Green thumb is itching, anyone else?

[Carols Clucks]

Reancher Hicks, as far as the camera and the photo dark. The camera assumes all of the colors in the image, thrown in a pot and stirred would be 18% grey. Since snow is dominate in that image and not 18% grey, the camera will pick to under expose the image. If you know you are taking pictures in the snow, you can adjust your exposure on many cameras, even point and shoots. In my lumix, it is the "+" button on the back of the camera by the menu wheel.

I stopped by a commercial nursery today, only open to the public on the weekends and found some nice 5gal blueberry bushes or only a bit more than the smaller 1g or bareroots! woo hoo! you know what I am going to be picking up and planting this week!

 

[demerson]

I can not wait - the weird warmer than normal weather here in NY has allowed me to do alot of my spring prep already - got my 25x25x25 triangle beds almost ready for the pumpkins!

 

[GardenGal]

Just found the hobbies section - and yes! my green thumb is itching something fierce! My husband and I are building a geodesic greenhouse which should extend our season quite a bit. I'll post info once it's done if anyone is interested.

 

[harveyhorses]

HA! I KNEW I was not alone. I made raised beds last year and LOVED them, my brother has been coming over for years and tilling my garden in for me, but he sure can't do that now. I ordered a tiller attachment for my weedeater, and just spent a couple of hours pouring over the seed catalogs.
Not going to bother with squash this year, plants get enormous and bear little to no fruit.

have to put hardware cloth under my sweetpotato beds, because SOMETHING ate almost all of them from the bottom. ongoing project, doing a 1/4 of the bed at a time, it's 4 x 12 and 18 deep. I think I got carried away....
Is it too early to start turnips? I just harvested my fall crop at Christmas and it was SOOO peppery. Waiting for the temp to go about 35. Then the girls and I will do some planning (o.k. I plan they scratch and peck)

 

[Dawn419]

I've never tried winter sewing or cold frames. I have a unheated greenhouse, that I start some seed in, but most of it gets transplanted to the garden later, so that doesn't count. What crops are best for winter sewing?

Here's some info on winter sowing!


Vegetables for winter sowing:

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/wtrsow/2002053844010986.html


Winter sowing FAQ:

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/wtrsow/

 

[ozark_chickies]

Thank you for the links, I got lost over there reading posts. They even have a forum for the Ozark region! It was cool to see that lots of my volunteer plants are on their winter sowing list.

 

[Carols Clucks]

Yesterday:

We got another rose to put in today, a climber Stormy Weather, a new strain of pomegranate-Red Angel for my youngest son-bare root and planted (in the chicken zone so I am going to be fencing it off so the hens don't prune it for me when it gets leaves) and 2 5gal blue berry bushes. Those will go in as soon as I have their bed read for them, but they are doing great in their pots!

We also brought home 18 cans of year old composted horse manure, the chickens were tired and full at the end of the day, lots of sow bugs to dig out of that pile. And the neighbor and her toddler were out for a walk and the toddler wanted to know whos poop were the chickens in

And I took mom to hear about pruning roses.


Today, We have 8 post holes to dig, 3 pier blocks to layout for a grape 'holder', the rose to go in and....some dry wall work (maybe)

The rest of the week, I have picket fencing to paint, horse manure to scatter, roses to prune and a whole orchard to prune as well....yikes!

 

[Dawn419]

Thank you for the links, I got lost over there reading posts. They even have a forum for the Ozark region! It was cool to see that lots of my volunteer plants are on their winter sowing list.

Your Welcome!

I get "lost" over there, too! I'll stop by for a quick check on something and over an hour later...

 

[HHandbasket]

The big seed order has arrived, other seed catalogs are coming in, and I have ordered cells for starting my seedlings indoors (I have a "greenhouse window" in my kitchen... that thing is finally gonna come in handy for something). We have been mapping out what's going to be planted where, and I have come to a conclusion about something.

I have concluded that I am going to be growing a lot more than we can eat. Some of it I can preserve, can, freeze, and dehydrate, but for things that I cannot preserve, like lettuces and such, I wonder what the requirements would be for having a small booth from time to time at the local farmer's market. Hmmm, definitely something I can look into.

Has anyone else done that, sold their excess at a farmer's market or other such way? When we lived in town, we could donate extras to the local food bank. We are pretty far from town & don't really get into town all that often anymore.

 

[rancher hicks]

The big seed order has arrived, other seed catalogs are coming in, and I have ordered cells for starting my seedlings indoors (I have a "greenhouse window" in my kitchen... that thing is finally gonna come in handy for something). We have been mapping out what's going to be planted where, and I have come to a conclusion about something.

I have concluded that I am going to be growing a lot more than we can eat. Some of it I can preserve, can, freeze, and dehydrate, but for things that I cannot preserve, like lettuces and such, I wonder what the requirements would be for having a small booth from time to time at the local farmer's market. Hmmm, definitely something I can look into.

Has anyone else done that, sold their excess at a farmer's market or other such way? When we lived in town, we could donate extras to the local food bank. We are pretty far from town & don't really get into town all that often anymore.

Me too. I plan to grow more winter squash so I have some for the chickens. I think more pumpkins too. Blue Hubbard and the Hubbard type are worth the effort.

I got some new seeds yesterday. Parsely and some squash of the French kind. E'stampes or something like that. Alone with the seed catalogs I've been getting hatchery catalogs too. I like to order them so I can look at them at my leisure. Though I will be hatching my own chicks, they do have some other things in there that I want. Like a stand for holding up a feeder or heat light in my brooder.

Please order all the catalogs you can and lets keep the mailman in work. It costs you nothing and who knows you might find something unique.

Oh I also got some Bantam Corn seeds too. Anyone have a special corn they like to grow. I've got some Indian corn hanging in the office here to dry out and hopefully save some seed.

The new Baker Creek catalog has an article on Monsanto that is interesting. If you order the catalog it's worth a read.

Well I've said a lot, take care.

Rancher