Weekly Garden Thread - May 1-7, 2021

May 1, 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!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

“Asperitas clouds look like ocean waves”

Creepy! Not something I want happening over my home!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Alas! It looks like you cut up 30 years collection of California license plates to get your garden sign!

(Nice garden stuff in the back ground!)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Karoo; You are correct! It is one plant, although you can harvest them before the turnip grows on the bottom and that may be what she is thinking.

[LibWhacker]

Haha, me either, Pete! I think we’re safe though. In my 70+ years I’ve never seen such a thing and I grew up in Kansas and saw plenty of amazing things in the sky while I was there. But never Asperitas clouds.

[campaignPete R-CT]

Garlic mustard. Spent the week hand pulling ...multiple barrels. Going to be an annual event.

Alfalfa, clover, rye grass, wild ginger.
Gotta find something to fill & cover ground to prevent shady areas from being taken over by something new.

Knotweed. Gave the glyphosate magic to 5000 sq feet. Last Sept. 99% kill rate. It’s sprouting all over the neighborhood, but not where I exterminated

[Augie]

Mostly warm and dry here in Central Missouri over the past week.

Spent a good bit of time working on the driveway. I've put down ~50 ton of crushed limestone so far this spring, and probably will need at least that much again to get it back in tip-top shape. It was a rough winter.

Bird feeder gangsta #6 was apprehended this week. Freezers are full so this one went into the crock pot yesterday.

It was good timing for dry weather. The weeds were getting bad and my tomato plants were getting to the size they needed to be in the ground. It's a little bit early to put them out, but next weekend is going to be busy so #1 Marine daughter, and new college graduate, Leah came over yesterday morning and helped me knock it out. I tilled the whole thing while Leah finished cleaning up the cages, then we planted and caged 24, and planted 2 more in the perimeter fence. I still have two Sweet 100 cherries to plant, but I can't decide where to put them.

The green salad that I planted earlier is just about big enough to start picking. Sowed 15' row of spinach and 3x15' row of beet seeds after we finished with the tomato plants yesterday. I've got more stuff that could go in now, but my back said wait til another day.

The weather was perfect for transplanting, warm but not hot, and cloudy. The rain came a couple hours after we finished, warm, slow and gentle, and stuck around into the night. If we don't have a late frost I should be set up for BLTs on the 4th of July.

[Augie]

You can see them on Amazon. It seems that everybody is making one this year.

I bought a Sun Jo For $89 but there are lots of others.

Now that looks like a very useful tool. I've been pondering a Garden Weasel for several years, but the thought of maintaining yet another small gasoline engine has kept me from pulling the trigger on that.

I'm already invested in Makita LXT series cordless tools, so I checked Amazon to see if they offered a gizmo similar to the one you posted, and sure enough they do. It's actually a multi-tool power shaft with a slew of available attachments.

Now I know what to ask for when I write my next letter to Santa Claus.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Great set-up for the tomatoes! You definitely know how to grow ‘em!

After company left yesterday about 4pm, I got most of the house yard mowed and didn’t manage to wreck the mower in the process, either! I think I’ve been channeling my Dare Devil Inner Teenager lately. ;)

Beau pretty much finished my two additional raised beds for garlic and cutting flowers, but his Honey-Do List is growing a bit and needs to be completed before he goes fishing for a week in mid-June. ;)

We got a little rain overnight, but we need more. If things work out it looks like we’ll get some downpours by 2pm today, so I’m going to get all of my outside gardening chores packed in before noon, today. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Belfast gardeners join forces to plant a million daffodils in the city

BELFAST, Maine — This month, daffodils have been popping up just about everywhere in the city of Belfast — from gardens to highway embankments, from parks to roads to the side of the Belfast Rail Trail.

That didn’t happen by chance.

The abundance of cheerful yellow flowers is the first installment of one local woman’s dream to plant a million daffodil bulbs in the city over the next 20 years. So far, Elisabeth Wolfe and a crew of volunteers who are participating in her 3-year-old Belfast Daffodil Project have planted more than 128,000 bulbs. And they’re just getting started.

“They make me laugh and they make me smile,” Wolfe said. “In this time of pandemic, it’s been a tightening, contracting time. And then I go out and see the flowers, and it just opens my heart and my mind to the love and joy we have in this community. And the beauty.”

The idea to plant all those flowers came to her when she went on a birdwatching trip to Virginia a few years ago. She drove past a field of daffodils and was struck by their beauty.

“I thought, wouldn’t this be great to do in Belfast?” she said.

She thought the plan had merit. Daffodils look delicate but are actually hardy plants that can grow in lots of different types of soil and which come back every year. They attract pollinators. Animals such as squirrels and deer rarely dig them up. Plus, there was another reason that appealed to her.

More at link, below:

[Diana in Wisconsin]

https://bangordailynews.com/2021/05/02/news/midcoast/belfast-gardeners-join-forces-to-plant-a-million-daffodils-in-the-city/

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Cross-Ping to story about modern-day ‘Victory Gardens’ in Ohio.

https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3955873/posts

[Diana in Wisconsin]

My World Too: Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company

PBS on YouTube. 9 minutes or so, April 30, 2021. Very interesting! I’ve been following Baker Creek for years, and their gorgeous catalogs are absolute Garden Porn. ;) They’ve grown into quite the operation.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2JXtFPnqCY

[MomwithHope]

We had 25 years of goat manure - nice dry pellets almost no smell.

[MomwithHope]

Looks fantastic and very impressive!

[Augie]

Great set-up for the tomatoes!

I intend to build eight more of the tall cages. That will make 24 and that's enough. The teepee cages are simple and easy, but they really aren't tall enough for most varieties of tomato plants.

I used a bunch of my panels for a fencing project awhile back, so I'll have to buy some new ones soon. It's almost time to put cucumber seed in the ground, and it's a lot easier to put the fence up before putting seed in the ground.

I'm hoping to do a better job of keeping it looking good this summer than I've done the past two or three. That will mostly depend on how my back feels. If it feels good I pull weeds. When it hurts the weeds get free reign. I did make a conscious effort to leave enough space to get the ancient Craftsman tiller between rows, so I should at least be able to keep the walking paths clean.

[Augie]

Here is an interesting website by a Pecan breeder who discusses Northern Pecans. (Augie this might interest you too!)

Mrs. Augie has been trying to talk me into planting a row of pine trees along the pasture fence next to our driveway.

I like the idea of planting pecan trees a whole lot better.

[tubebender]

>>>>>Fun sign! :)<<<<<
That was my Christmas gift from my sons wife...

[Ellendra]

There are a few turnip varieties that were selected to just grow leaves. But, most turnip greens come from the same plant as the rest of the turnip.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Aw well, thanks!