May 2013 New England

Thank you. Your soil temp listing is really helpful.

NHGardener wrote:Somewhere I saw recommendations for soil temperatures before transplanting. A quick google came up with this:

http://groworganic.com/organic-gardening/articles/soil-temperature-for-transplanting-vegetable-starts-and-seedlings :

" * 60º to 65ºF for cabbages and beans
* below 75ºF for corn
* 75ºF for peppers"

This is a problem. I was planning on setting my poor transplants free tomorrow, but it doesn't look like the heat-based plants (melons, squashes, peppers, tomatoes, eggplants) are going to like that, the soil temperatures are still too cool.

Is that what you all are thinking?

Here's another site: http://easttexasgardening.tamu.edu/tips/veggie/soiltemp.html

"60 F - tomatoes, cucumbers, snap beans
65 F - sweet corn, lima beans, mustard greens
70 F - peppers, watermelons, squash, southern peas
75 F - okra, cantaloupe, sweet potatoes"

Yes indeed, It is far too cold to be planting summer plants here... The cole crops yes.

I don't understand that temp on the cabbages. I planted out mine ages ago and they are growing...not fast mind you, but they are bigger.

Also, my toms are going out tomorrow and I planned on pouring on some Neptune in warm water after. They will have nites around 50 but our days should be warm enough.

Dang pepper temp is so hi...guess I'll hold off & pot them up again. I have no idea what to do about the tomatillos but I'm pretty sure they like it hot, too, probably much like the peppers.

CC

CC, are you close to the ocean? Because you probably have great access to seaweed. (speaking of Neptune)

NHGardener wrote:CC, are you close to the ocean? Because you probably have great access to seaweed. (speaking of Neptune)

Yes I do, I often load up my compost pile with fresh seaweed. I've even posted pics on this forum of it somewhere. But I inherited this bottle of Neptune and have been using it for the seedlings. I read that it's good for transplant shock so thought I'd use it for that, too. *shrug*

CC

I guess I am going to end up waiting another couple of days to plant the tomatoes. 30 degrees seems a little cold

I have gilberties, Brandywines, sweet 100s, jet star, and bush big boys ready to go whenever the weather will cooperate. I know it's been posted before, but how long do we "harden off" these guys before planting. 4 days? a week?

In other news, my garlic is doing gangbusters. The few broccoli and cabbage plants are slowly coming along and my sprouts are starting to show up. If I can just keep my 3 yr old away from the watering hose they may survive and not drown. Sometimes I get TOO MUCH help
Happy gardening everyone!

ACK! Hard Freeze last nite. DH said it was 25 degrees when he got up at 6 ish, so it was probably lower overnight.

Of course, I covered the plants the night we had a light frost & didn't cover for the killing frost I have no excuse, just assumed (don't SAY it) that it would be a light one again & obviously misjudged.

SO, here's the run-down on what was affected & what wasn't.

Let's start with the "What, was there a freeze last night? We didn't notice!" crowd:
Pea 'Sugar Ann'
Brussels Sprouts 'Long Island Improved'
Carrot Week Carrot 'Anatolian Black' (that will likely want to bolt this summer now)
All the onion & garlic varieties

And now the "It was COLD!!! Mommy, what were you THINKING? We've lost all but one of our smallest innermost leaves but we might still make it" crowd:

Broccoli 'Green Sprouting Calabrese'
Broccoli 'Spring Raab Rapini'
Brussels Sprouts 'Red Bull' (surprising, that one--I thought he'd be hardier)

And the most surprising was the Asparagus 'Purple Passion'; lost a couple of spears down to the ground but not the ones next to them. :scratch: Most survived unscathed--weird.

As to the ornamentals, all the ferns have lost fronds, but I know they'll recover. The rest of the stuff, daylillies, etc. seem to be just fine.

This weekend I'm putting up hoops & covering the plants when it's cooler than 40, regardless. The cabbage moths are bound to be out soon so it'll serve as double protection.

Gotta love gardening in the North Country.

Guess in the north country, you just have to have hoops.

Altho it doesn't sound like you did too badly!

25 degrees!? Ouchi wa wa, Molly!

Glad I didn't read this yesterday or I would never have planted out some of my maters this morning. I compromised - planted one of each type, all grown from seed, as an experiment: red brandywine, pink brandywine, super sonic, beef steak, sweet 100, sungold. The romas are going in pots for the summer and I forgot to do one.

Today is sunny and gorgeous. It was supposed to be cloudy and rainy, so now the newbies are baking out there I guess since I didn't cover them.

I held off on planting a pepper and a tomatillo. Even tho they are hardened off they look too fragile for the days of hi winds that are a'comin.

Everything else is still doing great, even the pinched spinach is holding off on bolting, but today may do them in. I just want them to still be pick-able when the mother gets here tomorrow. I grew them for her.

No flowers on the peas yet, I keep checking. Does anyone's transplanted peas have flowers yet?

CC

My peas aren't even close to flowering yet. They're only about 6" tall.

Yay, an experiment! So we'll get to see how your early transplants compare to your later transplants.

Chilly and breezy here, I'm not plantin nuthin yet.

Rain at 3 pm... I have to rig a trellis for my peas wicked soon, like, yesterday....

Speaking of trellis, for some reason every time I go to the store recently to buy trellis fixin's I walk out empty handed thinking 'It's just not time' or 'I don't feel like carrying them' or 'my hip hurts' or whatever.

This morning I was cleaning out the garage and there in the corner is trellis making supplies...for not one, but TWO trellis' - a 6 ftr and a 5 ftr.- which is exactly what I need this year! Last year I must have bought stuff for the 6 ftr which means a left over 4 ft conduit. So instead of wasting it I must have had them cut me a 10 ftr in half!

Boy, was I ever clever when I was younger...

CC

I may have to attend just to find out about the cosmic activation...

A biodynamic pile....now that's different. You'll have to let us know what you learn camprn.

NHG.....I don't have any blossoms on my snap pears yet.

On the right are transplants put in and on the left from direct sowing 4-7

I managed to transplant a dozen tomatoes in the beds today.

Here are 3 of them. I have a half dozen more for the beds and some for pots which I hope to finish before this weekend. I might even put in a few peppers this weekend. It all depends on the weather forecast.

QB, you're not worried about soil temperatures for your tomatoes?

NHG.....Soil temperatures may slow them down a bit at first but as soon as the soil warms up a little, they'll grow like crazy and I want them already out there when warmth arrives.
My seedlings were getting too big for their pots and I didn't want to up-pot them yet again.

I'm really anxious to get everything in the ground. Waiting is hard.

NHGardener wrote:I'm really anxious to get everything in the ground. Waiting is hard.

Yup, but it beats that gutted feeling one has when everything that one has spent since March growing just died in the frosty night..... I'm content to wait a bit longer.

camprn wrote:
I may have to attend just to find out about the cosmic activation...

yeah, that part tripped me up and made me laugh. If you go, let us know please?

hehe
CC

quiltbea wrote:NHG.....Soil temperatures may slow them down a bit at first but as soon as the soil warms up a little, they'll grow like crazy and I want them already out there when warmth arrives.
My seedlings were getting too big for their pots and I didn't want to up-pot them yet again.

I see you are going down to 39 tonite. Will you cover them all?

I can't believe I'm saying this but it's hot out there in the sun!
CC

CC.....In my town its supposed to only drop to 45 tonite so I think I'll be safe. I have some heavy row cover handy should I need it. I haven't strung them yet, just stuck in some small bamboo stakes to tie them to so the wind won't break them.
Before adding the stakes, the wind actually broke one of my best Golden Grape tom seedlings yesterday, right at the base, before I could get it to the garden. I stuck it in a pot of water to see if it will re-root.

QB - how is your new greenhouse going? do you like it?

NHG.....Yes, so far I like my greenhouse cover. I haven't rec'd the replacement they said they were going to send me, the one I wanted with the netting, but I really don't need it. I plan to put my own netting, and in larger spaces, across the frame when insects are bothersome or they need shading. As I've mentioned before, this type is easier to reach into than the other.
I just now transplanted 4 more toms to my SFG. I have one to go but I can't decide which one to use in that last space. I have about 10 left over indeterminates including Valencia (bright orange), Thassalonika, and Wapsipicons. I got the last two types from Ray on Praxxus Utube and would like to find space for them. Maybe in the cuke berm this year. I know any leftovers will be appreciated by the comm gardeners whose director got a late start on theirs so they are still very small right now.
My determinates; Defiant, Polbig, Iron Lady and a mini Totem will go in their pots maybe next week.
The garden is looking nicer as more things are added. Hooray for spring finally arriving in the great white north.

QB - What are you putting in your greenhouse area? The tomatoes?

And a little friend arrived 10 minutes after I hung the feeder!!!