2014 SFG in Brooks, GA

Anybody down my way doing any early spring planting?  Bnoles? Windmere?

I just started my spring planting.  I was super busy at work in Jan and Feb and never got any seeds started.  This spring I am using transplants from Pikes, Lowes, & Home Depot.

Here is my 3 x 8 x 10" bed all ready for my spring crops before planting anything.


The following picture is just after planting my transplants.  Sure is easy this way.  Feels kinda like cheating though.

8 squares Pacman Broccoli, 8 squares Premium Crop Broccoli, 4 squares Brussel Sprouts, 4 Squares Lacinato Kale.  All ready for my plastic cover when temps dip low.  How low do temps have to get before I cover these plants.

Another bed ready for planting - 4 x 4 x 10".


You can see the 4 x 8 x 12" strawberry bed in the background.  When should I remove all the leaf mulch and clean the bed out?  Do I need to wait until after all danger of frost is over??

Here is the same bed a little while later.  4 squares of Bibb lettuce (4 per square), 4 squares of Romaine lettuce (4 per square), 4 squares of Winterbor Kale (2 per square) and 4 squares of Shelling Pea, Green Arrow (seeds planted 10 per square)

Another 4 x 4 x 10" bed all ready for planting.


A little while later.  5 Squares of Shallots (4 per square), 3 squares of Garlic (6 per square I think, maybe 9), 4 squares of short day onions (5 per square), 4 more squares of Shelling peas, Wando (10 per square).

And my three whiskey barrels full of peas.  One barrel is full of transplants - Anna sugar snap peas.  The bottom two barrels are planted with Shelling Peas, Green Arrow in one barrel and Wando in the other barrel.


The structure in the background with the tarp is where I put my vegetative waste until I can get around to shredding it.  My shredder does not like wet material.

I made a big mistake with my peas.  I presoaked them.  Two whole packages.  I didn't think to figure out how many peas I was going to plant.  So I had to plant all of both packages.  I will have peas coming out my ears if they can make it until it gets too hot.  I started sticking them in other empty beds.  I figure I will have plenty to supplement any peas that do not germinate.

Yolos, Regardless of whether one buys or raises seedlings, there is an immediate benefit of actually seeing something in the ground! We won't tell if you don't tell!   

Yolos

Winterbor kale is my favorite.  I planted starts in my first SFG in spring 2011 and ate kale until spring 2012.  It stood up to a Carolina summer but bolted as soon as the weather got hot the second year.  That was the year we had such a mild winter.  

I hooped tulle during the summer for bug control and plastic in the winter for cold control.  I think the tulle also cut just enough of the hot summer sun to help out.

Kay

Hey yolos,

I just now popped in and I saw you post.  All I have to say is:  Wow!  Very nice job on all your beds.  I'm so jealous!

Yes, I planted a few seeds a little over a week ago.  I went WAY overboard with tomatoes.  I've planted four each of the following 10 (yes ten) varieties:

Wapsipicon
White Cherry
Garden Peach
Kumato
Orange Sungold
Blue Streak
Yellow Pear
Moutain Magic
Black Krim
Indigo Rose

Almost all of the seeds have germinated.  I used peat pellets for planting because last season I did very well with those.  I got the Kumato seeds last after we were at Sam's Club and they were demo'ing them.  They taste awesome!

My thinking is, that with all those varieties, I should get a least a few that will do well and produce for me.

Last year I tried three different types of peat pellets and one Jiffy pellet in particular was by far the best.  A few weeks ago I paid premium prices to get the ones I wanted. 

Well, it just so happens that the Big Lots in the Fayette Pavillion in Fayetteville has the ones I like in packages of 25 for $3.00.  Today was a 20% off all purchases day, so I paid $2.40 a package.  Believe me, I stocked up.  I still cringe at the price I paid before I found these.

I also planted Sweet Sunset Italian Peppers and Anaheim Peppers.  I just found out about a month ago that peppers HATE excessive peat.  Last year my peppers seeded in peat were very sad.  So, this year my pepper seeds are in peat pots filled with MM.  I've done the same for eggplant.  I know peppers take forever to germinate, so I am nervously anticipating.

I have the peat pellets and peat pots with MM in old black frozen food trays and then I put those in aluminum roasting pans I bought from the dollar store.  All this absorbs heat very well when I put the pans out in the sun.   They come inside at night and I place them on top of our refrigerator.

I'm going to try to sneak in some lettuce/micro greens before it gets too hot.  Also, my wife has made a special request for lunar white carrots and my daughter made a request for cosmic purple carrots.  They tried those varieties from my last batch of rainbow variety mix and they loved them.    

Really, I don't know if any of this will work well... but I have lots of seeds left to try and try again!

I hope you have much success yolos.  From what you've shown us in your photos, I know you will!

 

beautiful!! not cheating!! called, "getting it done"!! way to go

Still 2 inches of snow on my beds.....Yours looks really nice.
A lot of dedicated work is going on there at your place.

The temperature is going down to 30 degrees tonight.  I just covered up 2 of my three beds I planted yesterday.  Up down up down.  74 degrees high yesterday and low tonight of 30.  The temperature won't stay where I want it to stay. 

I know I have to cover my lettuce but at what temperature do I have to cover the broccoli, kale and Brussel sprouts.???????????

They can probably withstand the 30 degrees, but if you are out there covering, why not do all and be safe.

Kay

I'll agree with Kay, why chance it....cover them all

I'm moving to Newnan, GA next week and seeing your picture makes me so excited!! Here in Montana I have to wait til May to start planting. We still have snow on the ground and getting more later this week.

I agree with the others that if you are already out there cover up the lettuce might as well cover the broccoli, brussel sprouts, and etc...

mschaef wrote:I'm moving to Newnan, GA next week and seeing your picture makes me so excited!! Here in Montana I have to wait til May to start planting. We still have snow on the ground and getting more later this week.

I agree with the others that if you are already out there cover up the lettuce might as well cover the broccoli, brussel sprouts, and etc...

Well welcome to Georgia Mschaef.  Be prepared for hot muggy weather this summer.  You will probably wish you were still in Montana once the heat of the summer peaks.

Thanks all for the suggestions.  I did cover all beds except the one with the shallots, garlic, onions. Had to rush home from work to cover them.   Ran out of sunlight and couldn't see what I was doing.

mschaef wrote:I'm moving to Newnan, GA next week and seeing your picture makes me so excited!! Here in Montana I have to wait til May to start planting. We still have snow on the ground and getting more later this week.

I agree with the others that if you are already out there cover up the lettuce might as well cover the broccoli, brussel sprouts, and etc...

Hi Mschaef,

I'd also like welcome you to GA.  As yolos said, we have some wild weather here.  I moved to Fayetteville from Los Angeles about 9 years ago.  It was an adjustment, but now, I prefer Fayetteville much more than Los Angeles.  The pace is slower and it is cleaner here.  We visited Los Angeles in August and we began noticing things that we never noticed before (trash on the sides of the freeways and roads being one).

It will be muggy, so get prepared for that.  However, the warm weather makes for some good growing conditions.

My avatar is of some of my winter veggies.  I only covered them when it went below the mid 20's.  However, they were near the side of our house, so that may have made a difference with their cold resistance.

Again, welcome to GA and welcome to the SFG forum.

 

Yolos, I empathize with you regarding tarping in the dark.  I can't tell you how many times I raced to cover my winter garden boxes at night in the bitter cold.  Brrr!  It's all part of the gardening experience right?   

I grew up it GA, Peachtree City to be exact. So I'm excited to head home...thanks for the warm welcomes!!!

mschaef wrote:I'm moving to Newnan, GA next week and seeing your picture makes me so excited!! Here in Montana I have to wait til May to start planting. We still have snow on the ground and getting more later this week.

HEY! That leaves me all alone again.   All of us in the Northern Plains will miss you.

I know you are a Southern lady at heart, so I hope this is a good move and you get to settle in for several seasons of gardening in the same spot. Here is to growing okra not in a greenhouse!  

Turan,

You're not really alone!

Technically, I'm in your region, although I tend to think of myself as a PNW resident.  

However, for gardening purposes, I'm indeed in the Western Mountains/High Plains. Some websites say USDA Zone 5, others say 6.  To be on the safe side, most plants and bulbs I purchase are hardy down to Zone 4.  

Accidental double post from my last post above... sorry ...

donnainzone10 wrote:Turan,

You're not really alone!

Technically, I'm in your region, although I tend to think of myself as a PNW resident.  

However, for gardening purposes, I'm indeed in the Western Mountains/High Plains. Some websites say USDA Zone 5, others say 6.  To be on the safe side, most plants and bulbs I purchase are hardy down to Zone 4.  

But you are moving to GA. I am sorry to see you move though I can understand how nice it is to be moving back to 'home' area. I did that 20+ years ago, from So Cal back home to Montana.

Have a safe and happy move and we will miss you.

Turan,

Mschaef is moving to Georgia, not me!

I spent two years in Atlanta back in the early '70s--never again! Although it's beautiful in spring and fall, the summers are brutally humid, with extreme thunderstorms.

I'm here in Central Oregon, to stay!

donnainzone10 wrote:Turan,

Mschaef is moving to Georgia, not me!

I spent two years in Atlanta back in the early '70s--never again!  Although it's beautiful in spring and fall, the summers are brutally humid, with extreme thunderstorms.

I'm here in Central Oregon, to stay!

  
Sorry there Donna. I really should learn to look at who I am talking too    There are actually lots of people in our region and lots more in similar climates. mschaf is the only one I know of with in an hours drive though.

You needn't feel embarrassed.  I think the same thing has happened to most of us, at one time or another.

Here is an update to my early spring garden planting I posted at the beginning of this thread.  The whole garden in it's pre summer growth.  All cleaned up and ready to plant the summer veggies.