2022 Garden Plans

[Sneezyone]

I woke up motivated to put my hands back in the dirt. DD has not yet completed my garden bed (grrrr...) but she promises this is the week...sigh. I filled the cheap one I bought tho. DS 'helped' me transplant my seedlings (big mistake, huge, I lost a melon plant and multiple lettuce starts in the process) but his assistance moving heaps of earth, literally, was invaluable. I layered cardboard, logs, leaf and pine needle mulch, then mixed sphagnum and perlite into a 50/50 compost and topsoil blend for the final 8".  I might try to make room in there, somewhere, for a citronella plant. I put one next to my herbs and, magically, I didn't wake up to any more leaf loss. The empty squares are where I direct sowed. 

One down, one to go!!

Edited March 27, 2022 by Sneezyone

[madteaparty]

I don’t plan, I stick things down and then see what happens. I’m moving into a new place and will lose my wild raspberry forest 😩and my raised beds. I did dig up some of my roses so. I think I will just grow salad greens and flowers this year. 

[madteaparty]

On 2/22/2022 at 2:26 AM, Sneezyone said:

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

My daughter wants a couple mushroom logs…one more thing to move lol. 
Any time of year more suitable to inoculate these logs?

[Sneezyone]

44 minutes ago, madteaparty said:

My daughter wants a couple mushroom logs…one more thing to move lol. 
Any time of year more suitable to inoculate these logs?

I read that the logs are best cut in the fall/winter and inoculation should occur within 4-6 weeks of cutting. I don't yet know how my experiment will turn out but late fall-early spring seems a good time to try.

Side note:

I wanted to add that my garden beds are 3'x8x'20" tall. I thought it would take a lot more to fill them than it actually did. Between the leftover maple logs and readily available mulch (we have a TON of pine/maple/oak trees/leaves and yard clippings for the asking in this neighborhood) we spent $145. It works out to $58 in topsoil/compost (1 yd), $20 in perlite, $15 in sphagnum, $20 in worm castings (which aren't really necessary) and $30 in child labor for books and music at Barnes & Noble. YMMV on that one. We had about 2 cu. ft. left over and spread it on the lawn.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Eos]

6 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

$30 in child labor for books and music at Barnes & Noble.

Ha!  Must remember to budget like this.

[madteaparty]

On 2/7/2022 at 10:34 AM, prairiewindmomma said:

I have my kitchen herbs and my fresh greens, which I will do as always but I am not going to do tomatoes or zucchini or other things any more. I have such a tiny yard that the trade off of yield compared to time watering doesn’t make it worth it. I am better off going to the farmer’s market twice a week and spending a bit more there compared to spending my time in the garden. Saving an extra $50-100 in veg is like not getting takeout twice over the course of a summer (for my family size). I will probably instead do some canning for some low sodium things that have been hard to find and go fruit picking more in the commercial orchards.

I do feel just fresh herbs make such a huge difference. Dill and chives grow wild and reseed here so I need to sort my set up at the new house. I also want to do a bit of natives flower gardening and plant a couple trees (I planted a peach tree which did amazing in just three year).and I need to remember to bring my compost and chicken poop. Bc no more chickens 😩

[alysee]

We started our little pepper & tomato seeds just this past week. We will have 4 raised beds, potted tomato plants and basil. The raised beds will have Peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, green & yellow beans. It's an ambitious endeavour since I am currently 16 weeks pregnant but I usually have at least 1 or 2 daily helpers. 

[Pam in CT]

Hard frost here last night.    Grrrrrrr.

I WANT TO MOVE TO ZONE 8, there, I said it.

[Brittany1116]

3 hours ago, Pam in CT said:

Hard frost here last night.    Grrrrrrr.

I WANT TO MOVE TO ZONE 8, there, I said it.

8 here. Had a surprise cold snap last night. Didn't look up the low but it was 40 when I woke for church.

[itsheresomewhere]

Cherry tree is now a beautiful quilt blanket tree for the next few days due to cold temperatures. High tomorrow might reach freezing. Green house is hold steady without the heat connected at 66.  Trying a few things before I connect it. 
 

Yesterday, we had such interesting weather.  Sun, clouds, rain, hail, rain, snow squall, wind, and sun.  Spring 

[Sneezyone]

18 minutes ago, Brittany1116 said:

8 here. Had a surprise cold snap last night. Didn't look up the low but it was 40 when I woke for church.

We're still in the mid 40s at night but no more extended frost or freezing conditions. That last 'fluke' early this month with HOURS and HOURS below freezing was the last hurrah for us. I think the low on Monday will be 30 (but only for an hour or two before sunrise) and Tuesday will be 27 but the plants I have out now, brassicas, squash, peppers, a few tomatoes, and winter lettuce should be fine for a short interval. I might throw a piece of scrap fabric over the top of my first bed just in case tho. The lavender and onions and garlic and collards that are already out are doing fine.

Edited March 27, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Sneezyone]

So far, I’ve learned creeping thyme is an EXCELLENT deterrent for pests that enjoy brassicas. Also, ash from my grill is an excellent fertilizer for them too (also onions/garlic). I planted creeping thyme next to my tree collards and they are doing amazing! For the brassicas in my beds, I planted pineapple sage amongst them to deter whatever is eating the leaves. I’ll report back on how it works. I have some eggshells and shrimp shells on standby to plant under the tomatoes in the bed DD made. Install/planting is this weekend. Fingers crossed!

Edited April 7, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Rosie_0801]

I'm finding myself strangely invested in your garden, Sneezy.

 

 

But I have some garden excitement of my own. My midyim produced berries this year, for the first time, and my chocolate/vanilla lilies are growing pups! Hopefully they flower next summer.

[Sneezyone]

9 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

I'm finding myself strangely invested in your garden, Sneezy.

 

 

But I have some garden excitement of my own. My midyim produced berries this year, for the first time, and my chocolate/vanilla lilies are growing pups! Hopefully they flower next summer.

You and my daughter's construction teacher might be the only ones. LOL. What is a midyim? I looked at some pictures and can't tell if it's like a juniper berry or a blueberry. Is it sweet? I do love lilies, low maintenance and lovely (a winning combo). My switchgrass is greening up nicely and my Lynnhaven carpet flowers have spread. I wasn't expecting that but am pleasantly surprised. We just planted them in October/November. I saw my first butterfly this week too!

[Rosie_0801]

20 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

You and my daughter's construction teacher might be the only ones. LOL. What is a midyim? I looked at some pictures and can't tell if it's like a juniper berry or a blueberry. Is it sweet? I do love lilies, low maintenance and lovely (a winning combo). My switchgrass is greening up nicely and my Lynnhaven carpet flowers have spread. I wasn't expecting that but am pleasantly surprised. We just planted them in October/November. I saw my first butterfly this week too!

They say midyims are kind of like blueberries, and I think, as long as you emphasise "kind of," that can be true if they have had a lot of water recently. Otherwise they're not at all like a blueberry and "resinous" is the only word I can find to use. I want to say "in a good way" but I don't know if that is true or not. I kept eating them, though, so I guess they're resinous but not in an entirely offputting way? I don't know how to compare to juniper because I've never met a fresh one. In my very limited experience, they're more pine, whereas midyims are more eucalyptus. Sort of. Maybe if pine was treacle it'd be like that? 

Chocolate lilies are like this: https://tuckerbush.com.au/chocolate-lily-arthropodium-strictum/ They smell like chocolate syrup to begin with, then like vanilla when they're old. Very pretty.

[Sneezyone]

34 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

They say midyims are kind of like blueberries, and I think, as long as you emphasise "kind of," that can be true if they have had a lot of water recently. Otherwise they're not at all like a blueberry and "resinous" is the only word I can find to use. I want to say "in a good way" but I don't know if that is true or not. I kept eating them, though, so I guess they're resinous but not in an entirely offputting way? I don't know how to compare to juniper because I've never met a fresh one. In my very limited experience, they're more pine, whereas midyims are more eucalyptus. Sort of. Maybe if pine was treacle it'd be like that? 

Chocolate lilies are like this: https://tuckerbush.com.au/chocolate-lily-arthropodium-strictum/ They smell like chocolate syrup to begin with, then like vanilla when they're old. Very pretty.

Oh, those lilies are awesome. I love scented plants. The midyims sound like an experience I need to have one day. I know blueberries. I know eucalyptus. I'm not sure about the combo. Yes, junipers are more pine-y. 🙂

Edited April 8, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Rosie_0801]

5 minutes ago, Sneezyone said:

Oh, those lilies are awesome. I love scented plants. The midyims sound like an experience I need to have one day I know blueberries. I know eucalyptus. I'm not sure about the combo. Yes, junipers are more pine-y. 🙂

Science experiment coming up:
If I crunch eucalyptus lollies with a blueberry and a dried juniper berry, will I approximate the taste of a midyim berry?

Or you could come to southern Australia in March some year...

[Sneezyone]

4 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Science experiment coming up:
If I crunch eucalyptus lollies with a blueberry and a dried juniper berry, will I approximate the taste of a midyim berry?

Or you could come to southern Australia in March some year...

DH and I went to Sidney one year for a work trip but only did the touristy stuff. Definitely need a return trip to explore more areas, foods, etc. I'm intrigued by these foodstuffs!

[Rosie_0801]

On 4/8/2022 at 12:43 PM, Rosie_0801 said:

Science experiment coming up:
If I crunch eucalyptus lollies with a blueberry and a dried juniper berry, will I approximate the taste of a midyim berry?

Or you could come to southern Australia in March some year...

Kind of does, or would have if I'd been able to find the right eucalyptus lollies.

How 'bout that. lol

[itsheresomewhere]

I would like to apologize for the snow flurries this weekend.  I got ahead of nature and power washed the siding on Friday.  
 

Green house heat source is hooked up and doing well. Peas are started along with carrots and strawberry runners were transplanted. 

[Sneezyone]

58 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

Kind of does, or would have if I'd been able to find the right eucalyptus lollies.

How 'bout that. lol

Huh, might have to try this to see what it tastes like.

[Melissa in Australia]

WOW, I went to the local nursery to get some seedlings to plant up my dd veggie garden. $6 per punnet. There are 8 seedlings per punnet. That is a lot

last year they were $4

I grow my own seedlings but am on the spur of the moment fixing up dd’s veggie garden for winter veggies.

[Faith-manor]

On 4/10/2022 at 9:58 PM, itsheresomewhere said:

I would like to apologize for the snow flurries this weekend.  I got ahead of nature and power washed the siding on Friday.  
 

Green house heat source is hooked up and doing well. Peas are started along with carrots and strawberry runners were transplanted. 

Oh, so that was you! Okay, now I know. I was trying to avoid the bad juju by NOT fiddling with our sailboat, and trying hard to make the universe believe I do not want to go sailing or put a plant in a pot so as not to tempt the evil weather spirits. At least I can rest easy knowing I didn't mess up inadvertently! 😁

[prairiewindmomma]

We had snow this week—most everything fruit tree and berry bush were in full blossom so 😮‍💨. 
 

We decided to rip up the lawn and put in a teeny garden after all. I can’t get enough fresh greens out of my containers to do more than top a sandwich—time to expand if the grocery store can’t get regular deliveries.

[Rosie_0801]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

WOW, I went to the local nursery to get some seedlings to plant up my dd veggie garden. $6 per punnet. There are 8 seedlings per punnet. That is a lot

last year they were $4

I grow my own seedlings but am on the spur of the moment fixing up dd’s veggie garden for winter veggies.

A month or two back I saw someone online selling a purslane plant for $7. Not one of your ornamental types, the kind you dig up off the nature strip.

[Sneezyone]

What am I doing wrong?? The brassicas in the ground (just tree collards and pak choi) are thriving. The ones in my beds (from seed/transplants) are struggling mightily. Do I need to leave them in the seed trays longer next time? Was the neem oil spray I concocted too strong? The melon plant DS killed upon transplant is regrowing from seed and my new crop of fall carrots has sprouted (6 weeks behind the others) but I can’t keep these flipping cabbage plants from being chewed to nubs by insects!!

Also, basil and I do not get along. This is unfortunate b/c DH would happily eat caprese salad every day if allowed. I can’t get the watering right. They’re either scorched or nibbled to nothing by insects.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Rosie_0801]

The first rule of gardening, Sneezy, is you can't win 'em all.

Generally, bugs attack plants who were unhealthy anyway. It's usually a problem of nutrition, either the soil isn't healthy enough (potting mix from the shops is pretty crappy stuff) or the amount of sunlight is wrong. (Australian gardeners read tags that say "full sun" and say "hahahhahahahhaha, I don't think so.") 

I'm going to guess you've used up all the nutrition in your soil already.

[Sneezyone]

5 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said:

The first rule of gardening, Sneezy, is you can't win 'em all.

Generally, bugs attack plants who were unhealthy anyway. It's usually a problem of nutrition, either the soil isn't healthy enough (potting mix from the shops is pretty crappy stuff) or the amount of sunlight is wrong. (Australian gardeners read tags that say "full sun" and say "hahahhahahahhaha, I don't think so.") 

I'm going to guess you've used up all the nutrition in your soil already.

The soil has a TON of compost in it. Like, it smelled when I put it it in the beds and mixed it with sphagnum. Plenty of nutrition there, maybe too much. I bought it in bulk from a supply store b/c the bags are pricier. I’m guessing it’s the size/health of the plants. Maybe they were just too small/not ready for transplant? All of the bigger plants I moved are doing well, the lettuce especially. Maybe cabbage will become my trap crop this year. Sigh. DH loves cabbage too.

Edited April 14, 2022 by Sneezyone

[Rosie_0801]

For what it's worth, you can eat brassica flowers.

I didn't see your second picture when I posted before. I meant some of those seedlings in the top pic look over crowded.

In the second pic, how much sun does that spot get? What kind of mulch is that? It looks like pine needles?

 

We're learning an entirely different, non-human language, with a whole bunch of dialects. That takes time!

[mum]

1 hour ago, Sneezyone said:

What am I doing wrong?? The brassicas in the ground (just tree collards and pak choi) are thriving. The ones in my beds (from seed/transplants) are struggling mightily. Do I need to leave them in the seed trays longer next time? Was the neem oil spray I concocted too strong? The melon plant DS killed upon transplant is regrowing from seed and my new crop of fall carrots has sprouted (6 weeks behind the others) but I can’t keep these flipping cabbage plants from being chewed to nubs by insects!!

Also, basil and I do not get along. This is unfortunate b/c DH would happily eat caprese salad every day if allowed. I can’t get the watering right. They’re either scorched or nibbled to nothing by insects.

I always cover my brassicas with insect netting the very moment that I plant them. I have also cut the bottom off a 1 gallon plastic pot and put it over the seedling and put netting over the top of the plant. It keeps everything away until the seedling has had a chance to grow bigger. I find that insects don't eat my tree collards, but they do eat my kale. 

Basil might want some afternoon shade if you live in a hot place. I know it's supposed to be a heat loving plant, but there is such a thing as too much heat (I know, I've lived in one of those places-any plant that said it needed full sun really needed late afternoon shade).

[Melissa in Australia]

2 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

A month or two back I saw someone online selling a purslane plant for $7. Not one of your ornamental types, the kind you dig up off the nature strip.

Where is that fainting emoji 

[Pawz4me]

5 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said:

The first rule of gardening, Sneezy, is you can't win 'em all..

I read somewhere--it very well may have been said by someone here--that if you haven't killed some plants then you haven't been planting enough stuff. That kind of stuck with me. 😉 

Yesterday we planted lavender, creeping thyme, sage, bee balm, lantana, geraniums, verbena and impatiens. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I planted grapes and hardy kiwi today (I have sturdy trellises), and am continuing to convert lawn to garden. Monday I will plant a blueberry and a raspberry into our landscaping and set out our first round of plants. 

[Lucy the Valiant]

On 4/10/2022 at 9:58 PM, itsheresomewhere said:

I would like to apologize for the snow flurries this weekend.  I got ahead of nature and power washed the siding on Friday.  
 

Green house heat source is hooked up and doing well. Peas are started along with carrots and strawberry runners were transplanted. 

Hahaha! We keep the huge pile of snow shovels RIGHT by the back door just to ward against this! 

It's fine to rake and even mow once, to lay mulch and stack next year's wood, to ride bikes and change out flannels, but for the love of everything holy, do NOT put the snow shovels away!

[itsheresomewhere]

56 minutes ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

Hahaha! We keep the huge pile of snow shovels RIGHT by the back door just to ward against this! 

It's fine to rake and even mow once, to lay mulch and stack next year's wood, to ride bikes and change out flannels, but for the love of everything holy, do NOT put the snow shovels away!

Mine are still right next to each door. Lol. 

[KungFuPanda]

On 4/13/2022 at 11:43 PM, Sneezyone said:

What am I doing wrong?? The brassicas in the ground (just tree collards and pak choi) are thriving. The ones in my beds (from seed/transplants) are struggling mightily. Do I need to leave them in the seed trays longer next time? Was the neem oil spray I concocted too strong? The melon plant DS killed upon transplant is regrowing from seed and my new crop of fall carrots has sprouted (6 weeks behind the others) but I can’t keep these flipping cabbage plants from being chewed to nubs by insects!!

Also, basil and I do not get along. This is unfortunate b/c DH would happily eat caprese salad every day if allowed. I can’t get the watering right. They’re either scorched or nibbled to nothing by insects.

 

On 4/13/2022 at 11:59 PM, Rosie_0801 said:

The first rule of gardening, Sneezy, is you can't win 'em all.

Generally, bugs attack plants who were unhealthy anyway. It's usually a problem of nutrition, either the soil isn't healthy enough (potting mix from the shops is pretty crappy stuff) or the amount of sunlight is wrong. (Australian gardeners read tags that say "full sun" and say "hahahhahahahhaha, I don't think so.") 

I'm going to guess you've used up all the nutrition in your soil already.

Do you have clay soil? I’ve only recently read that brassica’s benefit from a heavier soil.  It gives them something to hold on to AND it stays cooler longer than raised garden beds. 
 

Around here, the cabbage whites don’t care if your plant is sick or healthy. They’ll just take it out. I try to avoid them by planting some things early before they arrive in force (like kale) and do most of my cabbage planting in the fall when they’re on their way out. I was harvesting my last cabbages in late December last year. They also do better at my community plot where I plant in the ground (amended clay) than the do in my raised beds (Mel’s Mix) at home. 

[Sneezyone]

17 minutes ago, KungFuPanda said:

 

Do you have clay soil? I’ve only recently read that brassica’s benefit from a heavier soil.  It gives them something to hold on to AND it stays cooler longer than raised garden beds. 
 

Around here, the cabbage whites don’t care if your plant is sick or healthy. They’ll just take it out. I try to avoid them by planting some things early before they arrive in force (like kale) and do most of my cabbage planting in the fall when they’re on their way out. I was harvesting my last cabbages in late December last year. They also do better at my community plot where I plant in the ground (amended clay) than the do in my raised beds (Mel’s Mix) at home. 

Hmm…we have sandy, acidic soil and a high water table but it is very dense. If not amended, it’s like digging into concrete. The area where I put the tree collards is kind of it’s own microclimate, an indentation between the fireplace and a bay window that blocks the wind. The veg in the ground was planted earlier tho and got established before the heat arrived. I’ll try them again in the fall. My feeble attempt to fight whatever it is off with smelly dill fronds and pineapple sage in the raised beds was a total miss. I’ll probably take them out and sow something more summer-friendly. Squash/melon, beets, wasabi radish

[KungFuPanda]

So I impulse purchased apple trees. I have neither the sun nor the space for apple trees, but here we are. I have a sense of impending doom but I couldn’t stop myself  

This was an emotional purchase. I grew up eating yellow transparent apples from my Mamaw’s tree. We cooked them with butter and sugar and ate them all year long. You can’t just buy these is a store most people don’t know what they are, but they’re always the very first apple of the season. 
 

In addition to that, one of my daughter’s professors invented an apple specifically for central Maryland. I obsessively stalked this apple until it hit the residential market. I absolutely restrained myself until I figured out that these two trees are compatible for pollination. Now one arrives this spring and one arrives next spring. 😬 I’m going to attempt to espalier them into either a living fence or over an arch in my community garden plot where we really cannot have trees. Nobody will protest as long as they don’t grow like trees. 
 

I get that I probably wasted a bunch of money but I got caught up in the nostalgia of it all. I’m gardening with my heart, not my brain. 
 

 

[itsheresomewhere]

One garden is tilled and planted.  Up next the other garden. 
 

My dwarf cherry tree seems to be doing well.  Plus, I saw the first hummingbird at my house in years.  

[Melissa in Australia]

can you plant the apple trees on the nature strip?

 I have an apple tree growing in a large pot on the front verandah.

 

I just thought you mightn't know what  the term nature strip is. I am not sure if it is Aussie or not. it is the grass strip between the road and footpath in front of residential properties

[LifeLovePassion]

48 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

can you plant the apple trees on the nature strip?

 I have an apple tree growing in a large pot on the front verandah.

 

I just thought you mightn't know what  the term nature strip is. I am not sure if it is Aussie or not. it is the grass strip between the road and footpath in front of residential properties

We would call that a boulevard here. (I am in MN in case that is regional in the states)

[KungFuPanda]

1 hour ago, Melissa in Australia said:

can you plant the apple trees on the nature strip?

 I have an apple tree growing in a large pot on the front verandah.

 

I just thought you mightn't know what  the term nature strip is. I am not sure if it is Aussie or not. it is the grass strip between the road and footpath in front of residential properties

You know, I could put the trees in pots initially while I’m training the limbs. That would buy me some decision-making time. 
 

I don’t have a nature strip at my house. It goes front yard, sidewalk, then street. I know what the are, and they have them in my neighborhood, but not on my quiet cul-de-sac. I think people call the hell strips here. 🤣 Also, my property/neighborhood is too heavily wooded to give me full sun anywhere. I have an allotment for my full sun planting. 

[Faith-manor]

I am happy to report we finally have good weather. Yesterday I planted tomatillos, romas, and cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper plants, eggplant, and broccoli in the raised bed gardens. I have garlic growing by the back door and two, adorable volunteer pumpkin plants from kicking the decorative pumpkins off the back step last fall when the weather got bad, and NOT bothering to take them to the garbage, LOL. I have two "houseplants" currently on my shady back step, sweet basil, and oregano. The apple trees look okay, and the grapevine had gone completely bananas.

At the Alabama house, dd has green beans, strawberries, tomatoes, sunflowers, garlic, basil, scallions, blueberries, grapes, plums, and salad greens going. The strawberry patch isn't really big and are everbearers so she and the family just grab them ripe of the vine and snack on the them. They went to a you pick strawberry place about ten days ago and picked a five gallon bucket. They ate some fresh, and the rest she froze sliced for pie or as freezer jam. She made a jam with pectin to thicken but no sweetener other than a little white grape juice. She makes homemade GF bread, son in law is allergic to wheat, and they have enjoyed toast and jam in the mornings. She finally had to halt that so she would have enough left to enjoy throughout the winter. She is going to make a plum freezer jam as well IF she gets enough plums. The trees didn't come through the late frost as well as the blueberries and grapes which she was able to cover with tarps.

I also made four hanging baskets of petunias and pansies which are now hanging on my shepherd hook at the back door, and they are making me feel happy as well.

I would like to do more, but this house/yard/property is not worth the money or effort. I will order more broccoli plus a half bushel of green beans, a bushel of romas, a bushel of sweet corn, a half bushel of Brussels sprouts, and lot of spinach from my favorite Mennonite farmer, and as they say, "put up the harvest" this September.

[Melissa in Australia]

I highly reccomend growing alpine strawberries in hanging baskets. So yummy 

[KungFuPanda]

11 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I highly reccomend growing alpine strawberries in hanging baskets. So yummy 

I grow these from seed as a ground cover (they're a native here) and it never occurred to me to put them in hanging baskets!  You're a genius! I haven't done my baskets yet and I was wondering what to put in them this year.

Edited May 15, 2022 by KungFuPanda

[prairiewindmomma]

We have had so many hail storms and we had yet another frost this week. Our April and May have been very unseasonably cold. My sugar snap peas and romaine don’t seem to mind but I think I might lose most of my tomatoes and zucchini. They aren’t bouncing back from frost damage. I have some zucchini seedlings going inside just in case. 

[itsheresomewhere]

Got a new type of tomato for us to try but the name made me buy it-  Dancing with Smurfs. 

Picked up some oddball sunflowers seeds to try. A solid dark purple one is the one I am looking forward to seeing. My popcorn corn plants are ready to be planted.   

 

[Melissa in Australia]

18 hours ago, Faith-manor said:

I am happy to report we finally have good weather. Yesterday I planted tomatillos, romas, and cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper plants, eggplant, and broccoli in the raised bed gardens. I have garlic growing by the back door and two, adorable volunteer pumpkin plants from kicking the decorative pumpkins off the back step last fall when the weather got bad, and NOT bothering to take them to the garbage, LOL. I have two "houseplants" currently on my shady back step, sweet basil, and oregano. The apple trees look okay, and the grapevine had gone completely bananas.

At the Alabama house, dd has green beans, strawberries, tomatoes, sunflowers, garlic, basil, scallions, blueberries, grapes, plums, and salad greens going. The strawberry patch isn't really big and are everbearers so she and the family just grab them ripe of the vine and snack on the them. They went to a you pick strawberry place about ten days ago and picked a five gallon bucket. They ate some fresh, and the rest she froze sliced for pie or as freezer jam. She made a jam with pectin to thicken but no sweetener other than a little white grape juice. She makes homemade GF bread, son in law is allergic to wheat, and they have enjoyed toast and jam in the mornings. She finally had to halt that so she would have enough left to enjoy throughout the winter. She is going to make a plum freezer jam as well IF she gets enough plums. The trees didn't come through the late frost as well as the blueberries and grapes which she was able to cover with tarps.

I also made four hanging baskets of petunias and pansies which are now hanging on my shepherd hook at the back door, and they are making me feel happy as well.

I would like to do more, but this house/yard/property is not worth the money or effort. I will order more broccoli plus a half bushel of green beans, a bushel of romas, a bushel of sweet corn, a half bushel of Brussels sprouts, and lot of spinach from my favorite Mennonite farmer, and as they say, "put up the harvest" this September.

Have you tried growing Bok Choi? it grows incredibly fast. From planting to harvest is a handful of weeks. it can be grown in containers. very nutritious and I found that gently frying in a tiny dab of butter for a few seconds is a great substitute for Broccoli 

[Faith-manor]

2 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Have you tried growing Bok Choi? it grows incredibly fast. From planting to harvest is a handful of weeks. it can be grown in containers. very nutritious and I found that gently frying in a tiny dab of butter for a few seconds is a great substitute for Broccoli 

Thanks for the tip! I have never worked with bok choi. It sounds like I need to give it a whirl.

[LifeLovePassion]

I spent the end of last week getting plants in and some things moved around. I'm not doing veggie gardens this year, but I might plant some tomatoes and peppers in pots. I have been working on fixing up our landscaping and doing some big pots of annuals. We are not in the clear for frost yet so I still have time to get things in the ground.