The Victory Garden Thread - April, 2026

April 1, 2026 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The MONTHLY Victory Garden 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 Victory Garden 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.

[Pollard]

Seed taters are in. Dug a trench just about as deep as a spade fork will go. Scraped a V in it with the new pointed hoe and laid the tubers in. Covered them with a little over an inch of soil, used the drop spreader to dust it with goat manure, spread an inch of compost on top, then watered with the drip soaker line. I really like that thing and will get more. Then I added another inch of soil and watered again.

I did straighten out those three up close to make a nice straight line. One Rodale book said 6" spacing and the other said 6-12" spacing so I eyeballed 9" spacing.

All the clumps broke up easily since the soil was at least somewhat moist. This spot was my garden several years ago and I ran my beds on contour which is about 45 degrees from these new tunnel beds. That makes these beds spotty between brown and brownish-yellow. Brownish-yellow is the native soil and I'm surprised several year old beds held their brown color from being amended so long ago but they did.

I got another picture but it turned out bad due to lighting and the angle I took it at. I had sowed 8 seeds of Daikon Radish a couple of weeks ago. I had all the automation stuff removed from down there so I had no way to keep it moist while I'm gone for 12 hours on work days so only 3 germinated. Didn't know about those until today.

I just bought little misters for 1/4" drip line and got to try them out today. Way too windy for mist but I turned them down and they put out small droplets in a small area, 2-3 foot. That's what I've been looking for and tried micro-sprinklers hoping they would do it but those tiny suckers can be in the middle of the 22 foot wide tunnel and reach both sides.

Really pleased with the misters. I'll be able to keep a single bed or part of a bed moist for direct sown seed. I also have it in my mind to have a seed starting area in the tunnel and would be able to top water trays until germination.

My skinny butt almost got blown over a few times today. When the misters were on full misting mode before I turned them down, I could feel it hitting me 20' away. Lately I'd been thinking I'm getting carried away with these automated sides but not after sitting out there for a few hours today, not so much. Crazy windy.

I went from bifold that hinge on the bottom, to looking at roll up sides until I noticed they take four minutes to roll up, to bifold that hinge on the top and raise up and now I'm back to hinge on the bottom and lower down. Full circle.

I watched those poor little Daikons getting whipped around. Had to put a piece of roofing against the tunnel for the misters to work at all and even then, set them off to the windward side a little. I can just see newly transplanted 8-12" pepper/mater plants getting smacked down by the wind.

When I was first thinking about this tunnel thing I talked to my neighbor buddy and wondered out loud why I don't see many around here. He gave me the obvious answer - "You see the few that do exist right? They're all torn apart." Good thing I'm crazy and stubborn.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Market gardening is a game to get into when you are young. A few years back I looked at the road stand and said that we just did not have the time. So she took over. And has done quite well.

She has a major advantage in that we own the land that she uses and it was decent farm land to start but she has also worked very hard.

[FamiliarFace]

16 ‘ tall tomato plant? That is impressive! How did you support it?

[Paul R.]

Good idea! I once used a big tote with a few bricks in the bottom for similar - but those don’t hold up well outdoors.

[Paul R.]

Ah, thanks!

[ansel12]

I nailed boards to the wall of my shack and eventually got on the roof and built a support, this was on the water in San Diego.

Where I live now I grow 9 foot plants, I use a discarded 8 foot wooden step ladder for that, for the shorter ones I sometimes put a second 54’ cage on top of the existing 54” cage, if you have a long season and go to the trouble to support it you can grow tall tomato plants.

You could choose one plant and give it good support and have it impress people, it also helps if it is trying to reach more sunlight, that 16 footer got enough sun below the roof, but it had to climb to get all the sun that it wanted.

[Paul R.]

Not TOO much warmer, though. Most of the varieties I’ve tried do poorly over 90 deg. F. The “Heatwave II” plants do better than most, but the fruits are very bland.

[Paul R.]

I can imagine vine type tomato plants reaching 20’ if supported to do it. I’ve had plants that would likely make 14’-15’ if “unwound”, and they usually suffer once we get to mid-late summer. (Too hot.)

[FamiliarFace]

I can only grow container plant tomatoes here. Not enough sun in most parts of my yard, plus HOA BS. I may try to put a few things in by the meditation garden, but not sure what just yet. Anything I choose needs to be deer, raccoon, possum, and bunny resistant, not to mention bugs and worms.

[Paul R.]

I don’t think we have to worry about 90 deg. F right away. Once this next cold front comes through, we have a chance of frost 3 early a.m.’s in a row, Monday - Wednesday. I have a few plants out - will have to over them. Most I have to keep in, and I’m out of space!!

[Paul R.]

Good info. on “forcing” hyacinth bulbs:

https://search.brave.com/search?q=can+hyacinth+bulbs+be+forced+in+a+refrigerator&summary=1&conversation=08ecd3a0f8f44e05c17d3432100bfb64693d

Most(?) other types of bulbs are vulnerable to nearby fruits, too. For example:

https://search.brave.com/search?q=can+lily+bulbs+be+forced+in+a+refrigerator&summary=1&conversation=08ece7039ecb798f98b405acd88ca5140055

[Pollard]

Small order from dripdepot this morning. My 1/2" main line has become Swiss cheese from reusing and rearranging the drip system a few times. It's leaking in a few spots where barbed fittings are for the 1/4" drip. Getting a 100' roll, a 10psi regulator, a 155 mesh filter and a few fittings to get me over the $50 mark for free shipping.

Gotta do some shopping today in the direction of a Lowes. Need to go there to get some PVC fittings for when I get a couple more IBC tanks. They're having an EGO brand cordless tool sale and have a 56 volt 16" chain saw on sale for $219($60 off). Sale ends April 30th so I think I'll wait. That amount would buy four IBC tanks or two tanks and a new bigger load center needed for the house.

Anyone have any experience with EGO? They seem to get good reviews.

Speaking of reviews. Found this at Baker Creek reviews for Red Florence onion. Interesting item for a size reference. No shoe size given.

The Vidalia onion sets did a little over half the bed I put them in so I guess I'll get another bunch and fill it up.

Need to start some peppers. I should have some kind of cherry tomato seeds so I'll start a couple of those and stick them somewhere, maybe up here in front of the house. I'll probably have a bunch of volunteer tomatoes pop up out here too. Ran across Marigold and Basil seeds to I'll stick them in with the tomatoes. Last year's oregano is brown but still whole. It's a perennial so it should come back. Looks like I should cut the stems back here soon?

[Augie]

I hit the river bottoms yesterday in search of morels.

Didn’t find anything in the first spot I checked so I drove to the south side of the Missouri River and did a little better. Found enough for a mess and got my exercise - 12k+ steps, 5.1 miles according to the pedometer app on my phone.

I’m going to head a little farther south today and explore a spot I haven’t seen before. Maybe I’ll get lucky.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Nice job!

I have three tools I will never part with - my Grandpa’s pointed hoe (he also made it himself!) and my hand-held Korean Hand Plow - goes through the soil like BUTTAH, and a three-tined hand-held tool (what is it called?) that also rakes the soil nicely for smoothing or prepping for small seed planting.

Oh, wait - one more - a short handled shovel with a weird head on it called a ‘Poacher’s Shovel’ for small digging jobs - or stealing part of a perennial plant from the neighbor under cover of darkness, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

It will be a while for us and Morels. We've had plenty of rain, but we need some WARM soon after for them to bloom. Hoping for a good season by us, too!

[ansel12]

I have done a lot of container gardening, even dwarf apple trees, orange trees and guava in half whiskey barrels and plenty of vegetables in 5 gallon paint buckets.

In containers you can even raise them with tables or benches, or even building high shelves, for example along a wooden fence with some flat boards and two 2x4 posts in the ground, if your climate is real hot then you can shade the containers themselves to cool the roots.

If you have a nice place look for more refined stands and more attractive pots to put on them, but you can definitely raise them to catch more sun.

[Pollard]

I had zero tomato sees. Guess they were all quite old and got tossed now that I think about it. Ordered some Chadwick Cherry from Baker Creek and threw some of those long red onions in to start this Winter.

[Qiviut]

Delivered 58 deviled egg halves this morning for the fellowship lunch after the funeral at church. Only one egg (out of 30) messed up - a side split getting the yolk out. No cracks while boiling & all peeled beautifully.

I forget who gave me this method for boiling eggs, but it has never failed yet. My skeptical cousin (”no way that works”) finally tried it & now brags about his “pretty” eggs. Here’s how to do it:

Eggs MUST be room temperature. I put them in my pan & add hot tap water, let them sit 20-30 minutes to warm up.
I then take the eggs out of the pan & bring the pan water to a boil.
Add eggs to boiling water (I use a slotted spoon).
Once the water returns to a boil after adding the eggs, boil for 14 minutes ... that’s right, 14 minutes.
When time is up, put the eggs in an ice water bath for 30 minutes or so.
Eggs should be nice & cold & peel beautifully.

[Liz]

Great tip.......thx.

[metmom]

The peas are doing great and the garlic is up!