March 2013, New England

camprn wrote:The good news is the now will feed the Earth and at this time of year, will not last long.

Did I mention my pea seedlings seem to be growing about an inch a night? At this rate I'm just going to trellis my bedroom. Gives breakfast in bed a whole new meaning.

NHGardener wrote:
Did I mention my pea seedlings seem to be growing about an inch a night? At this rate I'm just going to trellis my bedroom. Gives breakfast in bed a whole new meaning.

With 80 seedlings growing in there you'll have a nice bed of peas!

CC

The princess and the peas. Must mean there's a prince around here somewhere.

Regarding keeping my three cats away from onion clippings, they never get near what I harvest. Sometimes, though--they think they've found some exotic grass growing in my SFG and take a nibble. Apparently, they don't like the taste, so they don't eat enough to cause harm.

I hear you NHGardener. My first 10 peas are growing strong and tall. I usually start my seeds directly in the garden but wanted to test the waters with a few early ones this year. I really have to do something with them soon so thought I'd get a pot ready with a tomato cage. I don't want to lose them.
I was able to punch holes in the bottom a 28-lb cat litter bucket this morning with hammer and phillips head screwdriver. I kept to the very edges because when I made them more central, they split the plastic. I don't want the bottom to split open later from the weight.
I brought in a bucket of compost from the garage where it had partially frozen. When it warms up, I'll start 2 or 3 spuds in a bucket per Mel's utube video on the method. Sounds fun.
On Saturday I started a few Belstar and Calabrese broccoli, Michihili Chinese cabbage and a whipped cream tub of Toyko bekana (greens).
Yesterday it was some Cheddar and Violet Queen cauliflower, Churchill and Long Island Improved (dwarf) Brussels sprouts, Bright Lights Swiss chard and 10 more Super Snap peas.
I don't start many seeds of anything. My seed-starting space under lights is limited so I start a few of each and hope they all germinate. If they don't I start more later.
With snow in our future (Tues) I'm not thinking I'll be out in the garden in the next few weeks.

quiltbea wrote:
I brought in a bucket of compost from the garage where it had partially frozen. When it warms up, I'll start 2 or 3 spuds in a bucket per Mel's utube video on the method.

My potatoes in the bucket died. When I dumped out the bucket there were no potatoes. I think the compost ate them.

CC

Unless you used unaged manure in your potato bucket, I doubt that the compost ate them!

More likely, and this is based upon my own limited experience, They froze, then rotted.

Hmm, maybe rotted from lack of sun. They were indoors so they didn't freeze.

CC

I must say I am in no way surprised. Potatoes are most definitely a summer crop. The good news is you have time to still find the seed potatoes that you really want for the season.

Or too much moisture. Did you cut, then let the cut pieces dry out before planting?

I figure I can bring the bucket outdoors when its sunny and above freezing and bring it in at nite until the weather improves. I have some red potatoes with eyes I plan to use (from the grocery store) since its just a fun experiment.
The other experiment is getting my first tomatao by the Fourth of July this year. I transplanted my tomatoes into 8" tall air-pruning
soda bottles and they are under the lights.

There's one each of Taxi (yellow cherry), New Girl and Jetstar varieties. I'll backfill more compost around them as they grow taller until I get to the top of the pots. I had some leftovers so they went into 6" 2-liter air pots (hadn't any more 3-liter bottles handy) to save just in case I need a backup later. I'll keep you posted on how this works out. I got the idea from Bob Thomson of Victory Garden fame. He gets a few toms into deeper pots to grow longer indoors and gain stronger roots and then outdoors early encircled with plastic to add warmth. I'd love to have an ultra early fresh tomato this year.

quiltbea wrote:
The other experiment is getting my first tomatao by the Fourth of July this year.

Ooohhh...that sounds like a fun challenge. I'll join you in that. Altho, it maybe easier for me being further south.

donnainzone10, I let the potato pcs chit but probably not enuff. The really dried out ones when into my compost pile. I'm not a big fan of white potatoes anyway, and I swear plants know how you feel about them and will perform accordingly.

CC

Woah! they just upped the precipitation predictions..... 12' - 16" of snow... FABULOUS!

Why is it that when I add up the totals predicted on the NOAA site, it keeps coming to 22"? I keep rechecking my numbers, I must be adding wrong.

camprn, please tell me again about exercising patience and feeding the Earth and how it won't last long...

:crying several buckets of tears:

No, no, no... this can't be happening...

edit: OH! Now I'm getting 17". Either they changed their numbers or I can't add.

LOLOL I am having a similar experience.....I think the meteorologists are equally baffled. How about this.......

Think...
... it's going to snow
I will move the snow
it will melt next week
dandelions in 4 weeks.

I would do a haiku, but, naw...to heck with that.

PS: I stocked up on all my favorite vice supplies this afternoon, just in case.....

now calling for upwards of 18" snow in my area...

camprn wrote:Think...
... it's going to snow
I will move the snow
it will melt next week
dandelions in 4 weeks.

Okay, let's try it...

it's going to keep on snowing
I will move the snow AGAIN
it will never melt
What's a dandelion?

Well, I'll practice it.

High of 34* camprn, how do you all stand the cold.

yolos wrote:High of 34* camprn, how do you all stand the cold.

You stay inside and eat chocolate cookies & HOT tea.

CC

yolos wrote:High of 34* camprn, how do you all stand the cold.

That's practically balmy.

camprn wrote:

yolos wrote:High of 34* camprn, how do you all stand the cold.

That's practically balmy.

NHGardener wrote:

camprn wrote:

yolos wrote:High of 34* camprn, how do you all stand the cold.

That's practically balmy.

I was just thinking the same thing...BUT: put a negative sign in front of it and NOW we're talking COLD.

The first week I moved up here we had 4 straight days of -30 weather. The coldest it's been when I've had to go out in it was -38. I tried to breathe through my nostrils and they felt like they were going to freeze together.

The good thing about our cold winter season is we don't have to worry about fire ants, killer bees, walking catfish, armadillos, Bermuda grass, and alligators What else did I leave out?

Poisonous snakes! Gross spiders. Riffraff.

I'd be surprised if my area were still zone 5b. I'll bet after this winter we go back to being 5a......

NHGardener wrote:Poisonous snakes! Gross spiders. Riffraff.

I'd be surprised if my area were still zone 5b. I'll bet after this winter we go back to being 5a......

Nope we have Rattle snakes (If you see one you are blessed) and poisonous spiders too...

I'm sitting here not enjoying the upwards of 12" of snow we're expecting before its done.
Took our my journal from last year. I was outside prepping my beds, covering my A-frame for another season, added compost to the asparagus bed, sowed sugar snaps, arugula, claytonia, corn mache, curly cress, mizuna and tokyo bekana directly outdoors.
Mar 19 hi of 64, low of 36 overcast
Mar 20 hi of 79 low of 46 sunny
Mar 21 hi of 84 low of 50 sunny
News just showed much the same info for last year in the big city of Portland plus folks at the beach in bathing suits getting their Vit D naturally.
Mar 22 hi of 84 low of 46 rain

Here's the 1st day of spring 2012 for me. Soil temps ranged from 60 to 62F* in all my beds. I added the fresh layer of compost to the squares as I sowed my seeds.

This year is quite a change, with my gardens buried in snow and temps way below freezing at nite and close to freezing days. What a difference a year makes.