I'm in update NY and we are being blessed with some mildish weather
these days, tho its the dampness and rain put a chill in the air.
Despite that, I'm jonesing to get outside!

Is anyone else in my situation? anyone actually braving the weather
and getting out there anyway? what kind of things are you doing?

I've been eyeing an overgrown patch of periwinkle and weeds that was
threatening to take over the world last summer. I was thinking with
the ground wet, it might be a good time to hack away at it....

Anyone else?

MissBliss

"MissBliss" wrote:

I'm in update NY and we are being blessed with some mildish weather
these days, tho its the dampness and rain put a chill in the air.
Despite that, I'm jonesing to get outside!

Is anyone else in my situation? anyone actually braving the weather
and getting out there anyway? what kind of things are you doing?

I've been eyeing an overgrown patch of periwinkle and weeds that was
threatening to take over the world last summer. I was thinking with
the ground wet, it might be a good time to hack away at it....

Anyone else?

Here in the northern Catskills it's still like a month too early to do
anything in the earth, there're still patches of snow in the shady spots and
the ground is much too cold and wet to work. Actually the ground is frozen
solid except for the top 3" which is so mucky it nearly sucked my shoes off
my feet when I ventured out yesterday... the deer hoof depressions are
filled with water. The Canada geese are just beginning to arrive but still
nothing is green. It rained on and off the past two days and heavy squalls
are predicted for today, in fact the sky is already becoming black to the
south east. Flooding is predicted, which is why I went out to take a close
look at my newly ripraped creek.

Yesterday, seems to be holding well, so far:
http://i43.tinypic.com/1628roj.jpg
http://i39.tinypic.com/2vx3dwl.jpg

Sky here a few minutes ago, a bit too ominouse to contemplate gardening:
http://i41.tinypic.com/hrnak5.jpg

A few days ago, not gardening weather:
http://i42.tinypic.com/1tpht0.jpg
http://i43.tinypic.com/wmonc.jpg
http://i40.tinypic.com/bjaefq.jpg

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:56:27 -0700 (PDT), MissBliss
wrote:

I'm in update NY and we are being blessed with some mildish weather
these days, tho its the dampness and rain put a chill in the air.
Despite that, I'm jonesing to get outside!

Is anyone else in my situation? anyone actually braving the weather
and getting out there anyway? what kind of things are you doing?

I've been eyeing an overgrown patch of periwinkle and weeds that was
threatening to take over the world last summer. I was thinking with
the ground wet, it might be a good time to hack away at it....

Anyone else?

Middle Tennessee - used to be zone 6. I planted some potatoes
yesterday. Lovely day - temp near 80. I had the tomato seedlings
outside. Today the temp is dropping and tomorrow looks like we'll be
back in the 30's.

The hawthornes are in bloom and the red buds are fixing to as well.
Hyacyths - ambrosia to my nose!

Kate

MissBliss

On Mar 10, 9:56*pm, MissBliss wrote:
I'm in update NY and we are being blessed with some mildish weather
these days, tho its the dampness and rain put a chill in the air.
Despite that, I'm jonesing to get outside!

Is anyone else in my situation? *anyone actually braving the weather
and getting out there anyway? *what kind of things are you doing?
I live in the northern Hudson Valley about 100' elevation. Yesterday,
I put into my cold frame 6 week old spinach and lettuce plants to
harden off. I will plant them this weekend in the ground in a cold
frame on a raised bed.
Richard

"brooklyn1" wrote in
:

Here in the northern Catskills it's still like a month too early
to do anything in the earth, there're still patches of snow in
the shady spots and the ground is much too cold and wet to work.
Actually the ground is frozen solid except for the top 3" which
is so mucky it nearly sucked my shoes off my feet when I
ventured out yesterday... the deer hoof depressions are filled
with water. The Canada geese are just beginning to arrive but
still nothing is green. It rained on and off the past two days
and heavy squalls are predicted for today, in fact the sky is
already becoming black to the south east. Flooding is
predicted, which is why I went out to take a close look at my
newly ripraped creek.

the creek has lots of room yet before it floods.
are you starting any seeds yet, or do you buy started plants? what
are you putting in the garden this year?
lee

"enigma" wrote

the creek has lots of room yet before it floods.

The water was about a foot higher the day prior while it was raining. I'm
not concerned so much about water rising over the banks as I am the rocks
washing away. Those are now larger rocks than those from the year before,
they seem to be holding, and greenery has already begun to grow in between
which will further act to stabilize.

are you starting any seeds yet, or do you buy started plants? what
are you putting in the garden this year?
lee

I mostly sow vegetable seeds directly into the garden. I also buy some few
flats of plants like herbs and others that I don't want to grow too many,
like cabbage. I start very few seeds for transplant. I've found that seeds
sown directly into the ground catch up with, surpass, and are healthier than
those that are sown in pots and transplanted.... transplanting often causes
shock and weakens vegetable plants making them suseptible to disease... some
never recover and soon the growing season ends so they produce little to
nothing.

I plant mostly the same crops each year, just different varieties; tomatoes,
cukes, peppers (sweet and hot), summer squash, winter squash, lettuces,
cabbage, green beans, snow/sugar peas, okra, various greens, and others that
I'll decide last minute. Each year I'll try a few vegetables I haven't
planted in a while; last year it was celery, beets, turnips, and bulb
fennel... once more none were worth the trouble so I won't try those again.
I also trade with my neighbor, he plants tons of garlic, onions, and
potatoes... he also puts in a a huge pumpkin/gourd patch for all the
nieces/nephews, so I get a few of those too. I'm thinking of putting in
four more fruit trees, 2 pear, 2 nectarine... just have to choose the spot
and consider it's four more to fence and mow around.

Potted up geraniums
Planted 15' row of strawberry bare root (first time to plant
strawberries!)
Fertilized lawn at half rate
Spread 2 coffee can-fulls of cottonseed meal under blueberry mulch
Applied rotted cow manure to roses, prune out dead branches
Stack leaves for composting
Repacked mower springs, sharpen mower blades, replace carb air filters
Cleaned out nesting boxes (bluebird, wrenhouses, robin shelves, etc)
Test electric fence
Continued to care for coleus cuttings, wandering Jew, cactus pads for
planting outdoors later.
Repaired deer cages.


Coming up:
First lawn mowing
Trimming
Erect peony support
Trim Rose of Sharon
Remove excess algae, parrot feather, elodea from pond for compost
Maybe plant potatoes

The strawberries should be interesting. I used cow manure, peat moss,
leaf mold, and 10-10-10 tilled into a ridge mound. I have always
considered wild strawberries a noxious weed, maybe this domesticated
variety will grow well in my vegetable garden, here in E.TN.

"MissBliss" wrote in message
...
I'm in update NY and we are being blessed with some mildish weather
these days, tho its the dampness and rain put a chill in the air.
Despite that, I'm jonesing to get outside!

Is anyone else in my situation? anyone actually braving the weather
and getting out there anyway? what kind of things are you doing?

I'm in zone 6. We tilled under several inches of partly composted small
twigs, chippings, grass mowings and last falls leaves along with a 10-10-10
fertilizer. It's been too wet ever since to plant the peas and cool weather
crop. But no hurry for us, it's still early.


I've been eyeing an overgrown patch of periwinkle and weeds that was
threatening to take over the world last summer. I was thinking with
the ground wet, it might be a good time to hack away at it....

Anyone else?

Without something like Round-Up to kill it off first, I can't see how you
can get rid of that stuff. Oh, maybe a flame thrower......... :-)


MissBliss

In article ,
"D. Arlington" wrote:

"MissBliss" wrote in message
...
I'm in update NY and we are being blessed with some mildish weather
these days, tho its the dampness and rain put a chill in the air.
Despite that, I'm jonesing to get outside!

Is anyone else in my situation? anyone actually braving the weather
and getting out there anyway? what kind of things are you doing?

I'm in zone 6. We tilled under several inches of partly composted small
twigs, chippings, grass mowings and last falls leaves along with a 10-10-10
fertilizer. It's been too wet ever since to plant the peas and cool weather
crop. But no hurry for us, it's still early.


I've been eyeing an overgrown patch of periwinkle and weeds that was
threatening to take over the world last summer. I was thinking with
the ground wet, it might be a good time to hack away at it....

Anyone else?

Without something like Round-Up to kill it off first, I can't see how you
can get rid of that stuff. Oh, maybe a flame thrower......... :-)


MissBliss

If you want to kill off the soil biota in order to sterilize the soil,
and make yourself totally dependent on salty chemferts, the above is as
good a method as any.

Speaking of flame throwers, an organic one may be along shortly . . .
--

Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is
now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of
conception until death." - Rachel Carson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net

Last week I did some major garden cleanup, planted an apricot tree,
planted a row of asparagus (have another couple of rows to do and
transplanted a few perennials. There's more weeding to do that I
couldn't do last fall since I was still recuperating from a hip
transplant. I have a lot of transplanting to do this year - young
blueberry bushes, a couple of one year old grape vines, asparagus and
a lot of perennials. We added height to some of our stone terraces and
I have to dig out the perennials and asparagus so they can add more
soil. Then I can re-plant. I've also ordered more grape vines, berry
bushes and perennials so I'll be getting a lot of garden exercise in
the next month.

It's been raining the past few days and I've had house guests, so I
couldn't get anything planted. My spinach, broccoli, cabbage, and kale
starts are outside hardening and doing well since we haven't had any
frost nights. I'm having a cold frame made that will be installed
early this week so I'll be able to move some of my more tender
seedlings in there.

I've also been re-potting some seedlings from seed starter mix to
regular potting soil - parsley, lobelia, snapdragons, etc. The house
is getting over run with seedlings so that cold frame is going to be
very appreciated. I started a lot of tomato seeds and only 4 came up
so I planted some more. None of my pepper seeds came up.Is anyone else
finding that seeds in the last year or two have a low sprouting rate?

I lost some seedlings to wilt. I guess I transplanted them too early
and I didn't have any of that anti-wilt liquid. They had strong second
leaves and I don't know why they wilted; but I lost all my money plant
seedlings, some artichokes and others.

June

In article
,
June wrote:

I started a lot of tomato seeds and only 4 came up
so I planted some more. None of my pepper seeds came up.Is anyone else
finding that seeds in the last year or two have a low sprouting rate?

I started germination of last years tomato, pepper, cucumber, summer
squash, and peas a week ago. So far the only seeds not to germinate are
the habaneros, and carmello tomatoes. I'll leave in incubator until next
week end, when I'll rotate out the most successful plants and replace
with new seeds to germinate.

I did have some left over root seeds (beets, parsnips, and carrots), and
lettuce seeds from the last several years, which I flung into the
appropriate beds. Afterwards, I threw in some compost to lightly cover
them. If they grow, great. If they don't grow, no loss.
--

Billy
"For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is
now subjected to contact with dangerous chemicals, from the moment of
conception until death." - Rachel Carson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KVTf...ef=patrick.net