Thinking spring

Hello everyone. I haven't posted or hungout on the forum for a while just because other hobbies and interests take my time in the winter. About this time though I start thinking about spring and planting, and seedlings, and fresh veggies, and blooms, and warm sun, and getting my hands in the dirt, and the new garden projects I have planned for this year... (can you tell I'm distracted). Anyway, just wanted to say hi to everyone and see whats goin' on.

just came in from planting spinach, cabbage and brussel sprouts, had to have something to drink before round two.
Hope to get some carrots and some potatoes in the ground before it gets too dark.

Hello! Welcome back to gardening :) What are your winter hobbies?

I'm thinking spring as well! Its fun to think about spring. I just sowed a bunch of veggie seeds for spring planting as well as some herbs and flowers (http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/951457/). Nothing has sprouted yet, but its only been 3 days.

Hey fremar--we're almost working on the same schedule! I got my potatoes in a couple days ago and hope to get out today or tomorrow to plant cabbage, brussel sprouts, carrots, lettuce and some running spinach a friend shared with me. It's great to be able to get out in the garden again, isn't it?
Passiflora07--what kind of veggies and flowers did you plant?

Trying to remember without looking it up....tomatoes, a few different kinds of peppers, eggplant, kohlrabi, squash, zucchini.....also some herbs such as cilantro, cumin, borage, and some others. As for flowers I planted foxglove, larkspur, lupine, and primrose (I may be forgetting some). Still anticipating the first little sprout - I wonder who's going to win :)

Ohhhh! Can't you just taste those fresh veggies already passiflora? Bet your flower garden is beautiful.

Yes, I'm very excited! I have two 12x3 raised beds, which work great for me.

And the first-to-sprout winner is......





a tie between marigolds and yellow scaloppini squash! Just saw them poking their heads up this morning! :)

As fast as it grows, it won't be long before you'll be eating fresh squash!

yes spring is here - setting out sugar snaps, onions and potatoes in raised beds this weekend

planted potato's, carrots and blueberries today, working on expanding the compost bins too.

Oh yeah--I need to get more compost bins too! I never have enough compost. I'll just have to save my pennies and buy more bins--can't put my compost on the ground here because the fireants LOVE to nest in it :-{

I am jealous! If you take a look at my location you can tell that I am a few weeks away from getting into my garden. It will be time to start seeds inside soon though.

My winter hobbies include woodworking and racquetball mainly. I play easily twice as much racquetball in the winter as summer and I try to do most of my woodworking in the winter so I can be outside in the summer. I also have 4 kids and a wife who is a teacher so winter (school time) is a very busy time around our house. Soon my wife and I will be playing in the dirt, though:)

Racquetball is great. We've been doing a little woodworking around here, too. We're building a large (90"x30") aviary in our screen porch for finches! Its very exciting. I'm going to make it look really tropical with bamboo perches and tiki hut bird houses (finches like little houses) and potted tropical plants, etc. I'm painting it this weekend with a weathered crackle faux finish so it looks like the wood has been rotting in a steamy jungle.

We don't have such a clear divide between winter and summer, so we're pretty much doing yard stuff all year. Sometimes I wish we could have just a week or two to watch the snow fall, but I'm not complaining.

Oh, I was going to post this. Its the frame of the aviary we're building...

My wife and I love finches, particularly zebra finches. She had a couple as classroom pets that would come home with her over breaks and during the summer. Sad story-- A year ago last Christmas she was coming home with the finches for Christmas break and on her way in the house the cage just completely fell apart in her hands. The finches flew into a couple of nearby trees. We put the cage back together and left it outside hoping they would recognize it and go back to their nest. No such luck. It was winter in MN and they were zebra finches, enough said. Still don't know what happened with the cage falling apart like it did. It had never done that before and it has never done it since. I like your aviary, you'll have to post a pic when its done and filled.

Naturelover...For a smaller compost bin....Sam's has a good one for 40.00..I have a hot and cold composter so I always am shifting them around....

Fiddle are Sugar snap peas heavy? I have a trillis type thingy made by hubby and need to know if it will hold!!

Just put more lettuce in and broccilli just looking good...but not sure when to cut flowerettes off??

And planted some coliflower but may be too late for it??

Tomatos looking good and have a couple already...but not sure what kind??
Note to self Keep a Journal!!!

I have a habit of just throwing stuff hither and yon!!

If you have a dwarf variety, no trellis needed. For all others you will need a strong trellis. The vines are tender, but they can get heavy esp. after rain and will sag. You will need at least 5 ft - 6 ft trellis of some kind for the snappers to climb.

ecopepper,
Thanks for the tip about the compost bin! We have a Sam's over in Jackson so I will go ASAP and see if ours has one. DH gave over $100 for the one I have for my birthday a couple of years ago. Also, if you're worried about it getting too hot for your sugar snap peas, I don't plant mine until fall here because it does get too hot for certain things. I also plant my broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, and cabbage in the fall. They grow real well here all the way through December and it leaves me more room in my summer garden for the more tender veggies.
TMaple,
DH has always loved woodworking too and I have refinished old furniture as a hobby for years. We pooled our talents and built our current house. It was lots of work but we really enjoyed it. And everything about it is exactly the way we want it! What do you build--furniture?

NatureLover1950

I make mostly fine furniture for my own (or family and close freinds) use. Some stuff I build is utilitarian but I enjoy making furniture more.

Tmaple, These southerners sure know how to hurt us further north. LOL Just rubbing it in huh! LOL ;) i spend my winters on line,crocheting,making crafts, quilting. About this time of winter i get SAD and fight depression. Go out and measure how much my spring flower leaves have grown. Think i'm kidding They have grown 2 inches this week. Should do better next week. I also get mad and find a cause to argue about. Please don't mention any. I don't want to be thrown off this website.
Wont be long now. I need to count up the minutes,hours and days and weeks
I did have some crocus bloom but they only lasted a day. Sigh!!!!!!

Cando1 I am sending you some warmth and spring weather...and in August when you are eatting all those cold tolerant veggies mine will be swimming for thier lives!!

cando1--AR is "north" ???:-) I am jealous of the growing season in the southern states but I wouldn't want to move south. My wife would have no problem living in the heat, but I like it colder. I have to keep reminding her there is a whole country north of us yet because it just amazes her that we survive the winter every year in MN. I have kids that live in Babbitt, MN which is 15 miles from Embarrass MN. Embarrass on average is the coldest spot in the continental US, routinely hitting temps in the -40F to -50F range in the winter, and that's temp, not windchill. That's cold even for me.

Thanks ecopepper, I can feel the warm sunshine through the inch of snow we got today. I think it helped.
I'm in northern ARK in the ozarks,Tmaple. I know it can't compare with MINN. High 32 low 20 today. I do plan on planting tomatoes and pepper seeds tomorrow inside. Should have done it today but did'nt.

I think Embarrass is named well for the coldest spot.:0

It was -27F in Ely MN this morning. Thats a stone's throw from Babbitt and Embarrass.

We're supposed to have a beautiful day tomorrow. First time in the 70,s. Still havent got those seeds planted.I may have to settle for a fall garden LOL
Also have a lot of daffys almost ready to bloom and some pink hyacinths.