Posted on 02/12/2022 6:57:19 AM PST 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.
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FarmTek’s Growspan Elite is a little over $4k now if you buy the steel base. That is plumb loco.
Our money isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on.
Läderach Pralines Showcase, Weggisgasse, Lucerne, Switzerland
Careful Diana! Caffine! Too much Chocolate and you will be up all night! :)
Good afternoon. Anytime of day is great for a hot cup of coffee!
We are waiting for whatever the storm is going to give us. It is cold and “raw” outside. Despite the ups and down of temperatures, the daffodils are sending up lots and lots of shoots. Both the ones planted outdoors and the ones planted indoors. Can’t wait to start sowing seeds outdoors!
Agreed. However, FarmTek is an AWESOME Day Trip for anyone in the area. They have all of their HUGE buildings and greenhouses set up to tour. I LOVED it.
BUT - Beau promised me a greenhouse if I offered to sell everything I owned, marry him and move to HIS farm, versus mine. Leaving my greenhouse behind was very, very hard! *SNIFF* LOL! (The things we do for love!)
He paid for it all, not me. Win/Win! :)
That said, my FIRST ‘greenhouse’ was some pallets on the ground, and sliding glass doors that I found in the chicken coop, laid across a south-facing building.
And I promptly COOKED everything I put in there, LOL!
I know you’ll come up with something AWESOME on the cheap. Of that, I have no doubt! :)
LOL! I am ‘The Goddess of the Hunt’ for what THAT’S worth these days, based upon our ‘no deer this year’ year. :(
I’ll just have to ‘hunt’ for bargains on Chocolate come Tuesday. ;)
We've ALL got Spring Fever!
Diana is always pictured with her hunting hounds!
Make sure on Tueday you take your Chocolate Labs! (And Good hunting!)
Pretty useful as it gives you a range of temps and percentages as opposed to a single date or date range for last frost day. 50% chance of 32 on May 5 and Oct 1 for me. Almanac has me at May 6th for frost free date, https://www.almanac.com/gardening/frostdates
Note: Each of the vegetables listed below links to an individual vegetable plant guide that covers sowing to growing to harvest!
Vegetable | Start Seeds Indoors (weeks before last spring frost) | Start Seeds Outdoors (weeks before or after last spring frost) | Minimum Soil Temp. to Germinate (°F) | Cold Hardiness | When to Fertilize | When to Water |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beans | — | Anytime after | 48–50 | Tender | After heavy bloom and set of pods | Regularly, from start of pod to set |
Beets | — | 3 before to 3 after | 39–41 | Half-hardy | At time of planting | Only during drought conditions |
Broccoli | 6–8 | 2–3 before | 55–75 | Hardy | Three weeks after transplanting | Only during drought conditions |
Brussels sprouts | 6–8 | — | 55–75 | Hardy | Three weeks after transplanting | At transplanting |
Cabbage | 6–8 | 1 before to 1 after | 38–40 | Hardy | Three weeks after transplanting | Two to three weeks before harvest |
Carrots | — | 3–5 before | 39–41 | Half-hardy | Preferably in the fall for the following spring | Only during drought conditions |
Cauliflower | 6–8 | 1 before to 1after | 65–75 | Half-hardy | Three weeks after transplanting | Once, three weeks before harvest |
Celery | 6–8 | — | 60–70 | Tender | At time of transplanting | Once a week |
Corn | — | 2 after | 46–50 | Tender | When eight to ten inches tall, and again when first silk appears | When tassels appear and cobs start to swell |
Cucumbers | 2–4 | 1–2 after | 65–70 | Very tender | One week after bloom, and again three weeks later | Frequently, especially when fruits form |
Lettuce | 4–6 | 1 before to 2 after | 40–75 | Half-hardy | Two to three weeks after transplanting | Once a week |
Melons | 2–4 | 2 after | 55–60 | Very tender | One week after bloom, and again three weeks later | Once a week |
Onion sets | — | 4 before | 34–36 | Hardy | When bulbs begin to swell, and again when plants are one foot tall | Only during drought conditions |
Parsnips | — | 0–3 before | 55–70 | Hardy | One year before planting | Only during drought conditions |
Peas | — | 4–6 before | 34–36 | Hardy | After heavy bloom and set of pods | Regularly, from start of pod to set |
Peppers | 8–10 | — | 70–80 | Very tender | After first fruit-set | Once a week |
Potato tubers | — | 0–2 after | 55–70 | Half-hardy | At bloom time or time of second hilling | Regularly, when tubers start to form |
Pumpkins | 2–4 | 1 after | 55–60 | Tender | Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall | Only during drought conditions |
Radishes | — | 1 before to 1 after | 39–41 | Hardy | Before spring planting | Once a week |
Spinach | — | 4–6 before | 55–65 | Hardy | When plants are one-third grown | Once a week |
Squash, summer | 2–4 | 1 after | 55–60 | Very tender | Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall | Only during drought conditions |
Squash, winter | 2–4 | 1 after | 55–60 | Tender | Just before vines start to run, when plants are about one foot tall | Only during drought conditions |
Tomatoes | 6–8 | — | 50–55 | Tender | Two weeks before, and after first picking | Twice a week |
Steve Upson formerly served as a senior horticulture consultant and worked at Noble Research Institute since 1988. He received a bachelor’s degree in horticulture from the Oklahoma State University and a master’s degree in horticulture from Kansas State University. Before joining Noble, he served as a county and area Extension horticulture specialist with the Oklahoma State University Extension service and managed a commercial market garden operation east of Kansas City, Missouri. His areas of interest include raised bed and container gardening, commercial market gardening, and high tunnel (hoop house) construction and management.
Youtube playlist I watched a few years back. Good introductory/overview series. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIIQw8FHFtX9RYuIpZxfJey1G2kxIdhd_
Contents
They left the sides open to be able to put a foot under to go easier on your lower back. I would either close it in or put something on the ground to block grass/weeds. Tough spot even for a string trimmer.
https://www.noble.org/globalassets/docs/ag/pubs/horticulture/nf-ho-15-01.pdf
Is there anything more useful on the farm than junk tires? I think not!
Great set-up. Our plant is to ‘raise’ all of our raised beds as I get older by adding a second ‘layer’ of wooden frames to them.
I plan on using the plans linked below for the next one, as it'll be a bit bigger. The plan is to build a 'village' of them to use as decor around the house, but also at Christmastime. LOVE this in black, but you can paint it any color you want.
https://www.diyncrafts.com/53040/home/gardening/how-to-make-a-miniature-greenhouse-from-picture-frames
If you wanted to build an even bigger one for use outside in a garden bed, I would leave the glass out of it, so rain and water could get in and you wouldn’t accidentally COOK anything. The effect would be the same.
Or make sure it’s in shade all day...
Just started a germination test on some old seeds today. 6 & 7 years old. Two types of spinach and two types of lettuce. Both are supposed to be good for up to 5 years according to an ag ext publication I have. Got more than I need so even if I get 50% germination, I'll just start 2-3 times as many as I think I'll need.
Water-Wise Gardening by Steve Solomon - Paperback – February 2, 2022
Modern gardening books tell us to ditch large row gardens in favor of small raised beds filled with lots of compost. Authors and teachers now argue that wide spacing is wasteful and tiny gardens are the wave of the future. Yet our ancestors knew how to garden in tough times, often without irrigation or big piles of compost. Their experience led them not to tiny plots, but to wide spacing and a meager use of resources—especially water! In a time of climate change and droughts, wildfires and food shortages, learning to garden without intensive resources is vital to our survival. You can grow great vegetables with little input by transforming the way you garden and irrigate. Learn to grow with or without irrigation in this revised, rewritten, and expanded classic from gardening superstar Steve Solomon.
https://www.amazon.com/Water-Wise-Gardening-Steve-Solomon/dp/1955289107
Only place I see it available.
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