The SNE Garden Thread

[Ginx snewx]

As a rule living in SNE I never put any plants out which are effected by frost until after the last full moon in May. Tried and true, this year is May 17th. Also the most productive years have plenty of rain, house water is lacking the natural minerals needed for good growth. Often keep a couple of rain collectors near the garden for use during dry spells. No chemical additives ever.

[ski MRG]

As a rule living in SNE I never put any plants out which are effected by frost until after the last full moon in May. Tried and true, this year is May 17th. Also the most productive years have plenty of rain, house water is lacking the natural minerals needed for good growth. Often keep a couple of rain collectors near the garden for use during dry spells. No chemical additives ever.

Good rule Ginx. We can't put stuff out here until after Memorial Day. Even then we have to be careful as frosts are common into June. We're going to go all out this year with the veggie garden. We compost here and we've been mixing it into the garden soil for a while now. We've had good results with everyhting but cantaloupe. One year I almost got to harvest a few but the night before I was going to take them the racoons raided the garden and spoiled them. Happened to the corn one year too.

[radarman]

rhubarb is sprouting already

[HoarfrostHubb]

We are going back into gardening this year after going awhile without.

A few raised beds, some tomato buckets...

I will probably ask for advice.

Anyone use old clam shells ground into the soil?

[Ginx snewx]

Good rule Ginx. We can't put stuff out here until after Memorial Day. Even then we have to be careful as frosts are common into June. We're going to go all out this year with the veggie garden. We compost here and we've been mixing it into the garden soil for a while now. We've had good results with everyhting but cantaloupe. One year I almost got to harvest a few but the night before I was going to take them the racoons raided the garden and spoiled them. Happened to the corn one year too.

Back when I lived on a farm, left for work early one morning, looked at the corn probably 125 ears worth, said to myself, pick it when you get home. Got home to a raccoon rage, all corn gone. I was so pissed. I set out hav a hart traps. I could not catch any until I saw they ate my daughters crap diaper out of the garbage bags they tore up, yep I did it. Caught 21 coons, brought them seven miles to the dump in Westerly and let them go, end of story right? Nope month later I am sitting on the deck having a brew, coon dog runs by, all of a sudden this guy is walking up my driveway with a broken down shotgun. After finding out he is looking for his dog we talk. I tell him my story, he laughs like hell then tells me he has been trapping coons at the Westerly Dump to train his dog, so those little bastards were getting rides back and forth. We ended up being good friends and laughing for hours about the coons.

Groundhogs and gardens and worse yet horses do not mix. We were overunning with them, so my solution was to shoot them with a Winchester 30/30 . Tough bastards though, head shot only. Well after a Philly stepped in a hole and launched my niece I declared war. Now this Is before Bill Murray in Caddyshack, I donned a fur hat with the flaps down and poured a gallon of gas in every hole I saw and then went in the barns and filled them in, took a torch and lit them up. Huge flames like an inferno erupted, problem was I missed one in the hay barn which was now on fire. Lucky had water hose in there, hand tossed burning bales out and saved the barn. After all that I sat on the deck for a cold one when all of a sudden there goes a groundhog running across the lawn flipping me the bird. Never saw another one so mission accomplished. Farming is an incredible hard life, yet rewarding.

[nzucker]

As a rule living in SNE I never put any plants out which are effected by frost until after the last full moon in May. Tried and true, this year is May 17th. Also the most productive years have plenty of rain, house water is lacking the natural minerals needed for good growth. Often keep a couple of rain collectors near the garden for use during dry spells. No chemical additives ever.

Personally, I think May 17th is too late, and I don't see what the full moon has to do with average freeze dates...I don't know what you're growing, but I do a vegetable garden and crops like eggplant and heirloom tomatoes need to be in the ground for the full season. Obviously I have a warmer climate than you, but frosts after May 1st are very rare in the lower elevations of CT and SE NY...Most charts list Hartford's average last spring frost as April 25th, and I'm sure it's become a bit earlier in recent years and you may be a hair warmer....For me, the average last 32F reading is April 18th; there's only a 10% chance of hitting 32F after May 2nd, and those light frosts that only last a few minutes won't do in most plants. But if you find your strategy works, then go for it...everyone has their own methods for gardening success, and the increased soil temperatures can be an advantage not to shock the plants.

I have already planted peas, carrots, Brussels sprouts and arugula from seed in the ground...I also bought 4 cauliflower plants from Home Depot and stuck them in, they look to be doing excellent right now. I am starting to notice most of my seeds showing some signs of germination, though obviously the early stages as I didn't sow them until around April 5th. I will plant green beans, winter squash, and zucchini outside around April 20th. I'm currently starting a bunch of seedlings inside...got heirloom tomatoes (Dr Wyche's Yellow and Moonglow), eggplant (Indian striped and standard purple), and melons started inside which seem to be doing well, will sow all those crops when the soil is warm and they are fully developed, probably between May 5-10. I will be buying 2 hybrid tomatoes, 1 cherry tomato, 2 hybrid eggplant, and 3-4 pepper plants from Home Depot to go in the ground on May 1st. That is my plan. I will post pictures of successes and failures.

[skierinvermont]

Back when I lived on a farm, left for work early one morning, looked at the corn probably 125 ears worth, said to myself, pick it when you get home. Got home to a raccoon rage, all corn gone. I was so pissed. I set out hav a hart traps. I could not catch any until I saw they ate my daughters crap diaper out of the garbage bags they tore up, yep I did it. Caught 21 coons, brought them seven miles to the dump in Westerly and let them go, end of story right? Nope month later I am sitting on the deck having a brew, coon dog runs by, all of a sudden this guy is walking up my driveway with a broken down shotgun. After finding out he is looking for his dog we talk. I tell him my story, he laughs like hell then tells me he has been trapping coons at the Westerly Dump to train his dog, so those little bastards were getting rides back and forth. We ended up being good friends and laughing for hours about the coons.

Groundhogs and gardens and worse yet horses do not mix. We were overunning with them, so my solution was to shoot them with a Winchester 30/30 . Tough bastards though, head shot only. Well after a Philly stepped in a hole and launched my niece I declared war. Now this Is before Bill Murray in Caddyshack, I donned a fur hat with the flaps down and poured a gallon of gas in every hole I saw and then went in the barns and filled them in, took a torch and lit them up. Huge flames like an inferno erupted, problem was I missed one in the hay barn which was now on fire. Lucky had water hose in there, hand tossed burning bales out and saved the barn. After all that I sat on the deck for a cold one when all of a sudden there goes a groundhog running across the lawn flipping me the bird. Never saw another one so mission accomplished. Farming is an incredible hard life, yet rewarding.

Haha funny stuff... I've had a groundhog before... real pain. Could not get rid of it no matter what. He ate everything

[skierinvermont]

My beets, spinach, turnips, mustard greens, arugula, and red and green lettuce varieties have sprouted. Hoping the peas come up in the next few days I had problems with rot one year but I think they'll be fine.

I usually do tomatoes and peppers by the last week of April first week of May depending on the weather. Corn seeds probably the first week or second week of May so the soil is warm enough. It's a pain having to go back through and re-seed corn so I play it safe.

[nzucker]

My beets, spinach, turnips, mustard greens, arugula, and red and green lettuce varieties have sprouted. Hoping the peas come up in the next few days I had problems with rot one year but I think they'll be fine.

I usually do tomatoes and peppers by the last week of April first week of May depending on the weather. Corn seeds probably the first week or second week of May so the soil is warm enough. It's a pain having to go back through and re-seed corn so I play it safe.

I think your peas will be fine...I've never had problems getting them to germinate. I gotta plant some spinach, did the arugula but forgot spinach. OOPS! I want to taste one of your beets, not really something I'm keen on growing but I do love them...we had a beautiful yellow and pink spiraled variety that we canned at Weybridge, probably one of the things besides the applesauce that contributed to the second-degree burns on my hands last fall.

I am not seeing any cold weather on the horizon, so I am going to get moving pretty soon if the models continue to show such a cloudy pattern that prevents radiational cooling. Even if we drop below average this month, it seems more likely that it will be because of rainy days and cool daytime highs rather than cold, clear nights. I've only gotten into the 30s like once or twice this April and yet temps are near average...go figure! My garden is also on a hill, and my house is on a hill, so it doesn't radiate quickly. Not going to be seeing 32F there until late October, methinks.

[Ginx snewx]

I think your peas will be fine...I've never had problems getting them to germinate. I gotta plant some spinach, did the arugula but forgot spinach. OOPS! I want to taste one of your beets, not really something I'm keen on growing but I do love them...we had a beautiful yellow and pink spiraled variety that we canned at Weybridge, probably one of the things besides the applesauce that contributed to the second-degree burns on my hands last fall.

I am not seeing any cold weather on the horizon, so I am going to get moving pretty soon if the models continue to show such a cloudy pattern that prevents radiational cooling. Even if we drop below average this month, it seems more likely that it will be because of rainy days and cool daytime highs rather than cold, clear nights. I've only gotten into the 30s like once or twice this April and yet temps are near average...go figure! My garden is also on a hill, and my house is on a hill, so it doesn't radiate quickly. Not going to be seeing 32F there until late October, methinks.

30 plus years of gardening plus lots of swamp Yankee elders have lived by the full moon in May rule but here ya go. Your climate is much much different than mine. Sandier soils, much more prone to LL cold through drainage here. SENY is not SNE

http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/index.php?q=06354&submit=Go

[Mr Torchey]

basil sprouted overnight!

[nzucker]

30 plus years of gardening plus lots of swamp Yankee elders have lived by the full moon in May rule but here ya go. Your climate is much much different than mine. Sandier soils, much more prone to LL cold through drainage here. SENY is not SNE

http://davesgarden.c...06354&submit=Go

It looks like the 50% date for Storrs is April 25th....you're probably a little bit warmer, so I'd say your 50% is around April 22/23...May 14th is quite conservative (especially for someone like litchfieldlibations in SW CT)....I wouldn't plant until the first week of May in your area but you'd probably get away with most things at that point. Also, the GFS brings in a big SE ridge by 4/20, and at that point it's getting a lot harder for us to see a frost without an exceptional trough.

I don't know your soil/backyard though so it's not a decision I could make. Some areas with sandy soils and hollows radiate well....I'm on top of a huge hill so I'm good to plant anything really by 4/20, although I usually wait a bit for soil temps to warm.

[Ginx snewx]

It looks like the 50% date for Storrs is April 25th....you're probably a little bit warmer, so I'd say your 50% is around April 22/23...May 14th is quite conservative (especially for someone like litchfieldlibations in SW CT)....I wouldn't plant until the first week of May in your area but you'd probably get away with most things at that point. Also, the GFS brings in a big SE ridge by 4/20, and at that point it's getting a lot harder for us to see a frost without an exceptional trough.

I don't know your soil/backyard though so it's not a decision I could make. Some areas with sandy soils and hollows radiate well....I'm on top of a huge hill so I'm good to plant anything really by 4/20, although I usually wait a bit for soil temps to warm.

In the midst of an exceptionally warm spring with 90 the first week of May I hit 29 degrees last May 10 th, no chances thanks.

[nzucker]

In the midst of an exceptionally warm spring with 90 the first week of May I hit 29 degrees last May 10 th, no chances thanks.

Yeah we had a light frost here 5/10 last year, not enough to kill stuff but very unusual. Especially considering it was the warmest spring on record, ironic to see one of the latest frosts on record.

It really depends what you're planting...some of the stuff I'm growing like heirloom winter squashes requires a really long growing season, so I have little choice but to sow it by late April.

[Tropopause_Fold]

veggie fetish

[Logan11]

I was in Europe last May into June so dunno about late frosts here.... The year before we had a light frost on Jun 1st. That was a treat.

As of today the hasta and daffodils are up about two inches here. The lawn is about 50% green, but with no growth yet really. The willows have the yellow hue to them. Some hints of red in the maples as the buds swell, but no bursting yet so pollen not yet getting me. The frost is mainly out of the ground and mud lessoning each day, except a bit of frozen ground remains in real shaded areas. Also under a pile of horse s**t it acts like insolation and I can tell it's still got frost hanging on underneath because of the way the ground is heaving still.

The Catskills (as of Tuesday) looked very snow laden over 2,500 feet on the north/northeast slopes.

Yeah we had a light frost here 5/10 last year, not enough to kill stuff but very unusual. Especially considering it was the warmest spring on record, ironic to see one of the latest frosts on record.

It really depends what you're planting...some of the stuff I'm growing like heirloom winter squashes requires a really long growing season, so I have little choice but to sow it by late April.

[Logan11]

That was a nice little cold snap in May despite the warm Spring. We had an inch of snow early Saturday morning the 8th..... Western Europe had a really big ridge over it when I got there a week later and we had mid 80's one day in Ireland..... It was actually their warmest day of 2010 probably.

Yeah we had a light frost here 5/10 last year, not enough to kill stuff but very unusual. Especially considering it was the warmest spring on record, ironic to see one of the latest frosts on record.

It really depends what you're planting...some of the stuff I'm growing like heirloom winter squashes requires a really long growing season, so I have little choice but to sow it by late April.

[skierinvermont]

Well I think I'm going to plant my various pumpkin and squash seed varieties next week after a couple days of warmth to warm the soil. Also the beans as well I think. Still considering when to buy the tomato, pepper and eggplant plants. If it looks to stay warm after next week I might go for it next week. If not, then the start of the next warm spell.

I am picking up 5yds of free horse manure compost this Monday too which I am happy about

[nzucker]

Well I think I'm going to plant my various pumpkin and squash seed varieties next week after a couple days of warmth to warm the soil. Also the beans as well I think. Still considering when to buy the tomato, pepper and eggplant plants. If it looks to stay warm after next week I might go for it next week. If not, then the start of the next warm spell.

I am picking up 5yds of free horse manure compost this Monday too which I am happy about

I just went in with the Cheyenne Bush squash, Marina de Chioggia squash, yellow summer squash, and zucchinis. Some of them from seed, some seedlings that I'd raised indoors. Figured I'd get them in yesterday with the light rain coming today and then the warm weather this week.

Planting 2 containers green beans tomorrow.

Have three containers of peas, all growing nicely. Cauliflower I planted in early April looks great. Tomatoes, the hybrid/cherry ones, look great in the pots and decent in the garden. Definitely are happy with the wet conditions and should start accelerate with the 75/55 days coming up this week here in NYC metro.

Have some heirloom tomato and eggplant seedlings, going to plant those in early May. Will also buy some pepper plants and eggplants from the store to stick in the garden and maybe a container. Will be doing that like May 5-10 depending on work and weather.