APRIL! N&C Midwest

March 31 we awoke to bare ground. Today, April 1, there is a 2 ft drift across my front walk, and more snow coming April 3. Spring has to be getting close, right?

GG

Things to plant in April in the N&C Midwest. This is based on an average last frost date of mid-May. This is a large region with a variety of climates, so adjust your planting accordingly. Personally, I have already started my peppers and tomatoes because it is looking like we are going to have an early spring!


Peppers (beginning)

Tomatoes (mid)

Onion sets

Potatoes, and cool crop seeds - beets, carrots, peas, lettuce,
Cool crop seeds: beets, carrots, peas, lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnips, parsnips, chard, kohlrabi, etc. (as soon as you can work the ground)

This is also the time to put asparagus crowns in the ground

GG

I feel bad for you guys in the Dakotas.  We've been on the 'warm' side of these storms.  At least the warm side on Monday brought our first 60 degree day, despite 40-50 mph winds.  The warm side tonight and tomorrow means mid 30s and rain--better than the ribbon of snow expected across Minnesota and northwest WI.

My garlic is poking through the ground and the soil thawed--I will be planting peas, spinach, arugula, radish, and lettuce seeds in a week or so as well as transplanting lettuce, broccoli, and onions in probably two weeks depending on what the weather looks like then.

It looks like we may finally be done with snow for the year.  I have my peppers started and a few tomatoes and zucchinis.  I'm hoping to get the rest of the tomatoes planted today or tomorrow - though the next 5 days are solid rain forecast.

I've never done a cool crop but want to try some romaine lettuce and carrots this year (and maybe beets if I can find the seeds I bought and lost - ugh).  Been taking out the fall/winter weeds a little at a time but need to get out there and get everything ready!  Unfortunately, taxes and business paperwork seem to be more pressing to DH  

During the night we got 0.6" of rain and 1.1" before 11am today.  Right now it has cleared off.  However, the forecast is for more rain this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow, and tomorrow night.  Fairly well halts planting for a couple of days. 

I planted onion sets, and radish and lettuce seed outside this week.  After the rain this morning I went out and could see two tiny stalks sticking up from one onion set  

Will be starting cool weather crops this week and hopefully my new box will be built on Sat!

Yee-haaaw Herblover, let the fun begin! 
This morning I noticed yesterday's heavy central Ohio winds took care of my question of whether or not to remove the leaves off my garlic bed. This morning the critter cover was blown off and laying upside down near the bed, and blew off almost all the leaves. Now I can see 3-4 inch tall garlic babies standing up straight. That's 62 out of 66 are up and ready to take off.  Sure made me smile 

llama momma wrote:That's 62 out of 66 are up and ready to take off.  Sure made me smile 

It makes me laugh that you counted them.   

CC

Even worse I counted them 3 times to make sure.. anyway I am so proud of my new babies, cause it was such a horrid cold winter and these are the babies saved from last years parent bulbs. The babies have made my day.  Oh boy, just think, if my new 2013 asparagus returns and pops up I may need a sedative or restraints. I mean, how much happiness can one person bare?  
 

Ah, the green dreams! We are forecast for another 3-5 inches of white starting tomorrow afternoon. But.....it looks like 40's and 50's from Saturday on!

GG

LM, only a gardener would count 3 times!

I know, I know!  

 Can't wait until I can be out there triple counting the greenies!  

GG

I didn't anticipate this spring being one to get spring seeds sowed early, but our snow melted, it has been relatively dry, which has allowed my beds to warm up and dry out nicely.  That's one thing I love about SFG--the soil gets workable fairly quickly in the spring.  Got sugar snap peas, spinach, radishes and trying one square of arugula and vit.  The upcoming 7-10 days looks fairly mild--with lows above freezing and fairly dry.  Still debating about those onions....

Since several of my boxes are still frozen solid, I spent time online ordering more seeds and setting up the rest of my lights in my seed starting station.  I had just the 2 18" fixtures set up and plugged in.  Things were getting leggy, so I now have all 6 plugged in, and out of 36 cells, only one has not germinated, and it is a tomato - not a pepper, like I expected.  I have 6 cells of each variety planted - 4 toms and 2 peppers.  I think I may start some flowers indoors next.  Never tried flowers.  This is a COMPLETE experiment!     

GG

New box was built on Sat! Planted 5 squares of onion sets and 1 square each of arugula, 'Black Simpson' lettuce, 'Fordhook Giant' chard, 'Lacinato' kale, 'Cylindra' beets, 'Cherry Belle' radish and 'Little Finger' carrots. Raining today so my timing was perfect!

Sounds good, I had a busy weekend, so I wasn't able to adhere to my "schedule."  I'm hoping to get some things in the ground later this week.

Starting to panic...just looked at my 92 cups and probably 20 of the flower cups have lots of sprouts (the seeds were small...I was generous...).  Now I've got a ton of transplanting to do (when do I do that?!) and still a month before I can plant outside!  Some of my tomatoes are pushing through and a couple peppers (they've been planted the longest).  BUT...I still don't have any beds!  I have to completely re-do them this year and had planned to do cement block...but then I started looking at the lovely TT gardens and I'm totally leaning that way now - except that require help from DH and he is stressed and busy.  All the while, corporate and personal taxes are laughing at me from my desk.  So much for 4/15...I swore I wouldn't extend again this year!   

Bonnie, So, I would advise the cement blocks for now, and build the TTs when things are slower. Replace the wood with blocks as you take the beds apart so the MM stays together. To heck with how they look. Building the TTs later will also give you time to paint or stain or what ever.

sanderson wrote: Replace the wood with blocks as you take the beds apart so the MM stays together.  To heck with how they look.

Ah...but I also need to relocate them. I've hated where they are since I first put them in.  If I'm doing the work...they are moving, changing size, etc.  If I don't do early crops, then I still have a month so I won't rule out TT yet.  Plus, I can't put money in to cement block now and then TT later.  Thanks for the suggestion tho!

Good things are starting to happen here in south central WI.  Looked at my SFG beds today and found some garlic starting to poke through I had two hard neck and two soft neck varieties planted last fall, but the dog hopped over the fence and went on a rampage - wasn't sure I would get any of it this year.  Also saw some onions I had left from seeds planted last spring, and my rhubarb is poking up now too.  Seedlings are also doing well - tomatoes, peppers, petunias, salvia, onions and marigolds should all be ready to go in about a month



Garlic



onions



rhubarb in need of dividing (anyone close by need some)?



tomato, pepper, petunia seedlings



salvia and marigold seedlings

I feel like Im behind on my garden because we've been building a fence for the past 2 weeks.  I planted spinach, lettuce, green onions, peas, SS peas, and carrots.  All have sprouted (minus the onions) and are coming up.  I need to put bird netting over them today, I noticed my stupid cat pooped in the bed.  

I picked up my peat moss yesterday at Lowes.  I noticed their bag is now 3 cub feet as opposed to 3.8 cub ft it was last year.  I got my zoo & barn compost.  Now just need to get wood & vermiculite.

My seedlings are doing well for the most part.  Had a hell of a time with my shallots and peppers.  Toms, broccoli, and cabbage are of course doing well. 

I have a question.  I had a huge problem with cabbage worms on my broccoli last year.  I think I remember reading on here that you can put netting (like tulle) over the plants to keep them out.  Is there a time I need to remove the tulle for pollinating?

You can cover them at any time. Broccoli doesn't need to be pollinated to get an edible head.

boffer wrote:You  can cover them at any time.  Broccoli doesn't need to be pollinated to get an edible head.

Thanks boffer!

Up potted around 40 tomatoes and peppers and eggplant, table top of strawberries died over extreme winter, 2013 new bed of asparagus is coming up, and the garlic is up, here is the 62 free german red garlic which means these were held back from last years first harvest ever,  and re planted.
It was windy today, so these guys are a bit flattened from being whipped around.