New England, April 2016

'Gus!

Well, another first day out in the garden in Spring. I got a lot done. I am wind burned and slightly sunburned behind the ears, but no black fly bites! I am a little worried about how cold it could get, so I had to unhook the hoses and drain everything. 
     I got started on my drip system, it has changed since the last time I hooked one up, I even have some of my old drip system that I put away 20 or so years ago. Looks like I need to make a trip into Home Depot for a few pieces. I am also getting a good idea of what I am going to do for a gravity fed watering system too. Looks like PVC is in my future. Now if I can only find some cheap/free rain barrels .
     All in all, I had a good first day in the garden in New England. Now is the time when I enjoy a good adult beverage, a hot shower, a bite to eat, and off to bed so I can get back out there for awhile before church tomorrow.

Geez it's cold and windy today!  Went out to put up my white butterfly netting and it tried to blow over to the next county. Got it on, barely, and somewhat secured before I had to run inside to fix some hot soup and turn the space heater on.

Rock, what are you and NHG talking about? A possible freeze?   When?

Also, if possible would you mind posting photos as you build your drip system please? I need all the visuals I can get to wrap my li'l pea brain around this.

CC

Hey CC, it is cold and windy here as well today, kinda took the steam out of me doing anything in the garden today. It is sunny, but the cold wind is just to much for me today to do anything that isn't keeping me moving. At least the bugs are not a problem. 
     It got down to 22 last night, it is supposed to get down to 31 tonight, and the low 20's on Tuesday and Wednesday. I don't take any chances with the cold, I don't care to replace things that freeze and burst, so I drain everything. I have not heard much in the way of cold warnings, but I listen everyday just in case. I am at a higher elevation so I have to live with the freezes.
     I did let the Ladies out, they are enjoying the sun. I put a chair in a sunny spot out of the wind and I am just enjoying that (now if the Red Sox had a game on and would win) and watching the peacefulness of my yard and the dry forest. 
     I will take and post pics as I go, I got the old drip stuff out and re-familiarized myself, took an inventory of what I have, and now I am planning what I am going to do. I have to get things planted so I can know where to water/drip.
     I get the impression you are right on the coast, so I think you have an earlier last frost date than us up here in New Hampster (New Hampshire ) so I have a while yet before I can plant many things. I am going to start my potatoes earlier this year. Also, I am using potatoes from the grocery store, I have a bag full of spuds that have already started to sprout! A friend of mine did this last year and had a bumper crop. I have a hard time paying the prices they are asking for seed potatoes anyway.
     I am going to try and get a few pics of my compost piles. Some of them are surrounded by cinder blocks, so folks will get a twofer- cinder blocks and compost piles, two of the current threads in one!
     I am going back outside to enjoy it some more, Rock

huh. I had no idea it went down below freezing last night anywhere in New England. I think we went down to 38 here on the Cape. I did see there was a possible frost advisory for Connecticut I think it was yesterday or maybe today but nothing else. The weather folks are not doing right by us lately.


Just finished picking a bunch of last year's kale and collar greens for tomorrow mornings smoothie. I wonder if slug slime trails have any nutritional value?

Yuck

Double yuck. Protein. Colloid us protein. Still yuck

Direct seeded Chantenay carrots and basil today.  This is the first time I didn't use starts for the basil so it should be interesting, but I hear they're easy.  Had to cover with screens because squirrels are digging in my boxes this year.  The little rotters dug up my newly sprouted beets, a few lettuces and some spinach.


Supposed to get rain tomorrow but I hear some of you will get some snow...?

Yup, they are predicting snow tonight and tomorrow. 3"- 5" in some places, but I doubt it will stick very long.
     I can say that it is very "raw" outside this late afternoon/early evening. Temp is 50, but it feels cold and almost foreboding. I made sure everything is tied down in case we get some wind, and watered the beets that haven't popped up yet. This is the type of early spring night when I stay inside and watch the Red Sox and ponder if I need a fire. Probably not, maybe if the wind starts.
     I have all my rain collectors out, when the snow melts I will get most of it. Not much more of this, warm temps and fun are right around the corner.  Rock

Hi all! Been out of touch for sooooo long, hope you are all doing well. Trying to catch up on reading the forum in between getting the gardens going.

Hoping to get some good rain today since everything has been so dry here. Had to really soak the MM before planting anything. I'm way behind, just started my tomato seeds 2 days ago. We'll see how it goes, may be buying the tomato plants this year.

We are getting snow right now, big, soft, lovely flakes.  It looks so pretty out there.
Only 31*F so we had a frost overnite.  Expecting the 50s and sunny the rest of the week and lows at nite not quite freezing.
I gave my three 4-ft track lights to the director of our comm. garden, and all my seeds along with my seed blockers.  She said she started some seeds last Thursday nite.  Its late for this neck of the woods, too, but it can't hurt.

Hi Lyndeeloo

QB, That was very nice of you to donate your equipment to the director. Passing good things forward.

Holy crud, we actually went down into the low 30s last night and supposed to do so for the next couple of nights. the furnace is cranking! Sometimes I forget that it's not even the end of April yet and what that means weather wise. Oh well, the frost should sweeten up the leafy greens. Wonder if the broccoli and brussel sprouts made it... I'll go out and check as soon as it gets above 40. Can't believe I've got to dig out my thermals.

Today I'll be adding more compost to the Solo cups containing the spindly tomato plants. That will give them a month or so to form new roots along the stems before going out into the SFG.

How's everyone else making out with this cold snap?

 Hi Sanderson, thanks for the hello. Hope your garden is doing well!

Woke up to 34 degrees this morning, don't see any sign of frost thankfully. Guess it didn't get as cold as they thought. Mostly concerned about the fruit trees. The pears and apples are blooming. The pears are almost done flowering. 

I moved my little peach tree last year and it has not forgiven me. Not a blossom on it, so no peaches this year either. Missed them last year but at least the tree survived the move. The crabapple tree is full of flowers, so pretty and will be a big help as a pollinator for the apple trees this year. 

My raspberry bed had gotten very crowded, so last week I moved half the plants to another spot in the yard. They look ok so far, fingers crossed!

We got 5" of snow yesterday which buried the flat bird feeder completely but the other is covered so the birds swarmed that one and pretty much cleaned it out.  I had to shovel a path and brush off feeders and refill.  The juncos, purple finches, nuthatches and chickadees were happy again.  Their normal wild feeding areas were buried so they all came for the free stuff.  LOL
With my usual call of 'chickadee....dee.....dee' they came a flitting back to feed.

I didn't have peaches last year either and that was true of others I've heard.  The year before my little dwarf peach, a Red Haven, was covered.  I hope the cold the last couple of nights hasn't hurt their chances this year.  I was seeing little buds forming on the branches of my apples, cherry and the little peach last week.

quiltbea wrote:We got 5" of snow yesterday which buried the flat bird feeder completely but the other is covered so the birds swarmed that one and pretty much cleaned it out.  I had to shovel a path and brush off feeders and refill.  The juncos, purple finches, nuthatches and chickadees were happy again.  Their normal wild feeding areas were buried so they all came for the free stuff.  LOL
With my usual call of 'chickadee....dee.....dee' they came a flitting back to feed.

I didn't have peaches last year either and that was true of others I've heard.  The year before my little dwarf peach, a Red Haven, was covered.  I hope the cold the last couple of nights hasn't hurt their chances this year.  I was seeing little buds forming on the branches of my apples, cherry and the little peach last week.

No snow here, thankfully! I didn't even see a flurry.....

It has been cold here too. Pear tree is done flowering. Crab apples are beautiful, but with the wind and rain, petals are falling fast. Redbud in the front yard is lovely.

QB, my birds have been hanging on to the feeder too! Especially the goldfinches of course. And I saw a new bird yesterday AM: White crowned sparrow! So striking! In my forsythia bushes!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-crowned_sparrow

Anyways, heat is on here too. CC, thanks for reminding me to add some mix to my maters, as it has deflated.

One more night of 20's, then we stay above 34 for the next 10 days, according to the 10 day forecast from The Weather Channel and Intellicast. 90% of rain on Sunday, which we need. I am still on hold for many garden "want to dos" because it just isn't warm enough. The warmth will come and hopefully I will be further along on my watering systems goals. The Forsythia hasn't bloomed yet, and the bugs aren't bad, yet. Summer is coming...

@bigdogrock wrote: 90% of rain on Sunday, which we need.

Not for me.  I live in a 'no rain' vortex.  During storms I watch the radar as the rain clouds part over Harwich and then come back together on the other side.  It's like Moses lives here.

Soooo...I watered this morning with icy cold bucket water but the lettuce & spinach probably liked it.  Not sure about the peas, mustard, collards, kale, beets, chard, carrots, onions, potatoes, radishes, garlic, broccoli, brussel sprouts, daikon and shallots.  But I supposed cold water is better than sitting there in dry MM though.

I didn't water the mustard spinach as I'm going to turn them under during lunch today. They were planted to hopefully take care of some issues I was having in a few squares.  We'll see.

Meanwhile, we're having a beautiful spring day:



Does anyone know if my fall planted Red Delicious apple tree will produce fruit if the nearest 2nd tree is a block away?

Looking really good CC. You are way ahead of me. My tulips are not even close to blooming.

Gosh, I just love taking a stroll thru your garden CC. Its just lovely.

Nice, CC! Your tree might produce, but I would watch how much flowers...you just planted it last fall? Don't want it to throw it all into flowers/

quiltbea wrote:Gosh, I just love taking a stroll thru your garden CC. Its just lovely.

Totally ditto.

Aw thanks.  Only the best photos for you guys!  

Time for a lunch break.
What a beautiful day! I got some potato onions planted in the old school sfg, finished watering everything, brought out the potted plants from the garage, raked a bit and transplanted raspberry escapees.

All the starts are coming along nicely in the window.
There's actually some room now on Miss Lilly's blanket for sunbathing because some of the starts are outside hardening off.

Oh! And I found a big ol' honkin carrot way down in one of the boxes.  I thought it would be woody since it was left over from last year but it was so sweet, fresh and delicious I couldn't believe it. Wish I knew which variety it was  because then I would only plant that one going forward.  Hopefully it's listed on last years plan.  But I wish I'd let it go to seed.

Supposed to rain tomorrow so this afternoon I'll be planting out more lettuce, collards and kale.
Please let it rain at my house, please please please...

Me an' the black flies are having a good time combining the compost piles for the summer, the little critters are such a big help .  I am loading up one 6' tall round of 4X4 wire, about 4' across, putting down layers of 4"-6" and soaking it. Then I will cover it with plastic to hold in the moisture and to cook for a while.
     We are also bringing out all the pots and window boxes, cleaning off the deck, and raking the gardens. The girls are enjoying the sun and watching me work and giving them an occasional snack, and the coup will get a cleanin' too. 
     Looks like there will be rain later today and tonight, so as I do everything I keep in mind everything will get a soaking. Hopefully they don't call the Red Sox game off because of the rain .