2023 Garden Time

[jdmidwest]

6 hours ago, Quillback said:

I'd better get on it.

I am a few clicks north of you, but have always planted cold crops in Feb around Valentines Day.  They may lay in the ground for weeks or hit a warm spell and pop up quick. 

I cover with clear cover that keeps the ground dryer and warms up some more in the sunlight.  Keeps the feral cats out of it trying to use it as a litter box also.

[Fish24/7]

Our ground is still frozen,can't even dig 6" with a shovel ,hard as a rock still. Even the raised beds are frozen full of ice crystals. We had a bunch of snow and then ice. As it all melted  the ground soaked it up and then it re froze like a popsicle.😄

I'm not even sure we're doing a big vegetable garden this year because the Summers have been so dry the past 3 years. With a big garden we were paying $100+ a mo. during the Summer for city water and it just isn't worth doing a big grow ,there's no profit if there's no rain. 

Might just plant some heat and drought resistant plants/ flowers instead. 

 

 

[oneshot 1]

I have some plants started in the house. 

Some stuff I  really need to start in my regular Garden. 

I know I have a Greenhouse but need to get it set up. Checked this morning and it was 37F.

Wanting to get some Peat Moss. 

oneshot 

[jdmidwest]

Went by my beds this afternoon, lettuce and sweet peas popping up.  I have a few sprouts of asparagus.  Strawberry beds are greening up.

Way too early, maybe.

[jdmidwest]

Well, spring is here.  First ticks of the season today and my first snakes on the footbridge over to the barn.  Dandelions popping, Bradford pears blooming, Willows greening.

Asparagus popped up last week.  Spinach, snow peas, and some lettuce coming up under the raised bed.

My new beekeeper buddy has drone brood all over his hive, going to be a early swarm season for him.  But he has been pampering and feeding his hives a lot of money this winter.

[Gavin]

My tomato starts did better than expected, looks like we  will have to give a few away. Doing Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra’s, supermarket plums, and several others. Might need to restart the herbs with more than 1-2 seeds per cell.

[jdmidwest]

First pick of Lettuce and Spinach tonite.  5 strawberries to boot.

Planted the cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes tonight.  Peppercini peppers and bell peppers planted also.

Snow peas should produce in the next week or so.  Cucumbers, green beans are up that I planted a few weeks ago.  These cold nites are setting things back weird this year.

[Ryan Miloshewski]

What are you guys using to keep the squirrels out besides a pellet gun? They dig almost every time I plant something. I don't have a garden, just boxes. I've tried putting cayenne and such in the dirt but they still just dig. A real pain.

[Flysmallie]

1 hour ago, Ryan Miloshewski said:

What are you guys using to keep the squirrels out besides a pellet gun? They dig almost every time I plant something. I don't have a garden, just boxes. I've tried putting cayenne and such in the dirt but they still just dig. A real pain.

I have this crazy arse dog that keeps them out. But, of course, if she catches one she digs up the garden so she can bury it. 

[jdmidwest]

Never had a problem with the squirrels.  Did pop a distempered coon while out working the bees today.  Neighbors dog had it bayed, had to poke it with a stick so I could get a clear line of fire and not hit dog or pool.  Not really afraid of anything, pretty messed up.

I keep a wire mesh over my raised beds to keep the feral cats in the neighborhood from crapping in them.  Nasty sob's will crap in the loose dirt if you let them, makes a nasty mess.