Gardening 2019, share your plans!

[Kholts]

So the time came to separate and repot my tomato seedlings. Bare in mind I haven’t really gardened a day in my life really....it went fairly smoothly I would say.

I went through and picked the best ones that had the stronger stems and healthy looking leaves. Some had very thin stems and were quite a bit shorter than the others so I just discarded them. Then I accidentally brutalized some while trying to separate them. *whoops* in total I have 12 left.

Now I’m sitting here starring at them every hour and they are looking a little shocky which I expected. I got my fingers crossed that at least half of them survive!

How is everyone’s seedlings progressing this year?

 

[JenniferDuBay]

So the time came to separate and repot my tomato seedlings. Bare in mind I haven’t really gardened a day in my life really....it went fairly smoothly I would say.

I went through and picked the best ones that had the stronger stems and healthy looking leaves. Some had very thin stems and were quite a bit shorter than the others so I just discarded them. Then I accidentally brutalized some while trying to separate them. *whoops* in total I have 12 left.

Now I’m sitting here starring at them every hour and they are looking a little shocky which I expected. I got my fingers crossed that at least half of them survive!

How is everyone’s seedlings progressing this year?

Don't worry, they will! Just maybe give them afternoon shade and water them this week, and they'll do fine. Everything goes droopy when first replanted. All of my seedlings are doing well. I'm just waiting on my pumpkins to get their first true leaves to plant out.

 

[Kholts]

Don't worry, they will! Just maybe give them afternoon shade and water them this week, and they'll do fine. Everything goes droopy when first replanted. All of my seedlings are doing well. I'm just waiting on my pumpkins to get their first true leaves to plant out.

Oh I so hope your right!

I LOVE pumpkins but I just don’t have the space for them especially having raised garden boxes. I am in the same boat as you but I’m waiting on my zucchini seedlings to get their true leaves. I’m hoping by the time that happens I’ll feel safe (without a threat of frost) to actually just plant directly into the boxes.

Do you plant kale? If so do you start them indoors or just direct seed to the garden? I started mine indoors and now I’m wondering how or when to repot. I think they are crowded and getting leggy. I’m just scared to get in there & separate them.

 

[Acre4Me]

So the time came to separate and repot my tomato seedlings. Bare in mind I haven’t really gardened a day in my life really....it went fairly smoothly I would say.

I went through and picked the best ones that had the stronger stems and healthy looking leaves. Some had very thin stems and were quite a bit shorter than the others so I just discarded them. Then I accidentally brutalized some while trying to separate them. *whoops* in total I have 12 left.

Now I’m sitting here starring at them every hour and they are looking a little shocky which I expected. I got my fingers crossed that at least half of them survive!

How is everyone’s seedlings progressing this year?

good luck with your seedlings! Typically, I will start tomatoes, etc using 3-4 seeds per pot (purchased the 18 pots/tray at Walmart). Once sprouted and growing, then I thin to the strongest 2 by using scissors and cutting off the sprout(s) I don't want. Then I'll thin to 1 sprout or keep both sprouts if they are far from each other and might handle separation at planting.

 

[Acre4Me]

Raised beds ready! Some seeds are planted, and a few started plants are planted. The tomatoes and peppers won't be planted till this weekend due to storms today and cold night time temps tomorrow night.

Last year I unwisely planted butternut squash, lemon cucumbers, indeterminate tomatoes and carrots all in the same bed! It was a total mess with all those vining plants! On the positive side, when I was turning over the beds in the fall, I dug up lots of very nice carrots ready for enjoyment!

This year, we will have tomatoes and butternut squash in the same bed, but will hopefully be able to contain the mess better with more support for the squash, and better cages for the tomatoes. Cukes are in a different bed.

Potatoes are growing nicely! Already up a few inches above ground!

 

[Farmdog267]

I still need to plant my potato crop. Giving sweet potatoes a try this year as well.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Rolling on in to this thread since I've been outside gardening so much! Always nice to see what other people are growing or changing up in their gardens.

Biggest success last year was probably finally having a full year of proper vegetables to eat, from the peas and mizuna in spring to carrots and kale in December. I seem to consume a massive amount of greens so not having to buy greens twice a week was a fantastic thing.

Now for this year...

I got a grow light as a Christmas gift and so I started tomatoes, peppers and eggplant indoors.

We added two more 4x8 raised beds this year though not 100% done yet... need to mulch around the base so the footpath doesn't get muddy during rain. So now I have five 4x8s and one 4x4. Still not sure if that's enough for two people who eat a lot of veggies but I can always add more next year if needed.

GROW! GROW!

I direct seeded the beds with carrots, radish, green onions, peas, celery, green beans, wax beans, beets, turnips and multiple greens (arugula, spinach, chard, mache, mizuna, bok choy, collards, kale). Going to seed squash in a few weeks (once I figure out how to trellis it) along with lettuce (need the tomatoes to get bigger to provide some shade for it).

Herbs are all growing in pots and planters near the door for easy access. I don't tend to use a lot of fresh herbs so it's just basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, sage and oregano.

I also started a part-shade perennial garden last year in an empty spot next to the garage (I really wanted to disguise how plain the side of the garage is). But I barely had any plants in it last year, so this year I'm finally filling it in with some of my favorites: multiple varieties of lamium, columbine, corydalis, veronica, dicentra, heuchera. And a random bed of nasturtium which isn't optimal but did ok there last year... I collected the seeds and reseeded the area.


Note the only corner that's filled in is upper right, which was from last year.

What's in store next? Thinking maybe I need a sun perennial garden too... we have an existing flower bed by the driveway but it's big and gets very weedy, so thinking maybe my next project will be to weed it then try overplanting it to crowd the weeds out.

 

[Acre4Me]

Going to seed squash in a few weeks (once I figure out how to trellis it)

We just used some extra chain link fence - super sturdy! I tired using some plastic garden fence that seemed sturdy for a few pea plants that only grew moderately and it barely withstood their small weight - and still sagged! So was happy when spouse attached this chain link for me.

 

[Kholts]

Rolling on in to this thread since I've been outside gardening so much! Always nice to see what other people are growing or changing up in their gardens.

Biggest success last year was probably finally having a full year of proper vegetables to eat, from the peas and mizuna in spring to carrots and kale in December. I seem to consume a massive amount of greens so not having to buy greens twice a week was a fantastic thing.

Now for this year...

I got a grow light as a Christmas gift and so I started tomatoes, peppers and eggplant indoors.

We added two more 4x8 raised beds this year though not 100% done yet... need to mulch around the base so the footpath doesn't get muddy during rain. So now I have five 4x8s and one 4x4. Still not sure if that's enough for two people who eat a lot of veggies but I can always add more next year if needed.

View attachment 1769837 GROW! GROW!

I direct seeded the beds with carrots, radish, green onions, peas, celery, green beans, wax beans, beets, turnips and multiple greens (arugula, spinach, chard, mache, mizuna, bok choy, collards, kale). Going to seed squash in a few weeks (once I figure out how to trellis it) along with lettuce (need the tomatoes to get bigger to provide some shade for it).

Herbs are all growing in pots and planters near the door for easy access. I don't tend to use a lot of fresh herbs so it's just basil, chives, cilantro, parsley, sage and oregano.

I also started a part-shade perennial garden last year in an empty spot next to the garage (I really wanted to disguise how plain the side of the garage is). But I barely had any plants in it last year, so this year I'm finally filling it in with some of my favorites: multiple varieties of lamium, columbine, corydalis, veronica, dicentra, heuchera. And a random bed of nasturtium which isn't optimal but did ok there last year... I collected the seeds and reseeded the area.

View attachment 1769836
Note the only corner that's filled in is upper right, which was from last year.

What's in store next? Thinking maybe I need a sun perennial garden too... we have an existing flower bed by the driveway but it's big and gets very weedy, so thinking maybe my next project will be to weed it then try overplanting it to crowd the weeds out.

Oh my! You sound like a busy bee!

I don’t even want to talk about my front yard. It’s been so neglected the last couple years. There is absolutely no landscaping other than grass. I think I’ll pluck away at it this summer (the 3 months I get that is). I’m thinking a rock garden with some bird nest pines or some sort of mungo and bayberry.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Oh my! You sound like a busy bee!

I don’t even want to talk about my front yard. It’s been so neglected the last couple years. There is absolutely no landscaping other than grass. I think I’ll pluck away at it this summer (the 3 months I get that is). I’m thinking a rock garden with some bird nest pines or some sort of mungo and bayberry.

That's what happens when it's 4 acres and just me and my lonesome to take care of it (hubby mows one lawn but that's about it). So I try to keep all my actual gardening in small clumps to make it as manageable as possible.

I wouldn't want a lawn at all except the dogs and chickens obviously enjoy it, so it gets to stay. Plus it just needs the occasional mowing, so fairly low maintenance (we don't need to water it thanks to ground water, I don't fertilize it, etc)