Posted on 12/19/2020 6:55:42 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.
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Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and best wishes for a much better year in 2021!
One more week and the sun will start to get closer to us again! My winter gardening project has some mixed results. My Swiss Chard finally gave out, so no more fresh until Spring.
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas!
West Michigan, cold but still no snow except a couple of dustings. Just being hopeful about the garlic now. And doing alfalfa sprouts for greens. Wishing all the best for the holidays to all my gardening friends.
No garden work going on - everything is pretty much ‘set’ for the winter. I’m going through my pictures of the flowers blooming this past summer/fall to give myself a “lift”.
One thing I noticed yesterday ... one of our 3 forsythia bushes has a few blooms on it. It’s been COLD here, so it’s not like a warmup tricked it into blooming. It’s a very confused bush!
Today is my dad’s 98th birthday so I’m making him a pumpkin pie, which was his dessert request. He also wants a rib eye steak and a glass of sweet wine for dinner. Lots of football/basketball on today to keep him occupied - I got him a new box of popcorn to go with the games, plus some “gourmet” eggnog. Hopefully, he’ll have a good day.
*SNIF* I miss doing stuff with/for my Dad. Wish he had made it longer than 83; we were finally getting to know one another. ;)
Sounds like a good day! Packers aren’t on until this evening (odd Saturday Night game, so 2020!) so plenty of time to do things that need doing around here.
Just finished breakfast (late risers, today - I was pre-hibernating, Beau was out hunting until 3am, plus, it’s wintertime!) and we’re heading to the barn to re-configure where the steer is staying so I can get food and water to him without wading through mounds of manure to get to him. See, Beau doesn’t mind slogging through sh#t, but I’m 99.999% I’ll slip and end up with a manure facial. Nope. You want my help with chores, you make them EASIER for me to handle! (Already got him to move all of the dogs into indoor kennels, which has helped tremendously!) And, it’s my turn to make sure they all get exercise and some command training, today.
Anyhow, only ‘garden-related’ project today is sorting potatoes - he finally got them dug, but some of them are split or going bad so need to be culled before they wreck the whole batch. Luckily, it only ended up being about 50# of potatoes, not the 700# I was anticipating, LOL!
I started some basil & more salad greens under lights - my two rosemary plants are still doing great in a southern window with watering 2x a week - they’re in clay pots; they prefer to dry out between watering.
It’s overcast and about 35 degrees, but the greenhouse is already at 45 degrees, so I haven’t dumped the salad greens out there - fingers crossed. If Elliot Coleman can grow greens all winter in Maine, I should be able to do it here!
I have not been out in the big garden for a week or two. I really need to clean and fill all the bird feeders. We have been having great weather here on the far north coast of Calif but at 87 I have lost my “Drive”.
I hear you! What keeps me going is that old phrase - Move it or Lose it. Fortunately we just have one feeder and one suet cage to fill.
I remember the days when I had a barn full of horses and it was snow/ice on the ground. The horse poop was frozen solid so it was like walking on marbles when cleaning the stalls! If it was icy, I tried to leave them in until it wasn’t so slick - always afraid they’d get to running & “horsing’ around & do the splits on the ice .... not a good thing for a horse to do. My old, fat pony was more than happy to stay in her stall - very contented. The Thoroughbred mare, being more high strung, wanted OUT .... as did her younger son(s) when they were on the place. I did have a heater in the outside stock water tank so that helped, but the water buckets in the stalls needed to be hauled outside, ice broken out, then re-hung & refilled. The buckets were black rubber, so you could stomp on them to get the ice broken out without breaking/cracking plastic. I always did like walking into the barn on a cold morning - the horsey smells and seeing the horse heads over the doors, hearing the happy nickers of welcome (”breakfast lady” is here!) and watching the ‘steam’ blowing out of their nostrils ..... nice memory (before we get to the frozen ‘marbles’ part!).
Glad things are getting easier for you with taking care of your animals!
Home page BUMP! T D!!!
Andy Williams was my Mom’s favorite singer. I can’t tell you how many times we listened to that album during the holidays - second only to ‘The Chipmunks’ to drive our Dad ‘round the bend, LOL!
Great memories! We’ve got the logistics all worked out now, so I’m a Happy Camper...and steer feeder! ;)
I just sorted through the potatoes; mushy ones are in the compost (about a dozen) and today I’m going to make Lisa’s Famous Potato Soup; a perennial favorite and extra special when it’s made with your own taters!
If I had a milk cow I could have my own cheddar and cream cheese, too. And if we had hogs, our own bacon...
I’m working on it! I think I’m done with chickens though, if the new pole barn ever gets built, I’ll reconsider a ‘chicken corner.’ ;)
I’ll bet you still get more done in a day than any slacker teenager does in a month! :)
One of many of my mom’s also. GREAT memories, great parents, grandmothers. R.I.P. parents, grandmas. love.
We have a brand-new store here that is amazing—Tractor Supply. It's a welcome contrast to the usual strip mall fare in these rapidly "urbanizing" suburbs, like living near farms and stables and having an old-time general store with all the countryside requirements—farm, garden and animal equipment, hardware, bird and animal food, outdoor clothing, etc. Prices are moderate to low.
Love to go in there even when I don't need a 15-lb bag of kibble. For instance, our nearby Tractor Supply location carries a fabulous and varied array of leather cowboy boots for men and women. Recently hit a sale there and got a new plaid flannel shirt for the day hours of Christmas Eve before getting dressed for church in the evening.
Yes, even here in RINO Gov. Hogan's Maryland, we are having socially distanced church (although he told us not to sing—can you imagine not singing carols on Christmas Eve? expletive, expletive).
Merry Christmas, all you gardeners on FR!
Merry Christmas!
The Tractor Supply stores have started coming to my area, though the closest one is an hour away.
I could spend most of the day at our Farm & Fleet, which is a close second. ;)
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