If things don't break soon, I'm going to just bring them in and stick them in front of the patio. I have added a 3 shelf unit in front of the patio door, so the patio door is officially closed to traffic until spring transplanting.
Got way behind on everything what with Hubby's surgery and fighting off chest congestion/fatigue. Trying to catch up this week with housework. Started cleaning up the front yard yesterday, what with the storms strewing limbs all over the yard.
Will be raking up some of the piles of leaves and putting them into one of the compost piles, then will tidy up and mow the rest of the front yard in front of the house. The back yard is at least 2 ft. tall, so it's going to need a scythe. I'll just work on the lawn 30 or forty minutes a day till I get the front yard and enclosed yard where the BBQ grill is tidied up. All else will just have to wait on Hubby's return to duty.
I am also behind on my Rye cuttings. It is at least 3 feet high. I have 8 tomatoes left to transplant into 10 oz cups. One of the Principe B. Tomatoes has a bloom. The lemon tree has 8 ping pong size lemons. Garlic is doing pretty good, spinach has about another batch, I am behind on planting the next succession. Also, I still have Dakota Pearl potatoes left to plant, and that bed is not yet prepared. Only one head of lettuce left, and behind on planting the next succession of that too.
I was excited to learn that the Farmer's Market is open in a neighboring town - the same one that has Lowe's. Ours doesn't open for a while yet. So I'll check the online ads and see if it would be worth a trip over to Lowe's and drop by the market and see what they have that I don't.
http://www.thelaketoday.com/news/2015/apr/15/how-start-seeds-part-6-planting-garden/
My brother asked what I had been doing in the garden, and I had to tell him weeding only right now. It's still pretty wet out there and we're scheduled to get more rain tonight and sun tomorrow. I may plant some leek slips and some more asparagus a little later. I know I will plant some tomatoes and peppers in containers. The tomatoes and peppers come with bad microbes and I don't want those in my garden. They can stay in a container. ;)
Still haven't planted peanuts yet, and won't for a while. Dryness helps on some stuff.
/johnny
Pinging the list.
Sockmonkey had a link to a greenhouse last week that was really nice. Here’s a link to another one of their products that is close to what I’d like to have in concept:
Now imagine this a little deeper and wider to take up much more of my 13 x 24 foot patio off the basement patio door. And imagine a double wall like on the green house sockmonkey posted. Add in an automatic ventilator, and a solar or other heater. That would be the all time greatest.
Still this or the greenhouse sockmonkey was looking at would be a big improvement to the 6 x 2 ft in front of the patio door! Starting a “change” bank now. (Like an old fashioned piggy bank).
When I was a kid, my brother and I saved our change, until we could buy a horse. I being younger saved mostly pennies, so we named her Penney.
Hi greeneyes
Have you ever made your own seed tape?
I saw some DIY directions online, and was wondering if anyone has had any luck with making it yourself. I’d like to try it this year....I waste so many seeds by hand sowing.
http://www.gardenbetty.com/2012/03/make-your-own-seed-tape/
Buying it is costly and mostly you can’t get the seed varieties you want. :D
Still having asparagus every day and the native blackberries are starting to come in and with all the rain are very tasty.
Strawberries are enjoying the water as well and we have the biggest crop we've ever had here.
Tomatoes are staked and many have egg sized fruit. Really anxious for those guys to come in.
Corn is doing nicely. I think my failure last year was the seeds. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.
But the big boys are the potatoes. Most are already 3 feet tall. Hope they put on as much size underneath the dirt as they do on top.
The frisee is exceeding my expectations. First time for it here and I'm impressed.
My biggest treat is actually kind of mundane. I couldn't find any Pequin plants/seeds anywhere and mail ordered some. Planted in a pot and half were Pequin and the other half were Tepin (yes, there is a difference) and by the time they got big enough to identify I thought it would be unwise to transplant them and besides, they're doing just fine.
But there were a few pods left on the Pequin plant so I stuck the seeds in some dirt and they're sprouting and will go out in the yard.
While I see them in weird places all the time (gutters for instance) from what I read they aren't easy to start from seed. Go figure.
Prayers for a quick recovery for your husband.
It was 36 last night & the forecast is for even colder again tonight. My tomatoes I bought last week are still in their store pots and under shelter. In the meanwhile, I’ve been amending soil in the raised beds with compost so by the time I do get the plants in the ground (next week some time), they should have some really good ‘stuff’ in which to grow.
The kale is beautiful - it all survived the cold/frost a couple weeks ago and has leaves ready to eat. The kohlrabi did not fare as well - lost half the plants, but still have 4 that look healthy. All 40 onions look great and it’s nice to see something growing in the garden.
I am so glad for all my gardening FRiends that SPRING is finally here! :-)
I wonder if anyone else is seeing more and more “pelletized” garden seed. Saw a whole rack of it at one of the stores today.
Ordered some sugar beets a while back. They were supposed to be good clean heirloom seeds. But when we got them they were pelletized. I was surprised.
My Egyptian walking onions. They go semi dormant in the winter. It's a wild patch, I call it my army, as they send out a lot of scouts. Patch is about 20 years old and I control the size by eating and digging up clumps that seed forward into the main garden bed. Behind it is a climbing rose bush 60+ years old, at our house for 31 years. Drain pipe to the left combines 2 gutter runoffs so it goes into the garden.
Anyone have any ideas on what type(s) of pears store best?
Does anyone have experience in growing dipping tobacco?
My son uses Copenhagen, a lot of it.
Would like to try to furnish it for him.