Vegetable Gardening

[tulip]

If you need the space for something else now, then take them out. Otherwise, you might consider letting them bloom. Brassica flowers attract beneficial wasps. If the variety you planted is open pollinated, you can use the seeds. But if it's a hybrid, you'll need to buy new seeds or plants.

Lisa, you must be chomping at the bit to start your big garden! I've decided to forgo the seed starting process this year, except for direct seeded crops. Instead I will buy seedlings from the local community garden organization. They have a greenhhouse and every spring sell a nice variety of plants, inclding heirlooms that hard to find elsewhere.

[NoNo]

ACK! You have things planted already?! We still have to get our seeds and had plans to expand the garden, but now I feel like we're way behind. Time to kick things into high gear, if I can find time away from making soap. At least I have my farm delivery service to hold me over.....

[copperlegend]

I have peas soaking for the day, and they'll be planted as soon as I get home from work tonight. I still have some major garden cleanup in the veggie beds, including some very persistant dead brussels sprouts. I took tomorrow off to have a 3 day weekend to clean up the flower beds, and start my seeds.

Ah, gardening is such good therapy!

[GLC1968]

Tulip - your garden looks great!

I just noticed this morning that our accidentally over-wintered brussels sprouts are growing again. I might let them flower and save the seeds. I also have some overwintered onions and parsnips to harvest.

We started a lot of things in the basement in January. They are now in the greenhouse and doing really well. I think I'll be planting the brassica's in the garden this weekend (as well as starting my peas, swiss chard and spinach).

This picture was from one month ago - the plants are much bigger now!

[tulip]

I love starting seeds, and I had planned to get a greenhouse of some sort the year...but my new roof became a bigger priority with all of our snow, so no greenhouse for a while.

Since the local community garden is not selling seedlings yet, I got my lettuce, collards, kale, and broccoli from Southern States (a farm co-op). I planted the rest today, but I had to rearrange the overwintered mustard greens. I also ended up giving 9 collards and 9 kales to my neighbors, who were rototilling their garden today. I had nowhere to put them. I'll build another bed and plant the potatoes in their wire bins tomorrow. Maybe. It gets busy fast.

[GLC1968]

Careful with the kale! We had only 6 plants last year and we were overwhelmed with kale! We are *still* eating it (dried & frozen in soups) from last year! This year, I'm only planting 3 plants and that should be plenty.

I forgot to add that some of our seed potatoes arrived yesterday, so we'll also be planting those this weekend. AND, I'm going to build a cold frame type contraption to try sweet potatoes this year (they are hard to grow here due to short 'hot' season).

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I think I'll start planting spinach next week.
Except for tomato plants, I grow everything from direct seeding out in the garden. I just can't deal with making trays full of tiny pots and providing them with light for weeks in the basement before planting. And no plans for a greenhouse yet....too many expensive house repairs this year.
Most everything i direct seeded last year did pretty well, so that's my method for now.

What else besides peas and spinach can you direct sow in the cold Spring ground?


Yesterday we put up the nesting boxes for our native bee pollinators, the blue orchard mason bees: