Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD

I was hoping to have the last post in the 2022 thread but, looks like we're expanding it...

Anyway, @Medicine Man 's suggestion of storing carrots where they grow is working out nicely. -Grabbed the last armful that I had without mulch cover last weekend. Big, juicy and extra sweet. I'm not sure I've ever had a carrot so sweet.
Thanks MedicineMan! - This sure beats the carrot raisins I made last year trying to store in sawdust.
[rofl]
 
Indeed. I would have not seen the 'official' thread had it not been shared here.

His company will definitely be missed.

413dan said:
RIP, to our friend, enbloc. thank you for being you, and your contributions throughout the years here on NES.
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kman said:
What a loss. He cannot be replaced. He was a contributor on all of the best NES threads
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flippinfleck said:
Indeed. I would have not seen the 'official' thread had it not been shared here.

His company will definitely be missed.
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I figured a few may have missed it so I wanted to let our friends here in the 'gardening' thread know. he will surely be missed in more than one ongoing thread.
 
flippinfleck said:
Went to order some of the Black Strawberry tomato seeds last night, sold out.

I did manage to spread around what seeds I had and kept some for myself. I'll be thinking of Matt as I see them growing in different gardens this year.
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I put in my first maine potato lady order because of him this year. Gonna miss talking gardens with enbloc in the thread.
 
Keeping Matt's thread alive...
Besides my belly, this years garden will be in honor of Matt.

Broccoli, cauli, and B.sprouts have been seeded inside - germinated.
Raspberry hedge was mowed down. I do mine in the spring. I've read that the stem nutrients help feed the root system over the winter.
A rabbit trimmed 1/4 of my lowbush blueberry planting. But, come to find out, I should be trimming 1/4 of the crops each year for rotating production. Thanks Bunny but, I'll do it myself next time. :)

Upped garden capacity this year. +25 pepper plant to make 50 total. Doubled size of the onion beds. Adding wildflowers for pollinators and beneficial insects.

I'm anxious to get some other stuff in the ground but, it's still Feb.

In a couple/few weeks I'll start my pepper seeds indoors. Hopefully I have better luck with 'em this year. Peppers are the only plants I still relied on buying at the store. Hopefully, no more of that. I know peppers like it warm (above 50) before putting outside.

Anyone else starting seeds and what do you use for your timings ahead of last expected frost?

Garden on!
 
What do you have going?

I have 2-3 week old broccoli, cauli, and broc-rab that are doing nicely.
I planted ~60 peppers last night - hopefully not too late.
Eggplant/cukes/tomotoes in a few weeks.

-Timing sound about right?

Everything else get's seeded outside once the ground loosens up.
onions, seeds and sets
doing some wildflowers this year
Beets
Peas
carrots...
 
daveyburt said:
What do you have going?

I have 2-3 week old broccoli, cauli, and broc-rab that are doing nicely.
I planted ~60 peppers last night - hopefully not too late.
Eggplant/cukes/tomotoes in a few weeks.

-Timing sound about right?

Everything else get's seeded outside once the ground loosens up.
onions, seeds and sets
doing some wildflowers this year
Beets
Peas
carrots...
Click to expand...
We constantly do sprouts and greens
 
daveyburt said:
Anyone else starting things indoors from seed?
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Absolutely. We typically start seeds first weekend of March, stagger them based on what it is and how long it takes to germinate. I built it all out in google calendar based on an 'in the ground' last week of May. Things may get put in the ground before then, but that's our drop-dead has to be done by date.

Are you using a heat mat under your peppers? That'll definitely speed up the germination rate of those things. Especially the hots.
 
flippinfleck said:
Absolutely. We typically start seeds first weekend of March, stagger them based on what it is and how long it takes to germinate. I built it all out in google calendar based on an 'in the ground' last week of May. Things may get put in the ground before then, but that's our drop-dead has to be done by date.

Are you using a heat mat under your peppers? That'll definitely speed up the germination rate of those things. Especially the hots.
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Cool - I ain't far off on timing then. I left them on the heat too long last year and they crapped out.
Most of them were 8-10 week germination time - we shall see - i guess I can replant if I'm early.
yanquidog said:
Going to start peppers and maters this weekend
Prob wait and put everything else straight in the ground beginning of april
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I'm kinda the same - get things in early - I may start cukes and things to give them a jump start...
flippinfleck said:
You don't grow tomatoes?
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I hear if you do Tomatoes too early they can have their growth stunted after being pot bound...dunno.
I started some cherry's a couple years ago - just let a bunch rot in the vine and they grow everywhere now. Gunna plant some multi-color cherries and let them go wild too.
:)
 
daveyburt said:
Cool - I ain't far off on timing then. I left them on the heat too long last year and they crapped out.
Most of them were 8-10 week germination time - we shall see - i guess I can replant if I'm early.

I'm kinda the same - get things in early - I may start cukes and things to give them a jump start...

I hear if you do Tomatoes too early they can have their growth stunted after being pot bound...dunno.
I started some cherry's a couple years ago - just let a bunch rot in the vine and they grow everywhere now. Gunna plant some multi-color cherries and let them go wild too.
:)
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I’ve tried starting early. It hasn’t really worked for me. The tomatoes rot or stunt, the rains flood out the beds...etc.
i try to get the beds ready and then drop things in end of April even to the beginning of May.
Still harvesting taters,beets,carrots and even peppers into October
im still trying to get the hang of it though
your up a little more north though so an early start might work out better.
 
It's a risk for sure but, I'm early with cold crops and as early as can be with the rest. Once the nights are consistently in the high40's lower50's, the warm weather plants go out.
My tomatoes are wild growing from last years rotten fruit. All my direct seeding happens once the ground is workable. As I'm growing in a compost/loam/peat mix, that's early.
AAAAAAND....I just made a beef stew with carrots fresh picked last week from last fall's crop.
:)
 
I am in southern NH, right across the MA border. Based on my experience last year, it is still way too early for me to start seedlings. Last year I started inside between 3/25 and 4/13 and it was too early. We had a pretty early summer last year which definitely helped, but I put my eggplants outside on 4/22 and it was still too early. I put my cucumbers out at the same time and they definitely got a little stunted. My seedlings get lots of light, attention, and fertilizer when ready so maybe they just grow very quickly.

I have attached some high level notes from last year if anyone is interested. Note that these are not perfect and not complete, but they are my guide for this year. Also putting in a picture in case you can't access Excel.


May 5
92A9DBCF-66AA-49DA-BEED-DED3AE0A490F.jpeg
May 20 - peppers, tomatoes, herbs transplanted outside
EFEC6E56-E5A8-4385-88EE-96FA56AD362A.jpeg
June 6 - eggplant, cucumber, watermelon transplanted outside
CD9F5E78-8E48-4A46-AB95-908CB2C6A911.jpeg
June 6
B49666A9-B4DD-4127-8E77-4565CB297D3C.jpeg

View attachment 728679
 

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Boarder700 said:
I am in southern NH, right across the MA border. Based on my experience last year, it is still way too early for me to start seedlings. Last year I started inside between 3/25 and 4/13 and it was too early. We had a pretty early summer last year which definitely helped, but I put my eggplants outside on 4/22 and it was still too early. I put my cucumbers out at the same time and they definitely got a little stunted. My seedlings get lots of light, attention, and fertilizer when ready so maybe they just grow very quickly.

I have attached some high level notes from last year if anyone is interested. Note that these are not perfect and not complete, but they are my guide for this year. Also putting in a picture in case you can't access Excel.


May 5
View attachment 728686
May 20 - peppers, tomatoes, herbs transplanted outside
View attachment 728689
June 6 - eggplant, cucumber, watermelon transplanted outside
View attachment 728688
June 6
View attachment 728690

View attachment 728679
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Excellent post, one that Matt would have appreciated.

One thing I lack on is documenting things as they happen. I have a shared google calendar with the family outlining seed start timelines, a shared spreadsheet with a garden map and total plant counts, and pictures as things went along. I just don't know what the actual dates were for starting, planting, or the overall progress. Something for me to improve on this year.
 
20230306_123744.jpg

The greenhouse - a cheapy from Ocean State (and several years old now) - got the crap beaten out of it in that weird storm the Friday before Christmas, so it's being replaced and what's left repurposed as a cloche for the lower bed by the driveway.
 
Turns out I did document my start dates on seeds last year, did not document sprout time or plant date. The peppers seemed to take a bit longer than usual to get going and were prolific towards the end of the season. We're dropping total plant count this year to get a bit more space between the maters and adding a couple new varieties.

We still have plenty of tomato sauce from our garden canned in storage.

1678596955347.png
 
Good posts!
Couple of my peppers started sprouting a few days ago. That makes about 2 weeks since I dropped the seeds in. Using heat pads.
I didn't have any luck with seeded peppers last year so, I wanted to start a little extra early. That way I would know the crop was gunna fail and still have time to go buy plants. :) (trying hard to avoid).
I'll hopefully go to the garden with peas, onions sets, and onions seeds in a couple/few weeks, then quickly follow with planting in the other cold crops.

Also - looking for non-lead hints for keep rabbits away from my blueberries. They're chomping the stems. I tried the powdered 'rabbit mace' - works for like 3 days. I heard human hair. Been trying that as a cut my own but, it's not growing quick enough.
Any hints for a non-lead rabbit repellent?
I tried wolf urine rather than coyote as I didn't want to attract any other coyotes - bunnies didn't seem to care.
 
Not the prettiest, but I have some short poultry fencing around mine. Works fine for the rabbit.
later when fruit starts,we throw some netting over them, the birds are resourceful. It’s tough growing enough for me and them.
 
@SpaceCritter and @medicineman (or anyone else):

You guys seem knowledgeable here - what would be a good low growing flowering perennial groundcover that's edible?

I just transplanted some azeleas and need to fill in between them in the beds. - Full to Mostly sun.

Thx!
 

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