Weekly Garden Thread - January 2-8, 2021

January 2, 2021 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

[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 a 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!

[Psalm 73]

Thanks for the resource link. We’ll be adding more garden space this spring (two more 8 x 4 foot raised beds to go with the 5 we have plus the 10 x 10 potato/asparagus bed).

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

A general rule of thumb that has worked for me....ifnit is heirloom variety at store you can harvest seeds from the veggie ot tomato.

The non heirloom ones are a waste of time....some types of veggies will be ok but mostly you get nothing or you get some mutant that is useless.

However I am not an expert.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Yep. They’re pretty much set up on Square Foot Gardening.

It’s a good system that works, in my experience. I refer to my book, often. Great planting time charts in it for extending the growing season with multiple plantings. :)

[SkyDancer]

Thanks was just wondering. I do have a six foot tall bush kinda thing from a grapefruit seed I planted a long time ago.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I put in the following raised beds last year and will add a few more this year.

25x3 20x3 16x3 (three) 12x3 a 14x3 a 10x3 two 4x4 a 6x3 a 4x4 herbs and 2 triangular ones that are probably the equivalent of 2x3 (they fit next to between raised beds and up against gate openings in those triangular shapes without obstructi g walkways or gate openings.

I have room for a couple more in the size range of 10x3

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You CAN use seeds from grocery store veggies, but those seeds are hybridized, which means you’ll get a ‘throw-back’ to the male or female species plant used to breed that particular PERFECT looking tomato or pepper in the Produce Section.

So, if you’re not picky, go for it.

If you want an EXACT variety, buy the seeds of your choice.

If you want to save seed from year to year, you need to buy ‘open pollinated’ or ‘heirloom’ varieties which will produce true from year to year.

HOWEVER, you need some protection from other nearby plants so they don’t cross-pollinate and ruin your future seed crop.

Ellendra is our resident seed-breeder/Mad Scientist; she can ‘splain more if you need more information. ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

LOL! I ordered my tried and true varieties last fall and have seed in hand.

I still have fourteen seed catalogs to go through though, so you know I’ll be buying some fun stuff to try this upcoming season, too!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Wow. I’ve never heard of that! He seems to be making it work! He must have to travel a long way to market.

When I helped my In-Laws with market/restaurant gardening, everything stayed on the vine until the day before we took veggies to market, or made restaurant deliveries, so we never did really ‘store’ anything, other than keeping berries refrigerated.

If anything was going bad, those were for our own consumption. I never ONCE ate a perfect tomato, pepper or cucumber during those years, LOL! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thank you for all the beautiful photos this week!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Many seem to be expanding this season. I’m not expanding, but I’m going to make better use of my ample space and learn more about using my unheated greenhouse and doing more succession planting.

Not to be confused with ‘secession’ but becoming more efficient and productive where food is concerned is a good first step! I’ve already declared myself, ‘The Free State of Diana.’ Highly recommended for your mental health.

I had fresh lettuce to eat until December 23rd this year in Zone 4! Score!

Onward and upward! :)

[Oshkalaboomboom]

If you have a fireplace or woodstove you could buy a couple of tomatoes at the market and do a test. It could be a specific type of ash that works as a preservative or any ash will do.

[SkyDancer]

K - TNX :)

[Hot Tabasco]

MG garden soil

All right, I'm new here and I'm from Michigan........What is MG garden soil and what is it good for?

[aspasia]

Miracle Grow, if you need to amend your soil or like it clean.

[Pollard]

I’d like to go with it for some things like strawberries and other low growers but using untreated wood around here just doesn’t work and I don’t want to use treated wood. Moisture and termites destroy wood touching the ground in less than a year. Thought about molding up some concrete panels that attach together somehow. Just one of hundreds of things on my To Do list(s).

[Hot Tabasco]

For the second year in a row, last year being my trial start, I will be starting tomatoes from seed and for the most part, both varieties were successful last year but the one variety seemed to start splitting around the tomato as it ripened. Both varieties were Hybrids.

So my question is, which tomatoes should I plant, the hybrid brands or the heirlooms?

The tomatoes I plant will be used for slicing for salads and sandwiches.

Any help will be appreciated........

Thanks

[Hot Tabasco]

Thank you

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

8 grow a ton of tomatoes and end up freezing them for chili and spaghetti sauces over winter.

As you know those plants can take up a ton of space. I want more room for more varieties of peppers and for some squashes.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Cinder blocks are not the prettiest, but they do a fine job of making garden beds.

Straw bale gardening?

Galvanized cattle troughs?

Plastic milk crates?

https://www.homestoriesatoz.com/outdoor/diy-raised-garden-beds.html

[Diana in Wisconsin]

“...but the one variety seemed to start splitting around the tomato as it ripened.”

Some varieties ‘crack’ more than others, so you can read the seed packet descriptions to try and avoid that.

Cracking (sometimes called, ‘cat facing’) in tomatoes is caused by irregular watering; sometime you can’t help that due to Mother Nature, or an unplanned trip.

If a tomato plant dries out, then is given a lot of water, the fruits can crack because the inside expands/grows faster than the outside peel can keep up with.

It’s not a disease issue; just an environmental one.

I seem to remember you grew your tomatoes close your house? If there’s rain runoff from the roof onto your plants (specifically to the ones that cracked), that could’ve been the culprit.

I have a spot across the front landscaping that gets a DELUGE of water off the metal roof when it rains. I can’t get a shrub or perennial grass to grow there, so I’m moving a birdbath to that spot. :)