The Garden Thread - February, 2026

February 1, 2026 | 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.

[daniel1212]

This website is really poor, but I saw this place out of the corner of my eye when we were passing through the other day. Cool concept and I am going to buy some Alpaca yarn from them in the near future and make some Christmas gifts (scarves or mittens or hats) for next year. http://argylefibermill.com/Fiftymilefiber.htm

No web site is good on a smartphone, compared to a desktop with 21'' screen! Thank God for that.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Pollard.... old radiators.....In case you have not already searched these sites. Good luck!

Steinertractor tractor/Radiator

Walmart Tractor Radiators

[Diana in Wisconsin]

He brought some Birch syrup back from a hunting trip out west - it was incredibly bland.

But I always like it when he brings me a bag of Wild Rice from Up North! :)

[daniel1212]

I also liked the taste of the skimmed off solids, and since I am not lactose intolerant, I will not waste and I use them on bread or in soup or on vegetables. Intense taste, and incredibly salty! Mrs. Pete thinks its great, however I told her I was making "Clarified Butter" which is mostly true.

Good that there are many cooks in the FR kitchen. I made brown rice pudding with whole milk last week, which I like. Been a while since i made it, and I did look up the rations on some recipe sites, which are poorly designed, or rather, designed to make you go thru adds white space to find all the info.

But may all here feel free to post favorite simple stove-top brown rice pudding recipes. Thank God for all.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Birch syrup...supposed to be good for kidney stones and can be used to make beer!

https://practicalselfreliance.com/birch-beer/

[Pollard]

It's officially an AG tractor with lug tires in back and skinny tri-rib up front. Now I just need some AG attachments.

Started putting water in the radiator and saw water running down the side of the engine block. The engine block heater is leaking. It's installed in a freeze plug hole. Tighten a screw and the rubber expands and seals it, or did. Gonna pull it out and see why it's leaking. Could be a crack in the rubber. It's made specifically for this engine which is a 1981 so the rubber was likely 40 years old when I bought it. Might get lucky and find another one. If not, it will be getting a regular freeze plug put back in it, preferably brass. Glow plugs work just fine to start it in any temperature I want to drive it in. I tried plowing snow with it back in the day. Tractor's too light for that and it's not 4wd.

I'm putting off pulling the radiator for when it gets warm for more than a few days. Never been able to tighten the fan belt. Next size down in belt won't even go on. I may end up adding an adjustable idler pulley. That and other repair/fab work will take some time. Fix the freeze plug and I'll be able to use it a little.

[Qiviut]

I have the 2 lavender plants I transplanted last fall - they were not happy in their original spot, but seemed slightly better in their new home. I hope they take off this spring. The really good one that was in the herb bed is an ‘unknown’ variety, but it bloomed all summer - fingers crossed that one comes back so then I’ll have 3.

Worked in the shop again until almost 2:00. My back is bothering me to the point I am calling it quits for the day or I won’t be vertical for church this evening. It doesn’t help that it turned out to be a chilly day instead of 62 due to overcast skies & a stiff breeze. I did get a bunch of stuff that is always in the way (blower, 2 spray tanks, tree trimming pole,magnetic pick up stick) hung up on a wall which is a big improvement. I also have a rock bar & a fence post tamper - very heavy and always sliding around. I have some U-shaped screw-in holders so now they have a place to be and won’t be falling into other tools all the time.

[daniel1212]

The engine block heater is leaking. It's installed in a freeze plug hole. Tighten a screw and the rubber expands and seals it, or did. Gonna pull it out and see why it's leaking. Could be a crack in the rubber. It's made specifically for this engine which is a 1981 so the rubber was likely 40 years old when I bought it.

The old Chrysler 318 engines had a problem with those plugs, and those compressed rubber plugs worked good. Later, the diesel engines on the Mercedes trucks (not as good as Int.) used engine block heater, as well as a starting fluid system. Did not work well below 32F IIRC, and so we often pulled them. International engines started better in cold.

never been able to tighten the fan belt.

If an adjustable as here, maybe grind some more space?

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Daniel; I cannot remember the last time I had Rice Pudding. Mrs. Pete does not care for it! (IDNKW!)

---

Our "More with Less" cookbook has 2 rice pudding receipes, but neither is brown rice.

Preheat oven to 275F Combine in buttered baking dish:

4 Cups of Scalded Milk
1/3 cup of Rice
1/3 cup of Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
Dash Nutmeg, cinnamon, or dried orange peel

Bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the rice is tender and milk is creamy. Stir ocasionally during the first half of the cooking time. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Serve warm or cold. (I would add 1/2 tsp vanilla the last time you stir it!)

---

The second receipe

1/4 Cup Rice
2 Cups Milk
Cook for 45 min uncovered or until tender

Beat together
2 egg yokes Reserve whites for later
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp Salt

Stir some of the rice mixture into the beaten yokes
Add that mixture to the hot rice mixture and cook 3-4 minutes stirring constantly

Remove from heat
Add 1 Tsp of Vanilla
Beat the 2 egg whites until frothy
Add 2 Tbl of Sugar
beat until stiff
Fold egg whites into the pudding. Chill and serve.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Q I hope the rest helps and you have a better remainder of your day!

[Qiviut]

It’s 4:30 & the rest has helped - thanks!

[daniel1212]

Thanks. I think (I kinds spurn recipes, vs. ratios) I made it on the stove top with brown rice by cooking it first with a about a 2.5 to 1 ration of rice to H2o, meaning about 2.5 cups water to 1 C. brown rice then adding 3 cups milk with I cup sugar, and cooked till set. Add raisins and vanilla But that was too much liquid. Thank God as it was good.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

And raisins make a nice difference! (You could use cranberries since you are in MA, and add some orange extract.. Might be good!)

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

AGCO? Massey Ferguson?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Progress! :)

We had thunderstorms last night, but they lasted all of a few minutes. 3am I was blasted out of bed by two VERY local thunder-CRACKS! It’s February - but in February 2024 we had a tornado. It was fairly close to us as the crow flies, but it just ripped up an empty field, no damage to buildings or people. A house and a church were damaged south and west of us though, by that same system.

The WIND is unreal, today. Glad I buttoned up the greenhouse last night. Blowing from the west and so hard that it’s hard to get the kitchen door open to let the dog in and out. I told Dolly to put rocks in her pockets today, or I’d never find her again! Did she listen? No. But she is 15 and totally deaf, LOL!

Hurry, SPRING!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

[Pollard]

Alternator is the adjustment. Can’t extend it or the alternator hits the inside of the tilt front end/hood. BTDT

[daniel1212]

Alternator is the adjustment. Can’t extend it or the alternator hits the inside of the tilt front end/hood. BTDT

So we grind the offending alternator portion and tape it with T-rex tape. No!

[Pollard]

1981 Mitsubishi MT180 with 3 cyl KC3 diesel engine. I've got many many hours into researching parts availability. I can get a few engine accessories like alternator, starter etc because enough of the older Japanese tractors used the same thing as do some newer tractors from US companies that but Japanese engines for their little tractors. Same as most US compact cars/trucks basically being Japanese with US body. Chrysler/Mitsubishi. Ford/Mazda, Chevy/Toyota.

Mitsubishi sold the rights to the MT180 to a company in India, VST Shakti, who've been making them for long enough that used ones are for sale -- in India. None of them and no parts for them are exported to the US though. I have no idea how much has been redesigned. My new front tires did come from India though and the tubes that came with them were "Made for Firestone" in China.

Block heater looked to have had some sort of rubber like gasket molded to the metal but was mostly gone. I went and grabbed some red RTV high temp silicone and used that to reinstall. As long as I didn't knock too much of it off working in that tight little spot, it should be good to go.

For the radiator that Alumaseal copy cat stuff I got worked for a while, I might get some NOS genuine Alumaseal from ebay and try that for now and fix it proper later this year. It's a powder/flakes so NOS(New Old Stock) ought to still be good.

Yesterday morning before starting on the front tractor rims, I did some scraping in the shop using a concrete pull tool, basically a 2 foot wide hoe. Judging by the piles, I can easily fill my two 32 gallon trash barrels. I'm going to screen it to start so I get powder/granules and I have one of the lawn spreaders that drop stuff straight down instead of the rotary type.

I'll be able to drop manure right down a bed and only the bed.

Went to Walmart/Aldi the other day and saw the place I got my compost from last time and realized I have an 8 foot bed now. A single trip will be plenty.

Four ten hour days at work plus two 8 hour working days at home. Aside from putting water in the tractor to see if my silicone holds, I'm resting tomorrow. Of course that means house chores.

[Pollard]

The little fan blades on the alternator is what hits the inside of the tilt front end. I think it originally took some metric belt which may or may not be still available. Need to see if I can still read the belt part # and do some math and search for a metric belt that's half way between too big and too small US sizes. I know I can get them from an industrial supplier like McMaster Carr.