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The Garden Thread - February, 2026
February 1, 2026 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

Posted on 01/31/2026 6:26:44 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.


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: food; garden; gardening; hobbies
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To: FRiends

It’s still Casserole (Hot Dish) Weather! The ‘Verde Chicken Enchilada Casserole’ looks good to me. I made a ‘Pasta Bake’ a few weeks back which really hits the spot after snow shoveling. :)

5 Home-Cooked Casseroles that Feel Like a Hug in Food Form

https://www.countryliving.com/food-drinks/a70205390/casseroles-to-make-in-february/


101 posted on 02/04/2026 6:37:40 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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102 posted on 02/04/2026 6:38:46 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Two of the casseroles don’t have cheese & I can get around anything like sour cream/half & half. I love casseroles. Winter weather is soup & casserole weather for sure.

Still vertical after yesterday. My trapezius muscle was very sore last night - I could feel it when I took a deep breath & that’s the same situation this morning. I tried to use my arms more than my back to pick up the snowcrete chunks/blocks & that’s why the trapezius is so sore.

Cloudy & colder today, but no snow overnight- yay!


103 posted on 02/04/2026 7:27:33 AM PST by Qiviut (A Mighty Fortress: “...the body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever")
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Thank you due the info!


104 posted on 02/04/2026 8:19:15 AM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (To you all, my loyal spell checkers....nothing but prospect and admiral nation.)
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To: Pollard

Thank you!


105 posted on 02/04/2026 8:20:20 AM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (To you all, my loyal spell checkers....nothing but prospect and admiral nation.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Thanks for the knowledge


106 posted on 02/04/2026 8:21:47 AM PST by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (To you all, my loyal spell checkers....nothing but prospect and admiral nation.)
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To: FRiends

*Just use a made up last name.

My Heirloom Tomato name is: 'Grandma Jenning's Double Traveler.'

107 posted on 02/04/2026 9:57:58 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: All

Crescent Roll Breakfast Hot Dish
Everything you like for breakfast, cream cheese, crescent rolls, baked w/ eggs, ham, cheese.

Ing 2-8oz cans crescent rolls 4 oz cr/cheese 6 lge eggs 1 c whole milk 2 c shredded colby jack and
cheddar 6-8 oz ham cubes 1-2 whole minced jalapeño deseeded 2 tsp freeze-dried parsley, sea s/p/

Method: Lightly butter 9x13 b/dish. Cut crescent rolls at perforations. Spread cr/cheese dollop on each triangle. Then rollup. Place evenly in dish, 2 columns of 8 rolls each. Now beat eggs and milk. Mix in shredded cheese, ham, jalapeño, parsley, s/p; will be chunky. Pour over crescent rolls evenly. W/ fork, gently distribute ing to edges; should just about cover rolls; some roll tops will be poking out. Bake 375 deg in middle oven rack 30-40 min; cook thru; will be puffy and golden brown. If browning too quickly, foil over. Serve hot.

108 posted on 02/04/2026 2:00:40 PM PST by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I needed this info yesterday! Oh well, it will come in handy for the next time! Thank you! :)


109 posted on 02/04/2026 5:44:52 PM PST 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 you will feel better soon!

This is the time for comfort food, that’s for sure!


110 posted on 02/04/2026 6:04:15 PM PST 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

Just sore muscles which are worth it for having a dry, safe asphalt path to the car. By Friday, I should be back to normal.


111 posted on 02/04/2026 7:43:55 PM PST by Qiviut (A Mighty Fortress: “...the body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever")
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To: Qiviut; Diana in Wisconsin; MomwithHope

Well, it’s February in the Midwest, and you’ll never guess, but my brother from Florida is in Indy for a couple of days with a convention. He isn’t staying with us this time, but chose to be near the venue instead. Probably a good idea, because he’s not liking our temperatures.

He called to say he’s totally freezing when outdoors, and wonders why anyone goes outside here at all. He told us that it’s the coldest he’s ever been, and this is what he thinks Antarctica would be like. I have been affirmed!

We will see him and his right hand man tomorrow night. The boys will go Indy Go kart racing (indoor track). I will watch and cheer them on! After the racing, we will go have dinner and then take them back to their hotel.

It’s a short visit, but it will be fun to see him. He’s just a little older than me, and was my hero as a kid. I was the annoying little sister who tagged along as often as I was allowed.

I am grateful that he’s in my life.


112 posted on 02/04/2026 9:09:32 PM PST 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

Magical Bulls Heart


113 posted on 02/05/2026 4:48:40 AM PST by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: MomwithHope

Is that your Heirloom Tomato name, or did you find another tomato for me to try? ;)


114 posted on 02/05/2026 4:55:46 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: FamiliarFace

I had to laugh at the ‘Antarctica’ comment. He’s not wrong because the Polar Vortex has been pumping Arctic air into the US for a couple of weeks now. My youngest brother used to live an hour north of us & he keeps saying ‘I told you it would be cold’ ... it’s colder here than our Old House by 5-10 degrees which doesn’t sound like much, but it makes a difference. Average snowfall here is 16” and at the Old House it’s 10” and most years, we didn’t get much at all. Little bro has been living on the coast for some years now and the climate is actually ‘subtropic’ ... he likes to remind me of that when his garden is going great guns & I haven’t been able to plant yet, or we’re freezing with snow & he’s able to get on the beach with much warmer weather.

Anyway, we are going to be very cold again with snow squalls Friday, then highs just in the 20’s for the weekend. After Monday, there is a warming trend as the Polar Vortex retreats toward Siberia. My favorite non-TV professional weather met says this weekend will be the last of the really cold Arctic temps - I hope he’s right!

In the meanwhile, back in Florida, the cold snap has cold-stunned iguanas dropping out of trees! The FL wildlife folks are asking people to turn them in - they’re invasive and this is a good way to get rid of a lot of them .... they’re humanely euthanized.

As “frozen” iguanas rain down in Florida, wildlife officials say: Don’t just film them — turn them in
https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/frozen-iguanas-fwc-disposal-sites-cold-weather/


115 posted on 02/05/2026 4:56:01 AM PST by Qiviut (A Mighty Fortress: “...the body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever")
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Heirloom, left out the age and last name.


116 posted on 02/05/2026 5:11:13 AM PST by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: Liz

Oh, that looks really good! I have ‘The Big Book of More Baking with Refrigerated Dough’ cookbook from Pillsbury. ($1.29 at Trift!)

Highly recommended, especially for appetizers. :) It’s in my stack of 40 books to go through (still!) this winter and cull the herd! I will donate the ones I don’t want to my library book sale.


117 posted on 02/05/2026 5:25:04 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Qiviut

Snowfall average here is around 28-30”. The first year we moved we had 60”. A snow blower was hubby’s Christmas present the next year, and he has made good use of it ever since. I still use the shovel for when it’s not so much at one time, but when you get more than 3” in an overnight, it gets too heavy for me to use. Out comes the snowblower.

A subtropic climate sometimes sounds lovely. Does it get very hot there in the summer? 5-10 is a big difference. When we first moved to Ohio, I thought 5 degrees would be fine, but it was quite the adjustment for me!

Those “frozen” iguanas are interesting. Scoop em up and get rid of them!


118 posted on 02/05/2026 6:03:24 AM PST 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

Since my little bro’s subtropical clime is along the coast, he gets some ocean breezes, but it does get hot. His garden still does very well - quite ‘lush’ actually. He has more than he/wife can eat so gives produce away to the neighbors. He will freeze some things, but doesn’t do any canning.

One thing we noticed when we moved here ... the folks really do know how to dress for the weather. Even the Walmart was carrying much heavier clothing than we saw at the Old House Walmart. At the Old House, I could make it through the winter with a flannel shirt over a T-shirt & a fleece jacket. That combo doesn’t work here! I have doubled up fleece jackets, but that’s a bit bulky. I did go to the Farm Bureau last year & bought a super heavy work jacket that not Carhart, but similar. It has kept me warm during the Arctic temps, but the outer fabric is ‘stiff’ & the hood isn’t detachable, which I found out I don’t like. I already had knee-high neoprene boots & just bought some ankle high neoprenes so I can keep my feet dry/warm in the snow.

The neighbor (JW) who plowed the bottom of the driveway (all the snowplow stuff that was piled up) told me the former owner of our house had a snow blower. JW said he “hated” that thing because the owner would always call and wanted help with it. JW said he felt like it took half a day to do 18” with it, an exaggeration, but he really did not like that snowblower! He also said he and his son went by his church & they were trying to use a snowblower to clear walks, etc., but with the ‘snowcrete’, someone had to go ahead & break it up for the snowblower to work. JW told his son to “just start shoveling”. I can recall some icy ‘crusts’ at the Old House, but nothing as thick and lasting as long (those Arctic temps!) as what we still have.

Currently, 4 of my 6 boxwoods are 3/4 covered with snowcrete/snow. 2 are totally covered. My 4 Lenten Rose plants are totally covered - out of sight! I am leaving things as they are because the snow is insulating - hopefully, when we got down to low single digits last week (1° at least once), the snow kept the plants from getting killed. One good thing about the snow, this area has had drought conditions the last 2 summers & the melting snow should help replenish the ground water levels, which are low.


119 posted on 02/05/2026 6:32:51 AM PST by Qiviut (A Mighty Fortress: “...the body they may kill. God’s truth abideth still. His kingdom is forever")
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

‘The Big Book of More Baking with Refrigerated Dough’ from Pillsbury.


I “desperately need” that book......grin.


120 posted on 02/05/2026 6:42:03 AM PST by Liz (Jonathan Swift: Government without the consent of the governed is the very definition of slavery.)
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