Posted on 09/01/2026 5:40:17 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.
Used oil can temporarily preserve wood that is not too far gone, but, it has modest carcinogenic properties: Fresh motor oil is a lot pricier than it used to be, but a gallon would go pretty far -- in my case I have some new 10w-40 I no longer have much use for, so, our one shed with a plywood floor will likely get that. IIRC it can be mixed with mineral spirits to thin it, if desired.
I think that construction waste might be pretty alkaline? Otherwise, if concerned I’ll bet you could look up MSDS or SDS product sheets for typical examples. I’d guess breathing in dust during construction is the biggest risk, normally.
I got the leaks in the piping from the well pump “down” minimized.* I can’t actually check down at the injector unless I haul the pipes back out — NOT a chore I am thrilled to contemplate. Filled with water, their weight maxes me out!
So, anyway, we have had water since yesterday evening and that’s a relief, esp. with wifey a lot happier.
*It turns out that worm type hose clamps just don’t do a very good job if there is any bending pressure at the joint. Better suspending the piping into the well at the elbows (where it heads on down) and doubling up on the clamps helped a lot, and I replaced the short piece of 1/1/4” PE pipe that comes off the pump with brand new pipe. (I need to buy some 1” PE pipe for the “drive” feed, but, leakage is presently very small, so, rather than buy 5 ft. for several $$, I’m just going to break down and buy a whole 100 ft roll to be able to redo the entire run, maybe later this fall.)
I’m also going to either double up on the hose clamps or get some T-bolt clamps to see if they really work better.
AI has really been running me around as I tried to research various aspects of this mess. In one instance it contradicted itself within the same sentence! Sheesh!
Has anyone here had much experience with manual well pumps (hand pump) when the water is 20’ to 30’ down? The traditional pumps’ specs look iffy, over 20’ or so. Amazon does have newer Chinese designs that are rated deeper, but may need a little work upon arrival:
I’m also considering something that will run off 12 volts, but this one is overkill, capacity-wise:
And:
Has anyone here had experience with the hand pumps in cases where the well water may be more than 20 ft. down at times?
We used a quart of old motor oil from the shelf. Basically did the perimeter of the hole. It had to be finished today for the winter. Right now its just one 2X12 so it should not be too hard to replace. Thanks for the advice.
PS to all Diana says now one week til she is back online!
Wish I had some advice for you. Being in Michigan I know nothing about bamboo.
Finally, we have a cooling off coming. Low 70s/50s this week. A 20 degree drop in a two days is a bit much but I’ll take the low 70s days. Low 50s morning I’ll be able to go places I generally wont when it’s mid 90s. Get in and out quick. The bugs ain’t dead yet but at 50 degrees, they move slow.
I would probably avoid the Chilies as well as the red pepper flakes, unless they are from sweet bell peppers. Maybe use a little soy sauce and less salt, also a bit of chopped onion. I have both the honey and maple syrup, and I still some recently frozen Brussels Sprouts.
A very large one! You will need to grab them before the squirrels, but you know that already!
In this case it would just be a matter of pouring small bags of the plaster/drywall rubble onto the long bamboos stems, go away quickly and let rain settle any dust. I would only be involved in doing this a couple of times and use a mask or bandana while pouring. I am going to ask him to put in in small plastic grocery bags so I can carry it easily and pour where needed and spread around. I have no idea how acid or alkaline the bamboo and poke weed might be, and will have to look up what acid substances powdered I could throw in on the construction waste.
Breakfast Burrito
Creamy scrambled eggs, avocado, pepperjack cheese.
ING 8 lge eggs k/s/p 2 tbl butter 4 oz cr/cheese flour tortilla avocado slices Pepperjack cheese hot sauce
METHOD: whisk eggs, k/s/pepper. Add to melted butter in pan over med flame. W/ spatula gently push eggs to form soft curds. When partially cooked, sprinkle on cream cheese cubes. Cook/stir til starting to set. Add a small knob of butter just before removing offheat.
ASSEMBLE Wrap eggs in warm tortilla w/ sliced avocado, pepperjack, hot sauce. Can add fave vegs.
CHEF TIPS: soften cr/cheese cut into small cubes. Cook on low heat to prevent dry/rubbery eggs. Cream cheese should melt gently for a soft, custardy texture. Stir eggs slowly and gently w/ spatula to cook evenly and maintain creaminess. Avoid over-stirring.
I thought it was just me not getting a ping.
Thanks for asking and letting us know.
I found this interesting stuff on growing mushrooms.
This is How Mushrooms Are Made (Tour of North Spore)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51FoFWfx2BI
Our Pastor is from Finland - it’s obvious English is her 2nd language which results occasionally in some hilarity. She is a wonderful person, very caring, takes great care of her “flock”. I personally have been the recipient of her love & support - she means a lot to me.
She wanted to visit mom for her birthday, but we were going to be out of town on the ‘birthday trip’. Mom invited her for lunch when she does come, which is looking like Wednesday. Pastor’s birthday is the next day, the 24th. So the thought occurred: could I find Finnish recipes to serve her for lunch? Yes indeed, there are Finnish recipes out there, supposedly for very popular dishes! I am making Finnish meatballs with ‘brown sauce’ (gravy), mashed potatoes & a carrot casserole. For something green, we’ll go Southern with Mississippi Green beans. For dessert, we’ll go old fashioned with cottage cheese pie (my grandmother used to make this) with homemade strawberry sauce. I think it will be a nice lunch.
Lihapullat, ruskea kastike ja perunamuusi = Finnish meatballs with mashed potatoes & brown sauce
Porkkanalaatikko = Finnish carrot casserole
*************
Today, I put up my 3rd batch of red jalapeños for jelly (cleaned, chopped up & in vinegar), refrigerated until it’s “canning day” when I’ll do all the batches or as many as I can before I drop from exhaustion. There are still plenty of green peppers on the plants so I think I’ll get to 4 batches.
I don’t know if the squirrels even know they exist. I pick and rarely do I miss and one falls to the ground. No buffet for either them or raccoons.
How thoughtful of you to make Finnish dishes. Bet she will love that.
As with my wife. She frequently reverses "He" and "She", for example. This leads to a lot of "Huh? What? WHO?" around here and elsewhere. It gets even "better" in her classroom (2nd grade - parochial school). "But, teacher...!!!"
Then again, my Mom's English was "native" (USA) and very good - she also did spoken English teaching as church outreach to foreign students at our local University, helping lead quite a few to Christianity. But, that didn't prevent my usually sweet, "quiet" Mom from one day mustering up the "nerve" to stand up over some moderately contentious issue, one day at one of our church "voters' meetings" (basically any member over 16 y/o, IIRC), and blurt out to our Pastor: "Pistor Rast...". The meeting dissolved into laughter. :-) Porkkanalaatikko = Finnish carrot casserole
Oooo... That sounds interesting! Can you give us the recipe?
I was looking at this watermelon I bought on impulse, and trying to figure out what to do with the rest of it, and asked Brave (browser) if it could be used as a sauce base. Sure enough, it replied with a strong affirmative:
:-)
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.