Posted on 05/08/2021 6:21:48 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.
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But it is warmer and sunnier than the Yukon, thank God.
I hear you. Here in NE the coastal wind makes a substantial difference.
Our other variety of garlic is Chinese Early
Link for instructions and more Mushroom Inspiration, below:
Those are great maps! Thanks for sharing. I know the people in Northern Wisconsin will take 33% WARMER for sure!
Again, so HAPPY we put a decent furnace and A/C system in ‘This Old House’ two years ago. Makes summer canning SO much more bearable on those sweltering July and August days. We get a LOT Of humidity, too. Blech. I love all four seasons, but I am a total Spring and Fall Girl, temperature-wise. ;)
Such gorgeous garlic! I have a new bed dedicated to all garlic for this coming Fall. I’ll plant it with annuals for cutting in the meantime.
OK! Enough goofing around for one morning - hitting the To-Do List! Later!
That is too funny! lol
I just love that cucumber trellis! And made the old fashioned way, with stuff you have on hand.That’s the way we did things way back when. WTG Diana!
The weather has been doing it’s up and down thing. Two straight days of low 90’s and now back to weather just slightly below normal. Maybe that’s why my seeds have not sprouted again. Planted outside some tuberous begonias. One set is red and the other white with pink on the outside edges of the petals. Saved two of the red bulbs for planting inside. Also sowed some curley leafed parley seeds for the butterflies and some flat leafed parsley for me. Pansies and snap dragons continue to bloom profusely.
Beautiful and awesome. And terrifying!
Reminds me of that old commercial: “It’s not NICE to fool Mother Nature!” ZAAAAP!
Finally some decent garden weather.
This week saw my onions, potatoes, and beet seed get planted. Also 30 volunteer garlics—5 or 6 clumps—got taken up, separated, and transplanted. The rows are also ready for rutabaga & carrot seeding. Leeks are not quite big enough to transplant yet
The spinach seeds I planted in a fit of optimism over a month—and 3 snowfalls, and a hard freeze—ago, have finally sprouted.
Later this month, I’ll be receiving a half dozen rhubarb plants, an old heirloom variety. After several decades, the old ones have petered out pretty much, despite fertilizing, manuring, dividing & replanting.
A very happy sight last week was our earliest apricot in full bloom, and covered in pollinators, including wild bees, many of which were smallish new spring brood workers, as well as some ‘old pros’.
Temperature dip this week, then warm weather ahead, and the rest of the planting can get underway.
Later today, I need to head into town, and finally get a new irritation pump for the garden; the old was is just too wheezy to waste time & effort hooking up.
Wild plums & earliest apples are starting to bloom; the rest budding out.
Our ‘last frost’ date is ahotgun of May 11th through June 10th, depending on whose chart is consulted! I usually use May 15-25th as ballpark.
Beneficial Bugs in the Garden
Some bugs are good for the garden. We call these good guys “beneficial insects” and they can really help your garden by eating pest insects that would otherwise eat your plants. Here’s a list of common beneficial insects and how to attract them to your garden.
What Are Beneficial Insects?
The average backyard is home to thousands of insects, and you may be surprised to learn that only about a tenth of these are destructive. Most are either beneficial or harmless. Beneficial insects fall into three main categories:
Pollinators: We depend on these insects—including bees, butterflies, flies, and moths—to pollinate our garden’s flowers.
Predators: These insects eliminate pests by eating them. Things like ladybugs, praying mantises, and green lacewing larvae fall into this category.
Parasitizers: Like predators, parasitizers also prey upon other insects, but in a slightly different way. They lay their eggs on or in the bad bugs, and when the eggs hatch, the larvae feed on the host insects. Parasitic wasps are the main member of this category.
Meet the Beneficial Bugs in Your Backyard
Everyone knows their bees from their butterflies, but what about the many other beneficial bugs? It’s likely that you’ve already seen these good guys in your garden, but were not formally introduced. Here are a few you might want to become acquainted with:
Info at link below:
Diana’s Beneficial Bug Mix
Orange Calendula - ‘Ball’s Improved Orange’
Cilantro - Any variety
Dill - ‘Bouquet’ variety stays smaller, bolts later
Blue Bachelor Button - Is there more than one?
Orange Cosmos - ‘Bright Lights’
Persian Carpet Zinnia - its own variety, small and colorful
Mix a package of each together. Store extra in a Mason jar.
You can direct seed the mix when your soil is warm enough (60-70 degrees) or start plugs of the mix in pots or Jiffy Pots to transplant later.
I put a few clumps in with each garden bed, making sure it will be in a sunny spot and not shaded by a big tomato plant or other large veggie. I also have grown this mix in bigger pots and placed them around the garden perimeter to help draw in the ‘good’ bugs.
It’s also very pretty in a bouquet. Let the dill and the cilantro flower and go to seed; they bring in additional good bugs at that point, as well as Swallowtail Butterflies - which need all the help they can get these days and are my favorites.
Did I mention the wild turkeys and all the other birds that are plentiful around my acreage?
Great news! Remember: Aim Small, Miss Small! ;)
Beau went turkey hunting for the very first time two years ago. I was really surprised at that as he’s one to shoot whatever is in season whenever it’s in season. And he doesn’t just shoot whatever he’s after - he usually drags home the Biggest. One. Ever. EVER!
He set up his blind a few weeks in advance so the turkeys would ignore it. Left at 6am to hike out there under cover of darkness on opening morning.
Came home at 8:30am with a 28 pounder! He breasted it out - and I brined it overnight before roasting it. It was delicious!
He hasn’t even SEEN seen a turkey in the years since; Total Beginners Luck. ;)
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