2015 Garden Planning

[Soliloquy]

If you're looking for cheap tomato pots, 5 gallon buckets or those big kitty litter buckets with a few holes in the bottom work. You can even grow tomatoes in black trash bags. Just poke drainage holes.

Do not ever, EVER buy peat pot trays that come with a peat tray to catch water. I looked under there and it was a forest of mold! . I doused it diluted hydrogen peroxide and put it out in the sun.

I have so many more seeds to start but we've been so busy with other projects! Monday is the day.

So far, the chick peas are doing the best.

[Soliloquy]

Has anyone ever successfully grown bell peppers? Mine are always fine when they're green. But I want them to ripen into their beautiful colors, which takes forever. So, I'm always patient, waiting ... they start to turn a little ... And then they rot.

I am going to water them less this year and give them tomato fertilizer in case it's BER. Any other ideas?

[RiverRock]

I've never had success with bell peppers. I think my climate is too cold, and they would only grow well in a greenhouse here.

[houseforjoy]

Originally Posted by FarmMama

I'm a little late to the game. I wasn't going to do a garden this year as a baby will be here end of July and I honestly didn't see myself dragging my huge pregnant body around the yard to work in it.

But...then we had a nice day, and I started digging in the dirt.

So I put some things in the ground, easy stuff, radishes and carrots. I started some plants today inside. I ordered a few more things from Baker's creek. I looked for varieties that are slower to bolt as it gets hot here and fast.

My plan for cukes, squash, and tomatoes is to plant them next to the porch so they can climb or be tied to the railing.

that was me last year i put all the stuff in early may, but then left it to the wolves (actually my hubby did quite a bit with it-- although he didn't have the heart to pull any of the tomato plants that sprung up on their own from the previous year's crop of fallen tomatoes!! so we had a real jungle of tomatoes!!)

by the end of august i was fine going out and collecting small amounts of produce at a time.

[Soliloquy]

I bought pineberry plants today! . I'm so excited!

My watermelon seeds finally sprouted. I have half of my tomatoes and peppers in the ground and they're doing great even though it was 30° this morning.

The only thing not doing really well is the cabbage. I have enough seed to start over if nothing happens by Memorial Day.

[Chaos Coordinator]

Sooooo much rain today. I had one pot really waterlogged - I probably scooped 3-4 measured cups of dirty water out of the top. I think it will recover. I'm not sure what's going on with the lack of draining on that pot. I can investigate when there's less water falling from the sky.

[tempus vernum]

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

Has anyone ever successfully grown bell peppers? Mine are always fine when they're green. But I want them to ripen into their beautiful colors, which takes forever. So, I'm always patient, waiting ... they start to turn a little ... And then they rot.

I am going to water them less this year and give them tomato fertilizer in case it's BER. Any other ideas?

We've had success with red, orange and purple. The trick I think is to make sure they are married (i.e. touching one another as they grow). We plant them super super super close together (almost ridiculously close) because DH figured out it makes everything hotter.

Then we mulch like crazy with the recycled mulch we get from our city to make the bed hotter. We also used a raised bed so that they get wind protection at the base of the plant.

Until dh changed our approach we never had anything but green peppers.

I'm getting a wee bit anxious for garden time. We had a gorgeous day - 50!! and I am tempted to dig up the garden. BUT I'm forcing myself to wait as it's April in Wisconsin Zone 5 kind of stinks I hate the wait but last week it snowed so I am forcing myself to be patient.

[houseforjoy]

man, i don't think much of my seed starting was productive. the beets are sprouting, but the tomatoes and peppers and carrots aren't (carrots i am still not too worried about as they take forever!!) i think my other seeds were too old at this point. they are from baker creek and i think this would be the 3rd growing season i could use them for but they are just over 2 years old. usually i save seeds from the previous years planting, and i do have some seeds still from last year, but these are the plants that i wanted to grow last year but didn't because of big belly, so i was hoping to still get some life out of them this year.

i may just try and sprout the whole packet and see if any grow

[Soliloquy]

Some of my seeds took 4 weeks to sprout.

Two of my 3 goosberries seem to be dying. I followed the directions exactly and one is doing great. I called the store where I bought them and asked if I could exchange them if they don't have a turn-around in a few weeks. She said she'd "try." Whatever that means. I'm new to gooseberries so I don't know how resilient they are.

[Soliloquy]

I literally put all my tomatoes in the garden yesterday and, today, this article showed up in my google+ feed.
http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/138...oes.html?c=aan

I'm absolutely doing this next year! I already have 5-gallon buckets with holes in them.

[daughter_of_faith]

I'm doing plants this year and I need to decide how big to make our garden. Some of the items were OOS.

I'm in the PNW. So far, I have a tomato and broccoli plants. Grape plant is in a pot.

[Soliloquy]

I bought a grape vine, too. I'm trying to decide on the best place for it. I'd like to have about 4.

Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries in 2.8 qt pots are on sale for $5 at Home Depot through Wednesday. The blueberry bushes were already pollinated and had lithe berries on them.

---------- Post added at 02:09 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:06 PM ----------

Oh! Almost forgot! Rainbow carrots. Do the seedlings look really different from regular carrots? Because one of my kids planted them (I made the rows and covered them) and I think it's nothing but weeds. Something germinated but carrots have always had those feathery leaves and these look different. And these seedlings aren't in rows but I wasn't watching so maybe he scattered them. He's going to be so disappointed if we have to start over.

[RiverRock]

I just planted my garden this afternoon. I have changed from square foot gardening to intensive gardening. I have fit a lot into my three raised beds. I have sunflowers, delphiniums, zinnias, spinach, lettuce, radishes, 5 hills of squash and nasturtiums in one 4x10 ft bed. The other two beds are 4x8. The second bed has carrots, onions, beans and cages in place for 4 tomato plants that I will buy. The other bed has kale, spring onions, 8 herbs, and room for basil (I need to buy seed) and two rows for beets (the seeds are soaking and will be ready to plant tomorrow. It feels good to get so much done this afternoon.

Lisa, I have no idea about gooseberries or rainbow carrots, but I hope they both work out for you.

[knitlove]

OK I am listening in. We looked at a house that if we rent would have space for me to put in a garden.

[RiverRock]

I only planted yesterday...but I want to see the plants sprouting already. I am so impatient! I might do a bit of top dressing with a compost mix to maximize my results and keep busy while I wait. Some of my seeds were at least two years old, so I am not sure about how much germination I will have. I'm eager to see sprouts because of this, too.