April 2013 New England

Cape....I wish I lived closer so I could cover your new crops for you. Bursitis pain is no fun. Maybe it won't get as cold as you expect. I hope not.
Weatherwise I'm in the same postion, 3 nites of below freezing temps. Luckily some of my things are in my new greenhouse cover (Cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, red cabbage, shallots, Swiss chard), some in the A-frame (greens and spinach) or the coldframe (lettuce and Chinese cabbage). My experimental tomatoes I not only covered the tops with a plastic bag to hold in any warmth, but put a blanket on both sides of them and clipped them on the fence poles to keep them from freezing. Two of them have blossoms, darn it, and I don't want to lose them.
In the open SFG beds I'm going to see if the sugar snaps can fend for themselves along with the kale and cabbage. I put towels over the Brussels sprouts and broccoli seedlings. Everything else that I've been hardening off is indoors for the nite. If I lose the one square of peas, I have 3 other squares already sowed with seed and they should be ok under the ground.
Its getting to be a balancing act this spring.
Let's hope our babies fare well thru these nites.
Good luck.

If they're a cold weather vegetable that you're supposed to plant outdoors a month before the last frost, shouldn't they be okay in frost? Otherwise, why would they advise to plant before last frost?

NHGardener.....You are right, of course, but sometimes those frosty nites go down a little too far, like below 28F which can do some damage even to cold tolerant plants. The cold also sets the plants back a bit, even the cold tolerant ones and I'd rather cover them so they can keep growing strong.

It's the difference between a frost and a freeze that will do in the cold hardy veggies.

Oh. That makes sense. Guess we're having a doozy of a spring still if we're getting freezes instead of frosts.

Glad I didn't transplant the spinach/lettuce today even tho I'm a little behind at it.

Maybe I should have covered my pea and onion transplants tho.

It says 29 tonight, 28 tomorrow night here.

Just hobbled out to look at the damage - lost one celery & only one chard.

Then I noticed that last yrs kohlrabi had one starting to bolt so I pulled all the last years veggies for the weekly soup pot & salad box.
kohlrabi, kale, collards & a baby cabbage:


I can't tell you how grateful I am not to have to go to the grocery store today! Thank you, garden!

How'd everybody else fare?

Oh, and I noticed that there's one pak choi from this year that is bolting already. It's not even full grown...
What's that all about???

CC

NHGardener wrote:Hmm camprn, Fedco has them as a spring order only. I think we talked about that in a thread, that that was your feeling all along, unless it was the other way around.

Somehow I lost my email thread notification again. I'll have to look in preferences, but last time I looked, it was checked.

All the catalogs I have searched are for autumn shipment (September-November) for multiplier onions. My guess is that they need to grow those onions that they will ship in the autumn. The gardener would have to store them for spring planting, just like shallots. According to that pdf you posted, she has found in our area of the country that spring planting had better results.

http://www.southernexposure.com/yellow-potato-onion-hill-mother-or-pregnant-onion-8-oz-p-873.html?zenid=57r75h7d7jpt6nvv4j2lsm9g84

At this blog post, there is a list of multiplier onions suppliers.
http://turkeysong.wordpress.com/2012/10/06/where-to-buy-potato-onion-starts/

Jeeze! I wish it would warm up! I have some plants that need to go in the garden!

WoW'zers! You've got your own little rain forest there
I wish it would warm up here in the Western Mountains and High Plains area too. My Carrot Week box is mighty heavy and becoming a real pain to move on a nightly basis

Forecast is for 24 here tonight. I put sheets on the strawberries, and the old cardboard lining the garden path is propped over the peas.

I didn't do anything to the 4 x 8 bed of just transplanted onions that look like blades of grass. Hmm. I also didn't put anything over the garlic, which is about 6" high and beautiful looking. Maybe I should throw something over them too.

The garlic and onions will be fine! Sadly the forecast looks like this weather is hanging on for a while yet.

I took such pains with my tomatoes last nite but not enuf it seems. The wind was awful and blew the blankets right off and also the extra plastic cover over the top of my Taxi tomato. It didn't look too good this morning but the other 2 look OK.
Tonite I found some extra binder clips to hold the blankets in place around the 3 tomatoes, clipping them to the fence poles. The clothes pins weren't strong enuf it seems.
Everything else looked pretty good so I'll cross my fingers again tonite.
Camprn....You sure have lots of seedlings waiting to go outdoors. Much more than I ever start.
Cape.....I'm glad you didn't lose much last nite.

RoOsTeR wrote:WoW'zers! You've got your own little rain forest there
I wish it would warm up here in the Western Mountains and High Plains area too. My Carrot Week box is mighty heavy and becoming a real pain to move on a nightly basis

I am going to be giving a lot of them away.

I have not even bothered sowing carrot seed yet..... pfft. I hope your weather stabilizes, wouldn't want you to get hurt before garden season actually begins...

Jiminy Crickets, Camp! Is that what it takes to have enough to can??? If so, I'm not even close this year. Darn.

QB, so sorry about you mater. Maybe it'll bounce back. I lost a celery stumpling and one tiny Rainbow Chard. No problem...lots more where they came from as I have back up for the community garden.

Couple more nites and it should be over. *crossing fingers*

CC

Well, before I read your note camprn, I threw a long tablecloth that covered my 4x8 onion bed. The garlic I didn't worry about, I read that can take a freeze.

At least tonight won't be as windy! Here, anyway. What is it with the wind this year? Looks like it will be coming back tomorrow night.

I had the impression this was our last cold night? I have 31 for tomorrow night and then that's it. I think tomorrow would probably be okay to transplant the spinach and lettuce here...

And it is carrot planting time, isn't it? Tomorrow I'll have to build the 2nd tier for the 4x8 carrot/potato bed. Yikes.

It felt like late October outside this evening.

Hopefully all of our weather will improve soon! I am however very happy to be getting moisture, but I'm over the nights that dip into the teens and 20's. BLAH!
QB, sorry to hear about your maters
Camprn, luckily I have the box I do to be able to participate in Carrot Week. Otherwise, it wouldn't be happening for me either!

Here's to sunny days

K, I'll leave the New England region now. Thanks for letting drop in

With our late spring this year in New England, I'd say we're getting our March winds in April since all we got was winter in March. Maybe we'll get our April showers next month.

I have a few dandelions in the yard today! I hope I have lots of them this year!

They're blooming, camprn? I have lots of plants but no blooms yet. Maybe you're warmer than me. I check mine constantly for blooms.

You can tell a beekeeper because they blow dandelion seeds INTO their yards. And mulch them.

Did it get as cold as they predicted last night? Because at 7 a.m. here it was 34. I'm thinking maybe it never dropped into the 20s?

Time to go unwrap everything. They say 30 for tonight, but I think it will be okay for transplanting lettuce/spinach today, mainly because I just can't stand waiting another day, my spinach leaves are starting to turn yellow as it is. (overwatering?)

quiltbea wrote:With our late spring this year in New England, I'd say we're getting our March winds in April since all we got was winter in March. Maybe we'll get our April showers next month.

Good point, qb. I've thought for several years now that our seasons seem delayed - spring is coming later, summer is staying later. I guess that's not scientific, but it does seem that way. Maybe we need to change our calendars?

NHGardener wrote:They're blooming, camprn? I have lots of plants but no blooms yet. Maybe you're warmer than me. I check mine constantly for blooms.

You can tell a beekeeper because they blow dandelion seeds INTO their yards. And mulch them.

Did it get as cold as they predicted last night? Because at 7 a.m. here it was 34. I'm thinking maybe it never dropped into the 20s?

Time to go unwrap everything. They say 30 for tonight, but I think it will be okay for transplanting lettuce/spinach today, mainly because I just can't stand waiting another day, my spinach leaves are starting to turn yellow as it is. (overwatering?)

It was 27*F here this morning and now we're still at 28*F. I'm about done waiting. Cold hardy stuff will start going into the garden and a hoop will be put in place. But DANG! Plastic is expensive.

Hi there! I'm new to the forum and to SFG, I tried last year but only got my boxes built, but no plantings, busy with other stuff. I'm determined this year to make it work!
I'm anxious to get started, but this year has been so cold. Is there anything I can plant outside already? Thanks for your help,
Becky

Miesmama!

Check out this planting calendar: Old Farmer's Almanac Planting Calendar.
The link will take you to my zip code but just change it to yours and it will tell you what you can start planting now.

Also, check out the seed starting area & you'll get lots of ideas.

Good luck & post pics of your progress!

Also Miesmama, if your MM has been sitting in your boxes for a complete year, I see that as a plus, because I believe it helps it to settle a little before you use it, that's just my opinion. It probably would be a good idea to help your new plants along with a few scoops of fresh compost when you plant tho -- don't you all think?

Miesmama, Welcome! How exciting to have a whole fresh 'pallet' to plant in!

In the All New Square Foot Gardening book at the back is a list of what can be planted when. You just have to know your last frost date.

Good luck and let us know how you do.

CC