Garden thread

I got about 50 seeds planted, 5 type of hot peppers, 4 types of tomatoes, various squash, cucumbers, pumpkin and watermelon. Got a few more things to sow indoors and a few I'll sow directly in the ground in just a few weeks.
I also have two new additions to my bee and butterfly garden to plant.
I just love this time of the year.

I have to start over with my planting in my enclosed bed. The door never fit right and rats got in and robbed me. Like, little cartoon holes where every seed was. I repaired the door and plan to get some stuff in the ground this weekend.

AnnPT77 wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

Finally first crocus!

Hey, when is my ornamental grass going to start coming back? I'm in Zone 6b. Google was no help.

I planted Zebra grass and one other type whose name escapes me last fall.

<lovely crocus photo snipped for length.>

When it feels like it. (I'm in zone 5, I forget whether a or b.) Seriously, mine is usually fairly late, I wanna say maybe even May, and the first sprouts hide amongst last year's stubble for quite a while, only to burst forth about the time I get around to cutting down last year's growth (which I keep around in Winter for texture and insect habitat protection).

The rock garden iris are finally popping open here, later than usual by a bit, I'd say. I think this is Iris reticulata (some say histrioides) 'George', a cute little guy about 6 inches high and nearly as broad.



Tommie crocus all over the place now, and the snowdrops still hanging on . . . not for long, though, if it stays in the 50s F.

Those little iris are so cute!!!

Where do you live or what gardening zone are you in?

I'm 5b. No signs of life yet around me (I have some perennials in my garden (still in winter mode) and we have some in a community garden that's in front of my place, and the grass is still looking like winter. We had some crazy cold days (don't remember temp without windchill, but I think it was like -20 or worse, which is not something we normally get at all), within an otherwise mild winter (all freezing rain and snow that melted and turned to ice, so not that cold, but not great). And not much snow cover on those extreme cold days -- hope it didn't kill everything. Bad enough one of my pipes burst.

I have some seeds planted indoors to be planted outside later. Supposedly going to be 25 tomorrow night, sigh. I've always been told outdoor planting is Mothers Day weekend, although I know from experience you can get away with going a week or two early, usually. The gardening.org site gives me the earlier April 25, which makes sense.

We have got the whole yard raked up and the winter debris was hauled away. Things are looking clean for a week or two but I see signs of weeds starting to spring up. The daffodils and irises are coming up, the peonies are starting to poke up their heads and the crocuses are in bloom. The trees are starting to bud up, and the birds are singing their hearts out looking for their mates. I love this time of year. Oh yeah, and we ordered a greenhouse that will come next week. We probably won't put it up until later in the summer as we have some reorganizing to do in the yard. Which also means I won't be having a vegetable garden this year as we will be hiring some heavier equipment to move around dirt, and pour some walls. But I can enjoy the flower beds.

lemurcat2 wrote: »

I'm 5b. No signs of life yet around me (I have some perennials in my garden (still in winter mode) and we have some in a community garden that's in front of my place, and the grass is still looking like winter. We had some crazy cold days (don't remember temp without windchill, but I think it was like -20 or worse, which is not something we normally get at all), within an otherwise mild winter (all freezing rain and snow that melted and turned to ice, so not that cold, but not great). And not much snow cover on those extreme cold days -- hope it didn't kill everything. Bad enough one of my pipes burst.

I have some seeds planted indoors to be planted outside later. Supposedly going to be 25 tomorrow night, sigh. I've always been told outdoor planting is Mothers Day weekend, although I know from experience you can get away with going a week or two early, usually. The gardening.org site gives me the earlier April 25, which makes sense.

Mother's Day is the planting date for Warm Annuals. You can start some Cool Annuals now. I'm going to plant peas tomorrow, and have done that as early as St. Patrick's Day.

https://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-basics/cool-season-crops-0

Cool-season veggies grow best at temperatures averaging 15° cooler than those needed by warm season types.

Many have edible leaves or roots (lettuce, spinach, carrots, and radishes); others (artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower) are grown for their immature flowers. A few (peas, broad beans) produce edible seeds.

Most can endure short periods of frost.

For best results, you need to grow them to maturity in cool weather; otherwise, they can turn bitter tasting, or bolt to seed rather than producing edible parts. Except in coldest climates, plant them in very early spring so the crop will mature before summer heat settles in, or in late summer for a crop in fall in winter.

lemurcat2 wrote: »

The gardening.org said April 25 for outdoor planting, and said I could start sprouting indoors for a lot of cooler weather plants as of a couple of weeks ago, which is what I'm doing.

Row covers, reusable cloches, or HotKaps (and their kin) are useful for some things, too (though all but the last have offseason storage implications). I particularly like them for things that can be planted in hills (squash, cukes, melons) to get a jump start on pre-planting soil temp, then a faster start on germination and initial growth.

I planted violas (little pansies) two days ago and yesterday transplanted bee balm roots into the mess out back behind my fence - the city removed some dead trees that were on their property up against our fence. They said they'd be taking out a strip of 10 feet in order to do this, but it ended up being more like 30. There was a line of trees up against the fence and the middle was lots of multi-flora roses and stuff like that. Trying to decide what to do. There's a ground hog under the shed so I planted some clumps of sod with clover for her. Hoping to keep her back there instead of my yard. So far she's ignored my veggies, maybe due to the marigolds I plant with the kale, but if she ever gets in there she will wipe out my kale in no time. I have a little fence around the veggies, which has been keeping out the rabbits, but will not stop a determined wood chuck.

It's pretty wet in places out back and the middle spots in the picture tend to have standing water, so I planted some phragmites there to soak it up. I am aware that phragmites is generally considered an invasive pest, but there's no where for it to go, and may not even be consistently wet enough for it to take.

There are tons of daffodils out there. My OH's parents have been dumping Easter flowers out there for years, covering them with grass clippings, and apparently the daffodils took and got spread around by the city's tree clearing machine.

There's one common day lily. I may move some more from the side of the house that I never see and my OH doesn't like to mow near them anyway, and in fact weed-whacked half of them last year.

I have some packets of wildflower seeds that are old but I will try sprinkling them around and see what happens.

Suggestions welcome!

Waiting for the rain to stop so I can plant Swiss chard, boy choi, curly kale, and dinosaur kale.

Everyone on this site told me planting was fine weeks ago, and I planted some herbs on Easter (and have some seeds sprouting for a few weeks) but it snowed on Saturday. (Everyone locally was "duh, don't plant before Mothers Day").

Not sure what to do with my plants that are desperate to be put out.

I came here to bump this thread and saw it was already at the top of the list.

I planted my garden this past weekend!!!! I’m so excited. I keep going out there to look at my little plants. I have missed them all winter long. I’m in 6a

I also got some sunflower seeds just for fun. I’m excited to see how those turn out on the envelope it says they’re supposed to get to 12’ tall

My husband is going to build me another trellis for my tomatoes since I keep using those stupid cages. He is also supposed to be building me a second compost box so it’s easier for me to get compost out of (right now I have to stick my shovel in the bottom and dig it out)

I’m in Indianapolis. I plant Mother’s Day weekend. Can’t wait too. All my starts are kicking butt.

A lot of people around me will between last weekend and Mother’s Day weekend. I think there planting the cold crops but can’t say for certain. I believe may 15th is like the last chance for frost around here.

Just started in zone 7. The tomatoes look great. Planning to get my squash, cucumbers and peppers out in the next week