How's your garden?

[CathyA]

That's a funny question. Mine is still snow covered. But we're supposed to have 2 days with 60 degree temps........but then a little snow. I need to be thinking about planting my snow peas.
But where they grow (on the ends of my swingset), will be changing location in the garden this year, since I want to rotate all my vertical trellises..........so I'm not sure when that will be. After the snow melts, it will probably be a muddy mess for awhile. Still..........Can't wait to get it going.

I'm also looking at a Behlen's food-grade poly stocktank that's 6' long, 2' wide and only 1' deep, to put outside the back door, for greens and broccoli. Just trying to bring the garden closer. I will set it on bales of straw to make it more elevated. I don't know if using food-grade plastic actually makes any difference...........but it wouldn't hurt, right? To fill up some of that space, I'm going to pack straw in the bottom, then fill with organic soil.
I'll also need to drill holes in the bottom of the stocktank for drainage.......which I hate doing to an expensive stocktank that doesn't have a drain........but it needs to be done.
I want to start growing lots more greens. Planting them in the ground in the garden is a challenge.............the ground is getting further and further away, and the weeds are the best "greens" I grow!
Anyone start on their garden yet?

[goldensmom]

My garden is still in seed form inside little envelopes but I am thinking about it and will start seeds in the greenhouse at the end of March.

[Florence]

My garden is less a mess than it was a week ago. We had a couple of days when we could go out and clean out all the freeze damage. It won't stop raining/freezing long enough to get it really spiffed up. The clover and thistles seem to be doing well.

[CathyA]

LOL Florence........our thistle is always doing well too!

[Gardenarian]

Neglected, but looking pretty good! I haven't done a thing to it (though my neighbor did prune my roses for me.) Nothing in the vegetable patch but rugula and chard that have reseeded themselves wildly. Nasturtiums are taking over big patches and the lilies have just opened up. The plums are in bloom and the cherry trees are just breaking out. I've got a million limes I better start giving away. I feel so guilty when fruit rots on the ground.

[Birdie]

I have kale, garlic and onions growing still in grow bags. All of my vegetable garden was planted with cover crop this winter which I will cut down and dig into the soil next week once it dried out a bit. That will give it time enough to break down before I replant this spring.

I started pepper seeds in late January and tomatoes in early February and all are doing well. I will plant my summer garden around the third week of April. Can't wait for that since I'm trying a bunch of new tomato varities this year. Even though we are having a drought in CA I will be hand watering (if needed) my vegetable garden. I bought some 3 inch PVC french drain pipes that I'm cutting into 15 inch lengths and capping at the bottom. I will put one on each side of my tomato cages (sunk into the soil) and hand water the tomatoes. Each pipe holds about a gallon, so I'll see how many gallons each plant needs this year.

It should be an interesting season this year.

[Gardenarian]

Hi Birdie -
I all also in California (Bay Area) and interested in what varieties of tomatoes you'll be planting. I've pretty much stuck with Early Girl (and a selection of cherry tomatoes. I've also tried Brandywine - tasty, but not a great producer.

[herbgeek]

My garden is covered with about a foot of snow. I put up a low tunnel yesterday in an attempt to melt the snow off of one of the beds so I cand start some lettuce and greens next month.

[Yarrow]

We are still snow covered here. I garden in containers on my little porch off the back of my house and I am really eager to get the spring gardening started! Warmer temps are predicted for next week so I am hopeful it will be doable soon. :)

[Miss Cellane]

Even though we've had some warmer weather and a lot of melting, there's still about two feet of snow on the ground. And it snowed yesterday and today, and tomorrow we're supposed to get 6-14 inches of snow, plus up to an inch of ice.

At this rate, we may see the ground some time in June, if we're lucky.

[Blackdog Lin]

Ours looks good for the time of year - we had "the tractor guy" in early December to come plow it all under for the winter. Come a month from now and we'll have him back for a thorough tilling to get it ready for planting. We have a huge patch of wild onions off to one side of the garden and I see them this week peeking from the ground.

And the seed packets are here, ordered last month (6 varieties of various veggies that we like but can never find the bedding plants for). We've never been very successful with starting bedding plants from seed, so have decided that a seed mat (a heated thing to set the pots on) is what we need to try. Going to try to find one tomorrow during our planned shopping trip to "the city".

My heart quickens (well, nope, it's really my stomach) at the thought of spring and gardens and fresh garden veggies.

[Gerald Iversen]

I was inspired by my recent interview with Vicki Robin about her new book "Blessing the Hands That Feed Us." You can hear our conversation
at http://simpleliving.startlogic.com/SLW-PODCAST/?p=562
or Episode #17 at http://simpleliving.startlogic.com/i...ce=podcast.php

Gerald 'Jerry' Iversen

[gadder]

My garden is awaiting the pots on my balcony. The snow has just melted off the pots, and stores are now advertising garden supplies. I am imagining August already, a fully green balcony awash in herbs and veggies and flowers. And then I start to panic a bit - I have no seeds yet! And planting is 3-4 weeks away, and I need to get my bike assembled first....

[Blackdog Lin]

We've made a fair amount of progress in the last 3 weeks. The garden is tilled (it tilled up well this year, to a nicely-plantable powder). One row of onions (will do another later so as to stagger) is in, as is a row of radishes. We're ready to put Brussels sprouts in, but the local nursery ran out, so waiting till our next out-of-town shopping trip to try to get some. Friday.

And DH is babying a tray of romaine, garden salsa peppers, and cucumber seedlings - all seeds he ordered. We've never been very successful at starting seedlings in the house, so invested in a seed mat and thermostat for it this year. So far it looks like a waste of our $57.00 (!!!). They're not looking too great.....