What did you do in the garden today?

[jnicholes]

25.5 cups of sap in one day. I decided to boil it down. This brings my total amount of syrup I got to 3 cups, 1 cup already eaten.

 

[BReeder!]

Brassica and lettuce etc are cool/cold weather plants. Tomatoes and beans are not.
They can't handle more than 30 -60 minutes of below 32

I wasn't expecting to get below 32. Weatherman was clearly wrong!

The greenhouse is heated now. I set the heater to 60 and last night the lowest the thermometer recorded was 57. In good with that. Everything is in the greenhouse now and the grow tent is empty and turned off. This might be risky, but there's plenty of room this way to set up water wicks. I just cut 120ft if water wick today. I need to set all the wicks tomorrow.

 

[BReeder!]

Potatoes are planted. I need to get 30 strawberry crowns in the ground tomorrow and covered with straw until we get back. Getting tight on time before vacation, but I'll get it done.

How fast do spring bulbs pop out the ground? We just planted lillies, liatris and gladiolus the other day. The are all buried to the proper depth, but I want to spread some mulch. Not sure I'll get that down until after Easter though. Should I be worried?

 

[Swiss]

Mine in the basement have sprouts 6" long.... I have them in a cardboard box, lid closed, covered with a heavy blanket. And somehow they still sprout.

But in the ground they probably don't sprout until the temperature is right. The basement doesn't get as cold as the ground outside in the winter, right? In theory? I'm no expert!

 

[BReeder!]

today, while watching the ducklings make muddy puddles, I finished the fence around the used hay/duck bedding area where I plan to plant sunchokes soon!!

I would have given away sunchokes! We just dug up. About 50 lbs of them to clear a bed for asparagus crowns. I planted those 2 or 3 years back. We ate some but not very much. They are soft/mushy when cooked. I didn't mind them much, but ultimately didn't think they were much to rave about and like potatoes better. They are tasty and crunchy raw, but we didn't need to keep a bed of them for the occasional desire to eat some - I'll just by some water chestnuts when I wan't to crisp crunch.

 

[Swiss]

I also read through the WHOLE "What To Do If You Can't Plant When Your Order Arrives" page on the Stark Bros website and at the very bottom of the page is a section about "Planting In Winter Weather". So, that has put my mind at ease about planting my fruit trees now.

Here's what that section says, in case anyone else has concerns:

If snowfall arrives or freezing temperatures set in when your order arrives, don't panic! Just follow these simple suggestions:

• Scoop snow away from the planting site; you may find the ground is not frozen yet.
• Remember that snow makes an excellent insulator; the extra moisture is good for plants.
• Keep any frozen topsoil from falling into the planting hole around the root system.
• Do not expose roots to below-freezing temperatures while planting.

If your order arrives in the spring, you might find that your soil may be frozen or otherwise unworkable. If this is the case, you should keep your tree or plant in the package until the daily temperatures are above freezing and the ground thaws.

Please note: you may plant, even if the low temperatures are in the high teens, as long as the daytime temperatures are above 40ºF. You can delay planting for up to two or three weeks if you are able to keep the roots from drying out. However, in cases where the delayed period is longer than a week, you should consider applying additional damp paper to bare-root tree roots to provide sufficient enough moisture for longer storage.

 

[BReeder!]

It’s actually Spaining from the word Spain. I had a typo

Spaining sounds similar to the Florida weave, except you double up the wire/cord and twist them together once with the plant in the middle of the twist.
https://www.google.com/imgres?imgur...X7eKjF-M&w=1200&h=900&hl=en-US&source=sh/x/im

 

[BReeder!]

I need lids!

Monday, I started quite a few more seeds. Almost all of my wild strawberry seeds have germinated, and a couple are even getting their first (tiny) true leaves.
View attachment 3448050

I have 3 of 8 new beds tilled up and got compost and topsoil delivered yesterday and today. I covered the pile last night because it was forecasted to snow today, and I don't want it to wash away! We got about an inch, and now, the sun has come out and is melting it. Apparently, my grandma said, "It always snows on the first daffodils." And our first daffodils (little tiny mini ones) bloomed on Monday, so, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
View attachment 3448049

For those in zone 5b, when do you plant your potatoes? I have read to do it as soon as the soil is workable, and also to wait until 2 weeks after the last frost. Last year, I know I planted them late. Also, we bought some bare root fruit trees, and I'm scared to plant them out if we get more snow or the temperature drops. Any help there would be much appreciated!

In Chicago suburbs. I planted potatoes today.

 

[Acre4Me]

I need lids!

Monday, I started quite a few more seeds. Almost all of my wild strawberry seeds have germinated, and a couple are even getting their first (tiny) true leaves.
View attachment 3448050

I have 3 of 8 new beds tilled up and got compost and topsoil delivered yesterday and today. I covered the pile last night because it was forecasted to snow today, and I don't want it to wash away! We got about an inch, and now, the sun has come out and is melting it. Apparently, my grandma said, "It always snows on the first daffodils." And our first daffodils (little tiny mini ones) bloomed on Monday, so, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.
View attachment 3448049

For those in zone 5b, when do you plant your potatoes? I have read to do it as soon as the soil is workable, and also to wait until 2 weeks after the last frost. Last year, I know I planted them late. Also, we bought some bare root fruit trees, and I'm scared to plant them out if we get more snow or the temperature drops. Any help there would be much appreciated!

Potatoes. I’m 6A, just planted them this past weekend.

Bare roots. Plant as soon as received. They are dormant and will be fine to be planted in the snow. A hard blizzard or extreme weather…maybe wait a day.

 

[gtaus]

Another use for them: I have one of these in my trash can under the trash bag in case of any leakage. Then, I don't have to clean my garbage can! I've had the same one in my garbage can for probably close to a year at this point. Of course, I also do what I can to keep liquids from roaming free in the bag.

Thanks for the idea. I should use up as many of those pads as I can, for something, as long as I have them in storage doing no good.