New England ~ May 2014

Several of mine seem pretty thick, and then several look kind of skinny but I don't know if they'll fatten up as they grow... maybe they don't.

Some online sites say to leave them alone in year #2 and don't pick them. Other sites say it's okay to pick in year #2. I think I will go a happy medium and pick the strong, fat looking ones. They may get tough if I leave them out there too long, some of those shoots look like they're a foot tall. 

I just love vegetables that come up year after year and you don't have to do a thing except pick and eat.

This sucks, I had to pick off skinny and rotted buds on my bigger indoor petite orange marigold plant.....

NHGardener wrote:
I just love vegetables that come up year after year and you don't have to do a thing except pick and eat.

Agree!! Just like garlic, asparagus, strawberries.  If only those genetic geniuses could figure out how to make annual veggies into perennial ones..  

CC, I just figured out I planted the potato onions upside down! I was wondering why I was seeing no activity... I went out this evening and dug around and righted all I could find, but there were several squares I couldn't find. Guess I found a use for my leftover potato onions.

Also, I think I may have figured out the vine transplant thing. I up-potted some new cucumber, etc. sprouts, and one by one, they're drooping over and dying. But the ones I transplanted last year were pretty big in the pots, so I'm thinking maybe if they get big enough, they transplant better, but if they're too small, their roots are too weak.  

Still learning... Hopefully before long it will just be a matter of maintenance...

I was out transplanting a lot today; broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, spinach, claytonia and mizuna.  It feels good to get some green things outside now.
I also found a Siberian kale coming back from last year.  It looks like kale and its where I had a plant last year, but I was sure surprised to see a nice little green plant coming back in the same spot.
Lo and behold a few short, fat purple asparagus tops are pushing thru the soil as well. 

The 2nd year of my Jersey Knights I only harvested the asparagus that were at least finger thick for only 2 weeks and then left the rest alone as I'd been instructed.  I hope that means I'll have lots of nice robust pieces this year.

The first sugar peas I sowed April 19th are coming up so I planted a new row of them today after soaking them overnight in warm water.  I again used an inoculant.

Tomorrow I have more that will be transplanted.  I forgot to harvest all my parsnips last fall and I see lots of greenery in those squares so I want to pull those up.  I imagine they will be quite hairy and inedible and I need the room for more Brussels sprouts in those squares.

Our evening temps keep dropping to the 30sF but the says are not getting warmer.  I love when its in the low 60s like today and for the rest of the week they tell us.  That means I'll be out in the garden getting things done.

I threw some asparagus seeds in a new bed, I hope they grow. I know I'll be needing more asparagus. It's so hard not to pick the asparagus this year - I picked several stalks just to see, and they were great, but many I'll leave for the plants for next year.

That's funny about your kale, QB. Makes me wonder if more things might not be perennials than we give credit for - like the volunteer tomatoes that come up every year, etc.

Tonight is supposed to be in the 30s, tomorrow night 41, so I was thinking about transplanting on Thursday. I'm working hard on wood chipping the aisles between my boxes, to solve the pesky weed issues. 

My peas aren't coming up yet! I wonder if something might be eating them... Not sure whether to try indoor seeding them just to give them a head start. I'll give them a few more days, maybe dig a couple up and see what's going on.

Progress is happening but a bit slow. The second bin is now filled. What is in this pile? Shredded leaves, grass clippings, coffee grounds, coffee chaff, garden debris,  poultry litter and 9 months of kitchen scraps. It was 27F when I got up this morning but I know warmer days are ahead. I really want this pile turned before it gets hot outside.

27F?! Wow, it never reached freezing where I am. I guess you are cooler there...

By the way, I'm seeing the pesky black flies around, tho they don't seem to be biting yet. It's a race to get the outdoors in order before they take over the place.

We had a hard frost up my way, too.  I don't know how cold it was but DH said the cars were white this morning when he got up. 

Good work on that pile, Camp!

For as cold as it is up there camp you got a lot accomplished.

Marc Iverson wrote:

NHGardener wrote:Some also grow fig trees, but I think you have to container those and bring them into a warmer spot in winter?

Must vary by climate, but in our climate here in a valley in Southern Oregon, getting down to the mid to low 20's is unusual and rarely lasts long, and lower than that is quite unusual (though we just had that, and worse, this year).  We have fig trees growing out in a side yard, not in pots but in horrible native soil (decomposed granite with a think skin of topsoil), and they're just fine.  We got down to 15 degrees in December.

Your climate sounds a lot like mine, Marc. We had the worst winter yet and I think my potted fig tree is dead. I see no signs of life at all yet. Same with my newly planted asparagus and fall planted potatoes..

Job lot has 50 percent off seeds, folks! I know I wasn't going to buy seeds this year but I didn't realize I had run out of pole and bush beans. And of course once you start buying, you just keep going. I also picked up some more bright lights chard and sugar snap peas.

Great news! My salad bucket for the week has been filled from the garden as well as from harvesting dandelions yesterday at work. the SFG is absolutely amazing and everything is moving so quickly! Last falls spinach & onion sets are moving right along rapidly. I have pea grabage! The mustard, beats and chard seeds that were planted recently are up. 

The new pac choy and endive transplants have bolted already, as have last year's kale and collards. I'll have to remember not to plant the first two in spring anymore unless I need seeds, which I do now. The chives are budding. the magnolias are in full bloom as are the forget me nots and a bunch of other stuff. Its so beautiful!

okay, gotta get back outside. I'm playing hooky today. Enjoy the day everyone! I'll read the rest of the thread later during lunch.

NHGardener wrote:27F?! Wow, it never reached freezing where I am. I guess you are cooler there...

By the way, I'm seeing the pesky black flies around, tho they don't seem to be biting yet. It's a race to get the outdoors in order before they take over the place.

BLACK FLIES SUCK!!!
 

I turned my compost pile for a while and then my back started to get sore so I came in to sit for a bit. Camp, I'm so glad I don't have your pile even though it's absolutely gorgeous. I can barely handle mine anymore except for in small increments.  I love Marc's idea of the peanuts and the pigs. I have buried lobster shells in the pile but I guess they are too deep for the foxes and coyotes to come diggen. maybe if I put the shells down at the bottom of holes and leave the holes open they'd come.

NHG, I had to chuckle at your upside down onions. That's amazing. Didn't yours have little roots on the bottom? I'm pretty sure mine did.

Guess what, you guys? I have an asparagus shoot! I'm pretty sure it wasn't there this morning but I had no idea I was looking for a tall grey  anemicly thin spear. Honestly, the thing is the size of the smallest knitting needle. There is only one but I'm hoping by the end of the day there will be others so I can put the next 2 inches of earth on the bed. It looks so crummy out there with that big ditch and the pile of dirt all along the side of it. Thank goodness my neighbors support me in this. NHG, thanks for the idea of throwing some seeds in. Once this bed is finished I think I'll do that where the dirt sat all this time. It should be ready under there by then.

My ginger tea is finished, time to go back out. No black flies here. The only annoyance is the noise of a LOT of construction going on at just about every house around me, along with yard work. But when I focus on gardening it all goes silent. It's so Zen.
Latah,
CC

PS FYI: the Family Dollar Store sells boxes of American seed. I have marigold, butterfly/hummingbird mix, and zinnias. They are absolutely amazing. My box of marigolds are going on their third year. they are beautiful and they always come up.  I planted the butterfly mix in my antique wheelbarrow about a week ago and they are up now. It's very exciting! I can't wait to see what they look like.

NHGardener wrote:
Also, I think I may have figured out the vine transplant thing. I up-potted some new cucumber, etc. sprouts, and one by one, they're drooping over and dying. But the ones I transplanted last year were pretty big in the pots, so I'm thinking maybe if they get big enough, they transplant better, but if they're too small, their roots are too weak.  

Still learning... Hopefully before long it will just be a matter of maintenance...

when I went to the veggie garden talk at the local nursery the guy from the extension office said that cuke and squashes should be planted out within 3 weeks of sprouting. So it sounds like what you did this year was correct. I have planted older ones but they died. But I haven't tried planting the younger ones. Maybe his instruction is just for our area. and yours is different.  let's try both. We have time. I'll pot some up today.

I'm seeing signs of a possible record wet May. (The wettest since 2006) (For 2006, TWC reported 8 inches of rain in May alone in Vermont, real comparable to the southeast!)

RJ, woops...you posted in the 2013 thread instead of the current one.  Maybe a nice moderator will come along &move it for you if you meant to post in the 2014 thread.  

Although I sure AM enjoying reading this thread. But it's keeping me from my gardening. Hehe

CapeCoddess wrote:RJ, woops...you posted in the 2013 thread instead of the current one.  Maybe a nice moderator will come along &move it for you if you meant to post in the 2014 thread.  

Although I sure AM enjoying reading this thread. But it's keeping me from my gardening. Hehe

Oh no! I think I hit my bookmark for 2013, because I remember that real chilly last part of last May. I really want it in the 2014 thread.

When I went outside to water my latest sugar snap pea rows and cole crop  transplants, I found 4 lovely sturdy purplish 6" asparagus stalks coming up.  I think by tomorrow I'll have some for the pot.  They seem to grow 6 inches a night.

I still need to transplant the cabbages and a couple more Brussels sprouts along with sowing some carrot seeds.  I have lettuces that need transplanting as well.  Now that spring is here, things are really hopping along.  Unfortunately I had to chauffeur a relative by marriage to the big city today.  Wasted lots of my time and used up lots of my energy.  Wasn't able to get outdoors again.  Maybe in the morning, if I'm lucky and don't get any more phone calls. But you know how it is, family needs comes first.

And there's a birthday party to prep for tomorrow nite for my darling daughter-in-law.  She's a sweetie so I'd do anything for her.

Congrats on the asparagus quiltbea, that's really exciting! I'd love to start a bed, but we keep talking about moving out of the city. My luck, it would start producing and we'd sell the house.

It's been a busy day for me in the garden. The weather has been just glorious. I spray painted the 5 gallon frosting buckets to class them up a bit and planted some more of the potatoes I started in the basement. Planted more broccoli, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts seedlings. Planted seedlings and seeds for lettuce,  carrots,  beets, corn, green beans, radish, spinach and turnip. Potted and seeded some herbs, too. Time for dinner now. Maybe I'll putter around after dinner and plant a few more potatoes.

llama momma wrote:For as cold as it is up there camp you got a lot accomplished.

thanks! yes I have. AND I have stowed all 5 ton of wood pellets into the garage. I'm so glad chore is over before the hot weather sets in! Boy oh Boy! I can hardly wait for the bok choy!! And the rapini!!!  

Camp, Between the pellets and compost, I don't understand how you are able to get out of bed in the morning!   

sanderson wrote:Camp,  Between the pellets and compost, I don't understand how you are able to get out of bed in the morning!    

I pace myself. I have no one else to do it for me, so....   

CapeCoddess wrote:I love Marc's idea of the peanuts and the pigs. I have buried lobster shells in the pile but I guess they are too deep for the foxes and coyotes to come diggen. maybe if I put the shells down at the bottom of holes and leave the holes open they'd come.

It's Sepp Holzer's idea. There's a youtube video about him, maybe a half hour, really good, talking about hugelkultur and how he grows tropical fruits in the alps with hugelkultur methods. Amazing. He also uses his pigs to plow walkways through the heavy snow around his farm and home, throwing peanuts or some other small edible a foot or so ahead of them in the snow as they take a morning walk. The pigs carve the path happily, trying to get to the peanuts.

I'm seeing signs of a possible record wet May.

(The wettest since 2006, where weather stations reported 8 inches in Vermont for May alone, which compares to the southeast!)

camprn wrote:

sanderson wrote:Camp,  Between the pellets and compost, I don't understand how you are able to get out of bed in the morning!    

I pace myself. I have no one else to do it for me, so....   

I forgot to add the part about how it is sometime hard to get up from the couch and even harder to come up off the ground. And some times when I go to bed I fall asleep before I set the timer on the tube.