Weekly Garden Thread - January 23-29, 2021

January 23, 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!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You were living like Ma & Pa Ingalls back in the day!

I seriously do NOT understand why people live where the weather can be life threatening - but really, I guess it can happen anywhere - snow, rain, hail, tornadoes, lightening strikes, ice storms, sink holes, landslides, volcanoes, floods, avalanches, earthquakes...and if you go WAY south or to the Desert - snakes, gators, everyday poisonous critters and BUGS the size of Volkswagons, LOL!

I guess living anywhere on EARTH entails some risk, but, where else are we going to live? Earth is still the best planet I know of. ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks for the Heads Up!

I’ll look around for other interactive garden planners in the meantime...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You’ve been added. Next PING will be Monday when we discuss a, ‘random gardening subject’ from our BIG LIST. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Love that! Yes, last show I saw on Stonehenge made it pretty clear you can no longer go anywhere near the stones. And, that’s probably smart, preservation-wise.

That’s OK. I climbed to the top of one of the ‘pyramids’ in Chichen Itza, MX back in the day. Touching something that had been around since 550 was pretty darn amazing, too!

Don’t ever play ‘football’ with a Mayan, though. You could lose your head. Maybe your heart, too! ;)

[greeneyes]

👍😉

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Pictures, or it didn’t happen! ;)

[Pollard]

Bought $55 worth of seeds a couple of days ago from Baker Creek aka rareseeds.com

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Hahahaha....well the photos are pure art...aka there are naked bits in some of them.

It would require a pm with a request for emailed photos.

She really was a lovely model ajd ai miss working with her since she moved away.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I thought the photos might contain some ‘naughty bits’ as they say! ;)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Glad you could get them! They've been shutting down their website for weeks at a time, trying to catch up on orders.

I have everything in hand that I need, but will also buy some things locally come Spring. Speaking of which:

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Seed sources make some people crazy, but having worked for seed companies, I know a lot of inside baseball and some (not all) of this is alarmist. Still, my 'Inner Libertarian' thinks that it's up to each Gardener to do what is right for them, and I don't judge. No company, big or small, is going to jeopardize it's profits and annoy their shareholders by making an inferior product, or to somehow 'poison' their paying customers.

However, it pays to be informed. I post, you decide.

Link to article, below:

[Diana in Wisconsin]

https://deeprootsathome.com/4-ways-to-keep-monsanto-out-of-your-home-garden/?fbclid=IwAR1wCQMW8ftNcSI6yhnMfdVV5gizROYcVjbuIsxb5Ey7gjzxchR8KA-2pbg

[daniel1212]

I think these links may be a good addition to the thread, more so in Sept. though:

Winter Kill Temperatures of Cold-Hardy Vegetables 19 Frost Hardy Vegetables to Plant this Fall

Edible Perennial Gardening: plant these 70+ edibles once and harvest for years

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Thanks, Daniel. :)

[Ladysforest]

Thank you!

I’ll be able to garden again this year, because the shop where I’ve had my little job for 4 years just closed forever.

I’m sad about that, but looking forward to growing things again!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I actually awaiting the arrival of a lovely almost finished baking the baby pregnant friend for a photo shoot.

She is late of course....I figure she has 3 valid reasons for being late....girl, hot, completely pregnant!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I retired from Jung’s in January, 2016, managing one of their Garden Centers.

May, 2016 was the first time in a DECADE that I had a Spring Garden. It was HEAVEN! For ten years I never got a thing in the ground before mid-June!

So, ENJOY! :)

[Augie]

Another week of January in Central Missouri. We got some snow, then it warmed up and the snow melted. Now it's raining. Hopefully it will turn back cold and freeze things for a few more weeks.

But, with the ground thawed, a window opened for the removal of a couple orchard trees that were sick. This nectarine did really well for a few years then something happened that caused the fruit to spoil before it ripened.

I spent some quality time with the chainsaw on Saturday. It wasn't easy turning this Kentucky Coffee Tree into stove wood. I debated setting it aside to be made into lumber, but I don't have a good place to store it out of the weather so I chopped it up.

Box blade repair is finished and it has been moved out of the shop. Next big project is to replace the bunk boards on the boat trailer. I had originally thought of doing that project in the parking lot at a nearby lake where I could put the boat in the water while working on the trailer. Then I remembered that I hate being cold, so I decided to do it in the shop where there's heat. I'll just have to jack the boat up and rest it on stands in order to get at the bunk boards.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That’s a lot of choppin’! Is there anything special about Kentucky Coffee Trees? I’m not familiar...

[4everontheRight]

Anyone have any experience with Aerogardens? Got one 2 years ago for Christmas. This past year I finally planted some of my own seeds from this past summers crop of Mexibell peppers. The plant I have in the Aerogarden is doing pretty well except I'm enduring a critter of some kind. The leaves are sticky and there are these teeny littlelight colored spots on the leaves and in a few weeks, I suspect they will turn into the little fruit fly looking things I am seeing on the water tray cover of the Aerogarden.

I don't think the Aerogarden has anything to do with these things on the leaves just a side note to inform that the plants are inside. I did bring a few potted plants inside from our patio when the temps got too low so it's possible I picked up a foe from that but they don't seem to be damaging the plant but I'm not sure that they won't in the future.

I have 4 peppers growing albeit small peppers but they're young yet. I've pulled the plant out of the tray and washed the leaves off twice now and I'll be darned if these things are right back again! Any ideas on what would cause a sticky leaf and a small little bug that resembles a fruit fly but not dark, light colored fly thingy?