The Victory Garden Thread - March, 2026

March 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.

[Qiviut]

Interesting .... of all the recipes I looked at, none were ‘cooked’. I’d have to leave out the celery seeds - can’t stand them. Mom still has her well-worn pages-falling-out Betty Crocker cookbook. She got it for a wedding present & since she didn’t know how to cook, that was what she went by for years.

[Liz]

Spaghetti with Spinach Sauce
An indulgent pasta dish that’s quick and easy; a satisfying meal in just 15 minutes.

Ing 2 tbl olive oil 3 sliced gar/cl 6 oz fresh baby spinach s/p 1 lb spaghetti ½ c Parm

Method Cook heated olive oil and garlic to soften, but not quite brown. Add spinach; sauté til wilted. S/p. Blender spinach and garlic then add w/ 1/2 c cheese, 1/2 c pasta cooking water. Puree to a sauce (can add more pasta water). Add sauce back to pan; combine and heat thru, adding pasta water if needed. Serve sprinkled w/ grated cheese.

Chef Tips Work fast. Garlic burns easily, can add a little water before adding spinach.
Fresh spinach is good, but frozen works if thawed and squeezed of excess water.

[posterchild]

This is my first season trying to start seeds early indoors with a heating mat. Right now I just starting pepper seeds of various varieties.

My heating mat is much larger 20x48 inch than the 1 tray (10x20) i currently have. (I’ll add another one soon) The top surface of the dirt is at 90 degrees F and the unused parts of the mat can be as high as 109 deg F.

What is too high of a temp for my dirt surface for seed germination?

Do mats fail on the parts that are unused (only air sinking heat away) or are they durable and meant to be partially unused?

[Pollard]

When we were soon to get upgraded to fiber optic internet last year, I pulled the paneling off a short section of wall so they could run it. Pulled one piece off and there was a wasp nest about 15” in diameter full of live wasps. Luckily it was chilly in here so I slowly put the panel back and let it get cold in here one day and killed them. I found the hole on the outside wall where they got in and plugged it.

Probably not a bad idea to seek out their nests while it’s cool. My smoker is one spot they always make nests in. Peak up under everything.

Hopefully we’ll have more normal weather this year. Powdery Mildew and Flea Beetles were terrible. Cabbage worms were bad too but easy enough to deal with by hand.

Couple of days ago, I direct sowed a dozen of those eager Daikon radishes that outgrew everything else in trays. Then I read the Baker Creek seed packet. Last sentence said “Do not plant in Spring.” Meanwhile Baker Creek’s website says; “Japanese Minowase Daikon radishes are cool-season crops, best planted in early spring.” Third review is someone who grows them in Ctrl FL. So helpful.

I don’t need 2 foot long radishes and they would probably never get that long here. They’re 40-50 days so as long as I get them out by May, they should be fine. They tend to get pungent in warm weather. I might leave a couple in just to see how far they make it.

Going to do as much digging and forking as I can stand today. Soil was barely workable two days ago. Little on the wet side but did crumble, not clod. That’s under the tunnel roof, not outside which is probably too wet after yesterday’s 3/4” of rain.

The screened goat manure comes out of the drop spreader just fine. Compost, just shovel and rake.

Didn’t find my sling spreader until last night. It’s in the camper and half full of Sevin granules. Will have to pull it out and use up what’s left today. Camper is down near the shed and shop and it should be enough to take care of that area. I have a full bag for doing the loop around the house. Seen a few seed ticks already.

[Pollard]

Cutting Seed Potatoes from Dept of AG circa 1917 - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/FbQo2BSs47wkkyc

They mention Irish Cobbler LOL

[Pollard]

Some thing I didn’t include in my first file list. Most things like the mid 70s so 90 is kind of warm for most things. I don’t think it will hurt to have heat mat area uncovered. As long as you have a temp sensor in the seed mix and are using a controller to turn the mats on/off automatically.

Germination Table - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/HEwH37m9dN6k7ax
Germination Temperatures - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/5bWoxrjtLKGm3Qq
Days to Germinate by Temperature - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/wrybttZfEjHtFQA

Companion Planting - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/fmKrGg3tYLmHoNT
Companion Planting Chart - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/DCD2YtMtLAyrJHB
Companion Planting Info - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/WZmNipsJAKwpG4L
Companion Planting Guide - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/64pgCpw6WptGW4k

Link to the top folder, Agriculture, that contains Gardening folder and many other Ag related subjects - https://cloud.farmwp.com/index.php/s/LJCZKQEbCMBtG2b

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Pollard beat me to it! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I make Spinach or Kale Pesto depending upon what I have a lot of that season. It’s good stuff - great on Pasta, Pizza and Bruschetta.

[Liz]

Kale pesto ......say no more.......love it.

[posterchild]

Thanks for the wealth of resources! I’ll dig in later.

[MomwithHope]

I can post it tomorrow, no celery seeds. Just too bushed right now.

[Qiviut]

No problem - taking a break from the kitchen & it’s too cold to work outside so I’m knitting & watching basketball tournaments.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

A nice antique! The old lockable liquor cabinets are nice too! (I have neither!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

A good dish and thrifty too! (Sprinkle with a bit of red pepper flakes!)

[Paul R.]

I’m not sure what your forecast is for next Monday - Tuesday, but here a little east of you, I think those early “bugs” are gonna get their behinds frozen off. NWS is now saying 17 deg. F early next Tuesday morning.

Zinging the bugs is about the only good thing about it: The orchards and a lot of other stuff are going to have severe damage... :-(

[Paul R.]

Hopefully you don’t have too many problems from wind tonight! Even our local forecast mentioned your “Manitoba Mauler”!

[Liz]

Spaghetti in Spinach Sauce. A good dish and thrifty
too! (Sprinkle with a bit of red pepper flakes!)

---

Very definitely-——add red pepper flakes.
Maybe a drizzle of evoo?

[Liz]

Crispy Baked Zucchini Chips / a healthy munch

Ing 2 med zucchini 1–2 tbl ol/oil ½ tsp ea sea salt, gar/powder, smoked paprika, pepper to taste, Parm

Method Slice washed/fried zucchini into thin rounds about 1/8" thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Allow them to sit for about 10 min---salt will draw out water----then gently paper towel dry to soak up moisture. Toss zucchini slices with olive oil. Add s/p, garlic powder, smoked paprika. For an extra cheesy crunch, sprinkle in grated parm. Toss to coat. Bake on parchment lined b/sheet paper 250 deg about 1.5-2 hours, flipping halfway thru to ensure even crisping. At the 90-minute mark, check. They should be golden brown and crispy. If soft, bake a bit longer. Serve w/ fave dip.

Chef Notes Slice zucchini as evenly as possible. A mandoline slicer works great.
If slices vary in thickness, some will turn out too crispy while others stay soft or soggy.

[MomwithHope]

Zucchini is so versatile!

[metmom]

This might help......

KILL ALL Yellowjackets And Wasps For 1/2 Mile. Safe For Honey Bees!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XTSgRtcwh0&t=207s

This guy is hysterical and has some good, practical advice. We’re going to try this method as we have TONS of wasps around.