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Weekly Garden Thread - May 16-22, 2020
May 16, 2020 | Diana in Wisconsin/Greeneyes

Posted on 05/16/2020 7:11:20 AM PDT by 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 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!


TOPICS: Agriculture; Food; Gardening; Hobbies
KEYWORDS: agriculture; food; garden; gardening; hobbies; weekly
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Got some repotting and seedling plants transplanted to containers this morning. I moved all of the pots away from the brick wall where they had been camping for the winter. Got my porch cleaned up and it is ready for all the invites I have put out for people to visit.

I caught a bird finching some parsley. I guess it’s nesting. It’s OK, the parsley is doing well enough I can snip some every few days and throw it in a jar of water in the kitchen.

I think the cool weather we had for the last week stunted my lavender buds. There are so many and it’s so early I hope I can get another crop later in the season.

The squirrels keep digging, which is a surprise. At my old place they gave up after about a week. Last night one went through and had quite the party. I reforked everything.

I am now up to eight pots (I started many years ago with two) and if I rearrange them well, I might fit two more.....

Happy Gardening everyone!


21 posted on 05/16/2020 9:10:42 AM PDT by PrincessB
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

“If a plant is sad....”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

ROFL!


22 posted on 05/16/2020 9:40:55 AM PDT by TEXOKIE
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To: Diana in Wisconsin; All

Lady Bender is recovering nicely from her hip repair surgery a couple of weeks ago. I turned 87 yesterday and still getting around but much slower. I had hoped I could recover my photo storage accounts but no luck so I will just start a new one so I can show you our strawberries and how well they are doing. Only other veggie is the garlic crop that was planted last fall. Lady Bender has started 3 flats of flowering Sweet Peas and that we hope to transplant to the trellis soon. We have had some fine weather here on the northwestern corner of California but possible rain today...


23 posted on 05/16/2020 9:41:32 AM PDT by tubebender
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To: tubebender

Hello brother and Happy Belated Birthday! Glad for all the good news of Lady Bender. Looking forward to your pictures as always.


24 posted on 05/16/2020 10:00:04 AM PDT by MomwithHope (Forever grateful to all our patriots, past, present and future.)
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To: metmom
Get a pellet gun and fire plastic pellets at the critters. The pellets won't kill them, but ought to sting enough to discourage them.
25 posted on 05/16/2020 10:09:30 AM PDT by JoeFromSidney (Colonel (Retired) USAF.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin; All

From record lows to pretty darn warm/dry in a couple of days - it’s been a roller coaster. The one thing that has not been affected is the grass which looks like a hay field in some places - marathon mowing will be happening this afternoon.


26 posted on 05/16/2020 10:09:59 AM PDT by Qiviut ("I have never wished death upon a man, but I have read many obituaries with pleasure" Mark Twain)
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To: JoeFromSidney

We’re moving next week to somewhere where I can shoot the $(*&(#&@(*’s.


27 posted on 05/16/2020 11:08:51 AM PDT by metmom (...fixing our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith...)
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To: tubebender

Great to hear from you! Happy Birthday, and wish Lady Bender a speedy recovery from me!

Tell her my Sweet Peas are poking along - but I will post some pictures when they are in bloom in a few more weeks.

Unless we go straight to HOT - which could happen, and then they won’t be very happy. :(

Glad she could get in for surgery what with all that’s been going on. :)


28 posted on 05/16/2020 11:19:25 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin
Since you said you miss Germany, here is the Schloss Johannisburg on the river Main in Aschaffenberg. This town was my base of operations while I spent a month working in a nearby town. The Army had a presence there from 1945 until 2007, so you may have even gone there. As beautiful as the castle is, it's like many others in Germany - more like Disneyland Castles. It was a pile of rubble in 1945 and they rebuilt it between 1951 and 1971. That is why I prefer Rothenberg. The Army considered it to be so beautiful and historically significant that they sent emissaries to the town, promising not to shell it if they surrendered.

IMG-0582

29 posted on 05/16/2020 11:21:17 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
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To: Qiviut

Got my mowing done, yesterday. Takes me about 2 hours now with the Zero-Turn. Man, I love that thing - Vroom! Vroom!

It was one of those uber-productive days - Beau got the LAST piece of roofing on*, and then all the calking done. Today he borrowed the neighbor’s tractor and is tilling up the bird/deer food plots and the plot to the east of the house that’s eventually going to be wildflowers for the bees and butterflies.

*NINE YEARS IN - and we have a finished metal roof, LOL!


30 posted on 05/16/2020 11:23:17 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: PrincessB

NW
Did your parsley overwinter?

P.S. Just a thought. It would be nice to indicate your region each time...sure helps with envy or disappointment...why am I not harvesting tomatoes...because I’m not in the South...take it easy, my time will come...hopefully.


31 posted on 05/16/2020 11:26:55 AM PDT by WHATNEXT?
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To: Oshkalaboomboom

Thank you! That is lovely!

I did get to tour Rothenberg when I was there. Saw a lot of cathedrals and drank some ‘smoked’ beer - which tasted like licking an ashtray. Blech!

Our Brigade was stationed at Grafenwoehr, and we pretty much took over a small town in that area (forget the name) to set up our HQ and Medical, etc. I had LUXURIOUS accommodations in an abandoned sawmill (heated with Herman Nelson heaters; it was February!) but at least there were porta-potties, LOL!

We also shared our area with a German Panzer company, and when I saw how they had to live, 4 men to a tank 24/7, I stopped complaining. ;)


32 posted on 05/16/2020 11:34:12 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (I don't have 'hobbies.' I'm developing a robust post-Apocalyptic skill set.)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Just came in for a break at 3 - yard around the house, front field (between house & road - pretty large area) are mowed, plus around my garden & a path to the garden. I have also cut paths through the fields so when I walk the dogs, I’m not in Tickville - I’m dogsitting this weekend. I’d like to get the top half of the front pasture & around the barn/pole barn cut .... going to run out of gas (need a trip to pumps), so that’s when I’ll quit, unless a T-storm comes first. I should be able to finish most everything tomorrow.

It takes me about 8 hours to mow everything, maybe 10. I can do it in two afternoon/evening sessions .... if I mow all day, I can do it in a day, but the grass is usually too wet to start mowing before 11-12.

Next week looks very mild with clouds, showers pretty much every day - perfect to plant the 3 little tomatoes I got to replace the 3 that died. I am thrilled that my thithonia/sunflower bed is doing fantastic! It should really attract birds, butterflies & bees, in addition to being beautiful.

Spotted a coyote in our oat deer food plot just the other day & several nights ago, the front porch motion light came on ... a fox was trotting down the driveway, passing the sidewalk, which triggered the light. We’re seeing deer in the back field fairly frequently, after not seeing any for a while. Lots of wildlife around here.

Off to mow again on my Zero Turn .... love it! :-)


33 posted on 05/16/2020 12:16:02 PM PDT by Qiviut ("I have never wished death upon a man, but I have read many obituaries with pleasure" Mark Twain)
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To: Diana in Wisconsin

Lots of rain, not much sunshine here in Central Missouri this week.

Before the last rain came I managed to get over the sunflower field with the mower, and made one pass on it with Nanner and the tiller. Last year was so wet I wasn’t able to get in planted. It’s supposed to dry up here over the next couple weeks. Hopefully I’ll be able to hit it soon with the tiller and get some seed on the ground.

Need to get my tomato plants out of their pots and into the dirt, but it’s still too wet for that.

Mother Nature can be a grumpy old hag...


34 posted on 05/16/2020 12:37:58 PM PDT by Augie
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To: tubebender

Happy Bday Bender!! I just turned 52 the other day so I am catching up to you! Every year a little closer ratio wise


35 posted on 05/16/2020 1:26:31 PM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (Unlike Bloomberg, I have said "Fat broads"and "Horsefaced Lesbians" but cuz I luv them both.)
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To: PrincessB; Diana in Wisconsin

I have an area in my backyard that is dry almost year round due to 5 big trees close together. The ground is covered by decaying pine and cedar needles.

The little finches Robin’s and starling s come each night to dust themselves in it. They take turns...smallest to biggest.....dusting themselves. The bluejays sit on the wire and watch....I have noticed they actually move back and forth on the wire to maintain an unobstructed view.


36 posted on 05/16/2020 1:35:24 PM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (Unlike Bloomberg, I have said "Fat broads"and "Horsefaced Lesbians" but cuz I luv them both.)
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To: WHATNEXT?

My parsely and lemon verbena wondered over wonderfully (fairly mild one) and my spicy oregano tha looked dead and brown sprung to life with new growth a few weeks ago.

It was all in a big dirt filled plastic crate.


37 posted on 05/16/2020 1:38:23 PM PDT by TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig (Unlike Bloomberg, I have said "Fat broads"and "Horsefaced Lesbians" but cuz I luv them both.)
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To: WHATNEXT?

I am lower midwest and an apartment dweller. I started by putting containers around my parking spot, however I moved and now I have a south facing front porch. I did try to winter the parsley. It did well until a late February cold snap.

I have primarily herbs. Other than Swiss chard, I don’t grow vegetables well. I rely on the farmer’s market for those :).


38 posted on 05/16/2020 4:18:07 PM PDT by PrincessB
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To: PrincessB; All

It is going to be interesting to see if we have Farmers Markets here in Eureka Ca this year...


39 posted on 05/16/2020 5:18:17 PM PDT by tubebender
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To: Augie

Yup the rain is killing us in MO

April showers bring May showers.

Once the garden dries up a little, all the warm weather stuff can go in. Need to run the tiller over it again. I managed to find my lettuce and cabbage among the weeds and pulled the weeds.

I broadcast a baby salad greens mix but there’s no way to tell them from weeds. Have to come up with a plan B for salad greens. Maybe make a raised bed and heat treat the soil to kill the weed seeds before I plant the greens mix?


40 posted on 05/17/2020 6:19:10 AM PDT by Pollard (whatever)
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