Misc/Chat April Planting and Chat Thread

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.

6th - 7th
A favorable time for sowing grains, hay, and fodder crops. Plant flowers. First day is when to plant corn, melons, squash, tomatoes, and other above ground crops. Second day is a favorable day for planting root crops.
8th - 9th
Start seedbeds. Good days for transplanting. Good days for planting beets, carrots, radishes, turnips, peanuts, and other root crops. Also good for leafy vegetables
10th - 11th
Neither plant nor sow on these barren days.
12th - 14th
Favorable days for planting beets, carrots, turnips, radishes, onions, and other root crops.
15th - 16th
Excellent time to kill weeds, briars, poison ivy, and other plant pests.
17th - 19th
Set strawberry plants. Excellent for any vine crops, such as beans, peas, and cucumbers. Good days for transplanting. Favorable days for planting root crops.
20th - 21st
Poor planting days. Break ground or cultivate.
22nd - 24th
Favorable for planting beans, corn, cotton, tomatoes, peppers, and other above ground crops.
25th - 26th
Poor days for planting, seeds tend to rot in ground.
27th - 28th
Plant seedbeds and start flower gardens. Plant tomatoes, beans, peppers, corn, cotton, and other aboveground crops on these most fruitful days.
29th - 30th
Grub out weeds, briars, and other plant pests.
 

AlaskaSue

North to the Future
Thanks for starting this thread! I've got a couple hundred seeds in start trays and pots all over inside, but we are still chilly (22 right now) and quite a lot of snow yet. Still, the raised bed - being warmer - has almost no snow left on it and I'm wanting to haul out the pickax and get started loosening the soil (my brother laughs at me because it's the dirt is still frozen like bedrock).

Starts include a bunch of flowers plus garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, onions, brussels sprouts, and a whole lot of herbs. I always direct sow things like beets and rutabagas but have a couple starts going, just to see. Itching to get my new peony roots in the ground too.

All the rest will just have to wait until the ground warms; a friend gifted me some 'antique' variety of dried beans, similar to calico, that I'm eager to try out. And in a few more weeks I'll pick up (Lord willing) a couple of tomato plants that I can keep in the grow box. I still miss my greenhouse!

Was just by the pharmacy to pick up some scripts and saw swans in the creek on the way home. I'd have stopped for photos if it wasn't so icy. But a sweet, lovely thing to see this early in April. I've got my eye on the skies for seagulls any day :)
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Went to Johnny's Seeds this afternoon to look at tomato seed options and they're not selling to the public right now due to the corvidvirus.
 

Vicki

Girls With Guns Member
Took a few pictures yesterday. I let the broccoli and kale go to seed but already started new plants. Planted a couple of large black buckets with potatoes and trimmed fruit trees. Cleaned up four herb beds outside as well as the asparagus bed and pulled all the stakes and roots from the big garden. Have veggies started in seed trays and still need to do some transplanting. (I am tired, no doubt). Also need to scatter wood ash in the big garden and make up some fruit tree spray.

The planters to the left in the greenhouse have lettuce, carrots, swiss chard and beets that I started late fall. The kale going to seed has beautiful huge leaves that I am just now eating in a stir fry with broccoli. You can see the two colanders full laying near the kale. I transplanted some strawberries but what was already in the containers is starting to bloom. Onions are doing very well as well as many herbs. Goji berry bush is doing well and I had a couple of friends sneaking around out back I snapped a picture of. :)

020.JPG021.JPG023.JPG024.JPGgoji.JPG026.JPG027.JPG
 

Yarnball

Veteran Member
We relocated a burrow of 5 baby bunbuns. Kinda sad but cannot have rabbits eating the garden! It is not likely they made it as there are coyotes and bobcats here. We did try to dig them a bit down on the creek. Momma Bunny definitely came & vigorously checked her burrow. THAT made me a bit sad.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Try Jung Seed or Gurney's and Gurney's the seed count will be better for what you pay.

I went to the local greenhouse today, then Menards and topped off at the local farm store so I'm set for this year anyway. The guy at the local greenhouse told me that Seed Savers has basically sold out of everything they had for this year and are now dipping into next year's seeds. He said it's sad to see that it takes a pandemic to get everyone gardening again, but that he's glad that they're gardening. A few of the gardening groups I belong to on FB have seen an increase in memberships over the past two weeks that has been in the tens of thousands. People are freaking out. At the farm store they were completely out of chicks except for broilers. The guy there said they won't have starter feed until next Tuesday and even that was doubtful. He also said the suppliers are a month to two months out on baby chick orders.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Took a few pictures yesterday. I let the broccoli and kale go to seed but already started new plants. Planted a couple of large black buckets with potatoes and trimmed fruit trees. Cleaned up four herb beds outside as well as the asparagus bed and pulled all the stakes and roots from the big garden. Have veggies started in seed trays and still need to do some transplanting. (I am tired, no doubt). Also need to scatter wood ash in the big garden and make up some fruit tree spray.

The planters to the left in the greenhouse have lettuce, carrots, swiss chard and beets that I started late fall. The kale going to seed has beautiful huge leaves that I am just now eating in a stir fry with broccoli. You can see the two colanders full laying near the kale. I transplanted some strawberries but what was already in the containers is starting to bloom. Onions are doing very well as well as many herbs. Goji berry bush is doing well and I had a couple of friends sneaking around out back I snapped a picture of. :)

View attachment 191125View attachment 191126View attachment 191127View attachment 191129View attachment 191130View attachment 191131View attachment 191132


That looks incredible! Got a recipe for that last photo? I'm jelly I want a greenhouse and so bad, or at least a tunnel cover, but we don't have the room unfortunately.
 

Shooter

Veteran Member
its a little early to plant here, still freezing temps this weekend and mabye a little snow,
I did plant 400 onion sets tho. gotta inlarge the garden, I got about 50 pounds of seed potatoes
 

Cardinal

Chickministrator
_______________
I ordered a book on aquaponics. I have room in the basement for a set up. I have time on my hands. I've always wanted to try it.
Anyone have a good source for potato seeds?
The other thread has me curious about them too.
 

Cardinal

Chickministrator
_______________
its a little early to plant here, still freezing temps this weekend and mabye a little snow,
I did plant 400 onion sets tho. gotta inlarge the garden, I got about 50 pounds of seed potatoes
Ah, from where?
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Got good neighbors.
I suppose I should poke around and try to find a place here in Ga that sells seed potatos.

Most greenhouses and farm store sell them and they’ll be right for you’re area. I’m straight east of Shooter and yes there’s still a potential for a freeze or even snow.

Tomorrow I plan to plant onion sets, beets, four types of radishes, Oregon peas (pea pods for stir fry) kale, chard, spinach, arugula, and chickory. I'll probably be exhausted after that. OC is going to help me amend two of our beds, one is in a horse trough and for some reason last year it grew dog vomit slime mold, so that soil needs to be dealt with before I can plant my herbs in it later this spring.
 

Vicki

Girls With Guns Member
Thank you Packy! Sure I can share what I do when making stir fry with kale.
I start with a tbsp or so of extra virgin olive oil and add a couple of tbsp of butter melting in a very large skillet that has a lid. I then dice up the head of broccoli so it's about 1/4 in thick using stem and florettes. Then I strip the leaves from the stalks of kale by hand and throw them in the sauteing broccoli.
(At this point I often throw spinach, mushrooms, slivered almonds or any number of others goodies in as well but didn't this time around)
Then I sprinkle liberally with Buck's seasoning and toss it and add the lid. I stir and flip it every so often. It cooks quickly, about 10 minutes. The broccoli should be just tender.

Buck's is my go to for stir frys and it's great on potatoes, meats. almost anything.It's all natural spices only. Good stuff and it comes in many varieties. I prefer the orange bar b que flavor.

Bucks.jpg
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Thank you Packy! Sure I can share what I do when making stir fry with kale.
I start with a tbsp or so of extra virgin olive oil and add a couple of tbsp of butter melting in a very large skillet that has a lid. I then dice up the head of broccoli so it's about 1/4 in thick using stem and florettes. Then I strip the leaves from the stalks of kale by hand and throw them in the sauteing broccoli.
(At this point I often throw spinach, mushrooms, slivered almonds or any number of others goodies in as well but didn't this time around)
Then I sprinkle liberally with Buck's seasoning and toss it and add the lid. I stir and flip it every so often. It cooks quickly, about 10 minutes. The broccoli should be just tender.

Buck's is my go to for stir frys and it's great on potatoes, meats. almost anything.It's all natural spices only. Good stuff and it comes in many varieties. I prefer the orange bar b que flavor.

View attachment 191192

Thank you!
 

Seeker22

Has No Life - Lives on TB
That looks incredible! Got a recipe for that last photo? I'm jelly I want a greenhouse and so bad, or at least a tunnel cover, but we don't have the room unfortunately.

I tried that kind of greenhouse. The winds off the scarp knocked it flat. Sigh. Tunnel covers, row covers, not out here. Even heavily weighted down, the wind will still rip that stuff up and away.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I tried that kind of greenhouse. The winds off the scarp knocked it flat. Sigh. Tunnel covers, row covers, not out here. Even heavily weighted down, the wind will still rip that stuff up and away.

I live in town and my garden is protected on four sides by buildings and trees, lots of trees. I'm going to try this one this fall, I hope it's the correct video.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qwyFEmTsmM&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR0p7nDAP2HfTY9enCOM9tsxg4y2O5DWip-TBeD-u_dHikLuQ3HDnoiph5w
 

DustyOpal

Contributing Member
I had no idea there was a gardening section! So glad I was made aware on the main!

I wasn't sure if I was going to have much of a garden this year because of abdominal surgery I had last month and then an upcoming elective surgery scheduled for June (which isn't going to happen for several reasons) so I am running behind on my seed starting. I usually have a garden that I tinker in myself because it's a hobby I enjoy, but this year my family is helping since having a garden might prove to be pretty important. We actually tilled up our front yard (only workable space - - we live on a mountain and most of our 1.75 acres is wooded and sloped) to plant 50 pounds of potatoes and other plants that the deer hopefully won't bother. I have a fenced in area that is more of a cottage garden than your typical garden...this year I'm going to plant in a more traditional way to help maximize space. I sowed peas, several different kinds of lettuce, kale, swiss chard, bok choy, radishes, and beets yesterday. I also replanted some volunteer garlic babies that I must have missed the scapes from last year. The heads won't be very big, but it's garlic just the same.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I had no idea there was a gardening section! So glad I was made aware on the main!

I wasn't sure if I was going to have much of a garden this year because of abdominal surgery I had last month and then an upcoming elective surgery scheduled for June (which isn't going to happen for several reasons) so I am running behind on my seed starting. I usually have a garden that I tinker in myself because it's a hobby I enjoy, but this year my family is helping since having a garden might prove to be pretty important. We actually tilled up our front yard (only workable space - - we live on a mountain and most of our 1.75 acres is wooded and sloped) to plant 50 pounds of potatoes and other plants that the deer hopefully won't bother. I have a fenced in area that is more of a cottage garden than your typical garden...this year I'm going to plant in a more traditional way to help maximize space. I sowed peas, several different kinds of lettuce, kale, swiss chard, bok choy, radishes, and beets yesterday. I also replanted some volunteer garlic babies that I must have missed the scapes from last year. The heads won't be very big, but it's garlic just the same.

Glad to see you here... that's great that you have family helping you with the garden. You may want to consider netting or some type of fencing to prevent the deer from eating your garden. Dogs also help keep the deer away, but that's not a 100% guarantee.
 

DustyOpal

Contributing Member
Glad to see you here... that's great that you have family helping you with the garden. You may want to consider netting or some type of fencing to prevent the deer from eating your garden. Dogs also help keep the deer away, but that's not a 100% guarantee.

My normal garden does have a fence. Last year it was 6 feet, which wasn't tall enough....they still got in. My husband and boys added another 4 feet last week. The garden I put in with the potatoes is more temporary and we are trying to save money since DH isn't working right now, so I am hoping to put things in the deer won't bother as much....if that's even possible.

Our dog is a basset hound, and she has no desire to leave the house.
 

DustyOpal

Contributing Member
Today I repotted about 2 dozen tomato plants and moved them out to the greenhouse (unheated). It's supposed to be overcast the next couple of days, so that should give them time to acclimate. It's a little late, but I went around and took some elderberry cuttings. Hopefully I can get some to start, though I've never tried when they've already leafed out a little.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
Today I repotted about 2 dozen tomato plants and moved them out to the greenhouse (unheated). It's supposed to be overcast the next couple of days, so that should give them time to acclimate. It's a little late, but I went around and took some elderberry cuttings. Hopefully I can get some to start, though I've never tried when they've already leafed out a little.

I've never done a cutting from a bush or tree, am curious to know how your cuttings turn out.
 

DustyOpal

Contributing Member
I've never done a cutting from a bush or tree, am curious to know how your cuttings turn out.

I've done it before with elderberry, forsythia, gooseberry, and currants. I have had good success, but I take the cutting before the leaves are on it. I don't use rooting hormone. I just cut at a slant and put it in a pot of dirt and water it. I let the rain take care of watering it after that because you don't want it to rot, but I will water if it's been really dry. By the end of the season there should be a decent amount of roots. I usually overwinter in the pot and plant the following spring, but I'm sure you could plant that fall.
 

mecoastie

Veteran Member
Garden s a bit of a mess as I was gone most of the summer last year. Got the asparagus and rhubarb beds cleaned out. PLanting greens peas and onions this weekend once I reengine the tiller. The kids are repottng the tomato starts and starting a bunch of other stuff. I pick up the Fedco depot order tomorrow and Johnnys should ship at the end of the month.
 

Tarryn

Senior Member
I didn't realize there was a gardening forum. I had not planned on a garden this year, since we were trying to get the house ready to sell. That has been put on hold because of corona, so we tilled up the garden in March. I got peas, lettuce and spinach in the ground so far.
I'm in the burbs and have an odd backyard. So I'm just working with what I've got.
 

packyderms_wife

Neither here nor there.
I didn't realize there was a gardening forum. I had not planned on a garden this year, since we were trying to get the house ready to sell. That has been put on hold because of corona, so we tilled up the garden in March. I got peas, lettuce and spinach in the ground so far.
I'm in the burbs and have an odd backyard. So I'm just working with what I've got.

Welcome to the gardening forum! I live in town and have a weird backyard as well so have quite a few raised beds.
 

Esto Perpetua

Veteran Member
Yikes! Today isn't supposed to be a good planting day. Too wiped out from doing front and back yard to cultivate though. Not going to do that until I have stuff to plant.

My daughter and I made a bunch of seedling trays. We're going to do a little of everything and see what sticks. We're not too good at this and not a lot of space or sun so just doing the best we can tucking plants in here and there in the perimeter of the backyard.
 

DustyOpal

Contributing Member
So this week, I planted corn in the flat part of the front yard where we tilled up the ground. I bought a pack of heirloom sweet corn (Buhl Sweet) from Baker Creek. There was about 120ish seeds in the pack and we planted them all. I've never had such a big patch. We don't have enough money to put in a proper fence, so I'm not sure what we are going to do to keep animals out, but it was worth the $3.00 to give it a try.

Our potatoes haven't sprouted yet. I think we put them in about two weeks ago. I haven't planted potatoes for about 10 years because they just take up too much space, so I'm not sure when to expect them to come up. I read it can be anywhere from 14-28 days.

I also planted parsnips for the first time and ordered some rutabaga and turnip seeds because no one seems to sell them or they are all sold out around here. I thought I'd delve into root crops for storage. My husband seems pretty interested in putting in a root cellar.

Most of our front yard is very sloped. It has been nothing but grass and very difficult to mow, but last year I planted some fruit trees, elderberry and gooseberry bushes I started from cuttings, and am slowly trying to convert it into a "food forest". I am digging mini swales on contour to help with erosion and run off and putting in as many perennials that I can (focusing on medicinal herbs). I bought 50 strawberry plants for a ground cover and put in some Egyptian walking onions this week. I also just broadcasted some lettuce seeds around here and there so there was something growing everywhere in the sections where I've worked so far.

I dug up my Jerusalem Artichokes to move out of my garden since they are invasive. Sadly, most of them were gone. We have a bad vole problem, and I'm not quite sure what to do about that. Mole traps don't work. I transplanted what I could find somewhere else, but now I'm worried that the deer are going to finish them off. I'm sad because they were actually pretty tasty roasted around a chicken.

Someone on the main board suggested The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe, so I purchased it and am almost through it. I went ahead and ordered some Sweet Meat squash and Costata Romanesca seeds. I'm excited to try them out!

Lastly, I started a bunch of seeds. Mostly flowers and herbs, but some warmer weather things like squashes, cantaloupe, and watermelon. I have no idea where I'm going to put them all, but I'll figure it out. I'll probably start some more today since it's going to be raining all day, but it's hard to say what.

It's been a good April!!
 

ginnie6

Veteran Member
Our garden is in except for the okra, I won't plant it till later. So far all looks good. I wish I had planted more spaghetti squash instead of the delicata though since its unproven seed. I'm gonna look around and see if I can find a place to start a few more seeds. We've got about 72 tomato plants going and that should be enough to eat and can. The potatoes in buckets look good so we'll see how they do. If they work then I'll definitely be putting in a potato patch this fall for next year. I'm going to try sweet potatoes too but its not warm enough for them yet. The first planting of green beans are up and look good. I'm trying to make sure I have enough for us and both of the married girls. One sil says he has enough plants to make our garden look small but he's never actually kept up with a garden so we will see. He will hunt and provide meat for us so I will garden for them. I tell ya though if this garden produces good I am going to be busy this summer. I'm also going to start going to the farmers market to see what I can find there....in a mask and gloves of course!
 
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