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.
Our snowblower is a Craftsman, but I don’t know which model. What I do know is that we got the same model as his sister on Long Island has. They had 3 properties to care for: their own home, her MIL’s home, and their business office.
We do not have a problem starting it up. It’s been a champ. I shovel if we only get a few inches at a time. Like I said, if more than 3” fall overnight, this bad boy snowblower makes it an easy job. We have a pretty long driveway (cement, not asphalt), and it handles it easily.
With Snowmaggedon Fern, we were able to help out a few neighbors who were stranded when their equipment wouldn’t work.
I’ll ask hubby if he remembers which model it is. It’s probably written somewhere on the machine, but I couldn’t find it. Worth every penny.
I don’t remember who was looking for bulk herbs, but here are a few recommendations. I have purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs before and MaryJane Butters (MaryJane’s Farm) recommends them as well.
4 Bulk Herb Wholesalers You Can Trust
‘Salad Season’ will be here before we know it!
Here are various ‘Salad Table’ ideas so you can grow salad greens just about anywhere you have a partial sun area.
16 DIY Salad Table Ideas to Get Fresh Salad With Little Garden Space
https://morningchores.com/salad-table/
I have a tall, long planter with a shelf beneath it. I use that as my ‘Salad Table’ and it works great. On seasons when I’m not raising puppies, I keep it on the porch right off of the kitchen. Easy Peasy. Works great for herbs, too.
It was me. I know there was a bulk spice website and thought the domain was bulkspice.com but AI can’t find any records to that effect so it must be something else. I have no idea as to the quality and just recently learned that some spices/herbs might not be the greatest. Only makes sense since many of them come from third world countries or places that aren’t worried about quality.
Thanks for the link. I think it was the Korean red pepper aka Gochugaru pepper I was looking for to make Kimchi and found a source for what’s supposed to be the best ground and ready to use from a Korean cooking site. I didn’t realize how big the package would be so I got two. I now have enough to make kimchi for years. LOL
Most Gochugaru is grown in China but this brand inspects, processes and packages them in Korea.
Ironically enough, I also found a Mother Earth article on how to grow your own Gochugaru for kimchi and it had a recommendation for seeds so I also have a packet of seeds. Will grow some this year and see how they do. If they do good,I’ll grow them every year and save seeds so when I finally run out of the ground Gochugaru, I’ll be able to grow, dry and grind my own.
https://www.motherearthnews.com/real-food/grow-korean-chili-peppers-zbcz1602/
Ah....the yin and the yang. Thread posted today about a man who ate unbaked dough from Walmart and is suing because it expanded in his stomach.
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4365638/posts
Sounds like you’re all set! :)
“...and is suing because it expanded in his stomach.”
OK. I laughed WAY TOO LOUD over that! I’m sure it was uncomfortable but still...LOL!
I thought only Watermelon seeds would grow in your tummy? That’s what my Mom told me. ;)
What Is Hügelkultur? Building the Ultimate Raised Bed
Hügelkultur (usually transliterated into English simply as “hugelkultur”) is a method of gardening that has been used for centuries in Eastern Europe and Germany, often as part of a broader permaculture system.
Hügelkultur is a centuries-old, traditional way of building a garden bed from rotten logs and plant debris. These mound shapes are created by marking out an area for a raised bed, clearing the land, and then heaping up woody material (ideally already partially rotted) topped with compost and soil.
Downed trees, fallen branches headed for the brush pile, and rough lumber can all be used. By essentially composting rotting wood, you can create a super-fertile, moisture-retaining garden bed.
These mounds can be 5 to 6 feet high. They are massive heaps of logs, branches, leaves, straw, cardboard, grass clippings, and manure or compost, mounded to be wider at the bottom than at the top. As the wood shrinks and breaks down, a hügelbed sinks; one that is 6 feet high, for example, will ultimately sink to about 2 feet after several years of decomposition and settling.
Step-By-Step on how to build and maintain one at the link:
https://www.almanac.com/what-hugelkultur-ultimate-raised-bed
Diana here: I did something similar when we added all of the raised beds to the garden area. Lined the bottom of the bed (4x8’ rectangle frame) with cardboard, then filled it with limbs and branches and sticks, etc. before the dirt and topped it with composted mule manure & straw bedding from the steers. Since I’ve topped each bed in the spring with a layer of straw for mulch, and that breaks down each season, I can literally use a SPOON to dig a planting hole - the soil is that enriched and loose. The beds hold a lot of moisture this way, too. Unless we are in a drought, I don’t have to water as much as I’ve had to with past garden beds I’ve had.
Highly recommended if you’re adding new beds or want to re-do and improve existing ones. :)
I remember being afraid of swallowing watermelon seeds when I was a kid. I guess I was told the same thing. But then, we had seed spitting contests to see who could make them go the furthest. I never won, but sure enjoyed joining in with my siblings and cousins.
Yes, but supposedly we will get above freezing for the first time in weeks! I say supposedly, because the weather app says we already are, but my thermometer just outside my window says “not yet!” Still hovering at 30, with a nice breeze.
For quick get-together, we took my brother and his right hand man out last evening. The boys went indoor go kart racing near the Indy 500 track in Speedway. What a thrill for the guys!
For those who don’t know, they have to have the track ventilated because of the cars, so when it’s 25 outside, it’s 25 in there, too! The guys wore their own coats and special gloves. It was still freezing in there. I took videos for them from the observation platform.
After racing, there was a game room with a restaurant with a bar attached. So we eagerly sat down to a table and ordered drinks and garlic knots to get us started. The food was casual but seemed homemade. It was delicious, just as if I had cooked it myself.
After dinner we played a round of duckpin bowling in the game room. What a fun evening!
I won’t get to see my brother again until June when we all hope to meet at the beach near Bradenton. That’s one of the struggles of living so far away from each other.
Next weekend, my two sisters and their husbands come for a long weekend, God willing. My older sister and her husband have had bad colds this winter, but I hope they are better enough to visit. Should be a good time.
Rallying the Troops! They’re making fun of our Gardening Obsessions over here! ;)
Be ‘Wisconsin Nice.’ Invite everyone to join our Garden Thread! ;)
https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/4365724/posts?page=3
I may or may not have $40 worth in my rareseeds cart.
LOL! I gave Beau instructions to stop me if I buy ONE more variety of tomato seeds this season...just to try!
He answered, ‘I’ve known you and your gardens for close to 40 years now. How, EXACTLY would one do that?’ LOL!
We were at Menard’s today. Didn’t buy any SEED, but I did buy more Jiffy plugs and that HUGEMONGOUS bag of Miracle Grow potting mix. ;)
It’s a sickness, but it keeps me out of the bars! And it’s cheaper to drink at home because THEN you have money leftover to buy more Garden Stuff! I’m thrifty that way! :)
Sounds like your time with your ‘favorite’ brother was a huge success. I love the kart racing. That was a HUGE thing where I lived as a kid.
I always find any food that I haven’t had to cook myself to be the best, LOL!
Don’t get me wrong. All my brothers are (were) great! My oldest brother, the BEST big brother in the world, passed away from CoVid BS in 2021. The middle brother and I have always been close, until a few years ago, when he decided to estrange himself from the rest of us. I’m not exactly sure why, but I have my suspicions.
This brother is the one closest to me in age. We are 16 months apart. He’s the only one I have a chance to see anymore, sadly. We make the most of what we have left. You never know when it’s your time. We are both in decent health, but yet, you never know.
We had leftovers from last night’s meal as appetizers tonight. Even better the day after!
I did good the other day. Was in the grocery store and saw the seed rack. Grabbed one, then another then a third and then stopped myself and put them all back. (but they’re organic) I’ll probably cut my rareseed cart in half before I order. I threw away a few unopened seed packets last year that were 7-8 years old with known viability being 2-3 years.
No more goats so I can plant thing outside of the tunnel now. Then I only have to worry about the rabbits, squirrels, deer and the neighbor’s new puppies. All totaled would do less damage than the goats though.
The puppies have huge feet so they’re going to be big dogs. I’ve been making friends with them, without feeding or snacks, just petting and trying to teach the male not to jump up on me. Evidently, that’s been enough attention that they were sitting in my driveway when I got home today. They figured out they can say Hi to me and a few minutes later the school bus goes by and drops off my neighbor’s kids so then they’ll go down and greet them.
Dang, just remembered, I’ve got tree/shrub seedlings to buy.
“Wisconsin Nice”
Last night my brother was telling me about “Iowa Nice” where they are pleasant to your face but say what they really think after you turn away.
I told him that’s just like Southerners who say “Bless your heart!” Y’all know what that means, right?
Anyway, he asked me about Indiana. Is “Indiana nice” the same as “Iowa nice”?
I told him no! They’re really not like that! They will tell you what you don’t want to hear to your face, and they don’t care if you don’t like it. Hoosiers really are straight shooters. And they’re nice, EVEN IFTHEY DISAGREE with you!!
I’ve not experienced this before in my life.
Yeah, all the everyday stuff I can get from the local Amish store. Just checked my turmeric from them.
4oz for $2.35
It’s in a short tupperware type container, good for spooning out. I do buy and save nice glass spice shaker bottles. Don’t have a lot but getting there. Just need to figure out a way to relabel them that’s cheap and looks decent.
That Gochugaru Korean red pepper is just some obscure stuff. Got plenty of ready to use coarse ground plus seeds. I really hope it grows good here.
We took out two HUGE trees in our back yard a few years ago. (Both were dead and wanted to fall on the house.) The grass has grown and the dirt has settled so this season we're going to add an 'Autumn Blaze' Maple and/or a Honey Locust to the back yard. If I have my way - probably both!
Not sure if they grow as far south as your place, but any of the Locust trees are great for songbirds - they have a lot of spines along their branches which deter egg-sucking raccoons and snakes from climbing them to steal eggs from songbird nests.
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