Teach Soap

I'm having my Topsoil delivered this afternoon....Very excited! Tomorrow I will be building raised beds for my garden. Four of them! I always have a semi-small garden even though we have a pretty short growing season here and our soil is horrible. The last couple of years I've done pretty well getting vegetables out of it. Last year we grew a pumpkin! I know that's not amazing, but in Big Bear it kinda is- the nursery guy said we were crazy to try and no one believed we actually grew one until it sat carved (small but carved) on the porch. We are legends now! I figure if I can do that I should go all in this year. Raised beds, better soil, lots bigger plans, more delicious veggies...can't wait

Anyone else grow their own? What's in the plans for this year?

I'm more than ready, unfortunately we've still got about a 1/2 a foot of snow on the ground. Dang mother nature!

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Genny

It's snowing here, so no growing plans right now, sadly. I usually don't plant until between Mother's Day and Memorial Day, so I'll start planning in a few weeks.

Bummer guys. I'm still a little early too. We usually get one last mini storm about mid April. Nothing in the forecast coming up though so I want to get moving. We had a really crappy snow season here- not good for a resort town- but I know in your areas it was really bad this year. I work in the office for the snow plow company in the winter and in the spring/summer we do construction and dirt work. Probably the only work up here that is year round and and steady hours, for that I am really blessed. I know I should appreciate the snow because it means money, but I can never wait for it to be over and out in the backyard again.

My ambitious list includes: Corn, tomatoes, beans, peas, mixed lettuce, spinach, beets, green onions, zucchini, spaghetti squash, bell peppers, carrots, eggplant, cucumbers and some yellow squash. I'm also going to move a few of the indoor cooking herbs outside hopefully to get more of them. I've done really well with tomatoes and zucchini before almost too well (one should really only eat so much zucchini bread) Most of the rest of the list will be new for us. Guess we will see.

Ohio is well known for dramatic climate changes in short time spans. Last year we had 90 degree weather in March and teh beginning of April, then some snow. This year we have had a 70 degree day in February and the very next day we had 3" of snow. So anything going in the ground before Mother's day is risky, but we always do plant in April and cover for cold snaps.
I gardened for many years, but now I just have a few container plants, and a couple of raised beds due to physical issues. I miss my usual gardening though. For some reason.....much like the way some people feel about their caress..... the neighbor's food just doesn't taste the same as mine did, when I grew it myself!

But hey, you forgot your herbs. You at least need lavender and chamomile, but there are so many things you can dry and use in your soaps as well as your cooking! I love my lemon grass, lemon verbena, mints, sage, comfrey and oh so many more! Lol, I guess you now know why I had a huge garden for all those years!

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Tammy, that's how we are here, too. I've got onions in the ground because they like the cold, but I'm not putting in any other cool weather veggies. Last year it got hot so fast nothing produced well. I am looking forward to getting my tomatoes planted in a few weeks...they're usually ready by July 4th. Yum!

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

I'm going to try to start most from seed this year so for now the beds are going in this weekend and the seeds will be getting started in trays that can be covered when necessary.
Tammy I was wanting to start another healing herb garden. I was thinking maybe comfrey, lavender, calendula, and arnica. Anything else I should include?

Chamomile

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!

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Genny

Too hot here to grow anything much besides cacti.

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Irena
Closed minds are like faulty parachutes; they refuse to open.

In addition to being an avid gardener, I have just finished Master Gardener classwork, and am about to be set looose upon the public via regular "Ask a Master Gardener Clinics".

New things for me this year: chamomile (want to use it as tea), brussel sprouts, celery and perilla.

According to some garden writers, spring in the Pacific NW starts in January! If you have a greenhouse, cool weather crops can be started in mid Feb to be planted out - I am way behind this year. But I am on schedule for the Marconi peppers I grow in the greenhouse every year - which turn out fabulous.

I tried grafting via a fruit growers group I belong to. Damned if my first try at grating took: I'll have an apple tree (Zabergau Reinette) in, oh...several years!

Spent all day today putting up an electric fence around our garden area. Last year the deer harvested more from our garden than we did - and even though we thinned the herd, there are still too many. We named the leader of the herd Tom, because every time we caught him in the garden he had a tomato in his mouth.

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Remember, it's not just that we weather the storm, but how we dance in the rain.

Tammy

Planted ours last week! Red cabbage, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, spinach, and strawberries Will be in the 70's here all week!!!!!

I got peas, beans and 2 different types of hot peppers planted this afternoon. Still waiting a few weeks before putting the tomatoes in. I usually plant my broccoli and cabbage in late summer because the bugs don't bother it as much.

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Linda
I know the voices in my head aren't real, but they sure have some great ideas!