The Garden Thread - February, 2026

February 1, 2026 | 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.

[Paul R.]

With the crappy clay soils we have here, I’ve been gradually shifting to more container gardening myself...

[Texas resident]

I live in an area where the soil is great for pine trees but not much else.
Been container gardening for 20+ years.

[Qiviut]

Oh boy, “trouble” in homesteading land. One of my niece’s goats had a doeling yesterday & the mom (first kid), while she had no trouble delivering it, won’t ‘mother’ it. She has let the kid nurse if she’s held, but when loose, runs away from it & if she can’t run away, she butts it. After trying & trying, it was decided to pull the kid & bottle raise it. It did get to nurse a couple of times during the “trying” phase, but my niece can’t be holding the mom all the time & the kid will get hurt with the repeated butting. After many baby goats being born on their homestead, this is the first time they’ve had this non-mothering/rejection issue.

My great-niece, who is 7, wants to take on the job of bottle feeding this absolutely adorable doeling. She’s currently residing in the bathtub - perfect ‘pen’ for now. I think she’s a Nubian (doe)/Nigerian (buck) cross so she’s pretty small. As I said, she is the cutest baby goat! My great-niece has a way with animals (like her mom) & I suspect this little doeling will end up being a beloved ‘pet’.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We went from 56 degrees down to 26 degrees overnight! Snow starting in an hour or so and then snowing until tonight, but only 1-3" so very light and do-able.

Mom and I are up and having coffee, then she may or may not be hitting the road for expected company, though the friend is coming from the north where more snow is expected, so she may not drive down.

All members of THE ZOO are still alive so, so far, so good! Mom was a great help, yesterday. Ithaca is still Over-The-Moon in love with her! They're so CUTE together. I have not heard from Beau, so I'll just assume he's fallen for a Mama Black Bear and decided to den up with her and her cubs for the remainder of the winter. ;)

Have a Good Day, Everyone! Think WARM THOUGHTS!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Boy, that’s time consuming!

We had the three puppies from the last litter than needed to be fed every two hours for three days while Mama Taylor was having the rest of the pups via c-section. (Two were stuck in the birth canal - all survived).

I was never so HAPPY to see Taylor again in my life, to take back over for us. She was a trooper and a much better Mama than I ever would’ve thought.

[FamiliarFace]

Baby goats are the cutest little things, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it does become a family pet (for its safety). ;-)

[metmom]

Spring looks like it’s finally here.

It’s going to regularly be above freezing during the day.

I started my onions, and Tues planted some lettuce, cabbage, and bok choy and they’re up already!!!!

I’m not sure what I’ll get from them this early, but in another 2-3 weeks I’ll do another planting.

[MomwithHope]

Nice, thanks! That name Jay Sekulow rings a distant bell.

[FamiliarFace]

I’m thinking warm thoughts. I’m a day behind you in the fall in temps. It won’t get cool enough here for snow, but we should get rain in a couple of days. Plus we can build a few more days of cozy fires, but it’s beginning to feel like Spring is right around the corner. Since I got my errands done yesterday, I am free to check out the yard and meditation garden and see if anything is beginning to pop up. I planted a lot of tulips in there last fall.

Hubby has been with his mom the last few days. He’ll get back tomorrow afternoon, God willing. I’ve kept myself busy, and Thursday night I binge-watched “Fixer Upper” where the Gaines family took on a new Colorado home to remodel. A big project and really interesting to see the choices when money is no object.

[FamiliarFace]

He’s a lawyer, isn’t he? Guess he plays music, too.

[Qiviut]

Yes, it will be very time consuming. My niece home schools so both great-nieces will be around - the older one will be 10 shortly & I am sure she will pitch in and help her younger sister. Here's a pic ... you can see how small the doeling is in relation to my great-niece's arm/hand.

[AFB-XYZ]

Think WARM THOUGHTS!

Uh-oh . . . I'm almost afraid to say this. It's predicted to be around 80°F here in OK today!

Not that I mind the warmth, but it's WAY too early to be in the 80s in OK on the last day of Feb.

[PGalt]

Good Morning! Mild weather yesterday and today here in SE lower Michigan. Headed back down below freezing for tomorrow, then after that up, up, up.

[WhoisAlanGreenspan?]

I've got a bunch of seedlings started in my new basement grow room. Anxiously waiting to see if my parsnips are going to grow. I've heard they can be stubborn and problematic so in case anyone is curious:
Seeds (from migardener.com) placed in snack sized ziplock bags with wet paper towel.
About 10 days showed stems and planted in soil. Potting mix in toilet paper rolls.
After five days nothing, but staying patient.

My wife and I love parsnips. Last week I made a chef's salad, all the typical stuff; shrimp, hard boiled eggs, but I added some shaved parsnips (potato peeler) that I fried with onions and butter, not long enough to get browned but softened. The sweetness added eliminated any thought of using salad dressing. I'll be adding this to salads from now on!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“A big project and really interesting to see the choices when money is no object.”

My favorite magazine, ‘MaryJanes Farm’ has stopped publishing, and they’re sending me ‘Magnolia’ mag to finish out my subscription.

It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, LOL! And, you’re right - money is NO object for any of their clients!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Awe! So cute! She’s puppy-sized. :)

My mutts are out in the snow right now. It’s snowing harder but only sticking on the grass.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I’m going to tuck in onions wherever I have a spot this season. I’m going to buy ‘Candy’ starts. Yummy! Not the best keeper, but I’ll chop and freeze a bunch.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That IS way too warm this early! Snowing on me in earnest, now but only sticking to the grass, so it’s all good...so far, LOL!

[FamiliarFace]

You’re gonna love this! My DIL just sent an audio text from my almost 5 year old grandson. We will be going out to SF in a couple of weeks to celebrate his birthday.

Anyway, his message said, “I want to say two things. How do you grow your shishito peppers, and can you teach me how to grow shishito peppers when you come for my birthday?” 🥰

I responded and told him that yes, we would try. If we can find some starter plants that would be ideal. I told him I’d also bring him some seeds, and we can see if we can get them to grow.

So a budding gardener, y’all! 😍

I hope to find some Bonnie plants out there when we go. Our garden centers have nothing right now, but maybe there are some out there. If not, we can try growing from seed.

[FamiliarFace]

Oh sooo cute!