Posted on 01/01/2025 7:08:47 AM PST by 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.
12 New Year’s Resolutions for Gardeners
Plan
Try New Crops
Soil Health
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Plant for Pollinators
Go Organic
Grow What You Will Eat
Plant a Rainbow
Gardening is Self-Care
Buy Local
Educate Yourself
https://farmflavor.com/lifestyle/garden/12-new-years-resolutions-for-gardeners/
Happy New Year gardening Freepers!
My fingers are already itching to get down into the rich soil of the garden. Have already ordered tomato and pepper seedlings and seed potatoes for mid-April delivery. Am now making markers for everything. New bulbs for the Grow Lights came yesterday and will be all set to start seeds mid-March. Can’t wait to get the gardening season started.
Good Luck to you this year!
With just a little effort people can grow a few things in pots
or small areas in their lawn. Tomatoes, onions, radishes, peas
beans, carrots, greens, etc. And actually have enough to freeze
for later use during the fall/winter. I was raised out in the woods
so we did much more than that as it included animals, birds,etc.
One of my old friends who is now gone had a beautiful Castor bean plant growing next to his house. it was more like a tree than a bush and was nearly gutter height. It was so beautiful with it’s red, green, and purple leaves. I plan to grow one this year. I’m sure my memories of him and our adventures in Appalachia will come to mind. The things we saw...
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=castor+bean+plants+images&iax=images&ia=images
Ham, Potato and Corn Chowder
Thick soup in a creamy broth w/ flavor, color and taste, a meal in a bowl.
Ing 2 tbl ol/oil 1 small onion diced 5 tbl flour 3 c milk 1 c half and half 2 c chicken broth 4 med potatoes peeled/diced 2 med carrots peeled/sliced 2 c fresh or frozen corn 2 stalks celery diced 1 1/2 lbs ham cubed shredded cheese garnish
Steps Heat oil over med. Add onion, cook tender 4-5 min. Add flour; cook/stir a minute. Pour in milk and half and half and cook/stir to slightly thicken 3-5 min. Stir in chix broth, potatoes, carrots, corn, celery. Btb, then simmer 15-18 min til tender. Stir in ham. S/pepper to taste. Cook until thoroughly heated. Garnish w/ shredded cheese, serve.
Mrs. Augie and I survived our annual New Year’s Eve pilgrimage downtown last night.
The natives were on good behavior - I haven’t seen a single local news report of any shootings or stabbings. That sort of thing happens pretty much every weekend here. It was nice of them to take a night off so we could enjoy our evening out. lol
Happy New Year!
(((HUGS)))
I’m in Florida.
My cape honeysuckle bushes are blooming rather well. They produce orange flowers in the late fall and winter.
https://verdego.com/product/cape-honeysuckle/
Unfortunately, they spread by horizontal suckers extremely vigorously.
I have a few blooms on my Christmas cacti and my orchid appears to be healthy.
Happy New Year, Happy Gardening, everyone!
Happy New Year!
We’re enjoying a reprieve in the weather for another day or so until the cold moves in. Getting as much outside stuff done as possible.
Once the ground freezes again, the straw is going on the asparagus and garlic beds.
Rosemary and lavender take FOREVER to sprout from seed and are someone sporadic in germination.
What I did for rosemary last year was buy a very bushy plant at Wal-Mart and root the cuttings from it. It worked very well.
I plan on starting my rosemary and lavender in the next week or so and then my onion seeds at the end of the month. Hopefully they’ll be a decent size to transplant in the spring. If they’re too small, they have a hard time getting established after being put in the ground.
somewhat sporadic in germination.
Happy New Year, all! Greetings from southern New Hampshire.
The “January Thaw” is about over here…arriving a couple of weeks early. Freezing will return this evening and the daytime highs are in a coast profile back to winter. I am going to take the next few days to do some garden cleanup that dropped off the list.
My version: (I call it Chicken Corn Chowder )
Chicken (instead of ham), cooked and diced
YELLOW split peas (not green!) cooked first, until they are mush, then add to soup
Chicken both
Some white corn (out of the frozen bag) last thing to add to the soup kettle
Crushed fresh garlic
Diced sweet red bell peppers
Fresh shredded basil leaves (right out of the garden)
Diced red onions
Diced celery and carrots are optional
A handful or two of diced, fresh tomatoes (optional) added last with the corn
Fresh ground black pepper and other seasonings to taste
.
If desired: some flour or corn starch or Xanthan gum to thicken if needed
.
Serve with fresh baked whole wheat or rye bread/rolls if needed.
I generally start my seeds in February. I’m scaling back due to age and health reasons but I will have one.
.
Basil sometimes does also.
So I start the seeds indoors in a warmish place, after first soaking the seeds
in clean water for a few days at least.
“New bulbs for the Grow Lights...”
Do you mind sharing where you bought them and what you paid? I’m in the market. Thanks!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.