My mind has been swirling with gardening plans. I’ve managed to plant my peppers earlier, which was a goal I had from last year.
A couple weeks back I started peppers, cabbage, onions, and kohlrabi in the green house.
Peppers:
- Marconi – we’ve grown the red ones before but this year I started red and yellow ones.
- Shishito – this is the first time we’ve grown this one, I’ve heard they are especially good roasted and wanted to give them a try.
- Yolo Wonder – another one we’ve tried and had good luck with.
Onions:
- Yellow Sweet Spanish – I rarely start onion from seed other than the bunching type ones I direct sow, but wanted to give this one a try.
Kohlrabi:
- White Vienna – We’ve never grown kohlrabi before, but last summer Miss Cindy brought us some from a local farmer’s market and we just loved it!
Cabbage:
- Copenhagen Market: I haven’t grown cabbage in a couple of years because I got so frustrated with bugs, but Ed Ammons and a local farmer friend convinced me I wouldn’t have to worry about bugs if I used row covers, so I’m trying again.
I’ve purchased two green stalk planters and can’t wait to see how they work. I’m thinking of planting strawberries in one of them. If you’ve never seen a green stalk go here.
I got a load of compost last week and The Deer Hunter has been given access to free mulch from a tree removal job that was done last summer. He brought one load home this evening and hopes to bring another tomorrow.
I’d love to be outside working every weekend, but it’s hard to work in the pouring down rain and that’s what we’ve had for the last month!
Are you anxiously awaiting planting time like me?
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I would imagine that Sharon Schuster’s idea of a floating garden would also work for one floating in a bucket or tub. I might try that as a novelty. Could also be very practical in some ways.
That was suppose to be use our hands. Me and spell check have problems with each other.
While looking at some of the older blogs, I came across the one titled This Little Light of Mine. This brought back many memories from my childhood. Our pastor was the music leader too and he had a children’s choir that would sing on Sunday nights. This song and Jesus Loves Me were two of our favorites. He would have useful hands to make something I will call signs as we sung this song.
I think the gold Marconi is the best, it seems a lot sweeter and has the thicker walls, it’s our favorite but like all the other ones to.
I’m ready for spring too. At one time mine and my wife’s family have planted about a 2 acre garden we grew almost everything we ate even before it became the “in” thing to do. Now I just plant a small area along with some raised beds in my backyard. I’m no longer able to take care of a big garden, the weather has changed, we often have long dry spells now and the big problem DEER. We have had a lot of rain this winter but I will not complain, I have often heard the older farmers say one season will follow another, meaning a dry season will follow a wet season.
I tried some walla walla onions last year that we really liked . They were from plants that I found in of all places, Walmart, but can’t find them this year except online and I didn’t like them well enough to pay the online price. I have never tried planting onion seeds. If I don’ have anything else, I want some home grown tomatoes and Mississippi purple hull peas. I try to plant some things with my autistic grandson. Planting flowers and things in garden is something he enjoys. Grandpaw sure enjoys being with him and my other grandson. They are now the joy of my life.
Yep, it’s time to get started with the garden. Gurney’s informed me yesterday that my seeds had shipped. We just do herbs, tomatoes and a few flowers now. As a kid in the country I would help sow huge beds of tobacco and put huge sheets of white gauze over them until they were sprouted and ready to transplant. That was hard work and now I often resort to tall pots.
Our season us behind yours, so I have to be patient awhile longer. I already have seeds, but cannot resist running to Farm and Bureau for more. They keep seeds at a good price in larger packets. I do not need the larger packets anymore, but share with anybody who plants. I was just searching the beautiful pictures of Spring from the Mountain State, and just knowing the cold winds won’t be blowing much longer is lifting my spirit. I do not have a greenhouse, but catch plants early and transplant in pots to baby them until I can stick them in the ground. I always look forward to your gardening posts.
Yeah, it’s time to get started here as well. I got an email from Gurney’s yesterday, saying that they had shipped the flower and herb seed that I ordered. Also need to get some tomato plants. I remember starting seeds outside. and covering them to promote germination and to shield them from the frost. I also remember my aunts and uncles near the mountains seeding huge beds of tobacco and covering them with white sheets of gauze. I often helped set the seedlings out in the fields, but I never went back to help them get rid of the big green worms which they would stretch and pop. And in the early spring it was always raining there too.
I am fence straddling on gardening. I have a long list of discouragements. They seem to just keep increasing and year by year the fight gets harder. I will garden anyway but it takes the finer edge off.
I may try green stalk planters on the deck since my garden days are over. Great idea.
This winter has been one to remember. With Covid still lurking and a year’s worth of snow and ice in a week, that has kept me inside with lots of time on my hands to plan my garden as I browse the seed catalogs. I can’t wait to get out there and start some seeds, especially Aker’s tomato seeds I first heard about from a reader on The Blind Pig blog. Last spring I planted vegetables that took up too much space and were not popular with my family on the dinner table. I have a better plan this year.
Yes, yes, yes! I didn’t have a garden last year because of time constraints and the need to give my dirt a year off, and boy did I miss it. Can’t wait to get out there and plant this time! I just said to a friend of mine yesterday that I needed to send my husband down to her place to get a load of manure.
The green stalk is something to see as I had no idea what is was. I wish you luck with the seeds and it looks like you’re off to a head and good start! I’m sick of winter, sick of the cold, and sick of snow personally speaking! If there’s bugs after this winter, I’ll know “the labs” did it. There’s no way any bugs survived this cold. Plus I’ve seen dead deer starved or frozen on the road sides here. Such a waste of good meat right there while folks go hungry. Well good luck with planting. It sure looks like we will need it….
This year I am going to try a floating garden in the pond. A couple inches of soil floating on top of a floating frame covered with burlap and holes that the plants can put down their roots into the water. No need for watering. The critters will be away from the garden (except birds), the roots will help filter the water, and it will give shelter for fish. Tether it to one side and just pull it to the shore for harvest. Well, that’s the idea.
Wow Tipper, you’ve got a good head start going on! I’ll be anxious to see how the kohlrabi does, I really like it too!
Those stalk planters look like a good idea. It’s got more space from little ground space AND less bending over. The bending just kills me these days!
I too have been restless since the new year in anticipation of the upcoming years garden. I built a 3 tier circular strawberry bed and order the plants from Burgess. My True Seed seedorder arriving this past week. But we also have had endless rain (3 inches thus far this month). Hoping sometime in the coming weeks you will revisit “planting by the signs” topic. I lost the link to your post on this from past years.
This year I’m planting more tomatoes, beans, corn, peppers, and squash, mostly for putting up.
Started peppers and tomatoes in December- under lights and on heat mats. Last year, it took til August for the seeded peppers to produce. I had to buy extra plants.
I’m most excited about planting beans this year. I picked up greasy backs, rattlesnakes, white half runners, and whippoorwill peas in addition to the Kentucky blues and wax beans I’ve been growing. I think Pap grew greasy backs and half runners, wouldn’t touch green beans as a kid, felt like licking cowhide.
Yesterday was our first day of good weather, sunny and warm, so I took to the garden to weed and plan.
I’m kicking myself for missing out on the Greenstalk sale. I thought strawberries would be perfect, oh, and all that freezer jam!