What did you do in the garden today?

[1dog1cat6chicks]

My friends in the north, when do you transplant your tomatoes? I'm in zone 5B in IL near Chicago. I'm thinking May 1st, but would love to do so sooner if possible. Is no frost good enough? Or do they really need temps consistently above 60F? And does that mean nighttime temps above 60F?

We are on the edge of zone 5 & 6 here in southwest PA and we never put tomatoes in till at least mid May.

 

[1dog1cat6chicks]

Didn’t do much today, but last week I spent many, many hours digging obedient plant out of my front yard flower bed. What a chore. I had it many years ago and it was nowhere near as invasive as it is this time! It was taking over, and despite being called obedient plant I felt it was extremely disobedient! Since I prefer my flowers better behaved, out it came. Finally finished it on Saturday.
I’ve also been battling hairy bittercress in my large bed in the backyard. I think I’ve weeded it three times already this spring.

On a more positive note, the asparagus is starting to produce and the rhubarb is doing great!

 

[August Coldwell]

My friends in the north, when do you transplant your tomatoes? I'm in zone 5B in IL near Chicago. I'm thinking May 1st, but would love to do so sooner if possible. Is no frost good enough? Or do they really need temps consistently above 60F? And does that mean nighttime temps above 60F?

I’m in 6b in the Connecticut river valley. I’m most aggressive with my German Johnson seedlings. They’ve been transferred to their Solo cups and growing/hardening on uncovered tables outside for a little over a week. They are growing fast with evening temperatures in the forties. They get one more transplant in about five days, to the large solo cups. Then they’ll go in the ground April 28th.

 

[WthrLady]

Thermometer just got here.
It has an alarm which I have set for 35 and 85.
If we do well tonight. I have 14 flats to move into the greenhouse tomorrow, and then I have room to start 14 more in the shed. PHEW. I need the room.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

We had a booger of a weekend here. Friday we used a friend's tractor to move a metal building that I agreed to use for my main coop, but only after he got it under a big cottonwood for shade. It was already damaged in front, but we tore it up more moving it. Guess that means cut that part off and frame in a section of hardware cloth for extra ventilation!

Saturday our hot water tank decided to retire after 34 YEARS! It was plumbed into the main line and we had to shut off the water to the house as it was leaking profusely. That meant no flushing toilets except for buckets collected from the slowly dripping tank as it emptied, and no water for the hoses, so I couldn't even plant anything. Good thing my husband is very handy and used to do residential HVAC. He added all the shutoff valves we should have already had and replaced it last night. I got a hot shower this morning! I'm going to have to get a rain barrel for just such emergencies....

We got some hatching eggs for my broody and decided that Sam's Club boxes would make good nesting boxed too! Reduce, reuse, recycle!

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

I was gone to visit friends so I didn’t get anything done this weekend. I just got home a few hours ago. Nobody watered the greenhouse while I was gone so those plants were looking really rough. They seem to be perking up now though. My dad found a large rat snake in the coop while I was gone last night. I’m glad I wasn’t home! It was relocated to the shed with a rat problem. The first of the strawberries are starting to color up so I’m very excited. The last daffodils started blooming yesterday while I was gone and so did the Iris. My hatch is going well so far. I candled today and tossed out 1 clear and 1 blood ring. The other 31 look to be in good shape.View attachment 2611165View attachment 2611166View attachment 2611167View attachment 2611169View attachment 2611170View attachment 2611171View attachment 2611172View attachment 2611173

I though my older girls were being naughty and laying elsewhere until I found a snake in their coop on Sunday. They got some grace after that, but still got locked in today for retraining just in case.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Goodnight everyone. It’s been a long day again. I planted the grape and some radishes this morning. Then I watered the trees and the greenhouse. Weeded the onions and potatoes and staked off some of the rows for the summer veggies. Thinned the beets. And counted up how many extra plants I have to give away to neighbors and coworkers. It was also a long day at work so that cut into my gardening time and I didn’t get anything potted up. On the way home I picked up the next batch of foster kittens so now I have 4 4-5 week old kittens in the spare room which I had to clean up for them. As I was writing this I had to go break up a cat fight because someone let the wrong cat in and my dad realized he left his phone on the hood of his car so I had to ride with him to go find it. Luckily it was on the side of the road about a mile from the house and doesn’t even seem cracked. Tomorrow it’s supposed to rain so I’m hoping to make a dent in potting up the roughly 250 transplants I have left to do

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

We have a volunteer cat who showed up in early January. My daughter named her Kitty Purry. She stuck around, so we got her fixed, vaccinated, flea treatments, etc. She is outside and my heeler chases her when she can, but she is very sweet. She has spent time in daughter's room after surgery, during the record freeze, etc. Playful and cuddly.

 

[Sooner Magnolia]

Kitty Purry is about 9 months old now.

 

[BReeder!]

We finally got the cucumbers, yellow squash, butternut squash and zucchini started. We also jumped the gun and started some pumpkins and watermelon. I have more seeds of we need to replant those. We decided to try starting sunflowers indoors again too.