Posted on 02/26/2022 6:25:45 AM PST 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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The guys next door have used up a great deal of their ‘acreage’. They also just cut down a lot of big oaks - they’re going to plant fruit trees! When I picked up eggs I got a closer look at their garden(s) ... boy, they have used up a lot of space ... even have a small patch up on the hill just on the other side of our property line fence - three distinct plantings ... the one in the middle is either onions or garlic.
My aunt lived in a 55+ neighborhood/house. Very tiny lots, with a little patio on the side or back. She had an Asian neighbor whose patio/back yard was catty corner to my aunts. Her patio was loaded with veggies - she grew so much stuff it was incredible - major green thumbs. She also was very kind - would make soup, etc. & bring it over for my aunt.
My aunt herself had tomatoes, cukes, zucchini growing in spaces between her bushes/flowers in the back. I believe it was a southern exposure so it got plenty of sunshine/warmth. Her patio was on the side of the house & shaded all the time & not good for growing much besides moss. One of the last times I was there at the house (I was usually meeting her at doctors’ offices for appointments or at the ER when she couldn’t breathe - congestive heart failure), I had to pick her produce for her - she couldn’t bend over enough to pick it herself without getting dizzy & falling over ... very sad. She had quite the green thumb as well .... I loved her little “in-between” garden despite her limited circumstances. She had one cherry tomato plant between the boxwood bushes in front, next to the front steps ... that plant ended up in the sidewalk - when it was late season & finally dying, it looked a little rough (her son & I cleaned it out)! I’m surprised she didn’t get a nasty note from the HOA. May will be 5 years since she’s gone - I miss her a lot ... both of her sons were out-of-state so I’m the one who took care of her the last 3 years & we were very close.
I always add some lemon juice to the green tea, a few tablespoons per half gallon of tea. Just ordered 3 boxes of blueberry tea to tide me over til summer. I’ve drunk it before and like it, as iced tea.
Can you please refresh my memory about putting wood ash on the garden? Hubby has been doing it all winter. But there was one area he was not supposed to hit. Was it asparagus? We have the high nitrogen soil, great for above ground veggies but not good for root crops. Thanks!
Mower getting serviced, new blades & a power wash tomorrow. I got lucky ... just contacted the guy tonight, coming tomorrow. His schedule is usually slammed - must have had a cancellation.
Been a weird day - spilled a very large container of laundry detergent on the floor. ALL of it was out of the bottle & it was at least half full. Of course, it seeped under two throw rugs that were close by. I also stepped in it before I realized what had happened. It was a real rodeo to get it cleaned up - I don’t recommend spilling laundry detergent, especially not in any quantity.
A few other “incidents” occurred during the day and the chicken tractor “discussion” I tried to have didn’t go well either.
So ... decided to put on hold the 3 plumbing projects I had lined up ... I can only imagine what might have happened if I’d tried to do some plumbing. A vision of water geysers comes to mind.
I believe the saying is “a better day is only a day away” ... looking forward to seeing the mower guy tomorrow ... tomorrow! h/t Little Orphan Annie.
LOL! Score on the mower guy! I gotta get my ‘mower guy’ on it, too! She desperately needs an oil change, sharpened blades and some fresh gas after a winter in the barn.
Laundry soap is the worst!
I once dumped a FULL bag of dog kibble - was still finding that ‘under & in stuff’ a year later!
Another good one is dropping an egg. Have done that between the stove and the countertop, as well as into the door cracks of my freezer drawer when I had a bottom, slide out freezer.
Yeah. Making messes is SO much fun to clean up - even when you make them yourself. NOT!
Sorry I missed this, yesterday!
Wood Ash: Is best added to your compost pile. However, directly on the garden, the application should be LIGHT (don’t be piling an inch or two on the soil) and is full of lime and potassium, so plant accordingly.
It’s a good slug deterrent, and good for any acid-loving plants like blueberries and azaleas and evergreens.
Here’s the skinny from UW Hort:
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/using-wood-ash-in-the-home-garden/
Mower Guy (MG) has come & gone - Clyde is ready to roll and all sparkly clean :-) The “clean” part will disappear after the first mowing. MG showed me the old blades ... I think all they were doing by the end of last season was weed “whipping” rather than weed “cutting”.
MG is transitioning to catering events - lots of smoked specialty items - he gave me his card & I shared it on FB. I would really like to try his smoked made-from-scratch mac & cheese .... if I ever run into him selling food, I might splurge & try one bite.
By next year, I don’t think I’m going to have a MG as his food truck/catering is really picking up. Looking at what he does on the mower, I could do all of it with the exception of changing out the blades. I have talked to my brother about splitting the cost of a ‘lift’ (about $150 for what we need) so he can SAFELY do his blades without the mower dropping on him ... and maybe my blades too, or I can keep weight lifting (bicep building!) & likely do my own. It’s nice having MG do everything, but I’ve done gas & oil filters before ... can add oil & I know where the lube points are. I can get blades/filters/parts from the local dealer.
More & more, I’m doing things myself ... not only is it waaaay cheaper, you get it done on your own time (instead of laptop or mower being at the shop for a month or more), and the satisfaction of “doing it yourself” is hard to beat. I have 3 plumbing jobs lined up - 2 leaky faucet handles & a clogged drain requiring the stopper be removed from the sink & likely a drain trap clean out. I’ve already saved at least $300-400 fixing simple plumbing stuff myself in the past. It’s $99 just for the service call to get them to come out.
MG makes about $1,500/day when he has a full mower schedule. He doesn’t work if it’s raining, snowing, ice, etc. It’s a great little self-employed business for those with a strong work ethic ... he hustles. He’s also scrupulously honest - great reputation. I’m going to miss MG if he’s not around to fix the generator or service the mower any more next year.
Good article I found on Succession* Planting. I plan on doing more of this, this coming season. Why? More fresh food over a longer period of time. It just takes a little organization.
Succession Planting: How to Grow Crops for a Continual Harvest
https://gardenerspath.com/how-to/hacks/succession-planting/#Succession-Planting-Reference-Chart
*Not to be confused withe ‘Seceding from the Union’ which is also on my mind a lot these days. *SMIRK*
A little more Tea Garden information. I’m making my list! I’m going to devote a number of large planters to tea-related herbs and plants. I’ve decided on:
Lavender - flowers and leaves
Mint
Chamomile - flowers and leaves
Lemon Thyme
Borage - whole flowers
Lemon Verbena or Lemon Balm
Calendula - petals
Rose - Petals (already on hand)
I think it will make a pretty and well-balanced ‘presentation’ as well.
How to Plan the Perfect Herbal Tea Garden
https://morningchores.com/herbal-tea-garden/
Thanks good article. I think the garden has enough but we have a nice big rhododendron, and red raspberries that could probably use some. It does look like I will be buying some soil (Ugh) to have in a couple of big pots for potatoes and carrots. I really want some nice carrots this year.
Lovely! Don’t forget the johnny-jump-ups and other early pansies to float on the surface of your tea, just for fun or for guests. Not for infusion, just decoration. They’re edible, and good plate decor too.
Definitely good to grow herbs in pots, and so handy too. Lettuces are great too, but watch out for flea beetles on the arugula. You can sprinkle food-grade diatomaceous earth to help control them, and use grower cloth. The DE also works for controlling striped beetles on cuke plants, when they first come out of the soil.
Sorry to read about the predation on your chickens! We have the same problem, with the new addition of fisher cats. They are wicked! And their scream will make your hair stand up. We ended up electrifying the perimeter fence around the chicken pastures. Worked very well. But then last week in the barn a possum got two of the laying hens before we caught him. Darn it.
EVERYTHING likes a chicken dinner!! The neighbor, where I just got some eggs, was complaining about ‘coons, ‘possums & of course snakes in the nest box - we’ve had the same predators at various times. They saw a fox in their driveway last week & that’s what got our chickens - I suspect the fox is moving to happier hunting grounds (they have a large flock & let them out to roam during the day). We’ve also seen a bobcat now & again on the trail cam. No “fisher cats” in our area, thank goodness!!
I had a good idea what fisher cats were, but I looked them up anyway ... yeah, they are “wicked” x 2. Anything ‘weasel’ is tough and males get up to 30 lbs. Then there’s this: “fishers are one of nature’s few porcupine predators.” Chickens predation has got to seem like a walk in the park!
About Fishers
https://www.massaudubon.org/learn/nature-wildlife/mammals/fishers/about
'Back in the day' I used to throw wonderful 'Tea Parties' at my other farm for my girlfriends, Mom & sister. Mom was a Costume Mistress for the local theater troop, so she'd bring us fancy hats and gloves to wear. I usually held it in July when the garden looked lush and everything was blooming - and it's my Birthday Month. :)
Lots of pretty (thrifted) floral china, tea cups, vintage lace and linens and lots of fresh flowers on the table and in as many foods as I could think of. Loved to freeze edible flowers in ice cubes for cold drinks.
Good Times! :)
Speaking of ‘soil1” I was in Walmart the other day, and they have the Miracle Grow Potting Soil, the 1 cubic foot size, and it was $15.00 - ‘on sale’ for $9.37!
That’s a HUGE jump over last year!
Really, Walmart? Really, Dirt Guys? Yeesh!
Talk about inflation hitting home! Stuff we need to ‘grow our own’ priced out of range, too? Wonder what the prices will be on starter packs of plants this season?
Having been ‘in the biz’ for 18 years, you’d be shocked and amazed at the mark up on a 4-pack of tomatoes!
Are we gonna win this one? I’m going to TRY, but it’s not gonna be CHEAP like it used to be. :(
Maybe next week I’ll do a ‘saving money in the garden’ thread?
Save your seed.
Re: Price of DIRT!
I just checked the Walmart website and the ‘Expert Gardener’ variety is HALF what the Miracle Grow potting mix is - so I’ll be combining the two, for sure!
1 CF of the Expert Gardener brand is $7.48.
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