[RedSpruce]

@hikr00 we planted a raspberry and a blackberry cane last year. The deer browsed the buds off. 😔. I’ll have to talk to Hubby about protecting them this year too.

We’re under a foot of snow here rightnow. I want to get on the deck and into the deck box for the netting for the garden, and for supplies to start seeds.

Here’s our current plan for the raised bed garden…complete with pricing it out. Hubby thinks we only need 2x2 supports, but I think we’ll need 2x4s. Still I appeased him and planned for 2x2s.

 

[hikr00]

@RedSpruce those crazy deer! We have a group around here that feasted on our cedar trees the last two winters. The first winter they nailed all of them and last year they only grazed on a few. I didn’t realize they ate raspberries too.

 

[RedSpruce]

Cedars too?! Maybe that’s why ours aren’t doing so well. They eat the hosta buds and the Solomon’s seal buds too.

 

[hikr00]

@RedSpruce oh yes, the six of them thoroughly enjoyed the cedars. I took this yesterday during the blizzard so it’s not ultra clear but can you see the cedars closest to the camera? They are bushy on top but not much greenery on the bottom. Darn deer. We can tell how tall they are by how far up they eat. Lol

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Deer are welcome to eat the cedars here, they are invasive and suck water away from native species.

It was 74 today, DH and I pruned out 1/3 of the overgrown Burning Bush in our front yard. DH was also able to use the saw on some pesky trash trees in my wildflower bed on the side of the garage. It's supposed to get cold and wet later this week, with temps in the 30's by next Sunday, so it's good we could do this now.

I'm looking through my box of seed from last year. I have:

2 kinds of tomatoes
bok choy*
sage
coriander
a giant pepper I did not try last year (was a freebie)
beets*
snap peas*
3 zucchini/squash (dated 2021, may not grow)
2 radish*
chive
another tomato
chamomile
spinach*
lettuce*

* denotes seeds I can plant after March 15

I can go tomorrow, get my membership card with the community garden, and see if they have onion sets. Those can go in soon, too.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

I forgot the seeds I had in the kitchen. Some of these did not get planted last year.

pickling cucumber
bush beans
giant snow peas*
swiss chard*
shishito pepper
cucumber
rainbow beets*
mesclun (lettuce mix)*
thai basil

 

[Zhoen]

The deck / patio planting worked really well.

I am jealous! Our deck is south facing with zero shade... anything we put out there just roasts to death in the summer.

RedSpruce, are you recycling trellising from somewhere else in your yard? I see it in your picture, but not in your price workup. (Nice drawing, btw, I can't draw for crud...)

 

[RedSpruce]

RedSpruce, are you recycling trellising from somewhere else in your yard? I see it in your picture, but not in your price workup. (Nice drawing, btw, I can't draw for crud...)

Thanks! Good catch. I missed that. Usually we set up 6’ bamboo poles and string chicken wire between them. We have both already.

 

[hikr00]

@Zhoen well darn it all. Can’t do much about location of the deck in conjunction with the sun. Our deck gets sun most of the day but towards mid afternoon the sun changes and it gets shady- best of both worlds. Do you have an elevated garden on wheels that you could move around the yard? I almost got one last year so I could follow the sun. But I decided to try the deck first and since that worked I didn’t pursue the elevated planter. Might be an idea?

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Got my garden membership today. It comes with 10 free packs of seed, but they did not have the lettuce yet, and that is all I need right now. I bought enough onion sets to do one row. I got my free bag of chicken poo fertilizer. Also took two free buckets from the big pile that had been donated.

We have several days of rain coming, so I reminded DH to weed-and-feed the grass, but I'm sure he'll "forget".

 

[hikr00]

CH that’s a great deal! Have fun with it. Did they have any idea when they’d get the lettuce in? Can you go back and get it when they restock?

 

[Contrary Housewife]

It may be a couple of weeks. I can go in anytime during the growing year, they give us a punch card and just mark off when we use our benefits. Next month I'll be able to buy a certain number of seedlings for reduced prices. Considering how expensive plants got at local nurseries that is a big help.

 

[hikr00]

CH that’s a great set up. I don’t think we have anything like that around here. Wish we did!

 

[RedSpruce]

@Contrary Housewife , you’ve motivated me to pull out my seeds to see what I have.

dalvay peas
Touchon carrots
Eureka cucumber
New Ace Pepper
Mountain Magic Tomato
Plum Regal Tomato
Early Jalapeño Pepper
Aldrin Beans
Custard beans
Korean radish
Blue curled Scotch kale
Bull’s blood beets
Chioggia beets
Rover radish
Kaleidoscope Swiss chard
Swiss chard mix
Seaside spinach
Redbor kale
Lakeside spinach
Black magic kale
Purple prince turnip
Prizm kale
White satin carrots
Red Sun carrots
Rally leeks
Red baron onions
Conservor shallots onion
Cantaloupe

Herbs:
Cilantro
Sweet marjoram
Lemon balm
Borage
Dill
Panorama bee balm
Forest green parsley
Prospera basil

I am not going to be able to fit all this in my garden this year. I’m going to have to pick and choose.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Redspruce, that's a good collection. Many I have never heard of, and probably wouldn't grow here.

I've got a lot of flower seeds I am debating planting. I've had fabulous sunflowers in the past, last year was a complete bust, and I can't grow zinnias to save my life, even though everyone says they are easy. But the pretty seed packets always catch my eye.

I think I got rid of everything from 2020 and earlier, but I'll have one more sort to be sure.

 

[RedSpruce]

I've got a lot of flower seeds I am debating planting. I've had fabulous sunflowers in the past, last year was a complete bust, and I can't grow zinnias to save my life, even though everyone says they are easy. But the pretty seed packets always catch my eye.

I think I got rid of everything from 2020 and earlier, but I'll have one more sort to be sure.

I have some nasturtium seeds and marigold seeds too. Mostly for pest control in the garden.

Some of my seed is from 2020. I have no idea if it’s still viable. I store it in my fridge. I heard somewhere that maintains germination rates over the long term. I have no idea if it’s true or not! But it seems to be working so far.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Well, the 2020 seed might come up, or it might not. If it doesn't, then I've wasted two weeks. So I try to buy new seed every 2 years. I think some seeds just last longer, and some have better germination rates to begin with. I had a lot of seed last year that simply did not grow, and it was all from one brand.

 

[RedSpruce]

@Contrary Housewife , yeah. That’s kind of my take on it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I may as well try the seed and see what happens!

 

[RedSpruce]

Picked up another plant tray, 2 larger pot inserts for when the plants get bigger and 2 bags of starter mix today hoping to start some seeds indoors tomorrow.

 

[hikr00]

MyAerogarden arrived! Happy birthday to me. Yahoo! We have our granddaughters Winter Chorus Concert tonight so the planting will have to wait till tomorrow but I’m so excited.