Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[Bmb]

I’m dreaming of a garden here in northern Wisconsin! I think this year I will just start with big pots and find veggies that can be grown that away. I have a nursing baby, toddler, and preschooler so I’m finding my time very short lately. It’ll be a great year for me and my babies to get our hands dirty and do lots of learning about growing our food and some flowers too.

 

[wyoDreamer]

@Bmb Maybe @jvls1942 will be willing to give you some advice. Last year he grew a lot of tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets.

@jvls1942 glad to see you back. Happy to hear that the surgery went well and healing is underway.

Wisconsin gardeners - when do I start tomatoes from seed to have nice sized transplants at last frost?

Any advice on keeping them from bolting and getting spindly?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I’m dreaming of a garden here in northern Wisconsin! I think this year I will just start with big pots and find veggies that can be grown that away. I have a nursing baby, toddler, and preschooler so I’m finding my time very short lately. It’ll be a great year for me and my babies to get our hands dirty and do lots of learning about growing our food and some flowers too.

I have been switching to container gardening too as I can't get on the ground anymore easily, and getting up is worse.

I definitely need to water daily. Most vegetables do well in larger containers. I've use stock tanks, and plastic barrels, as well as wooden shipping crates. I think the hardest thing is filling them with a good mix of light and heavy soil, and making sure they are where you want them. I cannot think of any vegetables that wouldn't do well.

We have had hit and miss success with things like blueberries, and strawberries in containers. Those I'm still working out.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

@Bmb Maybe @jvls1942 will be willing to give you some advice. Last year he grew a lot of tomatoes in 5 gallon buckets.

@jvls1942 glad to see you back. Happy to hear that the surgery went well and healing is underway.

Wisconsin gardeners - when do I start tomatoes from seed to have nice sized transplants at last frost?

Any advice on keeping them from bolting and getting spindly?

I generally start my tomatoes by the end of March. I do plant mine out sooner in Kozy Kotes, which can give me up to a month head start on them. I can get tomatoes most years by the end of June to the beginning of July. Otherwise they don't produce until almost August if I wait until after all danger of frost passes which here is May 15 to June 1.

Otherwise I would start them 4-6 weeks before you are gonna put them outside. If they are too big they can go through transplant shock. So bigger isn't always better.

I always bury mine up to their tops, and I pinch off all but the top 3-4 leaves. The stem will root, and you will have deeper roots.

 

[jvls1942]

just for the record: I am not planting 60 tomatoes in pots, ever again.. it turns out to be a chore.. I think 8 plants, taken well cared for. will yield plenty of tomatoes for canning.
I never start my own plants. I either buy plants from Fleet or a local nursery, or like last year, have them donated to me from my daughter..
I had great success with green peppers in pots, and also one buttercup squash.
However, set the squash well away from all the rest of the pots.. You do not want to have to move it once it starts to spread out.
I had access to large amounts of starter soil. It has no nutrients in it. I added Tomato Tone for nutrients.
5 gallon buckets have to be watered daily or at least every other day..
I have "self watering" buckets . I tried four different styles. I like one style better than all the rest.
very simple to make. and reusable for years..
We bottled 48 half liter bottles of beer. Now we wait a week or two for it to finish.
I have one bottle set aside to monitor .
within 6 hours the pressure had built up nicely.. this morning I tasted it. It is already starting to get the fizz like beer should.
I hope none of the bottles explode. Today we will move them all down to the fruit cellar where the temp is a constant 50F.
looks like we are going to finally get some measurable (miserable) snow.. I am not going to try plowing if the temps are in the minus range.
.......jiminwaUSAu.........

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

60 tomato plants? That would be crazy. I find 6-8 is enough for us two here, but I don't do canning. I just freeze a few quart bags for use over the winter here.

This is the first year I'm only starting tomatoes. I'm gonna direct seed flowers or purchase plants. I probably will eventually just buy my tomato plants like you do Jim.

 

[jvls1942]

yup, 60 tomato plants. It is a long story how that happened..
We have at least four inches of snow and it is still coming down. It is supposed to quit by early this evening. Then our guy will come and plow us out with his pu truck.
I can't do any tractor driving for awhile , yet..
the beer is priming along very nicely. we moved all 48 bottles down into the fruit cellar. I can maintain a steady cool temperature in there..
........jiminwaUSAu......

 

[jvls1942]

we ended up with 8 inches of snow. Our plow guy was here and gone before I got out of bed this morning, Good think, because I am not about to ride on that tractor when it is so cold our.
7F and -17F wind chill.. No thanks.
I made two 5 gal. racking/bottling buckets today.. will be working on wine very soon.
I have to check on the beer. Hope no bottles have burst..
........jiminwaUSAu.......

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It's gonna get way worse. They are talking -25 to -35 wind chills. We got around 8 inches here too.

 

[jvls1942]

how are you liking the minus 20F with the minus 41F wind chill ??
It doesn't bother me as long as I don't have to go outside.
I have the first batch of wine clearing , now.
I should be bottling it on Monday or Tuesday.. I took a glassful and sweetened it this morning.. It tasted really good.
........jiminwaUSAu........