What are your garden plans for 2021?

[larry_stewart]

Tomatoes - Amish Paste, beef steak, yellow slicing, yellow grape, red grape
Peppers- green peppers, lil sweet red, yellow, orange, jalapenos, habaneros, Padrons and bananna.
green beans, iceberg lettuce, celery, carrots, spinach, cabbage, zucchini , yellow summer, beets, onions, sweet corn and cucumbers pickling and English
Herbs: basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, rosemary

Looks like you got your work cut out for you

Today is a big planting day for me
Potatoes, Onions, leeks, Scallions , cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts along with prepping and filling all my flower pots on the patio so they are ready to go when the plants become available. Also may pick up a few plum trees. I sacrificed a few ornamental grasses that never quite filled out, but left them there to block an ugly fence. Fence got replaced, so no need for the cover up anymore, and now have room to throw a few fruit trees.

 

[pepperhead212]

Tonight my tomato seeds, and two fast growing peppers get soaked, and tomorrow morning they get planted. Not that much left to do outside, besides checking things coming up, and cleaning junk blown in - too bad, as the weather is really nice! I'll go out again, and find something to do!

 

[larry_stewart]

Not that much left to do outside, besides checking things coming up, and cleaning junk blown in - too bad, as the weather is really nice! I'll go out again, and find something to do!

I hear ya, now its pretty much a waiting game until the next round go in. Last year I tried to get a head start on string beans and cukes only to get kicked in the beans by Mother Nature, as we got a surprise really cold night early May. I made a very big, clear note no to start too early this year.

 

[blissful]

For Wisconsin we are unseasonably warm, going up to 75 deg F today. I watered the lettuce garden, rolled up the cover frame on the kale, watered that. Took a look under the cover frame for the strawberries, they are starting to grow. The strawberry plants I ordered will arrive in a week or so, all the old plants are going to be torn out, soil enhanced, replanted with a new variety.


I stopped out at the asparagus garden, no asparagus yet. The trees are starting to have little buds, on some of them. Peppermint and spearmint are starting to grow. The garlic is almost all up, 1, 2, and 3 inches.



Lots of things have sprouted in the winter sown jugs, bottles, and tubs. I spend a few minutes each day checking the moisture on those, adding where it is needed. Then I spend time at the indoor peppers growing, all sprouted, monitoring their moisture too.


It's too early to plant most things here. The first to go in, lettuce, onions, cole plants.

 

[pepperhead212]

I did find something to do out there! Seems all of my potted herbs need re-potting this season, so today I re-potted my second one - a rosemary plant. This is one I started in a 4 gal fabric pot, as an insurance, in case the ones in the ground had a problem from the cold - I just put it on my back porch for the winter, and, if it got even too cold there (which is rare), it came inside. It grew so quickly, and so large up top, I re-potted it in a 6 gal fabric pot, and it was quite rootbound after 2 1/2 years - longer than other rosemary plants years ago, when I tried clay and plastic pots. It probably could have lasted to 3 years - until fall - which seems to be how long the curry tree, kaffir lime, and bay laurel last, so I may be able to grow it this way from now on. It's not as easy for me to go out to cover those plants as it used to be, especially when there's snow on the ground! It is a pain to re-pot, but still easier than all that covering and uncovering, and only every 3 years.
Re-potting rosemary plant, from a 6 gallon fabric pot to the same type of pot. Root pruned a lot, eventually did more. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Rosemary plant re-potted in same brand and size of fabric pot, after 2 1/2 years. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

As usual with potted plants, I added some Bt israelensis to the water, when moistening the surface layer. I also watered it more from the bottom, with some hydroponics nutrients added.

 

[larry_stewart]

I did find something to do out there! Seems all of my potted herbs need re-potting this season, so today I re-potted my second one - a rosemary plant. This is one I started in a 4 gal fabric pot, as an insurance, in case the ones in the ground had a problem from the cold - I just put it on my back porch for the winter, and, if it got even too cold there (which is rare), it came inside. It grew so quickly, and so large up top, I re-potted it in a 6 gal fabric pot, and it was quite rootbound after 2 1/2 years - longer than other rosemary plants years ago, when I tried clay and plastic pots. It probably could have lasted to 3 years - until fall - which seems to be how long the curry tree, kaffir lime, and bay laurel last, so I may be able to grow it this way from now on. It's not as easy for me to go out to cover those plants as it used to be, especially when there's snow on the ground! It is a pain to re-pot, but still easier than all that covering and uncovering, and only every 3 years.
Re-potting rosemary plant, from a 6 gallon fabric pot to the same type of pot. Root pruned a lot, eventually did more. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Rosemary plant re-potted in same brand and size of fabric pot, after 2 1/2 years. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

As usual with potted plants, I added some Bt israelensis to the water, when moistening the surface layer. I also watered it more from the bottom, with some hydroponics nutrients added.

Looks nice and healthy. My Rosemary is in need to be repotted as well. It did pretty good over the winter. A few branches dried up a bit and died, but I'd say about %80 of the plant looks pretty good.

Overwintering outside with rosemary has a been hit or miss with me ( pretty much depending on the type of winter we have). I finally decided to pot it and keep in the garage ( which is pretty stable in he fifties during the winter), and it seemed to work out well.

Potted my Bay leaf also this past year, kept it inside in a heated plant room, and that is actually doing very well ( has probably doubled in size).

Managed too keep my curry plant alive for another year, but it did its thing again where it makes it 1/2 way through the winer looking healthy, then drops a significantly amount of leaves. It always comes back ( bus be 5 Orr 6 years old).

 

[pepperhead212]

My tomato seeds are all planted now (plus those last two peppers that grow fastest - superchili and jalafuego) - the latest I ever planted them, but the last time o seasons they grew too fast indoors - I lucked out in 2019, when I put them out earlier than ever, but last season there was a cold first week in May, which messed up a few of my plants. I didn't even do a few to put in Wall-o-waters - I'm waiting to see if that "42 day tomato" is really what it says! That will be early enough for me. This way, everything isn't done on the same day, which also makes it easier.

First pepper seed sprouted today, in just 4 days - a Thunder Mountain. Tomorrow I should be able to plant it, after it opens up.
Thunder mountain 4-5 First pepper sprouted from 4-1 by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[larry_stewart]

42 days, thats quick. keep me posted, Im curious if its accurate ( or close enough).
the earliest variety I grow is the July 4th ( which was actually type on July 8th, bu who's counting ) I had a few grape/ cherry that were ripe a few days before, or after, but still beat the larger tomatoes by 3 weeks.

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry, I usually get my earliest cherries around 7/1, and this would be around the middle of June. I'll see what happens with the time, as well as flavor, production, etc. I got them from tradewindsfruit.com, from which I have had good results with the seeds I have bought. I couldn't resist these, after seeing the name!

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

I'm in no position to plant a garden right now. However, I have a tried and true method for eliminating weeds, Make your rows, and plant your garden. Lay dow 3 layers thick sheets of newsprint over top. It will starve the weeds of sunlight. When you seeds sprout, make a hole in the newsprint, and mulch with sawdust, pine needles, and mulching materials. Hose everything to make it wet. The mulch and newsprint will turn into carbon-rich soil while killing the weeds. My youngest sister has been using this technique, and also throws grass clipping on top, before the grass has gone to seed, She grows a phenomenal garden every year, even in dry years as the paper, mulch holds moisture in the soil.
Hope this helps all of you gardeners this year.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[pepperhead212]

Chief, while I don't get enough newspaper any more to use it as mulch, something that I use in between large items is cardboard, which lasts the entire season! It eventually breaks down, especially under snow, and just the other day I raked up the scraps of it, and put it in my composter - it's a good carbon source for that, and the glue they use for it now is a safe soy based adhesive, which also breaks down. I have a huge batch of cardboard on my back porch, from that new freezer I got!

 

[larry_stewart]

Larry, I usually get my earliest cherries around 7/1, and this would be around the middle of June. I'll see what happens with the time, as well as flavor, production, etc. I got them from tradewindsfruit.com, from which I have had good results with the seeds I have bought. I couldn't resist these, after seeing the name!

Thats how I felt last year about the July 4th. I was happy to have something early while waiting for the big guns to kick in. Not the greatest tomato in the world ( I primarily used them for gazpacho) but not only did they produce early, but kept pushing them out until pretty much the end of the season..

IF the 42 daywork out, may add it to my arsenal ( assuming there's something I want to get rid of). I need more land.

 

[pepperhead212]

Larry, I usually have a large number of cherries and other small tomatoes, and I think it's up to 12 varieties this season! This is mainly because they are not only the earliest to ripen, but also the first to come back after heat waves in late July/early August - larger tomatoes sometimes don't start ripening again until well into September, while the small ones are back in no time. And this season, I got some new ones grown by Bunny Hop in Florida, where heat and disease resistance should be high; I also got some of my larger new varieties from her, to see how they do here.

 

[bethzaring]

A few days ago I planted spinach and lettuce that is protected by a portable hoop house. Today I am soaking pea seeds to plant tomorrow in the same protected area. And today, 900 onion plants arrived so guess I will be planting those over the next several days! I am still 6 weeks from the last expected frost. The onion plants don't need protected.

 

[pepperhead212]

Today I got another Thunder Mountain, 2 Hong Gochu, and one Giuzeppi Numex, all transferred to the pots under the lights. Several others, as well, have shown, but haven't popped all the way up yet. Still no tomatoes showing in 2 days...maybe late tonight!

Today, outside, I uncovered 9 of my bucket SIPs, that go on the N side of my garden, with the smaller tomato plants, and 2 tomatillos. These I could do myself, due to the smaller tarps - the very larger tarps over others I'll need a friend's help with.

 

[pepperhead212]

More peppers this morning - some of the same, plus Superthai and Hanoi Market. So far 9 still left to sprout, and 10 that I have at least one of them potted (including the 5 early chinense peppers). Still no tomatoes, but they should start today.

Radishes are popping up outside lately, but not one section - must have been old seeds, though I'll have to check, by trying to sprout a few inside. Maybe just a varietal problem, and they like it warmer; though it has been well above average, my hands are still quite chilled when digging around out there!

 

[bethzaring]

Garlic is starting to appear, and just finished planting over 900 onion plants, whew!

 

[blissful]

Beth, that a lot of work! Your garlic looks very nice too. Ours is up too, yay.

 

[larry_stewart]

That is a lot of work. I remember one year I planted like 600 flower bulbs. I couldn't walk upright for a week. I basically reenacted that evolution of man diagram.

 

[blissful]

Larry, that's very funny but kind of sad too.