New England MARCH 2015

Happy March, everyone!!!  

...It's supposed to become Spring this month, right?  

mollyhespra wrote:Happy March, everyone!!!  

...It's supposed to become Spring this month, right?  

One can only hope....but I'm not holding my breath.  Meteorlogical spring was yesterday and we got dumped on again.

I didn't start my seeds yet...still not feeling it.  Matt Noyes says that March will be colder than normal.  He thinks that's good so that we don't get flooding from all the snow down here in the lower south.

OH, and I did use DE on the turnip stumplings a couple times but the aphids come back, just not in the original numbers.  That helped make them manageable enough to squish now.   I'll banish the plants to the bedroom and spray with the pyrithrum.  Spraying them outside in this cold might kill them.

CC

Just remember, CC, that the pyrethrum "sticks" to textiles and will hang around for quite a few washings. as such, mind the overspray getting on your clothes or skin (Miss Lilly may not get in that bedroom, but she'll likely get on you) or any other textiles in there.  Also be careful about not inhaling it.

Actually, if the DE helped to get the aphids' numbers down, why not just wait until it's "warmer" (above freezing) and do the P. spray outside?   Honestly, I wouldn't risk having it in the house at all, it's so toxic to cats.  DH has his Permethrin-soaked hiking stuff in the garage and he changes in and out of them in there so as not not risk it coming into contact with the furballs.

"pyrethrum "sticks" to textiles"

I did not know this.    I'll do it outside.  Wed is supposed to be a bit warmer.

CC

Yes, did you read the above link in bold?  The article explains it in a bit more depth than I can.

This is why I like talking to you New Englanders in spring rather than the Mid-Atlantic folks; even though I'm technically in the Mid-Atlantic region, by the time the snow has finally melted in my back yards, most other Mid-Atlantic gardeners already have green things in the ground!  I might be overly jealous, lol.

I've never used pyrethrum, but I have used Permathrin on some hiking clothes so I wouldn't have to spray my body with deet (yuck).  I remember reading that permathrin is highly toxic to cats when it's wet, but once it's dry, it's perfectly safe.  

I ended up planting some things on Sunday because I just couldn't wait any longer.  Took the advice from the book New Seed Starters' Handbook and started my peppers at 12 weeks BLF.  That worked so much better for me last year than the usual 6-7 weeks most books say.  I also put some coleus, petunias and onions in.  We'll see how it goes!  I figure if they're too early, it's still not much of a loss because I get to play with green things

Happy March!  I'm hoping to see good things for weather here as we progress along the calendar.  Tonite more snow for us, about 3-5", tho we were lucky to miss the other nite with only a dusting.  Then more on Thursday nite.  Will this never stop!  In the meantime, I'll read my garden books again.

littlesapphire wrote:(snip)
I've never used pyrethrum, but I have used Permathrin on some hiking clothes so I wouldn't have to spray my body with deet (yuck).  I remember reading that permathrin is highly toxic to cats when it's wet, but once it's dry, it's perfectly safe.  
(snip)

Can you post where you read that permethrin is safe to cats when dry? 

All the reading/research I've ever done (I have cats and DH uses permethrin to treat his hiking clothes) state that it's toxic/potentially lethal to cats, period.  I'm at work right now, but I can dig up the articles for you when I get home this evening.  If you use the stuff and have cats it's important to be fully informed.

You may be thinking about contact with dog or human skin, where it's allegedly perfectly safe.

Molly, I got my info from the back of the permathrin bottle.  I did a quick search on google and came up with many sites that say it's safe once dry.  Here's one that seems pretty legit.  I care deeply about my cats though, so I make double sure to never have the liquid permathrin in the house, and I keep the sprayed clothing in a bag away from the cats.

This topic has it's own thread. https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t16965-pesticide-use?highlight=cats

I think Sanderson is hinting for us to move the cats & Permethrin conversation to its own thread, which I'm happy to do. I'll be posting there in a minute (I literally have to go feed my cats right now, LOL). In the meantime, Sanderson: do you want to move the above few posts to the appropriate section for us?

Well guys, anyone indoor seeding kale in the near future? I guess you put the plants out about 4 weeks before first frost? So that would be mid-April for me.

Also, to combat the loopers, I might use row cover on them this year.

Today is the day for me to get my onion seeds going!

This year, I'm going to try to focus more on storage veggies. DH & I have been making a huge pot of stew/soup about twice a month and it would be really good to be able to use fresh veggies from our own garden. So the goal is to grow enough of these to last us 6 months (hopefully more)

Rutabaga/turnips
Beets
Tomatoes (yes, you read that correctly)
Radishes
Celeriac
Potatoes
Carrots
Winter Squashes
Onions
Parsnips
Cabbage
Garlic
Lots o' dried herbs
Pulses (dried beans, peas, etc)

Up to this point, we've been limited by not having a root cellar but we think we've come up with a cunning plan: transform a small walk-in closet (that is located in the coldest, dampest corner of the basement into a root cellar by putting in wire shelving and adding some ductwork to the outside to regulate fresh air & cold in/out. We'll have to look into the moisture issue probably by judicious use of a humidifier when the air gets really dry in the dead of winter.

Right now, there's a chest freezer and some cabinets in there (the closet is in the room we use as a laundry/pantry) so it will take some work, but I'm hopeful that it will provide us with the ability to store some nice veggies over the winter.

Molly, I saw a tour of a home with a root cellar in the basement very much like what you're thinking of, they actually built the room in the basement. It definitely works. I forget the important components - was it ventilation that was important? I don't remember the details unfortunately (it was 2-3 yrs. ago and I don't have the capability to use the system here) but I'll bet if you google/youtube/etc. you'll get info from folks who have put root cellars into a room in the basement.

Good thinking with your storage planning! I grew dried beans last summer and it was a real success, only I only ended up with about one bean soup recipe's worth! So this year I want to plant a boatload of dried beans. I'm thinking of sticking a bush here and there throughout the yard, not even only in the garden. The slugs did love them tho. But I believe dried beans are nitrogen fixers (right?) so even sticking them between the fruit trees they say is a good idea, to help the trees with nitrogen.

It's great to hear what you're doing up in the frozen tundra. If you can do it up there, anyone should be able to. LOL.

I'm supposed to be planting kale and all other green seeds today indoors during lunch break.  But it's snowing so hard that I won't be going home for lunch as I'll be snowed out of my neighborhood. Just before school bus time is when the plow will do his deed. 

Tomorrow's another day.  Looks like a beautiful stretch of sun coming.  

Molly, can't you store root veggies on a shelf in the garage?  My garage is sure moist enough if that's what they need, especially this year. 

CC

CC, I live for the day when your snowshoes will turn into flipflops.

NHGardener wrote:CC, I live for the day when your snowshoes will turn into flipflops.

Amen, Sistah!  Barefootin' would be even better!

My girlfriend from TX told me that my snowshoes are on the wrong feet in that photo.  I didn't even know there was a right and left.    Is there?  They look identical to this FL girl...

CapeC.....Now that you mention it, I can see they are on the wrong feet.  There's a slightly wider curve on each side that might possibly denote the inside big toe section, if there's such a thing in showshoes.
As for a root cellar, I remember years ago the thing to add to a root cellar was a couple inches of sand to regulate the moisture but if I were building one, I'd check in with the experts first.

I didn't think there was a right vs. left shape. Wiki: "When putting on snowshoes, left is distinguished from right by which way the loose ends of the binding straps point: always outward, to avoid stepping on them repeatedly." This makes sense to me.

sanderson wrote:I didn't think there was a right vs. left shape.  Wiki:  "When putting on snowshoes, left is distinguished from right by which way the loose ends of the binding straps point: always outward, to avoid stepping on them repeatedly."  This makes sense to me.

Hmm...well, for me with hip arthritis, it was easier to have the (wicked short) straps on the inside for easier adjusting.  Just sit on the upside down bucket, throw the foot up on the opposite knee and badda-bing, badda-boom...tight (short) straps.

I've been composting in 5 gal buckets & putting the full ones outside, since I can't get to the compost pile.  Working on #3 now. 

What are you all doing with your kitchen scraps, etc?

CC

I just kind of bury my kitchen scraps into the top layer of snow on the pile, I figure spring will sort it all out.

I was the first person at the ag store to buy their Coast of Maine potting soil today - they had to cut the pallet open. Poor little squished flat and completely frozen bag! I brought it into the house to thaw, hopefully it will fluff up a little.

Guess we're not the only ones who really don't feel like indoor seeding yet...

CC, my garage is both unheated and separate from the house, so nothing would stay above-freezing in there. Otherwise, that would have been a great option.

I was able to start my onion seeds on the 5th; planted 6 varieties, all allegedly good "keepers".

I've also got a good supply now of my potato onions (Green Mountain Multiplier) that I'll be planting out in the spring. We've been eating the ones who want to wake up early but so far, most are as hard as a rock. I'm hopeful that if I can get the same thing going with the other varieties below, I will have a good variety of onioney-goodness to last a good part of the year.

Red Cipollini
Southport White Globe
Utah Yellow Sweet Spanish
Noordhollandse Bloedrode (North Holland Blood Red)
Jaune Paille Des Vertus
Brunswick

So far, the Southport White Globe has already started to sprout! I just threw some seeds into a separate little planting container for each variety and am growing them en-masse. I read somewhere that onion seeds don't keep long, and some of these seed packets were getting up there, so I thought germination might be spotty. We'll see!

I'm also going to be ambitious today and start working on that root-cellar closet project. Wish me luck!

You can do it, Molly!  Go, girl!

NHG, I'd need to don my snow shoes on the wrong feet to get out to my compost pile.


Will somebody please fill up my cell packs with MM?  And then if someone else would get the seeds from the back of the fridge and put them in my lap, I'd be ever so grateful.  And then if someone else will plant the seeds I pick out that would be a great help.  Then water and put them on the heating pad please, and put everything away?

Crud.  What is wrong with me???  It took more time to write about it than it would to do it.  
All I wanna do is  


CC

I'm with you, CC!

CapeCoddess wrote: 
All I wanna do is    

CC

Sounds like winter activities to me.