View Full Version : Thinking about the garden..even though............
there's a foot of snow on the ground! I have to admit, this is the first year ever that I've actually looked forward to spring. Up until now, I've always enjoyed the rest that winter gives me.
Anyhow.........I'm still having the big garden with all my trellises/swingset, etc., but I'm adding to my stocktank container garden in the back yard. Last year I had 2 6' long ones and this summer I'm adding 2 4' long ones.
It's great not having to lean over!
anyhow.......anyone else thinking about the garden?
Chicken lady
3-2-15, 12:57pm
When is your frost-free date? I'll be starting seeds this afternoon.
Our's is mid-May.......but who knows. The weather has been a bit bi-polar lately!
What kind of seed-starting set-up do you have Chicken lady?
I started seeds for onions and some perennials over the weekend, mostly to chase away cabin fever. There is still 3 feet of snow here, and I'll be lucky to see the mud underneath by April. Typically I plant out the hardy stuff (lettuce, onions) in late April/early May and the tomatoes go out the end of May and the peppers/cukes a couple of weeks later.
Chicken lady
3-2-15, 2:10pm
I start them in jiffy trays in a warm spot in the house, but I have a small greenhouse to move them to after they come up.
We're still buried in snow and I dug my mud into raised beds to have a chance at drainage - often I have standing water between the beds when I start planting them.
Today's seeds will be the 8-10 weeks before last frost varieties.
I was going to start a thread asking if anyone had started seeds yet, but I thought it might be cruel and unusual to you folks living under x#-feet of snow.
I started pepper seeds this past weekend. My tomatoes are up 1-1/2" to 3".
Also sowed some spinach and lettuce outdoors in my 4-square foot box. Put my herb pots out and added some chervil seeds to one of them. Went back in the house to have some lunch, and came outside again, oh, 1/2-hr later. Both my box and herb pots had been DUG INTO!! D*&@# squirrels. I swear they were watching me. So, out came the tin snips and chicken wire.
I know better but every year I get amnesia about how the heat will come and slay just about every edible thing I might try to grow by mid-June. I did plant some snap peas about a month ago as recommended but we have had such a ridiculously cold and grey winter that they are struggling without any sunshine at all. I do have one small raised bed of lettuce and greens that is sputtering along. I will however look forward to copious amounts of basil and hot peppers when/if things warm up.
Oh sweet beautiful spring. Mother's Day is last frost here. I look forward to spring this year and my gardens more then any year ever. Last year I had no time and was gone. This year look out! ok right now can't see them under all that snow, but I know they are there waiting for me. I can almost taste the strawberries!
I started eggplant and peppers on Feb 1 and tomatoes Feb 14 on heat mats. Getting ready to transplant all of them from six packs to 4 inch pots. They are under my grow lights and will go into the greenhouse in a few weeks. We can plant in the ground in April, I usually plant mid April.
We don't get snow here and the plants think it is spring already. My citrus and berry plants all have tons of flowers on them. Japanese maples have new baby leaves too. Lots of fruit trees in my neighborhood have flowers.....too bad we're still in a terrible drought here.
Doing lots of bed designs ideas on my new yard with native trees, shrubs and flowers incorporated to attract birds and butterflies. The seeds will start soon for a smaller veggie bed.
Just starting some of the long season seeds this week (hot peppers and the like). Our last frost date has officially been moved up to April 29, but us old timers still work around Mother's Day. Last year the last frost was on April 18 EXCEPT for the night of May 6 when it got down to 22*. Lots of folks at Home Depot the next day buying replacement tomato plants!
ToomuchStuff
3-3-15, 3:03pm
I start them in jiffy trays in a warm spot in the house, but I have a small greenhouse to move them to after they come up.
We're still buried in snow and I dug my mud into raised beds to have a chance at drainage - often I have standing water between the beds when I start planting them.
Today's seeds will be the 8-10 weeks before last frost varieties.
How do you tell the weeks needed on seeds? I tried to do a garden from seeds years ago (around when I moved it), but large tree's caused so much shade and weed tree's to grow, that the only thing that survived, was killed by animals.
My grandmother years ago, would just buy the starter plants (helped plant them) and before that, I was a kid when I last, sucessfully gardened. (tree's gone, so hoping I will have better luck)
Thanks
Toomuch, the seed packets usually say on them how many weeks from frost date to start seeds either indoors or out. And whether to plant them in sun, etc.
I think I was a little over zealous this year. My last frost is May 18th and I have seeds going. Some lettuce and broccoli which is fine, but also some herbs and tomatoes. I want to create some of those nice big pots of herbs and wanted to get a jump on my herb plants to get them nice and full for planting. Tomatoes I tried a new variety that will work on the patio and while I was planting I just potted them all up, paste tomatoes, brandywines, I started them all.
I was wise enough not to start zukes yet. :laff:
I have a greenhouse stand with lights, it's taken over my kitchen, so nice to see something green.
Seems like many years I start seeds way to early. I promise to wait this year, she tells her self.
All day snow yesterday so I ordered seeds this morning. Every year I say no garden next year and this year I mean it sort of. There is so much clean up every fall that this year I'm going to try just container gardeng unless I change my mind by Memorial Day. I usually plant after June 1st but will start seed in Cowpots in the kitchen then move to the greenhouse when it warms a bit. The greenhouse is heated and I can start seedling there but with so many sub-zero days this year we turned the greenhouse heat off to save propane. I'm looking forward to something new this year i.e. container gardening.
I would like to grow my own plants from seed, but I just don't have the energy anymore. So I know where to buy the plants and stick with that. Maybe some day I'll have more energy, hopefully. (But I'm not holding my breath).
I grow pretty common things. I usually only plant Rutgers tomatoes, which are an old favorite (and a standard). Several years ago I grew a bunch of heirloom tomatoes from seed in the house and for some reason, the bunnies loved them more than anything else and they got eaten. Heirlooms are also a lot less resistant to diseases, unfortunately. (I don't use chemicals).
Anyhow........I envy all of you who are growing your own from seed.
We did put up a super-duper 4' high fence a couple years ago, and haven't seen a bunny since.. Lots of mice though.
So in the big garden, I plant the Rutgers tomatoes, 3 San Marzano tomatoes, and maybe 3-4 different cherry tomatoes. I plant a few red and yellow peppers. I plant Waltham butternut squash, 2 types of pole green beans, County Fair cucs (resistant to blight), Snow peas, and maybe some dill around the edges.
I'm moving some of the stuff to the stock tanks in the back yard: 6 Roma tomatoes, Romano bush beans, kale, spinach, lettuce, onions. And in some of the smaller containers in the back yard: lots and lots of Rosemary.
It makes me sad that my fingers are so crooked and painful, my knees are giving out, and my feet are funky.........but gardening is something I've done for about 40 years, and I just can't imagine my life without it..........so I'll keep on truckin' as long as I can. These raised stock tank beds in the back yard are great. They need watered a lot, but it's so much fun not leaning over. ('Cause my stomach doesn't end up in my chest, and my brains don't squeeze out of my ears.) :~)
I also have several small water gardens. Can't wait for the lotus blossoms, water lilies, dragonflies and tree frogs and snakes! :cool:
So glad we had time/energy/cooperative weather last fall to put the garden to bed properly. It sure makes getting it ready in the spring so much easier. We had a 60 degree, sunny day yesterday to work out there. We pulled all the dried pole bean stems off the trellises (thought it would be much easier after winter, but it was still a challenge. Those things are tough!). I decided to rearrange all my vertical trellises (including the big swingset) for rotation of veggie reasons (then realized later it had only been in that position for one season. My memory is kaput!). I bought 2 more food-grade stocktanks, one of which I'll put on cement blocks under the open side of the swingset (with cucs growing up the other side) and grow 6 Roma tomatoes in it. They will probably dry out faster, but they will be so much easier to harvest. Plus, I LOVE sitting in my golf cart, watering the garden in the morning on a beautiful day....
I wanted to get the swingset situated, 'cause I grow snow peas up each end, and time for planting them is coming up in a few weeks. I hope the little wren who builds a nest in the open tube at the top of the swingset can find it's new location. I'm pretty sure it will. It's amazing the amount of heat they seem to tolerate. Although if it's really hot for a long time, I put a big umbrella over that part of the swingset.
I'm leaving an area of about 20'x5' empty, in hopes of realizing that I can grow just as much in a smaller space.........and have less to weed!
I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there are lots fewer squash bugs this year. After the harsh winter of 2013, it seemed to kill a lot of them off last year. They are so gross and destructive.
We also (and by "we", I mean DH!)haha.....went into the woods where we dumped a bunch of leaves for a couple years, and collected the rich soil, then added it to stuff from our compost pile, and decomposed straw, to make soil for the 2 new stock tanks.
One is 50 gallon and the other is 70. They take a lot of soil.
Next job on my list is cleaning out my 300 gallon stock tank water garden. What a mess. Found a huge dead frog floating in it. :( I'm seeing tadpoles, so there must be a little O2 in there.
Nothing like a 60 degree, sunny day to give you some hope!
goldensmom.........what kind of containers are you going to use?
Chicken lady
3-22-15, 3:34pm
So far I have some little 3" tall tomato plants, some rosemary and thyme coming up in flats, and peppers thinking about breaking the soil. - all inside
I'm behind on starting some of the seeds, but not too far.
I snipped the strawberry runners and moved some of them to fill out last year's bed, and stripped the three other beds. I need to add soil/compost to them and I've got three more varieties of strawberry coming. I have enough runners for half of a new bed, but I think I'll either put them in pots or give them away this year - three new beds is enough! Today I was out in the woods finding dead cedar branches for dh to cut into stakes for me so that the logs that define the strawberry beds don't roll away from the soil. The strawberries are inportant - he eats oatmeal with strawberries cut into it 3-5 mornings a week, so I need to freeze a bunch. I just like them fresh or in preserves on toast.
I used to make strawberry freezer jam that always good.
When we first moved into this house and property, I planted 100 strawberry plants in one area that soon was covered in weeds. Never got a single strawberry out of it. I slowly learned not to plant anything too far away from the house again.
Good luck with your strawberries, chicken lady.
Tussiemussies
3-22-15, 9:38pm
I miss having a gsrden so much! This year will be another one without putting one in. It is an expensive undertaking for us and instesd of the garden we are getting a new deck and new guest bathroom. I wish we could afford it since I would like to grow items that have now been taken over by GMOs in the foodstores.
It is nice to read this thread to see what others are doing this year!
Gardenarian
3-23-15, 1:36am
I have been so busy settling into our new place that I've only just got around to raking leavings and cutting grass.
I bought some wine barrels that I plan to grow tomatoes in, but our deer-fenced veggie patch- I've done nothing with it. I may just plant with easy stuff (arugula, chard, zucchini) and put the tomatoes in the middle. Maybe sunflowers on the north side of the patch.
Heck, at the rate I'm going I'll be lucky to have anything but dandelions! Oh well, there's next year.
I'm excited to see what our fruit trees will bring.
Chicken lady
3-23-15, 6:50am
dandelions are yummy.
lol Cathy, the first year I planted strawberries I thought they'd make a pretty garden border - I planted them much too close together and then they put runners into all the beds and through the fence and strangled each other. Over the winter the grass grew into them. The logs have been great! except for the slow roll.
I've been thinking about building a fruit cage. Something maybe 8x10, covered in 1/2" hardware cloth so the birds can't get into it. Tall enough to walk in. Maybe grow blueberries and some blackberries. It's nice being able to protect things from animals. I don't use bird netting because birds get caught in it.
We finally built a more substantial garden fence 2 years ago (cedar 4x4s, tall metal stakes, lined with 4' utility wire with 2' chicken wire at the bottom.) Haven't had a bunny in there since.........but there's still mice. They don't eat much but when they chew off the stems to my pole beans, they can kill the whole thing. I hope they leave it alone with summer..........but I doubt they will. I remember one year, I went to pick a cluster of red tomatoes and found a mouse sunbathing on them. hahaha
Talk about weeds............I like to say our weeds grow so big, we use them for firewood........which isn't too far from the truth!
Ok, a nice week just ended so... The kale is up. So are chives, rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes and parsnips (both from bits that broke off from the ones we harvested over the winter). Beets and carrots are planted. We have 72 red Solo cups with everything from heirloom tomatoes to wonderberries going under lights in the basement and will get about 2 dozen more going this week. We're just over a month from putting out frost sensitive plants. Yee haw!
I am stuck inside my office today lamenting the cruelty of worker bees not being able to be outside on the few glorious spring days we have here:(
I would be up to my elbows in dirt right now if I could. Maybe next spring.
iris lilies
3-23-15, 2:07pm
I am stuck inside my office today lamenting the cruelty of worker bees not being able to be outside on the few glorious spring days we have here:(
I would be up to my elbows in dirt right now if I could. Maybe next spring.
6.3 days left for me. Purposely, I timed my exit for spring.
Tussiemussies
3-23-15, 2:21pm
You must be so excited iris!!!!
I have a raised golf cart with big wheels. It's a good replacement for my bad knees and feet. It has opened up the world to me (on our property) and keeps me active.
I sent it off to have it's annual physical last week. it's never a good time to be without it, but the timing was pretty good. Not much to see out in the woods until this weather improves. Actually, the wind is howling and it's snowing! I did go out this morning and set up 2 pole bean trellises, so that's ready. Yesterday I cleaned out my little pond..........found 7 dead frogs. :( Not sure what caused that. I need to keep it cleaner going into winter. I still have another little preform to clean out. Oh.....and I pulled all the old leaves and stems out of my lotus bog. But we have to thin it soon. Not going to be an easy job.
One of my stock tanks for the veggies is supposed to arrive tomorrow. I'll fill it with soil and have it in the garden for the Roma tomatoes. Can't wait for that little wren who makes it's nest in the top tube of the swingset trellis to start yelling at me. :)
Gregg.....are you the one who grew such great onions last year? What variety do you grow?
Surely spring will get here soon. I'm looking out the window now and it looks like nuclear winter. Come on Spring!!
it looks like nuclear winter.
It is gorgeous here. Blue skies, puffy clouds, everything starting to leaf out and bloom. High of 78.
I am timing my retirement for next spring - 6 months instead of six days, Iris.
Gregg.....are you the one who grew such great onions last year? What variety do you grow?
Guessing it was someone else Cathy. We had a pretty average onion crop last year.
Hey Gregg.....I finally found the post I was remember........You had posted a pic of all the veggies you were still getting late in the season last year, and the picture included a beautiful, big onion. I've never been able to grow such a beautiful onion.
Do you grow any special variety? I usually just grow scallions, but I'd like to try bigger ones in my stock tank garden. I would be happy to have your "average onion crop". :)
Cathy, I think those were just standard yellow onion sets from the garden center. One thing we do is to spread sand in the bed every year. I have a couple sandbags in the back of my truck all winter. By spring they are getting beat up enough to be leaking so I just dump that sand in the garden and buy new bags the next fall. The looser soil lets the bulbs grow nice and round. Helps with carrots, beets, turnips, etc., too. We did have a really late freeze last year so all those root crops got a little bigger and sweeter than normal. I'm hoping that's a trend!
Thanks Gregg. I've been thinking about adding some sand to my containers. I don't want to use peat, perlite or vermiculite, and I've heard that sand can help with drainage. I think "play" sand is the safest...??
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