2022 Garden Plans

[Melissa in Australia]

 oyster mushrooms? 

I have  tried growing oyster mushrooms in a bag. I guess we didn't get the climatic conditions right 

[Sneezyone]

24 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

 oyster mushrooms? 

I have  tried growing oyster mushrooms in a bag. I guess we didn't get the climatic conditions right 

Yep, oyster mushrooms. Not in a bag or a container tho. They're grown in a log. You drill holes in a suitable log (different woods work best for different mushrooms) then plug the holes with spores and seal them with wax...then water and wait. https://northspore.com/pages/grow-mushrooms-on-logs-videos

Edited February 22, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Melissa in Australia]

Sounds like a fun experiment 

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, Sneezyone said:

So...another question...

Growing mushrooms on logs. Maybe I've been watching too much YouTube. I'm almost sure I've been watching too much YouTube. Still, this seems easy enough. I have these leftover logs that I plan to use to help fill up my raised beds. What's the harm in using one or two to try to grow mushrooms? I saw one installation that almost made the logs look like garden sculptures with different heights. Anyone tried this?

Do some research. I think the logs have to be fairly newly cut so yo can populate them with your preferred fungus before another fungus sets up camp. This project is perpetually on my to do list but I can never get my act together. I may have to look into the boiled wood chip method. I have a shady spot with a leaky hose that would be perfect. 

[Sneezyone]

1 minute ago, KungFuPanda said:

Do some research. I think the logs have to be fairly newly cut so yo can populate them with your preferred fungus before another fungus sets up camp. This project is perpetually on my to do list but I can never get my act together. I may have to look into the boiled wood chip method. I have a shady spot with a leaky hose that would be perfect. 

I'm using some leftover chunks from the tree we cut down a few weeks back. I think it's still new enough. I hope so anyway. *shrug*

[Sneezyone]

18 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

I'm using some leftover chunks from the tree we cut down a few weeks back. I think it's still new enough. I hope so anyway. *shrug*

Quoting myself because, after further research, squirrels ALSO eat mushrooms!!  I’d already come up with a lovely ‘art’ installation for my shroom logs 🤦🏽‍♀️. I texted the sawmill guy, who assures me my lumber will be avail. by Friday, and he said he’d VERY happily give me some sawdust to use (and pasteurize) in mushroom production!! I swear this tree just keeps on giving!

Edited February 23, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Lucy the Valiant]

Our taps and lines are set, and first boil for maple syrup is this weekend! (Not technically a "garden," but we always count it as the first "crop" of the season.) 

[Melissa in Australia]

I count honey from out bees as a harvest. I would think maple sryup would count as a crop harvest 

[Faith-manor]

37 minutes ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Our taps and lines are set, and first boil for maple syrup is this weekend! (Not technically a "garden," but we always count it as the first "crop" of the season.) 

Counts as harvest to me! And it sounds so interesting. I have never been involved in anything like that.

[LostSurprise]

On 2/20/2022 at 8:09 AM, Pam in CT said:

But, please tell me about your golden raspberries.  I ADORE raspberries and have tried and failed multiple times. Do you remember the cultivar?  One crop or everbearing?  Is your partial shade dappled all day, or a hunk of morning or a hunk of afternoon?

My gold raspberries have no more than 4 hours of direct sun (most probably less). Anne is the cultivar. They're 'everbearing' (basically summer and fall), really mild, and not very seedy. It took a few years but they are now *very* productive, especially in September. 

I also have Latham for the reds but they don't grow nearly as well in partial shade as the Annes. 

 

On 2/22/2022 at 12:31 AM, Sneezyone said:

So...another question...

Growing mushrooms on logs. Maybe I've been watching too much YouTube. I'm almost sure I've been watching too much YouTube. Still, this seems easy enough. I have these leftover logs that I plan to use to help fill up my raised beds. What's the harm in using one or two to try to grow mushrooms? I saw one installation that almost made the logs look like garden sculptures with different heights. Anyone tried this?

Are we watching the same Youtube videos?? You might like this documentary film series about forest culture (specific episode about mushroom growing). 

[Sneezyone]

On 2/23/2022 at 10:17 AM, LostSurprise said:

My gold raspberries have no more than 4 hours of direct sun (most probably less). Anne is the cultivar. They're 'everbearing' (basically summer and fall), really mild, and not very seedy. It took a few years but they are now *very* productive, especially in September. 

I also have Latham for the reds but they don't grow nearly as well in partial shade as the Annes. 

 

Are we watching the same Youtube videos?? You might like this documentary film series about forest culture (specific episode about mushroom growing). 

I decided to give the mushroom logs a try, squirrels or no. My logs aren't as long as the ones on the videos but I assume the process works the same. The ones I choose are small enough to be dunked in a Sterlite container for fruiting. It doesn't take very long to inoculate them but it is  a little tedious. None of my family members wanted anything to do with this project. They're convinced I'm going to kill us all with poisonous fungi. After tomorrow, nothing left to do but wait.

Edited March 3, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Sneezyone]

Moss lawns...does anybody have one? I'd really like to embrace the concept for my shady, sandy backyard but am not entirely sure how to get started.

[Amy in NH]

On 2/7/2022 at 7:09 AM, Carrie12345 said:

I have a plan to plan.

We were originally planning to be in our house this winter, so I had plans to start from scratch. Then it was looking like late spring, so I started to plan for that.  NOW we’re looking at summer, which is a real challenge.

I got some grow bags and will attempt some things to start here and move over. I don’t have high hopes. I’m already hit or miss as it is.  Potatoes and herbs are on the list. Anything else is up in the air right now.

I will be making an effort to at least prepare my future garden area, but I’m not allowed to interfere with the house work going on, so my time will be limited and involves some heavy equipment. I’m feeling really discouraged. There’s almost no way we’ll get a fully protected (for a mostly unattended) garden in with weekend work only.

When we moved into this house, 15 years ago, it was midsummer and my kids had 4-H gardens.  We knew we would be looking for a house, so they planted in rubbermaid tubs that spring, and we just picked up the tubs and moved the garden.  We still got a decent harvest that year of beans, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes.

On 2/7/2022 at 8:13 PM, itsheresomewhere said:

They are on Amazon.  I use a mix of organic soil, homemade compost and a Guinea pig/rabbit poop fertilizer ( DD does show animals so lots of it here). I fill the bags to the top as they will settle a bit over time. I have been using these bags for over 10 years back when you could only get them from a special garden store online. 
 

For the sweet potatoes-  I take a tomato cage and put it upside down.  I train the vines to grow around it and now you have some beautiful green topiaries. 

I tried this last year with bags I purchased from Amazon, but the bags I got were made from a tarp-like material and we didn't get anything worth harvesting.  The plants grew well for the first few weeks, but I don't know if they got too wet or too hot?  I gave up on the idea of doing it again, but now I'm rethinking the type of bag?

[prairiewindmomma]

23 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

Moss lawns...does anybody have one? I'd really like to embrace the concept for my shady, sandy backyard but am not entirely sure how to get started.

Most people have them here and don’t want them. 😂 It’s all about climate conditions. They really like shade and damp. 

[Faith-manor]

The yard is melting again. It will be in the forties next week. I want to say I smell spring, but am terrified to jinx it!

[Sneezyone]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Most people have them here and don’t want them. 😂 It’s all about climate conditions. They really like shade and damp. 

Yep, my back yard is very shady b/c of the position of our house. Add in the tree canopy and soil conditions (we're basically at sea level) and nothing but moss is happy back there without tons of care. It's really acidic naturally. There's a water drainage route along the property line that feels very, forest-y. I let the grass (what was left of it) die off during COVID b/c we're going to be ripping out the deck and putting in a paver patio and it wouldn't have survived. It's giving me a chance to envision a really cool (literally to the touch) moss layer as a more sustainable alternative. The green that you see in these pictures is moss that's already established. I just might encourage it with a little drink from time to time. Ignore my neighbor's raggedy fence.

Edited March 4, 2022 by Sneezyone

[prairiewindmomma]

Moss is pretty easy to relocate.  Keep it well watered for a bit so it's happy, and then slide a knife under it, getting as large of pieces as you can of it.  If you already have acidic soil and poor drainage in areas, it's likely to thrive.

[itsheresomewhere]

2 hours ago, Amy in NH said:

When we moved into this house, 15 years ago, it was midsummer and my kids had 4-H gardens.  We knew we would be looking for a house, so they planted in rubbermaid tubs that spring, and we just picked up the tubs and moved the garden.  We still got a decent harvest that year of beans, radishes, carrots, and tomatoes.

I tried this last year with bags I purchased from Amazon, but the bags I got were made from a tarp-like material and we didn't get anything worth harvesting.  The plants grew well for the first few weeks, but I don't know if they got too wet or too hot?  I gave up on the idea of doing it again, but now I'm rethinking the type of bag?

The ones I use are a fabric bag.  If they get over watered, the water trickles out of them to prevent root/plant rot.  

[itsheresomewhere]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

The yard is melting again. It will be in the forties next week. I want to say I smell spring, but am terrified to jinx it!

I am so tempted to bring out the patio furniture.  But if I do, I can guarantee a snow/ice storm. So it will wait a bit longer. 

[itsheresomewhere]

On 3/3/2022 at 3:06 PM, Sneezyone said:

Moss lawns...does anybody have one? I'd really like to embrace the concept for my shady, sandy backyard but am not entirely sure how to get started.

My neighbor did this really cool grass like plant all over her shade area.  It never needs to be cut and can handle being trampled on.  

[Faith-manor]

12 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I am so tempted to bring out the patio furniture.  But if I do, I can guarantee a snow/ice storm. So it will wait a bit longer. 

Right!!! Mark wants me to grill salmon and veggies tomorrow, and all I can think is that is just asking Mother Nature to bring on an immediate Ice Age! 😱

[prairiewindmomma]

I put my patio furniture out to bring back spring rains. It has absolutely worked. We really need them to continue through at least April, so I make plans to grill occasionally to keep bringing on the rain. 
 

I totally understand your hesitation. 😁

[prairiewindmomma]

I need to go stock up on fertilizer for the summer and get some fresh soil for my lettuce and cilantro planters. Cilantro is up to .88/bunch so my $10 bag of soil should pay off this year. I will dump the old stuff into a low spot by my favorite rose bush and start fresh.

[Pawz4me]

We've been working on filling our new raised beds. We have two, each 4x6x1. Yesterday we bought two scoops (about one cubic yard) of top soil. We divided that between the two beds today. Tomorrow we'll get one scoop of compost and mix that in. I think that will get them about 75% full. My plan is to finish them off with bags of the mix for raised beds. I think that'll get us a pretty good quality soil mix w/o breaking the bank.

[LostSurprise]

On 3/3/2022 at 2:06 PM, Sneezyone said:

Moss lawns...does anybody have one? I'd really like to embrace the concept for my shady, sandy backyard but am not entirely sure how to get started.

I have what I call 'a moss path' which is really just a very mossy area in the back third of my lawn in heavy shade. I've been weeding out the grass and other shade lovers for the last few years and that's allowed what native moss I have take over. Moss is pretty easy to move if you have a good spot for it. I add on to my path by adding patches I get from other parts of my yard or the woods down by the train tracks. If you go for a walk you can collect some and start a test space. Maybe a seat with a moss patch in front of it or a fairy circle with some small ephemerals planted in moss. It's pretty simple to collect some, clear a space, and then keep it watered for a bit (I'll even pin it to the ground with a stick or something so I can see it and not walk on it for awhile. 

The bad news is if you have any plant warlords in your lawn at all, like creeping charlie,, bishops weed, or ajuga you absolutely will be weeding that thing possibly forever. At the moment I put on some headphones and tell myself it's meditative. Moss is very sensory. 

Have you read Gathering Moss? 

[Sneezyone]

2 minutes ago, LostSurprise said:

I have what I call 'a moss path' which is really just a very mossy area in the back third of my lawn in heavy shade. I've been weeding out the grass and other shade lovers for the last few years and that's allowed what native moss I have take over. Moss is pretty easy to move if you have a good spot for it. I add on to my path by adding patches I get from other parts of my yard or the woods down by the train tracks. If you go for a walk you can collect some and start a test space. Maybe a seat with a moss patch in front of it or a fairy circle with some small ephemerals planted in moss. It's pretty simple to collect some, clear a space, and then keep it watered for a bit (I'll even pin it to the ground with a stick or something so I can see it and not walk on it for awhile. 

The bad news is if you have any plant warlords in your lawn at all, like creeping charlie,, bishops weed, or ajuga you absolutely will be weeding that thing possibly forever. At the moment I put on some headphones and tell myself it's meditative. Moss is very sensory. 

Have you read Gathering Moss? 

I haven't read that, no. I do have some decent moss patches elsewhere in the yard that I can transplant so I'm going to try that this week. Why not? Nothing else grows in that area. The hellebores and camellias under the tree canopy do well but they benefit from the pine and oak leaf mulch.

Edited March 6, 2022 by Sneezyone

[prairiewindmomma]

I picked up my soil and mushroom compost today and got everything mixed up and ready to go in my planters. I filled in some low spots in my teeny tiny postage stamp of a yard with the old stuff from the planters.

I repotted some of my indoor plants as well. Those just bring me way more joy than weeding and watering veggies. 

[Faith-manor]

Y'all, it is 50 degrees outside. The yard is thawing, but the wind is 25 mph with 50 mph wind gusts and yet I am considering going out there and repairing the grapevine trellis anyway because that is how bad I need spring! If you never hear from me again, it is because I was blown away.

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

Y'all, it is 50 degrees outside. The yard is thawing, but the wind is 25 mph with 50 mph wind gusts and yet I am considering going out there and repairing the grapevine trellis anyway because that is how bad I need spring! If you never hear from me again, it is because I was blown away.

That was me yesterday. I was outside winter sowing, i.e. planting seeds into little milk jug greenhouses. I also did a little first aid on neglected houseplants. It was chilly but sunny and there isn’t another decent day in the forecast for over a week. I’m so completely over winter.  
 

My kale has sprouted and I’m ridiculously excited. 

 

[Faith-manor]

Well everyone, I went outside determined to enjoy the temps, the sunshine, and do a quick repair to the trellis. Dh had grilled the other day, and the grill was still on the patio. When the wind caught the lid/hood which came sailing past my head missing me by about one foot, I decided to come inside. 😭. So sadly, I am not enjoying spring at the moment having decided Mark, who is taking our college senior back to campus after spring break, might not be amused by the sight of my decapitated body in the yard upon his return. Grrrrrrr...... This is how I feel about Michigan.

 

[Condessa]

I am finally getting my cherry trees!  I have been wanting to put some small cherry trees in the narrow strip between the driveway and the neighbor's property since we bought this house 2.5 years ago.  Things came up the last two Springs that prevented me getting them in, but I have ordered the trees, and they are supposed to be ready to pick up from the nursery on the 28th!  

[Eos]

22 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

That was me yesterday. I was outside winter sowing, i.e. planting seeds into little milk jug greenhouses. I also did a little first aid on neglected houseplants. It was chilly but sunny and there isn’t another decent day in the forecast for over a week. I’m so completely over winter.  
 

My kale has sprouted and I’m ridiculously excited. 

 

Uh oh, I had vowed to only buy seedlings and plant most things in the ground this year, but this picture got my heart beating to start seedlings!  

Edited March 7, 2022 by Eos

[Sneezyone]

Operation seedling launch is going surprisingly well. I have a few more trays to sow for succession planting purposes but all of these guys are hardened off and living outside on my front stoop until DD finishes my planting beds (hopefully this week, next at the latest). We’re expecting high winds and rain this evening so I might bring them inside. Then again, the last few days of wind have really strengthened their stems. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll just remove the bottom trays so they can drain more easily. I planted a couple of grape vines (maybe a lost cause b/c squirrels) and surrounded them with smelly onions, garlic, and creeping thyme. We’ll see if that helps.

[Faith-manor]

3 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

Operation seedling launch is going surprisingly well. I have a few more trays to sow for succession planting purposes but all of these guys are hardened off and living outside on my front stoop until DD finishes my planting beds (hopefully this week, next at the latest). We’re expecting high winds and rain this evening so I might bring them inside. Then again, the last few days of wind have really strengthened their stems. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll just remove the bottom trays so they can drain more easily. I planted a couple of grape vines (maybe a lost cause b/c squirrels) and surrounded them with smelly onions, garlic, and creeping thyme. We’ll see if that helps.

That looks great! Meanwhile back in the Siberia of the mainland (Mi), it snowed, two inches after being 50+ degrees out. So my state said, " Here are nice temps, sunshine so I can lure you out of your winter fortress, but then also tornado force winds so you risk dismemberment if you dare to spend any time outside, and for good measure the temp is going to drop and snow overnight so your soul is bereft for the rest of the week."

So my little repair to the raised bed did NOT get done.

My new thing is to spend time on the website of my favorite nursery drooling over the plants in their lush greenhouses. They open up next week, and I have decided to spend an afternoon wandering around them even though I can't plant anything for a long time yet. I am going to buy something cute to put for my back step, a metal butterfly statue or something, and a box fruit tree fertilizer just so I feel like I got to do something springy.

Edited March 7, 2022 by Faith-manor

[Sneezyone]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

That looks great! Meanwhile back in the Siberia of the mainland (Mi), it snowed, two inches after being 50+ degrees out. So my state said, " Here is nice temps, sunshine so I can lure you out of your winter fortress, but then also tornado force winds so you risk dismemberment if you dare to spend any time outside, and for food measure the temp is going to drop and snow overnight so your soul is bereft for the rest of the week."

So my little repair to the raised bed did NOT get done.

My new thing is to spend time on the website of my favorite nursery drooling over the plants in their lush greenhouses. They open up next week, and I have decided to spend an afternoon wandering around them even though I can't plant anything for a long time yet. I am going to buy something cute to put for my back step, a metal butterfly statue or something, and a box fruit tree fertilizer just so I feel like I got to do something springy.

Yeah, it's definitely past the last frost here. We're about to head into the rainy/stormy season tho. I did manage to get my containers in the back yard cleared up. I grabbed a couple of elephant ear bulbs, some caladiums and pansies and planted those today. It's really messy back there and always looks chaotic until the end. I've been stalking Lowe's to see if they put out anything interesting (no) but the local nursery's offshoot site is going up in a nearby parking lot and they always have good things. It should be open in a week or two.

[cjzimmer1]

4 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

Yeah, it's definitely past the last frost here. 

I am seriously jealous right about now.  Like Faith-Manor we got hit with snow (3-4 inches in our case).  Our last frost day is about 2 1/2 months away yet.  I'm so tired of cold!

Edited March 7, 2022 by cjzimmer1

[Faith-manor]

On 3/4/2022 at 4:25 PM, Faith-manor said:

Right!!! Mark wants me to grill salmon and veggies tomorrow, and all I can think is that is just asking Mother Nature to bring on an immediate Ice Age! 😱

Folks, I was NOT wrong. He grilled, and the next day we had sunshine and 50 degrees BUT with 25 mph winds and 50-65 mph wind gusts. By evening the temperature was dropping rapidly and it began to snow. Today I have 3 inches of snow and sub freezing temps.

I told you! Y'all laughed at me, and yet, I was right. HE JINXED IT!!! 💨🐧🏔🌪❄⛄

[itsheresomewhere]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

Folks, I was NOT wrong. He grilled, and the next day we had sunshine and 50 degrees BUT with 25 mph winds and 50-65 mph wind gusts. By evening the temperature was dropping rapidly and it began to snow. Today I have 3 inches of snow and sub freezing temps.

I told you! Y'all laughed at me, and yet, I was right. HE JINXED IT!!! 💨🐧🏔🌪❄⛄

Lol.  We hit 77 today( shorts in March is just wow) and I really almost got out the patio furniture but stopped myself.  Now Wednesday we might get snow.  

[LostSurprise]

On 3/7/2022 at 9:37 AM, Faith-manor said:

That looks great! Meanwhile back in the Siberia of the mainland (Mi), it snowed, two inches after being 50+ degrees out.

Wisconsin here. I feel you. It's a skating rink as far as the eye can see. I sort of wish we had snow. 

I'm also jealous of all the sprouts, so I obviously need to go get my planting bench back into order. My husband has selected that part of the basement as his new office so I've put it off and decided to learn how to make a Planting Chart on excel instead. 

[Faith-manor]

59 minutes ago, LostSurprise said:

Wisconsin here. I feel you. It's a skating rink as far as the eye can see. I sort of wish we had snow. 

I'm also jealous of all the sprouts, so I obviously need to go get my planting bench back into order. My husband has selected that part of the basement as his new office so I've put it off and decided to learn how to make a Planting Chart on excel instead. 

I know!! Yesterday, it was 40 and it felt so balmy I was wandering around without a coat. Woke up this morning to three inches of snow. I.am.done.

Meanwhile my daughter informed me that the daffodils have all bloomed at our home in Alabama, she has cleaned the leaves around the patch of irises which show signs of ramping up to bloom, and the plum trees have blossomed.

Here is one of the plum trees. I told Mark that we have to find time to spend a week down there VERY soon.

[Sneezyone]

I spoke too soon! Frost temps and flurries are expected this weekend so I have to bring my seedlings back in. Sigh. They were so happy on the stoop! Oh well. I started the last bush bean plants today (Rocdor-yellow and Celine-purple) so there's something more to look forward to. My seedlings are champs, with most getting their true leaves this week. I've never grown from seed before so it's exciting to see the progress. I'm pressing to get this all installed in the next two weeks PLUS a watering timer so I can work without worry.

[Lucy the Valiant]

So DH brought me home a surprise today, and I remembered this thread . . . it's a "Chicago Hardy" Fig! Hahaha! 

Crossing my Zone 5 fingers. 😉

[itsheresomewhere]

Cherry tree is planted ( it was the core t time for planting it) and now ready to be wrapped up on Sunday for the next cold spell.  These temperature swing right now are just swell ( 30s-70s day temps in a week, up and down). But it did allow the ground to thaw so I could plant it. The blueberry and black raspberry bushes are doing well after a difficult fedex experience. I installed the green house and now get a part to connect the heater system to it.  Thanks to the generosity of my neighbors trash, I got several thick building foam sheets to insulate it around the bottom and the heat source pipe.  Now if someone would throw out some shelving units. 😆 

[Indigo Blue]

I just planted two hydrangeas today. I’ve never had them before. I hope they do well. They look so pretty where I put them. 

[Pam in CT]

23 minutes ago, Indigo Blue said:

I just planted two hydrangeas today. I’ve never had them before. I hope they do well. They look so pretty where I put them. 

Hydrangeas are my second-most successful propagation bush. Well, third if you count forsythia, whose sticks I literally plonk into the barren earth after pruning, without any further effort AT ALL, and they take maybe 1/3 of the time.

Back to hydrangeas, all I do is take green cuttings, dip in rooting hormone, and stick in a jar for maybe a month. About 1/4 of them start roots in the jar, at which point I plant them in pots. Very close to 100% of the potted ones then make it, and I put them out the following summer after they've flowered once in the pots.

(in general hydrangea are relatively late-blooming, so if yours are blooming now, they'll likely be on a later schedule in subsequent years.)

[Mom_to3]

Good to know about the forsythia! Will have to try that. Any favorite time of year for that?

We've had great success transplanting small seedlings of  lilac from one part of the yard to another, also without any effort. But that's easy - we are not great gardeners.

[Indigo Blue]

53 minutes ago, Pam in CT said:

Hydrangeas are my second-most successful propagation bush. Well, third if you count forsythia, whose sticks I literally plonk into the barren earth after pruning, without any further effort AT ALL, and they take maybe 1/3 of the time.

Back to hydrangeas, all I do is take green cuttings, dip in rooting hormone, and stick in a jar for maybe a month. About 1/4 of them start roots in the jar, at which point I plant them in pots. Very close to 100% of the potted ones then make it, and I put them out the following summer after they've flowered once in the pots.

(in general hydrangea are relatively late-blooming, so if yours are blooming now, they'll likely be on a later schedule in subsequent years.)

Thanks, Pam. I have two plants, one pink and one blue. I learned they may change colors depending on the acidity of my soil! Yes, they bloom in summer, and mine were given to me in a pot already blooming. I wasn’t sure whether to wait longer before planting them, but we are not having frost temps for the foreseeable future, so it’s possible I could already be in the clear. I suppose the worst that could happen if we do get a frost is that I lose the blooms, but maybe they will come back in summer? 

Mine both bloom on old wood, which means very little pruning and mostly just taking off dead blooms. I hope they don’t get infested by slugs or beetles. 

[Melissa in Australia]

madly harvesting all the end of the summer crops and planting the autumn and winter crops.

 harvesting tomatoes, have made a year plus supply of ketchup, salsa , spaghetti tomato sauce as well as dozens of  bottled (canned) tomatoes. froze bags of green beans. harvested dried beans. frozen a year supply of capsicum, made a huge amount of apple crumble and stewed apples to freeze. which added to the peaches and plumbs already turned into pies in the freezer. Madewell over a year supply of gherkins, jam,  berry ice-cream topping

 

planting all the brassica crops that do better here in the autumn and winter, heaps of different types of cabbage, bok choy, cauliflower, broccoli, as well as lettuce, garlic, onions, broad beans, etc. 

 a very busy time.

The Polly tunnel is going to get new plastic put on it this coming week. It is full of veggies as well as flats and flats of seedlings growing to be planted out. the ripped old plastic DD22 wants as she wants to build a small plastic greenhouse for winter growing. 

DH has been making huge piles of compost. 

[Eos]

I pruned my raspberries and planted peas, then it snowed.  Ah, March!

[Pam in CT]

re jamming forsythia sticks into the barren ground

12 hours ago, Mom_to3 said:

Good to know about the forsythia! Will have to try that. Any favorite time of year for that?

We've had great success transplanting small seedlings of  lilac from one part of the yard to another, also without any effort. But that's easy - we are not great gardeners.

I am a REALLY haphazard gardener. I do most tasks when the spirit moves me. This approach yields, erm, variable results. So there is a definite Darwinian effect over time to the whole.

I have both clumps of the native floppy forsythia which becomes ever more untidy and useless as summer progresses; and the upright hybrid that can actually be clipped and maintained as a reasonably coherent hedgerow once it's done blooming.  As the clumps are rather randomly plonked in areas with substantially different light, and the more-organized rows are generally in more light, they bloom at different times (which I like). I'm likely to prune the upright hedgerow hybrids when they're sending rapid-growing shoots that disturb the line (so: early summer) and the floppy clumps whenever they strike me as a hot mess (so: later summer / into the fall, except maybe also when I have an idle moment and the clippers in my pocket.

When I have an armful of pruned bits off the floppy kind, I just cast around vaguely and plonk them into a spot not too close to the house (because floppy mess) that could use a bit of early-spring cheer, and then literally jam a bunch of sticks into the unprepared ground. When I have an armful of pruned bits off the upright hybrid kind, I usually look for the less-visible end of an existing row and jam them in there to extend the line.

Regardless of time of year, it seems nearly always to work.