Northeast Forum

I hear ya there, Ivy, I have soooo many seeds to start, and what I reallllly want (so bad I can taste it) is a green house. It would be easier than living with all my new babies in the house. LOL

Dena

Speaking of cold frames, what will you start in them, and when? Last year I tripped over flats in my home for months.

I held on to some window frames from a remodeling job last Fall in hopes of putting together some cold frames this winter, but haven't really pulled them together yet. My thought was to build smaller portable cold frames that I can place over my existing garden bed.

Liz

You think its tough with your DHs and friends? Try being a guy who wants to talk plants, especially non-edibles!

I'm very happy to hear people's enthusiasm. At first I only received posts agaist the idea. Terry (of DG) was kind enough to move their posts to a different site to give this a chance.

And now we have a forum!!

Liz,
I like small cold frames. I can move it easily and only keep it in the sunny garden when in use, about 6 to 8 weeks.
You can see, I need new 'old' windows. This pic was taken last month.
Andy P

Andy, if it works with the plastic, you might not want to put windows on it, they would make it heavy.

I like your four legged friend, I'm guessing thats Sarah? Very cute.

Dena

Dave47, I am also happy that there is now a N. E. forum.
This is from one of the initial detractors of the idea.
Andy P

Oh Dave47,
I have no idea why people would want to keep us from having our own place to play unless they are scared we might out garden them, if we New Englanders got together, not that we think we are better or anything, I just don't get the reasoning behind that at all. Well then, once again THANK YOU TERRY!!!!! I am ever so greatful!

Bug, do you reallly want me to list off all the seeds I'll be starting? I'll be typing for a while...but I don't think I'd mind too much LOL!

Dena

Dena, The glass adds stability to the old frames. '05 was the first year with 1 plastic 'window', I broke it early on in the season and had to rig something up. It did work fine but the frame is falling apart. I guess I could make new frames and attach plastic but using old windows is easier.
Yes that's Sidekick Sarah, I forgot that she was in there. No varmint gets by her!
Here is a better pic from last Summer.
Andy P

Dave47, I keep wanting to call you Dave, but think better of it because of THE DAVE. Anyway, if you don't mind talking to a female, I don't mind listening to a guy go on about his nonedibles (LOL sounds so funny! hahahaha!)



Sarahskeeper, cute doggie, I just had my best friend put down friday before Holloween, Its awful, I still try to take her outside with me in the morning, and then end up standing in my kitchen with coffee in hand feeling stupid and sad all in the same moment. I'm hanging on to her ashes, waiting for spring, she is getting her own garden, in loving memory of my twelve year old dog, Nika, best friend in the universe,shhh! don't tell the hubby he wouldn't understand. ok, nuff of that!!!

I'm thinking I'm gonna keep the cold frames small and diss-assemble-able
I'm also thinking I just invented that word...? it didn't realy sound good in my head either, I cheat at scrabble too...


Dena

Greenthumb,

No need to list all the seeds you will be starting in the cold frame -that would be a task in itselft, I know! :-> I guess I could plan to start everything I plant outside in the cold frame a few weeks early (how much early?) I am really interested in squash/pumpkins started in the cold frame - they just go in late, take so darn long, and the season is so short - any experience? And is there anything you would not start in the cold frame?

of course, I hope to also use the cold frames for hardening off - beats my dance of moving flats on/off the porch pre-last frost. lol!

LOL Bug, I know just what its like, to have to move ALL the babies in and out and in and out, get up at five get ready for work and try to stay some what clean, I'm hoping that I have a few nice cold frames from these old windows, and that this year I won't have to do the daily haul out to the yard and then back in the house at night.
I'll tell you something, if I read on the back of a see pack that the plant takes two to three weeks to get its self going, I start the darn thing four to five weeks before last frost. If its a veggie, there is a good chance I'll start the booger on the ides of march along with my tomatos,
example, I really want to make sure my bird house gourds get off to a perfect start, the seed pack says 14-21 days to germ., 120-130 days to harvest, summer is only three months long, three months is only about 90something days long, this weekend coming up, Dena will see on her calander that its time to plant birdhouse gourd seeds or she wont be getting many bird house gourds before season is over. I do the same thing with ALL my seeds, unless it states on the pack that seeds should be sown out in the garden directly. I take that as a hint that some one some where didn't get them to grow inside so what makes me think I can do it better, unless you are doing reserch on a new method, then go for it. More often than not I just want to grow pretties and yummies...

Dena

Andy,She's a fine looking dog!
Dena, very sorry for your loss. That is hard. (but I'm very glad you would talk to me about my nonedibles)
Dave (NOT DAVE)

Dena, Is this where we get into "What is your average first frost date" thing?
It's in the 3rd week of October for me and the average last frost date is mid May.
That's about 5 months, but the last one hardly counts because the days are short and it's cold.
This past year doesn't count, the last frost was November 11ish. I had dahlias blooming until then.
Andy P

I'm going to call you, e hmm, Dave47! Maybe just 47 if I'm before coffee in the morning, and Ivy, just a warning, I don't do singing posts till after the second cup.
Dave47, I'm a big fan of a man who is comfortable talking about his non-edibles, as well as his ornimentals. I don't judge a guy on how big his rhubarb is, just on how tender! ok, I could get into some trouble this way so I'm gonna BE GOOD! But that was wicked funny! HEE HEE!

Dena

You are cracking me up!

yeah Andy, you can go by that, or you can do like ALL good New England gardeners and plant what ever where ever close your eyes and pray to what ever GOD your into to do the rest, HA HA! No realy, I try to do the best estimated guess, being where we are in the unruly N.E. I like to have the early start, I think its easier to start and cover seedlings while they are little, than it is to try to cover huge plants and to harvest crops because John G. said we are going to get an early frost. Last year was wierd, this winter is wierd, we may not have a spring this year, it might go: summer, fall, winter, summer, fall... It was like that kinda last year.

I just hope we don't have one of those real wet springs where everything gets flooded out!!

I'm going to try and wintersow my birdhouse gourds.

I used to push up the planting dates and with a lot of playing around, I lucked out. Now that I'm getting near retirement age I go by my average frost dates. Less work and fewer stunted peppers. I guess I'm a lazy gardener.
By the way Dena, my childhood gardening mentor was also a New Englander, and he went by the dates too.
PS this is the North East forum not the New England forum, we don't want to alienate our neighbors. LOL
Andy P

yup - we get to include the Mid-Atlantic States!! Yipee..cause that means me!! :) Although, I could be New England if I really wanted - just a hop and skip on the ferry - and we do kinda stick out there...it really is a Lonnnnng Island.

to true, Andy, my bad, sorry neighbors! : )

Anita, I used to live in West Haven CT. and fish in Long Island sound. I couldn't see ya but I knew you were there.
Andy P

Hey guys, I gotta go to bed, and sleep and plan out my new cold frames.
Anyone check in before work? I do a check in, in the am w/coffee cuz I hate to miss anything, then its off to work.

Dena

Thanks Andy - There are two roads that I travel on once in awhile - both give me a view of the sound and CT - Know that I gave you a wave!!

I do the same Dena - gets me in trouble sometimes as I get wrapped up in reading...Reading and gardening - make the world go away for me...

Me to Anita, thats why I like being my own boss, although, sometimes it takes more will power than I feel I have to not make excuses, and go to work....I'd rather stay home and plant something and talk to you.

Dena

What do you do? What kind of business?

Anita

Hi Anita, I have a house keeping/errand business, Today I worked for a guy with MS, he is confined to a wheelchair, and pretty much housebound. I did the shopping, and made him four days of lunches, and pork chops for dinner, wrote out some of his bills, changed his bed for him, and a few other things. I have varrious other jobs during the week. The pay is good, if I don't like the job, I tell them they have two weeks , and I make a phone call to someone who is waiting for me to have a free spot in my schedual, and off to work I go. I have to provide my own health coverage, and that can be a bummer. I'll tell you what, there is something to be said for making your own hours, it allows me to raise my children, and have a few hobbies, I can schedual as much as I want or need into one week.

I also paint, and draw. I painted my daughters room, the sun, stars and moon theme. I have painted for a few folks but didn't get paid, I don't charge family and friends.

What do you do?

I'm a Medical Software Trainer - I'm the one that goes to the various doctor's offices and shows the staff how to use the program we resell to make appointments and bill. It's kind of neat since I'm never in any office long enough to get sick of anyone nor get involved in office politics.

Anita,
That sounds like a great job. Do you have alittle shovel and a bucket that travel with you incase you spot some poor plant that needs to come home and live with you?
I have gotten so bad over the years, I'm not affraid to walk up to some ones door and tell them I adore something in their garden and then ask for seeds or a cutting. If they say yes I always write down the address and bring them something nice, cake, cut flowers, dried leaves for tea, what ever I think they would like, and I've even bribed people to come to my house and pick out something they would like to have from my garden. I have so much fun.
Last year I had pulled off the road because I saw pussy willows and I was in mid-dangle over a gaurd rail when a cop pulled over and asked me what I was doing, he wanted to know what was so important over there that I would be hanging over the edge, I told him if I didn't get a handfull of the willows before they fuzzed out I was gonna die anyway, I told him how you put the twigs/branches in an tall container w/out water and you have a really cool looking arangement for a long long time. He then asked if I could grab some for his wife and made sure I didn't go over the edge. It has to be one of my favorite stories. I like sidewalk trash, and dumpster diving too...lol I have some wierd hobbies.

Dena

Dena- do you visit the Seed-snatchin' threads? You are not alone!

My DH walks away totally embarassed when I do my thing. He can't stand it when I ask someone I don't know about their garden! He turns red and gets all weird and shy.

LOL - There is a Crepe Myrtle in a yard not far from my home - I still can't get the nerve to ask them for a cutting or seeds. Instead, I quickly grabbed some seed pods from another Myrtle I admired at the drive thru at Dunkin Donuts......

A drive by at the drive thru....

LOL
I can hear the James Bond music in the back ground...as we see our dear Anita dressed all in black with the Ninja, shoes with the space in between the toes, doing her thing in the parking lot @ D&D, then after having snatched her goods she casualy strolls in to order herself a med. caramel ice latte with whip cream no sugar.

lol!

Well it's really nice to see all of us getting to know each other, even to the extent of the rhubarb and Anita's reference to how Long Island sticks out there and we're just a ferry ride away from New England. My DG, Jack, and I are just 14 miles from the Orient Point ferry and we love the ride across the Sound.

I'm thrilled to have our own forum, too! I get Dmail from others talking about their irises blooming today and daylilies and it gets kind of depressing.

We're in the same fix as many of you with the neighbors eyes glazing over when we talk plants. They never seem to mind when we give away the cukes and tomatoes!

Seems a bunch of us are only a stone's through apart on Long Island Sound.
Andy, I grew up in East Haven. Guilford is just 2 towns east of that.
Should we move this coversation into our forum? Does anyone know how to do that?

Here you go Dave... http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/572602/