Weekly Garden Thread - April 16-22, 2022 [Favorite Gardening Tips Edition]

April 16, 2022 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[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]

“You’re right, I almost put on a long sleeve shirt this morning!....”

Bad badger, Bad! Go Back into your burrow! :)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Spring Time Gardening!

Waiting for warmer weather....tomatoes up-potted to 4 "x 4" re-used plant pots in the sun on my back porch.

Cold hardy plants, cabbage, chinese cabbage, Japanese mizuma, winter choi, and various lettuces, in the low tunnel under frost protective garden fabric:

Below freezing forecast last night on the KS/MO border. (And it was.) Draped Reemay fabric over the peas growing on their support chicken wire, and the turnips radishes and beets at the front of the bed. Put some small sections of old fencing against the sides to hold it in place and keep it from blowing away in the wind. Put a tarp over the low tunnel with the early tomatoes.

When I pulled off the covers this morning everything was good. (No change to the low tunnel plants.)

Lows the rest of the week are +40 degrees. (Friday will be high of 82 Degrees!)

Interactive-Kansas-last-frost-date

I am right on the edge of April 21, but to be safe average last frost date here is about May 1st, so I might be done with this for the rest of the year. The low tunnels are about the only way to deal with the rapid temperature changes in this area of zone 6b.

(See Pollard's HTML Tool for Free Republic on his home page! (Thanks Pollard!))

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Morels like to grow around dying Elm trees....lots of carbs in the roots that hang around and do not get sucked up into the top of a dying tree!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Augie...Decorating with hog panels! Most excellent!

(I need a place in the country that will accomodate something like your pole bean pavillion!)

[metmom]

We REALLY dodged the bullet with the weather today.

We hardly got a trace of snow instead of the 5 inches forecast.

I picked up a bunch of saplings today from my forestry purchase.

I got white spruces, Fraser Firs , and elderberry bushes.

[Red Badger]

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Short sleeved Red Badger in sunny Florida! (Humpf! "I almost wore long sleeves today!")

Scurry badger! A favorite! Excellent gif!

(Watch out for this this badger!)

[Pollard]

Lovely day here

to stay inside and watch videos or read.

Gusty through Saturday. Seasons tend to blow in here.

[Qiviut]

I have herbs!! My SIL picked up some for me today: rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, basil, & lemon verbena. I might grab a dill from her (4-pack so she can spare one) to grow for Monarch butterflies. It doesn’t look like my big rosemary made it through the winter & the thyme is very woody so I’m putting new ones in my herb patch this year.

This means I HAVE to get in the garden in the next couple of days to plant. Lawn/grass around garden will be mowed tonight so I don’t have to wade through knee deep grass (ticks, tangles around my feet) to get there. Warm weather (70’s) is in the forecast for the next couple of days. I think it’s still too cold for veggies. We had a freeze warning Monday night - got down to 33. It looks like the 2 dozen or so baby leaves on our Brown Turkey Fig bush are still green so the cold didn’t kill them. :-)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Progress! Can you convince your physical therapist that gardening is all the therapy you need?

We’re having a few sunny days in a row, but our nighttime temps mean that tomatoes and peppers need to be carted in and out of the greenhouse each day. One more week? Maybe!

I’m recovering from the flu, and I fell off my bike not ONCE, but TWICE this week, so I’m pretty achy and sore all over.

I don’t mess up often, but when I do, it’s usually pretty spectacular, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Qiviut]

I’m glad you didn’t break anything falling off your bike!

So I guess you got the “bug” that was going around after Easter (yuck!). Lots of cold type stuff around here, but the pollen has been so awful this year that people don’t know if it’s a cold or allergies. We had pretty good rain the other day - moderate to heavy from about 9 to 4 or 5. That seems to have settled the pine pollen situation, thank goodness. Mowing should not kick up yellow clouds of it.

Hope the aches & soreness go away soon!

[Qiviut]

Woo hoo - made it on/off the mower today! Bro is mowing, but I got it from the pole barn to the shed where we keep gas & a blower to clean stuff off the belt & pulleys. Next mowing in a week or so & I should be able to do it. Looks like mower deck will work for propping leg - should be even better after another week when I can get a little more bend. :-)

[tob2]

Good morning. Garden starting to look springy. Snapdragons are blooming, as well as dianthus and pansies. Yesterday I saw a bumble bee collecting pollen from the flowering bok choy! It was so good to see that. Have also seen carpenter bees flying around. Today I was shocked to see a small snake curled up in one of the gardening planters. I was able to get a couple of pictures. When I researched the snake, there were two in particular which the snake might be. The first is the copperhead snake. There have been reports of an increase in the number of this snake in our area. The second one is the Eastern Brown snake. Both species are poisonous. I have contacted Animal Control to come and take it away and also made my landlord aware of it’s presence.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Your garden is looking good, Pete!

And, yes. I know where to find the Morels. I’d tell ya, but then, I’d have to...you know the drill, LOL!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Is it just me, or does anyone else get a THRILL when they have a planting flat ready to go into a garden bed or a pot? This is second only to a batch of newborn puppies for me. :)

[Pollard]

(I don't have, 'Hobbies.' I'm developing a robust Post-Apocalyptic skill set.)

So what's your Post-Apocalyptic plan for getting those results?

Grass like that in WI already?

[MomwithHope]

Did not make it to 50 today but they are saying 82 tomorrow. Yeah, right. If it does get that warm I’ll be looking for morels. We’ve had plenty of rain.

[MomwithHope]

Diana, you’re busted. I didn’t notice the grass at first. Still a beautiful flat. Diana have you thought of putting in a window or 2 in your greenhouse?