CANADIAN REGION: What are you doing in April 2017?

I am hoping that this month will see a great change in my own garden. I saw my first snowdrops today, but that is because my land, and my neighbours, have so little sunshine compared with most other gardens in our city. In other gardens that get more sun, lots of crocus making brave displays.  The city workman have commenced their road sweeping, they will get to our roads in a little while and it will be a pleasure to walk around again in proper shoes instead of boots.

Compared to last year, I am convinced that I am about six weeks behind. All the snow has gone except for a pile that my next-door neighbour dumped on to the edge of my garden. No problem, it is only water after after all.

Quite a sunny day yesterday and if this keeps up I am sure there really will be a Spring Forward.

My cough/cold is almost better but it has been a miserable time, the first illness I have had for many years. Mostly I slept, kept warm and drank lots of fluids. My cat Pal thought he was in heaven and stayed around me most of the time.

Here's to a lovely warm spring and hoping I can get out into the garden tomorrow and start clearing up the winter debris.

Hello my fellow Canadian friends, I'm back! 

This isn't an April Fool's joke, I'm just in my gardening state of mind again. When my SFG went kaput at the end of the season, I didn't want to think about it and didn't have much to offer here so I took a hiatus. Now that the snow is melted (other than the stupid flakes falling now ), I'm dying to get out there. I can't wait to clean everything out, get new mix and replan the SFG. I learned what worked and what didn't last year, so I'll plan accordingly now. More of this, less of that etc... In the meantime I have lots of forum threads to catch up on. 

I have a couple of quick questions, will any of the veggies come back on their own like perennials? 

Will the seeds I bought last year still be good? 

That's it guys, it's good to be back

Welcome back SAM. The only veggies that will come back will be perennials and you may not have planted any of those. I have herbs that come back such as chives. I've also had things that have self-seeded and come back as "volunteers" (e.g., ground cherries, tomatoes). Most of the seeds you bought last year will be good for this year if you stored them properly. Spinach is one which may not be good the second year but you can do a trial for germination rates (e.g., put some seeds on a damp paper towel in a warm location).

Welcome back SAM ans so happy that you have regained your enthusiasm. I am sure you will have learned from past mistakes, if not, then you can always repeat them and perhaps get the hang of things.

TD has has answered your questions about seeds and returning veggies. My best results are tomatoes and potatoes growing from the compost pile. They survive all the cold and snow and come back when they are ready.

Hey Sam!  Glad you are back!

Hi, Sam.  Your seeds for 2016 should be fine.  You could put 2 or 3 seeds in a hole just to make sure.  Be prepared to snip off a second or third sprout 

Sam, I forgot to mention that you only and more compost from now on.  MM is only for the first fill when you build the beds.

sanderson wrote:Sam, I forgot to mention that you only and more compost from now on.  MM is only for the first fill when you build the beds.

Sanderson, you're missing a word there... 

I think I didn't have deep enough MM which might have been the cause of some of my poor producers. Are you saying I shouldn't go with MM? I want to add about 4 inches...

So if nothing comes back I guess I'm pulling out all the dead stuff? I wasn't sure about the tomato plant because they were a decent size.
Thanks for the warm welcome back all 

On the road and I make a mistake with every pot hole hubby hits.  Writing short hand.  Add new compost to bring it back up to original mm height.  Then if you want to make beds higher, then and only then would you add more. MM.  If you had a good 6" of original mm, after watering well, then you had enough depth to row 99% of veggies.  Success with 6" of mm is dependent on the quality of the compost, primarily.

SAM, I think I'll have to go and have a look at last year's posts to see what roadblocks you hit. I'm just starting up, so hoping to make as few mistakes as possible, although I'm sure I'll make a bunch!!

This past weekend I started collecting my composts. On Friday, I picked up rabbit poop ($4/20kg bag) and on Saturday, I got some mushroom compost (free). I have my vermiculite and peat moss. My dad has made the corners for the boxes. Super fancy with routered grooves to slot in the planks. 

So, I know 2 more sources for my compost (my parent's compost, plus some leaf rot from the ravine behind their house). Just need one more that will be from a topsoil place that sells pure compost also. I crossed the town's compost off the list because it seems to have very low quality control.

I'm so close I can smell it. Well, yeah, literally I can smell it. Now I'm pleased I have the rabbit manure and not the horse version.

I've started some seedlings indoors... the next 6 weeks will be tough waiting for the frost date to get here!

Received some good news today. My mother's bungalow has been sold. That is a weight off my back.

Happy for you, TD.  Sometimes these things hang around for ages.

Jaffa, you are going great guns.

trolleydriver wrote:Received some good news today. My mother's bungalow has been sold. That is a weight off my back.

Wow, that was fast! Will you be going home soon?

CapeCoddess wrote:

trolleydriver wrote:Received some good news today. My mother's bungalow has been sold. That is a weight off my back.

Wow, that was fast!  Will you be going home soon?

Hopefully, this time next week we will be on the road back to Ottawa.

TD, You'll be able to garden!
I just planted my tomato seeds yesterday.  Do you have tomatoes in your winter garden?  If not, you'll have plenty of time to start some.

Or maybe you're not feeling up to it yet?

Jaffa55 wrote:SAM, I think I'll have to go and have a look at last year's posts to see what roadblocks you hit....

My first mistake was I think i just had over 4 inches of MM, my math was off. I still had successes, but some of those were bad successes. Zucchini was too big, covered up my lettuces, and I don't even eat zuke, so I gave it all away. My carrots were tiny, but I might have pulled them too soon.t I didn't stagger the planting either. I don't know why I bothered with eggplant, again we don't eat it, but nothing came up anyways. I will plant more cucumber as that's my favorite, and it didn't do very well. My peas and beans and tomatoes did great, so they'll be back in rotation. I'm planning on keeping it simple. No plan as of yet though.

StrongAsMeat wrote:

Jaffa55 wrote:SAM, I think I'll have to go and have a look at last year's posts to see what roadblocks you hit....

My first mistake was I think i just had over 4 inches of MM, my math was off. I still had successes, but some of those were bad successes. Zucchini was too big, covered up my lettuces, and I don't even eat zuke, so I gave it all away. My carrots were tiny, but I might have pulled them too soon.t I didn't stagger the planting either. I don't know why I bothered with eggplant, again we don't eat it, but nothing came up anyways. I will plant more cucumber as that's my favorite, and it didn't do very well. My peas and beans and tomatoes did great, so they'll be back in rotation. I'm planning on keeping it simple. No plan as of yet though.

Yes, very much my first year garden...grew stuff I rally didn't like, and so I didn't eat it.  And the stuff I do like, needed more!  

So grow what you like to eat!  I found out after my 2nd year that I basically do not "cook" veggies in the summer.  So, stop growing tons of pole beans, grow more carrots, cakes, lettuces, etc....

SAM... thanks for the pointers. Note to self: only grow what I like to eat. Hopefully my calculations are ok for 6". Normally I'm good at math, but occasionally I screw up. Keeping my fingers crossed that I've got it right this time. Not too worried as I have a little "cushion" built in.

TD... that's great that the house sold already. If Ottawa's anything like the GTA, house sales are crazy.  By the way, if you stop by Grimsby on the way home, you could pick up rabbit manure for cheap. It was on Kijiji as "an endless supply."

Jaffa55 wrote:
TD...   By the way, if you stop by Grimsby on the way home, you could pick up rabbit manure for cheap. It was on Kijiji as "an endless supply."

We will definitely be passing Grimsby as we drive by on the QEW (i.e., the Queen Elizabeth Way for the uninitiated). Good idea but I think our car is going to full of stuff.

TD, is that your polite way to say you'd rather not drive 5+ hours with a bag of rabbit poo in your car?   Can't say I blame you.

Jaffa55 wrote:TD, is that your polite way to say you'd rather not drive 5+ hours with a bag of rabbit poo in your car?   Can't say I blame you.

You got me.

Scorpio Rising wrote:

StrongAsMeat wrote: So, stop growing tons of pole beans, grow more carrots, cakes, lettuces, etc....

 
mmm...I like cake.  Got any spare seeds to share?

Chocolate Cake seeds, please.

 Isn't it awful when you get caught out in a typo and then everyone jumps on you? 

Catching up, here. TD, Great news!

Sam and CC, Yes, cake is nice, but I would rather grow Choc chip cookies.

5 hours in the car with rabbit poo?

CapeCoddess wrote:

Scorpio Rising wrote:

StrongAsMeat wrote: So, stop growing tons of pole beans, grow more carrots, cakes, lettuces, etc....

 
mmm...I like cake.  Got any spare seeds to share?

Chocolate Cake seeds, please.

 Isn't it awful when you get caught out in a typo and then everyone jumps on you? 

huh? Weird.  I didn't post this...

How's it going, Sanderson. Bumpy ride?

Back home on my stable PC.