Weekly Garden Thread - June 26-July 2, 2021

June 26, 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!

[MomwithHope]

What a beautiful garden! Looks like a magazine shot. And you have a nice bunch of hives too!

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

Thanks, momwithHope. The bees are one of the reasons I wanted to do the garden. They are all over it. We just finished removing the supers from the hives this past week. Supers are the boxes that stack up over the bottom brood boxes and where the bees put the honey we harvest. The sourwood trees are getting ready to bloom and we will put the empty supers back on in a couple of weeks, ready for the sourwood honey crop which is the premium honey in our mountains.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

That is GORGEOUS! Thanks for sharing that. Very inspirational!

I love that you’re keeping bees, too. How is the population by you? I’ve seen a few Bumble Bees and a few Honey Bees this season. Nothing to write home about, for sure. :(

[Jane Long]

THAT is my dream garden/yard.

Thank you so much for posting and sharing.

What a blessing to have this (and, your hubby, too), as you know :)

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

Diana, we loose about a third to a half of our bee population every winter and early spring if there is a late frost, but are able to build them back up in the spring and summer. Living in a very rural area where most farmers near us are organic, our bees are safe the rest of the year. We have about 60 hives divided among 3 locations, our property and two friend’s farms. There are all sorts of other pollinators too… it’s like a virtual pollinators party in my huge squash and zucchini blooms. Most of our property is forest hills which is a “garden” in itself, thick with tulip-poplar trees, blackberry brambles and all sorts of other nectar sources. A fairly wide creek runs through it (good water source) and our climate is very wet, no one needs to install irrigation.
Life is good… slow and easy here.

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

Thanks, Jane. It has been my dream too for my whole life. We had to live in big cities with corporate type jobs. I always had tiny shade gardens with maybe one spot with enough sun to grow some roses, and now retired, we are living that rural mountain dream. I’m a real newbie at growing vegetables. I can’t tell you what a thrill it was last month when that first tiny squash peeked out. A week later it was like an explosion, so many squash and zucchini we eat it every night. The tomatoes are all still green, can’t wait to have some ready to pick. I’m having so much fun!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

It has been 70s at night last 3 nights here in the PNW. Today is going to be a high if 90, tomorrow 98, and 80s and above for the next week.

Tomatoes are loving it, my peppers like it but I am having to water them every day (4 am when I get home from work) to keep them from wilting in the 7 hours of direct sunlight.

My greens are tolerating it because those that have not gone to seed are under cedar trees and shaded 90% of the day.

I have some very stunted pepper plants (not all, but a significant percentage, and ai think it is because they became root bound as starts in the Jiffy start mix.

I was afraid to damage the roots and break them apart a little before planting. I dug up 2 and the roots never left the seed start pod.

Live and learn.

People are losing their minds with this stretch of heat as it never really gets to 90 here and if it does 3 days is an eternity.

[daniel1212]

" Your tree is a ‘Japanese Lilac Tree’ and many towns have them planted on their Main Drag. They are just lovely, are on the smaller side, don’t make a mess to clean up, and are usually blooming on the 4th of July, when towns are having parades and such. It isn’t a true lilac; it is related to the Olive tree. Likes full sun, and isn’t fussy about watering. I’ve probably sold 1,000 of them in my career. Every late June/Early July people want them for their yards. ;) https://www.thespruce.com/japanese-lilac-tree-care-and-growing-guide-4589076 "

Thanks so much for the ID and info. There are two in the two block section of our street, and these must have been planted about 10 years when the city expanded the sidewalks, but this is the 1st time in the 8 years we have been here that i saw this one bloom, and in fact it looked like it was dying last couple years. Both trees also significantly lean to the side. But I put plant fertilizer on this tree myself and this year both are blooming.

In contrast is the tree in front of out building, which has expanded greatly over the same number of years:

2011:

2021:

Glory and thanks be to God.

[daniel1212]

"The East Boston Urban Frou-Frou Tree? Seriously though, ornamental trees that are not native can cause serious problems later on. In Florida, the Black Olive and Melaleuca were planted as ornamental trees along sidewalks, and developed into real pests. The Black Olive drops nasty berries on your car and ruins the paint job. The Melaleuca and Brazilian Pepper are so invasive that they have to strip the land down to the bedrock to get rid of it. Whatever it is there on your sidewalk, it will not be a sapling forever, and could become very big, dropping greasy staining flowers on your car, ripping up the sidewalk with its roots, and probably sending its seeds into your yard. This is what happens when politicians think they are horticulturists."

Well, up here it is more that of Maple trees getting so big after many years that break up sidewalks, and with all the colleges around here they have plenty of knowledgeable help on trees. However, when it comes to social problems, it seems that many think money grows on trees.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I LOVE chard and wish mine would grow that big....would make it easier packing my lunch only having to cut off one big leaf and stem.

Btw....where did you get that shot glass that is in front of the raised bed? Need one that size.....to celebrate my official promotion to SGT!

[left that other site]

Ah! The Mystery has been solved.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Sounds wonderful! :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You're either looking at the Rain Gauge or a Hummingbird feeder!

"...to celebrate my official promotion to SGT!"

[MomwithHope]

Hubby started in 82 or 83 before our house was even built with 5 hives. He scraped the super frames by hand for a few years until he got an extractor - I think it held 6 or 8 frames. In Michigan we always had a tracheal mite problem and he had to used meds on them, otherwise it was replace colonies every year. He even did one super of cutcomb and we still have 6 or 7 down in the pantry, look perfect as if they were just filled. I also would make up little smuckers jar every year with a label on it. Gradually we used less and less so he sold off everything except his smoker and hat. There is a hive out there that sits on a post and you just pull a lever to tap off some honey, it splits the frame in half so the honey comes out. Looks interesting but it is very pricey. You never have to open the hive and disturb the bees.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_pj4cz2VJM

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Would you mind sharing (again?) your drip irrigation and controller set up? I used gravity feed drip for several years in my small scale back yard garden and greenhouse. I broke it down last year when my schedule became such that I didn’t have to let it run on autopilot with timers all the time.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Either way....it is the correct size for my scotch fetish

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

Mom, yes we have ongoing problem with the varroa mites. We treat the hives twice a year (while no supers are on), it is a natural menthol stuff and works pretty well. There are some other things that help keep the mites out…. For instance using screen bottom boards instead of wood. The mites fall through the screen instead of crawling back up the hive, as bees groom them off.

Do you ever think about wanting to try a few hives again?

[MomwithHope]

We are too old to start again. Plus our diet have changed, low carb, low sweetener. We just don’t use much honey not like we used to. I do miss some good raw honey and such fun to taste each years crop.

[tubebender]

Very nice! How tall are the fence pickets...

[tubebender]

Weather forecast for North Coast of Calif this week showing inland and coastal difference of 40 degrees…

https://www.flickr.com/photos/49654260@N05/51272866500/in/dateposted-public/