New England April 2014

Another month has passed and hopefully many of us will be able to finally get some seeds sown outdoors, like peas, spinach, greens, once the snow melts.

Indoors I just keep starting more seeds.  I've got my tomatoes and peppers started now.

Here's some Brussels sprouts and 3 kinds of Broccoli under the lights.

Beautiful babies, QB.  They look very happy!

The wind & snow of the past 24 hours has finally ceased and the sky is clear and blue. Yay!  I checked out the collards and kale that I planted out before all this mess started and they actually look fine.  They could use some water after all that wind I think so I'll do that tonight.

Onions sets, cabbage/radicchio/pak choi babies and beets seeds go out this weekend if not sooner.  

I still haven't up potted the tomatoes yet.  


Basil/peppers in front, tomatoes in behind:

CC

I did a lot of planting out today. I put out three different types of lettuce starts, the 2013 onion sets and the new potato onions. The cabbage, radicchio, pak choi. And I think that's it.
the beds are filling up little by slow.

Tomorrow I plant seeds and then dig up the bed I started for asparagus. If the asparagus bed looks ready I'll head to the nursery , buy some and get them planted.
  

oh, guess what?! the crocus bloomed today! I was so excited to see them. Also the shallots are up! Oh happy day!

CC

I Never got around to planting seeds and more peas today. I ended up buying, researching and planting 2 pear trees.   

I'm grateful to have that job behind me! But oh so sore now.

My poor tomatoes still aren't up potted either.

If I don't do that tomorrow they will probably move out and find a better home.

Nice day today! What was everybody else up to?

CC

Believe me when I tell you that if I ever plant asparagus again it will be by Mel's book and not the Victory Garden book. I dug a 20 foot ditch, 1 foot wide and one foot deep thru  sand, rocks and roots. It was brutal!  

then I mixed soil, compost and phosphate together and layered the bottom with an inch of this mix. Then I had to form mounds a foot apart to place the crowns on. Then cover with two inches of soil and water. Every time the shoots come up through the soil I'm to add another 2 inches of soil.
 

To anyone that's reading this and thinking about planting asparagus, I implore you, please use the SFG method and save yourself a lot of pain.
  

at least this job is pretty much over now. And the bright spot of my day is that my tomatoes have been up potted. Finally!
  
CC

The bright spot of your day is that now you've got 20 feet of asparagus beds! Woo hoo! How many plants was that in total?

Good thing you finally transplanted those tomato plants. Their roots must have been pretty tight.

CC, After reading what you did, I had to take a couple Ibuprofen! Good job. You may be saving some folks a lot of work by recommending SFG asparagus beds.

Marc Iverson wrote:The bright spot of your day is that now you've got 20 feet of asparagus beds!  Woo hoo!  How many plants was that in total?

Good thing you finally transplanted those tomato plants.  Their roots must have been pretty tight.

I planted one asparagus every foot, so 20 crowns in all.  It's recommended that you have 10 per person.

Sanderson, I can't believe it, but after planting 2 pear trees on Saturday and digging that stupid ditch on Sunday, I'm feeling NO PAIN right now!  It's so weird because both those nights everything hurt.  PS I use ginger tea for pain when I have it.  No drugs if possible.
  
CC

Did you know Home Depot is having their spring plant sale?  5 plants for $10 and garden soil and other stuff.

I went this morning but they had very little available.  We in Maine are having a late winter and all they had so far are broccoli, cauliflower, chard, lettuces, and some very tiny tomato plants....and I mean tiny.   The only things they can keep outdoors right now are some shrubs and the trees.  Everything else is inside.

I got some Brite Lts Chard since I didn't have any seeds to start, some spinach to put in the beds when I'm able, some Packman broccoli which I didn't have this year either and which do well here, and some onion chives.  There were no herbs available.

So those of you in warmer areas, check them out.  The sale ends I think on the 9th.

Hi, all.

I was feeling far behind already and then I come here and see how much y'all have done and now I'm REALLY feeling far behind.  I haven't been able to start ANYTHING inside as yet.  Of course, my garden is still frozen solid and under a foot of ice/snow, but still...    

I might just call this an experimental year and see what happens if I don't start any seeds and just plant them outside to grow when they feel the temps/conditions are right...who knows, it might just work...

Hi Molly!  Hope you have lots of wood!

QB, I want to get a New Haven Peach tree like you have.  Did you get yours at Home Depot by any chance?  If so, I can buzz into town tomorrow night...

CC

mollyhespra wrote:Hi, all.

I was feeling far behind already and then I come here and see how much y'all have done and now I'm REALLY feeling far behind.  I haven't been able to start ANYTHING inside as yet.  Of course, my garden is still frozen solid and under a foot of ice/snow, but still...    

I might just call this an experimental year and see what happens if I don't start any seeds and just plant them outside to grow when they feel the temps/conditions are right...who knows, it might just work...

molly, I just planted my tomatoes a few days ago. I sowed pepper seeds last week.
It's time for you to sow soon.

CapeCoddess wrote:

Marc Iverson wrote:The bright spot of your day is that now you've got 20 feet of asparagus beds!  Woo hoo!  How many plants was that in total?

Good thing you finally transplanted those tomato plants.  Their roots must have been pretty tight.

I planted one asparagus every foot, so 20 crowns in all.  It's recommended that you have 10 per person.

Ten per person! Wow, that would be a formidable investment in beds and MM for just one crop. On the other hand, they are supposed to last something like 30 years, right? If we even live that long.

CapeC....I got my dwarf Red Haven Peach from Stark Bros online:

http://www.starkbros.com/products/fruit-trees/peach-trees/redhaven-peach

Just in case you want to read up on it I posted the site above.
Its a dwarf and I got over a dozen full-size peaches in its 2nd year.  They were the tastiest peaches I've (or my family) have ever eaten fresh.  Mmmmmmm good.

My first harvest.

Marc Iverson wrote:

CapeCoddess wrote:

Marc Iverson wrote:The bright spot of your day is that now you've got 20 feet of asparagus beds!  Woo hoo!  How many plants was that in total?

Good thing you finally transplanted those tomato plants.  Their roots must have been pretty tight.

I planted one asparagus every foot, so 20 crowns in all.  It's recommended that you have 10 per person.

Ten per person!  Wow, that would be a formidable investment in beds and MM for just one crop.  On the other hand, they are supposed to last something like 30 years, right?  If we even live that long.

In the ANSFG book, 1st ed, Mel sneaks in that you can plant 4 per sq.  That's only 5 sqs. 

CC

camprn wrote:

mollyhespra wrote:Hi, all.

I was feeling far behind already and then I come here and see how much y'all have done and now I'm REALLY feeling far behind.  I haven't been able to start ANYTHING inside as yet.  Of course, my garden is still frozen solid and under a foot of ice/snow, but still...    

I might just call this an experimental year and see what happens if I don't start any seeds and just plant them outside to grow when they feel the temps/conditions are right...who knows, it might just work...

molly, I just planted my tomatoes a few days ago. I sowed pepper seeds last week.
It's time for you to sow soon.

Thanks for the encouragement, Camp. 

I know I *technically* still have time to start the toms & peppers but I haven't even had time to figure out *what* I *want* to plant of each variety.  "Tomatoes on Tax Day" is the tradition up my way, so I could, still--but there are so many other things besides the garden that need doing that I'm just a bit overwhelmed, that's all.

I *do* know that there's a little early eggplant that I want to start, so maybe I'll get those going and maybe that will motivate me to get the rest in flats.

  to Spring.

I didn't feel like seeding this year either, Molly. What motivated me was trying something new to experiment with. I got a hold of a 200 cell pack, filled it with Mel's mix, then seeded 180 of them. Couldn't figure out what to do with the last row of 20 but I was back in the zone. Crazy, huh?  Whatever works. Or maybe it's just time for you to take a vacation from seeding. You'll probably feel more like doing it next year if you take a break. My time is coming. I can feel it.

outside update:  
the spinach seeds planted in March have sprouted. Happy!  but the spinach seeds planted last fall have not sprouted. Sad.  
no sign of peas planted at the same time yet.
All the greens are still doing well despite the crazy weather we've had. Going down to 30 degrees tonight so I'll have to cover.
I was cleaning the garlic bed and suddenly realized I was taking off some beautiful leaf mold. So I decided to experiment. I'm clearing half the bed and adding fresh compost.  I'm going to leave the leaf mold on the other half so we can compare the results.

Meanwhile, back in the bay window there is still room for Miss Lilly despite all the tomatoes, peppers, herbs and leafy greens.  


okay, time to rake up Armageddon (my yard). I can put it off no longer. Ick!

CC

Hi Molly.  I'm Marie. 

I'm quite OCD and easily get overwhelmed.  It helps if I just take a deep breath.  Or 2 or 10.  Then I try to pick ONE small thing I can easily accomplish.  When done, I take another deep breath.  And maybe relax with a good book for a while.  Then I can go to the next thing.

Yoga's good too.    

 

My tomatoes germinated in 5 days! Onward to spring!

WOW, Camprn!  I'm impressed!  Go 'maters!

Had a honeybee out in my Amish Pastes yesterday looking for flowers.  He kept hitting them like he was saying, "Come on, guys.  I'm trying!  Why aren't you?"

First planting of outside peas popped up!     No sign of the 2 later plantings yet.

CC

'Maters are out enjoying the dappled sunlight.
This is their second day in the great outdoors. Yesterday they went out for 10 minutes. I think I'll leave them out for the afternoon in the shade today.

What a beautiful day! Probably not as warm as off Cape but I'll take it.
  
Heading out to plant some Fordhook chard seeds since they won't seem to sprout indoors for me this year.

What's everyone else up to?

CC

Sure hope I can get inspired by everyone on here as I have been totally lazy with the really long winter have started nothing indoors yet!


-------and still lots of snow around-------

I was able to trudge around the house and behind the garages to avoid the snow that is left so I could take pics.

How's this for a big winter mess. 
I had to police the lawns and yards today, at least those not still covered in snow, so that burnt my energy for the day.  Tomorrow I'll tackle the raised beds.  First the greenhouse bed and then the A-frame bed and coldframe so I can get things started post haste.
They tell us we're having rain tonite.  I hope it goes thru quickly so I can get out in the gardens tomorrow.
If this nice weather keeps up, I'll be planting like you Cape.

Too much snow up here right now - at least 3 feet of it!