Mid-South in April: 2015

Morning all!  Happy April Fool's Day!

I know it's officially Spring now - I got my first sunburn of the year yesterday!  (MILD thankfully)  We were putting in a bed to stop our students from running over our water meter - more in a separate post...

Have had the starts outside off & on to get them ready to go out next week.  Unfortunately the tomatoes got kinda wind-blown.  They're not very happy at the moment.  But everyone else is fine.  I'm planning on planting Monday since Accuweather says we're done with the freezing.  (Supposed to get down to 37 on Sat night.)

I know I'm towards the bottom end of Mid-South...  What are those of you in the northern end doing?  How about the rest of you?

Gardenate.com says we should be planting the following this month:

Amaranth (also Love-lies-bleeding)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Artichokes (Globe)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from January.
Asparagus Pea (also Winged bean)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Basil	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Beans - climbing (also Pole beans, Runner beans, Scarlet Runners)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Beans - dwarf (also French beans, Bush beans)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Borage (also Burrage, Bugloss)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Cape Gooseberry (also Golden Berry, )	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Capsicum (also Bell peppers, Sweet peppers)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Cardoon	Plant in garden.	Harvest from January.
Cauliflower	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Celeriac	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Celery	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Chicory (also Witloof, Belgian endive)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from September.
Chives (also Garden chives)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Collards (also Collard greens, Borekale)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Coriander (also Cilantro, Chinese parsley)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Cowpeas (also Black eye peas)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Cucumber	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Daikon (also Japanese radish, Lo Bok)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Dill	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Eggplant (also Aubergine)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Endive	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Fennel (also Bronze fennel)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from July.
Florence Fennel (also Finocchio)	Plant out (transplant) seedlings.	Harvest from July.
French tarragon	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Jerusalem Artichokes (also Sunchoke)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Kale (also Borecole)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Kohlrabi	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Leeks	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Lemon Balm (also Sweet balm, Bee balm (USA))	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Lettuce	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Luffa (also Loofah, plant sponge)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from August.
Marrow	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Mint (also Garden mint)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Mustard greens (also gai choy)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
NZ Spinach (also Warrigal greens)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Okra (also Ladyfinger, gumbo)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Oregano (also Pot Marjoram)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Parsley (also curly leaf parsley or flat leaf (Italian) parsley)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Parsnip	Plant in garden.	Harvest from September.
Peas	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Pumpkin	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Radish	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Rockmelon (also Canteloupe)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from July.
Rosemary	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 12 months.
Sage (also Common Sage)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from 18 months.
Salsify (also Vegetable oyster)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Savory - summer savory (also 'Bean Herb')	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Savory - winter savory (also Savory)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from June.
Silverbeet (also Swiss Chard or Mangold)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Snow Peas (also Sugar Peas, Mangetout, Chinese Peas)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Spinach (also English spinach)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Squash (also Crookneck, Pattypan, Summer squash)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Strawberry Plants	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Sunflower	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Sweet corn (also maize)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Sweet Marjoram (also Knotted marjoram)	Start undercover in seed trays and plant out in 4-6 weeks.	Harvest from July.
Sweet Potato/Kumara	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Thyme (also Common thyme)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from March.
Tomatillo	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Tomato	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.
Watermelon	Plant in garden.	Harvest from July.
Yacon (also Sunroot)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from November.
Yam/Oka (also Oca)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from August.
Zucchini (also Courgette/Marrow, Summer squash)	Plant in garden.	Harvest from June.

That's a LOT of planting...!  Hope everyone's ready to get going!

The Old Farmer's Almanac gives the Southeast Region (not just mid-south) the following list of "chores":

This month is good for tender vegetables, such as beans, sweet corn, squash, melons, and cucumbers. Plant two or more rows of corn for better pollination.
Continue planting warm-season crops: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cabbage. Plant okra, too!
Mulch your garden well to preserve moisture and keep down weeds.
Ensure that your garden receives 1 inch of rain per week. Set out an empty tuna can to measure the amount of rainfall.
Watch out for insects such as aphids and use an insecticidal soap spray if needed. See Almanac.com/Gardening for our Pests & Problems page.
Plant an herb garden. Basil, parsley, oregano, chives, sage, rosemary, and thyme are good choices.
Remove any weeds in your garden, as they compete with your plants for water and nutrients.
Plant new annuals and bedding plants, such as coleus, geraniums, impatiens, marigolds, phlox, salvia, and zinnias.
This is a great time to plant many bulbs such as: canna, caladium, blood dilly, and iris.
Divide herbaceous perennials, clumps of bulbs, and ornamental grasses if the garden looks too crowded. Replant or give away!
Remove any dead flowers from plants to encourage new growth.
Apply new mulch around your plants, shrubs, and trees, if needed.
This is a great month for planting shrubs and trees.
Prune spring-flowering shrubs after they finish blooming. Fertilize azaleas, camellias, and any other shrubs that need fertilizer.
Remove any leaves from your lawn, and then fertilize it with a slow-release fertilizer.
Mow your lawn at recommended heights (St. Augustine and Bahia: 3 to 4 inches; Centipede: 1.5 to 2 inches; Dwarf St. Augustine: 2.5 inches).
Ensure that your lawn is getting enough water (1 inch per week).
Divide and repot houseplants. Fertilize if necessary.

Have fun!  Don't overtax yourself.  But get planting & let us know what's happening in your piece of heaven...!

AtlantaMarie your post is so helpful to me.  I do have a quetion...when your column says "harvest to....: does tht ean when to expect to be abe to begin harvesting?  This may be obvious to some but not to me.

I also thought it was too late to plant cabbage but see from your list I can still plant it.  Is that correct?
I'm in Athens GA.

Yesterday I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, oregano, basil, marigold, salvia, & petunias.  Hope to get y bush beans, pole beans, spinach, lettuce, kale seeds in the ground.  Would love to add cabbage to that too.

gardeninggwen wrote:AtlantaMarie your post is so helpful to me.  I do have a quetion...when your column says "harvest to....: does tht ean when to expect to be abe to begin harvesting?  This may be obvious to some but not to me.

I also thought it was too late to plant cabbage but see from your list I can still plant it.  Is that correct?
I'm in Athens GA.

Yesterday I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, oregano, basil, marigold, salvia, & petunias.  Hope to get y bush beans, pole beans, spinach, lettuce, kale seeds in the ground.  Would love to add cabbage to that too.

AtlantaMarie is the host for the whole middle south region so sometimes the charts do not always apply to all planting in Ga.  Here is a UGA publication.  See if it will answer your questions.

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/files/html/B577/B577PlantingChart.pdf

This is for the whole state.  I think at the bottom it says "

Note: Planting dates in this chart are approximate for Middle Georgia.

North Georgia plantings should vary about two weeks later in the spring and earlier in the fall.

South Georgia plantings can be made two weeks earlier in the spring and somewhat later in the fall.

Here is another publication

http://extension.uga.edu/publications/detail.cfm?number=C943
UGA has a lot of publications to help home gardeners.

Thanks Yolos!

Hi Gwen - thanks, but I can't take credit...  I get the info from gardenate.com & the Old Famer's Almanac websites.

I'm going to be planting cabbage & broccoli & spinach tomorrow, even tho it's getting late for it.

Yes, the harvest dates are when you should expect to begin harvesting.  BUT - be sure to look at the info on your seed packets.  They should be even more accurate since it's for that particular item.  Also keep in mind that weather and the amount of nutrition available to that plant also plays a part.

There should be an Extension Service office in Athens.  They're a GREAT resource too!

thanks for the link; I've saved it to refer to.  I hope to do a fall planting also this year for the first time.
We've used the extnsion service office here a long time ago to test our soil when row gadening.  They are very helpful.

AtlantaMarie - in your list of chores for April, you forgot to mention buying a canoe (or maybe Noah's Ark) so we can get to our gardens.  Where is the sun.


Looks like it will appear again sometime tomorrow.  Last weekend I planted corn, beans, cucumbers and some more flowers.  I think the seeds will rot before they germinate.  Thank goodness we are using SFG or it would take forever to dry out this red ga clay.

That was very funny yolos.  

I planted some borage seeds a few days ago.... I'm also afraid they will rot.  I did put them MM (but still surrounded by red clay).  This last bit of borage was the second round; I have some other seedlings doing well in another part of the flower garden.

I agree, Yolos!  Thank goodness I no longer live in TX or in the DEEP south...!

I took a peek day before yesterday & everything seems to be okay.  Still have stuff to put on the deck, but that can wait till the sun comes back out.

I saw a big yellow thing up in the sky this afternoon.  It was only up there for about 1 hour.  I wonder what it was.

Probably a mirage, or a figment of your imagination!

Same thing happened to me this morning!  Boy, whatever that thing was, it's sure bright!  Had to put my sunglasses on.....

Oh, wait....  Sun....  glasses....  

Got my deck stuff planted last night, too.

A yellow orb appeared for several hours today.  My plants leaned toward it all day and they seemed intensely interested in it.

Windmere wrote:A yellow orb appeared for several hours today.  My plants leaned toward it all day and they seemed intensely interested in it.

Mine too!  Amazing...!

And then we got a hail storm.  Up to 1/2" hail.  About 3 or 4 miles south of us, they got golfball-size, so I consider us lucky - no damage to car, etc.

But those poor tomatoes I put on the deck are quite unhappy now...  Guess we'll see how they do.

Geez...is this normal spring weather for you guys? 

CC

These days of on and off rain are driving me crazy, well that and of course add to the fact that my SQFT table gardens are finally getting set in place.  Still have one to go, but hope to have it done and ready for the weed blocking material by early afternoon.  My beds are not that high, but just right for me to use my fold up bench when I am planting or tending to the beds.  
 
My worry is that I will get the MM all set up and ready to plant and then on Thursday the rains will start again.. forecast is for the rain to continue through the weekend!!!!     I swear we are all going to grow webbed feet and if we stand still too long we'll turn green!!!!  

If you see me floating down the Chattahoochee river just toss me a rope, I'd be much obliged.

Marianne818 wrote:These days of on and off rain are driving me crazy, well that and of course add to the fact that my SQFT table gardens are finally getting set in place.  Still have one to go, but hope to have it done and ready for the weed blocking material by early afternoon.  My beds are not that high, but just right for me to use my fold up bench when I am planting or tending to the beds.  
 
My worry is that I will get the MM all set up and ready to plant and then on Thursday the rains will start again.. forecast is for the rain to continue through the weekend!!!!     I swear we are all going to grow webbed feet and if we stand still too long we'll turn green!!!!  

If you see me floating down the Chattahoochee river just toss me a rope, I'd be much obliged.

CC - yes, this is normal...

Marianne818 - Welcome, welcome!  Glad you've joined us!  Haven't seen any posts anywhere else, but have been rather busy...

Tell us what your garden plans are (if you haven't already).  If you have, please direct me to your post.  :-)

Will be a little scarce the next few days, but will try to check in.

I haven't posted any plans as of yet, I've been too busy seeing if I could get the boxes made.  I am disabled, not badly but any long time of bending sends my hips to the pain yard.  So I'm not very fast with building things.  My sister had helped me with lifting, but most importantly she moved around on muddy grown to set the blocks level.  Of course she could barely move the next day, LOL.  
I haven't really thought about the complete plan as I was not sure how many boxes I could really make.  I have 2 that are the cedar pre-cut kits that are set on 4x4 plywood with a 2x4 base sitting on top of concrete blocks only a single block high, the 3rd garden is 4x4x8.  They are all in full sun for most part of the day. But this is where I had my in-ground garden for the last 4 yrs.I will try to get pictures the next time we have a bit of sunshine.  We just had a brief pea size hail storm pass over followed by heavy downpour, lasted about an hour.  So not looking too good for me to get the MM in and a few plants in the dirt tomorrow.  

I'm sorry I have a tendency to write long emails, I am really trying to make my questions and points shorter.  A work in progress, LOL

Marianne, Long points, short points. We enjoy reading the gardening hopes and joys of others.

Thank you Sanderson.... it's sunshine today (at least so far) I'm heading out to lay some weed block!!!!  

Have a great day