Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the middle of a Wisconsin winter

[21hens-incharge]

Okra has a distinct flavor. It is really hard to describe. DH likes his pickled while I will eat it pretty much any ole way. Here one small jar of pickled okra is 6 bucks. I want to give it a go on pickling some and freezing some while having fresh for gumbo and soups.
Yes I am from Colorado but have always liked southern dishes better than bland Colorado born dishes.

Maybe that is why I married someone from Mississippi.

I am not fond of regular ole grocery store radishes but find I like the french breakfast radish quite a lot. I also plant lemon cucumbers which are never in the grocery due to short shelf life. For me they are the perfect single serving size.

My tomato plants did get blown over by some heavy gusts we had. Luckily I was in the yard at the time and was able to quickly get them back upright. I need to either build or buy super sized cages if I am going to be able to deal with massive plants like those.

 

[birds4kids]

I trellis on concrete reinforcing panels might try hog pen panels next time.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's how I grow my cucumbers, using Velcro ties to keep them headed up.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I should have thought of the hog panels. I have a few around the place too. Makes good sense to give things a good strong support from the start.
I have been reading up on okra and growing it here. I will plant some on the west and on the east to see which side of the yard it likes better. I am going to be sure this summer to take pics to share. I will also post my failed attempts lol. (Those tend to outweigh the successes anyway.)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Do they need to be started indoors or direct seeding, okra that is.

 

[21hens-incharge]

From what I am reading it seems like a mixed bag either way. I did see many recommendations to soak the seeds overnight to aid germination. They like warm soil so I am going to try both ways, in the ground and started indoors. I will put low tunnels on some and leave others exposed to compare results. Science experiment lol.

Most of what I have found had been posted by people in the south of course but the Colorado state extension site says it can be done in Colorado. The consensus is warm soil, hot days, don't over water, easy on the fertilizer and pick often to keep it producing. Sounds easy enough but time will tell.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Some motivation from last year.

 

[21hens-incharge]

Now that gives me a lot to look forward to if my gardens can look that good!
So much work and so little time.... Maybe I can win the powerball to help free up some time (hahahaha now that is funny).

I want to get rid of the grass and grow useful items out back. Your flower beds give me great motivation to do it.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have already forgotten how green it can be outside, I really want to see your garden work this coming year.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I do as well. Last year I got some good success out of the swiss chard, radish, tomatoes and of course cabbage. We were so very wet in the spring that I only planted quick producing things. I did not even get lettuce in last year. This year I swear will be different. I think the raised beds will help with the soil being to wet and will allow me to do low tunnels on top of them to get things warmer faster.

I really need to get some paths done in the yard as well and discovered I can get flagstone steppers a lot cheaper than I ever thought so will be doing a lot of work that way too. I am not fond of sitting still for long so will be spending a lot of time outside again and hopefully enjoying it even more.