Feb in the Lower South

I'm looking forward to returning to the USA mid month and getting my seeds started.
NOT looking forward to moving.  More on that later.

What are all of my lower southerners doing this month??

Kay

Good Morning!

Does anyone know why the time is not correct on posts? It appears to be the time for maybe Greenland or the middle of the atlantic? I really don't care but Kay's post is listed on left at 9:50 am and it's only 8:47 am where I am.

I think I'm late. I have about 1/2 of my seeds started (still waiting on some seeds in the mail), but, I think the almanacs are late too. The robins have arrived, bluebirds are making nests, maple trees are blooming. Heck, the apple trees are blooming, the rest of trees have thickened buds. I think we are having an early spring.

Peas are up. Collards, mustard greens, rutabaga, spinach, turnips taste so good! Broccoli is heading up, onions and garlic getting tall, deer ate all my cabbage so have started some more.
Deer are also nibbling on my camilias and daffidils, but the blooms are ok so maybe they don't taste so good.
Still waiting on new tomato and pepper seed in the mail, need to get them started soon!

Jo

Not sure what my time be be listed as when I post this. My time right at this moments is 6:28am.

littlejo, your description of your garden tells me you live in another world than I do.
Just a tad envious, but our time will come in another couple of months.  Meanwhile I will just enjoy everyone else's  progress.

ETA and that agrees with what is on my screen.

As for Kay time stamp its correct for where she is at. She over by where the international time line is so her days start before anybody else. 

As for my garden...I'm have spinach up, waiting on my lettuce to pop up, and for the rest I was waiting for my compost. I'm planning to do the Berkley method but my horse manure sources keep falling through. I'm on plan c or d for it now. Its so frustrating.

I got all my seed in the mail. Now I realize that I ordered too many different kinds of tomato seed. I think planting 1 every foot is too close. How close do ya'll plant yours?

I have been off the forum for a while, so, my timezone had changed in my profile. I changed it and all times were fixed. I was somewhere in the atlantic, felt like I was near to nowhere!

Jo

Hi Littlejo.  I'm Marie.

I planted mine 1/sqft last year. 

As long as you keep them pruned, it seems to be okay.  But if you don't stay on top of that, it becomes a matted mess...   Like mine...

Little Joe, I also planted mine 1 foot apart, but I also at times I put other vegetables between them.  For the most part, they did ok.  I had some issues with fungus though...

These were picked August 2014, before the first frost:

I think the forum has a time problem because my computer is set for EST and I have noticed a difference between the time on the computer and the time in the post.

Kay

this one is matching up.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Hi Littlejo.  I'm Marie.

I planted mine 1/sqft last year. 

As long as you keep them pruned, it seems to be okay.  But if you don't stay on top of that, it becomes a matted mess...   Like mine...

I've been planting 1 per 5 gal bucket and setting 4 buckets against a cattle panel that is slightly more than 4 ft.  I keep them pruned until they grow over the top of the panel.  Then I let them go.  But that is usually late in the year anyway.

Kay

littlejo wrote:I got all my seed in the mail. Now I realize that I ordered too many different kinds of tomato seed. I think planting 1 every foot is too close. How close do ya'll plant yours?

I have been off the forum for a while, so, my timezone had changed in my profile. I changed it and all times were fixed. I was somewhere in the atlantic, felt like I was near to nowhere!

Jo

Littlejo
Good to see you again, been wondering where have you been.
I plant my tomatoes 1 to a square...I also keep the bottoms trimmed up to about a foot. This keeps the area open and airy. I do this as the tops develop, it's worked nicely for me. When I take them up in the fall the root systems appear free and open even tho their entwined. Of course I also keep everything up and staked.

Well, all plants must be at 1 per foot to try them all. I think the cherry 100 is 1 of them. I decided my seeds were several yrs old so I should get new seed for everything. But, I don't want to make more beds!

I have had most of the problems, different yrs. Some of the diseases only got 1 portion of the garden. I've had my fill of blights.  Southern, early, late, Septora leaf.

Is there a good preventative fungicide?  I will try to provide air flow by trimming but.

Jo

I have heard two types recommended.  Daconil which is not organic but they say it is one of the best for early blight.  Then Copper Fungicide is organic but some say it is not as good as Daconil.  Apparently, nothing will kill it, but spraying on a schedule of 10-14 days may help prevent it.  I started spraying with Copper fungicide early last year but I did not continue thru the summer and I eventually had early blight.  But my tomatoes lasted longer than they usually do.  This year I am not going to plant as many plants and take better care of the ones I have.  Last year twelve varieties, this year six varieties.

I also have used copper fungicide.  Usually do eventually get blight, but also usually keep some tomatoes until frost.  +1 on the spray timing.

Kay