March gardening

March definitely came roaring in like a lion here with heavy snowfalls and ridiculously cold temperatures. It warmed up today to MINUS 16 Celsius. The tops of the fence posts are just barely showing above the snow banks. My Dh and I have come home from work and shovelled snow for at least an hour and sometimes two, every day for the past 8 days. We have been shovelling snow at work too. I know that March weather is always extremely crazy and the longer days
are giving me hope that spring really is coming eventually.

How are things looking in everyone's gardens now? Or are you all like me and still have everything buried in ice and snow?

Last fall I planted some tulip bulbs in a pot and buried them in the leaf composter. I was trying something new I had read about. My plan was to let them winter buried in the leaves and then about this time lift the pot and bring it in the house so I would have tulips for Easter. Well, that plan is not going to work. The leaf bin is totally buried in snow and I can't even get to it.

Today at Costco I bought a bag of begonia tubers and a bag of black calla lily bulbs. I couldn't help myself. I am desperate to plant something. So this weekend I will start those in pots indoors. In about two more weeks I will start my tomatoes, etc. indoors. I still have about 12 to 13 weeks before my last frost date. On the up side my chives that are growing in the kitchen are almost big enough to start snipping for cooking.

So what have the rest of you got started indoors or are you planning to buy seedlings at garden centres closer to planting time?

Hang in there everyone. Winter is almost over. We're on the home stretch now.

Gwynn

Wishing you warm and weather.

Brrrrr....it's ccoooold where you are!!!!

It's probably time to start seeds indoors here now but I haven't done it yet. Add that to the list of things I'm already doing....yikes! I don't think I'm ready for winter to be over. I don't have time for spring yet. (Another plate I'll have to start spinning.)

I am in the same boat / snow storm here Old Hippie! Snow is crazy deep here too, and it keeps coming! Can barely see posts of my gardens.

Bulbs are a great way to take care of the gardening itch and I often do the same thing.

I'll be starting seeds soon to take care of mine! Going to seedy Sunday tomorrow and will have some time off work for March Break coming up so I can do some seed starting.

It's great to see you again Bullfrogbabe. Will this snow EVER end?? We had another heavy snowfall last night. The forecast for Wednesday has changed now to +2 Celsius so I am excited at the thought of all this snow starting to melt. Tomorrow, after church, I am going to stop in at Rona and pick up some peat moss and vermiculite so I can pot up the bulbs in Mel's mix. I am looking forward to starting SOMETHING. Maybe I will plant some basil to at least have in the kitchen along with the chives that are growing there.

Best of luck with your garden!

Gwynn

Old Hippie wrote Today at Costco I bought a bag of begonia tubers and a bag of black calla lily bulbs. I couldn't help myself. I am desperate to plant something. So this weekend I will start those in pots indoors


I was out all day today looking for begonia tubers. Nobody has them. I finally found some pink ones from the breast cancer collection at Walmart. Bought 2 bags of 2 even though pink is not the color I want. I just want to get some started for an Easter gift for my daughter-in-law. Her front porch faces North and is deep shade.

Kay

Wow, it's been ages since I've seen begonias. Nice find... and such a thoughtful gift for your daughter-in-law, too!

I bought some coleus seeds as back up for the areas of my backyard which I think are going to be heavily shaded. Kinda looking forward to growing them, actually; I think I was about 8 or 9 the last time I grew some. Fun to see which colors they come up as.

In Dec. I had the attic in the house that my son rents from me reinsulated. In order to get a good thick layer, we had to take out a walkway from the middle. 2'x8' made with 2x4's with a plywood top. I made the guys leave it in the side yard and when I get down there this weekend, I'm gonna turn it over, drill some holes, add some end pieces and fill it with mel's mix. It should make a nice bed for shade plants in front of her porch. Coleus sounds good. And maybe some caladiums and later impatiens. My son and I have been so concentrated on veggies that we kinda forgot she wants flowers.

Kay

Ohhhhh.....I love caladiums too and coleus. I especially like the lime coloured coleus. It makes such a nice bright spot in the shady areas.

Costco had bags of pink and white begonia tubers (6 of each colour) and yellow and orange ones as well. It is kind of weird. I used to see lots of begonia tubers, years ago but not anymore. Now they seem to be hard to find.

Gwynn

If we can find one, I'd like to get a half-barrel and make a little water feature out back. I'd surround it with coleus and maybe a few other things, a couple goldfish to keep the mosquitos away. I love ponds!

So do I Megan, so do I. The one in my avitar came from England. It sat on my back patio for 2 yrs before I packed it up and took it to Chicago for 2 years. Then it had to go in storage for 4 years. I was so happy to unpack it and set it in the back yard. I have a solar powered fountain that I float on it after the weather warms up. In fact, I think it is time to dig it out. We may get frost, but no more hard freezes. Thanks for reminding me.

Kay

So glad you can get your pond out of storage again. I grew up with them; they bring back many happy memories.

It seems to me that flowers are subject to trends just as fashion is. When I was young nearly every woman I knew grew begonias, impatiens, and coleus in shady spots. Then the hosta trend hit, and no one seemed to want begonias or coleus anymore.

Last week I heard one of the younger women at church complaining about her hostas and how boring they had become. Another woman said she was digging hers up because she was tired of having to divide them. Now I see people talking about growing begonias and coleus, and I think...the world goes 'round and 'round.

(Then there are those of us who still allow violets to run rampant in shady areas. My mother would be viciously digging hers out wherever they cropped up, while I was transplanting them from my grandmother's house and encouraging mine to spread. I think there's nothing prettier in spring than a mass of violets blooming 'neath our cypress tree.)

I just have to smile. My mom was big on begonias and impatiens...the coleus was more of an easy-grow project for me as a child. Mom also grew African violets, and in more recent years she's been big on primroses.

ander217 wrote:(Then there are those of us who still allow violets to run rampant in shady areas. My mother would be viciously digging hers out wherever they cropped us, while I was transplanting them from my grandmother's house and encouraging mine to spread. I think there's nothing prettier in spring than a mass of violets blooming 'neath our cypress tree.)

I'm with you! If it is short and blooms, it is welcome in my lawn! We have a 'weed' here that has little roundish lobed leaves and little bluish flowers that grows in shady areas and smells HEAVENLY when stomped or cut, and everyone around here tries to get rid of it and I keep taking cuttings from friends and plugging it in my yard! The bluish flowers go well with the violet theme out there. I am thinking of (gasp!) putting out some of that lovely white dutch clover as well.

TC

Goose girl, white clover grows wild in our yard along with an occasional red clover plant. The bees are all over the white clover in summer so one has to be careful where stepping barefoot. (Don't think about it, Megan. We are far away from you.)

Megan, my maternal grandmother had a double-row shelf of every color of African violet available in the 1960s. She gave them all to my sister-in-law who kept them going for several years until she noticed her toddler sitting in the floor, just finishing off the last one. He'd pulled every one and eaten them, leaves, blooms, and all. A quick call to the doctor relieved her panic when she learned they were not poisonous.

Just today I spied a patch of crocus coming up. I'd forgotten I'd put a little cluster into my landscaping beds. Yay! The ones which may remain in my (tiny) grassy area out front probably won't be visible until they bloom.

And, Ander, you have me shuddering for sure. There is very little clover around here--and NONE in my yard!--but just as glad. We had lots in New Hampshire, red clover I think?... in fact, I'm pretty sure some of it was intentional for the hay we grew.

Interesting about the African violets... glad the little tyke was okay. What a loss, though.

I've been planting tuberous begonias every year for a dozen years or more. My front porch faces north and gets no direct sunlight. They really brighten the place up! The ones I got last year from Home Depot didn't do as well, so I'm going back to the slightly more expensive ones from a nursery this year.