Our American Gardeners have checked in! This may be the second day of spring, but winter still hasn’t gotten the message in most of the country. Still, garden planning and a bit of gardening is going on.
Tim, Ohio: I don’t dare plant before 4-15 but I have my plan set. I’m inter-planting onion rows with carrot rows as pest deterrence this year. I’m also knocking together pea troughs and the last of the raised beds now. Going to a “growing potatoes” class on Saturday.
Kathy, Massachusetts: Ice today. It’s a slushy, mushy mess. And if it doesn’t stop snowing soon, I may cry! (Kathy’s area has seen as much as 20+ inches of snow this winter.)
BG, Indiana: I’m prepping things. I’m about 2 weeks behind with seeding out into the seedpods (flats), which will be addressed tonight.
I’m thinking of weighing the harvest this year. I like to be organized! Must analyze plants! Must optimize garden capacity!
KP, North Carolina/Tennesse Mountains:
Wanted to let you know I planted the carrots Friday. Thought it’d be a good time, with the rain coming in!
Bruce: North Carolina/Georgia Border: Seeds have arrived! We’re making plans to get started.
And, finally, from our high desert contributor, where the sun has actually been spotted…
Glynis, High Desert Arizona: Mid-March in Northern Arizona is always windy. Not just your normal March breezes, but sustained winds of about 35-40 mph and gusts that can reach 60 mph easily. The winds are pretty much a daily event and any time there is calm weather, we rush outside to water the garden. It is also dry. Humidity here right now is about 15%. It’s wildfire season as well. March roars in. Unfortunately it stays until June.
The good news is that the danger of frost is just about over here. I planted my carrots a couple of weeks ago and they have not yet appeared. It was cold last week so I think they may be delayed a little. I planted my own peas and they didn’t come up yet either. A few more warm days and they should start popping up.
I started the tomatoes in the house, in earth boxes.
I’ve grown tomatoes indoors before and the plan is to transplant some of them to the garden when they get big enough and keep a few inside in the earth boxes.
I’ll plant the rest of the seeds outdoors when the weather warms a little more and the wind stops. The tomatoes have sprouted and are enjoying the quiet warmth in my kitchen growing space.
I have my space all set up for the cucumbers and the lettuce. Because my garden is small, I will be planting the lettuce in earth boxes and the cucumbers in buckets, outside the garden. They will be planted on the next quiet day.
Fortunately, my garden area is like a fortress with a metal wall and hardware cloth around it. These two things help block wind and pests. The garden is also behind a shed that acts as a windbreak. The seeds are still safely in the dirt and nothing has taken flight. Last year, some squash and cucumber seeds did find their way across a field and they actually grew there. Sometimes gardening here is more like a treasure hunt, but that keeps it interesting.
