Garden 2022

[UrbanHunter]

Today it is 20F outside with high winds so I will be working in the house. I have cabbage and broccoli that needs to be separated into individual containers. I also have some cherry tomatoes that need to be split up. I have 2 bell pepper plants that came from seeds harvested from a store bought red bell pepper plant's fruit... I am going to start a tray of onions and stuff like that in a growing tray.

The outdoor spinach is growing slowly (about 1/4" per week), but the indoor stuff is only giving me one harvest before it wants to bolt (the temperature near the plants is 72F), so I may need to start another tray.

I am planning to make a shelf on top of an old 2'X8' planter that keeps getting overrun with tree roots, it is protected from the wind but only gets sun about 3 hours per day. The goal is to use it as a place for cold weather plants. The wife can see it from the kitchen window and it will give her something to focus on...

Yesterday, I harvested 2 gallon bags full of Greek oregano and a quart bag of bay leaves (Bay Laurel Plant)
The bucket carrots are growing nicely, I think they are finger sized and I can't wait to harvest some and see for real, but we are still eating the carrots I harvested in December.

While checking my open topped raised beds on the south fact this week I saw about 10 spots with onions popping up, I don't remember if onions or shallots were planted there, will figure it out come May...

Happy Weekend all....

 

[JustMe]

I am just amazed anyone can grow so much with such cold temps. Anything I had in pots next to the house, didn't do much of anything, other than most of it has survived so far but not really grown and surely not enough to harvest from. With one exception, onions that have provided for green tops. Probably doesn't help they are on the east facing side of the house and don't get much sun or light after noon time.

I just got some brassicas & lettuces started yesterday, and I'm hoping to get them in the ground on March 1st. Probably won't happen, but that's what I'm aiming for

 

[Weedygarden]

I am just amazed anyone can grow so much with such cold temps. Anything I had in pots next to the house, didn't do much of anything, other than most of it has survived so far but not really grown and surely not enough to harvest from. With one exception, onions that have provided for green tops. Probably doesn't help they are on the east facing side of the house and don't get much sun or light after noon time.

I just got some brassicas & lettuces started yesterday, and I'm hoping to get them in the ground on March 1st. Probably won't happen, but that's what I'm aiming for

It depends on where you live. I think many start seeds indoors. I do.

 

[Amish Heart]

Our greenhouse is unheated and too cold right now, so I have two large tables inside. One is a seed table with broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, planted some sweet potatoes to get slips started. The other has my sprouting jars (sunflower for the chickens), lettuce, kale, and green onion growing.

 

[LadyLocust]

I couldn't take it ~ I planted a tray of spinach today, inside of course I don't have anyplace inside really so it's in the dining room near a north facing window. We'll see if it grows. I'm trying something new to me.

 

[Amish Heart]

It'll probably sprout, and the weather will clean up enough in a few weeks and you could put it on the porch. My lettuces and kale get to go outside if it's 40 degrees or more for some sunshine

 

[UrbanHunter]

I couldn't take it ~ I planted a tray of spinach today, inside of course I don't have anyplace inside really so it's in the dining room near a north facing window. We'll see if it grows. I'm trying something new to me.

The experiment I did with my 2 trays of spinach was really an eye opener for me, The tray that I took outside and let sit for 2 days in freezing (30s in the daytime and 20s at night) before bring back indoors, sprouted and are now about 3 inches high, the tray that I kept in the nice warm house took forever to sprout (still waiting)....

Last Wednesday it warmed up to 50 and I went out and worked the raised beds, the soil next to the edge of the box was frozen 3"s in, but the spinach in the middle of the box was growing nicely, but very slowly. The lettuce was all wilted very badly so I dug it up and planted more spinach... It rained for 2 days, so I left the boxes open in the day time for both days.. We are trying to harvest about a gallon of leaves each week and hope to harvest a bunch for the freezer come spring.... As long as the temperature stays above 0F, Spinach is one of the few crops that can just keep on keeping on.....

 

[WVDragonlady]

A man's youtube channel I watch says he puts his cool weather crop seedlings outside in the sun if the temp is at least 30 degrees then goes to work and when he gets home he brings them back inside.

I'm wondering if the inside house temps are too high for them.
He doesn't specify whether he puts them somewhere cooler in his house

I plan to try his experiment with him where you start your seeds in a cold frame of some type and leave them there all the time. Maybe give them water/ fertilizer every 2 weeks or so

I plan to use my unheated greenhouse. If its sunny, it does get 20 degrees warmer than outside. I want to see if it works. If it does I may do it every year.
It'll save space for the warm weather crops inside my house lol

 

[Neb]

The

.... As long as the temperature stays above 0F, Spinach is one of the few crops that can just keep on keeping on.....

Garlic growing through the snow always freaks me out.

Wild garlic

Domesticated garlic.

Ben

 

[Bacpacker]

I planted garlic back in late November in 2 beds, scattered around the edges, and it came up almost right away. About 3" tall now. Planted some more in a 3rd bed just before Christmas. It hasn't came up at all yet.

 

[joel]

I have been told you can plant garlic cloves anytime you can work the soil.
Here October though March & March is real late with very small cloves in June. I have wild/Europe garlic growing wild, even before I was born, on my farm. It is too strong for me, I like Georgian Fire.
https://filareefarm.com/georgian-fire/

 

[Neb]

Well i am pleasantly surprised.

That little green speck is a strawberry seedling. One of those seeds that had been stratifying in the refrigerator for almost 2 years. I am not going to get my hopes up but 1 is more than I ever expected. It is amazing what God has created.

Ben

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today I checked the beds on the south side of the house, there were a few scattered onions/shallots and weeds, I removed the weeds, worked the soil a little, and planted onion sets.... I am thinking about all the work I want to do outside before it becomes time to plant for the spring garden.......

 

[joel]

Well i am pleasantly surprised.

View attachment 79965

That little green speck is a strawberry seedling. One of those seeds that had been stratifying in the refrigerator for almost 2 years. I am not going to get my hopes up but 1 is more than I ever expected. It is amazing what God has created.

Ben

Did you get that seed tray from HOSS seed company.

 

[Neb]

Did you get that seed tray from HOSS seed company.

No

Some no name company via Amazon from China. Took me 3 or more months to receive them.

Lets see what happens with the rest.

Ben

 

[joel]

I bought 5, because I got two free in a five pack over the single price.
I have used only one of them, but they do not rot, so I may get my money back.
https://hosstools.com/product/seed-starting-trays/

 

[Double R]

@joel Do they seem like they will hold up longer term? May have to get some ordered. Was just going to order the junk ones we end up replacing every year.

 

[joel]

I only used one so far, but it is in it's third year & still going strong.
I would keep it out of sunlight when not in use & it should last a very long time. But I do not know the life of the product.
You could call the Hoss people, they have large gardens in Georgia & I am sure they are using the seed trays. However, I never ask.

 

[Double R]

Thanks! Appreciate the info!

 

[WVDragonlady]

Just started some seeds in the greenhouse.
Leeks, bunching onions, swiss chard, spinach, and cabbages

See how they do on their own out there
Shoot it was 80 in there while I was doing it just after lunch

Next up are some strawberry seeds I stratified in the fridge for a couple of months. I took them out about 4 days ago and set them on the counter

 

[Neb]

Just started some seeds in the greenhouse.
Leeks, bunching onions, swiss chard, spinach, and cabbages

See how they do on their own out there
Shoot it was 80 in there while I was doing it just after lunch

Next up are some strawberry seeds I stratified in the fridge for a couple of months. I took them out about 4 days ago and set them on the counter

Have you done strawberries with success?

I haven't.

I think I hit the young sprouts with too much intense light too fast but that is just a guess. If you advise I would appreciate it!

Ben

 

[WVDragonlady]

This will be the first time I try it. I'm doing an alpine variety (forget the name) and will be growing them in containers.
I've tried for years to grow plants I've bought in the ground here and they never work.

 

[Neb]

This will be the first time I try it. I'm doing an alpine variety (forget the name) and will be growing them in containers.
I've tried for years to grow plants I've bought in the ground here and they never work.

I have been growing Seascape that do well as long as keep the weeds under control. They are an everbearing variety. My seeds are the same.

Ben

 

[joel]

I have never planted strawberry seeds, just the plants.
I have a friend who wanted to grow BLUE strawberries.

 

[WVDragonlady]

I'll have to remember this when(if) my seeds germinate lol
Tilt your lighting

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today the wife and I were talking about the salad stuff she wants to be eating now. I asked about beet greens and she said that she had tried cooking the big beet leaves and had to throw it out.... But after reading a little I decided to try baby beet leaves (just happened to have some growing in the basement), they turned out to taste a lot like spinach and only the stem was bitter.... NO COOKING REQUIRED!, so now we are going to start harvesting baby (Less than 6" long) beet leaves to add to our salads...

I know it's not a big deal but it caught us by surprise and I needed to tell someone.....

 

[JustMe]

I've been considering trying to grow mushrooms from store bought. Has anyone tried it with any success?

 

[WVDragonlady]

No we're not big on mushrooms. IF I do need some for some recipe, I use canned or some from the store

 

[JustMe]

No we're not big on mushrooms. IF I do need some for some recipe, I use canned or some from the store

Me too, but if all those options become a problem, I'd like to be able to DIY. But we love mushrooms and use them alot. Though I usually stick with buttons or portabellos


Mushrooms grow wild here and in abundance, but it's something I've never learned about to know the difference between good & healthy ones vs poisonous and the last thing I need is to wind up dead or on some wild shroom trip )

 

[joel]

If you mulch with hard wood chips, you can grow wine cap mushrooms in your garden.