I plant in the ground and use these not as raised beds filled with soil but as walls to reduce wind damage.
Posted on 04/01/2026 6:22:58 AM PDT by 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.
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
TOO MUCH! 🙂
So, I’m munching a little way-too-early breakfast, cruising around on the web for some info, and what do I run across, but a lady who got a bonus: 60+ big “CRB” (Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle) grubs in a bag of garden oil she bought from Lowe’s.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MS8_PZCJC3E
The “too much” part is the lady (buyer’s) reaction. You’d think she had run across Beelzebub himself. I mean, if she wants “grossed out”, that deer carcass in our east ditch last fall that was being consumed by thousands of some sort of 3/4” long beetle larvae would be the ticket.
I really DO understand the concern about invasive species. These grubs look to be about 2x each (by volume) the size of the borers that killed a hickory tree in our back property. :-(
But, at 60 for $5, these would make tremendous fishing bait for big bluegill, redear, bass in the 1-2 lb. range, probably crappie, nice size trout, and 1-4 lb. catfish too. Run the hook through the grub’s body and head and they won’t be invading anything but a fish’s mouth. Plus, sterilize the soil in your car on a hot summer day, and you got that out of it too.
Oh, cool! I can copy/paste emoticons from You Tube directly onto FR!
Sheesh - 90% chance of 40 mph wind gusts from the SSW today. It looks like the wind advisories run all the way to Lake Michigan: I hope I don’t end up in Gary!
It looks like Diana is still gonna get an ice storm, with a winter storm to the north? March’s “lion” is returning?
.
In some areas it’s time for grafting fruit trees. If you have young invasive Bradford (Callery) pear trees around these can be turned into trees that produce sweet, lovely pears by grafting. If you have apple trees that require tons of sprays and treatments, you can graft disease resistant varieties onto them. You can create your own “franken” fruit trees with multiple varieties on the same tree. Great inspirational youtube videos available from Skilcult and others as well as Facebook groups about grafting as well as sources of scions (pieces of trees for grafting).
Hi all. Greetings from middle Tennessee. Question about feeding hummingbirds. We always have problems with bees getting in the feeders and hanging around the feeders to the point where they keep the hummingbirds from feeding.
Any experience dealing with this?
I plant in the ground and use these not as raised beds filled with soil but as walls to reduce wind damage.
It’s been a wet start to the month here in Central Missouri. Exactly what we needed and right on time to get the morels popping. It looks like the rain has mostly moved out so I should be able to take a lap through the woods later today.
I made some good progress in the garden over the weekend. Spuds are planted. Snap peas are planted. Beets are planted. 20 more asparagus crowns added to the row. Ag lime and urea applied to the new garden patch. Watering hoses are out. New hoop house cleaned out and filled with finished compost. I feel pretty good about what I was able to get done out there, and more importantly, I didn’t aggravate my back while doing all that stuff.
Pops went with Mrs. Augie and I on our hatchery run to Lebanon Tuesday. He hadn’t been down that way for many years and was amazed at how different things look compared to when he was last there. After we picked up the chicks I followed my nose and found the house my great-grandparents lived in after they got too feeble to stay on the farm. I hadn’t been there in over 50 years and was able to drive straight to it. How is that even possible?
Yesterday wasn’t much fun. I got to experience the invasive prostate exam for the first time. The urologist shoved a camera scope up my pecker and an ultrasound scope up my bung. Very unpleasant and not recommended as a leisure activity that’s for dang sure. He didn’t see anything that alarmed him but I am going to need a little resection work sometime in the semi-near future. I’ve got other priorities for now so I’ll think more about that come winter.
Very common storage tote on wheels design with removable kneeling pad. I had one and wasn't thrilled with it. Seemed weak. I used the kneeling pad more than anything. 
Latest fad #1 (cool, an old tractor looking seat) 
Latest fad #2 (try not to tip over) 
An actual practical design. Possibly what your mom has. Kneeling pad with rails to help you get up. Flip it over and it's a stool for sitting. Vevor makes half way decent stuff for a made in China outfit. "Garden kneeler and seat" is what it's called. 
Largest selection of planting augers -- https://powerplanter.com/
They make auger bits various diameters x 12, 16, 24, 30 and 36" long that you put in a cordless drill to make planting holes. Requires hand/arm strength. A drill with a side handle is preferred so you can get a good two handed grip. Image is from a video showing deep planting of tomato starts with a 3-1/2" x 20" auger and he didn't have to bend over too much. Nice Soil!
Only thing I know of for automated planting but as mentioned in my previous post, they're 1.25" square/hex with spacing of 2, 4 or 6".
You drag the planter which makes a furrow, pots get pulled off and dropped into the furrow and it closes the furrow.
Quite the monstrosity and everything has to be just right, especially soil tilth, but then you can plant a lot in a short time. It's more for market gardeners that grow hundreds of a given variety. Good for green onions, leeks, shallots, baby greens etc.
Soil blocks would remove the step of getting the plants out of their pots and picking up all the pots when done planting. Could pull the plants out of pots and put them back in the tray all while standing and they'd be ready to drop in the hole.(If your seed starting mix will hold together) Peat pots or Jiffy pots would do the same.
If you can get it down to the only kneeling task being plopping the plants in and and back-filling and tamping, that's not too bad.
Last time I direct sowed seeds, I used a hoe and dug a little furrow instead of getting down on the ground and digging a bunch of tiny holes. I used to do that and then did the hoe furrow thing. What was I thinking digging all those tiny holes? Now I know why the old timers were experts with a hoe. Furrowing, back-filling, weeding. A tube or small piece of PVC pipe can be used to drop seeds down. Piece of rod to poke the holes for them or make a furrow with a hoe.
I've seen videos where a tractor makes a furrow and has a homemade seat hanging off the back with bins for seed potatoes or trays for plants and a person sits back there and sticks them in the furrow and behind them is a blade that back fills the furrow. Requires two people and a tractor though and the digger and backfiller have to line up just right with each other if it's plants. Not so much for taters.
Someone should make a steerable electric cart with the seat just a few inches off the ground and with a shelf right in front of you like a TV dinner tray. Shelf could sit on rails that could be used to help get up off the thing. Walk down the aisle with cordless drill and auger and make the holes. Or add attachments for digging and then backfilling a furrow. Drive down the aisle and plop the plants in from a sitting position. It's on my to do/idea list.
For the backyard gardener. That kneeler and seat, some hoe skills, a walk behind seeder, a cordless drill and auger bits, a hole poker and tube/pipe for dropping big seeds into them. Other stand up tools; broadfork, a stirrup hoe/wheel hoe, wire hoe, rotary hand cultivator. Mulch can block weeds to avoid the cultivation part but has it's own labor and maybe cost involved.
Getting your soil to have good tilth for all of the above is a whole nuther story but really is the key. Lot of labor and/or motorized equipment and amending. I'm not quite there yet but I can rip a furrow with a hoe in my existing beds. I'll be doing that in one row/bed for potatoes and a few smaller ones for onion sets here soon. I just need more beds that are now in grass. I'll be using black plastic to kill the grass off.
I'm good for an hour max in the kneeling position. Much more than that and it takes hours to recover.
I have this site in my FR bookmarks sidebar — https://emoji-copy-paste.com/smiley
I’ve got an IBC tank with no cage that I’m thinking of cutting down to 12-16” tall to put seed trays in for hardening off. Many days it’s way too windy for them. They say it’s a 1 to 5 ratio for blocking wind. Something 10 foot tall will block wind for about 50 foot or 50 foot is where it will be down at ground level again. At 16” tall, the tank bottom should block direct wind all across the 4 foot width. I’ll probably start with 24” tall. Can always cut it shorter.
I’m about to plant some onion sets in a wood framed raised bed that the soil isn’t raised much in. I think they’re 10” boards and the soil is raised up 2” inside so they’ll have 8” of walls. Not that onions need the protection. It’s just the spot I have and is a good weed/grass barrier.
Early trip to the store for eggs - got 2 18-count cartons so I have plenty in the event some mess up during the boiling/peeling process.
In the meanwhile, I have Sunday’s Easter brunch/lunch planned (all Sally’s Baking Addictionrecipes). We do have company (2 people) coming. I was looking for easy, make ahead & tasty::
Overnight Ham & Swiss Cheese Strata
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/overnight-ham-cheese-strata/
Super easy to prepare ... can put it together Saturday night, pop it in the oven Sunday morning, take it out of the oven just before church & keep it warm in a cooler.
********
Strawberry Bacon Salad
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/favorite-strawberry-bacon-salad/
The components can be prepared Saturday or Sunday morning & the salad tossed together while ice is being put in the glasses. I do intend to use candied pecans - I used them in another salad years ago & it really adds an extra ‘taste dimension’ to the salad. I will likely have both blue cheese & feta on the side- folks can add what they like.
********
Homemade Candied Pecans
https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/homemade-candied-pecans/
The last item oldest daughter is very interested in because she grows for her road side stand and has four restaurants that she supplies in the summer.
Being young she has no trouble getting up and down but time is her issue.
One of my BILS (Retired Navy) lives in San Diego and he would give his eye teeth if he could grow tomatoes. It just doesn’t get hot enough for them where he lives, seaside.
I lived in Imperial Beach for 2 years, but I was in a studio apartment with no balcony and no garden space...because there was no yard! But I had an Ocean View and could watch the dolphins swim by, and all the big Navy ships, so that was cool. ;)
With all the postings here about Deviled Eggs, I think we jinxed ya, LOL!
I have eight HB eggs in the fridge that are just crying out to be deviled! ;)
Well now I’m confused. Maybe one of my pics isn’t showing for you. The third item has the red seat and wide plastic wheels and is not a kneeler. Green thing with woman holding a plant in a pot is the kneeler. Fourth one.
By last item, do you mean the paperpot transplanter? That’s the last pic. It’s a worthwhile system for starting a lot of little seedlings in a short amount of time instead of direct sowing to get a jump on things.
“”””One of my BILS (Retired Navy) lives in San Diego and he would give his eye teeth if he could grow tomatoes. It just doesn’t get hot enough for them where he lives, seaside.””””
I don’t get that, living on the water in Ocean Beach struck me as the best tomato climate in America.
Yes, I mean the fourth.
The paper pot planter is probably what oldest daughter is going to be putting on her wish list. When you are planting four acres of plants it takes time.
And she is finding time is the one thing you will never have enough of.
Your BIL may be on a flat sand beach where the relentless and annoying ocean breezes abuse his tomatoes, plus the constant salt spray mist doesn’t help if you are in that situation, I also wonder if he doesn’t have the full amount of sunlight like maybe high fencing around a small area which blocks too many hours of the usable sunlight or something.
“I hope I don’t end up in Gary!”
I wouldn’t wish THAT on my worst enemy, LOL!
We dodged the bullet! The ice and snow went NORTH. They had some 1/2 inch hail to deal with. I’m looking for some photos and articles on that mess.
We’ve had big hail come through here from time to time. Mom’s van got all dinged up one spring, and the car dealerships had a lot of ‘Scratch & Dent’ sales. But the siding and roofing guys were happy, LOL!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.