What Did You Do In Your Garden Today?

[vfem]

VFEM, can you let me know how you start your berry seeds, and how well they sprout and grow?

ChickieMama is the one with the berry seeds. I've never grown them that way before!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

VFEM, can you let me know how you start your berry seeds, and how well they sprout and grow?

ChickieMama is the one with the berry seeds. I've never grown them that way before!

thanks for chiming in. i thought i missed something since i haven't fully read this thread.

Marshall, i took a flat and just layered the bottom with moist soil, i used a compost mix but nothing fancy is really needed. sprinkled the berry seeds over the top and then covered them with a light layer of sphagnum moss to keep them moist while still allowing light to get through to the seeds. i put them outside since we still have some chilly weather that can help the stratification process they need. i figured this planting is close to what my black raspberries and blackberries are already growing and thriving in my backyard. and there are tons of small wild strawberries growing nearby the same areas.

i mixed up the seeds so i won't be sure of the actual type until it grows and i see certain traits. they were probably cross pollinated to begin with since i got them from someone on ebay. i did keep all like berries together though so i know one flat is the strawberries, another is high bush blueberries, black raspberries, and the red and gold raspberries are together.

blueberries, raspberries and blackberries can take a month or 2 to germinate, but i guess it can go quicker if i had my greenhouse up to give them some early warmth. (which is one of my projects this year ) i am probably a little late in the year to be starting them. seems per Univ. of Maine says to start the low bush blueberries in January or February, and other sites mention the same time with the raspberries/blackberries.

 

[897tgigvib]

Oh woops...embarrassed face...sorry about that mix up

I'm going to be soon starting berry seeds myself, hopefully purposely cross pollinated.

 

[vfem]

The last two days have really drained me. Wednesday was mostly hauling and building and I didn't get any planting. I didn't think I would have my feet under me to do any of the planting until maybe this weekend.

Then of course they called for rain last night and into this afternoon.... so how could I pass up a FREE watering in the garden? Well I couldn't. So I dragged myself out drained and aching on Thursday after work, and got to planting. I put in all the started tomatoes I had left that hardened off well (I only ended up with 6 survivers, but that's ok it was 3 each of the only 2 varieties I wanted I could only get as seeds). Then I got the seeds for the cukes, mini pumpkins, both our melons and zukes in!

That took everything I had in me and its too early for the corn and sorghum anyways. I'll get the sunflowers in Saturday after work and will just have to hand water that bed I guess.

Tonight, I will sleep like a log!

 

[ducks4you]

Planted my "salad Garden"!! Planted lettuce, radishes and onion sets--about 100, planted in 2 staggered rows right inside the wooden borders. Sounds like no big deal, but I covered it with plastic for several weeks, then weeded, than raked in some compost and planted RIGHT before the big rainstorm we got wednesday afternoon.

 

[majorcatfish]

well after the rain this morning built 4 raised beds was able to fill 2 of them, spent the rest of the time on the phone working on a electrical problem on one of the chambers down at work..
but did plant the potato's in one.
oh yes did get a wee bit of a sunburn..
going at it again in the morning. Yes pictures will be posted

 

[retiredwith4acres]

Finally on Monday afternoon we planted 6 rows corn, 3 rows potatoes, 2 rows onions, beets, and snow peas. Then on Tuesday I planted 4 tomato plants in a raised bed. We are waiting on our new garden spot to get ready for a last tilling before finishing planting. I have my lettuce boat almost ready for eating and cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts in a large raised bed. For some reason I am not in gardening mood as I was last year. Need a little more sleep so I can have more energy. By this time last year we had a full garden growing and well on way to harvest time. Weather is the time determiner for sure.

 

[digitS']

I've got something more to report but didn't think of it until now. I really just showed up here because I saw that '4acres had posted. You had a bountiful year in 2012! It was fun following your success. Lot of folks nearby were really struggling with the weather last year and you just seemed to have gotten thru just the right windows, '4acres. Now, the weather is dragging you down. I know how it is. It must be the interest just behind gardening for me and that's because I'm so dependent on good weather for a good gardening experience. One thing, I really get tired being out in dreadful weather and during the growing season, I often have no choice!

Anyway, I got a 100 sqft bed of spuds in! Same as last year, Yukon Golds and Sangre. It occurred to me the other day that weather may have interfered with the Yukons last year. So why wouldn't it have hampered the Sangre? I think that most veggie varieties are on their own development cycle and vulnerable to one thing or another because of where they are at any one given moment. Weather has a great big influence on them!

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

What? Your potatoes are already in? Wow! Are you also planning a later crop for storage this year Steve?

My potatoes won't even get here until Monday ( I hope ), and then I'm going to chit them for a couple weeks. What's your soil temp been? I still haven't figured out where I put my soil thermometer... :/

 

[digitS']

Thistle', the sprouts on them were getting pretty long and the temperature at 4" down in the most sheltered, sunniest bed I've got was 51 at noon, about a week ago. Yeah, they are deeper than 4" but that is how I've been doing it.

My garden soil has really dried out and has been very workable. It just hasn't been in the cards for me to get out there to do anything and, that's okay too. Looks like it will get worse before it gets better but I am hoping that better weather is just around the corner.

I thought about leaving space for some storage spuds and I may do that, have been claiming that intention for the last couple of years. If there is going to be more than 100sqft, I have to. I certainly won't be planting any more than that to earlies and mids again, with only 2 people in the house.

Steve