Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Weekly Garden Thread - October 24-30, 2020
October 24, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

Posted on 10/24/2020 6:15:08 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; gardening; hobbies
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last

1 posted on 10/24/2020 6:15:08 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: 4everontheRight; Augie; Aevery_Freeman; ApplegateRanch; ArtDodger; AloneInMass; ...

2 posted on 10/24/2020 6:22:45 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin; All
October is, hands down, my favorite month of the year.

Big week, in general, & in the garden.

First of all, I had a really bad fall week before last. Came close to losing an eye and breaking an arm – black eye & lots of bruises & reinjured a leg that was healing up from a groin injury (grrrrrr!). Because of this, I now have garbage pickup service (there is a connection – I'll spare you the details). No more trips to the dump with cans of maggoty bags. I cannot tell you what a relief this is and a load off of me. Wrangling the heavy trash cans into the pickup (which was killing my back/sciatica) & dealing with the nasty mess is not something I will miss. Every time I see the new trash can, it gives me a huge lift.

This was the week I pulled the hummingbird feeders. They have been cleaned out & disinfected, ready to store for next year. The local birding folks suggest still leaving them out for “vagrant” birds migrating through. We still have lots of tithonia blooms and I have a garden full of zinnias – any birds coming through will have plenty of natural flower sources on which to feed. It was sad to bring in the feeders – first year I've fed hummingbirds and they were a real joy and a aerobatic show to watch. I have a couple of Monarch butterflies visiting the zinnias …. beautiful!

Last but not least, yesterday I finished building a compost bin. I spend about $50/year buying LeafGro compost. The price has gone up significantly from when I first started buying LeafGro – it has made a huge difference in my raised bed soil quality. Our maple leaves are dropping leaves right now and I haul trailers full to dump in the woods (stupid, right?). Anyway, I took my “herb square”, originally a sandbox decades ago for my nieces/nephews, and turned it into a bin. A little poultry fencing, wire, boards repurposed from old fence we took down …. voila, a compost bin! I was so tired yesterday, I only got the first two layers in (leaves, grass clippings), along with a little fertilizer & soil. I am hoping to get it “cooking” so I will have compost by spring. My 4 new raised beds (galvanized) came in yesterday & I picked them up – still need to put them together. I've got great dirt to put in the beds, but it does need compost added to “soften” the dirt up.

Happy Fall everyone …. counting my blessings and enjoying the gorgeous weather!


3 posted on 10/24/2020 6:43:18 AM PDT by Qiviut (Fox "News": Unfair, Unbalanced & Unhinged.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

The indoor garden is in full swing. A few more pots to go and I will have pictures, I am having trouble getting lemon thyme to propagate. I was successful with mint, oregano, basil (it flowered and I’ll need a new one) and lemon verbena. I guess four out of five isn’t bad.

Lot of dill coming up with seeds I saved. I actually gave away a bunch of seedlings to friends.

Moving a couple outdoor pots this week to be against my building. They’ll get better sun and be against the bricks. Las Year my sage didn’t really die and I had several things live to December.

My Swiss Chard is producing enough for twice weekly I cup harvest.

And, yes Diana, we are getting pretty leaves too, on my walk Thisbe is a lovely maple tree. It’s close enough to a street lamp that it’s almost illuminated. In the predawn mist It’s so beautiful.


4 posted on 10/24/2020 6:48:13 AM PDT by PrincessB
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin; All
By the way, our maple TREES are dropping leaves.

My Cardinal Climbing Vine that I planted late, hoping to see some blooms, is now blooming like crazy! Hummingbirds evidently love the flowers, so that's another source of food for any late migrating birds. I have set up two trellises for the Cardinal Vines next year (different from what they're growing on now) ….. the trellises were a find at the dump in the “Too Good To Throw Away” section … I love a good 'find'.


5 posted on 10/24/2020 6:53:12 AM PDT by Qiviut (Fox "News": Unfair, Unbalanced & Unhinged.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

Our RV is closed up for the winter and we are back home.

Barb is going through the pantry out on the side deck. It is heated and has a small A/C for the summer.

I am extending the roof over the deck extension from my shop deck. It will provide protected space for the second pallet of wood pellets. We took delivery of them, two weeks ago.

I learned a hard lesson. The shop deck is about 6” lower than the extension and getting the one ton pallet down and stored nearly killed me! As soon as the first pallet is empty, I will add a raised platform where the pallet is stored so that future pallets can be easily moved into position with the pallet jack.

More fall work for the garden. Next week, I am going to get a bucket load of compost from the transfer station and amend our raised beds.

Lotsa work to do.


6 posted on 10/24/2020 6:58:24 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (We live on a tax farm as free-range humans!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

No veggie news from here today.

We plan to make a big tub of Thai chicken noodle soup today for lunch.
Left over chicken in the freezer, soba noodles, plenty of Thai spices...


7 posted on 10/24/2020 7:01:40 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks (Baseball players, gangsters and musicians are remembered. But journalists are forgotten.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

We were starting to get some good fall colors and then had two days of high wind which dried them out and turned them brown. Also blew a lot down.


https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/3897408/posts?page=1

Coronavirus: Supermarkets in Wales have cordoned off ‘non-essential items’ - shoppers are furious

A sign in the store reads: “Following latest government public health restrictions, we are unable to sell certain items, including plants & flowers, general merchandise, homeware or clothing.”

Plants and flowers. No mention of seeds. Gretchen wHitler outlawed seeds in Michigan this past Spring. Walmart here has none at the moment. We’ll see if they have them in Spring. I think I have plenty and hardly any are hybrids. I’ll buy more heirlooms online soon and get into seed saving this coming year.

Covid has shown us that some in government would love to control every aspect of our lives and that they don’t think we need certain things.


8 posted on 10/24/2020 7:08:03 AM PDT by Pollard (You can’t be for “defunding the police” and against “vigilantism” at the same time.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin
Only peppers 🌶 left in MD. Down in Fla. Heading to the Lower Keys tomorrow to house shop - wondering what will grow in zone - 11b... Everything, I expect...
9 posted on 10/24/2020 7:26:47 AM PDT by dakine
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

The pepper plants I moved indoors lost all their blossoms (stems and all), so I was sure all was lost. No viable south or southwest-facing windows, so I left them in the east picture window, which gets wonderful sun.

The plants are, however, getting LOTS of baby leaves, and I’m taking that as a sign of possible survival through to the spring. We’ll see. But I really am hopeful. :-)

The tarragon has unfortunately died, but it was sort of a weak plant when I bought it, so I’ll make sure to go to the nursery early next spring, instead of waiting till the last minute.


10 posted on 10/24/2020 7:31:30 AM PDT by AFB-XYZ (Option 1 -- stand up. Option 2 -- bend over.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

To Rake?

Or NOT to rake.

That is the question.

Whether tis nobler to leave the leaves to mulch and nurture the soil,

Or to wear out arms against them, raking the garden?

To sleep...the bulbs all winter, perchance to dream of color in Spring,

Or to wait,

Until that dam Oak is finally through dropping its leaves to rake rake rake.


11 posted on 10/24/2020 7:45:57 AM PDT by left that other site (If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. (Isaiah 7:9))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Diana in Wisconsin

Got my garlic all finished.

All tucked in nice and cozy with a good layer of straw.


12 posted on 10/24/2020 7:50:30 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pollard

Get your seeds online.

I have found that it’s easier to find heirloom/open pollinated seeds there than in the stores.


13 posted on 10/24/2020 7:56:25 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Qiviut
excellent work...hope you are feeling better....

a hard frost came on Wednesday night, but I still dug up two big pepper plants, cut them back, replanted them in potting soil and will try to over winter them in the house because apparently if you do, it gives the plants a big head start in producing the next season....

but then SNOW came on Friday.....3 inches about....I still had a lot of garden work to do...hell, I still was nibbling at some green pole beans a couple of days ago....

but my garlic is in as of two weeks ago so there's that....

indoor plants are surviving...

looking forward to seed catalogues and my advice to everyone is to get seeds as early as you can this year...

14 posted on 10/24/2020 7:56:44 AM PDT by cherry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: cherry

The *s* word?

Where do you live?


15 posted on 10/24/2020 7:58:04 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: left that other site

nice....


16 posted on 10/24/2020 7:59:14 AM PDT by cherry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: metmom

eastern Washington.....


17 posted on 10/24/2020 8:00:00 AM PDT by cherry
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: left that other site; All

I never rake - I let the wind do it’s thing. ;)

‘Skip the Rake and Leave the Leaves for a Healthier, Greener Yard’

https://www.treehugger.com/skip-rake-and-leave-leaves-healthier-greener-yard-4858786


18 posted on 10/24/2020 8:02:00 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: All

I’ll be back later today to comment and answer questions - ‘Goof Off Day’ with my Mom & Sister...


19 posted on 10/24/2020 8:02:56 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: cherry

:-)


20 posted on 10/24/2020 8:19:49 AM PDT by left that other site (If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. (Isaiah 7:9))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-84 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson