Lower South March 2016

Hello all,

It's March and that means spring in my book. There is only 3 weeks lefts till the first day of spring. Last frost date it just around the corner for me, April 3. I'm going to have just a few pots on the patio this summer. My areo gardens are doing wonderful. The tomatoes have loads on them. Just waiting for them to change color. The herbs just keep growing too.

What will be your plans for this month? Are you building more beds? Cleaning out the old ones? Making more compost? Planting you spring crops out? There are lots of things to do this month to get your gardens ready for spring. And here in the south we are blessed with warm weather to do them in.

mschaef wrote:Hello all,
What will be your plans for this month? Are you building more beds? Cleaning out the old ones? Making more compost? Planting you spring crops out? There are lots of things to do this month to get your gardens ready for spring. And here in the south we are blessed with warm weather to do them in.

All of the above.

mschaef wrote:.... Last frost date is just around the corner for me, April 3....

That's called taunting, and taunting isn't nice.


Calling for a little more snow here on Friday.  I'm going ground hog hunting on Saturday

Zmoore wrote:

mschaef wrote:.... Last frost date is just around the corner for me, April 3....

That's called taunting, and taunting isn't nice.


Calling for a little more snow here on Friday.  I'm going ground hog hunting on Saturday

Everything regarding taunting is relative, Zmoore! Lol! Groundhogs, yum!

You'll taunt me with all your snow pictures so getting a jump on growing is just a little bit pay back... lol. Don't worry it will be here or there for you all before you know it.

I'm in the Philippines again and will not be home until late April, well after frost date and too late for most cool weather crops.  I left collards, chard, kale and garlic in the pond beds and my son has been getting some of the greens.  On my summer list are peppers, tomatoes, chard, collards if I can find starts, sweet potatoes and beans.  I bought some greenhouse cucumber seeds and will see if I can get any to grow under tulle.  Squash is going under tulle and be hand pollinated if I can get any female blossoms this year.  Last year had only male blossoms.


Kay

PS  I've got some tomatoes and Carolina Reaper Peppers going out here.  Bushsteak toms as short stubby plants seem to be the only ones that will grow.  Cayenne peppers are struggling, but may make it into pots. A ghost and 2 scorpians are hanging on from last year.  Had some luck with patio tomatoes last year (not much but some) but couldn't find any seed this year.  Last year's planting was some I got at a seed exchange years ago.  Short stubby plants with 2" tomatoes.  i have to start 3 times as many seeds to finally get a few survivors.

FYI, MM here is compost from the local agricultural college and a mix of some sort of potting soil that is mostly rice hulls which make a pretty good substitute for vermiculite as far as keeping soil friable.  Also has some small chunks of charcoal in it and some sort of soil or compost.  WE SHALL SEE.

I got my husband to help me put the beds together. I was planning on doing it myself, but apparently he didn't like my plan!  Anyway he decided "HE" had to do the drilling and the cutting you know since I'm a woman and all! Seriously though he's been really sick for the last year and I think it made him feel better to be doing something for me instead of the other way around.

Anyway, We've got a L shape bad 4 by 8 along the fence. I left plenty of room to mow/weed wack between the fence and the bed. My only snag is I didn't buy enough stuff for my Mel's Mix. I'll have to remedy that this week. It's supposed to be in the 70's this week! So lots of fun after I get off work!

AND, AND!!!!! My seedlings I planted inside are growing!!

How super exciting for you!!! And what a sweet wife to let your h build the beds.

What kind of seedlings are growing already?

CC

I pretty much planted what I thought we'd eat. My youngest lobbied for cucumbers. But somebody told me I probably did them too soon. Dill, cilantro, 2 other herbs I can't remember, beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, squash and zucchini I think. That's all I can remember I'm too tired to get up and look! 

I really didn't expect them to grow because I've had the seeds for a long time. I was pleasantly surprised.

I live in Fayetteville, NC and the weather can vary. Hopefully it won't get too hot, too soon.

Good for you, sherwoz! Nothing better than eating what you grow! Welcome from Ohio!

sherwhoz wrote:I pretty much planted what I thought we'd eat. My youngest lobbied for cucumbers. But somebody told me I probably did them too soon. Dill, cilantro, 2 other herbs I can't remember, beefsteak tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, squash and zucchini I think. That's all I can remember I'm too tired to get up and look! 

I really didn't expect them to grow because I've had the seeds for a long time. I was pleasantly surprised.

I live in Fayetteville, NC and the weather can vary. Hopefully it won't get too hot, too soon.

Welcome my fellow North Carolinian.  If you haven't thought about it yet and if you like them, now is the perfect time to plant snow peas.  They will need a trellis and will stop bearing when the weather gets really hot, about June, and the space can then be replanted with pole beans or cukes  Direct sow.  Also the cool weather seedlings for kale, collards and spinach can start going out soon .  They can take a mild frost.

Happy gardening

Kay

I'll have pics soon. I apparently have had some version of the flu this week. It's been rough. 

sherwhoz wrote:I'll have pics soon. I apparently have had some version of the flu this week. It's been rough. 

Get better quick

Kay

Hope you feel better quickly, Sherwhoz...

Why do I always seem to be behind everyone else when it comes to planting.
I see lots of folks already have plants in from lettuce to tomato, but only this week did I see any Bonnie plants in the big box store. However, I am waiting on the local garden center to put out theirs from their greenhouses.

Wow everybody is growing so great! As March comes to an end and the temps continue to rises the garden seems to keep calling to me, and my boys keep asking almost daily if we can start planting now. I'm going to hopefully get my pots fill this coming week and some seeds started outside or some plant from the gardened center. I posted in the aerogardening thread about my tomatoes ripping, we started them the day after Christmas, so we have been eating fresh daily. Also my herbs are spent. I think I might have killed them during the move.

walshevak wrote:...If you haven't thought about it yet and if you like them, now is the perfect time to plant snow peas.  They will need a trellis and will stop bearing when the weather gets really hot, about June, and the space can then be replanted with pole beans or cukes  Direct sow.  Also the cool weather seedlings for kale, collards and spinach can start going out soon .  They can take a mild frost.

Kay

Thanks for the suggestions for the region Kay.
I know it's been a couple of weeks since  your post, so is it too late for the snow peas?

I always struggle with what to plant and when, seeds or transplants, etc.

What is everyone planting from seed outside right now in our region?

Is there anything I should be considering starting Indoors from seed right now?

What veggies should I be looking for transplants?

Keep in mind that unless your MM is 60ish degrees, not much will sprout direct seeded right now.

Gardenate.com is a great resource. Put in your zip code & they'll tell you what to be planting/seeding. Zukeeni.com is another one.

Thanks Marie,
I will have to test my soil temp

AM ... thanks for those links.  Gardenate.com even has my climate zone ... "Canada 5a - Temperate Warm Summer".  Great information as seen in the example below for kohlrabi:

• Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 46°F and 86°F. (Show °C/cm)
  
  
• Space plants: 4 - 10 inches apart
  
  
• Harvest in 7-10 weeks.
  
  
• Compatible with (can grow in same bed): Beets, celery, cucumber, onions, marigold, nasturtium, rhubarb, aromatic herbs (sage, dill, chamomile)
  
  
• Avoid growing in same bed: Climbing (pole) beans, tomato, peppers (chilli, capsicum), eggplant (aubergine), strawberry, mustard
  

I am not sure I would apply everything they say to do. For example, they say I can start bell peppers indoors in March and plant them out in 4 to 6 weeks. Actually I cannot put bell pepper transplants into my garden for at least another 8 weeks from today (March 28). Unless we get really warm temps in May (iffy) they would not do well to put them out much earlier.

Glad to help!

As with anything else, take what you need & leave the rest...

I've found them to be quite helpful. What they don't talk about is how soon you can start seeding, etc. if you have covered beds or a greenhouse. So I guess it's up to us to see what works when.

ralitaco wrote:Why do I always seem to be behind everyone else when it comes to planting.
I see lots of folks already have plants in from lettuce to tomato, but only this week did I see any Bonnie plants in the big box store. However, I am waiting on the local garden center to put out theirs from their greenhouses.

Pender Nursery or Farmers Supply????