# Anybody here started their garden yet?



## GeorgiaXplant (Mar 3, 2019)

I've been digging new flower beds and tidying up. There are seeds started indoors for cosmos, daisies, bachelor buttons, baby's breath and black-eyed susans, although they're nowhere near ready to plant for maybe another 4-6 weeks. I bought three big senetti plants in pots a couple of weeks ago, and they're already planted, but we're supposed to have a brutal (for us) cold front come through tonight with daytime temps maybe in the 40s and nighttime temps in the low 20s until the end of the week. 

At least the sun will be out starting tomorrow...if we haven't been lied to again by the Whether peeps (they're those folks on TV that tell us whether or not it'll rain, sNOw, sleet, hail, be cold or hot, or whether the sun will shine.

In my next life I'm coming back as a meteorologist and get one of those jobs paying big bucks to be wrong 50% of the time!

As of today, there are pansies, flowering kale, daffodils, crocus and snapdragons blooming. Down here they're all cool-weather flowers so should be fine with the cold temps at night, but the senetti will get covered after supper along with some astilbe and lily of the valley that are just starting to come up. There are peonies poking up through the dirt and will be left uncovered, and the hydrangeas already have little leaves but they're such big shrubs that I can't cover them. Maybe it'll be warmer up close to the house where they're growing.

 I'm getting impatient to sit on the patio and admire the garden in bloom. Somebody remind me of this when I complain in July that it's too hot and I'm tired of the maintenance!


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## RadishRose (Mar 3, 2019)

I'm so jealous Georgia!

CT is expecting snow tonight and it's c-c-cold!


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## Butterfly (Mar 3, 2019)

Weather still too unreliable here.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Mar 3, 2019)

LOL about the weather. Ours is not quite as dependable as church on Sunday, either, so I just sort of work around it...figure out what needs to be done and what kind of day I need to accomplish it. Right now it's raining pitch forks and hammer handles so nothing is being done outdoors. Tomorrow is going to be colder than a banker's heart, and it remains to be seen what can be done. If it's too windy, I'll be spending the day indoors playing solitaire!


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## rkunsaw (Mar 3, 2019)

_ planted taters the first of February. _


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## Don M. (Mar 3, 2019)

This week, we have "hopefully" Winters last blast...4" of snow last night and miserably cold for the bulk of this week.  Then, the temps begin to get milder....if the forecasts are correct...and depending upon how the Spring rains arrive, I usually try to get the garden going by the first or second week of May.  Any earlier, in this part of the country, is usually a disappointment.


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## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 3, 2019)

Way to early to even think about planting in the garden in New Jersey but I've started some seeds that are coming along. I use those plastic containers that the already cooked BBQ chickens come in from our grocery store. They make great little hot houses. I do put some holes in the bottom for drainage and vent them now and then. When they sprout I take the covers off. Once they get their true leaves I transplant to paper cups and in early spring I harden them off on my porch.

This year I'm growing some flowers as well. I have snap dragons, coleus and trying lavender for the first time.  Snow is headed our way so the poor things will have to do without sunlight for a day or two.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Mar 3, 2019)

Ruth, that's a genius idea...my kitchen is small and the counters are all but unusable with the trays positioned to get the advantage of bright light. I'm gonna save my containers from whatever to-go food I get, and even if I don't use them this year, they don't take up much space so can save them for next spring. I'd never have thought about this on my own!


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## HazyDavey (Mar 4, 2019)

Not just yet, probably start early April. Although I try to keep the soil tilled up in the Winter with the rototiller.


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## retiredtraveler (Mar 4, 2019)

I'm going online today and ordering seeds. Will get peppers and tomatoes started in the house by end of week, assuming seeds are mailed right away.


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## Tommy (Mar 4, 2019)

Our gardens are currently under 2-3 feet of ice and snow.  We live on the side of a mountain, so once the ice and snow finally melt and the ground thaws the soil will remain too wet for tilling until mid-May.  Short growing season up here ... timing is everything!

:lol:


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## tortiecat (Mar 4, 2019)

Same here in Quebec.  Don't start gardening until mid May.


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## Ken N Tx (Mar 5, 2019)




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## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 5, 2019)

Ken,I love that little garden of yours. We have a store nearby who sells tiny pieces like that for,as they call it, fairy gardens. I've often thought about putting one together but wouldn't know what theme to choose. Love those little pigs. 





Ken N Tx said:


> View attachment 63087


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## RadishRose (Mar 5, 2019)

rkunsaw said:


> _ planted taters the first of February. _



Larry, do you ever mess around with those fancy little purple, blue and red ones, or those long "fingerling" potatoes?


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## rkunsaw (Mar 6, 2019)

RadishRose said:


> Larry, do you ever mess around with those fancy little purple, blue and red ones, or those long "fingerling" potatoes?


I planted some of the blue ones once. They didn't produce but a few small potatoes. I may try again


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## MeAgain (Mar 8, 2019)

rkunsaw said:


> _ planted taters the first of February. _



We planted ours in January and they looked so nice till the freeze a couple days ago. Hope they come back.

We started tomatoes,peppers, squash, kale, cabbage, broccoli  inside in January. Now in greenhouse in containers and hydroponics. Be so glad when we don't have to keep opening and closing it. Usually safe after first week of April here in N.Florida.

6 days ago took this pic of potatoes, now after 25 F  they are shrunken and limp.


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## Falcon (Mar 8, 2019)

Nice  garden  Ken.    Mine is  the  grocery  store.  No  digging  and  planting.


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## MeAgain (Mar 8, 2019)

Small hydro reservour put up last week. Still looking for air stones and pump for them and buckets. Can't imagine how they got misplaced.


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## GeorgiaXplant (Mar 8, 2019)

If wishes were horses... I'd have a little greenhouse! 

Today I went to the garden center to get a sack of sand for resetting a few pavers and some garden soil for flowers. There were some plants there saying "take me home!" and some others saying "pick me! pick me!" Hyacinths and tulips in pots that have buds but not yet blooming. I couldn't just leave them there. Besides, I NEEDED them because I waited too long last fall, and when I went to get some they were all gone. So I bought some in pots because they were cheap. After I got home and thought about it for a while guilt set in, and I could hear the ones that were left behind sobbing. So I went back and bought a few more. 

Yanno...our dog was a rescue. My kitty, Tucker, that died last fall was a rescue. The kitty I have now is a rescue.

So "rescuing" plants isn't altogether out of character, is it? LOL

The flowers I rescued today will get planted tomorrow. It was raining when I got home this morning, and this afternoon after rescuing more it was too late in the day to start digging and prepping soil. One hopes the rain holds off until the flowers all have a forever home.

Everything that I'd already planted got covered so survived the frost earlier in the week. Astilbe and lily of the valley are sprouting, along with euphorbia and a few other bulbs that were planted last week. 

Is it summer yet? I want flowers NOW! ​


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## MeAgain (Mar 9, 2019)

GeorgiaXplant said:


> If wishes were horses... I'd have a little greenhouse!
> 
> Today I went to the garden center to get a sack of sand for resetting a few pavers and some garden soil for flowers. There were some plants there saying "take me home!" and some others saying "pick me! pick me!" Hyacinths and tulips in pots that have buds but not yet blooming. I couldn't just leave them there. Besides, I NEEDED them because I waited too long last fall, and when I went to get some they were all gone. So I bought some in pots because they were cheap. After I got home and thought about it for a while guilt set in, and I could hear the ones that were left behind sobbing. So I went back and bought a few more.
> 
> ...




Our flowers keep trying to bloom with Florida warm spells then get frozen and die back again.


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## old medic (Mar 12, 2019)

Working on ours.... Was a pine thicket last year....Half still is...
Doing a bigger garden this year.
Had several garden boxes last year and got them ready to transplant what we have started.
One already has garlic onion carrots and beets planted
Propagated and pruned back existing Figs Apples Grapes and blueberries, got plum and peach to plant.


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## MeAgain (Mar 12, 2019)

old medic said:


> Working on ours.... Was a pine thicket last year....Half still is...
> Doing a bigger garden this year.
> Had several garden boxes last year and got them ready to transplant what we have started.
> One already has garlic onion carrots and beets planted
> Propagated and pruned back existing Figs Apples Grapes and blueberries, got plum and peach to plant.



We pruned our pear and fig tree back last month too. Our figs have fruit all over them but not been maturing for last couple years , any ideas why?


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## Ken N Tx (Mar 15, 2019)




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## Ruth n Jersey (Mar 15, 2019)

Ken,that looks so pretty. I think you can use lemon grass to flavor food also. Have you ever tried it? Maybe in ice tea? I've been thinking of growing it myself. Maybe it would keep the deer away.


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## Ken N Tx (Mar 15, 2019)

Ruth n Jersey said:


> Ken,that looks so pretty. I think you can use lemon grass to flavor food also. Have you ever tried it? Maybe in ice tea? I've been thinking of growing it myself. Maybe it would keep the deer away.


No I have not..


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## old medic (Mar 15, 2019)

MeAgain said:


> We pruned our pear and fig tree back last month too. Our figs have fruit all over them but not been maturing for last couple years , any ideas why?



Water, fertilizer and stress are the big 3. pruning it back may help it.


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## rkunsaw (Apr 19, 2019)

I planted corn yesterday. I'm hoping to plant okra and cucumbers tomorrow. Potatoes are looking good and I'm still able to find the asparagus among the weeds


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## twinkles (Apr 19, 2019)

georgiaxplant---when it rains in your part of georgia you get all kind of tools--the part i live in we get cats and dogs when it rains


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## Capt Lightning (Apr 20, 2019)

Spent today replacing the cover on our polytunnel.   Earlier we had a ton of compost delivered and we used that to refresh the soil in the tunnel.  Mrs. L has tomato and marrow plants ready to be planted out .  Early and maincrop potatoes were planted last month.


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## Don M. (Apr 20, 2019)

Still too wet, here.  I got my tiller out a few days ago, and within minutes I was slinging huge mudballs around.   I need a week of sunny and dry weather to get started in the garden....and around here, this time of year, that is often wishful thinking.  It seems that every year, it is around Mid May before I can get the garden tilled, and begin the planting.


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## Lethe200 (May 6, 2019)

In coastal CA we garden year-round. This is not quite so idyllic as it sounds, because it means while other regions are relaxing in winter and making "to do" lists, we are weeding like crazy because the rains make all the weed seeds sprout! 

I had fallen so far behind on weeding that we finally went and hired a new gardener (my old gardener retired) to spend a few hours cleaning up the backyard. He and his helper did a great job. We can finally see our pathways again, LOL.

The rains did amazing wonders for my garden. A couple of plants popped up that I hadn't seen in several years. Because of our almost perpetual droughts, I water as sparingly as possible in summer.

Late March, April and May, through early June, are the months that Northern CA coastal gardens look best. Everything from magnolias to wisteria to rhodies, lavender, roses, alstroemeria, heuchera and gladiolas.

I picked a bunch of flowers yesterday to decorate the table, as we had some guests over.


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## retiredtraveler (May 6, 2019)

Planted on Sunday (veggie garden). Now, I'm trying to figure out how to keep seeds from washing out as we're projected to have major rains in a couple of days.


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## RadishRose (May 6, 2019)

Lethe, that arrangement is beautiful and the flowers so perfect!


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## Don M. (May 6, 2019)

retiredtraveler said:


> Planted on Sunday (veggie garden). Now, I'm trying to figure out how to keep seeds from washing out as we're projected to have major rains in a couple of days.



Same situation here.  We had 5 inches of rain this past week, and another 2 to 4 due starting tonight.  I got my tomato plants in right before last weeks rain...garden was quite muddy then, and they are doing ok.  But, the rest of the planting will have to wait until we get several days of sunny and dry weather.  I'm optimistically hoping that I can get the seeds in by mid May....Accuweather is predicting some mild and drier weather starting about the 12th of May....hope so.


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## HazyDavey (May 6, 2019)

Ours is in but it's about 1/3 of what we usually plant. Just some tomatoes, melons, & cucumbers. I'll put all the Spring n' Summer grass cuttings on the unused part of the garden and use the rototiller on them.


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## Ruth n Jersey (May 6, 2019)

I'm planting my tomato plants tomorrow  I started them in the house a bit to early and I can't hold them back much longer. I'll put a bucket over each one if it rains to much or gets chilly at night. My cabbage,sugar snaps,parsley and onions are doing great. They like this weather.

I'll wait a week or two before I put in beans and cucumbers and basil.

I planted a few annual flowers in pots and hanging baskets but I can easily bring them into the garage if it gets to cold.


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## retiredtraveler (May 7, 2019)

Don M. said:


> Same situation here.  We had 5 inches of rain this past week, and another 2 to 4 due starting tonight......the rest of the planting will have to wait until we get several days of sunny and dry weather.  I'm optimistically hoping that I can get the seeds in by mid May.....



Yeah. You guys are really getting hit. Chicago area is only getting the 'leftovers' from your area, and that's bad enough. Farmers can't work the fields here. Your fields are under water.


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## Trila (Nov 1, 2021)

I planted cockscombs at the roller rink that I volunteer at.  The seeds are the size of pepper, and the plants grow to over 6 feet tall!


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## RadishRose (Nov 1, 2021)

Trila said:


> I planted cockscombs at the roller rink that I volunteer at.  The seeds are the size of pepper, and the plants grow to over 6 feet tall!


It's going to be too cold in Connecticut to start a garden now, but it's a good time to plant bulbs for the spring, like tulips and daffodils.


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