What did you do in the garden today?

[Wee Farmer Sarah]

Good snowy morning all. Yes it is snowing, and snowing, and snowing and will be snowing until 2 am. It's also a heavy wet snow and again the dear weather folks missed the mark when they said it wouldn't stick to paved roads. Well, there's about 2 inches stuck to the street right now and growing. I shook the snow off the plastic covering the asparagus a while ago but I need to prop it up so it doesn't weigh down on the spears. Thank you so much for the potato information @BReeder! I learned last year that there are determinate and indeterminate potatoes just like tomatoes. Feel free to impart your knowledge regarding potatoes to me and the other newbie potato growers on this thread. That's why we are here, to share our knowledge. Last year I planted the grocery store potatoes that were sprouting on top of my refrigerator. Not all that productive, but it was fun. Due to the regimen of crop "rotation" I am planting corn and beans where the potatoes were last year and the potatoes are in their private patio on the south facing side of the house. Far away from the tomatoes. Thank you so much for suggesting the Flonase Sensispray @Sueby. I suspect my tendency to get nosebleeds may be from the low dose aspirin I take every day. That could be your issue as well @penny1960. It's still better than having another heart attack. Glad to hear you are getting stronger @jerryse. I would recommend either a Stihl or a Husqvarna brush cutter. Second husband was handy in that area and he swore by these two. Not inexpensive, however, most of us have learned that you get what you pay for. Clearly there won't be any gardening today other than keeping my asparagus spears from breaking. Fortunately the temps have not dropped below 34F.
And for your visual pleasure (taken 2 hours ago):

My potato patch

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Change of plans here. I just got a text from The person who is taking 90% of my extra starts and they are coming this afternoon! I’ve only got about 1/3 potted up right now!

 

[WthrLady]

So I got my new medication Tuesday afternoon . Feeling better and doing more . Lost muscle during my illness . Got to build my strength .

So I am looking to buy a brush hog - category 1 and 5 foot . Any recommendations on brands . Looks like 3 farm stores have a different brand . So county line , king cutter and tarter . Figured new as I don't want somebody else troubles .

I like my king cutter stuff.
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Morning all.
Onions spent the night with the horseradish in the greenhouse. Cloudy and drizzly all night, only 40 now. I was GOING to plant both, but we're looking at a hard freeze Tuesday night again. I'm just going to have to move things to the greenhouse and ferry them into the workshop each evening and back again in the mornings. But the tomato starts are stuck in mini mode after transplanting being in the cooler seed shed under lights (off mats). The stuff I did 3 weeks earlier, when we were in the 70s and 80s outside, are going gangbusters. Heat is the key, so they're being banished to the hot house. LOL
Door guy coming for measurements. Then I'm off to make egg deliveries, and a quick run to the market and hardware store.

 

[TJAnonymous]

I've seen it with "leaf mold," which I think is code for leaves half way to being done composting? Now I want to try it. I DO have a pile of half-composted leaves...and sprouted potatoes on the counter...

Do you think a large reusable shopping bag could work as a stand-in for a grow bag? I have banned myself from garden centers for at least a week, so I'd need to improvise.

Yes, the shopping bag would work as long as you ensure it has drainage in the bottom. I'm considering creating my own grow bags using recycled boxes where I've taken the bottom out and then placed the box inside an animal feed bag. The box gives some structure and the bag helps keep the box from disintegrating completely before the end of the season. Have to put holes in the bottom though for drainage. I'll send a picture later this afternoon so you can see what I did.

What can I say? I like to recycle and be creative to keep from spending money on way overpriced garden stuff. These people KNOW this is an addiction.... ha ha.

Last year I tried to take some of my sprouted Russet potatoes and grow from them. The skin ended up being super hard and crusty on the new potatoes. I chucked all of them. Might try again. Maybe it was just that batch or I did something wrong...

 

[pennyJo1960]

The ones we grow at home have a harder skin but still do able .. I grow a red norland and a yukon gold only

 

[TJAnonymous]

The ones we grow at home have a harder skin but still do able .. I grow a red norland and a yukon gold only

I think the ones I picked up from the feed store are Yukon gold. Those are the ones growing in my grow bags currently. I buy the big russet Idaho potatoes from the store and there's usually always some sprouting before I've used all of them.

 

[Artichoke Lover]

Anyone else shocked by the crap they are calling garden soil these days. Accidentally picked up a bag of it instead of potting soil and I think it’s 80% shredded bark. It looks like the stuff we used to buy as mulch!

 

[Elyrian1]

Oh yes, they are cutting corners everywhere they can. I've gotten into the habit of kinda poking or massaging the bag of dirt before I buy. Probably look like a weirdo, but just trying to figure out how much mulch has been cut in as filler instead of actual soil.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Miracle grow is still dirt but hey pay like 3 bucks more and smaller bag

 

[jerryse]

Mowed and transplanted . Potted up some plants . Got a sucker from bush cherry plus a root piece that should sprout . Sour cherries on their own roots sucker as do plums . 100 + years ago it was common to get new trees this way . Now they graft to rootstocks that do not sucker . Easier to manage in a commercial orchard . I also layered a French white lilac as they do not sucker much . I have a white old fashioned lilac that suckers enough for new starts .