Whose starting to take steps (or in warming climates, growing/harvesting) 2017 crops?!
Went to my community garden plot this morning and had my first planting session. My fall planted garlic is up and green - looks great. I have never had any luck with kale. Never seems to grow, gets eaten by visiting animals…but in the fall I had one plant that still looked ok as I wintered the garden (cleaned and lay a 6 inch layer of leaf mulch) - so I left it. I have this BEAUTIFUL green kale plant now! Guess I’ll call it winter kale since it seemed to survive in our NW Ohio winter!
Turned over one end of my SFG box and planted beets, radishes, spring mix lettuce, spinach and peas. The week ahead looks good for starting these - I just need to be sure I get there to water frequently.
I will be gardening vicariously through all of you! I do not want to plant anything this year because we could be moving to the new place (it does not have garden space yet).
I will be growing tomatoes, cucumbers and small melons in my home-made Earth boxes. Bought herbs today, everything but dill/fennel, which I just throw out the seed for the butterflies.
Fairly dry winter, which means GRASSHOPPERS! Between grasshoppers and the feral pigs, I have only planted radishes and onions in my plot, because that’s all that will survive the plagues.
DH is currently fencing in the sunniest part of the yard. I’ve turned our other fenced garden (good sun but not quite enough for tomatoes and peppers) into a fruit garden. Lots of blueberry bushes, raspberries, honey berries, cranberries and a tea plant.
The new fenced area (deer, lots of damned deer) will be about 425 square feet with a hose bib on the upper side.
I have lots of tomatoes and hot peppers started in the basement (just up-potted them this morning!) along with leeks and parsley. I need to start Mexican sunflower which I plant because it draws so many bees and deer hate it.
I already have lots of garlic. I have a lovage plant I’m moving up there too. Will be starting some orach too ( first time trying it). Always grow fennel and New Zealand spinach, lemon cucumbers and a variety of summer squash. I’m sure I’ll be tucking a few things in here and there. It’s weird to have a bunch of space with water nearby. I still have three more beds to develop though.
Not quite garden related but I just got five baby chicks. I already have 5 hens but some of them are getting on in years. Love having little peepers around.
I did a ton of raking leaves out of my flower/shrub beds today. Filled 3 big barrels and 3 leaf bags and there is still more to do. I couid have left it for lawn guy to do but it was just too nice a day to not be outside. First nice day in what seems like forever.
I won’t be doing any veggie/herb pots for at least another 6 weeks. But I love seeing the beginning of life popping up in my gardens at this time of year.
Ditto with the raking today! I have a shady area planted with virginia bluebells, ostrich ferns and lady ferns. It’s like magic raking the leaves and finding the fiddleheads emerging.
My favorite week of the year (by far) is the one that starts with the most delicate chartreuse lace on a few trees and ends in practically in a full canopy. After days of rain, that chartreuse moment is NOW, with sunny skies ahead I’m not doing a durn thing this week except basking in it all (and maybe digging around a bit.) Then, DD and I are going on a little spring break trip where there should be plenty of tulips and other pretty things.
@ollie113, feral pigs, really? That sounds a little intimidating!
@inthegarden Yes, Texas has a real problem with feral pigs. I live in the country but some of the suburbs in DFW will pay for each pig killed. A few years ago our neighbor trapped over fifty in one week. They are only out at night with the skunks and coyotes, so I only know they’re here because of the damage.
Pigs, deer, voles, grasshoppers, armadillos, snakes, drought, hail and heat - gardening in Texas is hard! I am actively working on switching completely over to greenhouse hydroponics.
^Whoa, that IS rough! I think I would just give up. Or build a Spanish-style hacienda built completely around a central courtyard to keep the critters out. Of course, the hail and grasshoppers would still find a way…
I have heard about Texas’ feral hog problem. I can’t remember whether it’s Florida or California that also has a big problem. They’re everywhere by now, like coyotes. Here in LA they are out foraging deer and beginning to take over their territory.
I only have half sun in my yard but it was enough to grow a nice patch of arugula over the winter. I couldn’t keep up with it and it’s going to seed now. In my community garden plot I pulled up most of the kale and I’ve been chopping cilantro for a while. Tomatoes and peppers are in, probably a bit late (as usual).
I am dithering about planting the vegetable seeds I purchased months ago, because of my new cat. Adopted her just before the start of the gardening season last year and she essentially wiped out my plants. Dug up precious seedlings like beets and others. Wouldn’t touch the hot peppers but mangled everything else. I did buy some catnip seeds recently but I wonder if it’s worth it. She will probably ignore the catnip, just like she ignored every toy I bought for her. :((
My favorite week of the year (by far) is the one that starts with the most delicate chartreuse lace on a few trees and ends in practically in a full canopy. After days of rain, that chartreuse moment is NOW, with sunny skies ahead >>>>>>>>
Yes, I call it Greening Week. It’s happening now here. Love it.
@LakeWashington , but she’s such a pretty kitty. They are forgiven such a multitude of sins, aren’t they?
Have you checked Gardener’s Supply? ( gardener’s.com). If she’s an indoor/outdoor kitty, they sell these adorable (but very expensive) wire cloches that look like they are right out of Peter Rabbit’s garden. They also sell some more practical 4’x8’ crop cages. I haven’t bought any of these, but I have some of their other products and it’s a pretty good company, I think.
I garden in raised beds I had installed 2 years ago when I had my backyard re-landscaped. I have 5 4’x12’ foot 2’ high raised beds with a timed drip irrigation system.
The wire cloches are expensive.
I’ve tried Gardener’s Supply crop cages and hated them. 1) they are unwieldy to put together; 2) they aren’t terribly sturdy and a strong wind (or just lifting and moving them!) will cause the aluminum poles joints to come apart, collapsing the cage. YMV. ( I live in canyon coming down from the nearby mountains and 40 mph wind gusts are not uncommon)
The new “Storm-proof” crop cages look promising but they’re $200!
I’ve thought about building my own custom cages using PVC pipe to fit over my raised bed containers. I may still end up doing that to keep the deer out of my tomatoes.
What I’ve had better success with are Gardener’s Supply mesh pop ups. I don’t use the supplied stakes (they’re 7- shaped and the tie-down loops slip off) to hold them down. Instead I slip twine thru the tie-down loops and wrapped the twine around cinderblocks or rocks. The other good thing about the pop-ups is they fold up easily for compact storage.
I also use fabric row covers over hoops to discourage animal pest and bugs. These work well for low-growing pants like greens, carrots, beets, etc.
What I've planted so far--chard, Asian eggplant (which the deer have eaten already), brussel sprouts, lettuce, snap peas, carrots. I will be putting out sweet potatoes (an experiment!) and Yukon gold potatoes into grow bags this week.
I'm starting Japanese pumpkins, Hubbard squash, zucchini, tomatoes (3 varieties) & cucumbers indoors on my window sill. Those will go out into the bed in 4 weeks.
I need to the home center and buy chile peppers, bell peppers and replacements for the eggplant.
My garden rant- I planted some bedding flowers last week and everyone of them has been eaten by gophers. I expect the gophers in most of my yard but this planter is basically surrounded by concrete. I’m amazed that they somehow found there way.
I’m not doing a durn thing this week except basking in it all (and maybe digging around a bit.) Then, DD and I are going on a little spring break trip where there should be plenty of tulips and other pretty things.