The Victory Garden Thread - May, 2026

May 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.

[Qiviut]

After picking up “Mr. Clean” (Silverado) from a successful state inspection, we headed off to check out the Walmart Garden Center to specifically look for Lantana & jalapeños.

I found a couple of Lantana in solid yellow. I want the multi-colored ones, but since I have 3 pots, I bought one anyway. I could not be persuaded to spend $4.98 on any of their sad looking jalapenos.

Off to the country market & flower stand down the road. They were just finishing up moving their plants out in the sun. Due to the threat of frost, all had spent the night under cover. They had Lantana, but sold out this weekend - same with jalapeños. The truck to restock was due in the afternoon - not sure what will be on it. I’ll go back tomorrow & see what they have.

Next (and last) stop was the Farm Bureau. They had a couple of yellow lantanas & one a deep red/rust. Not what I wanted & the price was over $6 so I passed. I found some jalapeños & bought 4, 3 different varieties. I haven’t heard of any of them before. They were $4.98 each & from a local grower. They were 3-4 times as tall as the Walmart ones & will need support when they go outside in the wind. Considering the lack of jalapeños, this was a ‘panic’ buy so I at least have something growing.

No straw bales anywhere to be found at the Farm Bureau or anywhere around here. I will have to buy bales in the Fall for next year. I’m not disappointed because right now, about all in the vegetable family I can tolerate is green beans & asparagus. I’ll have to buy veggies for mom at the local farm stand(s).

I did look at lavender plants. I either don’t like the variety or the price. Of the 2 I transplanted last year, one is totally dead. The other has one green ‘branch’. I am going to take cuttings from that live branch before I dig up the rest of the dead plant & see if I can root some new plants - supposed to be easy & worth a try. The lavender from Walmart last year that bloomed all summer survived the winter in fairly decent shape - I’ll try cuttings off of that one, too.

My cousin gave me some fresh asparagus - fried them up for dinner with ghee/avocado oil & finished with fresh lemon juice & kosher salt. SO good. I wish I had a patch!

PS - hounds are so handsome!

[Liz]

Kale Soup / Cheese Toasts
A comforting hearty bowl of soup in 25 min. Cheese Toasts soak up smoky flavors, add texture.

Ing 6 c kale leaves, fine-chp, 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes 5 c chix or veg broth, 8 oz cooked sausage, black pepper or red pepper flakes to taste. Cheese Toasts baguette or firm crusty bread (use 3 small slices per bowl) 2 oz cheese, 1/2 tsp dried thyme or Italian seasoning

Method BTB diced potatoes, broth, then lower to med; cook almost tender, about 6-8 min. Add chp kale and sausage discs. Cook 5 min. Add pinch pepper or red pepper flakes. CHEESE TOASTS: Slice baguette thinly. Pile on grated cheese evenly. Broil 3-4 min; cheese is bubbly. bread is slightly browned. SERVE: Ladle soup into bowls, a few cheese toasts on top. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes: use Lacinato kale, aka Dinosaur kale or Tuscan kale (milder, sweeter) or curly kale (peppery, slightly bitter). Sausage options: cooked Andouille, Mexican Chorizo or Hot Italian Sausage smoky: Kielbasa, Chorizo or smoked Andouille milder: Bratwurst, sweet Italian sausage. Cheese options: Provolone, white cheddar, Havarti, Muenster or Gruyère, Asiago, Pecorino, Parm.

Make ahead Delicious the next day as flavors meld; kale is darker greenish brown, potatoes get softer. Add cheese toasts at service. Leftover soup keeps fridged airtight 3-4 day. Dont freeze.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I found the two Bonnie Jalapenos I wanted at Walmart last week, but they had no Lavender, so I am still on the hunt for that.

Yesterday it rained most of the day, so I did ‘inside stuff’ but it was SO WINDY that I moved tomatoes back inside; they didn’t get any rain water, but the rain barrel (which I had completely emptied) is fuller than full again, so there’s rainwater in there for them.

Windy as in: Blew my rocker off the porch and broke one arm (easily fixable) blew one of the Fern baskets off it’s hook (it landed flat on it’s bottom, which was a miracle - no harm, no fowl) and amazingly no damage to the greenhouse vents which always take a beating. The poor Orioles were having a heck of a time landing on the rapidly moving jelly feeder - kinda entertaining. We also had two male Bluebirds at the feeders which we have never had there before; they must’ve ‘blown in.’ ;)

Grocery run today; didn’t feel like going out in the rain yesterday, even with my Senior Discount, LOL! I’ll see what Walmart has for plants and report back if anything is of interest.

And now I want some Lantana! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

YAY! Kale! And, YAY! Toast!

(Another way to use up that free bread!)

I made a pot of Chicken Noodle Soup yesterday while it rained. It just felt right.

Do you remember that OLD commercial for Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup? It had three brothers, each taking soup from the pot, and when it finally gets to the little one he says, ‘Hey! I didn’t know there was CHICKEN in Chicken Noodle Soup!’

Obviously Campbell’s was advertising that THEIR soup had a lot more chicken in it than others...but I always think of that when we have Chicken Noodle Soup.

The power of a well-written ad, for sure. As a former Retail Manager, I LOVE that kind of stuff. Remember: You’re selling the SIZZLE; not the STEAK! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Yet another score at Menard’s! I’ve got to talk Beau into a trip there before he leaves for Canada for an early bear hunt...which is coming up next month already!

[Pollard]

That's why Baker Creek has such beautiful pics.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“You must be so proud of your Emma!”

She has a sweet disposition, but she HATES her sister, Taylor Mary Anne! They are NOT allowed to be near one another. Sisters!

Emma has almost as many plaques and trophies now as did Lakota and Comanche. Beau is on the hunt for the next ‘Coon Dog; he’s ‘test driven’ two so far and was not happy with either. Emma is 9 now; she should really be retiring but she’s the Energizer Bunny, it seems. :)

[Qiviut]

Beautiful morning, but clouds have come in quickly & we’re supposed to get showers the rest of the day & into the evening.

I need to go pick peonies before the rain “droops” them over & messes up the blooms.

I’ve not been to the shop today (where I have my jalapenos), but I’ll make note of what I bought & share. I need to look them up online & get the ‘scoop’. I also need to get Mr. Clean hooked back up to the battery minder - too lazy to do it yesterday.

Hummer update: the 2nd feeder I put out in front of the house is almost ‘drained’ - maybe an inch of nectar left! The one in the back is still about 3/4 full. Today I’ll clean the feeders & put in fresh nectar. I really enjoy seeing the hummers fairly close by from the large window over the kitchen sink.

Haven’t been to the market yet to see what flowers came in yesterday - I need to get a ‘foot in the path’ before the weather hits.

[Liz]

Making the Kale Soup recipe is a whole meal
in one bowl...... for not too much kitchen time.

[Paul R.]

My 2 Jalapeño plants last year were rescue projects: One died, the other thrived, and is still going strong, having overwintered successfully. When I bought them, there seemed to be little to choose between the two. Whether I get any production this year, out of the survivor, we shall see, but, it IS flowering.

Of the two Jalapeño varieties I bought at Menard’s sale yesterday, one is a “Mammoth Jalapeño”. I guess we’ll see just how large the fruits really are. The other is a “Coolapeño”, said to have the flavor of a Jalapeño, but without the heat. Another experiment is a pair (in one of those 4-1/2” pots) of “Sungold” tomato plants - those are already split and in my soda bottle pots, and 2 pairs (in those 4-1/2” pots) of “Patio” tomato plants. Those were a bit dry, so I’m giving them a good day’s soaking B4 I try to split them.

And speaking of days”, we are having ANOTHER “bluebird day”, our 3rd in a row, after a few (but not so consecutively) last week. It was cloudy last night, but that cleared off this morning. I have plants I’d brought out, kept in partial shade several days, and thought were ready for more sun, but apparently this much sun (and very low humidity) is too much —I’m having to move some plants back to shadier spots. “Somebody” should have arranged another eclipse! ;-)

https://nationaleclipse.com/maps/images/map_usa_2017_2024.png

[Qiviut]

Just cleaned/changed out the hummingbird feeders. The one in front, that has seen the most traffic, had been invaded with large yellow ants. Yuck! It’s hanging on a Shepherd’s Hook so it’s easy access for ants. The feeder has a built-in ‘ant moat’ but it’s not very deep & dries out quickly. I made DIY ant moats years ago so I dug one out & it still works (not leaking). It’s rather deep so quite the swimming pool :-)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

‘Sell the sizzle!’ That was from one of my ‘Business’ classes along the way...

I really should have my own store, again. Wish I were younger; this ‘Farm Wife Gig’ is too easy; only three balls in the air at any given time, versus a dozen, LOL!

For now, I am helping one of my SILs with her Resale/Antique booth and that seems to keep me satisfied.

[Qiviut]

This is the DIY ant moat design I use:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6TsmQ965qY

Initially, I used the tops off of spray cans, but then just started cutting the bottoms off of sturdy water bottles about the same height as the caps. On the inside, I do glue around the cup hook to make sure it doesn’t leak. I have glass feeders with 5-6 ports & the moats hold them just fine.

If I can find it, I’ll sprinkle some diatomaceous dirt around the bottom of the Shepherd’s Hook & that will also help.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My new topic is: ‘Eatin’ on the Cheap.’ When I come up with a meal that costs mere dollars, I will pass the ideas on to you all.

8 chicken drumsticks (Large! WHAT are they feeding these chickens?) $2.32! (5.75 with a $3 off sticker and my Senior Discount of .23)

Cole Slaw Mix - $2.08 Will only use half, will make my own dressing

Box of Stuffing - 97 cents

Frozen Corn (again, will only use 1/2 the bag) 97 cents

FREE BBQ Sauce from a Bob’s Bitchin’ BBQ Gift Card we received from the neighbors

A meal for about $5.00 with ‘Midnight Snack Leftovers’ for Beau. ;)

Sheet Pan BBQ Drumsticks recipe:

https://www.juliapacheco.com/sheet-pan-bbq-drumsticks/

I’m not adding the minor cost in for spices for the rub on the drumsticks; I had everything on hand.

HOWEVER - The bones will be going into my ‘stock bag’ in the freezer for later use in making the next batch of chicken stock. :)

[Liz]

W/ the yet-to-be-made soup, that adds up to 10 cents per meal........chuckle.

[Liz]

Italian Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches / an easy dinner recipe
Authentically Italian. Browned sausages, peppers, onions in a warm Italian roll. 'nuff said.

Ing 4-4-oz Italian sausage links 3 Tbl ol/oil, 1 thin-sliced sweet onion, 1 lb trimmed red sweet mini peppers, 1/4ed, 2 Tbl thin-sliced garlic 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp k/salt 4 crisp-crust Italian rolls

Directions In hot 350 deg oven, bake sausages on foiled b/sheet 15 min. Heat 2 tbl oil on med. Add onion; cook/stir til starting to brown, 4 min. Add peppers; cook/stir on med-high til peppers are tender and onion is deep brown, 10 min. Stir in garlic, oregano, salt. Cook/stir a min til fragrant. Transfer pepper mixture to bowl. Wipe skillet clean and return to med-high. Add tbl oil to skillet and place lengthwise slices of cooked sausages, cut side down. Cook/brown 3-4 min. Flip and brown 2nd side. Stuff oven-warm crusty Italian rolls with peppers, sausages and onions. Drizzle with ol/oil.

TIPS Make-Ahead: Cooked sausage and peppers can be fridged airtight a week.
Swap sliced bell peppers for mini sweet peppers. Shortcut uses jarred roasted red peppers.

[FamiliarFace]

I bought a Coolapeño from Walmart a few days ago, too. Haven’t planted it. Still deciding where to put it, and getting sunlight data from 2-3 spots that it might work in. I’m hoping they’re just right for me.

Did a lot of cleanup of beds today. The section where I got stung on Saturday is now cleaned up and ready for working in, too.

Also sowed some zinnia seeds.

Oh, and I found a mole that surfaced, looking wobbly. I coaxed him in to a chipmunk trap. He was that out of it. We had our pest guy put out poison worms for the moles the other day. They are making a mess out of my lawn, my flower beds at the front of the house, and the meditation garden. We probably have dozens of them, but what do I know? Once he succumbs, we will dispose of him somehow. Not sure yet what we’ll do, but yeah. I’ve had enough of them this season already, and it will only get worse as the year goes on.

All in all, a good day.

[Paul R.]

CORRECTION: “Sun Sugar” tomato plants, not “Sungold”. (eye-roll)

NWS is calling for another “bluebird” day tomorrow, for us. Not quite so windy, so, a bit less fire risk. Even with watering and moderate temperatures (I think we hit 78 deg. F here this afternoon, the low humidity, full sun, and wind has been a bit rough on a few plants that don’t yet have well established root systems. I’ve had to bag a few with translucent bags - it seems to be helping.

[Paul R.]

IF (big “IF”) the poison decomposes as the mole does, he could just become fertilizer under a plant — IF you don’t have the problem we do of scavengers digging him up...

[FamiliarFace]

We have scavengers, for sure.

After we were sure that the mole succumbed, hubby took him out to the woods, and gave him a humble sendoff. Far enough away to not catch his scent from our house.

It’s out of my hands now.