May 2013 New England

camprn wrote:Deborah, before you thin the peas, post a pic, you may not actually need to thin them at all. I plant about 18 per sq foot no problem. They would do better on a trellis string netting rather than poles.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f78/18/27/78/72/april_21.jpg Thanks for looking at this. What do you think, do I need to thin them?

DeborahC wrote:

camprn wrote:Deborah, before you thin the peas, post a pic, you may not actually need to thin them at all. I plant about 18 per sq foot no problem. They would do better on a trellis string netting rather than poles.

https://i.servimg.com/u/f78/18/27/78/72/april_21.jpg Thanks for looking at this. What do you think, do I need to thin them?

They look marvelous! I would not thin them.

So far in the garden I have peas, radishes, carrots, and beans. I'm hoping more beans pop up or I may have to drop some more seeds in.


Since I planted the seeds way too late, I ended up picking up some seedling tomatoes and peppers. I used to plant on May 31st, should I be putting them in the garden earlier?


The tomatoes have finally sprouted. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them.


The basil continues to do well.

camprn's trellises are great. I plan on using my tomato cages for the tomatoes and peppers so I think I'll make a tiny tellis for my peas. Thanks for the ideas.

I planted beans too early last year, and the seeds just ended up rotting in the ground, I had to replant when it got warmer. If the soil temps are not warm enough, they're not going to sprout, and then they just rot, so it doesn't pay to plant them early.

And they also say don't rush the tomatoes/peppers - not until May 31. I think it also has to do with the soil temps being warm enough. However, I am tempted to transplant everything on Weds., after the cold snap is over. I will try to resist on the tomatoes/peppers, but can't promise if it gets really really warm with no cold snaps in the forecast.

Another rainy day here, the 3rd. No working in my gardens today. I'll bet the weeds are having a holiday out there.
I have so many tomatoes that are just way too big to keep in their pots much longer. Some are blossoming already. I think I'll try to put them in on Wed after the evening cold snaps, but keep blankets ready to cover them if a too cool nite arrives.
As for the soil not being warm enough, I think I'll cut squares of black trash bags to put around the plants to warm the soil a bit more. Maybe that will help.

My largest ones.

QB - What about your solar milk jug idea?

NHGardener......I haven't forgotten about that. I'll put those over some of the smaller transplants, like peppers, squash, zuke, eggplants......... but the tomatoes are already too big for the milk jugs except possibly my Tiny Tim and Totem and even those are branching out. Black plastic on the soil should heat up the soil a bit from what I've read.

Happy to report that going out between showers and weeding what odds and ends popped up was very easy today. The rain keeps the roots soft and easy to pull. When the rain stops I can transplant more brassicas tomorrow and herbs.

I haven't been to the garden in 4-5 days because of the rain. It was sunny Friday but no need to visit since I knew I wouldn't have to water. All of the plants seemed to be on hold and some were damaged from an overnight freeze in April. I was getting a little worried but this cool, rainy weather seems to be just what the garden needed. Everything has perked up and started growing again. I was amazed what a difference 4 days of soaking rain made.



The garlic looks pretty good. That's German extra hardy at top and Chesnok Red at the bottom.



This is Tyee spinach sown from seed April 21.



The fava beans and snow peas have grown 2-3 inches in just a couple of days. Time to get the supports in place before the favas flop over and terrorize the neighbors.



This is Beedy's Camden kale from Fedco. It's a sport of Siberian kale and is really great. It's cold hardy yet the leaves remain tender. No evidence of the April freeze damage.



The broccoli has also recovered from the freeze damage and is looking healthy again. This is Di Ciccio. Upper left is Purple Peacock, a cross between red russian kale and broccoli. It produces small heads and shoots but you can also eat the leaves and even the stems.



The lettuces have also perked up and are growing fast. That's New Red Fire on the right and Green Ice on the left.



Buttercrunch on the right and Forellenschluss on the left. Forellenschluss is an Austrian heirloom and the German name means speckled trout. I think I'm having my first salad from the garden this week.



Even the onions have perked up and started putting on growth. These are Copra that I transplanted April 22. They drooped around for weeks but now are thickening up and standing more erect.

So I'm happy. Failures to note are the kohlrabi and mustard greens, which have failed to sprout, not even one seed. So I will be replanting those this week. I also have to get my Orange Fantasia and Flamino chards going. I started them with the brassicas but they germinate and grow so slowly, they got shaded out. And I'm waiting for the carrots to germinate. What I thought was carrots poking through the mulch was just weeds.

dvelton, your garden looks fantastic! Are those onions from seed or sets? Mine from seed look that same as when I transplanted them over a month ago.

CC

CC,

They are from seed. I don't have luck with sets. Onions are biennial so the sets just bolt to seed for me. I used to use them for scallions, push a few in the ground, pull them for green onions, then plant some more.

The onions were started indoors Feb 24 (germinated Feb 28) for the Copra and Rossa Lunga di Tropea. I had to wait for the Red Bull seeds which were started Mar 3 (germinated Mar 6). All were set out Apr 22. I have seen your onions and they look comparable to mine, which were really sad looking until this rain and cloudy weather came along.

--Dave

CC, I'm with you. I transplanted 288 seed onions a month ago and if I squint real hard, I can still see a few little blade of grass looking things.

But next spring I'm getting potato onions from Fedco - I think you have to order early - and those are self-perpetuating somehow. Can't wait for that.

NHGardener wrote:CC, I'm with you. I transplanted 288 seed onions a month ago and if I squint real hard, I can still see a few little blade of grass looking things.

But next spring I'm getting potato onions from Fedco - I think you have to order early - and those are self-perpetuating somehow. Can't wait for that.

I gotta google the potato onion.

The onion seeds I planted were long day variety, whatever that means. I planted in Feb and transplanted in...umm...whenever. I thought that they were supposed to form the full onion by mid summer but I don't see how that's gonna happen at this rate. I think that if these little blades of onion grass don't turn into a full onion maybe they will turn into onion sets? And we can pull them up in the fall and replant them in the spring? Does that sound about right, anyone in the know?

CC

CC - brilliant! Do you think sets will keep for a whole year? Wonder if they need a special environment.

CapeCoddess wrote:
The onion seeds I planted were long day variety, whatever that means. I planted in Feb and transplanted in...umm...whenever. I thought that they were supposed to form the full onion by mid summer but I don't see how that's gonna happen at this rate. I think that if these little blades of onion grass don't turn into a full onion maybe they will turn into onion sets? And we can pull them up in the fall and replant them in the spring? Does that sound about right, anyone in the know?

CC

NHGardener wrote:CC - brilliant! Do you think sets will keep for a whole year? Wonder if they need a special environment.

Yes CC. Listen, it is worth doing a little research here on the forum or on the web regarding growing onions and their requirements. There is a REASON the seed company told you they were daylong onions. And you will only have to store them for 6 months or less.

My leek seedlings are coming along ok. Planted them a bit late, I did.

Well, I found this about day long onions.

http://www.chestnut-sw.com/fastfact/oniontypes.htm

So southerners should plant short day onions and northerners are supposed to plant long day onions.

If that isn't counterintuitive, I don't know what is.

OK, here's a good one about our little onion seedlings, NHG. I would just kick it up a week or 2 since it's for Northern NE.

http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Winter20102011/Onions/tabid/1792/Default.aspx

I'll side dress with compost tonite. Now I'm excited. It IS worth doing the research...thanks, Camp! We MAY see full grown onions yet!

CC

When am I supposed to plant potatoes in Connecticut (zone 6)? I kinda forgot about the seed potatoes I picked up weeks ago, and I thought they were supposed to go in the last weekend of April (and under a full moon, one site told me). I just read now that like other crops, I should be waiting for last frost--or maybe two weeks before!
Aaaaarrrrrrrrggghhhhhhhh!!
Anyone (maybe near me) got any advice/information?
Thanks in advance.

Nicola, you can plant the potatoes any time now.

nicola.....Potatoes can go in the ground a few weeks before last frost as long as the ground is not wet. Anytime now is safe. In fact, many growers feel putting them in a little later defeats some form of potato bug that haunts the plants early in spring so you are safe to put them in any time.

Ooh. That's means zone 5a(b) too? That will go on my Weds. list too.

Frost tonight!

Do I need to cover my peas, spinach/lettuce, garlic, or strawberries? I really don't want to.

I may have to throw agrabon over my new asparaguses.

NHGardener wrote:Frost tonight!

Do I need to cover my peas, spinach/lettuce, garlic, or strawberries? I really don't want to.

I may have to throw agrabon over my new asparaguses.

Naw, I don't believe that you will have extensive damage, it is a frost, not a hard freeze, at least that's the way I read the weather forecast.

wood chucks, voles deer.. no not in my yard......Well, pfft! I just ran off that young black bear by chucking potatoes at it. I gotta find out if I can use a pellet gun in the city limits. Or a paint ball ....... bear hasn't gone through the electric fence around my bee hives yet... after the bear ran up the street I put fresh bacon on the fence......... pfft!

Just went and double checked the energized fence... fresh bacon and 6000 volts = a good lesson to go elsewhere, if one is a bear.

Another bear? Must be back for dessert! Sounds like s/he didn't get close enough to test the fence.

That would be pretty hysterical to see a bear with paint gun splotches all over it.

Somewhere I saw recommendations for soil temperatures before transplanting. A quick google came up with this:

http://groworganic.com/organic-gardening/articles/soil-temperature-for-transplanting-vegetable-starts-and-seedlings :

" * 60º to 65ºF for cabbages and beans
* below 75ºF for corn
* 75ºF for peppers"

This is a problem. I was planning on setting my poor transplants free tomorrow, but it doesn't look like the heat-based plants (melons, squashes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants) are going to like that, the soil temperatures are still too cool.

Is that what you all are thinking?

Here's another site: http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/tips/veggie/soiltemp.html

"60 F - tomatoes, cucumbers, snap beans
65 F - sweet corn, lima beans, mustard greens
70 F - peppers, watermelons, squash, southern peas
75 F - okra, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes"