Gearing up for another year of fun!

Two years ago this Christmas I received the SFG book and gift cards to get started. My kiddos got a trampoline and I wanted to start a garden to have something to do outside while they played.

So, here I am again, ready to start a new year of gardening. We just got back from visiting family in NC and I have a TON to do around the house, but it's also time to get going on my "spring" garden. I need to run out and get a few supplies for starting my tomato and pepper seeds. I'm really anxious to get those started so that they'll be ready to go in the ground as soon as I'm confident our freeze window has passed. Last year I put tomatoes out on Valentine's Day.

I also need to set up a couple more beds that have been sitting on the back porch since we moved here in August. The kids got a mini b-ball hoop for Christmas, so that's going to push me to clear off the porch for them.

I was really happy to come home and find my MM nice and moist. As far as the official record tells, we didn't get any rain during the 2 weeks we were gone, but it's possible we got a localized shower or two. There are more green beans to pick and the peas that were just starting to flower when we left are now ready to pick. Broccoli is growing and I do see one turnip with a root forming (having trouble with my turnips and carrots being all tops and no bottoms). Second planting of peas coming along nicely. Chard doesn't seem to be doing as well as last year, but I also planted it earlier last year. Really need to get some lettuce going while the weather is nice for it. Will probably pull the bush beans that I've already gotten 2 harvests from and plant lettuce in its place.

Excited to see what this year will bring! Surely the weather will be more favorable than last year!

It is always invigorating to get started again isn't it? I envy your long season now, but come summer I will be happy right where I am. Everything is dead here, not snow covered which is odd for this month here in Northern Idaho, but still very dead, and not accommodating to planting anything yet.

Wishing you the best of luck getting all your stuff done, and getting those peppers and tom's started.

Just planted my first 12 pack and then went out to check on the garden because I thought I saw something from the window (keep it close to the house, right?!). Sure enough, there are tomatoes on my patio dwarf variety! So excited about that because I have 2 healthy looking plants in my SFG that keep dropping blossoms (probably because we keep getting random cold nights mixed in with our 70-80 days). And now we are in our freeze window, but the plant that has set fruit is in a pot, so I can just bring it in when and if a freeze is expected!

Yay! I'm going to be eating fresh tomatoes quite early this year! I was bummed that yet again I didn't get fall tomatoes in early enough (last year I had some, but not as many as I could have had if I got them in earlier). But this one little plant I pick up from a local nursery has come through for me. I ordered a couple of dwarf varieties from The Sample Seed Shop this year, so I'm going to be doing some experimenting with those. I may try them indoors during the heat of the summer.

there are tomatoes on my patio dwarf variety!

Yeah for early tomatoes.

And now we are in our freeze window, but the plant that has set fruit is in a pot, so I can just bring it in when and if a freeze is expected!

Smart Girl.

Good luck on a bountiful harvest!

Well getting ready when my Gurney's catalog came in the mail today they have a really good sale going until 2/8/12 I got three coupons one for $100 off a $200 order then $50 off a $100 order & $25 off a $50 order, I think it's a good deal

Really thinking about putting in some crops that I "shouldn't" plant yet. Our frost window doesn't close until Feb 15. But today it's 86 degrees, which really gets me itching to get things growing. 10 day forecast doesn't have any lows below 53. Another part of what has me anxious to get going is how early summer arrived (shutting things down) last year.

It's just seeds, right? I can always replant if we get some cold weather in the next month. And if we don't...well, I'm thinking perhaps I can get more squash before the SVB shows up

Really enjoying the snap peas right now. Helped the kids plant some Tall Telephone peas yesterday. Some lettuce just coming up in squares where I pulled the beans. Broccoli still growing..hope it makes it before the temps get too high. Lots of peppers and tomatoes starting indoors.

I love gardening in the "winter!"

It's just seeds. Stagger your planting over the next 4 weeks and see what happens.

Something is going to hit the right window.

Kay

So far this year is turning out much better than last year, weather-wise. We're pretty much out of the woods for a freeze, have already gotten 2.5+ inches of rain this month, and are mostly getting 60-80 range weather. So I have 3 tomato plants that have overwintered, which is even more exciting because the ones I started from seed this year are behind last year's schedule. I'm starting to put them in their squares now with just 1-2 sets of true leaves.

Need things to dry up next week so I can mix up a new batch of MM. I have 1 more 2X10 frame left after using all the MM I moved with me. Thinking I'll put that box in the front yard. There's a really useless strip alongside the driveway that is more weeds than grass anyway. Of course I'm tempted to do more. When I moved I double-stacked 2 of my boxes, so I have fewer squares...but I know come summer it'll be a pain to keep them all watered. It's just that there can never be too many squares for tomatoes.

3 of my broccoli plants have heads forming and I have another 3 that should do so anytime now. Then there are 2 stragglers that haven't done much.

Squash that I went ahead and planted last time I posted are doing ok. Some leaves are wrinkly from the stress of colder nights, but they are coming right along and we're mostly into 60+ nights now. Went ahead and planted my vining squash (Tatume and Tromboncino) this week.

Overall, this year is coming along nicely!

It's on my Patio tomato that I bought from a local nursery last October and put in a 2.5 gallon bucket of MM. First red tomato on my overwintered plants. Looking forward to many more to come!

Gimme a bite, Please?

Well, considering it only was ONE bite....

Can't believe I forgot AGAIN to get some cuttings from my MIL's rosemary bush!

Tomatoes are beginning to ripen on the overwintered plants, but the Juliet is looking sickly. Hopefully just hungry...added some compost, sprayed and watered with fish emulsion.

The kids' Telephone peas are just starting to flower. My snap peas are done for, thanks in large measure to the puppy's digging habits. I think the tomato cages I've put into the spot he was bothering are doing the trick for now.

All 4 varieties of bush squash are producing now, but I was gone for Spring Break so I wasn't able to hand-pollinate during that time. Went out and cleaned up some of the leaves and the withered squash that didn't get pollinated. Looking forward to starting over tomorrow.

My 6 year old wants this happy face.

elliephant wrote:

It's on my Patio tomato that I bought from a local nursery last October and put in a 2.5 gallon bucket of MM. First red tomato on my overwintered plants. Looking forward to many more to come!

beeeeauty!!!!!