Upper South - April gardening happenings. (pics)

Hello all,

Well, it's April and the rains are coming more frequently. Our spring crops are loving all the rain. My strawberry bed has really grown new leaves, broccoli and peas has really grown. I'm just cut my lettuce and spinach for the third time for salads.

So, what's happening in your neck of the woods?

We found some blooms on our strawberries yesterday!

Lol. I don't think any of my strawberries made it through winter.

I purchased a 25' soaker hose and put it in the broccoli bed.It worked wonderfully with the sump pump and my rain barrel. I LOVE my soaker hose, now off to get more and get one in the strawberry bed.

Kim, are you still getting rain? We need some desperately
How do you have your soaker hose placed in your beds? Are you just weaving it around, or do you have it cut in sections running off of a manifold?

oh, i just weaved it around the plants, the cincy area is having a good cold front and we have had rain off and on for a week. The 25' works great for a 4x4 box, I'll get a 50' for my 2- 2x8 that sit long ways along the side of my house (i butted them up next to each other to make a 2x16) so I can run it up and down 4 times for when there is beans in it next month.

PS: its 3/8" , makes it easier to weave than the standand 5/8" diameter hose.

Kim, how are your peas doing?

Uh...frost got them. I was at work when I realized we were under a frost warning and didn't make it home in time to rinse the frost off before the sun hit them. they are growing but I don't think they will produce proficently.

I have no plans today......thank the lord.... I'll take pics of all the beds and post later today.

What a bummer! I was really looking forward to seeing how it worked out for you
Darn frost! I lost my first round of kohlrabi, spinach, and lettuces from an unexpected frost a week or two ago

@madnicmom wrote:oh, i just weaved it around the plants, the cincy area is having a good cold front and we have had rain off and on for a week. The 25' works great for a 4x4 box, I'll get a 50' for my 2- 2x8 that sit long ways along the side of my house (i butted them up next to each other to make a 2x16) so I can run it up and down 4 times for when there is beans in it next month.

PS: its 3/8" , makes it easier to weave than the standand 5/8" diameter hose.

Could you do me a favor and post some pictures of the soaker hose setup? I'm considering it for my gardens.

Thanks!

Sure thing!

this is the 2- 2x8's put together. Nothing but blown in weeds in the back bed. Carrots and peas in the front bed. the plastic is the hoop house that I still need to put away for the summer season.



This is the peas from the rear view. See the yellow leaves? Frost damage. Please excuse the grass, wasn't able to get it cut before this last round of rain came thru, That is Nick's job today! LOL



Ok, Here is the broccoli bed with the soaker hose in place. The back bed is my 2nd year strawberry bed. I want a soaker hose in there also.



This is to the left of the previously posted beds. The 2x8 is more broccoli that was damaged by Kane (our greyhound). The front 4x4 is lettuce in the front right corner, spinach is the rest. Beets are behind the spinach (again - damaged by Kane and too little to see in the pic) The back bed is brussel sprouts in the back far row, what you can't see is the red romaine, kohlrabi and kale coming along.



Drum Roll please: Here is the view from my living room window/sliding glass door from the kitchen. 2012 expansion is to get that wood cut up (waiting on Dad to bring the log splitter) so a 4x12 can go there and the grass in the background will be removed to get a 4x12 there also. So the expansion will be L-shaped.



So what do you think?

That's awesome. Thanks for posting those pictures.

So it just looks like you snake the soaker hose around the boxes so that they get to within a few inches of each plant.

Too bad about the peas, but other than that everything looks great

@Too Tall Tomatoes wrote:So it just looks like you snake the soaker hose around the boxes so that they get to within a few inches of each plant.

Yep, in no time the whole box is wet.

@madnicmom wrote:

@Too Tall Tomatoes wrote:So it just looks like you snake the soaker hose around the boxes so that they get to within a few inches of each plant.

Yep, in no time the whole box is wet.

Thanks for the information. I'm heading off to Lowes today and I'll see what kind of soaker hoses they have.