The Victory Garden Thread - June, 2026

June 1, 2026 | Diana in WI/Greeneyes in Memoriam

[Diana in Wisconsin]

The MONTHLY Victory Garden 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 Victory Garden 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.

[Paul R.]

My tomato plants’ heat (race to production) seems to be a sort of tie: I now have a Patio Tomato plant, a Golden Jubilee*, and an overwintered Mortgage Lifter, that have all produced fruits well blushed, and I picked them early this morning.

*Bizarrely, the Golden Jubilee fruit looks all wrong: The shape is wrong, the fruits are small, and the color already looks to be headed to red, not “golden”. Have I purchased mislabeled plants by “Bonnies” 2 years in a row? There’s no way I mislabeled it — that plant was the only one I transplanted that day, and it went straight from the store / 4” pot to the big pot it is in now, along with the (Bonnies) label from the 4” pot, which label is still there... Well, I do have other (younger) Golden Jubilees to transplant soon, that I started from seed. I’d just bought that one, as it seemed particularly far along, at Menards, to get some early production. Well, it seems I have, but...

The Patio plant also had a bit of an unfair advantage, as it was another plant from Menards that seemed unusually far along compared to its buddies. It actually has the biggest fruits, at present: It seems to be happy so far in just a 3 gallon pot. The Mortgage Lifter is in the ground - I only have one pot big enough for one of those, and it’s occupied by a “this year” ML that is doing ok but is of course months away from even setting fruits.

The Early Girls really slowed down during out hot spell a few days ago, and don’t seem to have quite oicked the pace back up. That surprised me a little, but, maybe it shouldn’t.

To ripen these fruits as quickly as possible, I’ve put them in sandwich bags (a bag for each type tomato, but not sealed) and then in an overall (sealed) gallon bag. The idea is to keep them in a high concentration of ethylene gas. Right now they are on the kitchen counter - I guess I “could” put them on top of the fridge, as it gets warm, but not hot. I also guess if I had one I could put a green banana in there with them, as ripening bananas emit lots of ethylene gas if permitted to. Then watching for excessive humidity in the bags might be even more important? Possibly the outer bag should be paper, but then I can’t just look over while making scrambled eggs or what not, to check the tomatoes. :-)

[Bon of Babble]

Thanks for the tip about the red cedar.

I am plagued with Japanese beetles - which destroy my apples and figs! So many pesticides we can no longer use in California, I liked a systemic one that was specifically for fruit trees - now banned!

I’ll give the red cedar mulch a try.

[MomwithHope]

.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I think it’s so sweet. It plays in my head from the first ‘Lightening Bug’ I see each Summer. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Guess what day it is?!?!

44 Tasty Taco Tuesday Recipes You Need in Your Life

https://kitchendivas.com/taco-tuesday-recipes/

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Into the Crock Pot:

Easy Slow Cooker Taco Chicken and Rice

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless, cut into bite sized chunks
1 small onion chopped
2 large peppers chopped
1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, canned not drained
1 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 cup chicken broth
1 pkg (1 oz) taco seasoning or 3 tablespoons
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup cheese shredded (if desired)

Instructions

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.

Place chicken breasts on the bottom of slow cooker. Sprinkle onions and peppers over top. Add diced tomatoes, rice, broth, Taco seasoning, salt and pepper.

Stir until blended.

Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or high for 3 to 4.

Sprinkle cheese over top when serving if desired.

[MomwithHope]

Along my Aim Small Cook Small program I used my very small crockpot (1 qt) to make pulled pork. The pork shoulders are on sale for 1.79 a lb now. I bought a smaller one but still did not want to fix it all. So I cut it into 4 pieces, froze three. Browned one in a skillet and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, smoked sweet paprika and montreal steak seasoning. Added 1/2 small can of Swansons beef broth. Cooked on high for about 6 hours then turned on low for another 6 at least. Shredded it in the crock pot and let it go another hour. So good. I added a few squirts of my favorite BBQ sauce and stirred. It turned out so good I bought another shoulder the next day and froze all 4 chunks. Today I seared a lamb shank and seasoned the same, adding the beef broth and some onion, carrot and celery. On high, and tonight I will slide out the bone and cook overnight on low. Might make some rice a small amount to go with it. Less time in the kitchen is a good thing.

[Paul R.]

We did VERY well with the traps for Japanese Beetles, basically wiping them out. That was before we had a small flock of free range chickens. Since, very occasionally we see a stray now and then. I suspect we wiped them out to below a sustainable breeding population, esp. given that the chickens appear to get a few.

[Paul R.]

I’ll add, the handful of traps were so effective, and our Japanese Beetles were in such hoards, that some days I literally collected gallons of them! I had to rig up larger “catch” containers.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Pulled Pork sounds so good! Do you like it with pickles? I do. :)

I made the Easy Slow Cooker Taco Chicken and Rice and it was done in 3 hours on high. I didn’t have any thawed breasts, so at the end I added a can of canned chicken and the liquid from the can then heated it through for a bit.

I’m having it for lunch right now, just in a bowl with cheese. It will make a good taco, enchilada or burrito filling, too. I skipped adding salt & pepper and added a generous teaspoon of chipotle powder for a little heat. Loving it.

Happy Taco Tuesday to me! :)

Got some things done in the garden but it’s tough sledding with those two YA-Hoos running around and ‘helping me!

Got the tomatoes fertilized, as well as those in pots and the two Jalapenos in pots.

Cleaned out the very first bed which meant pulling all the dead stems from the Allium and other spring bulbs - got most of the yellow clover out of the Strawberries - which were a bust this season - too much rain.

Rain tomorrow so I filled gallon jugs with water from the rain barrel - 12 total.

Chickens are fed and the last ‘rotation’ of hunting dogs are in the exercise yard. Ithaca got an apple this morning.

I decided to wait on all the mulching that’s needed until the two YA-hoos are out of here - they should be reunited with their owner over 4th of July weekend. THANK GOODNESS! They are really too old to be running loose now; puppies in the past have been gone before they’ve ‘aged out’ of ‘Puppy Foster Care’ like these two stragglers.

Making my list over lunch for the inside things I want to accomplish when it rains tomorrow, first of which is a trial batch of Blueberry Pie Filling. I want to make ONE quart jar to see how it turns out. It seems to be quite the process! Anyhow, that one can stay in the fridge for use in a pie when Beau is home again. I have a Raspberry Pie in the freezer, already.

It’s really a beautiful day out there. They have been few and far between this season so far. Junior Farmer Ryan is making the second cutting of alfalfa hay; it SMELLS SO GOOD! :)

Union Lunch Break is OVER! Back to work for all if us General Laborers...

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Bon; (Paul) I have seen Sparrows on my Plum trees and around my Aronia shrubs so I wondered if they eat Japanese Beetles. Brave search/summarizer gives:

Birds are among the most effective natural predators of Japanese beetles, consuming both the adult beetles and their soil-dwelling grubs.

Adult Beetles are primarily eaten by:

Cardinals, which are highly effective at spotting and eating adults in trees and shrubs.
Robins, Catbirds, Thrashers, and Mockingbirds forage for adults on foliage and the ground.
Blue Jays and Crows use their strong beaks to dig through leaves and soil to find them.
Wood Thrushes and Scarlet Tanagers also consume adult beetles.
House Sparrows have been observed pursuing beetles in flight.

Beetle Grubs (larvae) are targeted by:
Starlings, which are notable for digging up and eating grubs in lawns.
Robins and Crows also dig for grubs in the soil.
Opossums, raccoons, skunks, and moles are mammals that eat grubs but often damage lawns in the process.

Bon; I know that there is some sort of fire going on in LA. I hope it is not in your neighborhood and that you are OK!

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

According to this you can also use the Red Cedar Oil in a spray too! Natural Spray for Japanese Beetles

(Good luck and good hunting!)

[MomwithHope]

The lamb is almost done just added a little rice. So I was wrong when I said it would be a 2 day cook.
I like my pulled pork with on a very soft piece of cheese bread, or with coleslaw on the side. If I don’t make cole slaw dressing I add sliced thin raw cabbage to a small amount of store bought coleslaw so a lot of it is raw and crunchy. Sounds like you had a good day. Welcome home to Beau. I’m sure Ithaca enjoyed the apple but thought - Where’s your mom? I fertilized all veg with Dr. Jim Z’s Chicken Soup for the Soil. Still had a half gallon jug of concentrate in the front closet. I had no manure or compost this year.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Mom was here last week and filled Ithaca to the brim with apples and carrots. She spoils her ‘Grand Mule’ shamelessly. He BEGRUDGINGLY will take one from me when offered, but he comes RUNNING if he sees the dog food bucket. He loves dog kibble. What a goof! He’ll even eat a Milk Bone if offered!

Mom has always had a way with horses since she was a farm kid; I’m certain it was Dad that put the kibosh on us ever having any horses due to the expense...for a really big PET. ;)

I like my Coleslaw SLOPPY, but still CRUNCHY. :)

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I think I saw TWO Japanese Beetles last season; we had so much rain that they probably drown in the grub stage.

I’m hoping this year has the same results!

As for those imitation ‘Lady Bugs’ and Box Elder Bugs, as soon as it warms up in say, February - my house is swarming with them; they over-winter in the walls of This Old House. I spend a lot of time with the shop vac in hand!

Beau has been using a product called ‘Tempo’ and sprays it across the south-facing side of the house where they like to gather and that seems to cut them down a little. It’s nowhere near the garden, so he’s not offing any Good Bugs.

Part of the problem is that we DO have Box Elder trees, which are in the Maple family, and soybean fields all around us that those fake ladybugs love so much. :(

[Liz]

Potato Leek Soup w/ Bacon / an elegant starter for company

Ing 2 tbl ea Kerrygold butter, canola oil 3 c leeks, white/light green parts, halved/thin-sliced, washed well 4 chp gar/cl 6 Russetts, peeled/cubed (7-8 cups) 6 c chix broth 1 tbl chp fresh thyme 1 c h/cream 2 c shredded white Cheddar Pinch cayenne, s/p Diced cooked bacon/chp fresh chives garnish

Method Cook/stir leeks in heated butter/oil on med-low 5-7 min; leeks are very soft. Do not brown. Add/cook garlic briefly, 10-15 sec til fragrant. Add potatoes, broth, thyme. BTB, then cook on med-low partly covered 15-20 min; potatoes are very tender. Offheat, stir in cream and cheese; stir to melt cheese. Blender/puree (hot liquids caution). Add cayenne, s/p. Serve garnished w/ crumbled cooked bacon, chp fresh chives.

MAKE-AHEAD 2-3 days. Gently reheat on low. Freeze airtight 2-3 months.
Thaw in refrigerator. Gently reheat, whisking occasionally to smooth it out.

[Paul R.]

Birds definitely get some of them (Japanese beetles), but if there is a heavy ground infestation of the grubs in a "good" year (for the grubs) there can just be way too many of them for the predators to keep up with, unless maybe you get one of those huge flocks of starlings after them. (Those horizon to horizon flocks of starlings are something else I've not seen for some years.)

In our case, judging by the way one of the neighbor's yards looked, I believe they had a heavy infestation of the grubs. We are WSW of them, so, typically, the scent from our traps would have have blown there: A double edge sword.

Ironically, after gloating about wiping them out, yesterday early evening I went out and discovered our Cannas, which are growing like crazy, had suffered minor damage from several (literally about half a dozen) Japanese beetles. A couple of our chickens were foraging nearby, so I picked off the beetles I could readily see and slammed them down on the driveway: The chickens have seen this routine before with other "bugs": They scurried over and chowed down. Then I sprayed the Cannas with some Neem oil, esp. the undersides of the leaves where the beetles like to hide.

According to Brave Search:

Japanese beetles do not inherently taste bad, but their hard, crunchy exoskeletons make them difficult for many predators to consume. While the larval stage (grubs) is juicy and nutritious, attracting predators like moles and skunks, the adult beetles are less palatable to birds and other animals due to their protective shell.

However, they are not entirely immune to predation. Birds (such as jays, turkeys, and chickens), mammals (including opossums, raccoons, and shrews), and amphibians (like frogs and toads) do eat adult beetles. Additionally, geraniums contain a toxin that temporarily paralyzes beetles, making them easy targets for these predators to consume.

Bluegill don't seem to like them, though. I'd guess Redear Sunfish could crush Japanese Beetles, but never had any success with that. The grubs should be excellent Bluegill bait, but I never see the grubs in any quantity when I'm digging, planting, etc. Thankfully...

[Paul R.]

It’s the soybean fields and a few (few) Maple trees for us, too... :-(

For whatever reason or reasons, though, the fake ‘Lady Bugs’ were not bad this year. Just the Stink Bugs (so far), until I made my little LED light traps.

[Paul R.]

Speaking of “heat”, it looks like Mo’ Nature is turning it up for us big time, next week. High dew points - yuck...

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I remember being juicy and delicious in my, ‘larval stage,’ LOL!

It’s all downhill from there. *SMIRK*