Wow Linda - Envy you - you're sowing Spring seeds already? Up here in Dallas, we can't even think about that til at least end of March. That's why I've forked over major bucks for grow light systems to get the seedlings going inside.
JD
Zones 8-9 Spr/Sum 2011 Veggie Gardening is UNDERWAY- Pt l
jdbell, the fall garden here in Dallas is much more rewarding and less work than the summer garden.
drthor -
All I can say is that my first year of greens (kale, chard, lettuce, beets, spinach, and mustard greens) has been an unending bounty since October. And nowhere near the pest, etc issues that I deal with in my Summer crops...
JD
I had to rescue a bunch of 2-liter bottles and some milk jugs from the recycle bin this morning, and I will be prepping them this evening. I will be WS'ing the last of my tomato seeds from last year: Costoluto Genovese, Margherita, Big Beef, Supersweet 100, and (dare I try) Cherokee Purple.
Not sure how I got behind again this year since I also had aspirations of sowing in mid-December.
The Fall garden is considerably less difficult here on the gulf coast as well. This Fall was my best gardening season ever, and it seems that, with regards to the brassicas and the like, you mainly need to worry about worms eating your leaves. These can be controlled with Bt easily it seems, or maybe it was just beginner's luck.
JohnChrichton ~ How did Big Beef perform for you? How large did its' tomato get? That is one I think I need to grow this spring.
Hey Pod. My mistake- I lumped Big Beef in that short list of "old seeds" that were used previously. Sorry, got carried away.
I have to say that I am encouraged by the reviews Big Beef has received in the plant files, though. Cherokee Purple, not so much...
Quote
Jdbell, the fall garden here in HOUSTON is much more rewarding and less work than the summer garden! I only do a spring garden cuz I like the challenge of growing the tomatoes from seeds, not necessarily because I have to have tomatoes. I actually am allergic to too much acid. Discovered that fact after my lips kept tingling during 2007 -- when I grew my very 1st crop!
My goal is to grow at least ONE bumper crop of my favorite heirlooms, then concentrate on perfecting saving seeds and starting beautiful, healthy seedlings for others to grow on.
"The tomato, she's a fickle beast!"
Gymgirl ~ to counteract your reaction to the tomatoes, start taking a B complex vitamin before and during tomato season. My mouth used to be in agony with canker sores when I ate high acid foods. Not any more, thanks to a young doctors' suggestion.
JohnCrichton ~ I have read good southern heat, humidity reviews on Big Beef also. I was hoping to hear some 'hands on' experience but maybe next year we will both have some experiences to share. Thanks ~ pod
Fall/Winter are the best gardening season here. We can grow a lot during the summer, but that undertaking requires mulch, mulch, and more mulch and lots of shade;o)
♪ ♥ ♫ Happy Birthday Miss Linda!! ♪ ♥ ♫
Linda, I hope you have a great birthday weekend planting away!!
Happy birthday, Linda. Don't party too hard 'cause there's gardening to be done before the cold front arrives!
So why didn't ya'll tell the birthday girl to put the EBs under the patio cover before she planted 120 onion plants in them clean across the yard? So, the last B'day planting activity on this gloriously beautiful day was dragging the EBs to protective covering before the scheduled thunderstorms arrive tonight and tomorrow!
Didn't get to the seed sowing, though. Praying to tomorrow. I have had an absolutely wonderful day. And I've made TWO batches of Lilly Mae's Greens today!
P.S. The best bday compliment came from my ultra Yuppie niece last night at dinner after she asked how old I was. To which she replied, "all right, keeping it hot at 54!"
She used the same phrase as she posed next to her brand new Chrysler 500 with the captIon, "keeping it hot at 30!"
Whatever I'm doing, "it's hot!"
^^_^^
Thanks to all my DG friends for all the wonderful birthday wishes and messages!
Happy Belated Birthday Linda! Hope you did not work too hard and took some time off as well.
It is getting really cold here, is funny because we had a couple of really nice days and then bang the cold weather starts again, really nuts!
The other day I went to my organic market and purchased some organic potatoes to grow, some yucon golds, some fingerlings ( banana, and french) and some nice red potatoes that I don't know the name off. My DH bought some contractor baggies they were about a $1 each so in total $12, we will see how they do with potatoes.
I really want to plant some more seeds directly in my raise beds some radishes, carrots and lettuces but it is so cold at night that I just don't know if they would germinate, tonight we are in the mid 30's and tomorrow in the mid 20's, I have my beds covered and have not uncovered them at all for 2 days.
I would plant the carrots & radishes. Radishes will germinate with no problem. Carrots will be slower, mine are just sprouting and I'd have to look back but probably took them three weeks or so. Not sure how fast the lettuce will germinate.
Happy Birthday Gymgirl! Belated but many happy returns!
I spent the weekend reading my new (to me) Elliot Coleman book. It seemed to fit with the big, hunky snowflakes coming down outside my window! I couldn't find my camera (sob) as I wanted to take photos. Ah well! If folks don't believe me this time re: 4-5" of snow at my place then phewie! So I sat inside and read and started some tomatoes and worked on some lettuce seed mats.
I did manage to cover my onion starts out in the garden with about a foot of grass clippings and row cover on Saturday afternoon. We'll see how they do..... I didn't cover the carrots at all. I only have a few left over anyway.
I got busy on my gloriously beautiful, "a-gardener-couldn't-ask-for-a-better-birthday weekend!"
120 onion plants set! Wooooooooo Hoooooooooooo! I set them 2" apart, but will thin as I harvest some as green onions.
And, since necessity IS the mother of invention, I found the PERFECT onion hole divot. I looked all over the house for something to make the holes, and spotted the graduated tip of a new tube of caulking! It was the perfect depth and a very comfortable tool for the job!
So, keep one 'a those old tubes handy!
^^_^^
Still didn't get to sow my seeds, but will start this evening. I had to prioritize cooking for a church fellowship, and cooking a Sunday meal for a shut-in co-worker. Had to remember that seeds and veggies will be long gone, but the people will still be here!
This message was edited Jan 10, 2011 9:06 AM
=D! Sounds like the perfect B'day!
Wonderful Linda the onions look great! Keep us posted. This year I decided to give Dixondale farms a chance and see how their onions turn out, I purchased the Short day sampler just to try it out, the onions should arrive by the middle of this month and then I have a whole raise bed dedicated to them. I really would love to try the candy onions maybe next year but I am not sure if they'll grow big bulbs for me in here.
Thank you podster, I will start my carrot and radish seeds then, I have the spot where my turnips where completely empty and would love to place them there, I do have a few carrots growing there but the seed package that I bought had really bad germination so only about 10 or so came out out of 100 seeds or so. should I cover this part of the bed to let them germinate faster or not?
Hey C! What I planted was the short-day sampler from Dixondale. I have seed potatoes on the way from Ronniger's!
Carmen-by the time your radishes are ready your carrots might have germinated. lol Isn't it a little cold for seeds to germinate?
I planted radish seeds last week.
I checked my veggie patch this morning and I noticed that the radishes already germinated !!
Even with the snow of yesterday ...weeehhhh
Some seeds like the cold! It gets pretty hot and stuffy inside those tiny little seeds...
Linda that's great we'll be able to compare notes and such on the onions, the short day sampler looked like a good choice for our area so that is why I grabbed it, it has a little bit of everything.
Lisac the carrots I planted a long time ago, the plants that germinated are a good size now, I really think if the seeds were good they should have plenty of time to germinate, the radishes I planted with the carrots a while back we have already eaten.
what about lettuce will they germinate? Should I just stick to carrots and radishes just for now?
go ahead on those lettuce and some spinach, too. Farmerdill told me they would germinate if you get 'em in ASAP.
OK, the pedal is to the metal!
PROGRESS UPDATE:
►Last night I sowed tomato seeds I had saved in the 2007-2008 season:
Pruden's Purple (10)
Pruden's Purple (5) from seeds RussMartin saved himself
Cherokee Purple (5)
Black Krim (an entire flat)
Eva Purple Ball (5)
►One flat of Romaine Lettuce (seeds from Opaquedreams, 2007-2008?)
►Searched hi & lo for a bottom heat source in my house. None found.
►Voila, this morning! Will construct a simple wooden platform to wrap rope lights around for a bottom-heat source for the seedling trays.
►Spied two un-used rubbermaid tubs with lids, and have two CFL lamps hanging around. Will construct a lightbox per this link: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=7216474
►Laid out additional tomato seeds to be sowed tonight.
►Progress was made!
Gymgirl, when I can't find my heat mat (often--I know I have two someplace), I put a cookie cooling rack over a heating pad set on "low". I can adjust my cooling rack up or down. Put the seed tray on the cooling rack. Works well. #2 son picked up a couple of heating pads on a clearance rack at Wally World for real cheap!
I have a heated lap blanket that I wrestled with last night. But I couldn't get it to heat up. I'll work with it again tonight to see if I have mixed up the plugs...I would be perfect. But, I'll check Wally World too, for heating pads.
Terri, how long are you leaving those heating pads on? I'd not leave my house with it on, so I'd have to run it only at night while I'm home...
They are the kind that cut off and on, I suppose they have some sort of timing device. I originally tried it out of desparation as I went through box after box after the move and just couldn't find those seed starting heat mats. You know how sometimes you get when things just aren't going along smoothly and you fixate on some little thing that is probably not that important in the long run? If you could just fix that one thing life would somehow move back towards a better ballance? Well, that happened to me when I couldn't find those pads. I could have gone out and bought tomato plants from WM or the local hardware store, but I did find all my seeds and I had bought new seeds and I just wanted to start my tomatoes like always!!!!
They don't get very hot at all on the low setting. They stay on just long enough to create some moisture droplets on the cover. That's about it. I do turn them off and on as I leave/come back to the house. I germinate the tomatoes in the pantry/laundry room, which stays pretty evenly warm. Even in this weather! I have found that they germinate just fine this way. Remember, the seed trays are not setting directly on the heating pad. And at the low setting I just barely feel warm to my hand. Then it just clicks off.
Ok. I started my seeds last night. I'll google pads at Wally World to see if my local store has them.
I'll bet you they have those seed starting heat mats, too. I know Lowe's did this past weekend.
Happy belated B-day Miss Linda!!! Hope it was a good one!
Hey Jdbell (NEIGHBOR!!) not fair that you are getting 'crops'!! hahaha.. I am like stephanietx & awaiting March!!! hahahaha This year I am going to try to grow acorn squash from seeds from the squash I bought..maybe I'll get something maybe not..but that is fall's project.
This year's project is trying to get a new garden built so I can grow nothing but Texas native plants! I live in a mobile home so I have to have permission from management & so far they rejected Plan 1!! hahaha. So.. back to the "drawing" board!!!
However I have been fortunate in getting some free Canna bulbs, free pine mulch & maybe more as I am hoping to have a decent amount for the Spring plant swap!!!!
Ya'll, check this out!
Ms. Tommie uses what amounts to a Greenhouse Teepee (a "GreenPee") that allows her to start her tomato seedlings outside waaaaaaaaay earlier (1st week in March), in moderately incliment winter weather! It's a sheer stroke of genius! I can see how it would protect the plants, and help them grow before the very end of winter.
I plan to try this method with 6"-8" tomato seedlings set out beginning February 19th - March 19th this year.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8306178
So my potatoes are scheduled to be delivered today...on the coldest day of the year!! They have been on the UPS truck since 5-something this morning. I hope they're not frozen!
Steph,
I got my potatoes in the mail -- at work -- yesterday -- after my mailing instructions clearly said "put box in the bushes, out of sight" at my HOME!
My mailroom people were in a quandary wondering who the box of potatoes belonged to (no name on the box!!!), and whether they would end up with a smelly mailroom -- until they all remembered who their resident farmer Green Jeans is, and called me...
You checked out those GreenPees? That's a slick way to protect the tomatoes for early plantout, and certainly would benefit us here, 'cause even though we do ge occasional freezes in April, we still aren't as bad as up north. I'm gonna give early plantout a shot in my very first season of growing in raised beds (which I still gotta get built in the next 5 weeks!)
Well, they arrived and are safely ensconsed in my kitchen...warming up! LOL
I haven't checked out the green peas. What's that?
"GreenPees (GREENhouse TeePEES) It's a way to protect tomato plants that are set out when there's still a very real danger of frost.
Quote from busterharrell :
The earliest I've put mine out is the first week in March (8b, 30 miles due South of Austin):
*wide raised beds.
*6' tall tomato cages made of concrete reinforcement wire.
* wrap cages with floating row cover.
* outer wrapping of 6 mil clear plastic buried in the bed at the bottom with the top drawn up and tied
at the top of the cage.
This creates a greenhouse for each tomato planted, warm and toasty; on sunny warmer days I would open the top a bit to allow excess heat and moisture to escape then close it up a few hours before sunset to retain heat during the night, and the plants were protected from cold rain. When all danger of cold weather passed I removed the outer plastic, keeping the row cover in place for wind protection until plants filled the cage. Since tomatoes are wind pollinated you can shake the cage to vibrate the tomato plant to ensure fruit set.
Ms. Tommie
Our winters are milder, so this should work like a charm nearer to Houston.
We skated close to the frost zone one more time this week. It fell to 42, but then started back up and was 47 before dawn! Whew! Because the valley has so many microclimates, predicting weather must be a super challenge here (plus some of the weather people are not good at all). I bought 300 feet of frost blanket, not remay, but the heavy stuff, for my squash garden and tomatoes but didn't have to use it.
For the question on Cheddar Cauliflower...........don't tie the leaves. The head needs sunlight to get the nice deep orange color.
Graffiti also need light, so don't tie that one either. Violet Queen is more like broccoli head with cauliflower leaves. Not impressed with this one. Marrathon broccoli is beautiful. Just harvested main heads, not as large as Pac Man or Southern Comet, but nice small beads on a good size head.
Silver Fir Tree and other tomatoes have golf ball size green tomatoes, lots of heirloom cherry tomatoes producing now and more coming on. Celebrity is finished, sucumbed to the mites (bad mite problem this year) but the tomatoes were delicious.
I finally have the mites on the peppers sort of under control (they came in on transplants I bought, when I went back to the nursery their plants were covered). I used organicide and neem on a rotating schedule. I found out sulfur is also a miticide.
Just harvested second crop of fingerling potatoes. This year I'm growing Russian Banana, Red Thumb, Peruvian Blue and two more can't remember the names right now. They're delicious! Also a red skinned small potato called Rio Colorado.
My last crop of sweet potatoes (planted in October, pushing the envelope once again) is ready. They were grown completely under row covers to keep the heat in and bugs out.
Yellow squash does not like the wind. Zucchini is doing much better. Scalloped is producing, but the plants are small even after 60 days.
Something is eating my beets. Not the tops, but the top of the bulb, just at ground level. Looks like rabbit teeth prints. Crazy garden cat thinks rabbits are his playmates.
Linda, glad you had a great day for your birthday. Happy belated birthday, haven't been on DG much this past week so I missed it.
Calalily- I always enjoy reading your posts. Thanks.
Today, I went to Lowe's after work and used some gift cards that I received over the holidays. I bought two bags (5 seeds, per) of Adirondack Blue (mid-season) potato and one bag (10 seeds, per) of Yukon Gold, also a mid-season. I am not sure how "fancy" my operations will be this Spring so I did not go wild and crazy at Ronninger's (or whatever it is called now.)
Ok you are a gardening addict when you use your Christmas money on seed potatoes! Lol Good Luck