Who's starting their garden early?

[patandchickens]

I start my seeds in the basement (it's a bit cool for them but there's no space available upstairs). Well, I put them atop the kitchen cabinets til they germinate, most things, but move them downstairs to the lights once they're up.

I have several 4' fluorescents hanging over an old card table, on whose legs I've taped "mouse guards" after losing several crops to basement mice Same setup as most people - lights on chains for easy adjustment, and white cardboard propped here and there for light reflection around the edges. They're not too far from a ceiling heat vent so they get a light breeze every time the furnace runs, and do quite well that way. Heat-lovers like tomatoes or peppers are on a heat mat, everything else just has to put up with coolth (basement is usually about 13 C by the time I start my first seeds in March).

This year I think I will try an extra-early Jan or Feb sowing of spinach, to try to raise in a little covered thingamabob in the chicken coop building.

Our usual last frost date here is in the first week of June so there is no hurry

Pat

 

[ams3651]

My son brought home a bunch of 2 x 4 s and I plan to make a small green house to get a few things started like watermelon and cantaloupe.

 

[Henrietta23]

Got my first seed catalog today!

 

[Bebop]

FarmerChick - Do you have extra daikon seeds? I had some Miyashige daikon seeds, but I can't find them and I've been wanting to plant some... ;_;
I have edamame seeds if you like that sort of thing, but I also have a bunch of other seeds!
>^.^<

 

[FarmerChick]

I have tons of April Cross and White Icicle.
They grow big and that is what my customers like in this area. Need some?

 

[erthymom2]

in the fall i shoveled troughs in our raised beds so i could put mashed up or cut up peelings, veggies, etc. for composting.

I go out, dump the bucket into one section push some soil or snow over it and move to the next raised bed when that is full.

i use my blended to chop the heck out of the stuff before i put it in - makes it really fine.

 

[TanksHill]

I took one more huge step towards my SS yesterday. I guess it could be called gardening early. I picked up 5 new fruit trees from the local store. 3 citrus, Navel Orange, Blood orange, and a tangerine. Two new avocados. I know they take forever to fruit so I wanted to get them in asap. Oh, and a fig. My little hill is stating to fill up. I may need to start going down hill the other direction. I cant wait for the oranges next year.

We just had a rain so the ground was very soft. Mixed in some of that wonderful horse compost I got a couple months ago. We are expecting rain again on Mon. So hey will be watered in nice. I love fruit trees.

I am still waiting for my leaves to drop so I can start pruning. Need to be a bit aggressive with it this year. My neighbor is going to help me straighten out my apple trees. They look more like bushes right now. LOL.

 

[Bebop]

I'm not into hybrids, but what does the white icicle taste like?
>^.^<

 

[Cassandra]

Hmm... what have I done so far... Well, I just coudln't stand it any more so I made the little greenhouse. Plus I've got some onions planted that I put in probably six weeks ago.

I keep reading that asparagus needs to be planted in January or Feb, so I've got to sit down and order that in the next week or so. After I recover (emotionally and financially) from holiday shopping, it will be easier to do some garden shopping. I don't order very much off the internet, though. I like to try to get things locally. But I don't have a local supplier of asparagus.


Cassandra

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

We aren't starting our garden early, but we are trying to save some money to buy a pair of greenhouses. The guy wants $1100 for one large and one small greenhouse framing and it comes with a new roll of plastic enough to cover the small greenhouse. DH and I just want the small greenhouse to start, and my mom would like the large one, so we might be going in with my mom to get them both so we can all have what we want.