March 2013, New England

NHGardener.....I know that my indoor peas germinated a lot sooner than my outdoors ever have in the past. Within a couple of days my peas were popping up inside. Conditions are warmer and more ideal, so they grow faster.
You can sow pea seeds outdoors as soon as the ground can be worked. Even here in my 5a that's around March 17-24 with St Paddy's Day being the magic date.

These were my first peas last May 1st started outdoors 3/21.
Unfortunately, this year my ground just can't be worked at all right now and those of us that were trying them indoors to get a few extra early, have a plentiful supply of peas growing everywhere....inside. I'd say we picked the wrong year to experiment.

I think you're right QB (about picking the wrong year to experiment)!

Well, it will be a grand experiment to see how large of pea plant you can actually transplant successfully. Assuming the roots are not all balled together in one mess. But soaking the roots first ought to help untangle them.

Last year when I planted peas I had to replant a few times and even then they didn't all come up - I think the sprouts were eaten. I dare them to eat these sprouts.

Well, one of my windows was ripped open with no explanation other than wind. And no peas yet, they were weeds.

BUT, here's my spinach babies:

I also noticed all the 'debris' in the photo. I decided not to sift my compost this year as an experiment after reading that Rooster doesn't sift his and it does fine. We'll see what happens with totally different debris.

Just think, ladies...soon we'll be eating our yummy peas and probably forget all about this horrible winter and the time we had getting them out. That is, until we read this thread NEXT March to see what we're supposed to do when and what happened. At least, that's what I do. Do you do that?

CC

CC - One of these days, I'm going to read the old threads. Along with my 300+ bookmarked sites, all the back issues of Mother Earth News, various books lying around. All the info is there, it's just a matter of motivation (for me) (and energy).

I think I'm going to splurge for a juicer this summer. You put the veggies in rinds and all, and with our organic growing, you don't have to worry about pesticide residue.

My week day job is hurry up and wait, so while waiting I can hop on and back read the forum at work. Lucky me.

I bought a juicer after watching that juicing movie "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead". I used it alot the first month, maybe 2. I even learned to make pulp cookies and 'breads', so nothing was wasted. Now my juicer has been in the basement for ooohhhhh...since end of last spring. I really thought that I'd use it constantly once I was growing my own veggies but I don't. I'm even thinking if I double up on growing greens I'll use it again. Who knows...maybe. But IMO, borrow one for a while, up to 2 mths, if you can.

Right now I'm too busy collecting snow water in way too many buckets so I can water my garden that I'm planting tomorrow with happy water. I'm turning into more of a recycle freak than I was before. I even splashed my newly sprouted spinach with ice water just now. If they don't hate me yet they never will.

CC

CC, and I hear you about all the good intentions we have when we buy these things, and there. they. sit. I hear cleaning the juicer is a big deterrent to using it.

Still, I'm looking for an energy potion, maybe this is it.

(At least I never fell for the exercise equipment.) (I would like a pressure canner tho, and a dehydrator.) (I only used my foot hydrator massager thing a few times, it's still sitting in the living room, hopeful.)

Most of my tomatoes are still still doing well in the window:

But 4 of my runts (there were 8 that should have been clipped from the original sproutings but I transplanted instead) came down with what I think are aphids? Is that what these are?

The leaves and stems are curling and deformed, so the whole 4 pack has gone outside. 4 down and 20 to go.

Tomorrow is planting day for the spring garden. Wish me luck trudging thru the snow, back and forth, to get it done.

CC

Yup, aphids. Squish what you can and spray the rest with a soap solution.

OK, thanks. Ick!

Do I need to spray all the seedlings or just the 4 affected ones? I don't see them anywhere else.

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:OK, thanks. Ick!

Do I need to spray all the seedlings or just the 4 affected ones? I don't see them anywhere else.

CC

Well they had to have come from somewhere, so keep an eye out and only spray the aphids. Don't spray the whole plant if you don't see aphids. There's a soap spray recipe around here.

All set...I have a soap mix at the ready.

They probably came from one of the outdoor plants brought in for winter. I'll check all the houseplants too.

Gardening is so much better without glasses...

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:All set...Gardening is so much better without glasses...

CC

Gardening is also much better without hearing aids. The buzzing of bugs gives me the heebie jeebies and chills. Not to mention the bizarre waving of arms and jumpiness..

llama momma wrote:

CapeCoddess wrote:All set...Gardening is so much better without glasses...

CC

Gardening is also much better without hearing aids. The buzzing of bugs gives me the heebie jeebies and chills. Not to mention the bizarre waving of arms and jumpiness..

You may want to acquire some ear plugs this season... Though they may not be in your area.
http://dcist.com/2013/03/cicadas_to_return_with_17_years_of.php

camprn wrote:

You may want to acquire some ear plugs this season... Though they may not be in your area.
http://dcist.com/2013/03/cicadas_to_return_with_17_years_of.php

Oh...oh...oh that's ...that's just charming....oh gadz! Where's the throw up emoticon...

But we have gypsy moths here that can require earplugs at nite due to the crunching. It's quite remarkable. Then during the day it rains poop out of the trees...along with little green worms swinging around like Tarzan on their thread all over the place. ARGH!!! Do you guys have them yet?

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:

camprn wrote:

You may want to acquire some ear plugs this season... Though they may not be in your area.
http://dcist.com/2013/03/cicadas_to_return_with_17_years_of.php

Oh...oh...oh that's ...that's just charming....oh gadz! Where's the throw up emoticon...

But we have gypsy moths here that can require earplugs at nite due to the crunching. It's quite remarkable. Then during the day it rains poop out of the trees...along with little green worms swinging around like Tarzan on their thread all over the place. ARGH!!! Do you guys have them yet?

CC

er, no we don't have them yet... it's still winter here... Again it did not get above 40*F here today.

Yeah, I don't know if it will occur in Ohio. But growing up on Long Island I remember cicadas as a kid, so weird seeing their carcass shells all over the place.

Ok, I know last year was 30 degrees above average and this year is 30 degrees below average. So where does that leave us with planting times?

I have cole crops sprouted and are not too far from up-potting, but I was curious to know how other are adjusting their calendars. We still have a good 6 inches of snow on the ground. Should be off in a few days right *hopeful*

hruten wrote:Ok, I know last year was 30 degrees above average and this year is 30 degrees below average. So where does that leave us with planting times?

I have cole crops sprouted and are not too far from up-potting, but I was curious to know how other are adjusting their calendars. We still have a good 6 inches of snow on the ground. Should be off in a few days right *hopeful*

Keep potting up the cole crops as necessary, winter will be gone soon. Nice to see you back!

Thanks Camprn! I kinda go dormant in winter just like my account

BTW, a friend at church gave me some gilbertie and jet star tomatoes to try this year. I fermented the seeds and stored them. I've got my fingers crossed.

Well, I know I won't be planting peas and fava beans this weekend. My onions and brassicas are germinated and under the grow light. The question I have is whether to start the tomatoes and peppers today as scheduled. I think I will, I can always up-pot if needed. The sun is winning and it will be warm and spring-like very soon.

dvelten wrote:Well, I know I won't be planting peas and fava beans this weekend. My onions and brassicas are germinated and under the grow light. The question I have is whether to start the tomatoes and peppers today as scheduled. I think I will, I can always up-pot if needed. The sun is winning and it will be warm and spring-like very soon.

I do believe I am going to try to stay on schedule. Planting of the heat loving plants will commence this week. Seriously, this may seem like winter is holding on, but in reality the past decade has been warmer than the past century. This is 'typical late winter' and what everyone is feeling is cabin fever. Those of us in the north who have yet to start sowing seeds, we are right on time.

https://www2.ucar.edu/climate/faq/how-much-has-global-temperature-risen-last-100-years

I have outright cabin typhoid.

But, I'm going to stay on schedule too, because SURELY it's going to turn really quickly.

You can tell who the gardeners are this spring by their blood pressure readings.

Not really camprn. Last March 17th I was outdoors getting my beds ready and on March 21st I sowed my first peas in the ground....outdoors.....no snow.....typical springtime and weeks before our last frost around mid-May.
Its the snow that makes the difference.
I have noticed that we get a long snowy winter every other year. This year we had almost double the snow of last year. Maybe next year will be a better year to start experimentals earlier than usual.

My grson, the darling, just shoveled a pathway to my raised beds for me plus cleared off the snow from the 2 beds I want to cover, the one with the A-frame and another where I'll put my new greenhouse cover. Those are the plans for tomorrow morning before our next snow arrives in the late afternoon. At least 2 beds will be plastic-covered and my greens can soon get transplanted outdoors in the A-frame.
The normal seed starting of tomatoes and eggplants commences this week in my house.

QB, maybe being closer to the coast makes the difference for you regardless of being in 5a. Yes, we have gotten above average snow precipitation but the temps are what I was referring to, more like the days of old. Last year was incredibly unusual.

Last year the lack of snow fall nationally(mostly) was meager and the drought conditions continue in many areas. Two years ago it was absolutely brutal where we had snow storms every week for 2 months. This year has been, for my area, a more typical winter and it is a great thing to have the above normal snowfall.

Last night it was incredibly amusing to see the newscaster gasping at the maple sap frozen in the tap and bucket...... LOL. I thank the lucky stars for a nice long slow ease into spring for my maple producing brothers and sisters. Hopefully this will bring the syrup price down a wee bit.

Camprn.....I bow to your longer years of gardening knowledge.
I started SFG late April 2009 so can't be sure further back. I checked my notes for 2011 and I was prepping my garden early April, not in March, due to deep snows again.
I think next year I'll start a little later since I'm sure to see my garden beds in April.....Except of course, for things experimental on my list.