What did you do in the garden today?

[chickengr]

The pea seeds I planted in the garden a month or so ago are finally starting to germinate. The remainder of that raised bed will be for my three grandkids, who since my son moved in with me are here every other weekend. Maybe I can instill a love of gardening in the young'uns this spring/summer/fall.

One wants to grow strawberries. One carrots. The third, youngest one, might not be interested in gardening yet.

I mixed up a bucket of potting soil/mole hill dirt for up-potting my pepper plants tomorrow.

when I was a kid my granny let me help plant onion sets. as they grow fast I got encouraged to grow veggies. try this trick with your grandkids. or anything that will give them fast results.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I haven't in the past. I plant starts from Dixon Dale company and they send them 6 weeks before your last frost date. The first time I did that (3 years ago), I was skeptical and then I got softball size onions that year! Now I just do it, but I have to cover them if it's going to snow or get super cold which always happens planting this early. I started saved seeds this year to make my own but I didn't get them planted in time because an invasion of fungas knats in my house.

Fungus knats are terrible! They’ve been getting steadily worse around my starts, I need to order some beneficial nematodes. I just hope it’s warm enough I can put them in the outside containers too.

 

[Rick589]

I haven't in the past. I plant starts from Dixon Dale company and they send them 6 weeks before your last frost date. The first time I did that (3 years ago), I was skeptical and then I got softball size onions that year! Now I just do it, but I have to cover them if it's going to snow or get super cold which always happens planting this early. I started saved seeds this year to make my own but I didn't get them planted in time because an invasion of fungas knats in my house.

I’ve tried seeds before but for some reason after they sprouted they would just stop growing and I’d end up with the equivalent of thin blades of grass. Then I’d resort to starts which I bought from a local nursery and they would produce a reasonable crop but the onions would always wind up with rot in some of the layers. I’ve tried multiple ways of drying but nothing seemed to make a difference. I’m concluding it’s something in my soil but not sure how to remedy. Given the trouble it makes more sense just to buy onions even though seeing others being so successful with them, and I using a lot of them, I want to be able to grow them myself.

 

[Acre4Me]

Finished the potatoes yesterday, expanded the one garden plot to accommodate. Bought our cabbage starts and a new rhubarb plant. Planted a rhubarb root stock last year and it came up quickly but something happened and it ended up dying, anyone have experience with rhubarb?

Sometimes happens -crown rot.

The one I bought last year was from Gurney’s. I thought I’d take a shot and called them and they, without any resistance at all, agreed to send me another at no charge even though I was a couple of weeks past their guarantee. I always seem to see negative reviews of them but my experience has been good. In the past they’ve send incorrect items replaced with the correct ones and let me keep the errors. Once they actually sent a duplicate order and just told me to keep it.

We’ve bought some from Gurneys (2 types) and one came looking less than great, and with some “rot” on the root area. Planted it, and it thrived, which was good.

why does it seem like the ‘supposed’ easy plants are usually the source of the most headaches. Beets give me grief also.

Beets are finicky sometimes. It seems we have better luck with smaller patches, or planting with other things…in our raised beds I’ve planted green beans in a row on outer long edges, beets seeded in the middle -pretty good results, or beets along outer edges and carrots in the middle, also pretty good results, but need to keep an eye on how dry the edges of the bed get. A little shade can help them, but I’m usually planting them for fall harvest.

 

[Acre4Me]

Well, we have pepper sprouts and they look great. Lost the 4-5 weeks prior to this with apparently bad seeding mix.

1 week ago planted these seeds, placed on heat mat (as always) and such rapid sprouting!! All cells have sprouts -some are just beginning to pop up.

The seeding mix for success this time:

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

I’ve tried seeds before but for some reason after they sprouted they would just stop growing and I’d end up with the equivalent of thin blades of grass. Then I’d resort to starts which I bought from a local nursery and they would produce a reasonable crop but the onions would always wind up with rot in some of the layers. I’ve tried multiple ways of drying but nothing seemed to make a difference. I’m concluding it’s something in my soil but not sure how to remedy. Given the trouble it makes more sense just to buy onions even though seeing others being so successful with them, and I using a lot of them, I want to be able to grow them myself.

That was my issue with onions too. I’m hoping my problem was just starting them too late.

Well, we have pepper sprouts and they look great. Lost the 4-5 weeks prior to this with apparently bad seeding mix.

I just checked my peppers and I have sprouts too! First year using a heat mat, and it was set to 80 degrees. It’s barely been more than a week?!!

 

[Smokerbill]

I started up-potting my peppers this morning but ran out of soil mix. I'll run to the hardware store when it opens at 9:00 and grab a bag.

The six jalapenos are done and one of the habaneros. Five more to go- 2 habaneros and 3 Hatch chiles. I'm thinking about setting them on the south facing window sill so I'll have space under the grow lights for my tomatoes when I start the seeds in 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Grandmas Coop]

Got it done
Last Nov. I weeded for 6 hours and get the bed reclaimed
(after 5mo of taking care of my DH)


I spent two days last week, cleaning up dead growth off the herb plants and raking off moss,



But yesterday!!! I spent the whole day lining things out.
Today Ill get the snap peas and radish planted, spinach .....

 

[jerryse]

Cloudy, cool and breezy. Rain predicted. Got some of my seed orders. Planted in outdoor pots viola, Gloriosa Daisy, German Chamomile, and domestic Columbine.

 

[Justagalwithchicks]

I’ve tried seeds before but for some reason after they sprouted they would just stop growing and I’d end up with the equivalent of thin blades of grass. Then I’d resort to starts which I bought from a local nursery and they would produce a reasonable crop but the onions would always wind up with rot in some of the layers. I’ve tried multiple ways of drying but nothing seemed to make a difference. I’m concluding it’s something in my soil but not sure how to remedy. Given the trouble it makes more sense just to buy onions even though seeing others being so successful with them, and I using a lot of them, I want to be able to grow them myself.

When you have rot between the layers that may be the long green tops broke and water from irrigation or rain got down into the plant. I've trimmed my onions down before out in the garden to increase bulb growth but you need to make sure no moisture gets in the open tops before the plant seals itself at thep base. Or the humidity is high where you cure them at. A fan circulating where you are drying them in say a garage. I hope you try again and are successful!