Posted on 06/01/2026 6:10:43 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.
Thanks, Pete!
Midnight has matured in the past few weeks. She no longer growls or lunges at Grover, as he’s grown some, too. The next few days will be the test to see if she stays in her Doggy Condo until she goes to her owner in July, or if she can run loose with Grover.
Mandan did an EXCELLENT job on Guard Duty last night. Not a THING was disturbed in the garden this morning - I just inspected it. I also took in the bird feeders overnight and there is no suet out as I’ve run out and won’t buy any more until Fall.
But, I had a dream last night that Mandan was out in the snow and was snow-covered from tip to tail! I checked on him, too this morning - he’s fine.
Funny how the mind works - or doesn’t, LOL!
My ‘dream’ of Mandan - he was in the garden with raccoon bodies littering the ground around him LOL! Now you know what to do next year when you plant your tomatoes - set a guard dog for a couple of nights!
Good for Midnight! Hopefully she can enjoy some freedom with Grover.
Or the good stuff from Indiana in July! ;)
Yes, I know snakes and grasshoppers have their place in this world, but do they have to be in MY place at the same time?
I’m not afraid of much, but snakes and grasshoppers send me ‘round the bend. ;)
I’m heading to Walmart, today. Mandan is leaving with the crew for his ‘All Expenses Paid Canadian Bear Hunt’ on Friday, so I will keep some ‘Critter Ridder’ on deck in case having him staked out there for a few days (he has water and shade) doesn’t do the trick.
I have heard of putting hot pepper in with the bird seed to repel the squirrels. Might do that, too.
We have the last Ash tree, probably in the entire state! It DID get damaged from the Emerald Ash Borer, but that thing will not die!
Beau cut down the tree before it FELL down, but it keeps re-sprouting, which I don’t mind. It is the most CHEERFUL shade of green (think, Kermit!) you’d ever want to see, and it looks like a big shrub right now. It’s in front of a line of Norway Spruce, so the greens look pretty together.
Not sure what Beau will do about it, but it’s in a spot he doesn’t often see, so maybe she can stay? Also, after felling 47 trees in the past few weeks, I think he’s sick of taking down trees, LOL!
Good idea about letting the fertilizers sit to see if it attracts any digging!
I think my new strategy will be to use the liquid bone meal, once I see blossoms on tomatoes and peppers, cukes and zukes. I’ll also check the ingredients (again!) on my other liquid fertilizers to see if they incorporate calcium into the mix.
I always refer back to the box; it’s like when you’re baking a cake mix, which you’ve done 10,000 times already, and have to keep digging the box out of the trash to re-read the instructions, LOL!
Well, at least *I* still do that! ;)
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https://birdiesgardenproducts.com/
I see in reviews that Epic Gardening gives them a Thumb's Up, too.
*** ONE TREAT per Customer per Day, though! ;)***
We walk our neighborhood daily, and bring dog bone medium sized treats with us. We learned that from the mailman and the UPS guy, who got better treatment from certain neighbors’ dogs than we did, until we saw *why* the dogs weren’t hopping mad at them.
So now we toss the treats out if the dogs are out. All of the dogs have become much better behaved, especially a pit bull named Rocky. Now instead of barking as we approach, he sits and poses until his treat is thrown to him.
All of these dogs have invisible fences, but their owners need to keep their collars charged. You can tell when the charge is beginning to weaken.
At any rate, there are always a few dogs being walked in the neighborhood on leashes, and we KNOW they can smell those treats as we get near them. Even if the owner gets the dog to calm down quickly, they peer back us longingly.
If every dog we usually see is out at the same time when we walk, we go through 11 treats a day, so we carry 12 with us, in case we get a newcomer. We know all the dogs’ names, and the owners are becoming friendlier, too. We have Aurora, Lady, Cooper, Whiskey, Gus, Nala, Poppy, Rocky, Luna, Rosie, and Pete who greet us. Quite the group. Lady wants to be petted and a belly rub before she takes her treat. Each dog is so different, but they’re all very lovable.
Dolly was pretty smart, but I tell ya, we’ve had so much rain and just clouds, no sun, therefore, no rainbows either. There should be one coming around the corner though. Any day now. Right?
Ha, I just found an ash sapling growing in a forlorn pot in my potting area. It’s about 2-1/2 feet tall. I’m trying to figure out where a nice ash might be nice should it ever get big enough to have some shade around it. Hoping the ash borers have moved on since they decimated them around here a few years ago.
When I was ten, we left the mean streets of Milwaukee and moved to Sun Prairie, the Sweet Corn Capitol of the World! Also home to Jimmy the Groundhog.
Our Corn Fest in August was always so much fun. I don't think I missed a single one growing up.
When my Mom re-married, her husband was 'Colonel Corn' their mascot. He did that for 21 years. He was also the local Santa Claus and Mom was Mrs. Claus. She and her BFF made his costume and the Santa costumes, too.
Thank you.
Had to have my son translate that for me...
That is so smart! Food is the best way to make friends, IMHO.
My Mom is always asking how I can remember all the dog names. I just say, ‘You don’t forget MY name or Sister’s name, do you?’
When you’re with a dog from birth to about a year (if they’re sold) or for a decade, you get to know them quite well!
I think Dolly also said something like, ‘Some days, you’ve just got to make your OWN Sunshine!’ ;)
Put n the last 3 tomato plants today. One pepper plant to go, I may see about putting that in a big pot. I’ve gone through 8 tubes of jelly so far for the orioles. But the purple finch, indigo buntings (all female) and a few chickadees eat the jelly too.
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