Garden Geeks thread

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

It makes it tough when your team is in the NCAA's and then the Frozen Four, eh? But that's a good thing!
I just gained 6 days that I figured I'd lost. I plan accordingly each year, but this year fishing season can start earlier.

it is a good problem but I will live through it.

[jen]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

tulips and daffodils are starting to come up, even with some snow left.

[Bob Gray]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

I'll take that as a no, no one uses broccoli leaves.

Peas are starting to climb the strings pretty good, and the green beans are not far behind.

[jen]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

I have a dumb question. Spring Hill says they will send me my plants during the appropriate planting season for my area.

They're coming this week.... ?!

I don't think I should stick them in the ground yet.... we still have a little snow and there's definitely frost at night. I don't usually plant until Memorial Day. What the heck do I do with them? Is it really safe to plant them? I've always gotten things much later and planted them right away. I have sedum, bluebells, and primrose.

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

I have a dumb question. Spring Hill says they will send me my plants during the appropriate planting season for my area.

They're coming this week.... ?!

I don't think I should stick them in the ground yet.... we still have a little snow and there's definitely frost at night. I don't usually plant until Memorial Day. What the heck do I do with them? Is it really safe to plant them? I've always gotten things much later and planted them right away. I have sedum, bluebells, and primrose.

THose plants should all be cold hardy. If the ground is soft enough to dig them in, then put them in and protect with mulch and maybe cover them over for the first few nights. I have called the company and told them they miscalc my Zone and they were too early. They put notation in my acct to send things later.

[jen]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

THose plants should all be cold hardy. If the ground is soft enough to dig them in, then put them in and protect with mulch and maybe cover them over for the first few nights. I have called the company and told them they miscalc my Zone and they were too early. They put notation in my acct to send things later.

Thanks. Looks like it's rainy and in the 50s in Saturday, so I should be able to plant them then.

[walrus]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Tomatoes are all up, some peppers, funny hot peppers come up before green peppers. This year I kept my wood stove going in that part of the basement. I normally don't run it unless its really cold out but I decided to try to keep soil temps up and it worked. Its not like its been warm out so I would have had the other wood stove going at times during the week anyway

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Tomatoes are all up, some peppers, funny hot peppers come up before green peppers. This year I kept my wood stove going in that part of the basement. I normally don't run it unless its really cold out but I decided to try to keep soil temps up and it worked. Its not like its been warm out so I would have had the other wood stove going at times during the week anyway

When you planted these It made me order. I ended up planting this past Wed. Waiting for germination.

[jen]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Was able to plant the primrose and the bluebells, but the spot for the sedum was still frozen. I have them inside in those little seedling pots. Now they say we may get snow later in the week when I'm out of town. Yippee. I can cover the bluebells with mulch, but not the primrose - would it work to throw a sheet over them for protection?

[leswp1]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Was able to plant the primrose and the bluebells, but the spot for the sedum was still frozen. I have them inside in those little seedling pots. Now they say we may get snow later in the week when I'm out of town. Yippee. I can cover the bluebells with mulch, but not the primrose - would it work to throw a sheet over them for protection?

I wouldn't worry too much. They get snowed on in real life. Call the company and tell them they sent them too early- ask what happens if they die because they miscalculated the date to ship. The top of the plants aren't the issue. The problem is whether the roots stay intact with freezing and thawing.

[Carter]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Question on bell peppers. My wife wants to plant them this year (after many years without) because they've become part of her diet. She seems to remember them all ripening at the same time, which is kinda pointless. Anybody know of a specific variety that continues to produce over the long term? Thanks for any advice.

[geezer]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Question on bell peppers. My wife wants to plant them this year (after many years without) because they've become part of her diet. She seems to remember them all ripening at the same time, which is kinda pointless. Anybody know of a specific variety that continues to produce over the long term? Thanks for any advice.

Love bell peppers. I grow them inside the greenhouse - they love the hot - and they will keep right on producing until the fall. I don't know if the greenhouse makes a big difference, but they have a longer harvesting window than almost anything else I grow.
We still have 3 feet of snow on the ground and more coming down. No real thaw at all yet. Hoping to plant by mid June.

[FreshFish]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Question on bell peppers. My wife wants to plant them this year (after many years without) because they've become part of her diet. She seems to remember them all ripening at the same time, which is kinda pointless. Anybody know of a specific variety that continues to produce over the long term? Thanks for any advice.

While I don't know anything about varieties that produce over time, when we've had that problem with other "crops" we addressed it by starting the seeds at different times so that the plants mature in stages instead of all at once. Not sure if that would work for you or not. Just a thought.

[Carter]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

We've never started our vegetables from seeds, and trust me, we're getting less energetic, not more so. However, I think we could find plants that were quite different in development, and accomplish the same thing that way. Thanks.

[FreshFish]

Re: Garden Geeks thread

Well, we have a nice little production line going, compact and effective (so far).

Aside: planted peas outdoors about ten days ago.


Started first batches of seeds at end of Feb or so, in large peat pots, things like tomatoes and cucumbers for which we want to get the longest growing season we can get in the face of fickle weather. They'd sit on a small table in the bedroom by the south facing window over the radiator with a table-top growlight set above.

Moved those flats down to the enclosed front porch about three weeks ago, with the 4-foot long growlights suspended above on adjustable chains. Keep raising the lights every week or two until danger of last frost is passed, then plant the peat pots directly into the ground (new this year, an experiment).

Then started the next batches of seeds upstairs: peppers, eggplants, herbs.

Beans get planted directly into the ground, in staggered batches, to spread out the harvest.

It's been an unusually cool spring so far here.