Thanks for the info and ideas. I searched for our state ag extension and
found it's at Penn State
http://www.sunnyboygardens.com/herb-...m#Pennsylvania .
I couldn't find the info at their site, so I emailed them. Hopefully I can
pursuade them to think of adding it to their site.

I just planted some carrots, broccoli, kale, onions and cabbage in
containers, but I waiting to plant my whole garden still (corn, potatoes,
tomatoes, and peas mostly). I'm digging down 2 feet and trying out "grow
biointensive" techniques this year. I hope my soaker hoses and water timer
will work as well as I think they might.

Jon
PA 6b

"SugarChile" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
It's ok to plant pansies and many perennial flowers. It's time for
vegetable plants that like it cool, such as lettuce and cole crops
(cabbage,
broccoli), as well as swiss chard and parsley. Peas and onions can go in
now, if you haven't already. It's just a bit early for tomato
transplants,
and peppers and eggplants should wait until nights are consistently in the
mid to high fifties.

These are just rough guidelines. A lot depends not just on your zone,
which
is a guide to the minimum winter temperatures, but on your location,
climate, and micro-climate (south side of a hill? Near a large body of
water?). Check with your state Agricultural Extension Service. They
should
have information on your local average last frost date, a very relevant
date, and plenty of other good stuff on what varieties do well in your
area,
etc. They are a resource paid for by your tax dollars. Some states have
a
better service than others; local offices can vary according to how much
of
an agricultural base there is in your county, but they are a good first
stop
for information.

Other resources can be your local garden club, herb society, plant
society,
etc. Your newspaper or tv station website may have listings of these
types
of organizations. An even better resource could be a gardening neighbor.
Most gardeners are flattered to be asked for advice!

Good luck and have fun,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

"CaringIsTheFirstStep" wrote in message
...
Okay, i'm not new to gardening, but I am new to gardening having any
sort
of
plan (I used to just poke a hole, put in seed, water, and hope)

Does anyone know if it's time to plant most plants yet, for zone 6b?
.. and better yet, where I might go to understand planting dates in the
future?

Thanks
Jon


--
..........
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/...imalLives.html (why to
consider
making your diet more peaceful)
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/...cefulDiet.html (those hurt by
food, and how to reduce the harms of anyone's diet ((omnivore, veggie,
or
vegan))
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/...Nutrition.html (excellent
plant-based nutrition, recommendations of most respected nutrition
groups,
protein, B12, etc)
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/GMOharms.html (actual harms of GMOs,
how
to easily avoid them

-The person who does a little to help, when they can't help
completely -is
wiser than- the person who does nothing to help, when they can't help
completely

-Live your life as you wish, while preserving the same ability for all
others- JaJ

-Perhaps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which there
is
suffering. But we can lessen the number of those suffering (and the
degree
of their suffering). And if you do not help us do this, who will?
-from Camus

Until the state ag gets back to me, I might just start planting.

This is the second place that said 4/14 for the Philadelphia area
http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/pa.html


"CaringIsTheFirstStep" wrote in message
...
Okay, i'm not new to gardening, but I am new to gardening having any sort
of
plan (I used to just poke a hole, put in seed, water, and hope)

Does anyone know if it's time to plant most plants yet, for zone 6b?
.. and better yet, where I might go to understand planting dates in the
future?

Thanks
Jon


--
..........
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/...imalLives.html (why to consider
making your diet more peaceful)
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/...cefulDiet.html (those hurt by
food, and how to reduce the harms of anyone's diet ((omnivore, veggie, or
vegan))
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/...Nutrition.html (excellent
plant-based nutrition, recommendations of most respected nutrition groups,
protein, B12, etc)
http://www.geocities.com/holist2002/GMOharms.html (actual harms of GMOs,
how
to easily avoid them

-The person who does a little to help, when they can't help
completely -is
wiser than- the person who does nothing to help, when they can't help
completely

-Live your life as you wish, while preserving the same ability for all
others- JaJ

-Perhaps we cannot prevent this world from being a world in which there is
suffering. But we can lessen the number of those suffering (and the degree
of their suffering). And if you do not help us do this, who will?
-from Camus

On Tue, 29 Apr 2003 01:19:31 -0400, "CaringIsTheFirstStep"
wrote:

Until the state ag gets back to me, I might just start planting.

This is the second place that said 4/14 for the Philadelphia area
http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/pa.html


The chart looks fairly realistic to me. I live in PA too,
but way up north, not near Philly. But I have lived in
South Jersey and in northern DE, both of which have climates
not unlike Philly's.

Even though you might not have a frost, if the soil is cold
and wet, your seed might rot instead of sprouting. I'd
probably, therefore, err on the side of caution and wait
until mid-May for seeds directly planted outside.

Pat

"CaringIsTheFirstStep" wrote in message ...
Until the state ag gets back to me, I might just start planting.

This is the second place that said 4/14 for the Philadelphia area
http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/pa.html


I also live in zone 6b and I have already put out just about
everything. I don't know what yields to expect or if the cool nights
will stunt anything, but I've done it and now I'm just waiting for
nature to tell me if I screwed up.

In the garden so far:

sugar snap peas
cabbage
onions
sweet banana peppers
roma tomatoes
green bell peppers
spinach (growing like crazy, BTW)
carrots
Polish hardneck garlic (planted last fall)
elephant garlic (ditto, and about 3' tall)
white sweet corn just went in 2 days ago
grape tomatoes
Japanese eggplant
Black Beauty eggplant
pole beans
Anaheim chili peppers
brussel sprouts

Sprinkled here and there throughout the garden:

oregano
basil
chamomile
sage
dill
lemon balm
chives
savory
chervil
feverfew (just for fun)

Awaiting germination and subsequent planting:

Imperial Globe artichokes
cucumbers
cantaloupe
watermelon


Mark

P.S. I lost several small seedlings to nosy stupid birds plucking
them out of the ground. I fixed this problem by making a 6" diameter
silo of 1/2" square chickenwire out of pieces 18" long and 10" wide.
I got two dozen of them out of a roll 3' wide and 10' long...cost me
about $7 at Lowe's.

"SugarChile" wrote in message arthlink.net...
The peppers will be iffy, but might be ok. The eggplants are way too early.
They like it tropical, and if they get much below 55F. they will be stunted
and won't recover. It's the vegetable equivalent of "failure to thrive".
You could get lucky, and prove me wrong g, but you might want to plan on
replacements. Another reason to hold off on putting eggplants in the ground
is flea beetles. I find if I keep eggplants in their (large) pots till late
in May, I miss the worst of the flea beetle population explosion. Also, the
larger transplants are better able to withstand the beetles than tender
young seedlings.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


It got up to 84 degrees (F) yesterday, not that I expect it to stay
that way all the time. The eggplants seem to to be growing and
putting out a little new growth.

The only thing I worry about is that I started nearly everything from
seed, and if I manage to kill off or damage my seedlings, I don't want
to have to go out and buy transplants. I like the "from seed"
approach better.

Mark

Yeah, I know, when you start them out as seeds, you get attached to them.
Hopefully the cold weather is finally past us, and your eggplants and all
the rest will do just fine.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Mark" wrote in message
It got up to 84 degrees (F) yesterday, not that I expect it to stay
that way all the time. The eggplants seem to to be growing and
putting out a little new growth.

The only thing I worry about is that I started nearly everything from
seed, and if I manage to kill off or damage my seedlings, I don't want
to have to go out and buy transplants. I like the "from seed"
approach better.

Mark