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.

[Liz]

Chocolate Almond Cups
A mouthful of sweet nutty goodness in minutes.

Ing for 20 cups ½ c almonds, crushed into chunks 7 oz dark chocolate chips

Directions Toast almonds in skillet over med til starting to brown, 3-5 min. Pour into bowl. Melt chocolate atop simmering water, stirring/scraping sides to avoid scorching, about 5 min. Pour into almonds; stir to evenly coat. Drop spoonfuls into sprayed mini cupcake pans. Or drop on plate lined with w/paper, or use silicone molds. Chill/set 10 min.

Recipe Tip: Add toasted coconut, raisins, rice krispies, etc.

[metmom]

Adorable deer? Only when they’re bounding through the woods away from me. Otherwise, they’re rats with hooves. Dumb enough to leap out in front of moving cars, yet smart enough to flee when a hunter snaps a twig underfoot.

NAILED IT!

[metmom]

You can container garden. Using big enough pots, there are many veggies that do very well in containers.

[metmom]

A bucket of soapy water works wonders.

I also use Spinosad powder to dust my cabbage and Brussel Sprouts with for the cabbage loopers.

Spinosad kills caterpillars and is safe for everything else. Gums up their digestive tract from what I hear.

[Qiviut]

I watered everything today & didn’t see any more caterpillars on the bushes. There was a black one on the edge of the porch but it had more bristles than the one yesterday. We’re in quite the drought & although we’ve had some showers over the last week, it’s not enough for the plants & trees. A small hickory near the back fence is looking dead & our holly tree along the front drive is dropping leaves like crazy & I don’t see new leaves coming. Both trees are small enough I can take them down with my chainsaw if it comes to that.

[Qiviut]

Ahhh .... rural life with country people. An extended family member completed her education degree so this afternoon is a celebration picnic at the VFW ball fields. Most of the food is homemade in addition to hamburgers, hot dogs & meatballs. The country music is cranking & the kids are on the ball field (some adults, too) with batting practice & shagging flies.

[Liz]

Cream Cheese-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls / breakfast treat
Make in minutes w/ a few cupboard staples.

Roll Ings: 4 tbl sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 2 1/2 c Bisquick 2/3 c Milk
1 tsp Vanilla 2 tbl butter melted. Glaze: 1 c conf 2 tbl ea milk, cr/cheese

Method: Mix well Bisquick, 2 tbl sugar in bowl. Add milk, vanilla. Mix til dough forms. Don't over mix---toughens biscuits. Assemble: On floured surface, knead dough 10 times. Roll to a 15"x9" rectangle w/ floured rolling pin. Pastry brush melted butter on rectangle. Sprinkle w/ cinnamon/sugar. Roll up dough from long edge into a log. Cut into 1" pieces--12 rounds. Place cut side up in greased 8x8" pan. Bake 375 deg 20-22 min. Cool slightly before Glazing. Serve.

Glaze, mix conf, milk, cr/cheese smooth. Drizzle over cinnamon rolls.

[Pollard]

Been mowing with the tractor a little the past two weekends. No overheating or water loss. Amazing how a radiator can not leak as long as too much pressure doesn’t build up. A hole is a hole, or so one would think. At least I know when/if I need a radiator, there is an aluminum option.

Been looking at the twins — riding mowers. They have top serviceable carburetors which is cool. Neither have gum or corrosion. Both mower decks need work. Frozen pulleys etc. Need a set of blades or two if I get both going. Same with battery, 1 or 2.

I’ll get one going, maybe two.

Tractor mower hangs off the back and runs from PTO. Hard to maneuver around stuff.

[FamiliarFace]

I love days like that!

[Qiviut]

Pure Americana :-)

We took a bouquet of our absolutely spectacular peonies. I think they are darker pink this year than they’ve ever been. She had her diploma framed & on display & the peonies were placed next to that - all I can say is “wow”!

[FamiliarFace]

That’s so special! I can almost picture your day!

Seriously, it’s the kind of stuff that makes America just so special…and truly great!

I think we could use a new Norman Rockwell type, to make us beautiful artwork of days like what you had today. It’s the stuff of life, and it doesn’t expire. It lives on in our souls.

[Qiviut]

And as our wonderful afternoon moves on into evening, I just got tick #4 off of mom. I think I’m going to have to get her a flea & tick collar!

Seriously, one of the two tick bites from yesterday has spread big time from a nickel-sized welt into something at least 4 times that size - no longer round shape. She could be getting cellulitis from the bite (my guess) or it could be Lymes which IS endemic in our county. Not hot or swollen which is good; however, I think we’ll be making a trip to Urgent Care tomorrow after church :-( I can’t risk her ending up with sepsis.

[metmom]

Absolutely she should be seen.

Let us know what the outcome is.

[TheConservativeParty]

Sorry you had storm damage Friday night.
I was up until 1:30am monitoring the radar and local TV weatherdudes when they were broadcasting during the tornado warnings.
When the front edge of the line of storms came through here, I went in the basement. Small hail, wind only about 50mph. I watched the approaching storm line for hours.....I hate severe weather. Have PTSD from our farm getting flattened by a tornado when I was around 12 years old. I watch weather stuff like an actual meteorologist. LOL.
Sorry you had damage.
Hoping for the best in the next few days, for the expected storms Sunday-Monday-Tuesday. 😕

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Checking in! Glad you are both OK with no damage!

Storms in Northern Missouri, not affecting the KC area right now, may change Monday!

Good night!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“So your gardens and hunting rifles will beat the grocery stores, which will end up looking like Soviet State Store No. 69, with a few cuts of stringy meat on otherwise empty shelves...”

A little self-sufficiency goes a long way! We hunt, fish, garden, raise our own beef, buy pork from the next farm over, have chickens, etc. It makes a big difference in our budget and also prepares us for Hard Times when they come around. Again. Which they always do, whether via Mother Government or a local weather disaster or a job loss, serious illness, loss of a spouse, etc. ;)

25 Practical Steps to Self-Sufficient Living for Beginners and Homesteaders

https://theultimatehomestead.com/25-steps-to-self-sufficient-living/

50+ Ways to Be More Self-Sufficient and Stop Relying on Others

https://www.verywellmind.com/self-sufficiency-benefits-and-strategies-8697110https://www.verywellmind.com/self-sufficiency-benefits-and-strategies-8697110

10 Ways to Start Your Self-Sufficiency Journey Without Spending a Penny

https://growmakelearn.com/10-start-your-self-sufficiency-journey-cheap/

10 Things You Can Take Back: The Easiest Steps Toward Self-Sufficiency

https://www.arcadiaoffgrid.com/post/steps-toward-self-sufficiency

Some over-lap in the above articles, but anything you do for you and yours to be more self-sufficient, puts you ahead of the pack, IMHO. :)

P.S. More ‘Range Time’ helps. A LOT! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Good points, Bob! I’m glad Winter is over, too! My ‘attitude’ does a complete 180.

They have Vidalia Onions at the Piggly Wiggly this time of year. Wisconsin grows a lot of onions, but the Vadalia don’t grow well up here. I love them, so thanks for the reminder to make:

Vidalia Onion Sauce

https://kidfriendlythingstodo.com/vidalia-onion-sauce-recipe/#recipe

I’ll be 66 this summer and I have a large garden right now - 16 raised beds. My goal for the upcoming years is to be more self-sufficient in that area. So far I have expanded my Strawberry bed, and devoted a second raised bed to Asparagus. I’m researching and will be adding other ‘perennial’ vegetables that I can pretty much ignore until it’s Harvest Time. ;) We also have Rhubarb and Cherry, Peach, Pear and Apple trees - all spray-less varieties on the apples, though I don’t spray the other fruit trees, either. Some seasons I’m swimming in fruit, so things get ‘put up’ for the years we have a down season. Apple and Pear Butters, Cherry Jam, Peach Pie (frozen), etc.

I’ve cut back on my tomato plants, and have started to grow just what I need for specific recipes that we like. Salsa, V-8 Juice and Tomato Soup are the main three.

Now I’m hungry, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

UPDATE:
Well, I guess things were LESS than OK after the storm blew through - but I didn’t notice!

Beau got home yesterday afternoon, and then later went to do barn chores. When he came back, he told me that two, OLD, HUGE trees had fallen - AWAY from the barn, thank goodness! I was down in the barn three times yesterday and never noticed, LOL! They did hit the pasture fence, but Ithaca wasn’t hurt - bet he ran like h#ll when it happened, LOL!

So, more firewood to sell, I guess. It looks like there are two train cars sitting in that small pasture yard. Those trees were huge! (But old, and hollow and Nature takes care of things like that).

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Good Morning Diana! Well...no damage other than some Tree damage and a Mobilized Dog House!

(Already storming, rainy morning for you? More on the way in N Missouri and Iowa this AM. )

Hoping you and everyone who reads this have an excellent Sunday!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Made this last night for our Brunch this morning. Yummy! Plenty of leftovers for Brunch later in the week. I didn't have Onion Rolls, so just used French Bread. Any hearty bread would do. I did not use a BIG 13x9 pan, but my smaller 7x11, so I halved the ingredients. Still turned out great, but crumbled bacon in there would put it over the top.

Sleepin' In Omelette:

https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a12110/sleepin-in-omlette/