The Garden Thread - August, 2024

August 1, 2024 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The MONTHLY Gardening Thread is a 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 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/removed from our New & Improved Ping List.

NOTE: This is a once a MONTH Ping List, but we DO post to the thread all throughout the month. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Being 5’1” in an old farmhouse that has 10’ ceilings in most rooms and a 14’ ceiling in the Family Room, I am on a ladder most of the time, LOL!

After falling off of one last year and hurting myself (nothing broken, thank goodness!) Mom bought me a really good one from Menard’s that is very wide and stable (like the one you posted) and that has made life MUCH easier for me for cleaning and ‘reaching stuff’ when 6’3” Beau is not around. ;)

[Pollard]

Good old school stuff. That one’s actually for sale in Jupiter, FL. If I still lived in FL, it would be tempting.

Pressure treated 2x6s is what I had easy to grab so those on the bed rails with the little giant ladder sitting on them and clamped down gave me the height I needed.

All my wiggle wire track is installed. Heading out to get more screws for where it attaches to the hip boards. I have them attached with three screws for each 6 1/2 foot length. Need screws every 6-8 inches. Plastic can go on tomorrow.

It’s been about 13 months since I started welding the tunnel trusses together. Was supposed to have plastic on in July but that was just a hopeful plan 6 months ago.

According to my Fall planting spreadsheet, Bok Choy, baby lettuce and onions should be sowed indoors today. That gives me a month to exclude goats, get the soil prepped and set up drip and gutters for rainwater collection. Then I can start working on end walls and sides as I can afford materials.

Another month and I’ll have some plants growing under plastic.

Cost so far is about $2,500. It will probably be another $2,500 when it’s all said and done.

[MomwithHope]

I started in 1999 selling mostly. Mostly small lightweight items. But postage kept rising. I tried the ebay ship labels a couple of years ago and now that’s all I use. Easy and there is a savings.

[FamiliarFace]

Very cute!

[Albion Wilde]

Perfect!

[Pollard]

Yeah but that 12% final value fee is a killer.

[MomwithHope]

Is that for promoted items? I don’t think my fees are that high.

[Pollard]

Higher now I guess. - 13.25% on most things - nearly 15% for physical media like books.

It varies based on item type - https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/fees-credits-invoices/selling-fees?id=4822

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I sold books on Amaz*n for 15 years. It was a good little side hustle - I could clear $1K a month if I really worked at it. Covid put an end to that as I couldn’t get out to shop for books.

Also, since all of us were locked in our homes, Amaz*n saw fit to raise their fees on their captive audiences, sellers and buyers alike.

And for that reason - I’M OUT! (’Shark Tank’ reference)

[Pollard]

Speaking of covid. Been going around work and I got it. Hit the bed at 2pm yesterday and just got up. Major body aches and throbbing headaches. Chills/sweats. I had come in because it was getting hot and all of the sudden, I was walking like I was drunk which I wasn’t.

Loaded up with Vit D, C, B12 and zinc at 4am and again at 10am and am feeling human again but weak. Not bothering with Ivermectin but I think I’ll stock up on quercetin soon. Supposed to help the body absorb zinc iirc.

Won’t be climbing ladders to put plastic on today. I’ve got a PTO day coming so I’m taking tomorrow off. If I’m feeling well enough I might do the plastic.

[daniel1212]

Thanks for the ping. Tomatoes are ripening, and overall healthier than in the last few years, which I think is due to more spacing and some lime, and Tomato-tone, besides prayer, plus timely rain, praise God. Squash is doing its thing, but I had to pull vines off the neighbors bushes after just one of his sons moved back, though the rest of the family had no objections, and his parents like the squash they get. But we prayed for this son and his attitude has been better.

[Paul R.]

Agreed on the eBay ship labels and hunting through the shipping options — probably 1/3 of the stuff I’ve nabbed on eBay was “shipping is too high” initially, so, buyers bypass it. But I’ll contact the seller and see if they can find a cheaper shipping option, then be ready to pounce on the item after the seller updates the listing.

This pump tho’... The seller is evidently not familiar with shipping heavy items, and tho’ they used a lot of packing material, it still wasn’t “proper” protection, and, the “foot” on the bottom of the pump “got scrunched real good”. The carton looks fine, so, likely trying to plead my case with USPS is hopeless. I can probably bend the foot back into shape and refinish it*, but have asked the seller for an adjustment. I guess we’ll see...

*The finish (powder coat) will have been stressed where the unwanted bends are, and will corrode sooner.) Rustoleum and a good oven bake of the foot will be ALMOST as good as new.

[MomwithHope]

Thanks, love your posts!

[Paul R.]

Heh, Menards has a 30 piece kit of fittings and accessories for compressed air systems & equipment on sale for $7(!) after the 11% rebate. There are two threaded female-to-female 1/4” couplings in it.

https://www.menards.com/main/tools/power-tools/pneumatic-tools/air-tools/performax-reg-air-accessory-kit-30-piece/83426/p-1642874305165939-c-12915.htm?exp=false

The worry for “air” fittings might be lead content. Esp. from China... Also, corrosion resistance of a particular brass alloy might be a concern, though most are likely to be ok with well water / non-marine use.

Other fittings would likely be useable with 1/4” ID PE tubing, which I have a roll of. It’s a bit stiff, but a hair dryer and a “tin can” can be used (with care) to create bends. I have air hose too, but, no telling what might leach out of that.

$7?? Even from China, probably slave labor, and likely not great quality, how the heck do they do that?

[Paul R.]

Oh, someone has to be kidding me. Apparently that big pumpkin plant managed to sneak out one female flower that neither my wife or I spotted. It popped out a fruit on a section of vine that had done a little climbing on a nearby okra plant. I was gonna redirect or just cut off that part of the pumpkin vine yesterday evening — instead I went out after getting back home, saw the okra plant pulled down by the vine and then found the pumpkin fruit too, but the pumpkin vine had partially (2/3?) “broken”. Hard to say how much of that was the weight of the fruit (it’s maybe 2” diameter), how much the inherent weight of the vine, and how much the heavy dew on the plants. I basically made up a splint out of a straight piece of a twig, and masking tape, and tried to essentially graft the vine back together. The leaves past the break look ok this morning (not wilted), so, I guess we’ll see how this goes.

Assuming no other fruits show up, I wonder how big a pumpkin we might have by Halloween? And will it ripen in 2 months?
The “parent” pumpkin was about 15” diameter and about the same height. The present plant occupies (densely) about 8’ x 9’ of ground.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

You might have a Blue Ribbon Winner at the State Fair on your hands! ;)

[daniel1212]

Thanks, love your posts!

Glory to God. Still learning how to use and take vids with smartphone, and convert them to gifs. https://www.anymp4.com/video-converter/video-to-gif.html best so far.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Very nice Daniel! Spacing makes a difference in tomato production.

Your squash is racing all over the place! Butternut?

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Augie. Rhubarb does not do well in my garden either. I finally replanted it to a berm underneath one of my redbuds and I am treating it as an ornamental. It seems to do better in the shade. Maybe next year it will start to produce enough to harvest. (That said, I do need to be careful of oxalates in things like rhubarb and spinach!)

Today...good news is that its August and will only be in the mid 80s today! The weather this year has been really strange. Its all those volcanoes blowing up and pumping water into the atmosphere I think.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Timing for some plants is everything. I planted squash and cucumbers late this year. Have a small amount of produce up to this point. I am sprouting a number of Double Yield cucumbers and will plant them to see if I can time it so that they produce right at the end of the season.

There are 3 main insect pests that infest curcubits / squash. Cucumber beetles, squash nymphs (type of stink bug), and vine borers.

In the last few days the cucumber beetles population has exploded. I have been dusting the small developing zucchini with Diatomnacious earth. Same with the growing ends of the Butternut zucchini vines and my beit alpha cucumbers. ( I am growing the cucumbers on the north side of some tomatoes which reduces their yield, but provides some protection from the sun.) I have tried, unsuccessfully, to use yellow cups that have soapy water, but without success. I think I will go and get some yellow sticky traps.

Squash Nymphs.....I have, up to this point, managed to control squash nymphs by egg removal and spraying with soapy water.

A good Video on Squash bug control:

Control of Squash nymphs using high detergent dishsoap and water.

Vine borers....earlier in the year I used a Syringe to inject some BT into my squash vines to kill any squash vine borers. Successful so far. I need to repeat since I have seen several of the Red borer moths hanging around. (I inject a solution of Bacillus Thurigensis into the hollow vine centers. I put a dab of Gorilla glue over the opening to seal it, maybe go back and repeat the next day if it does not seal off.)

Good luck with yours!