What's Up for April in 6a?

Since I'm a 5b SFGer I guess I'm not allowed to post here . However, I want to get this topic started for you and I hope you will all chime in and be specific. Such as, planted peas; last year's lettuce make a comeback; peas froze!! Temp irradic. Mine would looks something like this:

"Bought wood for new box today. Turned compost. Cleaned old growth out of last year's pots and replenished soil with a handful of Mel's Mix. Tossed old growth into compost bin to start new pile."

You get the idea. Let's help the local newcomers know where we are with our gardens.

Have fun. Post updates regularly. Thanks.

Hi Claire!

It's been absolutely glorious the past few days. Cloudless blue skies and every day it gets a bit warmer - probably near 80* today.

I'll be going down to the garden after work today to water and inspect. Yesterday I added some new spinach seeds as I haven't seen any germination yet. I only added a few - the others may still come up. The lettuces and broccoli are such a pretty color of green! And I used Lily's Hot Green yarn for my grids, so it's all lovely. The peas are beginning to peak out, and so are a few onions. This is all so new to me (I've only ever grown tomatoes before and that was years ago!) and it brings such joy. I almost wish I could take a chair down there and just sit & watch.

I'm toying with the idea of adding a new box that would just be milkweed. In my backyard I have a monarch garden and I want one at the community garden, too!

Happy Thursday!
n.

I set up my boxes last week and planted transplanted broccoli, spinach and romaine. I planted sets of onions and garlic, I also planted seeds of other onions, peas, lettuce, and spinach. I also planted asparagus not in my SFG. Nothing other than the transplants are showing yet. I hope everything is ok! I started setting up my strawberry bed, but it needs alot of work before I can plant in it. I also the following growing as starts: Better Boy Tomatoes, Summer Salsa Tomatoes (not doing well), jalapeno peppers, broccoli, cilantro, basil, rosemary, artichoke (has not yet germinated), lavender (not yet germinated), marigolds, sweet williams, zucchini, cucumber, watermelon, parsley, chives, oregano, and I forget what else. I went crazy the other day and bought hibiscus plants, a potted orange tree, a potted lemon tree, a potted lime tree, a potted blueberry bush, and some other random stuff. I think I have gone completely mad!

Hi Ladies!

Thanks for your posts! I'm just behind you and will be getting some seedlings in next week, I hope. Weather in NE Ohio has been unbelievably summer-like w/o the humidity! But I almost think it is an April fools trick.

I have broccoli to put in and onion sets, scallion seeds. I think I'll use some gallon milk bottles to keep them warm for awhile after I set them out.

Nancy, I love sitting by my SFG boxes! And I used to raise monarch butterflies. I have been so tempted to plant milkweed. Maybe I will sometime.

Lisa, you certainly did go on a shopping spree! Better a spree at the garden shop than at Saks!

I better get out of your 5a Forum but I will be visiting frequently to see what I have to look forward to.

Yeah, I went to michiganbulb.com the other day and they had a Spend $40 and get $20 off sale, plus all the citrus trees were on sale for $5. I figured if they didn't work out, all well, I pretty much got them for free.

We have a frost warning tonite! I'm only a little surprised. I still want to wait to plant tomatoes. Where in sw Ohio do you get heirloom tomato seedlings? I don't have any more room for seeds in the house!

I just began reading Barbara Kingsolver's "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral". I'm on page 12 and I'm hooked! Has anyone else read it?

I read "Animal Vegetable Mineral" last year.... LOVED it! Highly recommended (in fact I think I'll borrow it from the library again).

I'm not in Ohio, but in the same zone as many of you... I'm holding back on my tomatoes too ... I bought four varieties - Mr Stripey, Bradley, Mountain Pride and one other I can't remember right now - and I have seedlings I started of San Marzano plum tomatoes. I'm SOOOOO anxious to get them out in the garden, but I don't want to take the chance yet!

Good luck to all with the chill tonight. I had temps around 30-32 last night, but I only have cold crops in and they were fine without cover.

My basil didn't survive the past 2 nights!! I think after Tuesday it would have been salvageable, but after last night, it is now all black & shriveled up. I feel so guilty!!

To make me feel better, here at home 2 of the 3 clematis are blooming! Oh, hurray. The rest of the vegetables down at the garden look fine and all of the flowers here do, too. I only lost the 2 basils. Not too bad, I guess.

Glenwood Gardens (In Cincinnati) is having their annual Ohio Native Plant Sale this weekend. I'm heading there right after work today. With a little luck I'll find some good plants for the box I have reserved for the monarchs. I'm failing miserably at starting seeds. Also hoping to find some Jack-in-the-Pulpit for my front yard. And maybe some trillium. I don't believe they have vegetables, but they have lots of native flowers.