New England ~ March 2014

Is it over yet??? 

Hopefully only one more snow storm to get through, coming tomorrow night & on into Tuesday for the Cape.  I can't remember if this is # 18 or 19.  

However, all that being said, the birds are chirping before I get up in the AM so it's promising.  And my 2014 plan has been made:

Half of my seeds have sprouted and according to the ANSFG book I could plant them out on March 15th.     


I hope to start tomatoes & peppers this weekend, but Miss Lilly doesn't seem willing to give up an inch of her sunbathing spot yet:
I'll finagle something since I sure don't want to get wrung out by the forum again for taking up her space.   

So folks, what are YOUR plans for March?

CC

CapeC...You are a zone ahead of me so its nice to see what's happening with you.  It portends good things in my near future.
Lookin' good!

My plans are about set on paper now since I decided to keep growing veggies as usual with some flowers also in the raised beds.
This week I'll be starting pansies, petunias, cabbages and kale.  Then further into the month other things.

I took a picture of my raised bed veggie garden yesterday and the snow is still about 2 feet deep there and more snow coming tomorrow nite and into Monday morning. Ugh

As you can see my raised bed greenhouse frame is still half burried.

CC and QB, I love your photos, as you already know.

CC, Your first photo must be saved! I think it represents SFG. The book, personal notes, plot plans, cup of coffee (or herb tea for others), the keyboard representing this SFG Forum, and the glasses for some of us!!

Last year I wasn't impressed with my tomato crop and the peppers never happened.  I was too late starting the seeds and the tomatoes never did much so I bought tomatoes, peppers, and parsley.  Then the store-bought plants weren't doing well until my friends on the forum told me to put down more compost.  I guess the store-bought compost isn't very good because the plants perked right up with the home-made stuff.

So the peas, radishes, basil and parsley did really well.  The swiss chard didn't happen and the kale didn't do much either.  The lettuce did fine but I think I need to harvest it early and replant often.  The greenbeans didn't do much.

Then I cleaned up the garden, planted 8 garlic bulbs -- one in each square I also intend to plant a tomato in.  I hope they'll do well sharing. I covered the garden with a tarp leaving a little uncovered on each end so the garlic would get some water but leaves, weeds, and squirrels would stay out.

Two weeks ago I started my seeds.  I'll start feeding them Miracle Grow because this is my mix made with store-bought compost and I don't think the plants are finding it very nutritious.  Official planting date is May 31.

Deborah....Better luck this year with your garden.   Having a compost pile in a corner is a wonderful thing.  It sure feeds the planting beds.  Even if its just for kitchen scraps, pulled plantings and leaves, it'll enrich your soil.

My ten varieties of Wintersown tomatoes arrived today along with a sweet pepper bonus (I sent them a small donation.They do good work).  I thought it was Chocolate Cherry I ordered, but it was Chocolate Stripes which is a larger, brown tomato.  I'll have to try it instead.

I'm sure those of you in Mass. and surrounding areas have started your seeds but here in Maine I haven't yet begun.  There's still too much snow on the ground and there'll be no place to transplant ready seedlings per schedule.  I think I might sow seeds this weekend and hope for the best.  I'm itching to begin.

quiltbea wrote:I'm sure those of you in Mass. and surrounding areas have started your seeds but here in Maine I haven't yet begun. 

Yup!  Just about all my greens are sprouted and the tomatoes I planted last Sunday sprouted late Wed...waaaaay too soon.  I wasn't ready and had to rig up some light for them as the window is just too cold for tomatoes:
Yes, that IS my toaster oven tray under the first two.   

It's not too cold for greens in the window though:

I prepared more 6 pks this morning and tonight or tomorrow I will be planting chinese cabbage, Box Car Willie toms & whatever else strikes my fancy.    Now if this dang snow would just go away I'd prepare the SFG's.  

CC

I loved Box Car Willie!

camprn wrote:I loved Box Car Willie!

I've never grown them before. I hear they are like beef steak but smaller.  so I'm hoping they won't take as long to grow and will be more prolific.
There's a special on Amazon right now - 20 seeds for 2.79 I think and free shipping.  I loved the Beefsteak I grew last year! But the anticipation nearly killed me! 

Camp, do you still grow them? If not how come?

CC

CapeCoddess wrote:

camprn wrote:I loved Box Car Willie!

I've never grown them before. I hear they are like beef steak but smaller.  so I'm hoping they won't take as long to grow and will be more prolific.
There's a special on Amazon right now - 20 seeds for 2.79 I think and free shipping.  I loved the Beefsteak I grew last year! But the anticipation nearly killed me! 

Camp, do you still grow them? If not how come?

CC

LOL, silly CC!  I LOVE BoxCar WILLIE!

 
(kinda looks like him, right?)

CC

I just put my greens seedlings outside in the dappled sun and gentle breeze!
It's a good day!

CC

With the weather we have been having and the prevailing temperatures I feel like we are behind by 2 weeks for the season.

This month's Garden Chores by Margaret Roach.
http://awaytogarden.com/garden-chores-march-2014/

Guardian of the 'maters:
Although 'Guardian of My Space' is probably more like it!   

We had half a day of snow today, but now it's all gone...  just piles left from previous plowings.

My SFG is still frozen solid.  I really need it to thaw so I can clean out last years debris and get some of these babies out into it.  

Catching some rays on the warmer days:


CC

That's nice for warmer days but on cooler days you could turn over that nice white plastic container for an instant cold frame that will hold some heat, too.  And you could lift and support one end up a little to cool things off when it's too warm.   Neat, huh?  

That's an excellent idea, LM, if the trays didn't have an inch of water in them all the time.  Plus, these babies aren't ready to stay out for more than about 20 minutes just yet though.  The nights are way below freezing and there are still some seeds left to sprout in that tray.  They sit in the window most of the time with the maters, which won't go outside for a long long time.  Last year I turned my poor maters purple from the cold.  But they performed well anyway, despite my efforts to accidentally kill them. 

CC

You most certainly know your 'babies' needs.  Best Wishes.    

Precious Guardian . . .
Sweetie likes to nibble on the zinnias, beans and corn seedlings!!

The debris & top inch or so of MM on my SFG's was unthawed today so I could clean a lot of it up during my lunch break!  And guess what had popped up:
Guess they got the ol' heave-ho over the winter.  I ate the largest before taking the pic but it was dry. I won't winter over carrots again.  Into my lunch smoothie they all went, after being scrubbed of course.   

CC

If the snow ever melts I'll go digging for my parsnips.  Unlike your carrots CapeC, the parsnips love the winter sleep and get more flavorful.

Dang camprn, you have a twang in ya! You sure you're a native here? LOL

Okay, my garden is still frozen (under a lot of snow) and the long range forecast I heard said at or below normal right through the beginning of April, so I'm not starting anything early this year. Which fits right into my lazy mode.

I did plant tomato seedlings for the 7th grader's science fair project. Since I don't need 36 tomato plants, I REALLY wanted to use 18 tomato plants and 18 pepper plants so I can use them when she's done with them, but got vetoed, something about the integrity of the experiment (which happens to be organic fertilizers) so bleh.

But I think I should be seeding lettuce and celery right now.

I have started some Red wing Onion seeds and some CA Wonder Pepper seeds, and some Alfina Celery seeds. I plan on Doing some Toms in the last week of this month.  We are expecting a terrible snow/rain storm today which is supposed to bring 12 + inches in my area. Not looking forward to it at all!!      It is what it is i guess and Spring will get here when it is ready whether we are already ready for it or not, lol Happy successful planting  to ALL!!                                                                                                                                      

Well, between Camps statement that we're 2 wks behind & NHG's forecast for a cooler April, I'm planning on & seeding for a bumper crop of greens & lettuces.  The spring on the Cape is always longer than off Cape anyway, so an extended spring may allow me to stock up for the winter. 

I can only freeze so much so I just need to figure out how to can greens without losing their nutritional value to heat and turning them to mush.  Any helpful hints out there?

CC

I keep hemming and hawing.....should I or should I not?  So far I haven't sown one seed in any blocks or cell packs.  I can't see our snow and then the soggy wet soil in the beds being conducive to growing anytime soon out there.  We're expecting 6-10 inches of a miserable mix today.  That means more snow to melt before I can see my soil again.  Also, an Arctic air mass is moving back in again.  Ugh.
In any case, I'm thinking pansies, petunias and impatien seeds along with cabbage which can take cold and heat, a few Romaine lettuces, and a couple of Asian greens that might work.  Maybe even a pot of looseleaf lettuce in a shallow pot to grow indoors.  By this weekend I'll have my hands back in the dirt.  At least indoors it will look like spring.

Here's some Thom Thumb lettuces in a pot, under lights, last year.  Yummy.

CC, is spinach considered a "green"? Because I'd freeze a beaucoup of spinach. Lettuce tho, I don't guess that keeps. What other greens are you thinking of?