Too early to even start tomatoes indoors here! Will do so in a week or so. I have a very large “skywall” window in the kitchen where I can start stuff.
We went and bought a couple of fruit trees from a local nursery. They were $15 cheaper than at HD! And better looking, too. Today is a planting day! Cooler but sunny, and it smells like spring! 
I planted some seeds today in peat pots that will be ready to transplant April 15 ( after the last frost) This is the first time I have tried seeds. I usually buy plants at our local community garden and transplant. I’m excited to see if I have any success.
shishito peppers- Big hit last year
egg plant
lettuce ( found some seeds so I thought I would throw them in and see if they grow, they will go out sooner)
some annual flowers:
zinnia
alyssum
marigolds ( for companion planting at my veg plot)
Re deer. I have had a lot of success with liquid fence- but need to reapply regularly. It’s supposed to last a month but I daren’t risk it. I work too hard in my yard for the plants just to be salad for the deer. ( though I do love seeing them in the yard)
This is very odd…I lifted about 6 Cannas to overwinter. I also harvested a ton of seeds with plans to start them indoors. I now have Cannas coming up from the ground that made it through the winter!
This has been a very mild winter in the northeast! One I had Cala Lilly do the same which was also quite remarkable.
Yeah for this thread!!!
Too cold here too but we are planning our next phase of. The garden.
This year we are focusing on the north side of the house. We need to add some evergreens soon it doesn’t look so bare in the winter. In summer, that area has gorgeous hostas but we will relocate some when we plant. We are just getting some Yews because it’s a shaded area with big parkway trees blocking most of the light and we were told by the nursery they would do well in low light.
I also want to add astilbe to that area to intermix with the hostas and begonias in pots (which I did last year).
I also need to find a spot to plant a tree in memory of my mom.
The bulbs I planted in the fall are starting to peak out. Can’t wait for them to bloom!
I have a question for the seasoned gardeners - I have burlap over my herb garden and noticed this morning that the chives are growing through the burlap. Is that the sign that I should take the burlap off or should we wait a bit longer? We’re in the Chicagoland area and supposed to see temps in the high 20s this weekend. TIA!
I never do anything to my chives which are in a windowbox type thing they’ve been there for years. They are very sturdy.
I’ve got what looks like radicchio popping up in a pot that had a lettuce mix in it last summer. I can’t grow much because my yard is too shady, but I think I might try to grow more salad this year. The CSA never brought enough and I have no idea whether they will be able to run this year. Probably need to buy seeds as most of mine are very, very, very old.
I had a major redo of my garden last year so it will be interesting to see what survives and where all the bulbs ended up. Lots of daffodils and crocuses. And a couple of hyacinths.
There are other herbs under the burlap too, specifically sage and thyme.
Maybe cut a hole for the chives? They are very winter hardy but the other herbs might not be.
Just to be safe I’d wait till the weekend passes - right, it’s suppose to be “warmer” next week?
We’re under a good 5 inches of snow… the heavy, wet kind that breaks branches. I’ve been going out to gently shake the snow off my smoke tree… it’s right in the center of the yard, and wouldn’t look good with half its branches snapped off.
I know spring snow is good irrigation. But it sure would be fun to play in the dirt again. Gardening season can’t come soon enough. BTW @BunsenBurner , my forcynthia is starting to show tiny yellow buds! The lilac bush also is covered with promisingly large buds. It’s the small things!
A really stupid question…Yesterday, I asked my elderly neighbor if she would like some of my Swiss Chard (I have an overabundance!). She responded she would and then said ‘you’re raising that’ What does ‘raising that’ mean ie is it a gardening term?
OK - My tomatoes from last summer have fruited all winter long - truly amazing.
I’m not sure what I’m planting this year - I’m ‘raising’ Swiss Chard, and the brussels sprouts are still going strong. My kale bolted and produced nothing. I’ll go to the nursery later, before we go on lockdown!
Wow, tomatoes all year - where do you live?!!
“Raising” sounds like what you do with kids but while I wouldn’t use it I can see someone using that word to describe growing/nurturing a food item!
Has anyone tried straw bale gardening? I am thinking of trying it this year. I figure at my age one should try new things.
@abasket I live in CA; tomatoes all year is not typical, and they are not abundant, but certainly enough to have a few each week! If you’ve never tried them, I highly recommend the Tiger Blush tomato. They are amazingly sweet, crisp and juicy.
I ordered several plants from a local farm/urban garden to be picked up in May. Have to say it was the most fun shopping I’ve had in a few weeks! I tried some new plants including the little multi colored peppers that come in a bag with bunches of peppers, poblanos which I love but have never grown and some heirloom tomato plants.
If Home Depot’s are staying open in “stay at home” states as an essential business, does that mean their garden centers are getting stocked? I haven’t been by the one near us in the last couple of days.
Check your local, independent garden centers. One in my town is now delivering all their products. That makes me do the happy dance!
I have a hankering to plant peas today. In northern CT. I’ve always heard that we can put them in on St Patrick’s day… But historically, either there was still snow on the ground, or the ground wasn’t thawed, or I didn’t have the time.
None of those excuses this year! We’ve had such a mild winter (so far, hope I didn’t just jinx it) and… Plenty of time at home. Lololol.
Seed packs are from last year (unopened) but I’ll give it a whirl. H rototilled last weekend so I should be good to go. There’s just something soothing about digging in the dirt.
A farming friend of my husband just texted him to say seed sales have been through the roof and some seed companies have halted internet orders. He said if we need anything, he can get them by May.
However, I just looked at a tomato company we bought seeds from several years ago and they don’t seem to have any issues noted on their website.
It’s supposed to be 60 and sunny tomorrow so I’m going to get into my garden beds and do some cleaning up. I have a lot of dried Hakonechloa grass in my borders that needs to be cleaned out. I also saw the first crocus on my walk today, and in one of my gardens the Stella d’ora lilies shoots are peeking out of the dirt.