Posted on 10/01/2026 6:56:54 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.
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Fire Cider! Time to get a batch cooking for Winter colds and general malaise. ;)
The Ultimate Fire Cider Recipe: Natural Remedies for Cold and Flu Season
Ingredients:
1 quart of organic apple cider vinegar (raw, unfiltered, with “the mother”)
1/4 cup fresh grated horseradish root
1/4 cup fresh grated ginger root
10 cloves garlic (crushed or chopped)
1 onion (chopped)
2-4 fresh hot peppers (such as jalapeños or habaneros, chopped)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of turmeric powder or 1/4 cup fresh turmeric root (grated)
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Honey (to taste, for sweetness after straining)
https://craveworthynutrition.com/fire-cider-recipe-natural-remedies-for-cold-and-flu
Smaller batch recipe:
https://littletennesseehome.com/homemade-fire-cider-simple-small-batch-recipe/
I reported the triple post and asked for a mop! I’ll be back later - FR is giving me heartburn this morning!
Yeah I’m stoked. I’ve mentioned before that there used to be module made for this and still is but with the new model they force you to use a Davis all-in-one weather station. Both with the compass and other graphic elements.
I figured I’d just have to do without. Not no mo.
Ahh, two days of 92 and then two days of rain followed by a cool off and being Oct, we might not see the 90s again until next year, too early next year, but next year.
We need the rain bad. We went from deluge to drought really quick. The spring fed creeks are barely running. They were taking out buildings, bridges and lives not too long ago. Crazy.
Looks like 2 inches over a 2 day span. That’ll work.
I’m playing hooky again this Monday. Things are slow at work and it’s that time of year to prep for hunting season and/or Winter. I’m not the only taking time off and it’s PTO which I’ll be all out of now. Takes six weeks to earn a 10 hour day - end of Nov.
I marked a bunch of dead trees last week that I need to cut down soon. Got a pile of logs up here to cut and have the boy split today and tomorrow. I can grab some small dead trees tomorrow morning. I cut those in 8 foot pcs and flop them on a trailer. Then I pull them of as I cut to stove size. They fall in the black garden/yard cart and go to the splitter or get directly stacked. Minimal bending over and picking things up off the ground.
I’m working on general yard cleanup now, again, still. Need to get things ready for the next deluge. Falling leaves. All small things need to go under a roof. Some larger things need tarps or flipped over so they don’t fill up.
The only actual project I’ll be working on is the full size prototype, bifold tunnel side. The top rail pipe will be tack welded together to start, in between wind gusts. 92/22 temp/gusts. It’s raining leaves today and hickory nuts.
Hopefully the rain and cool off will salvage what’s looking like a bad year for fall colors. The hickories have leaves that are green/yellow/brown all at the same time. Post oaks do that every year and that’s what we have most of.
Marked three dead red oaks last week which sucks. They turn a nice red foliage in the fall. Two were big enough where I had to plant my face against the bark to reach one hand to the other and put survey tape around it. Those might wait until next year to cut down.
My widow maker, broken off but still hanging tree top fell down on it’s own so that’ll be up here soon. That’s red oak too iirc. The smaller standing dead red oak is about 8-9” across. Going to have some good firewood at least.
Correction; I have one other project. Getting a 9” diameter sump pump into a 6” hole. I figured out a way.
We’ll be in Winter Prep Mode soon. Beau is home tomorrow evening from Bear Camp and I have a Honey-Do List all ready for him. Nothing out of the ordinary, other than getting Mick down here from Appleton and fixing ‘my’ porch.
83 today, then a quick cool off and some rain for us, too. Thank Goodness! I am so READY and SO SICK of fake ladybugs and box elder bugs. They all need to die!
Well, you can always just go straight, or at least first, to the Garden Thread.
I do that, sometimes... ;-)
Making slaw is not supposed to be a Klingon ritual... :-(
Hope it heals fast!
I use more tumeric to try to help with root diseases than I do in recipes...
It’d be interesting to see such tests on food molds!
I have brand-new pole beans! Big and beautiful. Found ‘em this afternoon and could hardly believe my eyes. There are just enough for tonight’s dinner, esp. with snapping them in half to make it look like there’s more of ‘em. 😀
Funny what a week or two of NOT having triple-digit temps here in OK will do. And, the pepper plants (sweet peppers, assorted colors supposedly) are just loaded with buds, and I even saw two BB-sized peppers.
“Pleased as punch” would be an accurate description of my mood right now. Heh.
I think that was a major problem with the Mortgage Lifter Tomato plants I planted in a location that got good sun, mid-summer, but with low sun angles later, they almost didn't flower at all, by the time they got old enough to do so, and now leaf diseases are killing them. Other varieties did better, and the Early Girls are still fruiting.
I'm about to give up on Mortgage Lifters. They grow well, until early September, but don't produce much, no matter how early a start indoors I get. Then the disease(s) get 'em. The only thing else I can think of to try is a very sunny spot that is well drained, water the bases a lot, and spray paint the ground white or use a lot of very light color mulch (straw?), because they also don't seem to like really warm ground temperatures that other tomato varieties do ok in.
Could you please send us 3 degrees F this weekend?
Our plants that are not now in too much shade because of the low sun angles are doing well - they recovered from the September heat well. But... this weekend looks too cold!
I’d be glad to! (Now if only I can figure out h ow . . .).
All I can think of for the cold might be a thick cover of mulch. . Maybe cover them with a canvas drop cloth, if you have some type of pole on hand that to make like a tent?
Yum yum yum. What variety of beans did you plant? I prefer Blue Lake, they’re tastier and more tender than Kentucky wonder.
Our problem here is is that nights hav been below or around freezing and the trees have grown so much not enough sun reaches the garden. 😥 We did get a few handfuls of green geans, wicked good tomatoes, and many yummy cukes. We only plant the pickling varitie as it’s much better. Kale is being slow because hub planted it rather late, but it doesn’t mind cool weather.
Too bad your heat and our cold can’t be averaged out.
True dat! That would be a very happy medium. :-)
My pole beans are Kentucky Wonder (the only type of pole bean that our local farm & garden center had), but I did manage to get a couple packets of Blue Lake bush beans in early spring. . Those have put forth several blossoms, so my fingers are crossed!
Anything homegrown is better than buying in the store, this variety or that.
In previous year I have generally left the tomato "King" Flowers, which look like a double flower, alone to pollinate. It results in a really large tomato but takes a lot of energy andreduces the rest of the overall yield. By the time the later blooms happen its hot and do not pollinate as easily so fewer tomatoes. I think a lot of straw might help keep the roots cool.
Any thoughts or recommendations Diana?
My problem has been in getting the Mortgage Lifters to even flower at all, and then, as we discussed earlier, to set fruits. Yet other varieties around them do fairly well.
Nature always wins! Sometimes you just have to wait a little while, as she gets her house in order.
Fresh beans from the garden are such a treat. :)
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