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.

[Augie]

Light rain this morning here in Central Missouri. Just enough to keep me indoors until it stops.

Yesterday was hectic. I started off by attending the weekly Geezer Breakfast with my buddy Steve. While there Mrs. Augie started blowing up my phone with text messages - the fox that I warned her about a few days ago made a strafing run through the yard - killed two of her hens and messed the rooster up badly enough that I put him out of his misery after I got home.

Howard was in the dog yard when this happened and he went ballistic. He found a seam in the welded wire and managed to bust through it to get to the fox. He didn't catch her, but he ran her back to her den before she could finish off the flock. He's a little scratched up but he'll be alright. Good boy Howard. I went back to the den later and tossed a bag of mothballs down the hole. It probably won't run her off but I'm pretty sure she won't like it.

After the mess was cleaned up Pops and I went to the salvage yard and picked up my tractor parts order. Made it home without incident and put the pallet of parts in dry storage until I'm ready to bring the tractor into the shop and tear it apart.

Checked on the new garden patch after all of that and noticed that some sort of varmint is digging in my potato patch. I was headed for a bumper crop but it's not looking so good now.

The lettuces that I transplanted last week are doing very well. Mrs. Augie is picking off of them every other day and they just keep making more.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Qiviut. a starting point idea here. I used Lapped 4' Rabbit fencing the length of my "raised " bed. I covered with a single strip of lite Garden Fabric. Its a pain to pull the cover off and replace it. However, when I finally remove the fabric, I can leave the fencing and this deters squirrels from digging around in the bed. (Smaller apertures than a hog panels.) I did put a 1 x 3 on the top to hold it down in the wind. I also would take some of those green tomato stakes and put them angle down across the top a teepee formation to keep it from blowing away in the wind.

If I revisited this (I had 6' x 2' raised bed frames) I might use 3 foot Rabbit fencing as a Hoop, just make 2 individual removable covers. Easier to pick up and take off. (If I had one of those 3 ft high galvanized raised beds I would definitely do this.)

** Note I do not have deer problem. My problems are squirrels and maybe possums and the occasional raccoon.

If you get a row cover remember to purchase one long enough to accommodate the ends of the hoop. (I just grabbed this example off of Amazon. I do not get a referral or anything. There are other covers that might work better for you!)

Amazon 10' x 33' Floating row cover Anyway, Good luck!

[Qiviut]

Thanks, Pete! I have fencing I used on my old raised beds. I can either use the panels or take them apart for just the wire. I’ll come up with something. The Garden Fabric I bought (need some more!) was very long & worked well.

I just happened to be up at 2 am & the motion light went on out front. Guess who? Mom had covered the hosta pots so no ‘gourmet salad bar’ was available on the menu :-)

[Liz]

Sweet Potato Breakfast Pie

ING Crust 7 c sweet potatoes, peeled/shredded 1 1/2 tsp k/salt 2 lge egg whites 1 1/2 tbl ol/oil, divided.

Filling 6 slices thick-cut bacon, chp 8 lge eggs 1 1/4 c h/cream 1 tsp k/s 1/4 tsp black pepper, divided 4 oz aged Gruyère, shredded/divided 1 oz grated Parm 1/3 c thin-sliced scallion white/light green.

Directions Crust: Stir sweet potatoes/salt in bowl. Let stand 15 min; then squeeze very dry in towel. Place in bowl and add egg whites; stir/combine. Press on bottom/up sides of a 9" oiled cake pan. Bake brown and crisp at edges, 375 deg 15 min. Cool slightly, 15-18 min.

Reduce oven to 325 deg to make Filling: Render bacon over med. Cook/stir crispy 12 min. Drain. Discard bacon grease, or reserve. Whisk eggs and cream smooth. Whisk in 3/4 c Gruyère, the Parmigiano-Reggiano, whites and light greens of scallions, ks/pepper, and all but 1 tbl cooked bacon. Pour Filling into crust. Bake 325 deg til center is just set but slightly jiggly, about 35-40 min.

Final Top w/ 1/4 c Gruyère after 15 min. Can broil last 2-3 min for golden brown finish. Let cool
on rack 20 min. Garnish w/ dk green scallion slivers/bacon. Slice; serve warm or at room temp.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Sorry about your potatoes! So discouraging!

Howard deserves a medal, and I’ll bet Mrs. Augie appreciated his bravery!

Lettuce is a wonder vegetable! Mine is punking out now and some is bolting due to the ridiculous temps we’ve endured, plus I don’t have a ‘safe from critters and puppies’ shady spot where I can keep it happier longer - don’t want to mess with shade cloth. Anyhow, there will be more for us this fall, but we had a good crop and there’s still plenty in the veggie drawer for salads into next week. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Today I got my sweet pepper plants in the ground. Grover was on a tie out and not too happy about it, but he survived. He is NOT helpful!

Also got another batch of pole drying beans in, and then I watered everything that’s in the garden and pots.

All this before it got too hot at 11am.

This afternoon I unpacked all of my TREASURES from our shopping spree, yesterday. Mostly boring household organizing stuff, but I did get some new tennies, so that’s always a thrill, LOL! We found both a ‘Sketchers’ outlet and a ‘La Crueset’ outlet that we’d not been to before. Impressive. Nothing makes me happier than a deep discount!

Also baked a batch of Pumpkin Muffins and a loaf of bread and now I am going to do some kitchen drawer organizing with my ‘stuff’ from The Container Store.

It’s the little things in life...

[Paul R.]

Heh - I’d have tossed a M-80 down the hole...

This guy tosses safety to the winds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzApW0WsVfs

[Liz]

I just love those mini Le Creuset cookers----one at each place setting filled w/ a side.

[quantim]

“Now, the blues may be eating lots of the predators”

Ugh, we have a different ‘blue’ issue on catfish...we were visited by a Great Blue Heron who cleaned out the catfish (dark grey, black) in our koi pond. They are really pretty with a 6’+ wingspan especially when taking off but not when hunting fish. The rare-ish herons don’t bother the koi as they are way too big, but the catfish weren’t lucky. The few catfish did a pretty good job of keeping clear the sandy bottom but came home a few days ago and the heron was was repeatedly smacking the last catfish we know of (about 7-8”) in shallow water and haven’t seen one yet days later.

I’ve tried a couple of times to establish some water plants that are readily available, problem is that they don’t establish in pure sand coupled with our winters. Dilemma.

[Qiviut]

A friend of mine had a koi pond in his back yard with large, very expensive koi in it. A juvenile blue heron got at least 2 of them. He finally put netting over his pond - it was small enough he could do that. It gave him great pleasure to see the heron marching around the pond looking at the fish, but unable to get them.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I bought the EVOO cruet in the ‘Cerise’ (red) color. Those minis were still $30 a pop at the discounted price.

I almost bought the little prep ‘just a pinch’ bowls in all the pretty colors, but I resisted. ;)

The couple in line ahead of me walked out with $400.00+ of merchandise. I’m nosy, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“...problem is that they don’t establish in pure sand coupled with our winters. Dilemma.”

My Mom had a pond with Koi and plants. Zone 5. She would keep the plants in her basement with some additional lighting in a big tub of water with a small circulating pump over winter. She’d give them a bit of liquid fertilizer a few times through the winter. She had good luck with that.

I don’t remember what she did with the fish; I don’t remember a big fish tank anywhere in the house. Maybe they just stayed under the frozen pond? I seem to remember her husband feeding them in the winter after breaking open an area of ice on top.

[FamiliarFace]

*** I’ve tried a couple of times to establish some water plants that are readily available, problem is that they don’t establish in pure sand coupled with our winters. Dilemma.***

Last Fall we had a stone waterfall feature built for our meditation garden. Rocks hide the plastic liner. It is wet on the rocks and that eventually makes its way back to the pool to recirculate. I have had success growing blue flag iris in next to nothing for soil, but a few inches of water. We had a very harsh winter this past year, to the point that it was more like zone 5 instead of zone 6. Those irises came back in the spring and bloomed beautifully! They are just now finishing with their blossoms. I’m hoping they will spread even more this next year. Such a thrill.

Also we have some little hostas growing near the irises. They did quite well, too. I guess the snow insulated these plants some.

I’m not sure if this is the type of thing you’re looking for.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

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[Diana in Wisconsin]

[left that other site]

Good Morning!

😊

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The plan for the day is to hit TWO Graduation Parties. Free food! Well, we are giving the kids $, so not entirely FREE...

This morning I moved a brush pile for mowing tomorrow morning. It will take me longer to move all of Grover's toys off the lawn than to actually mow! Looks like it's not going to be AS hot for tomato planting on Sunday - 78 for the high. It's ain't 80, and it ain't raining! :)

Got the peppers planted yesterday and also the Good Mother Stollard beans. I will do the Lina Sisco beans tomorrow at some point and with the addition of the tomatoes, it will all be in! Then it's just Weed, Water and Wait! The best part of the year. Yay!

I treated myself to a grass shear/hedge clipper from Sun Joe. I LOVE it! It makes short work of a few edging spots that the mower misses and can be used as a hedge trimmer (longer blade attachment), but I've seen others use it for quick cutting of perennials in the fall. Cord-free, rechargeable!

Have a Good Day, Everyone!

[goodnesswins]

Good morning....I need that clipper/hedger...badly.

[Paul R.]

Hmmm... I’m not sure what kind of catfish you had or what species of koi, so I’m lacking a reference, but, it sounds like you need bigger catfish.

Years aback, my daughter had a pet store Pleco catfish. It outgrew its 20 gal tank and she traded it back to a different pet store, for some equipment, IIRC. I also don’t recall just how big those could get - 2 feet, maybe, if given enough space and food?

I’ll bet even the Herons would hesitate to attack a black bullhead like that largest one I caught on Memorial Day.

Bullheads that size normally have transitioned to being mostly piscivores, munching on 3” bluegill and such, but, they are opportunistic feeders and will eat most anything they can swallow.* I don’t think they are well adapted to algae that grow on surfaces, though.

*Years back I recall a story of a guy who caught a near record BB and it had a fishing reel in its stomach! They often “stir up” a mud bottom, but with clean sand, I’d expect no problems. Would they harass big koi? Would they keep the bottom of a Koi pond clean? That I don’t know.

But, I do now know BB’s can taste very good, out of good water! :-)

[Paul R.]

Now, that (netting) is a good idea!