Weekly Garden Thread - October 10-16, 2020

October 10, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[Diana in Wisconsin]

We hit a lot of local HS Football Games in the fall and Wresting Matches in the winter.

Hoping they’ll have some this year!

Beau was both a wrestler and lineman in HS, so he enjoys both sports.

I never made the Cheerleading Squad, but I was a PomPom Girl and took stats for Girls Basketball - which was just becoming a ‘thing’ in the 70’s.

My best friend in HS was close to 6’ and she played and I was 5’, so I sat on the bench and recorded stats.

“And if you can’t be an Athlete, at least be an Athletic Supporter!” (Animal House)

[Qiviut]

My zinnia bed is just spectacular this Fall. Mom cut about half the blooms this past week to make flower arrangements for various folks - church secretary & pastors, a shut-in, & 2 neighbors. I took a lot of pics just to remember all the different colors, petal/center types, etc. I decided to post the pics of 3 of the arrangements from different angles to show the most blooms.

BIG news for me - I had to use one of my veggie raised beds for the zinnias and I really do need it for veggies so I can spread them out, rotate crops, etc. I was going to make more wooden beds, but lumber is SO expensive ... and heavy - my brother would have had to help me. I was messing around online and found galvanized beds on sale ($23 off the regular price/bed). I bought 4! They are 3'x 6' & 12 inches deep. They should be here within the next 7-14 days. I'll have all winter to get them filled with dirt, the soil amended & ready for an early Spring flower planting. I am so excited about these beds!

If you right click on the pictures & choose "view image", it will take you to a larger picture where you can see a lot more detail. Enjoy - a little "flower sunshine" on (for us) a very dark, rainy day.

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

BEAUTIFUL flowers WOW!!!

[Trump Girl Kit Cat]

OMG to cute!!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Mystery solved!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Gorgeous! I always forget to grow those ‘Cactus’ types! Thanks for the reminder. Overcast here; rain tomorrow, but we need some!

[MomwithHope]

I made a larger peony ring by cutting off the top part of a coated tomato cage. Works great. Strong and the legs go down deep.

[MomwithHope]

Wow that’s a lot of peonys. I just have Bowl of Beauty.

[MomwithHope]

Stunning!!

[TheConservativeParty]

Oooh, great idea! Thank you!

[TheConservativeParty]

Wow! Thanks for all the info and links to peony garden!

[TheConservativeParty]

Beautiful zinnias! I have about 10 varieties of zinnia seeds bought for next year. So many kinds to choose from.

[Capt. Tom]

Still a few heirloom tomatoes hanging on.....big rain and wind last night and nighttime low temps are in low 50s now so tomato plants are starting to brown.

I had 5 tomato plants this season, 4 of them gave a good yield so far. The fifth plant grew plenty of green tomatoes and I was afraid the first frost Oct10 - 20th would kill them before they ripened. However, about 5 tomatoes have now started to turn red on that plant, and it looks like in the next 10 day forecast no frost kill for another week, so I will get some tomatoes from that bush. Didn't do well with radishes this year. -Tom

[MomwithHope]

It was one of these, just cut off the top ring and the legs under it. You will still have 2 rings to hold the peonys and nice long legs to sick in the ground. it winds up being taller than a standard peony ring and i get NO drooping

[MomwithHope]

Garden leftovers - the last of the yellow pear tomatoes got canned whole. I just stuck a toothpick through twice and added a little salt to the jar. Leftover banana peppers got pickled for italian sandwiches. And leftover green tomatoes that were never going to ripen got chopped up for hotdog relish, with pepper and onion. Still have some more banana and shishito peppers coming in. we have not had a hard freeze yet in west Michigan and the weather and the colors are gorgeous!

[TheConservativeParty]

Thank you for the photo. I just remembered that a friend of mine offered me her extra tomato cages that look like that. She said she has a stack of them in her barn. 😊

[tob2]

Yes, autumn is here, along with the seasonal allergies, which has taken over my breathing! Coughing up a storm so had to break down and gets some meds from my doctor. Pulled up all my tomato and basil plants; they looked rather beaten up from the very hot summer. I did have a stellar crop of tomatoes and plenty of basil. In their place planted several lettuce seeds and mustard greens. Plan on planting a bunch of spring bullbs as soon as it is cold enough and looking forward to the start of spring planting season!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

A moment of silence, Please!

18-wheeler rolls over on I-35 in New Braunfels, spills mason jars across highway

NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas (KXAN) — Part of I-35 was closed in New Braunfels after an 18-wheeler carrying empty mason jars rolled over on Saturday morning.

Pictures posted on Twitter by New Braunfels Police showed crews cleaning up a large amount of debris on both sides of the highway after the incident, which happened at Highway 46 South.

New Braunfels Police said the cab of the vehicle caught fire when it crashed, but the fire is now out.

One person was transported to a hospital, but their injuries were described as not life-threatening.

Police said the vehicle’s trailer ended up across the center barrier, causing it to split in half and spilling a large amount of the glass jars all over the road.

A large light pole was also knocked down in the crash.

Northbound I-35 was closed with traffic diverted at the Guadalupe River turnaround.

Police said at the time for drivers to expect significant delays for the next several hours in the area.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Great Job, Mom!

I’m tackling red peppers and apples, tomorrow. Going to chop the peppers fine in the food processor and freeze to use later in Pimento Cheese Spread, and the apples are going into deep dish crusts with French Crumble tops, then frozen for later baking.

I’ve got to get going on the kale, too! ;)

[TheConservativeParty]

How about adding a checker board of strings to the modified tomato cage, so the peony stems can grow up through them. That might help support the blooms. Unless the strings would slide out of shape (squares) because the hoops are round... 🤓🧐