LithiaWx Posted March 9, 2015 Share Posted March 9, 2015 I cleared (dug up and tilled and derooted) a 20'X5' area in the front of my house for flowers to be planted. I am also going to grow peppers and tomatoes in pots this year around back of my house. I'm going to buy plants as opposed to seeds due to my newbieishness when it comes to gardening. I have decided to place the pots outside though, not in the screened area (taking my chances with the animals and mischievous kids) I will keep you guys updated with some pics when I get some plants placed in my new garden area. I'll also keep some pics up of my veggies when and if they work out lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bob Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 How did it fail? A fall planting of garlic won't yield until June. You could plant in spring but planting in fall lets the roots get established over the winter and gives it a head start for spring growth. It really shouldn't take off in a major way until about May. You'll know it's ready to harvest when it gets tall and starts bending over, probably mid June-ish. Mine is currently short and stubby but seems to have weatherd this winter well. Onions too. I thought you were supposed to harvest in late February or early March. Oops... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mississaugasnow Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 How quickly do you think you guys will green up in the next 10 days? Looks like solid upper 50s to low 70s and lows in the 40s and 50s region wide. Im driving down to New Orleans towards the end of the month and always enjoy that first stop where theres green grass and signs of spring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John1122 Posted March 10, 2015 Share Posted March 10, 2015 The Southern Valley will probably be greening up towards the end of March if I were guess. It's usually mid-April or so here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stovepipe Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 I thought you were supposed to harvest in late February or early March. Oops... You didn't dig them all up did you? If not, you're probably golden come early summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stovepipe Posted March 10, 2015 Author Share Posted March 10, 2015 I cleared (dug up and tilled and derooted) a 20'X5' area in the front of my house for flowers to be planted. I am also going to grow peppers and tomatoes in pots this year around back of my house. I'm going to buy plants as opposed to seeds due to my newbieishness when it comes to gardening. I have decided to place the pots outside though, not in the screened area (taking my chances with the animals and mischievous kids) I will keep you guys updated with some pics when I get some plants placed in my new garden area. I'll also keep some pics up of my veggies when and if they work out lol... Definitely post pics and best of luck. Nothing wrong with buying plants, the stuff at lowes right now for 3 bucks a plant looks better than my seedlings hehe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Bob Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 You didn't dig them all up did you? If not, you're probably golden come early summer. Just two out of about 25 or so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Definitely post pics and best of luck. Nothing wrong with buying plants, the stuff at lowes right now for 3 bucks a plant looks better than my seedlings hehe. I was told yesterday that growing tomatoes in a pot could be problematic due to how unruly the plants can get. Is this something I should be concerned about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyjmayo Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 I was told yesterday that growing tomatoes in a pot could be problematic due to how unruly the plants can get. Is this something I should be concerned about? Containers should work just fine. I've grown them in 5 gallon buckets before and had them actually produce more tomatoes than the ones in my raised beds! Just make sure to stake them well or put a tomato cage on them and you should be good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyjmayo Posted March 11, 2015 Share Posted March 11, 2015 Stove, what varieties of tomatoes are you growing this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stovepipe Posted March 11, 2015 Author Share Posted March 11, 2015 Stove, what varieties of tomatoes are you growing this year? For the third year in a row I've carried along some Pink Brandywine seeds that I've had really good luck with. The original plants were purchased from Lowes. They were "grafted" which I understand to mean a root system from one plant was fused with the upper portion from another plant. I've not seen them sold there since I guess summer of 2013. They are very well performing heirlooms with exceptional flavor. I also have some other Pink Brandywines from a seed company, as well as Cherokee Purples. For paste tomatoes this year I went with Goldman's Italian for a change since I didn't have great luck with Romas last year for some reason. In addition to the seedlings I plan on buying a handful of larger plants in late spring, probably some early girls and whatever impulse buy heirlooms I come across at Lowes. What about you, what are your plans? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyjmayo Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 What about you, what are your plans? I think I am going to try the pink Brandywine again. I bought seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com) last year but out of the 16 seeds I planted there was only one survivor and it just never did very well. I got a couple of tomatoes from it. I am not sure what went wrong, I’ve had GREAT germination rates from most of the other seeds I’ve bought from them. I will be planting Bonny Best, which usually produce like gangbusters for me. Also Rutgers, Beefsteak, Pantano Romanesco, Mortgage Lifter, and Hartman’s Yellow Gooseberry (VERY prolific and delicious yellow cherry tomato). I usually like to try one or two new varieties per year as an experiment. I think I am going to try one called “Break O Day” this year that is supposed to be a “workhorse” of a tomato. We’ll see. I will probably be starting the seeds this weekend. The past several years they have been ready to put in the garden after about 6 weeks, so hopefully that will be about right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 Cowbell hot peppers in one pot and some sweet red bell peppers in another very large pot. Also planted some flowers this morning as well, a nice assortment of bulbs and flowers, Spring is here. Yea!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 My setup over the weekend : Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayCee Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Nice to see a garden thread. A friend gave me some Cherokee Purple heirloom tomatoes last year from their garden. They were some of the best "eating" tomatoes I've put in my mouth. They were a bit too juicy for sandwiches, but had awesome flavor on their own. I don't plant much of a garden, as I have a lot mature oak and hickory trees around the house, and I don't have the heart to cut any down. I do have a small area that gets some decent sun, so I'm considering a few tomato plants there this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mississaugasnow Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Nice photos. Hows the green up coming along down there? Noticed lots of 60s-70s over the 7-10 days, have the trees and vegetation started responding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Nice photos. Hows the green up coming along down there? Noticed lots of 60s-70s over the 7-10 days, have the trees and vegetation started responding? Thank you, Everything is blooming big time right now. Lots of whites and purples coming in. You can start to see the green trees getting little buds as well. It seems like all of my plants handled the transplants well. All are nice and perky now, the cowhorn peppers are really growing fast.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stovepipe Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 Nice photos. Hows the green up coming along down there? Noticed lots of 60s-70s over the 7-10 days, have the trees and vegetation started responding? Here in central east Tennessee things are greening up, trees are budding, buttercups are blooming, gardens are growing. Lawns are getting bushy with onions and weeds. It certainly feels like spring and with the quick progress I've seen on my recently planted salad garden (not to mention the garlic, onions, and mater seedlings) I cringe at the thought of repeated freezes and frosts. I think you'd enjoy the drive if you come south, Georgia is probably significantly greener than we are right now. It's happening though! Thank you, Everything is blooming big time right now. Lots of whites and purples coming in. You can start to see the green trees getting little buds as well. It seems like all of my plants handled the transplants well. All are nice and perky now, the cowhorn peppers are really growing fast.... Glad to hear your crop is doing well along with everything else down there, pictures look great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mississaugasnow Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Thank you, Everything is blooming big time right now. Lots of whites and purples coming in. You can start to see the green trees getting little buds as well. It seems like all of my plants handled the transplants well. All are nice and perky now, the cowhorn peppers are really growing fast.... Here in central east Tennessee things are greening up, trees are budding, buttercups are blooming, gardens are growing. Lawns are getting bushy with onions and weeds. It certainly feels like spring and with the quick progress I've seen on my recently planted salad garden (not to mention the garlic, onions, and mater seedlings) I cringe at the thought of repeated freezes and frosts. I think you'd enjoy the drive if you come south, Georgia is probably significantly greener than we are right now. It's happening though! Glad to hear your crop is doing well along with everything else down there, pictures look great! Thanks for the replies. Im driving down to the gulf coast soon and always look forward to the first significant signs of spring. Sounds like it will be noticeable by Tennessee. Still have some patchy snow cover and nights in the low 20s up here so it will be nice to see a different landscape. What you guys are describing is what I normally notice around mid April to early May Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Thanks for the replies. Im driving down to the gulf coast soon and always look forward to the first significant signs of spring. Sounds like it will be noticeable by Tennessee. Still have some patchy snow cover and nights in the low 20s up here so it will be nice to see a different landscape. What you guys are describing is what I normally notice around mid April to early May Cool Nights and warm days along with ample moisture has really giving Spring a jump start down here. Everything is very green and healthy right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John1122 Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 Still looks like mid-winter here. Cloudy and 40s isn't likely to aid in the spring springing. It's probably gonna be a couple weeks here. If it dries out I'm going to plow and plant some peas, onions and lettuce. Big if right now though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carvers Gap Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 A few buds, lots of daffodils, rhubarb is up, grass is a little greener...forest still looks like winter. However, the kids and I planted: -spinach -kale -several varieties of lettuce -radishes -cabbage -two varieties of short day onions -parsley Cold crops are planted...Derby weekend, the rest goes in the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayCee Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 Most of the hardwoods here are still dormant, although you can tell the buds are swelling. Redbud's are about to put on their annual spring display. They are closer to blooming than anything else right now. A hard freeze is starting to look likely over the weekend for parts of east Tennessee. While MRX has us forecast to drop into the lower 30's, I think mid-upper 20's will be quite possible away from urban areas IF skies clear off at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 ok s it's looking more and more likely like I will be dealing with a freeze this weekend.... I can move my potted plants indoors but what about my flowers? Is there anything I can do to protect them from the freeze besides making sure they get watered heavily before I go to sleep? I anticipate the worst case scenario being 25-28 for a lowest reading and being below freezing for no longer than 4-5 hours. Any tips are most welcome. Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayCee Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 How to Protect Plants from FreezingIf you are only expecting a light freeze, you may be able to protect plants in a freeze simply by covering them with a sheet or a blanket. This acts like insulation, keeping warm air from the ground around the plant. The warmth may be enough to keep a plant from freezing during a short cold snap. For added protection when you protect plants in a freeze, you can place plastic over the sheets or blankets to help keep warmth in. Never cover a plant with just plastic, however, as the plastic will damage the plant. Make sure that a cloth barrier is between the plastic and the plant. Be sure to remove the sheets and blanket and plastic first thing in the morning after an overnight cold snap. If you do not do so, condensation can build up and freeze again under the covering, which will damage the plant. When protecting plants in a freeze that is longer or deeper, you may have no choice but to expect to sacrifice all or part of the plant in hopes that the roots will survive. Start by heavily mulching the roots of the plant with either wood mulch or hay. For added protection, you can nestle gallon jugs of warm water into the mulch each night. This will help drive off some of the cold that can kill the roots. If you have time before a freeze happens, you can also create insulation barriers around a plant as a way how to protect plants from freezing. Tie up the plant as neatly as possible. Drive stakes that are as tall as the plant into the ground around the plant. Wrap the stakes in burlap so that the plant appears to be fenced in. Stuff the inside of this fence with hay or leaves. Again, you can place milk jugs of warm water on the inside, at the base of this fence each night to help supplement the heat. A string of Christmas lights wrapped around the plant can also help add additional heat. As soon as the freeze passes, remove the covering so that the plant can get the sunlight it needs. This info may be helpful here.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stovepipe Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Check out this article: http://growfood-notlawns.com/started-boxes-60-days-later-neighbors-not-believe-built/ I think I'm going to move towards this goal. Eventually I'd like to have my entire front and side yard covered in gardens and walking paths. Hey, less to mow! As far as the upcoming freeze, just bring out the sheets and blankets. Last year I had maters in the ground that survived a hard freeze just fine covered in sheets. The tops of a few plants that touched the sheets got burned a little but recovered nicely. Maybe put some buckets or something for the sheet to rest on. An uncle of mine puts 5 gallon buckets over his plants during freezes. Last year he lost several tomato plants with that method though so I don't think I'd do it if we're facing 25 degrees. Lettuce, spinach, collards and kale say bring it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Thank you folks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayCee Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Check out this article: http://growfood-notlawns.com/started-boxes-60-days-later-neighbors-not-believe-built/ I think I'm going to move towards this goal. Eventually I'd like to have my entire front and side yard covered in gardens and walking paths. Hey, less to mow! Very interesting. I would do that myself, if I didn't have so many trees. Lawns and yards full of useless grass is a recent American tradition as we've grown less ourselves, and grew more dependent on the local grocery store. Before the transition, most people living outside of urban areas didn't worry about a well manicured lawn, but grew their own food-- in the back AND front yard. You used ALL the space available back then. I remember my grandmother didn't have pretty flowers around her house--she had peppers and tomatoes. And your idea of a yard full of gardens and walking paths reminds me of the Old English type of garden where you see very little open lawn or grass (like below.) I say go for it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LithiaWx Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 Well brought my potted plants indoors. Heavily watered my outdoor flower garden and staked it up and placed some sheets over my plants. THe next two nights should be interesting to see if I can escape with no damage to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JayCee Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Well brought my potted plants indoors. Heavily watered my outdoor flower garden and staked it up and placed some sheets over my plants. THe next two nights should be interesting to see if I can escape with no damage to them. It sounds like you've done everything possible to protect the plants. Hopefully, they'll be fine, or at least the damage is very minimal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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