Re: N&C Midwest: March and April 2021

OhioGardener 3/23/2021, 5:50 pm

Finally got a couple extra pallets to tear the boards off of to make slats to close the front of the new compost bin. Cleaned up several stacks of collected garden cleanings to put into the bin, and layered the dried plants with coffee grounds from Starbucks to provide the green. Looking forward to some nice compost.... Smile

N&C Midwest: March and April 2021 - Page 2 Left_v12

N&C Midwest: March and April 2021 - Page 2 Right_13

**Scorpio Rising** 3/24/2021, 11:01 am

Nice set up!

OhioGardener 3/24/2021, 4:38 pm

Thanks, SR! That has compost bin been in the planning stage all winter, and it finally got accomplished in time for spring cleanup.

Took a road trip to Gardener's Thumb Worm Castings farm today, about 40 miles away from us, and stocked up on some high quality worm castings. Will add some of those castings, along with some coffee grounds to the beds to get them ready for planting. I had planned on transplanting the bunching onions on Friday, but life has gotten in the way and they will have to wait until next week.

Enjoyed the tour of the vermicomposting operation at Gardener's Thumb, and got to see the quality of their product close up. Smile

Worm Castings bag label

N&C Midwest: March and April 2021 - Page 2 Worm_c10

https://gardenersthumbwormcastings.com/

**Scorpio Rising** 3/24/2021, 9:18 pm

Wow, that is interesting! Thanks OG

I got home from work and got sugar snaps in, and a couple rows of radishes; French Breakfast and Cooks Mix. More to come! Love radishes!

Stuff on lights looking good. Love spring!

**sanderson** 3/25/2021, 3:27 am

OG, Good looking bin!

SR, Here you are planting cool weather crops and I will be planting hot weather crops. Razz

**Scorpio Rising** 3/25/2021, 6:13 pm

sanderson wrote:OG, Good looking bin!

SR, Here you are planting cool weather crops and I will be planting hot weather crops.

I know? Crazy country we have, but I love her!

OhioGardener 3/26/2021, 9:37 am

Scorpio Rising wrote:
sanderson wrote:OG, Good looking bin!

SR, Here you are planting cool weather crops and I will be planting hot weather crops.
I know? Crazy country we have, but I love her!

As someone once said, the Earth is what we all have in common.

I'm going to take the weekend off from gardening to take care of life, so will have some catching up to do next week...

**Scorpio Rising** 3/28/2021, 12:42 pm

Yesterday when it was nice, I got 2 squares in my cold frame of radishes, one square of Daikon, and one square of Tokyo Cross turnips. Did get that bed amended.

Closed the frame, going to be in the 30s tomorrow.

Hardening off broccoli and lettuces.

OhioGardener 4/3/2021, 4:50 pm

Planted some leaf lettuce, spinach, and Daikon radish seeds today. Also transplanted 250 bunching onion seedlings into a bed. Been enjoying lettuce & spinach out of the cold frame all winter, but can't wait to get more growing in the beds.

OhioGardener 4/5/2021, 12:47 pm

Planted one 4' section with beets, and planted another 4' section with carrots this morning. This bed is adjacent to the arbor, so the 6" strip closest to the arbor was left unplanted for the pole beans that will be planted there in mid-May.

**Scorpio Rising** 4/5/2021, 8:37 pm

Checked my plantings. Cold frame things were up from 2 weeks ago...radishes, turnips, so exciting...Waiting for the other section, but hopeful!

I am hardening off the green bunching onions, broccoli various, and cabbages.

Also, have flat leaf parsley, and one surviving cilantro. Also had a cutting of rosemary from my area nursery;excited that it made it!

Replanting peas, (sugar snaps) I think the squirrels found them....will try to sprout them inside. Soaking now in water—seeds from 2016, so obviously age is an issue with germination here!

**Scorpio Rising** 4/7/2021, 11:19 pm

So, re-planted the sugar snaps. Hoping for the best!

Gonna start super hotties this week on lights and heating pad. Maters, basils, peppers.

OhioGardener 4/9/2021, 1:25 pm

Started the tomato & peppers seeds today on heat mats under the lights. They'll be ready for transplanting in mid-May. Started the Basil seeds a few days ago, and they have already germinated.

OhioGardener 4/10/2021, 2:31 pm

Transplanted the Swiss Chard and Lacinato Kale plants into the raised bed. Last year I put two plants per square, but they grew so large that harvesting them was difficult, so this year I put one per square. Looking forward to the first meal of fresh sautéed kale or chard.

**Scorpio Rising** 4/10/2021, 3:45 pm

Just got the cabbages, chard, broccolis, broccoli rabe, and lettuce in raised beds before the rain! Radishes up, a few snap peas also up (I think they might be from the first planting).

nrstooge 4/11/2021, 8:17 am

I've got lettuce and spinach transplanted to the large raised planter, planted peas, radishes, turnips, parsnips, carrots in a pot each. I transplanted peppers and eggplants to larger plants. But.. I overplanted tomato seedlings again. I planted by the moon, and seeds from 2019 had almost 100% germination .. so I have over 100 plants (I can't bear to sacrifice any) so friends will benefit. Several varieties. I'm trying potatoes in a pot for the first time.. so need to get the compost, potting mix from my car and get them planted.

So much time and joy on the patio planting in pots (using SFG). I have come to the conclusion that I MUST garden.

**Scorpio Rising** 4/12/2021, 6:10 pm

nrstooge wrote:
So much time and joy on the patio planting in pots (using SFG). I have come to the conclusion that I MUST garden.

Love it!

I am planning on getting my onion sets and Yukon Gold tomorrow. My green bunching onions are up! So excited! I love green onions. I am attempting to re work my asparagus bed tomorrow. I can only spot 5 or so spears, and they were just planted last year. Need to raise it up and kill the grass and weed invasion. I got a full refund. But still makes me mad....

**Scorpio Rising** 4/14/2021, 4:02 pm

A couple of my broccoli were plucked....I am gonna plant out my green bunching onions tomorrow. Might get to the lonely cilantro, and the flat leaf parsley.

OhioGardener 4/16/2021, 6:31 pm

OhioGardener wrote: I have two new gooseberry plants to get into my BTE garden, but I didn't get that done yesterday, so that is still on my to-do list.

An update on the post from March 1st about planting the new Gooseberry plants. When I received the plants I had ordered the instruction sheet said the plant needed to be pruned back, so I cut off about 6" from the top of each. I stuck the stems that were cut off in the ground so that about 3" was still above ground. Both the plants that I purchased and the two cuttings I stuck in the ground have leafed out. I dug up the 2 cuttings to check the condition of them, and was surprised by the amount of roots they developed already. Each bud on the stem that was in the ground sprouted roots. So, I transplanted them into their permanent location. I'll now have four Gooseberry plants, which will give us all the fruit we'll need for pies.

mollyhespra 4/16/2021, 7:35 pm

That is AWESOME, OG! Where did you get the original plants from? Local nursery or mail order?

OhioGardener 4/16/2021, 7:43 pm

mollyhespra wrote:That is AWESOME, OG! Where did you get the original plants from? Local nursery or mail order?

I couldn't find any local nurseries that carried them, so I had to order them on-line. Don't remember the name of the site. Some states prohibit Gooseberries and Red Currents, so you'd have to see if they are allowed in your state. Ohio bans Red Currents, but not Gooseberries or Black Currents.

mollyhespra 4/16/2021, 8:52 pm

Why, do you know? Do they harbor a disease? Invasive?

OhioGardener 4/17/2021, 8:47 am

mollyhespra wrote:Why, do you know? Do they harbor a disease? Invasive?

As I understand it when they started importing gooseberry and current varieties from Europe some of them were hosts to the White Pine Blister Rust. This disease created a problem for the forest industry that depended on the White Pine trees, so the states affected banned growing any gooseberry or current bushes. Many, many years later it was discovered that most gooseberry and current bushes did not cause problems with the disease, especially the original American varieties. So plant breeders started creating hybrid varieties that were safe to grow. Most states, including Ohio, since then have removed the ban on the American varieties and hybrids. But, some states have never revised the original bans, and the plants can't be grown there. Your local extension office can tell you if your state has restrictions. For me, I can't wait for the first Gooseberry pie.... Smile

**Scorpio Rising** 4/19/2021, 4:17 pm

That’s crazy about the gooseberry plants and currants.

Today I put in 2 SFs of Candy onion sets, 4 Yukon Gold potatoes, and the rest of my replant of asparagus bed.

So also had to decommission one of my legacy boxes, just falling apart. Got about 60% of the MM out and put it in other boxes. Sad to see it go.

It did help deepen the tater box!

OhioGardener 4/19/2021, 6:50 pm

The calendar may say "Spring", but Old Man Winter says, "Not so fast!" Predicted low temp tomorrow night is 28ºF, with up to 3" of snow. Think i might cover the chard & kale that is growing so beautifully out there.... Sad

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