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Weekly Garden Thread - October 17-23, 2020
October 17, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

Posted on 10/17/2020 7:02:29 AM PDT 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!


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: food; garden; gardening; hobbies
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To: Paul R.

Also, for our anglers (some will already know this):

One of my local Fisheries Biologists tells me that once they reach eating size, bluegill revert back to primarily consuming zooplankton. They will still hit a cricket, worm, fly, etc. — lucky for us! — but no longer are aquatic insects, insects landing on the water, and such, their primary source of nutrition. So, to find the nice bluegill when they are not on spawning beds, follow the zooplankton. One key: The zooplankton will be near the surface at dawn & dusk, but migrate deeper (varies, but will still be above the thermocline if one is present) during the day to avoid UV. Generally no longer needing weeds and such to avoid predators, the larger bluegill may well be well offshore where there is less competition (esp.in closely managed waterbodies) for the zooplankton.


41 posted on 10/18/2020 3:33:32 AM PDT by Paul R. (The Liberal / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling...)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

No lows are forecast below 50 deg. F for us this next week. The work to save our garden (again!) last Fri. and Sat. night looks like it should bear some fruit, including quite a few grape and cherry tomatoes. My Mom loves ‘em!

The Opo decided, apparently, that near frost (for them) & being covered overnight is the time to spit out female flowers. I’m sure we’ll get no more 10 lb. fruits, but we may still get a few 1-3 lb. fruits from those that started to form several days ago. (Those smaller fruits are actually easier to deal with - no thick skin.)

P.S. Pumpkin spice fritters @ Wal-Mart last week - Yum!


42 posted on 10/18/2020 3:46:50 AM PDT by Paul R. (The Liberal / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling...)
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To: All
My week doesn't look conducive to 'growing' anything other than ducks! On the bright side, I'm done mowing for the season. Yay! :)


43 posted on 10/18/2020 7:27:30 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: All

44 posted on 10/18/2020 8:16:35 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

45 posted on 10/18/2020 2:55:56 PM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other side doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: Liz

all I can report is that as of today, I’m still picking a few green pole beans, on Oct 18th...garlic is in....still have a lot of work to clean up the garden....I’ve got beets but they didn’t get very big, but will pick them later this week...


46 posted on 10/18/2020 10:41:34 PM PDT by cherry
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To: Psalm 73; Bon of Babble; Augie

2 inches of rain in 24 hours Fri, psalm.
MAybe the dry season is over here in CENTRAL CT.

splitting wood. Part time job here. Never ends
Saving ashes for lawn next spring
I don’t enjoy it


47 posted on 10/19/2020 2:58:20 PM PDT by campaignPete R-CT (Committee to Re-Elect the President ( CREEP ))
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To: campaignPete R-CT

We got a little bit of rain Sunday afternoon. Enough to chase me off the deer stand project, but not enough to do any real good.

I try to avoid splitting wood these days. Most of what I burn is mill waste. Amish mill near me will load my 16x7 trailer for $45. Once I have three loads stockpiled I take it straight from the trailer to the furnace. When the trailer is empty it goes back to the mill and I burn from the heap. Less handling saves a lot of wear and tear on my back.

Air temps turned cold here on Saturday. I built a fire in the furnace this morning. It will take ~12 cord to keep it lit until mid-April when I shut it down for the season.

The older I get the more I like propane.


48 posted on 10/20/2020 6:32:32 AM PDT by Augie
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Haha - yeah, a huge old Sycamore tree in my Mom’s yard was cut down some years ago as a threat to nearby power lines. But, it regenerated, and with most of the old root system still there and open sun and a nearby septic system to fuel it, it’s almost back to its old glory — and sending piles of leaves all over the neighborhood!

I’ll bet I can make 40 big bags of mulch from that tree this year...

I might have mentioned one of our Opo plants had grown sideways and then up into a walnut tree? This plant waited until... now... to start producing fruits, and they are up in the tree! Possibly the juglone delayed fruiting(?) but all the articles I found said squash are tolerant to juglone. The overall growth of the plant sure didn’t seem to be slowed down.

On the more relaxing side of things, I caught 3 nice trout, late this afternoon. Yum!


49 posted on 10/20/2020 9:25:07 PM PDT by Paul R. (The Liberal / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling...)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Copper spray is organic and a great cure-all for tomato disease problems.

Thank you for mentioning that!! I found some in the back of the old shed on this property (left by prev. owner) and had been meaning to ask about it...

50 posted on 10/20/2020 9:28:44 PM PDT by Paul R. (The Liberal / Socialist goal: Total control of nothing left worth controlling...)
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To: Paul R.

It’s my best organic weapon. Works like magic. :)


51 posted on 10/21/2020 7:02:28 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I have been anywhere from 2 weeks to 1/2 step ahead of the weather all year.

Nights got to low 50s and I put up the hoop cover over my last peppers and eggplants about 4 days ago.

Been nothing but rain and wind and hail ever since.

Hoop covernis holding up well.

My late season soybeans only grew about 12 inches high and look like Charlie brown Xmas tree soybeans....but they are putting put pods right now which is hilarious.

Tomatoes done and gone.


52 posted on 10/21/2020 3:51:42 PM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (To you all, my loyal spell checkers....nothing but prospect and admiral nation.)
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To: TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig; All

I’m wrapping it up for the year, too.

Still have cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts. We had the last fresh-tomato BLTs for supper the other night.

Salad greens doing well in the (unheated) greenhouse and cherry tomatoes are blooming like crazy in there, but don’t seem to be setting fruit.

Raining now, going to rain for the next day and a half, maybe thunderstorms, tomorrow, but temps are mild.

We had measurable SNOW end of October, last Fall. Let’s avoid that this year if we can, Please! :)


53 posted on 10/21/2020 7:27:32 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

I have a bunch if greens going great.

I just received my shipment of more 6mil plastic greenhouse sheeting.

I may cover a couple of my smaller square and triangular raised beds to kwep.th3 greens going.

Next Monday was the almanac’s predicted 1s5 frost for this area.

The weather forecast is for 30 degree weather and frost after midnight Sunday/Monday a.m..


54 posted on 10/21/2020 9:56:02 PM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (To you all, my loyal spell checkers....nothing but prospect and admiral nation.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
An unusual cabbage recipe, baked in an herbaceous sour
cream batter, comes out quiche-like w/ a cheesy crust.

Cabbage Casserole / serves 6

ING 4 lge eggs 1/4 cup sour cream ea mayo 1/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp corn starch
6 c fine-sliced green cabbage, 1/2 tsp salt 2 Tb ea chp dill fresh or frozen, chp green 4 oz shredded mozzarella

METHOD whisk/blend 4 eggs, 1/4 c ea sour cream, mayo. Whisk in smoothly, stir-combined 1/4 c flour, 1/2 tsp b/powder, 1/2 tsp cornstarch.

Place thinly sliced cabbage in 2nd bowl; sprinkle w/ 1/2 tsp salt. Scrunch ing 30 sec to soften; stir in 2 Tb ea green onion, dill.

FINAL Spread cabbage into greased 9" round pie dish; pour in batter evenly. Sprinkle w/ shredded mozzarella
bake on center rack 375 deg 35 min----top is golden.

55 posted on 10/22/2020 7:14:29 AM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other si <P>On of Jode doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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To: Liz

“Scrunch ing”

I’ve never seen that in a recipe before, LOL!

Amazing that it would turn out like this with cabbage in it. Considered lower carb?


56 posted on 10/22/2020 8:47:46 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: All

57 posted on 10/22/2020 8:50:22 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

How often do you recommend adding milk to the soil for plants vulnerable to blossom end rot?


58 posted on 10/22/2020 8:53:13 AM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (To you all, my loyal spell checkers....nothing but prospect and admiral nation.)
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To: TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig

I use about a Tbsp. milk to a gallon of water and use that every time the plant needs a drink, potted or not.

If they’re in the ground, a top dressing of bone meal, watered in, works fine 1-2 times per season (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, summer squash, cukes) but more if you didn’t put any bone meal in the planting hole to begin with.

Water and milk is such a cheap and easy fix for a problem that effects so many of the everyday things I like to grow. :)


59 posted on 10/22/2020 8:57:46 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

It does have 1/4 c flour for thickening......but you could omit it, or add another type thickener.


60 posted on 10/22/2020 9:04:23 AM PDT by Liz ( Our side has 8 trillion bullets; the other si <P>On of Jode doesn't know which bathroom to use.)
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