The 2021 Gardening Thread

[MoochNNoodles]

MoochNNoodles Thank you so much for the website recommendation! It is so detailed, I LOOVE IT! It lists suggested start indoor times, when to transplant, and dates for straight outside planting for all sorts of things <3

I have learned a lot from that website. They have a good companion planting chart to tell you what grows well together and what shouldn't be planted together.

 

[susanm9006]

Sixty something today and enough snow has melted that I could get out in the back yard. There is always so much to do in spring! I got the yard blower out and cleared the hedges near the house of leaves and picked up most of the branches that had fallen during the winter. I am sure I will do both a few more times as strong spring winds blow everything into my yard. Still it was lovely to be outside. Last year my outdoor projects were hard work yuck projects but this year it’s all planting and I just can’t wait.

 

[NY cat man]

A harbinger of spring: the first brave dwarf crocus emerging from the snow.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

DD came in and said we have 10 yellow crocus up and blooming. They always beat the purple.

The 40lb bag of grass seed and also heavy bag of organic fertilizer came yesterday. Thankfully our mail lady left them in front of the garage so I didn’t have to lift it. I expected it to come UPS since it was so heavy. I just “walked” it into the garage for DH to deal with.

 

[Winchester]

Rick threw weed & feed in the front and side yards yesterday and then threw sun and shade grass seed on some areas around the WeShed that don't have grass. He's planning on putting the poles in for the fourth raised bed in the garden this afternoon.

We're planning on a few broccoli plants, a few Brussels sprouts, several varieties of corn, Mariachi peppers (if we can find them), cabbage, onions, lima beans, beets, sweet potatoes and potatoes. I also plan on some Roma tomatoes (for paste) and a couple nice tomatoes, just for slicing for salads and sandwiches this summer. We don't have a lot of luck with cucumbers, but I may try some in pots on the deck this time around. One plant each of summer squash and zucchini, just for eating during the summer. Depending on what the strawberry bed looks like when we take the straw off, we may need to add some strawberry plants. We'll have to check on the asparagus bed, too, to see what it looks like. If it's all fine, no need to add any.

I'm really curious about @Noranchan's Spud Tower. Rick said that's a project for me to work on. We have compost, leaves, and straw. We have the chicken wire and poles. We'll just need potatoes! And I'm not sure what kind I want. I love Russets for baked potatoes. But I love Golds or Reds for potato salad and for mashed potatoes.

All that marinara that I made and froze last fall? Gone. All of it is gone. I still have quite a few quarts of tomato puree, stewed tomatoes, etc. left. But I told Rick that I really think we should plant tomatoes again this year, simply because what I have in the freezer will be gone sooner than he realizes. He says it's unnecessary. I don't agree. We have plenty of Carmen peppers and green and wax beans in the freezer to see us through for quite a while, so no need to plant this year.

May I confess? As much as I have loved gardening in the past, I'm really having trouble with it. Oh, I love digging in the soil and I love watching things grow. My problem is that, even with as much bug spray as I bathe in, when I come in from being outside, I am bug bites from head to toe. They are everywhere and that's with a good shower. And then I itch terribly. Plus, I have four herniated disks in my lower back, so when I'm out all day long, then I can't walk straight for several days afterward. I have to sit on a small bench to do any kind of serious weeding bc 1) the damn bugs will not leave me alone, and 2) my back hurts. So as much as I love gardening, I'm really starting to have problems with it. Rick gets it, but then I feel guilty bc he's out there and I'm not helping. He told me not to worry about it because I'm the one who does all the veggie processing. It evens out. And his gardening is his "me" time. But I still feel badly.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

DH talked to his co-worker that does landscapping. He said not to put down the grass seed until April 1st; but on April 1st to check that the night time lows aren't too low. And for now he said to keep filling in any holes or low areas that show up from the ground resettling. I walked across the yard yesterday and it definitely feels more firm under foot. It'll be easier to see those areas now with no grass in place. My kids are kicking up sand/dust when they play and ride their bikes; but eh they're washable.

 

[NY cat man]

Rick threw weed & feed in the front and side yards yesterday and then threw sun and shade grass seed on some areas around the WeShed that don't have grass. He's planning on putting the poles in for the fourth raised bed in the garden this afternoon.

We're planning on a few broccoli plants, a few Brussels sprouts, several varieties of corn, Mariachi peppers (if we can find them), cabbage, onions, lima beans, beets, sweet potatoes and potatoes. I also plan on some Roma tomatoes (for paste) and a couple nice tomatoes, just for slicing for salads and sandwiches this summer. We don't have a lot of luck with cucumbers, but I may try some in pots on the deck this time around. One plant each of summer squash and zucchini, just for eating during the summer. Depending on what the strawberry bed looks like when we take the straw off, we may need to add some strawberry plants. We'll have to check on the asparagus bed, too, to see what it looks like. If it's all fine, no need to add any.

I'm really curious about @Noranchan's Spud Tower. Rick said that's a project for me to work on. We have compost, leaves, and straw. We have the chicken wire and poles. We'll just need potatoes! And I'm not sure what kind I want. I love Russets for baked potatoes. But I love Golds or Reds for potato salad and for mashed potatoes.

All that marinara that I made and froze last fall? Gone. All of it is gone. I still have quite a few quarts of tomato puree, stewed tomatoes, etc. left. But I told Rick that I really think we should plant tomatoes again this year, simply because what I have in the freezer will be gone sooner than he realizes. He says it's unnecessary. I don't agree. We have plenty of Carmen peppers and green and wax beans in the freezer to see us through for quite a while, so no need to plant this year.

May I confess? As much as I have loved gardening in the past, I'm really having trouble with it. Oh, I love digging in the soil and I love watching things grow. My problem is that, even with as much bug spray as I bathe in, when I come in from being outside, I am bug bites from head to toe. They are everywhere and that's with a good shower. And then I itch terribly. Plus, I have four herniated disks in my lower back, so when I'm out all day long, then I can't walk straight for several days afterward. I have to sit on a small bench to do any kind of serious weeding bc 1) the damn bugs will not leave me alone, and 2) my back hurts. So as much as I love gardening, I'm really starting to have problems with it. Rick gets it, but then I feel guilty bc he's out there and I'm not helping. He told me not to worry about it because I'm the one who does all the veggie processing. It evens out. And his gardening is his "me" time. But I still feel badly.

A few years ago, I built a kneeling seat for Michele. It looks like an 'H' with the crossbar offset, kinda like a Honda's. Turned one way, it's low enough to kneel on; flipped over, it's high enough to sit on, and it's light enough to be easily carried around. I made hers out of red oak, but other woods will work as well.

 

[Winchester]

Thank you N NY cat man . I'll have to say something to Rick about that.

I did an order to Burpee's for the seeds we want, including several kinds of dwarf sunflowers. The real high sunflowers don't do well here because of the wind. Later on, we'll hit a local nursery for things like cabbage, sweet potatoes, onions, and potato sets. Our sweet potatoes did beautifully last year, so we have hopes for a good yield again.

The only reason I want cabbage is because I make freezer cabbage. It's like a pickled cabbage, but I freeze it in pint jars. Good stuff. I'd like to give a few cabbages to my BIL for sauerkraut.

 

[catapault]

There's this, which I reviewed in 2018.
Came from Gardener's Supply. Flip over to use as a seat rather than cushioned kneeler.


And the sides can be folded in, making it flatter and easy to store.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

Ph that’s neat! I have a couple kneeling pads. I can’t imagine working without one. Its hard to remember to keep good posture while out there.

I grabbed a few weeds earlier after helping DH carry a wood hatch thing and quickly realized I better not get started or I’d be there all day.

 

[rubysmama]

First blooms of the dwarf crocuses.

 

[susanm9006]

Ph that’s neat! I have a couple kneeling pads. I can’t imagine working without one. Its hard to remember to keep good posture while out there.

I grabbed a few weeds earlier after helping DH carry a wood hatch thing and quickly realized I better not get started or I’d be there all day.

I requested one of those kneel or sit benches for Christmas. The padding is nice but so are the arms on it that can help you get up. Oh, I see Carapault just posted hers!

 

[Norachan]

Oh, I'm so jealous of all of you who already have new flowers coming out. It will be a while before we see anything pretty here. It's actually snowing again today and it won't be safe to start planting until at least mid April.

I'm thinking of trying to start off some of the Hosta and Lupin seeds I gathered last year. I think I'll try the damp paper towel in a Ziploc bag method. Has anyone else tried that?

 

[MoochNNoodles]

My crocus have exploded out there! The purple should be open tomorrow and all of a sudden there are dozens!!

 

[NY cat man]

On Wednesday, when I posted, we still had a bank of snow covering the front flower bed that was anywhere from a foot deep to over 3 feet deep. By yesterday morning, it was all gone, and instead of a single crocus, there are hundreds, both purple and yellow. The larkspur and tulips are sprouting, and Michele's English daisies have tiny blooms on them as well.

 

[rubysmama]

Oh, I'm so jealous of all of you who already have new flowers coming out. It will be a while before we see anything pretty here. It's actually snowing again today and it won't be safe to start planting until at least mid April.

For me, it's just crocus that are blooming. The tulips are just starting to peek through the ground. We're in roller coaster temperature time, where yesterday it was 16C, while a couple days next week the highs will only be around -5C. So winter hasn't totally left yet.

 

[di and bob]

Norachan , I have used the damp paper towel in the fridge several times, it is amazing how long they stay damp. I don't zip them all the way either to let them breathe a little. I have started apple seeds and now oak acorns. It takes months though with those, not just weeks. It took almost a year for the apple seeds to sprout, but they did! With flowers, it may be shorter.
This year at our new place is going to be HARD work, soil is nasty. We are going with mostly raised beds, and using Bob's tractor to till/mix the soil with compost, fertilizers, etc., and hopefully, load it into wheelbarrows to bring to the raised beds which are enclosed. Our tomato patch is ready, while he had the trencher he trenched long rows and we are going to fill those with better soil. I hope it all works, I am looking forward to getting outside! we have had a few 60's, beautiful, now 3-4 days of rain which I am praying we get, we are in an extreme drought!

 

[susanm9006]

Not exactly gardening, but yard work today. I filled a 50 gallon yard waste bin with sticks and branches I picked up from my yard. Between the 60 year old pines and hardwood trees, they drop a lot of branches when the wind blows.

 

[Norachan]

On Wednesday, when I posted, we still had a bank of snow covering the front flower bed that was anywhere from a foot deep to over 3 feet deep. By yesterday morning, it was all gone, and instead of a single crocus, there are hundreds, both purple and yellow.

Oh, maybe there's going to be something growing under the snow! Can't wait until it all melts.

I have used the damp paper towel in the fridge several times, it is amazing how long they stay damp.

Do they need to be kept in the fridge? I watched a YouTube video and the lady just left them on the window sill. Do you think they'd do better if they are kept cold?

 

[di and bob]

It depends if they need to go through winter or cold spell to sprout, Many seeds do, you'll just have to research what seeds you are planting. Those seeds include peach, apple, acorn, catmint, butterfly bush, lupine, and many others. Otherwise sitting them on the counter would do fine. There are other seeds that need light to germinate too, though most like darkness. Just make sure you check the paper towel often to make sure it is still damp.