Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the middle of a Wisconsin winter

[oldhenlikesdogs]

It is January, now begins my dreams and thoughts about the coming gardening season, I'm looking through my seeds, looking through seed catalogs, and scribbling plans in my notebook. I'm checking out my seed starting supplies and making sure my lights work.

So share what you are dreaming of or planning for the coming season, I am going to try growing vegetables like green beans in 50 gallon water tanks to be used as my raised beds, I want to add a few more fruit trees, grow my chard and kale amongst my flowers, dig up one messy weed filled bed and put in some hydrangeas. Just to mention a few.

 

[beetandsteet]

I had the chickens in a small run that they fertilized over the year and is now loaded with earthworms and composting leaf mulch. It still has the chicken wire fence around it so I think I'm going to grow watermelons in the pen, using the wire fence as my trellis. I'm SO looking forward to the spring too! It's definitely the best season of the year in my opinion

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's sounds so nice and easy, I like easy, I practice raised beds no till gardening, so my vegetable garden is already to go for Spring planting, the minute I see that first garlic or stray onion growing its go time.

 

[birds4kids]

Winter just started little more than a week ago, Menards has the seed displays out already.

This is my first winter with chickens and I have them tending the garden for the season.

I need to scale back this year though I get carried away and endup not keeping up and/or mother nature rewrites my plans. I am going tpo try and use part of the garden for meat birds this year, maybe that will help get the weed problem under control.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I saw those seeds at Menards, the bag sale was going on, I just started grabbing, I couldn't help it. My gardens get away from me too in the heat of summer. I would love to see how these chicken tended gardens work out, I always try to keep my chickens out.

 

[birds4kids]

I managed to stay away from the seeds, my biggest problem is heirloom tomatoes, great greenhouse nearby and I end up with 12-15 plants. Last year hail demolished it all, year before was too cool, year before tornado dropped the walnut tree on the garden, year before I was new to this and watered too frequently causing a lot of issues. Kids love "helping" out there though and that makes it worth the effort.

The Burpee display doesn't hold much attraction because I like all things weird, red Brussels sprouts, white tomatoes big and small, purple beans etc.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

That's a lot of tomato plants, I limit myself to around 6 plants, enough for fresh eating and enough for freezing, and some left over for the chickens. Weird vegetables are fun.

 

[lazy gardener]

My seed order came today. All came except for the 1 oddity I ordered: a perennial vine spinach substitute, which was back ordered. What was I thinking? I think I ordered 5 kinds of tomatoes! Thankfully, those seeds have a long shelf life. I planted 9 y.o. seeds last year, and had real good germination.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Tomato seeds do last a long time, but I didn't know that was possible. I'm still waiting for the main catalog from Pinetree seeds, like I need anymore.

 

[birds4kids]

I had blue pumpkin seeds in the unheated shed that mice got half the seeds and 3 years old they still germinated well. If kept well many seeds do great long term.
Best luck I have had with pumpkins some years is were I threw the soft ones the year before rather than what I planted.

I should sit down with the kids and seed shop a catalog just for fun after dinner, the older one is getting to be a great reader and she would love to read about the varieties to her little sister and I.