Posted on 02/08/2020 7:01:00 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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.
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 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 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! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
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!
>ping<
Coffee!
mmmmm...
I got all my Irish potatoes planted: Yukon Gold, All Blue and Red Norland... and then... 10 + inches of rain in a five day period.
So now my potato bed is a mud flat. Rain forecast for the rest of the week, too.
After two days of rain/showers, we finally had a big front come through to clear things out yesterday, but with high winds (40-50 mph gusts & literally ‘howling’ around the house corners) ... got my exercise chasing pots blowing out of my garden area and across the field! The poor birds were hanging on to the bird feeder/suet cages for dear life. Lights flickered a couple of times, enough to cause the WiFi to reset ... fortunately, no trees went down on our place & the electric stayed up.
We got almost 4” of rain ... my raised beds are on a high spot & even the grass/ground around them was super squishy. Four days of rain in the forecast for next week .... I try not to complain about rain, but we’re getting seriously soggy. .... septic fields too saturated to drain (relative’s problem next door), the river is above flood stage, water over the road, just up from us. It’s sunny & chilly this morning - hope it will dry out some over the weekend.
Diana here: It’s not too late for some of these ideas/projects. Some of us still have quite a bit of Winter ahead of us!
A Gardener’s New Year’s Resolutions
Kay Hinkle
Adams County Master Gardener
First, let me be clear – I don’t make New Year resolutions! Quite a few years ago I realized going through that annual exercise was a futile attempt to change overnight – something that isn’t all that realistic for me. I vowed to lose 10 pounds more often than I care to remember; it was no easier in January than in the other 11 months of the year!
With that confession out of the way, let me say that I am all for realizing measured improvement in the coming year over the previous one. If January is a good time to wipe the old slate clean, with progress to begin again in earnest in the New Year, why not? Whatever the reason and whatever the timing, incremental improvement is always good, right? So, I’ve come up with a number of items below that might just be added to the gardener’s list of resolutions for anyone, anytime, anywhere:
* With the leaves off the trees and the gardens in a bare January state, take a good look at your gardens to assess placement. Are there open spaces that need filled in? Conversely, are there cluttered plantings that might be more attractive if separated in the spring? Make notes for each garden in winter months that can be clearly followed when the time is right to divide, move, re-plant or share with a neighbor or a friend.
* Really clean outdoor pots for the coming year. Actually disinfect as the gardening manuals direct. Start fresh this growing season with squeaky clean pots and fresh soil. You might be surprised at the difference it makes in your container gardens this year.
* Examine outdoor gardening tools like rakes, hoes, and shovels. Clean shovel and spade blades. Organize the tools for easy access in the coming months. Simple wall racks available at local garden centers and big box stores can be inexpensive or elaborate. The goal is to know just where to find the ground shovel when it is time to plant that new tree or shrub in the spring, and finding it clean and good repair as well.
* Inspect and organize your tool caddy or bucket; if you don’t have one, make one this winter, by gathering those implements most often needed to plant, weed, or prune into one central repository to be carried along as you plant or weed. It is amazing how much time one saves when what is needed in the process is right at your fingertips!
* Use the winter months to educate yourself on a topic that will improve your gardening expertise in the coming years. Do you know what you need to know about invasive plants? There are new ones to avoid added to the noxious list on a regular basis.
* This one is fun and serves to brighten your home this winter – scour the after- Christmas sales in gardening departments to purchase plants and flowers for inside as you wait for the planting season to begin outside. A leftover Christmas Cactus can bring enjoyment for years to come. Amaryllis bulbs that sold for $15 plus before Christmas might be reduced to a third of the original price after the holidays. Paper whites and other spring bulbs can be found at similar savings, potted and ready to force as directed. Once enjoyed indoors, store these bulbs for planting outdoors later and enjoy them again.
* Consider ways to cut gardening costs in the coming year. Start plants from seeds, for example. Divide perennials and share with friends and neighbors. Formalize a neighborhood date for a day of sharing plants this spring or fall.
* Treat yourself to a purchase of a special purchase with a portion of the savings in #4 above. What is the plant or shrub or tree that you have been longing to add to your landscape? Make it a focal point in the garden to enjoy every day of the growing season.
* Make a list of tasks to be completed each month of the year that keeps you on track to a more beautiful result as the year unfolds. (Actually, complete the tasks.....)
* Finally, plot a way to lose 10 pounds that is different than the plan that didn’t work last year. What am I saying? Scratch that!
No good deed goes unpunished!
Love Red Norland - I always plant those. I thought for sure that I would lose my potato crop last year - we had SO MUCH RAIN. My beds are raised, but they were mulched. I had to pull back the mulch to let them dry out. It was ridiculous.
Hoping your Taters will survive. My crop was less than normal, but they still produced reasonable well. Good Luck!
Our ducklings continue to grow. I will have their brooder finished today. We are going to have to move our dining table elsewhere to fit the brooder into the dining room.
We may be at the end of our RVing. Losing interest in it. Thinking more about adding a solarium to the back deck and spend more summertime on gardening. It was fun, but not that much, anymore. The owner’s wife at our previous site made life miserable! Know anyone interested in a 40’ Sanibel with screen room? (LOL)
I can smell my coffee too. I’m from central Missouri.
Has anyone started their tomato seeds yet?
I picked up an herb a the local nursery to fill a window sill pot a couple of weeks ago. It’s called Burnett and has a cucumber essence to it. I’ve been muddled some for a Bloody Mary and it was a nice touch. I haven’t cooked with it yet, just flavored a few things.
Looking at doing an edible flower patch this year. Getting ready to seed borage and the spring spinach. Sine there is an arugula shortage, I might use my basil pot for a little spring veg since I don’t put basil out until late May. Problem is that arugula produces too much to quickly.
We just mailed our seed order in this week.
Will start March 1.
Starting too soon can grown gangly plants...
I emailed some pix from our trip to Huatulco to Tubebender.
Some exotic items from the jungle...
My garden is in the Missouri River bottom. Last summer the river flooded and covered it almost all summer. River 1 garden 0.
Gotta love that coffee!
Daffy bulbs and Dutch Iris bulbs sending up green growth. Temperatures up and down; haven’t had much winter and it is more like spring.
Yes...naughty tomatoes like Auria, Monkey Ass, Teton de Venus, and Cow’s T*t...enjoy tweaking the local baptist women! Sweet and hot peppers are about 1” tall...a few basils, catnip, and stevia (all from saved seed) have germinated, as well!
“Has anyone started their tomato seeds yet?”
I’m in SW Wisconsin, Zone 4/5. I start mine indoors Mid-March, then when they have 2 sets of adult leaves I transplant them and move them to my Greenhouse to finish off, keeping an eye on the nighttime temps because it’s still pretty cold here at night in April. We had April SNOW last year.
Everyone remember we’re in a Solar Minimum now for the next year or so, NOT to be confused with a GRAND Solar Minimum which would result in a Mini Ice Age. The last time that happened, though, was in the 1700’s.
Consider changing some of your plant varieties (Tomatoes and Peppers and other heat-loving crops) to short-season ones this year (and maybe next), just in case. It’s especially important for we Northern Gardeners!
Understanding Solar Maximum and Minimum:
https://www.ntd.com/understanding-solar-maximum-and-minimum_432749.html
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