April: Lower South Status

Hey Ya'll,
(and by Ya'll I mean my fellow southerners in the Lower South regional forum) What's the status of your SFGs as of April 1, 2010? Most of us should be safely past our last freeze dates (March 16 in Dallas) and those warm weather crops are probably already in the ground. Right?

As for me, <Frisco, TX - Zone 8> I'm still awaiting delivery of five heirloom tomato transplants - which should be here next week - but otherwise my SFG is planted. Yep, you heard me, everything's planted except for the sweet potatoes and those don't go in the ground until May (or so I've been told - this will be my first year to try 'em). This year's garden includes: strawberries, lettuce (4 types), spinach (2 types), onions (red & white), peppers (4 kinds), eggplant (white and purple), cantaloupe, watermelon (2 varieties), zucchini, yellow summer squash, cucumber, potatoes (red, white, and a blue variety), basil, cilantro, and of course tomatoes (11 varieties!).

What about the rest of ya'll?

Most of my garden is planted but wanted to wait until I was sure we wouldn't be hit by a late freeze. Adage around here is "thunder in February, freeze in April", and it's amazing how often that is true. Then there was Easter three years ago when we had 6" of snow on April 14th after weeks of balmy weather. Never take Mother Nature for granted!

So today is the day I finish planting except for okra. It needs warmer soil temps to germinate. No sense in wasting seed.

Hi Tim,

My wife & I just finished planting our SFG this weekend, minus the sweet potatoes. In no particular order... We've planted tomatoes (5 types), peppers (7 types), strawberries, okra, onions (yellow), lettuce (4 types), Irish potatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, zucchini (2 types), cucumbers (2 types), Butternut squash (just a test, probably won't make it but maybe I'll get lucky...), snap beans (2 types), carrots, radish, parsley, sage, chamomile (just a test...), thyme, basil, lavender, dill, chives, fennel, oregano, tarragon, cilantro, and several flowers to add some color.

I have a couple smaller beds that I plan to plant some raspberries/blackberries in one and some blueberries in the other. Hopefully that works out as well.

@djason - Yep, I'm waiting on the sweet potatoes as well. I've never grown them but had a request to plant some so I'll oblige. I'm told they don't need to go in the ground until May. Is that your plan as well?

The first week in May is when I plan to plant the sweet potatoes. Burpee doesn't even send them out until the end of April.

I thought I had accomplished plenty but you guys are way ahead of me!

So far:
broccoli x 8
cauliflower x 9
carrots X 64
beets X 9
romaine lettuce x 9
tulips galore still in the beds
garlic x 9
rosemary x 3
cilantro x 2
lavender X12
basil x 12
lemon lime basil x12
rutabagas x 6
collards x 18
turnips x 18
bok choy/ pak choi x 9
red onions x 16
green onions x 3
strawberries x 2
asparagus 4 sets of 3yr old crowns popping up in most of the whole bed. not sure I did that correctly.
tomato starts x50 are in 3" fiber pots
bell pepper plants x6
blackberry, blueberry, raspberry bushes started under the grow lights.

nets are up cukes and asparagus beans but I haven't started either.... will probably buy squash, cayenne, chili, tabasco, eggplant from the nursery here.

does anyone know how I can determine if I am in 7a or 7b?

thanks!

sunshine0408 wrote:does anyone know how I can determine if I am in 7a or 7b?

thanks!

Try here: http://www.garden.org/zipzone/

Ahhh... fresh from the garden! Today I had my first meal from my SFG! Okay, it was only some spinach and 3 types of leaf lettuce added to store bought tomatoes to make a salad, but still I was eating from my SFG for the first time in 2010! Woo hoo!

timwardell wrote:Ahhh... fresh from the garden! Today I had my first meal from my SFG! Okay, it was only some spinach and 3 types of leaf lettuce added to store bought tomatoes to make a salad, but still I was eating from my SFG for the first time in 2010! Woo hoo!

Good for you! Isn't it a great feeling to eat what we grow? I'm still eating fall planted lettuce and chard, but the lettuce is beginning to bolt so I'll have to start on the baby spring lettuce and spinach. Yippee!