Mid-Atl: January 8 - February 5

The last frost date in our area is April 15th (you'll have to use your judgment whether or not you believe that). Tomperrin recommended the book "Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook" by Ron & Jennifer Kujawski, and below is the information for 14-10 weeks before average date of last frost which would be January 8 - February 5.

GENERAL
* Cold frame -> Build or buy

SEED STARTING
* All seedlings -> Check on them daily, water as needed
* Dill, cilantro -> Sow seed for indoor use
* Celery, celeriac, collards, kale, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi, cabbage
-> Sow seed indoors for transplants

MAINTENANCE
* Leftover seed -> Store in a cool, dry place
* Power equipment -> Tune up
(I guess that would be for the lawn mower that you run between your 3' aisles)

HARVEST
* Onions in storage -> Use sprouting tops in cooking

I started!

Yesterday, I sterilized soil, filled up a four six packs, topped with vermiculite, started 2 seeds in each cell of broccoli, Early Jersey cabbage, Red Acre cabbage and bok choy, stuck in tray with top and put on heat mat.

When I woke up in the middle of the night to use the facilities, I stopped on the way to check. Ya know, just in CASE they had sprouted in just a few hours.

I am anxious and the weather isn't helping. We've had a mild winter, and the past few days have had highs in the 50s. I just checked the outside thermometer a couple hours ago after having the heat off inside for a while, and it was 2 degrees warmer on my porch than in my kitchen. I am in central PA, so this is not exactly normal winter weather for us.

It makes me want to go plant peas... which I'm SURE would bring on a blizzard...

SIGH. April 15th?! That's a month and a half (almost) before my last frost date I'm so jealous. But I have hope! I have all my seed starting charted and figured out, and the lettuce I started inside has sprouted I want to see if it'll grow and give me an indoor salad.

Kewl! I've grown lettuce inside before under grow lights. I built tiny little boxes, maybe 18" by 18", stapled a plastic bottom on, and filled and grew butterhead and radicchio over winter. Butterhead did well, radicchio not so much, I think it was too warm inside for it.

I had built a cold frame built for the year before last, and it did okay for getting things started early , but I converted it over to a compost bin since I was going thru too much plastic from twigs and such poking holes in it. I may make smaller ones this year since I scored some old windows from some friends of mine.. We'll see, once things settle..



A store opened up in Shippensburg the other day called "fulltimegardeningsupply.com", but haven't had a chance to check it out personally.. I did look at their website, and it seems to be more toward hydroponic growning .. I may look at getting some grow lights at some point but will have to wait and see...

Don't forget about extending your growing season (Chapter 9 in the ANSFG book)! It can be done in the Spring as well as the Fall.

Will do, but taking the "baby steps" first...





I had thought about starting early by way of multiple covers to up my "growth zone" by maybe two zones just to see if it works...