Posted on 04/03/2021 6:39:27 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 a 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!
Yea!
I’ve been waiting for you to post this.
I started onion seeds indoors and they are looking like they need to be planted outside.
The nighttime temperature is going to be very cold tonight but after this, the lows are going to be in the 30’s and highs in the mid 50’s.
Is this the time to plant them and other cool weather crops.
I never had the garden space before to experiment with the variety I can do now. So can you give us cool weather crop noobs some advice on onions and other stuff like radishes, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, etc?
We just installed 5 galvanized steel raised beds in our garden area and am looking forward to reaping a harvest of veggies.
Glad to see your gardening thread.
I jumped the gun with my pansies and herbs.
We had a hard freeze last night.Grrrrrr
Left door is completely bent and plexiglass has popped out. Can't close the other door as there's nothing to latch it to. 🙁
One panel completely popped out, the next one wants to go, too. 🙁
This is the big panel the blew off. Found it near the tree line on the west side of the property. No lettuces or spinach were hurt in this mini-tornado! 🙂
Hope the greenhouse repairs can be made today!
We had some ‘big’ winds the other day when cold front(s) came through behind what was supposed to be “severe” weather with several “rotational tracks” predicted. Fortunately, nothing ‘rotational’ occurred in our area.
The big fear (for me) was our cedar trees. We have some really old ones and the roots tend to be shallow - we’ve had them blow over in the past. The ground is super saturated and soft, which makes it much easier for trees to go over - at least the non-cedar/pines are not very ‘leafed out’ yet so there’s currently less wind resistance, but that situation won’t last long. Again, fortune was with us & we did not lose any trees; however, I drove by a house maybe a quarter mile away & he’s got a huge pine in his side yard that went over (uprooted), big enough to get out into the road. One the way back, I could see the back yard & he’s got a couple of cedar trees uprooted (I’m guessing they hit his house, too - very close to the house). He was out there with a chainsaw, working on the cedars - he’d already cut the pine off/back from the road.
Spring is a wonderful time of year, but the severe/violent weather that can come with it is not something I look forward to. No yard work today - too wet/muddy still. I cannot recall it ever being so wet around here.
I’ve got a couple of galvanized metal raised beds, but out here in the desert raised beds are less than optimal. In addition to needing a whole lot of water (and occasional shade), they attract mesquite roots like a magnet. Any tree in the area sends out miles of fine roots that soon choke the bed. If I’d known, I would’ve put down an impenetrable barrier. (I still may, but it would be a lot of work.) I’ve since learned that lowered beds are far more efficient in our climate, so I’ve dug and refilled with soil and amendments a small one as an experiment.
Lower beds around here make the vegetables seem like a smorgasbord to the groundhogs, rabbits, and chipmunks.
Mine is inside a high-walled courtyard area, so no rabbits and no squirrels — that I’ve seen. But I suspect there may be mice . . .
We had ants in the last higher raised bed we had, probably because it was wooden and they were able to get into the soil. This time we put down a barrier and have river rock around them.
First, find out when your last spring frost date is. For my Zone 4/5 it’s usually the first week of May:
Then, on the seed packet it will tell you when you can direct seed, based upon air temperatures, and weeks PRIOR to your last Spring frost date. Owning a soil thermometer (under $10) is very helpful, too.
Even some ‘Spring Things’ should be started ahead of time, and then planted out as seedlings when the time is right. I always buy broccoli and cauliflower and cabbage plants - they’re easy to find by me and I just don’t have the room to start them indoors with my one grow lights set-up; tomatoes and peppers take priority with me. ;)
The ‘Square Food Garden’ book has great planting charts that I use.
This info from Old Farmer’s Almanac really narrows it down for you by zip code or state/town and you can sort it by vegetable or by date. The link is for what I need to get in the ground where I live, but you can easily change it to where you live:
https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar/WI/Madison/date
How susceptible are onion seedlings to frosts vs a hard freeze?
I have always loved the look of those!
I bought pansies, yesterday - could NOT resist them. They’re in the greenhouse, awaiting planting.
I hope some of your plants are salvageable!
Some herbs are perennials.
I have thyme that’s doing just peachy already.
Sage and oregano are also perennials.
I started the seed indoors a while back and need to transplant the seedlings.
Thanks, Pete!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
