Yesterday was just the most gorgeous day ever here. I managed to get outside for quite a while and got my onions in the ground. There were a lot of onions. Maybe 120-140? I should be good this summer and fall LOL.

What is not going as well are my tomatoes and peppers. Because we've had such extreme weather swings I've not been able to acclimate them to the outside sun, wind, and temps. I put them out for an hour two days ago and they just about fried. Gonna have to figure out a way to toughen them up quickly or I'll be buying them from the store this year.

Oh, for me too! I was planning to start my seeds yesterday, and it worked out, except for it being rather windy. I put up the 4-tier greenhouse my neighbour had given me (which was quite a trial with all the wind...) and then put the seeds in the flats indoors. A friend gave me three starting pots she had not used. So, with the greenhouse and starting pots, no ice-cream carry-out containers this year. (though I still like the idea, since it worked well.)

What I started:

-basil in two pots
- Roma Tomatoes
- Alicante Tomatoes
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Jalapeno peppers
- Cayenne peppers
- Golden Treasure peppers
- Okra
- Eggplant
- Marigold

The maximum I chose (except for the Marigolds) was 6 of any variety. I overplanted so much last year, and it being my first year, I had all my resources and attention on so many plants, and so many things to do that I got nothing except for herbs and the one eggplant plant that I had given up on. I'm hoping this will not be the case this year.

Aand, and, and, and and aaaaand! My parents bought me a manual tiller today! It's a twist tiller with 6 spikes on the bottom. It works wonderfully. It takes away 60% of my job. It really, really beats hacking at the soil with a large crowbar, breaking it up, and trying to shovel it. I just tried it out today and it was wonderful.
As for the raised bed... I haven't given up on the idea, but I've let it aside. I don't think it will be absolutely necessary.

Question: I was reading previous pages, and I saw that someone asked if they had to pull the extra plants out if they planted 3 seeds in the same pot. Do I have to pull two out if I've planted three? Last year, I just separated all three from each other when they were about an inch or so tall and put them in separate pots, and that seemed to work fine. Is it okay to continue doing that?

EDIT 4/10/13:
It took five days for me to realize my folly in leaving just-started seeds in my greenhouse, especially in the low temperatures and rain. So, if I have not utterly resigned them to being dormant, I brought them back inside and made make-do greenhouses out of animal cracker containers. Pictures will come. Nothing is coming up... maybe tomorrow, when the soil warms up, things will start happening. The sun will not be coming out tomorrow, according to the forecast. I hope the forecast is wrong for at least one hour, for the sake of my plants.

I also realized how important compost is. We have at least one cup of loose-leaf tea daily, leaves, and lawn clippings - all, I take, perfect fodder for home-made compost. I have been thinking about a compost bin, but it is an investment, so I'll have to be buying stuff this year.

I have a question about composting -
I know I could compost without the container. We had been throwing our grass clippings in a pile and last fall, I threw some clippings and leaves in one dug up area (and it really helped the soil.) I have clay soil that badly needs amendment so any kind of organic matter is great. I'm just throwing the tea leaves, grass, and leaves right into the soil and mixing it in right now.

But, yes, outside composting - it works for leaves and grass, but I'm not comfortable putting kitchen scraps there because I don't want to invite a rodent infestation. I've seen am moise there, and raccoons, of course, and something seems to have burrowed in the yard.
I don't have a huge backyard, so I can't get the compost pile out of the way, and as our cats like being in the yard, I don't want to leave something that could be dangerous for them. So, not so hot on outside composting ...

Compost bins and tumblers, though, ... those I'm interested in, since organic matter is so important for gardens, and we have so much compostable material. Would these cause problems with rodents? I know tumblers are rather expensive, but if they are more suburban-friendly, then I don't mind considering the investment. I really don't want to invite shrews and racoons more than they already naturally come.. so maybe composting is out of the idea for now? *shrugs* [/ramble]

EDIT 4/10/13:

If it's been over 24 hours just double post, we don't mind. Otherwise your addition may be missed.

I brought them back inside and made make-do greenhouses out of animal cracker containers.

On your question about outdoor composting, this isn't something I've had to deal with. We have mice and rabbits that have gotten into our compost, but they don't cause a problem. Ours is surrounded by old scrap pallets that companies give away for free just to get rid of them. It keeps our dog out and the compost contained, but it's certainly not critter proof by any means. My sister has a tumbler and I think she likes it, but the style I've seen that's becoming very popular is the three bin system.
http://www.composterconnection.com/imag ... system.jpg
Again, I don't know how well it'll keep unwanted animals out, but it LOOKS like it would do a fairly good job.

Still having gardening woes this year. In addition to the onions, we got our shallots planted outside. They should have been planted last fall but that didn't happen due to baby excitment. So I'm not sure what to expect from them. But I've been hesitant to put anything else outside thanks to our finicky weather. We're expecting another hard freeze on Thursday. I probably ought to get some root veggies started. My husband wants beets, carrots, turnips, and parsnips and I think those could all safely go in.

The peppers that survived have stablized, so I'm good to go on those. The tomatoes... not good. I'll be amazed if I even have more than a small handful survive. I should probably restart some of those if I want them in my garden this year. Most of our days have been nice enough now that I could put them in the greenhouse and then just bring them in overnight if I need to.

Thanks, Fantasia!

Hmm... those are all interesting composting options. Wow, the three-bin system is really neat! Is it enclosed in something, or open like that?

How have your gardening troubles been going? I hope they were okay in the snow y'all got!!

I have some very good gardening news:

- the seedlings are coming up. I'm not sure if it's because they are a year old seeds, but not all of them came up, and the tomatoes look pretty weak. I'll just see.

- I got a raised bed!!!!! God provided it in such an surprising way! I was wondering about my options: they were selling kits at the store, but I didn't know if I wanted to buy those, and I had no idea a) where I would get lumber or b) when I would find the time (and not to mention, the lack of skill) to build it.
However, yesterday, our neighbour (the same who gave me the greenhouse last year. Her husband and she were really warm and welcoming towards us. Unfortunately, he passed away last year. It was really painful to see him go like that.) came up to me and asked if I would like the raised bed that her husband had built. She said she was going to throw it out, but if I wanted it and if I could bring it over, it was mine, full of soil and all. I was completely floored - I only mentioned that I wanted a raised bed to my family. So, right now, there's a wonderful raised bed sitting in the nicest, sunniest spot of the garden. I need to get some garden bags for the other planting areas, but otherwise, gardening this year is looking a lot better! And the fact the raised bed has so much sentimental value makes it even more special.

I do not pretend to have a green thumb. In fact I'm more like Agent Orange when it comes to living plants, but I digress. I had an old potato in one of my kitchen storage racks. The potato itself was still edible, but of course the eyes had started to grow in and I thought to myself, "Self, why don't you try planting this outside? It is Spring afterall...". So I did, and it's growing! Also I had a pair of yellow onions on the same rack that had started to sprout some green shoots, so I planted those as well. They're both still alive, so cross your fingers that this trend continues.

Awww, that's so neat about that raised bed Bella, very cool! You'll have to let me know how everything grows in there. My husband has some cousins in the Kansas City area and they do raised gardens in their backyard. I think they look very nice.

SL, yes, that is in fact where some baby plants come from. I'll warn you about the onions though... as the new onion grows inside the old one, the old one will rot and turn into super-slime and coat your new onion.

Gardening news on my end is pretty minimal, but I do have some. The tomatoes I started are all dead. I can blame the constant cold weather snaps for that. No matter, it was going to be a minimal gardening year anyways, and I found my beloved Juliet tomatoes at a greenhouse this weekend, so I'm good . I also got some Jet Star tomatoes (new to me, starkat, didn't you plant these a couple years ago?), a couple Cherokee Purple tomatoes, and a Basil plant. A couple weekends ago my sister got me a set of Jalapenos and Habaneros, so between those and the few peppers I still have alive, I'm in good shape. My goal had been to plant them yesterday, but I was too busy with other stuff. Hopefully today, in between my kiddo taking naps, I can get out there and stick them in the ground.

My cherry tree that we babied through this crazy weather is blooming... hoping for cherries. My blueberries that we also babied are blooming... hoping for blueberries. (Those I can see coming on. ) The strawberries we overwintered in the greenhouse have gone mad putting on blooms. Maybe someday I'll get a big greenhouse and fill it with strawberries. I also have two grape plants in the greenhouse that look awesome so I think we're gonna plant those in our backyard against the fence so they have something to grow up.

All of my herbs look good, but I think herbs are just tasty weeds so no wonder they survived the winter weather. In fact I may need to take a shovel to a couple of them to knock them back, they're taking over!

My onions that I planted a few weeks ago look good. My shallots (new to me) look funny, but good. Each shallot looks like a bazillion onions coming up.

But my biggest gardening news which I think Jo and DiGs will particularly get a kick out of... I'm trying mushrooms. It wasn't exactly by choice, I had ordered a set for my sister for Christmas and the order got lost and they never came. When I finally called about it, they ended up shipping me two, so now she has one and I have one. Should be interesting to see what they do. When we were prepping them to get them to start growing, the mycelium I think it's called? looked like some kind of primordial ooze... very unappetizing.

I think local gardeners are a bit gun shy after all that snow last week.
But gardening friends (Ryadian's parents) have been starting plants indoors and are quite ready to get them outside should spring ever come.

They're also big fans of raised beds. Ryadian's father built a number of them about 10 years ago and they're still in use.

SL, yes, that is in fact where some baby plants come from. I'll warn you about the onions though... as the new onion grows inside the old one, the old one will rot and turn into super-slime and coat your new onion.

Ewww....and how do I prevent that? I know nothing about onions, just thought they'd grow and sprout flowers and what not...

I don't know about preventing it. You can just peel the nasty outside off of the good inside when you pick it, and then wash it really well.

UPDATES:
~I got 6 tomatoes planted, along with my basil at my house. I also planted 8 tomatoes out at the farm. I have been unable to find any place that carries San Marzano tomatoes so I will have to forgo those this year. I'm still waiting on a tomato plant from my sister and then those will be done.
~I opened up my box of mushrooms yesterday. It's molding very nicely inside. I should start seeing some shrooms growing soon.
~I need to get my peppers in the ground as soon as possible. Still acclimating my indoor peppers to the great outdoors, but my jalapenos and habaneros are ready to go in.

It's always interesting to read the posts here. Good to hear about your respective gardening progress, fantasia and Bella.

I love the idea of a raised bed, Bella! My elderly neighbour had one, and she actually did it in a tiered form. It looked so pretty. I recall some years she loaded it with strawberries, and wow, did they flourish! And very cool that you acquired your neighbour's raised bed. That's really special.

Great about discovering the demise of your peppers last year, fk. 'Tis nice it was such an easy remedy.

SL, howdy! That's fun about your eye-filled potato and your onion. How are they doing now, a few weeks later?

I also got some Jet Star tomatoes (new to me, starkat, didn't you plant these a couple years ago?)

Maybe kat did, but I get a tiny Jet Star or two every year (which you found out recently ) because they are just so delicious and grow quite easily. I'll be interested to hear how you like them, fk. And it was you who introduced me to Brandywines. Aside from loving that Middle-earth river name, the taste was phenomenal. One of my favourites, to be sure. I hope to get one or two plants in again this year. :

But my biggest gardening news which I think Jo and DiGs will particularly get a kick out of... I'm trying mushrooms.

Very cool! I would love to try home-grown mushrooms, mmmmmm! We have a mushroom factory just outside of town that we drive by on occasion, and, phew, it's a stinker, it is. One can always tell which way the wind is blowing on any given day.

A couple of weeks ago, our perennials began coming to life again. As with many here, our spring was more like winter this year, so their development is later than usual. Goodness, on Mother's Day we had abundant hail! And aside from a warm long weekend, the temperatures are dropping again with a low only a few degrees off freezing tomorrow night, so who knows what the plants will think?!

I plan to shop for my annuals and veggie garden seeds this Monday. One of our sons turned over my vegetable garden, so I am excited to get those little itty-bitty guys in the ground. Because of being away a couple of weeks in June, I will probably miss their first sprouting, which I always love to see, and woe betide my family here at home if they don't give TLC to the rows of seeds over that time. I hope to have peppers, cucumbers, beans, peas, and tomatoes. I may add to that yet, we'll see.

This past holiday Monday, we had an extremely productive day in the gardens and yard. Love days like that!

I hope to have peppers, cucumbers, beans, peas, and tomatoes. I may add to that yet, we'll see.

WHAT?!?!?! NO LETTUCE?!?!?!?! *gasps*

I can't believe it!

I have tried lettuce in the past (leaf) and it didn't turn out so well. I'd like to give it another go sometime, but not sure about this year. Besides, it's hard to keep the all the resident bunnies away from it.

I'm not much in the way of a gardener, but my parents replant the front flowerbed every year. This year, it was getting a bit on the bushy side. I didn't go in and totally top everything off. I do know that much. I went in and thinned out branches on the rose bushes that didn't look very good. Anything that looked dead. Trimmed back plants so other plants had enough room to actually breathe. I discovered our aphids infestation is back. So I sprayed everything too.

Anyone have any tips on ways to get rid of that issue?

A couple of years ago, our angel trumpet plant was in a ceramic pot that broke. It was late October. On the off chance it would survive, I turned around and stuck it in the ground that same night. It survived. Last year, before I had a chance to try and shape it, my dad chopped it down to about 2 foot off the ground. I shaped it a bit today. I opted for going tall so it wouldn't encroach on the grass line and knock anyone over trying to get through it. So we'll see what happens next with it.

SL, howdy! That's fun about your eye-filled potato and your onion. How are they doing now, a few weeks later?

They're doing well . Of course I can't really check on the onions because they're underground, or the potato for that matter, but they're still sprouting green shoots and they haven't died. That's a major accomplishment for me because I'm the human version of Agent Orange. The potato is coming up nicely, although I don't know what happens with the things. I always envisions that they'd spread out and from planting one I'd end up with like 3 or 4. Or perhaps I'm supposed to chop them up and then plant them, but either way the potato is really taking off so I'll just water it regularly and let it be.

I potted my herbs today. I have a Kentucky Colonel Spearmint plant and a Tuscan Blue Rosemary plant. I almost want to name them They're so cute in their little pots, and it brought me so much joy to pot them, water them and talk to them.

The spearmint is incredibly aromatic. One has only to get close to it to be overpowered by such a wonderful aroma. The same is true for the rosemary (of who's earth fragrance I have always been fond!).

I might have to go back to the garden centre to purchase some more herbs. I'd love some cilantro, but theirs looked a little on the dead side. The scent of cilantro is equally soothing and cool (and it's great in salads, sauces, and tacos)