Weekly Gardening Thread - June 22-28, 2019

June 22, 2019 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Our 'Greeneyes' has been FOUND, but she is STILL having computer issues, so I have been asked to keep the Weekly Garden Thread rolling until she returns.

That said, I will be posting once a week, and I will TRY to stick to her schedule of a Friday Night/Saturday Morning Weekly Post.

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly 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.

This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. 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 Weekly Gardening 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!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Good Morning!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Pinging The List!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

7 Smokable Plants You Can Grow That Aren’t Marijuana

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3758448/posts

https://modernfarmer.com/2018/07/7-smokable-plants-you-can-grow-that-arent-marijuana/

[Diana in Wisconsin]

In case you missed it, see post #105 on last week’s thread - photos of a VERY poor start to the season for field corn, comparing 2018 and 2019, same weeks in June. :(

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3757045/posts?q=1&;page=101

[rlmorel]

Hahahahah...I saw that and thought instantly of “Classy Green Eyed Blonde”!

[miss marmelstein]

Thank you.

Here in Alabama with an oleander seedling given to me by a neighbor.

[Sacajaweau]

I'm in Zone 6 - Upstate NY. We had lotsa rain and little sun. This week finally looks good....and I'm setting out 6 more tomato plants.

Doing an experiment. Planting two rows (6 tomato plants) in a 4' x 5' plot. Planted 12 in a 4' x 20' plot. Want to see if the yield is effected by the space used.

Also picked up a Brix meter to test for sweetness.

[rlmorel]

THE WILDWOOD WEED

The wildwood flower grew wild on the farm,
And we never knowed what it was called.
Some said it was a flower and some said it was weed,
I never gave it much thought

One day I was out there talking to my brother,
Reached down for a weed to chew on,
Things got fuzzy and things got blurry,
And then everything was gone!

Didn’t know what happened,
But I knew it beat the hell out of sniffin’ burlap.
I come to and my brother was there,
And he said, What’s wrong with your eyes?
I said, I don’t know, I was chewing on a weed.
He said, Let me give it a try.

We spent the rest of that day and most of that night,
Trying to find my brother, Bill.
Caught up with him, ‘bout six o’clock the next morning,
Naked, swinging on the wind mill!

He said he flew up there.
I had to fly up there and bring him down,
He was about half crazy

The very next day we picked a bunch of them weeds,
And put ‘em in the sun to dry.
Then we mashed ‘em up and chopped ‘em up,
And put ‘em in the corncob pipe.

Smokin’ that wildwood flower got to be a habit,
We didn’t see no harm.
We thought it was kind of handy,
Take a trip and never leave the farm!

All good things gotta come to an end,
And it’s the same with the wildwood weed.
One day this feller from Washington came by,
And he spied it and turned white as a sheet.
Then they dug and they burned,
And they burned and they dug,
And they killed all our cute little weeds.
Then they drove away,
We just smiled and waved
Sittin’ there on that sack of seeds!

Y’all come back now, hear?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“Also picked up a Brix meter to test for sweetness.”

How does that work? Do you have to lose a tomato via testing?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

There are so many beautiful Southern things I wish I could grow up here! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I sing that one all summer long, LOL! :)

Also, by Jim Stafford:

“She said: ‘I don’t like spiders and snakes...and that ain’t what it takes to love me, ya fool, YA FOOL!’”

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Vacationing along the north shore of Lake Superior.

State motto of Minnesota: “Bring Warm Clothes.”

[Liz]

Swamped with squash? Try this cheesy, custardy dish. Swap minced jalapeno for cayenne. Serves 4.

CHEESY YELLOW SQUASH / JUNIOR LEAGUE RECIPE

ING 2 lbs sliced yellow squash, large onion, chopped teaspoon sugar 2 tsp salt softened
butter, 4 beaten eggs 4 c shredded cheddar 2 c milk 4 c bread crumbs tsp cayenne parm

METHOD Simmer tender combined squash, onion, sugar, and salt, water to cover; drain.
Spoon into a bowl and mash. Add butter and mix. Stir/mix in eggs; add cheddar, milk, bread crumbs
and cayenne. Spoon into buttered 8x8" baker, sprinkle with Parm. Bake brown and bubbly 350 deg 30 min.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Probably no mosquitoes, though! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Saving that one, for sure! My zukes are blooming, but that’s about it. Looking back on some of my gardening notes, I was already swimming in Zukes this time of year!

[Liz]

Glad you liked the squash recipe. Here's a zucchini recipe from Gwyneth Paltrow's cookbook "It's All Easy."

Reason to buy spiralizer. Beautifully simple dish in under 15 min., made healthy with zucchini noodles.
CHEF TIP when spiralizing, spin about four times, then cut off noodles. One giant zoodle is difficult to eat.

Zucchini Cacio E Pepe

METHOD Toss/combine 3 med spiraled zucchini, 1/4 c best ol/oil, tsp bl/pepper. Serve dusted w/ Parm.

[a little elbow grease]

ON the dreaded thistles .... the other night we found three thistle shoots sneaking up "secretly" in a group of tall ferns right by our healthy compost pile. They thought they could hide. Ha.

But alas as we left our driveway the car lights drew attention to the sly scoundrels. We pulled them out Thursday morning. They were five feet tall and still had not flowered.

Now they are gonzo.

Be well .........

[Sacajaweau]

Lose a tomato??...It become your lunch. You just cut off a little piece and squeeze the juices onto a small glass.

Google it.

I'm growing heirlooms....Krim Brandywine. They have a rich taste. Very addictive and superior to hybrids...in my opinion. The Black Cherry tomatoes were outstanding.....superior in taste to sweet 100.

[trisham]

Thank you, Diana!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Mosquitoes as big as dinner plates.