Posted on 01/19/2018 4:35:20 PM PST by greeneyes
Ugh. Don’t remind me. LOL Just beginning is right, and likely to continue to have record cold as the storms roll in. double ugh. We had a week of cloudy, dark, gloom and doom days.
If the sun comes out it makes it better, even if cold.
We are supposed to be in mid 50s Saturday. Good thing - kitchen compost container is full-it was too slick and cold to go outside for quite a while, and then it was raining.
Nothing yet.
We’ll probably start seeds in early/mid February.
It will take a half day to set up the starting kit and lights.
“Here in Upstate....just considering the peat pot method. Jiffy has a tray with 72 pellets for $7.”
I’m a Master Gardener (but not a snobby one, LOL!) but for some reason I always looked down my nose at those Jiffy Pellets. When I managed a Garden Center, I sold millions of them. Go figger!
I tried them for the first time two years ago when I moved to my ‘new’ (1900-era) farm and left my greenhouse behind - SOB!- and I can’t stop RAVING about those Jiffy Pellets! My ‘greenhouse’ is now a 3-tiered grow light rack and then on to the covered porch for hardening off, and I can get SO much stuff started in an orderly space-saving manner in those Jiffy Pellets, it blows my mind!
You’ll never go back to pots and starting mix; I sure won’t!
P.S. Rumor has it that I AM getting a greenhouse again come Spring! Wheeee!
I used to work for the Seed Savers Exchange. Best 8 (working) years of my life!
These are suggestions of varieties I’ve grown in the past. Not ALL are heirlooms, but you can never go wrong with AAS Winners for production and disease resistance.
https://all-americaselections.org/winners/
Watermelon: Moon & Stars or an ‘icebox’ variety. We have very poor luck growing melons here in SW Wisconsin, so I have never had any HUGE successes in this area, other than Moon & Stars. :(
Largest, sweetest strawberries: Honeoye or Ozark Beauty
Brussels sprouts: Franklin
Cauliflower: Amazing or Snowcrown
Lettuce: I have about 3,000 ‘favorites’ in that area, LOL! If you want ‘heirloom’ go with Jung’s ‘Heritage Mix’ or, ‘Black Seeded Simpson’ or ‘Paris Island Cos (Romaine)’
Seed Saver Lettuces; I’ve grown them all, was a Test Garden for them for many years. Start here:
https://www.seedsavers.org/quick_find/lettuce-looseleaf
Good Luck! :)
Nice pic. Thanks.
Yah! Congrats.
I’m so sorry you’re out of pickled beets. I still have some - I’ve been hoarding them because they are my favorite. I’ll have to plant more beets next year too - what I had didn’t go far enough.
What I need less of is butternut squash. I have way too many of them, but luckily they kept until May or so in the basement last year.
Hey TIK, long time no read!
Hey, Hi !.. Did you get to play in the snow ?
I lurk on the gardening threads generally on Sundays, or later, after others have posted, and try to make my comments short.
Also, I try to answer any questions that haven't been responded to, but with 'greeneyes' and 'Diana' on the threads, there haven't been too many unanswered questions.
Even then, I find something new and interesting on the gardening forums almost every week, and my bookmarks grow exponentially.
The best thing about winter is planning the spring garden, and going through seed catalogues ~ especially during gloomy and overcast days.
Joe Bastardi (weatherbell.com) says a false warm front middle January into the first week of February will get everyone's hopes up too early, but don't be deceived.
"Winter is still coming" ~ (Game of Thrones)
Thanks for the Bastardi update.
Can someone recommend good websites for ordering seeds?
Squash doesn’t grow well here. I didn’t even get enough zukes to make one batch of zuke pickles.
Link for Baker’s Creek Seeds at post 17. Also good is Bountiful Gardens, and Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (IIRC).
Bountiful Gardens shut down. Although they have a list of alternate seed companies on their website: https://www.bountifulgardens.org/
Oh man. I hate to hear that. They had some good stuff.
Try
http://www.territorialseed.com/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Branded-GSD&utm_term=territorial%20seed&match=e&r=PPCBINGB&msclkid=d29b92c586821c2e721ec8a1b46a514e
if you garden in the far west...
Well, I’m only ‘west’ if you’re starting from Lake Michigan, and ending at the Mighty Mississippi, LOL!
I do like Territorial, though. Good products. :)
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