Starting spring garden today

[Chuck]

I am starting the seed planting process today with tomatoes and peppers. I will be mixing up my seed starter soil, sterilizing it and then sterilizing my pots and starter flats. I should have it done by this afternoon when I will stick the seeds in the dirt and move everything inside. I will have nice big transplants by the time the soil temperature and weather permits everything to go in the ground in mid March.

 

[Beth_B]

At times like right now, when we have a big winter ice storm blowing in (I actually came home early from the job because nobody else wanted to drive home from the job) I envy those of you in more temperate climates! It's snowing sideways right now.

Apart from building up and mulching my asparagus bed, I'm done with garden-related tasks until May. Our in the ground planting last frost date here is usually late May, sometimes early June.

But @zigs is sending me some Manx Marvel tomato seeds, so I'll be starting those in spring.

 

[Chuck]

At times like right now, when we have a big winter ice storm blowing in (I actually came home early from the job because nobody else wanted to drive home from the job) I envy those of you in more temperate climates! It's snowing sideways right now.

Apart from building up and mulching my asparagus bed, I'm done with garden-related tasks until May. Our in the ground planting last frost date here is usually late May, sometimes early June.

But @zigs is sending me some Manx Marvel tomato seeds, so I'll be starting those in spring.

I am actually starting mine a little too early, by about 3 weeks, but I am hoping this so called global warming is at least partially true and I can get a big head start. If worse comes to worse at least all I am out is a little labor of having to repot them again later.

 

[majorcatfish]

@Beth_B think of it this way while @Chuck is showing off his garden this spring with all of us commenting with envy, but mid summer it will burnt up from the heat, and all of our gardens will lush and green producing buckets of fresh veggies....

 

[Chuck]

@Beth_B think of it this way while @Chuck is showing off his garden this spring with all of us commenting with envy, but mid summer it will burnt up from the heat, and all of our gardens will lush and green producing buckets of fresh veggies....

Very true. Come about late July and 100+F nothing does much of anything except dry up and die. Too hot for anything except hot peppers and okra. So any extra growing time I can get means more production. But while you folks are getting the last of you spring veggies harvested I am already planting my fall transplants and sowing root crop seeds

 

[majorcatfish]

Very true. Come about late July and 100+F nothing does much of anything except dry up and die. Too hot for anything except hot peppers and okra. So any extra growing time I can get means more production. But while you folks are getting the last of you spring veggies harvested I am already planting my fall transplants and sowing root crop seeds

the battle of the zones.. you gotta love it...

 

[Pat]

It is still warmer than usual here in the Mid-Atlantic area. We are done outside until late March, we often have a big storm the end of March or the first of April. We never know what to expect in this area.

 

[Beth_B]

the battle of the zones.. you gotta love it...

Lol true that.
Not so much a battle as amiable comparisons though.

 

[CanadianLori]

I made a lot of soil blocks today. The seeds that produce in the blocks then get to move onto small pots, then bigger, etc

 

[majorcatfish]

it's 9 weeks and counting till i start seeds...
tomatoes
peppers
eggplant.

 

[Chuck]

it's 9 weeks and counting till i start seeds...
tomatoes
peppers
eggplant.

Isn't your last avg frost about mid April?

 

[GardenStateGardner]

It is still warmer than usual here in the Mid-Atlantic area. We are done outside until late March, we often have a big storm the end of March or the first of April. We never know what to expect in this area.

Don't like the weather? Wait a minute. It will change...

 

[majorcatfish]

Isn't your last avg frost about mid April?

yes it is, never been able to get them in till at least the 3rd week of april, but able to plant lettuce,beets,peas,bok chio, radishes,spinach...etc about the 2nd week of april..

the ldf is just an average date, mother nature can always throw a wrench in the plans..

 

[Chuck]

Tell me about it. Our last frost here is supposed to be Mar. 15 so I usually gamble some of my plants then. April 1 is the recommended planting time so I plant the rest of them then or a day or two later. 4 years ago the temp dropped to 28F and was below 32 for about 5 hours on April 17. Lost everything. Had to go out and actually buy seedlings

 

[majorcatfish]

been there would rather them get a little leggy in the greenhouse, than lose them again.....