Posted on 05/01/2026 6:24:57 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.
Lovely to read all that. Hubby would do the horn burning on the kids and help when needed. I did shots, yearly tetanus/entertoxemia, selenium, and worming. And hoof trimming. All subcutaneous shots. We did use herbal wormer too and fed loose trace minerals with selenium along with grain.
Diana’s Chore List for the Week (or so!):
Some progress has been made. I DID get the grocery shopping done yesterday, too!
Make shredded newspaper for compost bins - DONE
Cut Pine Tips and start that Pine Syrup
Re-Pot Miss Peach (Christmas Cactus)
Rake/Prune Winter Burn on Juniper
Find (!) and put out the Rain Gauge - Can’t find it! Buying one Friday.
Plant Beets, Lettuces and Spinach starts outside - DONE!
Plant out Broccoli (end of week - I want bigger plants; I re-potted from initial 4-packs)
Cut Dead Stems off of Tulips and Daffs
Cut a Bouquet of Lilacs - Almost all are in bloom! - DONE
Fertilize Strawberry Bed - DONE
Re-Fill milk jugs from rain barrel - DONE (twice!)
Weed! There are a few MONSTERS that need digging out!
Fertilize remaining roses
That last reminds me of someone — ME!! :-)
Plus it looks like we have additional raccoons about: During a break in the rain last night, yet another raccoon, apparently, knocked the lid of that “feed” trash can, and sure enough it rained some more, so, I had that to deal with this morning. Between getting rid of 2 coons the night / day before, and the rain, I was lazy and figured the can was safe overnight.
Wrongo!
The marauder or marauders also did damage in the garden, the biggest casualty being my most vigorous Better Boy tomato plant. It somehow already has 7 flowers out! It is (was) ahead of all our other tomato plants, even the strongest Early Girl, and Better Boy’s fruits taste much better. Unfortunately, it got snapped half way up the plant. Other than that, that Better Boy was still in its 2 liter soda water “pot” that got knocked over, and a few leaves were damaged as the critter was doing its digging.* Otherwise the plant looked ok, so, I decided to try grafting the top half back on, and, since temperatures will be cool the next few days, I brought it in. I bagged it to retain humidity and... we shall see. As opposed to a typical graft, this is more like treating a broken arm with a splint and tape.
The live (cage) type trap was slightly damaged, but I have it repaired and back out. The dog proof trap went go to the garden, near the scene of that crime. A 2nd dog proof trap is near our back porch, and a 3rd is along a path from the chicken houses / runs that leads to our larger shed and ultimately to a fence and brushy area along our south property line. All are baited and ready for tonight...
Until I can get rid of these invaders, I can’t put crushed eggshells in the bottom of anything I put out in the garden. The critters sniff ‘em out and dig them up. I did spread around some ground Cayenne pepper as a deterrent around some tomato plants, too.
That’s terrible. I have never used crushed eggshells, just broken down ones in my compost. I have never had a problem with raccoons in the garden and we are lousy with them so I am glad. Sorry that happened. A few years ago I bought a roll of one inch mesh and made vertical tubes for broccoli, every now and then a deer would do some nibbling. The tubes are tall enough to keep them out. Might help with your tomatoes.
With my cottage cheese containers I used a phillips screwdriver, hung the container a little over the edge of the workbench and stabbed like a serb. Worked great and felt good.
I had a marauder of the same species you do on my deck last night. Here’s my thinking: if you marauders eat from under the bird feeders and hang out in the woods I can see 20 feet from my house, you’re ok. I’ll even try to give you treats OUT THERE.
The MINUTE you marauders step out of the woods and onto my deck or stairs, you are NOT WELCOME. YOU ARE AN INVADER!!
It still rattles me to see wildlife this close to my entrances and exits (doors).
Been here for a dozen years.
I guess this house was built on their land, at least that must be the way they look at it. It is a Certified Wildlife Habitat, after all.
I think they’re cute for photos, but not for becoming nuisances.
We first built in 1984 on our 10+ acres of heavy old woods with a creek. Had to clear a spot on the hill for a house. After it was built - so many raccoons. They got up onto the deck and dug up flowers in planters, hung around the bird feeder. Just a pest and a nuisance. We never fed and got tired of chasing them off. Hubby worked with a guy who was a professional trapper. He came out, set a lot of traps and in just a couple of weeks pulled out over 39 or so raccoons. We stopped having problems. After a few years we’d see the occasional one and it’s .22 time. We raised meat chickens a couple of years and had baby goats and the most effective way to get rid of raccoons is to shoot them. Sorry if that sounds harsh but we even would try trapping and taking them 8 miles away and across water. That got tiresome. We rarely saw any after we started shooting and saw a increase in more turkeys and box turtles. Those we are lousy with but love it.
Getting ready to put my caddys with all my seedlings out on the patio, close to the house, full south sun. I found a new roll of heavy duty clear dropcloth in the garage and I will leave them covered until next week. Then they can go in the ground. West michigan. When I put them from peat pellets into pots weeks ago I labeled everything well!
Started from seed 2026
Munchers cukes 4
Shishito peppers 1
Sabre tomatoes 4
Heidis bullhorn sweet red pepper 6
Sabelka tomatoes 1
Campari cherry tomatoes 4
Orange full size tomato 1
Heidis striped winter squash 1
Genovese tomato 4
Giant Vienna tomato 2
Belarussian heart tomato 1
Bought plants
Lieutenant broccoli 2
Aspabroc baby broccoli 6
Even with the heating sheet I bought I still have not gotten any Costa Rican Red Peppers and I bought new seed this year. I just tried starting new ones. They are a big favorite.
All my lettuces and radishes, green onions, cilantro are started in my big pots outside. Covered with plexiglas sheets. On a very warm day I uncover them. I don’t expect to can much this year at all, not even tomato sauce. Still have several jars in the pantry.
Doesn’t sound like much but its more than last year when I did not give a hoot about gardening and had a small pitiful garden. I am coming back and following this thread and reading your posts has helped me more than you all could know. So Thank You friends. Gardening was my Dads thing growing up in Chicago, he had almost half the backyard as a vegetable garden. He could put anything in the ground and it would grow. When I got married a big garden every year was a must and we both loved it. 46 years. First year anniversary of becoming a lone gardener coming up on the 14th. We help “bring forth” what God has gifted us with - every seed bearing plant. There is joy in that.
Our experience in the past has, except the time when 4 kits showed up and (I hadn’t shot or trapped any raccoons recently!) ...been the occasional raccoon. But, last night 2 more 20+ lb. size adults were nabbed by my dog proof traps.
I know we still have a large opossum visiting too.
“...and stabbed like a serb. Worked great and felt good.”
LOL! You need to patent that method and sell it to people with anger issues, LOL!
Let’s talk Manure!
Important Mistakes To Avoid When Using Manure In Your Yard Or Garden
Sustaining healthy plant life isn’t just about watering or catching sunlight; nutrients are vital in nurturing growth. And what better way to add crucial nutrients like nitrogen to your soil than good old manure? However, just like any good doctor who prescribes the correct dosage, you must observe discretion, precision, and timing while layering this substance. Manure application mistakes such as using fresh manure, incorrect usage, wrong timing, and overlooking vital tests could make your flourishing garden a barren desert.
While you might reckon fresh means better, in the manure dictionary, this could spell disaster for your darling plants. Fresh manure prepares your soil for an unwelcome intrusion of deadly pathogens and parasites, among them E. coli. Not to mention that it’s overly rich in nitrogen and ammonia, which can burn your plant roots and impede seed germination. In addition, per the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, weed seeds ingested unintentionally often survive our domestic animals’ digestive systems, only to be reintroduced in your garden through fresh manure, leading to unwanted weed proliferation.
The best option is seasoned manure. But heed the words of Dr. Gerhardus Nortjé, a senior lecturer at the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of South Africa, who cautioned Farmer’s Weekly Magazine, “Aerobic (well-aerated) conditions should not be allowed to develop, as much of the N (Nitrogen) will be lost. The manure should be kept dense and moist during the sweating period.”
Bad timing and overlooking soil testing
Another indefensible mistake is applying manure without testing your soil first. Picture yourself loading up soil that’s already oozing nutrients with yet more nutrients. The consequence could be nothing short of a nutrient circus, where excess forms an imbalance. So, using an at-home soil test kit, like the Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Test Kit on Amazon, works to get a 360-degree analysis of what lies beneath. Alternatively, send off a scoop of your soil to a local extension office for comprehensive testing. Don’t forget to test that manure, too.
Timing, as they say, is everything, and this remains unflinchingly true when using manure in your garden. Application at the wrong time is like placing an orchestra without a conductor’s guidance — it’s off-key and glaringly disastrous. Ideally, you need a two-week window post-application for the manure to integrate, protecting your plants from nutrient-induced injuries. Fall is the golden manure application moment. That’s when the litter is readily available and perfect for enriching your garden over the winter for a triumphant spring planting.
Be cautious about applying in winter. The frozen land is an unfavorable barrier between the nutrient-infused manure and soil; with reduced absorption, the risk of runoff shoots up highly during the thaw. Similarly, if the weatherman predicts heavy rain, hit pause on that manure. Per Michigan State University, your luscious load of nutrients could be washed away, squandering all that carefully preserved goodness (and your hard work).
Wrong manure type and over-application
Discriminating between different types of manure is crucial, and not all dung is dealt with equally. According to the University of Maine, manure from cats, dogs, and pigs can be a host to resilient parasites that pose a potential risk to humans. Inviting them to your DIY compost piles or vegetable gardens can literally lead you down a path of diseases. As for the best type of manure to use in your yard or garden, substitute the villains with the output from cows, horses, sheep, goats, poultry, and llamas — a selection that the Pennsylvania State University gives a robust thumbs-up for nurturing your yard or garden. However, heed a word of caution. Rich in nitrogen, chicken litter can spark a negative reaction in new plants when used indiscriminately. Balance is indispensable, as always.
A common adage says, “too much of anything is bad,” and manure sets no exception. Over-application can wreak havoc on your green companions, transforming the Eden in your backyard into a nightmare. Regrettably, the lore of compost usually downplays this potential pitfall. An overabundance yields luxuriant foliage, yes, but at an unseen cost. Heightened greenery at the expense of actual productivity (fruits) is not what you signed up for. Tip the scales further, and you may find yourself struggling with plant-damaging nutrient imbalances. As for how much manure to add to the soil, a layer of 1 to 2 inches should suffice.
Read More: https://www.housedigest.com/1477441/mistakes-avoid-diy-manure-fertilizer-yard-garden/
That has to be a Phillips screwdriver with a sharp tip.
There are actually 2 different standards, the Japanese JIS spec, and the ISO “standard” spec. I vastly prefer the JIS spec, for the screw and driver, as it is much less likely to “cam out” in application (for driving screws). Then various manufacturers miss the specs by different amounts.
I’m guessing you used a PH1 size, and it is on the “sharp” end of the spectrum. I have one at least PH1 screwdriver that would collapse a cottage cheese container before it punctured it, but some others would likely work.
I also have multiple Philips screwdrivers that I should just turn into awls with my grinding wheel, as the tips are too worn to be useful for much else. That would help alleviate my “Where is that dang awl?” business...
That’s probably how it was here at this house when it was first built in 1996. I imagine the first few owners got really tired of the raccoons. I’m close. We do have a pellet gun, which I’ve never used, but might consider. So far, if I keep my wits about me, and remember to bring in any food that’s on the deck, or the perimeter, we do ok. That includes the nectar in the hummingbird feeder.
Guess what?!
A few minutes ago, I saw a hummingbird over at the waterfall feature in the meditation garden, taking a quick little bath! That was cute!
It’s a great time of year! After many chilly nights, my tomato plants are finally hardening off in the shade. I’ll gradually slide them out toward the yard for full sun over the next week.
I suppose that if the eggshells have been composted long enough, they lose their attraction. I ran out of such early this spring though, so I tried using some composted a few weeks ago. Apparently that isn’t good enough.
I posted above that three more raccoons got in the dog proof traps last night, but, I was wrong: It was 3, but one escaped - with the trap!
For years I’ve often secured these traps by pounding a 6’ piece of 1/2” rebar a couple feet into the ground, then sliding the loop at the end of the chain on the trap down the exposed 4’ of rebar. None of these have ever been pulled out of the ground. Not even close.
But, last night, THIS raccoon figured out climbing up the rebar and sliding the loop off of it. Amazing!
So, I’m down a trap, and I’m pretty sure I’ll not see it again. The raccoon still likely has the trap on its foot - it might chew the foot off, but from what I’ve read, raccoons don’t usually do that, and if they do they usually die from the resulting infection. I feel bad about that - a clean euthanization is much better. I guess I’ll have to up my “securing the traps” game further.
I also need to figure out what I can rig up in my 2nd (original) cage type live trap, as a large ‘coon destroyed the trigger mechanism beyond repair, a couple years ago. IF this ‘coon survives, I’ll bet it’d go nowhere near a dog proof trap again...
A few weeks ago I visited a friends farm to buy a bale of straw for mulch and the bottoms of my big pots. There was a huge pile of beef manure near the barn. It’s been 6 years since we had any goats. I stood there, smelled it and said to him - I miss the smell of manure. A funny moment.
LOL. Now don’t get all technical on me. It’s big heavy and long but not necessarily sharp. It doesn’t need to be and is done with one stab. Try it you’ll like it.
Summer Squash Soup
Easy flavorful way to use up an abundance of garden summer squash.
Ing 1 tbl olive oil 1/2 c minced yellow onion 2 c fine-diced yellow summer squash 1 c peeled and diced yukon gold potato 1/4 c diced carrot 1 minced gar/cl 3/4 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp ea coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp ea mustard powder, cinnamon pinch cayenne 1/4 c dry white wine 2 c vegetable broth 1/4 c coconut milk Salt to taste
Method Heat pot over med-low. Add olive oil then onions. Cook onions fragrant/translucent 4-5 min. Stir in squash, potato, carrot. Cook til squash begins to soften, 5 min or so. Stir in garlic, cook a min then add spices, cook a min.
Add wine, deglaze pan, scraping bottom. Cook wine down a bit then measure in veg broth. Btb, reduce to a simmer, cook potatoes tender, 10-15 min. Puree w/ blender. Add coconut milk, heat soup hot. Add salt as needed. Divide into two bowls; top w/ drizzle of coconut milk, sprinkle of paprika, and cilantro.
The hummers have found the 2nd feeder, the one I can see from the window over the sink & the bay window in the eating area. It’s close enough I can tell males from females & I keep my binos on the window seat to check out the cows across the road so I can use them for a super close view of the hummers.
Males & females are visiting & at a pretty good clip so I think this feeder location will be a big success.
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.