Hello from Northern Maine

I am a transplant from a much more temperate area so much of my gardening experience is having to be rewritten. Despite having been in Northern Maine (zone 3b, almost in New Brunswick Canada) for a number of years i still struggle at times with the differences. (having tomatoes ready for transplant in March while there are blizzards outside probably isn't the smartest move).

This year we have expanded our raised beds to about 160 square feet. I also have a 8X4 traditional earth bed that houses my asparagus and such. And a 10X10 three sisters garden. I also have a number of container plants, primarily because, I have a bad habit of "recalling" that things like rosemary are perennials (which they are, just not so much here) so they get moved in and out.

We also expanded our hops bed by another 20 feet. We homebrew and even if we didn't the hops are just simply amazing plants to watch grow a foot or more in a day!

We are planning on building some cold frames before the end of the season this year. It is just the two of us, but i do a lot of canning and putting up of veggies and my daughter and granddaughter live in the same town and are frequently "helping" (my granddaughter is four, helping often involves the making of mud pies)

Currently a lot of the garden is planted. I have hoop covers for the primary tomato/pepper/basil/etc bed. The brassicas seem fine. My peas are up and searching for the trellis. the lettuce and chard are still small but doing well. i seem to do a lot of fussing with everything this early in the season, and of course, it has been raining steadily for three days.

morsel, Welcome to Maine gardening. I'm not as far north so I'm in 5a but gardening here is still a challenge. In spring one wants to jump in with both feet and get things outdoors. For the warm-weather crops; tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, corn, melons, squashes, pumpkins, its better to wait till a week or 2 After the last frost date. Sometimes that's hard to do, I know.

Good luck and enjoy the experience. The good thing is that brassicas grow wonderfully well here in the fall with little probs from insect pests that late in the season. And if you're into greens, another bonanza harvest in the late fall. I hope you get a second fall crop in this year.

Very much looking forward to planting a fall crop this year. It isn't something that i have done before, i suppose due to getting overly focused on the spring, but very much something on the "menu".

(although, living in Aroostook, i have yet to grow a single potato LOL)

Hey morsel, my only potatoes this year are in a 5-gallon bucket. Lookin' very healthy tho.

One of our local stores has burlap coffee bags for a buck, kinda mulling over planting some potatoes in one or two of those. But the primary crop in this area is potatoes, fields and fields of potatoes!!! One would think that it would make sense to follow conventional wisdom and plant what obviously grows well LOL but i apparently feel the need to rebel and push my limits.

Welcome, Morsel!

Your toms in March comment made me laugh. I did the same thing but only because I've never grown from seed before and with this last winter being so cruddy I was anxious to get started.

I see that you found the New England thread. That's great...you'll get lots of help there.

Post photos if/when you can. Would love to see your set up.

CC

Welcome to the forum!

I think I've been up your way, you're up in the Caribou area, yes? It is certainly a challenge to garden this far North, but I'm sure with your existing experience you can adapt.

Again, welcome!

I am south of Caribou!!! as if that matters! LOL. but yeah, pretty close to Caribou. I am at the last United States exit on I95. I think they say it isn't nowhere but on a clear day we can see it from here...

given the snow happening in some other parts of New England I am feeling better about my week solid of rain!

CapeCoddess--i have tons of photos, will see what i can do to get some up once this rain stops falling hopefully sometime this week!

My grandparents lived in So. Penobscott. Now my aunt is living in their home. I love it up there.

It is absolutely beautiful country, can't argue with that in the slightest. and i like the pace of things up here.

ANd the blueberries

absolutely blueberries! we are putting in a few bushes this year. My partner who is a paramedic works in the middle of blueberry country but i can't seem to get him to stop and grab them on the way home often so will put some in the backyard!