[renmerc446]

Despite all the snow still on the ground, I'm getting excited about my garden. I've signed on with my community garden again and the meeting to pay-up on dues and getting started is at the end of March. I wonder if most of the snow will be gone by then. This has been one of the snowiest winters in a looooong while in my area.

I've already been eyeing up some pea 'seeds'. I'm probably going to go with my usual cukes and tomatoes as well but I really enjoyed the peas this past year. So I'm definitely doing that again this year and more of them, especially since they're supposed to help bind nitrogen into the ground. So I'm going to put them either where the cukes or tomatoes were this past year. Probably where the cukes were since that's where I had tomatoes the year before that.

I'm thinking I may get some melons (cantalopes) this year as well. I tried last year but I think I put the one plant in the ground too late. It didn't take. Ah... planning, planning....

 

[Zhoen]

And where (in general) is "(your) area"?

 

[mauimagic]

Don't you just love the planning part?! Looking forward to hearing more about your garden - plans and success!

 

[daylily]

Rotating your crops is a great idea. We do that in our big gardens. We never have much luck with regular peas but the sugar peas that you eat pod and all do really well. These are the fat ones. Snow peas are the flat ones and they do well too.

 

[renmerc446]

And where (in general) is "(your) area"?

I'm a little farther north from you, Zhoen. Sorry for the delayed response, haven't been able to get to this website in a while. The snow's melted with the exception of the really large piles in the mall parking lots all over the place. And the 'opening' weekend for the garden is in two weeks so I'm really getting excited.

And yeah, I love the planning but reaping the rewards of all the work is better. lol

I picked up some seeds already - carrots, peas, and catalope seeds. I can't wait to see what color the carrots are since the seeds are a sort of "mixed bag". I got hooked on the different color carrots when one of the vendors at my local farmer's market started selling them. It's a good way to get hooked on carrots, right? lol Now to try out the different color potatoes. The cukes and tomato plants I'll wait until May when the farmer's market opens because they'll already be sprouted and hardened off. That and I like to support my local farmers.

 

[renmerc446]

This Saturday is the 'season opener' for my community garden although some people have already started working on their plots. Yay. Hopefully my neighbor is able to get into the garden this year. She and her parents were interested last year but I didn't get a chance to let them know about it until too late in the season. But this weekend, it's supposed to rain. That should be good since it should help with preparing the earth. I just have to remember to bring the seeds I do have already.

 

[renmerc446]

Got my peas planted. Now I have to get the carrot seeds in the ground soon. I do have to finish prepping the rest of the plot (less than a quarter of the plot). I have an opportunistic strawberry plant that made its way into my plot from the one next to mine. (The family who was gardening there planted some plants last year but life must have happened...) So I'll have some strawberries for free but I do have to watch that they don't take over. The family that had a whole big patch of strawberries moved so they won't be coming back (at least they let the coordinator know they weren't coming back). So we'll have a community strawberry party and remove the plants after the strawberry season's over.

 

[renmerc446]

My plot's pretty much been turned with the exception of one small area that I should be able to take care of in one go. Now I need to find some organic fertilizer that I need to rake into what I've got done. The peas and carrot seeds are in the ground. Found that there are more than one opportunistic strawberry plants coming in from both sides of the plots now. I need to figure out which ones I want to get rid of.

Since this is a community garden, everyone involved with it has to put some work into the communal areas over the next couple of weeks. Given that my plot's pretty much done and the farmer's market hasn't opened for the season yet, this is a good time to do that.

 

[Durgan]

My plot's pretty much been turned with the exception of one small area that I should be able to take care of in one go. Now I need to find some organic fertilizer that I need to rake into what I've got done. The peas and carrot seeds are in the ground. Found that there are more than one opportunistic strawberry plants coming in from both sides of the plots now. I need to figure out which ones I want to get rid of.

Since this is a community garden, everyone involved with it has to put some work into the communal areas over the next couple of weeks. Given that my plot's pretty much done and the farmer's market hasn't opened for the season yet, this is a good time to do that.

What tropical part of the country do you live in?

 

[renmerc446]

Midatlantic states area. It's been cold the past couple of days but it was warm until yesterday. Got some snow, I think, Tuesday evening but it must've melted by the time I got up yesterday. But it's pretty much been warm enough to get the carrot seeds and peas in the ground since they're seeds and not plants just yet. The strawberry plants are from the plots next to mine and are from previous years. So they've been working their way underground over the winter.

The plot that's being overrun by strawberries have been there for three years. Since the person who planted them moved, the community's going to enjoy them unless someone takes over the plot. I think people are hoping that it doesn't get taken over so we can all share...

 

[renmerc446]

The local farmer's market opens this Saturday. So I'll be able to get my cukes and tomato plants soon. But the peas are starting to come up. Yay. I loved having peas last year. Also learned how to create a potato mound. That's where you put up a frame, line it with paper (such as paper bags from the grocery store) and put dirt in the lined frame. Then plant some potatoes. As the plant grows, you put in more dirt so that the plant makes more spuds. It looks cool. I'm learning so many things just by being at this community garden.

Oh, and our garden seems to have a mascot - a red tailed hawk. I saw him the other day while I was talking with the garden coordinator (and fellow gardener). That was the second time she saw him. I'm sure he's there because the garden makes for easy pickings with the moles, voles, and all but that means he's also taken care of them for us.

 

[renmerc446]

Some tomato and cucumber plants picked up and planted. I do want to keep an eye out for some more cucumber plants. The ones I picked up are Chinese cukes. I'm looking for 'regular' cukes. The plants I planted are coming along. The strawberry plants are doing very well.

 

[renmerc446]

Picked up some pickling cucumber plants from the farmer's market last Saturday. They're in the ground and they seem to be doing better than the other cukes I picked up the week before. Now I just have to remember to put the cantalope seeds in. I like cantalope but don't think to pick them up at the store. Someone suggested double planting them with the peas so that when the peas are done, the cantalopes are just starting to be ready. I'm glad I'm getting a bit more adventurous with my garden. Slowly but surely.

 

[renmerc446]

I don't seem to have any luck with Chinese cucumber plants. I seem to have lost one, another isn't doing that well but the other two are starting to look like they may make it this year. The pickling cukes are doing well though. I have flowers on my tomatoes. The peas are coming along as well and I think I may have carrots, despite neglecting the massive watering they seem to need when first planted. I've planted some cantalope this past week so we'll see how they do. The strawberries are doing well since they don't have much competition from other strawberry plants. I saw one in an empty plot that was almost ready to pick. One side was a glorious red, the other side wasn't. I can't wait for the first fresh berries. I do like my frozen berries but fresh strawberries are so worth it.

 

[renmerc446]

I think I have carrots despite my original neglect of them after planting. Then again, we're getting rain on a regular basis. Had a few fresh strawberries already. Yum! Two of the Chinese cucumber plants have survived although at least one hasn't. The pea plants are coming along as are the tomatoes. The lavender is definitely a happy camper, especially since I didn't try and rip it out of the ground like I did last year. I might trade some lavender with one of my fellow gardeners since theirs died over the winter. Not sure about the cantalopes. This is the first year I've tried them and I'm growing them from seed.

 

[renmerc446]

I have some green tomatoes on the two grape tomato plants. So I may have tomatoes before I have peas. Although the pea plants do have some flowers on them. Definitely have carrots although they do need some more time for the carrots themselves to get bigger. I think I have flowers on my cucumber plants but everything is now a waiting game at the moment. It's been cooler this June than it was last year and the spring was late this year as well. Sigh.

 

[renmerc446]

Now have some pea pods on my plants. Not quite ready, as of Monday at least, but almost there. The grape tomatoes are almost ready too. Starting to see cucumbers. They're really small but at least they're coming along. Just had a couple of a hot days so I can't wait to see how the plants react to that.

 

[renmerc446]

Finally able to harvest my peas. I also got a couple of tomatoes as well. Now to figure out who to give them to.

 

[bumplett]

I'd love to see pictures!!

 

[renmerc446]

Sorry, I haven't taken pictures of my garden.

Most of my peas are done. But I think a couple of them show signs of new flowers which means new peas. My tomatoes are coming in now as well. And it looks like I have a couple cantalope plants growing now. I thought they weren't going to grow since I planted them as seed. I also planted some beans over the 4th of July weekend and some of them are starting to sprout. I was wondering what I was going to do in the 'second' half of the growing season with most of the plants either done or getting there. So I'm pleased to see the beans. Now I have to find other seeds that can be planted late.

Speaking of seeds, I dried some of my peas (some were dried on the vine) and I'm saving them for next year. We'll see how they work out next year.