from yesterday’s batch & they’re in the fridge. She came by a while ago smiling, to tell me she ate 2 carrots. She is eating one or two at a time as “treats’.
I now have a large tub of Roast ‘Beast’ spread. I didn’t add anything but some defatted juice from the crockpot. After taste testing, I added BBQ sauce. It doesn’t taste like BBQ, but added some sweetness & flavor depth.
I will tack on extra time for the carrots if needed. You’d think 425 degrees would do the trick, but I’ve come across some tough carrots, too. ;)
9 Excellent Hot Pepper Plants for Short Seasons or Cold Climates
Cultivating food in cold climates can be incredibly frustrating. The growing season is shorter than in other locales, and weather can be unpredictable. This combination is especially frustrating for people who love hot peppers!
Fortunately, there’s a workaround for this.
How Can You Grow Hot Peppers in Cold Climates?
Since spicy Capsicum varieties thrive in hot climates, plants often fail to thrive in USDA Zones 5 and below or in areas with cool or short summers.
The key is to grow cultivars that have been cultivated in similar conditions.
In all the gardening courses I’ve taken (and taught), a key factor for growing successfully is choosing plants that are suited to one’s local climate. The best option is to grow species that are native to that region. Alternatively, choose species that thrive in similar conditions.
Basically, if you live in Zones 3 or 4, choose plants that grow well in those Zones. These don’t need to be native to your area, however. Do some research to discover where these zones are located worldwide. Then find out which varieties have been cultivated there.
I’ll use my own property as an example here for the sake of ease. Currently, I’m in Zone 4b, in Quebec’s Laurentian mountains (Laurentides). My local climate is temperate, cool, and quite damp. It’s surrounded by woodlands, and the soil is fairly acidic and loamy.
Plants Thrive in Similar Growing Zones
When I began planning my garden, I found out that there are several other locations around the world with similar growing conditions.
In the USA, Zone 4 locations include most of the northern and middle states, down to Colorado and eastwards to New England. It also includes the southernmost tip of Alaska.
Globally, it includes parts of Sweden, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, North Korea, and parts of the Andes mountains in Argentina and Peru.
As such, I try to get seeds for cultivars that either originated in these locales or have been adapted to grow well there.
Alternatively, if you’re growing in an area with a short growing season, then you can also choose fast-maturing varieties. These will ripen earlier than their standard cousins, thus ensuring full maturity within the warm days you have available to you.
For best results, start your seeds indoors well ahead of time, as mentioned below.
https://morningchores.com/hot-peppers-for-cold-climates/
Their picks for cold climate hot peppers:
Black Hungarian
Aji Rico F1
Bulgarian Carrot
Aji Fantasy
Korean Dark Green
Black-Seeded Manzano
Orange Spice Jalapeno
Yellow Bumpy
Jimmy Nardello
Diana here: Of those above, I’ve grown the Jimmy Nardello - and the Bulgarian Carrot in Zone 4/5. Highly recommended. The Orange Spice Jalapeno appeals to me. I usually just need one Jalapeno plant per season, but that orange would make a pretty Pepper Jelly. I love how the article encourages you to look at other parts of the WORLD that have the same growing zone as you. There are SO many cultivars to try! :)
I might have that one saved, or a similar one. Saving it anyway.
Had a nice surprise this morning...my seed geraniums have germinated.
Woot!
😀
I like the Stoughton Jungs. I go there much more than when it was Stoughton Garden Center. Jungs is doing stuff right. Their Jungs Dollar program is good too.
🌷🌷🌷
The Orange Spice? Yeah, I want to try that one. Cutting back on peppers BIG TIME next season. They are dirt cheap by me all summer long and I don’t need that many for the Salsa and V-8 that I can.
This winter is a total re-vamp of what I’m growing and WHY. I plan on adding another 8x4 bed bed of Asparagus because - WHO doesn’t want that? And I miss having 40’ of the stuff that I had at my other farm.
I also want to expand the Strawberry bed - the only thing in the other end are Spring Bulbs and they can easily be moved or inter-planted with strawberries until Fall as they die back, then dug and planted elsewhere.
I REALLY have to do something about the garden that Beau built for me around the greenhouse - that’s going to be all Perennial grasses if I have my way. The roses are not doing as well there as I had hoped which makes no sense - they get full sun all day long, good mulch, plenty of water, EXPENSIVE fertilizer and bug & disease deterrent ‘goo’, etc.
Meh! It’s always something! :)
Geez those are some fancy hot pepper varieties, never heard of any of them!
😅
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