February 2013 New England

quiltbea 2/1/2013, 11:38 pm

I'm still enjoying the lettuce from my shallow wide pot under the lights.

The variety is Anuenue and I've had a couple of salads in Dec and Jan and tomorrow I'll have another salad.
The Thom Thumb head in the foreground doesn't seem to be coming back but I'm happy with the leaf lettuce.

Outside there's garlic under snow that was planted last Oct and the Asparagus bed which is a few brown fronds and my strawberry bed resting under a bed of leaves and snow. There's also some parsnips I left in the ground to harvest this spring. I'm sure my chives, brown now, will come back again, too. They did last year.

Late this month I'll be starting some cool weather crops indoors for the A-frame and the cold frame later. I'm looking forward to a better year this year.

mollyhespra 2/2/2013, 12:28 am

quiltbea wrote:I'm still enjoying the lettuce from my shallow wide pot under the lights.

The variety is Anuenue and I've had a couple of salads in Dec and Jan and tomorrow I'll have another salad.

(snip...)

Oh, I LOVE that variety! At least, that's what I was told it was by the farmer who sold it to me, but IIRC, it was more of a head lettuce than a cut & come again leaf type...or will it "head' up as it matures? Forgive my ignorance, but I've never grown "head" lettuce before, only eaten them. hungry

CapeCoddess 2/2/2013, 9:13 am

I'm still eating salads from my winter garden that I shut down 2 days ago - beet green, pak choi, chard, carrots, etc. My garlic, kohlrabi and walking onions are still green out there, and probably some missed leaf covered beets and carrots.

Seedlings for broccoli, onions and cabbage have been started and are in the window. Today I'll plant spinach, peas and maybe some kale, kohlrabi, collards and mustard. Not sure about the latter 4 yet but from what I'm seeing so far we may have an early spring warm up again. sunny

CC

NHGardener 2/2/2013, 10:22 am

Yay - February thread.

Seeds are on order for most things, but today starts Operation Germination to see if my saved seeds from last summer will germinate. Onions, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, differing varieties. 5 seeds will go into each seed starter soil cup, on heat mat, greenhouse cover on. We'll see.

Edit: Are we supposed to post our self-photos? I see everyone is doing that. I must've missed something.

Edit edit: OH! We are. Okay. I'll try it.

**camprn** 2/2/2013, 10:25 am

NHGardener wrote:

Edit: Are we supposed to post our self-photos? I see everyone is doing that. I must've missed something.

In the avatar thread, I post a copy of the photo being used because once you change your avatar there is no viewing the previous one............ does that make any sense?
thinking

quiltbea 2/2/2013, 10:56 am

Molly......I don't know if anueanue heads up. I never let it grow big enough. I use it as 'cut and come again' lettuce. I cut it back and it keeps regrowing several times.

I got a notice that johnnys order has been mailed out. Yippee!

I don't change my avatar. I like the one I have and its easy to track back on a long thread and find my last post with this one. Some folks change them each month. Too much techy stuff for me. Very Happy

NHGardener 2/2/2013, 12:23 pm

I never even had an avatar before today so don't feel bad. Smile

mollyhespra 2/3/2013, 11:15 am

quiltbea wrote:Molly......I don't know if anueanue heads up. I never let it grow big enough. I use it as 'cut and come again' lettuce. I cut it back and it keeps regrowing several times.

(snip...)

I looked into it after I posted and it does appear that if you let it be, it will form a nice head in time.

Whenever I'd see that variety in the farmstand I'd snag me one because I liked using them as green bowls for a rice-salmon salad I make. They added a nice 'look' to the dish as well as a yummy flavor & texture.

I think I need to get me some seeds...I'm starting to salivate just thinking about it... drooling

CapeCoddess 2/3/2013, 1:16 pm

I looked up anueanue, too, and apparently it's bold resistant. That's great, especially if we have a summer like the last one.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/98647/

QB, where did you get yours?

CC

quiltbea 2/3/2013, 1:42 pm

CapeCoddess....I got my Anuenue lettuce from johnnyseeds.com in 2009. Its still viable as you can see.

**camprn** 2/3/2013, 2:35 pm

Today it's as warm as it's been in a while @ 28*F. We had snow until that warm front moved through like a freight train a few days ago. It was a freak thaw for about 15 hours.

I'm trying to overwinter some leeks, only time will tell if this batch will make it. In the background the boxes with the grey shallots. I planted 23, fingers crossed those make it as well. Hardneck garlic I put in about 50, softneck garlic I planted about 120.

Compost doing the NH in February compost thing.

Too cold for the girls to come out and do their thing.

And finally, the wily red squirrel that has been plaguing me these past 5 months is caught and sent out of doors.

**llama momma** 2/3/2013, 2:51 pm

Camp - I am impressed that you caught that squirrel. I have raccoons that are bold enough to use the swinging cat door in the llama barn and go to sleep up in the hay loft near the cats where they burrow down in loose hay. Maybe there is a raccoon size Hav a heart brand of cage that can do the same??

CapeCoddess 2/3/2013, 4:51 pm

Camp, that squirrel was in your house??? Shocked

ewww. Those red guys are so hyper compared to the grey ones.

I've been perusing old threads on the forum all afternoon and was just reading the 2012 New England threads. Not much happening back then in Feb except Camps count down til Spring. Laughing

When I got to March and April, then it was like full speed ahead!

I'm also reading about all these light set ups that everyone is using right now, and there's one in the basement that my mom set up decades ago. I just never really paid attention to it. I know it's a long florescent, about 5 or 6 ft, on chains over a table. I think I'd better go scope out the sitch since I'm starting to think 'tomatoes'.

Still toying with the soil blocks idea...

CC

CapeCoddess 2/3/2013, 5:51 pm

OMG! I can't believe how blind I am to things I haven't had any interest in. There are 2 lights down in the basement on chains over tables - 1 is 4ft long, double bulbs; the other is 8 ft long, double bulbs. Then there's the one under the kitchen counter that is 2 ft long, double bulbs, no chains.

So, if I'm reading peoples posts correctly, the florescent bulbs are all the light that is needed once the seeds are germinated? If so, then Jiminy Crickets, it's a friggen green house in here. Or do I need to buy a certain kind of light bulb? (which may already be installed in these things...)

Now to figure out how to turn them on...

CC

**camprn** 2/3/2013, 6:08 pm

CC I recommend getting new 'sunlight', 'natural light' or 'full spectrum' bulbs.

**walshevak** 2/3/2013, 10:24 pm

CapeCoddess wrote:OMG! I can't believe how blind I am to things I haven't had any interest in. There are 2 lights down in the basement on chains over tables - 1 is 4ft long, double bulbs; the other is 8 ft long, double bulbs. Then there's the one under the kitchen counter that is 2 ft long, double bulbs, no chains.

So, if I'm reading peoples posts correctly, the florescent bulbs are all the light that is needed once the seeds are germinated? If so, then Jiminy Crickets, it's a friggen green house in here. Or do I need to buy a certain kind of light bulb? (which may already be installed in these things...)

Now to figure out how to turn them on...

CC

And remember to keep them lowered to no more than 2" above the top of the seedling. That's why the lights on the chains may be the better place. If the basement is too cool, warm the soil with a heat mat until the seeds are sprouted.

Kay

quiltbea 2/3/2013, 11:21 pm

As per lighting, the fluorescents are fine for starting plants for the short duration of 3-6 weeks. Nothing more is needed. I use the 'daylight' bulbs which are only about $3 each (4 footers) because they are available at our local Home Depot. The ones Camprn mentioned are ideal.

Once the seeds have germinated on the heat mat or other source, they can go into a cooler spot for growing. As long as its around 60*F they will grow well. They don't need the heat any longer. Mine go into our furnace room which stays at approx 60-62* day in and day out.

Keep the fluorescents about 1-2" above the tops of the growing plants and keep them on from 14-16 hrs a day.

CapeCoddess 2/6/2013, 8:27 am

Say it ain't so...

Friday Night
Overcast with snow. Fog overnight. Low of 25F with a windchill as low as 10F. Winds from the NNE at 60 to 70 mph. Chance of snow 90% with accumulations up to 18 in. possible.

Unheard of for Cape Cod... Sad

CC

NHGardener 2/6/2013, 8:50 am

18"????

No wonder they've been mum on totals so far. Didn't want to scare us.

Okay, Operation Get Ready. The soils are going to get a good soaking this spring, in this area anyway.

Goosegirl 2/6/2013, 9:33 am

CapeCoddess wrote:Say it ain't so...

Friday Night
Overcast with snow. Fog overnight. Low of 25F with a windchill as low as 10F. Winds from the NNE at 60 to 70 mph. Chance of snow 90% with accumulations up to 18 in. possible.

Unheard of for Cape Cod...

CC

Saw similar forecast for New England this morning on the news. Sorry in advance for the pounding in store! Shocked

Keep warm, keep safe! Have emerg. supplies ready in case of power outages. We are thinking of you!

GG

quiltbea 2/6/2013, 10:20 am

In Maine we expect 12" and more starting Friday nite and Sat, IF it keeps on track. I'm hoping it swings out to sea like one of the last ones we missed. I'll be ready for it with bottles of water to drink, buckets of water in the bathrm for flushing, candles and flashlights ready, sandwich foods, lots of bread and canned meats and fish in case of power outages. Feb is always a tough month for us. No trips to the garden for me.

GWN 2/6/2013, 10:21 am

CC
Did you say something about planting something......
stay warm, i am cold just reading your weather. lots o

**donnainzone5** 2/6/2013, 10:45 am

I still attribute your horrid weather to last summer's Greenland ice melt, plus that sudden stratospheric warming that began last month, together with unknown factors.
Please stay warm there in New England!

**camprn** 2/6/2013, 12:12 pm

Hello!?! It is February and there are Mother Nature's :read the rules
This is actually normal winter weather. lots o

40 day's until Spring.... frustration screm

Despite my cabin fever, it seems such a short time. But I will be ready in 4 weeks. sfg smile

quiltbea 2/6/2013, 12:58 pm

donnain......Nah, this is normal for us here is Maine. Bitter cold with ice storms in Jan and snow, snow, snow in Feb. We've had over 21" in a single Feb storm and its normal for 2 or 3 good ones a year. I had a friend who, for years, would go on a cruise near the end of Feb just so she could miss 2 good storms that week. And she did.

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