Faith-manor Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Mine is still dormant. We have had temps though that are favorable during the day for the apple trees and blueberry bushes, and that trend looks like it is going to continue for a while. We still have a ways to go, and the lack of ice forming on the Great Lakes and staying, the warming water temps are going to be very problematic as aquatic life that shouldn't be thinking spring is coming yet, are acting like spring has arrived. In SE Michigan, it has been too warm for too long and some folks have fruit trees putting out buds. We are definitely going to get a cool down and freezing weather in a couple weeks, so these trees are going to be injured and likely not produce. El Nino is making things very weird. I have plans to start cucumber, snow pea, bell pepper, cherry tomato, and broccoli seeds at the end of the month. I was able to purchase some good quality row covers so the plants can go out the end of April with covers at night. The old, old lilac bush looks like it has given up. It was time. It has split right down the main trunk of the plant all the way to the ground, and every time there is a strong wind, branches fall off. She barely bloomed at all last year, so I have decided that we will be cutting it down, and planting a new one. I love lilacs. What is happening with all of you? Are our southern hemisphere hivers rolling in the harvest yet? How are your flowers, trees, new bushes doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 My banana tree is loving life, my new curry tree is refusing to grow, but my two baby avocados are still developing. There's not much harvestable except purslane, rhubarb and purple perilla and I haven't got around to that yet because I've been getting up before 6 to drop Daughter at work by 7 and it has proved impossible to care about obscure vegetables when we get home again. This daughter, though, is making some money picking and packing figs and will suit up tonight and dispose of a wasp nest for me, which is happily living its best life 40 cm from where my head would be if I were to use my outside tap. I think my garden will be a lot happier when I can use my tap again. Her best friend's little brother is looking forward to seeing the dead nest. I do have a few volunteer tomatoes that are slowly producing, but it really doesn't seem a worthwhile variety to grow. I have bought a native finger lime bush because I have wanted one for ages, but I don't know where to put it yet. I'm getting a second crop of oranges, which is pretty weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 2 hours ago, Rosie_0801 said: My banana tree is loving life, my new curry tree is refusing to grow, but my two baby avocados are still developing. There's not much harvestable except purslane, rhubarb and purple perilla and I haven't got around to that yet because I've been getting up before 6 to drop Daughter at work by 7 and it has proved impossible to care about obscure vegetables when we get home again. This daughter, though, is making some money picking and packing figs and will suit up tonight and dispose of a wasp nest for me, which is happily living its best life 40 cm from where my head would be if I were to use my outside tap. I think my garden will be a lot happier when I can use my tap again. Her best friend's little brother is looking forward to seeing the dead nest. I do have a few volunteer tomatoes that are slowly producing, but it really doesn't seem a worthwhile variety to grow. I have bought a native finger lime bush because I have wanted one for ages, but I don't know where to put it yet. I'm getting a second crop of oranges, which is pretty weird. Wow, Rosie! I didn't know oranges could do a second crop. That lime sounds interesting. Yay for dd for tackling the stinging things. I can imagine all the green things will be a lot happier when you can water again. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 7 minutes ago, Faith-manor said: Wow, Rosie! I didn't know oranges could do a second crop. It's the weirdo weather. Next Door's lemon tree puts out new growth in winter, to get it frozen off, and again now in what should be the middle of summer, where it should get burnt off. Speaking of Next Door, they've been gardening like a fiend these last few weeks and built more cactus beds. I don't really approve of hobbies that bite back, but I have to say it looks awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Sounds terrific Rosie I am managing to do a little gardening again, about an hour a day. mostly I have been weeding the flower garden just in front of the house. I have been also planting seed in the polly tunnel. Lots of marigolds. Some snow peas and Bok Choy. DH is doing the veggie garden this year. ❤️❤️ We are harvesting a huge variety of fruit and veggies. All that we can eat and more 7 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 The hibiscus plants are doing beautifully in the greenhouse even blooming. So nice to step into another world after a hard day. The pepper plants are producing nicely with hand pollination. Time to replant the lettuce and other cold crops. Later this month, time to start the normal plants for the garden. The diesel heater has performed very well so far. With it was 10 over a week ago, it kept it a balmy 63 ( temp I set). 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted February 2 Author Share Posted February 2 18 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said: Sounds terrific Rosie I am managing to do a little gardening again, about an hour a day. mostly I have been weeding the flower garden just in front of the house. I have been also planting seed in the polly tunnel. Lots of marigolds. Some snow peas and Bok Choy. DH is doing the veggie garden this year. ❤️❤️ We are harvesting a huge variety of fruit and veggies. All that we can eat and more Melissa, it warms my heart that you are able to get out in the garden again! Yay!!!! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Thank you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 Back in the fall I found what I thought was a volunteer Komatsuna mustard plant in the beds where my tomatoes had been. They reseed easily. I transplanted it to the bed with my lettuces. I have harvested a few leaves of off it a couple of times to add to dishes. I noticed it seemed to be a bit slimy when I would break off a leaf. Today I checked on it. It's broccoli plant. It has a tiny little broccoli floret and a thicker stalk. 🙂 I have never ever successfully grown broccoli. I have no idea how a broccoli seed even got in that bed. I don't remember ever trying to direct seed. I only remember trying to start them indoors. Side note: broccoli leaves taste wonderful sauteed. 🙂 My swiss chard has done nothing. I planted it in Oct, and it still looks like puny little seedlings. My lettuce is looking okay, but it hasn't grown as fast as it should. I finally broke down and added fertilizer--not the organic kind. We were just so dry for so long that I was afraid I'd burn the plants. We have received a lot of rain since the new year fortunately. I need to sow carrots this week. I got impatient and started a bunch of seeds in my Aerogarden and my biodome. Some dwarf tomatoes, poblano, anaheim chili, bell pepper, other tomatoes, celery... And some more lettuce for succession planting. I'm experimenting with getting ahead with the tomatoes. I'm hoping to get them setting fruit by early June because it gets too hot by mid July for them to do anything here. I plan to start a second round of tomatoes (around April maybe?) to plant in July when the first round plants are playing out. Then hopefully those would be ready to bloom and set fruit once the temps cool off a little in September. Wondering if I should throw some more broccoli seeds out... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted February 5 Author Share Posted February 5 I am worried. We are having insanely warm temps. Some trees are so confused they are budding out. But it is early February, the chances of freezing weather, ice and snow are high. SouthEastern Michigan orchardists are REALLY worried. Such a strange year. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 (edited) 2 hours ago, Faith-manor said: I am worried. We are having insanely warm temps. Some trees are so confused they are budding out. But it is early February, the chances of freezing weather, ice and snow are high. SouthEastern Michigan orchardists are REALLY worried. Such a strange year. It really is weird. I am watching the insanely cold temps in Alaska (looks like they have finally "warmed up a bit") because this weather pattern is going to flip in the next couple of weeks. So yeah...I understand your concern! Down here it's peaches. Last March we had a really hard freeze that did a lot of damage to our peach farmers' crops. Edited February 5 by popmom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 5 Share Posted February 5 I have broad beans growing. They aren't meant to grow here in February. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 I had tilled a foundation bed filled with black clay and added a skiff-load of coarse compost (lots of wood chips) last May and let it decompose til now. It's all clay now! Uggh. Black clay = the Borg, it assimilates everything. 😑 I'll have to dig down and pull out all the clay and replace with 8 inches of garden mix and compost. That's my sunniest bed, and I wanted to grow potatoes and onions in it. What a disappointment. On a happier note, my brussels sprouts are living their best lives. I hope weather continues favorably. All the early seedlings are a week old...dh is fascinated. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popmom Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 34 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said: All the early seedlings are a week old...dh is fascinated. I love this! 💕💕💕 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 On 2/5/2024 at 6:45 PM, Rosie_0801 said: I have broad beans growing. They aren't meant to grow here in February. Climate change is just so wacky. We have crocuses popping up. It just isn't supposed to be this way. I am starting seeds on Monday. I would do it this weekend, but we have a rocket launch out of town, so it will have to wait. I am going to start cucumbers, broccoli, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and bell peppers. I have been evaluating my space and the number of containers I have, and decided I can't do more than that this year. I told Mark we would work fall 2024/winter 2025 to expand the seed starting space. This means I will get all of my celery, Amish paste tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, chili and jalapeno peppers, from the nursery. Direct sow green beans (bush), chives, carrots, radishes, sweet corn, and sunflowers. I will also pick up 4 packs of marigolds, basil, nasturtium, and oregano. I am going to look around the yard for a spot to sow zinnias. I love them! I have no idea how to grow them. Just lost. But, it will be a fun experiment, and I will only be out $1 in seeds and my expectations it is fruitless. I will start the March thread Monday with a picture of my fledgling seed starting area. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 Speaking of my broad beans... They're flowering! Only about 15cm tall, rather than taller than me, but the bloody things are flowering! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faith-manor Posted February 27 Author Share Posted February 27 8 minutes ago, Rosie_0801 said: Speaking of my broad beans... They're flowering! Only about 15cm tall, rather than taller than me, but the bloody things are flowering! Wow! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 The guest in one of my husband’s pot of aloe vera. Apple photos identify that as thyme 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted February 27 Share Posted February 27 I winter pruned our fruit trees and bushes. Our apple tree had a leaf about to unfurl and a rose bush had a bud. I sprayed everything with copper fungicide because with all of the temperature swings the last few years we’ve had more issues with disease. I have been starting seeds. They were stored in the fridge and freezer, leftover from last year, so we will see what germinates. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Innisfree Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 On 2/2/2024 at 2:16 PM, Melissa in Australia said: I am managing to do a little gardening again, about an hour a day. mostly I have been weeding the flower garden just in front of the house. I have been also planting seed in the polly tunnel. Lots of marigolds Just catching up here, and this is the best news ever. Hope you’re still doing better. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHP Posted February 28 Share Posted February 28 On 2/2/2024 at 1:24 PM, itsheresomewhere said: The hibiscus plants are doing beautifully in the greenhouse even blooming. So nice to step into another world after a hard day. The pepper plants are producing nicely with hand pollination. Time to replant the lettuce and other cold crops. Later this month, time to start the normal plants for the garden. The diesel heater has performed very well so far. With it was 10 over a week ago, it kept it a balmy 63 ( temp I set). Please post pictures of the hibiscus, it's one of my favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted February 29 Share Posted February 29 (edited) Now the happy owner of 7 additional baby citrus trees. They are putting on an amazing display of new growth. I need to repot them all, and to that end we acquired a bunch of 15 gallon (~60 liter) drums that we'll cut in half-ish and re-purpose. Amazing, there are all kinds of these small plastic barrels available on FB marketplace, and they come filled with either bulk pharmaceuticals or granulated turmeric in them. (Turmeric is terrible stuff; hard to get out of clothing!) I'm off to find out about Dr. Mani's (?) Super Soil -- something like that -- supposedly an amazing medium for potted citrus. (Temps swing too low in my area for planting most citrus, so they have to be kept pruned to smaller, pot-sized trees and overwintered indoors or in a greenhouse.) I'm in love with these little septuplets who are welcomed by an older sister, a very prolific little lime tree. Edited March 1 by Halftime Hope 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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