We all gobbled up your asparagus at the gtg in Michigan! They put a garlic marinade on them, and lightly grilled them.
Now they are saying 30s and 40s tomorrow with windblown rain, then snow wrapping in Thursday morning. But...low 70s by Monday! Asparagus will never have tasted so good to me by the end of next week! I saw the pictures of all of Farmer Steve's asparagus at the GTG. Lightly grilled with a garlic/butter/light salt marinade sounds perfect!!
I never liked asparagus at all until I tried a fresh cut one lightly grilled. Not quite the same as the store bought ones that who knows how long they've been stored and in what manner. I won't go so far as to say I like them but fresh ones are edible.
My garden just endured 2 days of wind whipped rains and temps in the 30s and 40s. The wind chill was brutal this morning. But upon inspection, everything is doing well, even the peppers along the south side of the shed, and the 9 tomato plants I have out in the main garden. Cilantro, some asparagus, carrots, onions, leeks, kale, beets, spinach, chard, radishes, lettuce, arugula and peas are all up. They are not doing much, but look pretty good considering the weather. This will be a big weekend of planting flowers in pots for my wife, daughter and mother for mother's day. I will do one last turn of my giant compost pile, and plant some of the squash, okra and cucumbers in pots to germinate before planting out. Beans and basil will go in the ground about the time the time the potted plants are up and rooted. I have a place for 5 more tomato plants so those will go in this weekend. What is everyone else planning for their gardening this weekend?
Probably the rest of my maters. Gonna be chilly here. I will wait until next week to plant seeds such as beans and stuff.
I planted 300+ onions today. My back says don't do that again. Bed prep was full of chickweed, probably should have tilled it under but my tiller won't start so - by hand. I couldn't put it off any longer. Mostly red defender, but alyssa craig, granex and a few yellow spanish onions. I'm hoping rabbits don't eat them as they are in my unfenced garden, but I haven't seen any since the goshawks moved in. A lettuce from last year that went to seed on me in the heat yielded 100 +/- a few lettuce plants. I transplanted 60 of them and potted the other 40. Since slugs/snails ate ALL the ones I started from purchased seed and purposefully planted. I had a swiss chard go to seed late in the Fall. I have several hundred baby ones. i have no place to plant them plus I started a bunch so I'll have to till most of them under. About three more weeks before I dare put peppers in the ground here.
I am pushing it with my peppers and tomatoes, but I have been pushing the limits outside in zone 4 for about 20 years now. Granted some years they don't do much until after Memorial day, and some years they get nipped by frost, but it is all an experiment anyways. I have lost very few plants down here in the Mpls area. Things that I cannot ever get away with planting early are squash, basil and beans. I have found that tomatoes and peppers are pretty darn tough, they just don't grow bigger when temperatures are under 50f. I believe having really good soil makes a huge difference in plant hardiness. Up north in zone 3 I lost all my tomato plants into late June and early July so I just gave up on those up there. Peppers and sweet corn were out of the question.
For the most part, that's what I've found too, tomatoes and peppers just go into if it gets too cold. I've lost peppers the same year we had a frost in the middle of peach tree blossom (right now) so I won't put either out until after the peach tree blossoms have dropped and I'm in zone 6. (almost 7) I have pole beans in the ground though but I started them in the greenhouse. They're not doing a lot as they've endured two almost frosts, but they are green. I have a little greenhouse so that gives me a little flexibility and at least some growth except tomatoes and peppers can start needing rather large pots if you hold onto them too long too. I also have cutworms that will leave older, tougher stemmed peppers and tomatoes alone so I also have that reason for holding them back a little bit.
Started building the fence around the garden. Need to keep a certain pup dog out. The first post set was just as planned. I love it when a plan comes together. Only a 170' to go. I'm chomp'en on the bit to start planting stuff...but we have atleast two more weeks to go. Had rain/snow last week...BUT temps held just above freezing. I think the fruit it going to make it. I covered the Pacific Purple from the snow. It is fine. Beets showing yesterday. Bucket tomatoes in the greenhouse that will eventually go outside have tomatoes on. Peppers are just about big enough to pinch the tops. Squash are right on schedule.... and marigold and Thai basil are ready to fend off all the bad guys. I can't wait.
Your plants look very healthy and have certainly grown since your last picture of them Brandon. Mine on the other hand are still languishing. Too many cold nights still and now they are predicting a high 45f for tomorrow with lows still in the upper 30s to low 40s through the middle of next week. I think I will see my plants looking noticeably better in about 10 days.
I guarantee it. Tomatoes just sit there until it gets warm. I have been lucky to get them out very early before but there is just no sense, they just sit there. The dirt here was still cold in the mornings until last week. Hopefully I will get emitters on them tomorrow. These raised beds dry out quickly.
I planted my tomatoes today. 10 day forecast is for highs in 70's and lows in 50's. I impulse-bought them on Thursday, so it had to be done.
Got another section of fence done. Still can't put plants out yet. Cold the next 3 days. Nights going to 36/38F. Had beans up already....slugs consumed them as fast as they came out. How do you deal w/slugs?
I bought a 10 pound bag of iron phosphate slug bait but getting it down soon enough pretty much means getting it down before you see them. You don't want to till it in so pretty much you have to get it down as you seed and preferably before you plant because they have to eat a bit of it and it helps if that is all they have available over tender young seedlings to choose from.
Cucumbers. Bush or regular vine? I haven't had a good cucumber crop for 3 years or so. Last year I bought some standard cukes at the greenhouse because they didn't have the bush type. On they way home I saw a sign for another greenhouse and stopped in. They had bush cukes so I bought them and gave the standards to my granddaughter. My cucumber crop was crappy and my granddaughter was wading in cucumbers. I got to thinking, my cucumber production had went down since I have been trying the bush type. Anyone else observe that standards out produce bush type? I think I will grow standards this year. My canned pickle supply is getting very low.
Very small scale this year, as I never seem to have enough time for a real garden. Wife bought a couple of planter stands (raised beds on legs) last year but the bush beans burned up while we were gone for a week. No plans for a vacay this year, so I got a little antsy and put some bush bean seeds in on Tues. At least 2 weeks early, but not in the ground and easy to cover in case of anything close to frost. Checked 'em this morning, and they've started sprouting but not popping out of the ground yet. I'm hopeful this year. The bunnies decimated my beans about 3 years ago.
