GARDEN 2023

[UrbanHunter]

This week I got part of the purple grow lights installed. Everything in the salad starter tray is now up! I didn't plant many seeds in each cup so I will just have to place empty starter cup between the plants to space them out when the time comes. Yesterday, I started another tray with turnips, beets, spinach, and onions.

Outside I had a raised bed that had one side badly warped due to sun exposure, I removed it and replaced it with a board I had sitting around. I also removed the poles supporting bird feeders, they cast a shadow over where I want to place my additional solar. I still need to get the lumber to make the rack for the new solar panels.

 

[SLADE]

We are just finishing up the frame for a 11x16 seed house. Plastic will go on in a couple hours.

 

[Bacpacker]

Harvested horse radish last weekend. Froze 4 quarts of chunks and 1 in the fridge. This weekend pruned blue berries. Replanted some garlic that froze out over Christmas. And planted some shallots.

 

[joel]

I was told to plant horse radishes way from everything, because it "Take over the bed".
2nd winter something ate it & I am wondering what is so mean/hungry that it can eat raw Horse Radish!??!

 

[Bacpacker]

What I have in the ground can spread all it wants

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Will have to replace some raised beds that literally walked away over this winter.

 

[UrbanHunter]

After work today I decided to work in the indoor garden, I gathered some seeds to send to TN, then I trimmed my tomato plants back to stubs. I found some aphids on a bell pepper plant. I am thinking about placing a clear plastic curtain in-between each of my starter trays to control critter migrations... My thinking is I could spray the plastic with some of that clothing insect repellent (or other nasty bug juice) before hanging them under the shelves front to back. I am also thinking of lining the shelves with cardboard wrapped in plastic-wrap to limit vertical movement.

Yesterday I managed to install the frame for the additional solar panels (they will supply my card board), this weekend I plant to finish by installing the hinges and panel supports to allow for easy elevation changes.

Between work, the wife's medical appointments, and house work I am finding it hard to keep up on my watering. If I ever that the chance to move my indoor growing station I think I would like to place it next to the utility sink just to reduce the water lugging....

Looking at the average temperatures, I am thinking that the third weekend in March will be the best time for me to turn my rain water collection system back on.

 

[Bacpacker]

Replanted some of my garlic that got froze out over Christmas. A little more than half. Also planted 2 rows of shallots.
Pruned my blueberries. Started cleaning out some various other berries I've got planted.
Also received a pear tree I had ordered last fall from Stark Bros nursery. Need to get that and a sugar maple in the ground.

 

[Neb]

After work today I decided to work in the indoor garden, I gathered some seeds to send to TN, then I trimmed my tomato plants back to stubs. I found some aphids on a bell pepper plant. I am thinking about placing a clear plastic curtain in-between each of my starter trays to control critter migrations... My thinking is I could spray the plastic with some of that clothing insect repellent (or other nasty bug juice) before hanging them under the shelves front to back. I am also thinking of lining the shelves with cardboard wrapped in plastic-wrap to limit vertical movement.

Yesterday I managed to install the frame for the additional solar panels (they will supply my card board), this weekend I plant to finish by installing the hinges and panel supports to allow for easy elevation changes.

Between work, the wife's medical appointments, and house work I am finding it hard to keep up on my watering. If I ever that the chance to move my indoor growing station I think I would like to place it next to the utility sink just to reduce the water lugging....

Looking at the average temperatures, I am thinking that the third weekend in March will be the best time for me to turn my rain water collection system back on.

I am sooo anxious to get my to fet my onions starts in the ground but statistics say I WILL have frost up until 18-Apr. I have had onions over-winter so I could collect seeds. I believe it is the hard freezes that caused the onions to split and develop two onions the second year. Frost and hard freezes are different things.

I do have a preparation task before I plant them out on The Ridge. I want to top off the huegelkultures (sp?) that have settled 6 or more inches. So I have a big job of getting good dirt up the hill and loaded in the boxes. Maybe 2 pickup beds worth maybe. At the rate I work ( slow but steady) I may not have to worry about the frost date.

The broccoli tomatoes and peppers will wait for April.


Ben

 

[txcatlady]

Put onion sets in ground yesterday. Garden fully tilled. Husband running water on it. Planning to plant potatoes this weekend
Wind is blowing like crazy

 

[Neb]

Replanted some of my garlic that got froze out over Christmas. A little more than half. Also planted 2 rows of shallots.
Pruned my blueberries. Started cleaning out some various other berries I've got planted.
Also received a pear tree I had ordered last fall from Stark Bros nursery. Need to get that and a sugar maple in the ground.

I am curious what zone you are in that your garlic is damaged by the cold?

What type of damage do they experience?

I plant in Sept and they grow over winter. Freaked me out the first year I saw garlic growing out of 6" of snow.

Curious

Ben

 

[Neb]

Put onion sets in ground yesterday. Garden fully tilled. Husband running water on it. Planning to plant potatoes this weekend
Wind is blowing like crazy

What zone are you?

Curious and anxious to plant out my onion starts,

Ben

 

[Bacpacker]

I am curious what zone you are in that your garlic is damaged by the cold?

What type of damage do they experience?

I plant in Sept and they grow over winter. Freaked me out the first year I saw garlic growing out of 6" of snow.

Curious

Ben

We are zone 7A. Temps in December got down near zero for about a week. Garlic had been up for about a month. Green froze down to the ground (well in the raised beds). Usually the cold hasn't bothered it in the past, but we haven't had that cold for that long. But I think the main issue was, being in the beds I planted about 6" from the edge and within 6" of the bulbs, the beds need to be refilled. So I had a raised row within the bed. I think the cold got it from 3 sides.
I have 4 types, each in a seperate bed. One, Martin's Heirloom I lost 8 out of 22 bulbs, the others came back and look strong. One other bed had 9 out of 22 make it. The other 2 types have 1 of 22 each come back up.
I didn't plant until late October

 

[Pearl]

Put onion sets in ground yesterday. Garden fully tilled. Husband running water on it. Planning to plant potatoes this weekend
Wind is blowing like crazy

Crazy wind here too!!

 

[Pearl]

What zone are you?

Curious and anxious to plant out my onion starts,

Ben

She is south of me!

 

[Neb]

She is south of me!

Wow

Ben

 

[Neb]

We are zone 7A. Temps in December got down near zero for about a week. Garlic had been up for about a month. Green froze down to the ground (well in the raised beds). Usually the cold hasn't bothered it in the past, but we haven't had that cold for that long. But I think the main issue was, being in the beds I planted about 6" from the edge and within 6" of the bulbs, the beds need to be refilled. So I had a raised row within the bed. I think the cold got it from 3 sides.
I have 4 types, each in a seperate bed. One, Martin's Heirloom I lost 8 out of 22 bulbs, the others came back and look strong. One other bed had 9 out of 22 make it. The other 2 types have 1 of 22 each come back up.
I didn't plant until late October

I am in 6a.

Ben

 

[jishinsjourney]

Sorry to hear about your garlic, @Bacpacker. ): At least it sounds like you know which variety will hold up to the climate vagaries for next year?

I’ve planted garlic here for the first time (5B), but none of mine have come up yet. Then again, it’s been unreasonably cold this year, and our last frost date is usually May 15ish anyway. I am now wondering if I should worry about them or not, but at least I don’t think they’ve broken dormancy at all.

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

If they haven't broken dormancy, they are fine. We plant garlic here in the fall and it can go down to -40 for weeks.

Backpacker lost his garlic because they were green and growing for a month. If he had mulched them heavily before the hard freeze, they might have had a chance of surviving.

 

[jishinsjourney]

@ClemKadiddlehopper Thanks! Good to know. It’s been a lot to learn, transitioning from zone 10 to zone 5. Very much appreciated!

 

[Pearl]

Wow

Ben

Sorry, first answer was informative ! I'm in 8a, think txcatlady is 8b!

 

[Bacpacker]

If they haven't broken dormancy, they are fine. We plant garlic here in the fall and it can go down to -40 for weeks.

Backpacker lost his garlic because they were green and growing for a month. If he had mulched them heavily before the hard freeze, they might have had a chance of surviving.

Actually Clem I don't think it was because they were up, although that was a visual clue. I think I didn't have the bulbs surrounded with enough soil. Sort of like I planted near the top of a mound.
I've grew garlic before, even in raised beds and never lost more than a handful due to cold. But I like your idea of mulching them too. More protection won't hurt

 

[joel]

In zone 8a, have had collards live year around, but stop growing for a few months.

 

[Magpie]

My 'sungold' tomatoes on the window sill have just sprouted, planted a few courgettes today inside.
In the polytunnel the cabbage seedlings need planting out, cauliflower doing well and spinach is just started to come up. Potatoes I planted in raised beds are appearing also. I have four types to go into the ground we just rotovated in the weekend, but it's gotten cold today so I'm holding off until after the 17th March I think. We could get a cold snap yet. Onions and garlic re doing well.

 

[Neb]

Never expected to see this.

Those are flowers on a tiny grape vine clone.

Question

Should I nip them off or let them go?


Ben

 

[LadyLocust]

So I was so excited - I received my tomato and pepper seed order today. When what to my wondering eyes should appear, but wait, what? I ended up ordering indeterminant seed varieties of tomatoes I specifically sought heirloom, open pollinated, determinant seeds. I must have ended up back on the page before I hit the determinant button - grrr. I will probably still plant 1 of each of them just to see, but I placed another order today so with any luck will receive and plant them next week. We have snow on the ground so will still be plenty early enough.
I don't even like peppers and am kinda excited to see what they do. Think I have 4-5 varieties now. Hubby will have to have a popper taste test. Pretty sure I'll have to twist his arm.

 

[LadyLocust]

Never expected to see this.

View attachment 104606
Those are flowers on a tiny grape vine clone.

Question

Should I nip them off or let them go?


Ben

Double check anything I say and feel free to disregard any or all of it, but I think if you nip them you will have a stronger "plant" meaning stem growth etc. If you leave them to produce, the stem and plant might suffer as all the energy will go into the fruit. How exciting though!

 

[LadyLocust]

@ClemKadiddlehopper Thanks! Good to know. It’s been a lot to learn, transitioning from zone 10 to zone 5. Very much appreciated!

It's a bit difficult going either way. We moved from zone 5a to zone 7a. I've had to learn to give plants more room because they grow sooo much!

 

[joel]

What I have in the ground can spread all it wants

How do you keep the HR from going woody, when you do not use all of the roots.

 

[Bacpacker]

How do you keep the HR from going woody, when you do not use all of the roots.

I never touched it last year. First year in the ground so I just let it grow. I'll harvest part of one of them this fall and see how it is. I plan to rotate between them, if that works out.
When I purchased the roots it came as a 5 pack.
I took a bag of roots to a buddy at work to try out