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Jardin du Fort
- Senior Member
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:59 pm
- Location: Fort Wayne, IN
Not digging this new garden
OK, so I'm just a little frustrated with this whole "winter" thing. I have some catalogs to browse, and some books to read, and windows to look out of, but the actual work of making my new garden is still months away. I'd rather be putting seeds in a starter flat, knowing that there would be a garden to put them in when the time comes, but there is still way too much work to be done on the actual garden site before it becomes a garden. I'd love to be selecting the seeds I'll be planting, but I don't even know how soon the beds will be ready, so am just biding my time. Oh, the frustration!
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prettygurl
- Senior Member
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- Joined: Thu Sep 20, 2012 8:52 am
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rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
It is frustrating. I would like to be out in my garden, but it is still under snow.
But if you have a few fluorescent tubes, there is always something you could be starting. Rosemary and lavender are good for very early starting, because they are slow to germinate and slow growing and once you have plants they are cold hardy (well the lavender is hardy to zone 6 and there are cold hardy varieties of rosemary like Madeleine Hill)
I am a big believer in the therapeutic value of growing things and working in the winter with lights and plants. That and my collection of house plants are what keep me sane in the winter.
But if you have a few fluorescent tubes, there is always something you could be starting. Rosemary and lavender are good for very early starting, because they are slow to germinate and slow growing and once you have plants they are cold hardy (well the lavender is hardy to zone 6 and there are cold hardy varieties of rosemary like Madeleine Hill)
I am a big believer in the therapeutic value of growing things and working in the winter with lights and plants. That and my collection of house plants are what keep me sane in the winter.
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applestar
- Mod
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- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
When I'm feeling like that, I love to go crazy mapping out the new garden bed. Usually I start with a copy of the property blueprint, or more recently google map print of the property, then start marking out the new garden bed, the sun exposure, etc. then make a map of the garden bed itself on a graph paper and plan what to plant there and when, plant supports needed, soil amendments, planning succession crops from early spring to fall....
Which usually leads to covercrop for fall/overwinter, garlic, or what can be planted in rotation there next year.... By this time, I'm expanding the succession, covercrop, and rotation plans for the entire year until the next growing season to encompass the entire garden, with spreadsheets of seeds I have, seeds I need to get, seeds I want to get, complex timelines, and possibly season extending plans -- some wild, some reasonable... Plans for expanding the garden beds to make room for the stuff I want to grow NEXT year....
By the time I come up for air, I'm exhausted and don't want to have anything to do with gardening for a while.
Which usually leads to covercrop for fall/overwinter, garlic, or what can be planted in rotation there next year.... By this time, I'm expanding the succession, covercrop, and rotation plans for the entire year until the next growing season to encompass the entire garden, with spreadsheets of seeds I have, seeds I need to get, seeds I want to get, complex timelines, and possibly season extending plans -- some wild, some reasonable... Plans for expanding the garden beds to make room for the stuff I want to grow NEXT year....
By the time I come up for air, I'm exhausted and don't want to have anything to do with gardening for a while.
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Charlie MV
- Greener Thumb
- Posts: 1544
- Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 11:48 pm
I like doing prep work when it's 50 or 60 degrees. So far this year we may have had 5 days like that. We have always been able to count on a couple of months with highs in the low 60s and lows in the low 30s. Those days are over. I see warmer and warmer temps each season. Bugs grow progressively worse.
The best mitigatory force on temperature that I know of is a large body of water. Our lake this year hit a surface temp of 94 degrees for two weeks this year. That's a new record over last year. Each year is noticeably and progressively hotter. The lack of winter months here is allowing pesky bugs to grow progressively worse.
Summer evening gardening is even bad because of the mosquitoes. We have worn long sleeve white shirts and thin nylon workout pants and worked just after the heat of the day for the last few years. Not sure how much longer we can deal with the heat at all. I'd love to see snow or at least some freezing weather.
The best mitigatory force on temperature that I know of is a large body of water. Our lake this year hit a surface temp of 94 degrees for two weeks this year. That's a new record over last year. Each year is noticeably and progressively hotter. The lack of winter months here is allowing pesky bugs to grow progressively worse.
Summer evening gardening is even bad because of the mosquitoes. We have worn long sleeve white shirts and thin nylon workout pants and worked just after the heat of the day for the last few years. Not sure how much longer we can deal with the heat at all. I'd love to see snow or at least some freezing weather.
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Jardin du Fort
- Senior Member
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2012 2:59 pm
- Location: Fort Wayne, IN
Well, Bobberman, I wouldn't say exactly that I "hate" winter. I've lived with winter all my life. It's one of the four seasons around here, and it does have its benefits. Just because I can't think of any offhand doesn't make that less than true. Ooh ooh, just thought of one. Many of the native species of herbivora in this area require a season of dormancy.
I would say that a solar (cool) greenhouse (hoophouse) is in the projected plans for maybe two years from now. Doesn't seem to be much sense in having a greenhouse when there's no garden yet.... I might use a row cover next year after I get one bed started. The BIG house will wait until beds dos and tres are operational.
Rainbow, I concede that I could be starting SOMETHING under lights, but at this point I have way to much demolition work to do before I think about new plants.
Applestar, yes, I suppose there is still some planning I could do. I find though that I am much more of a "hands on" gardener than a "theoretical" gardener, whatever that is. Once I can start digging in the dirt I'll be fine. Maybe by May.....
I would say that a solar (cool) greenhouse (hoophouse) is in the projected plans for maybe two years from now. Doesn't seem to be much sense in having a greenhouse when there's no garden yet.... I might use a row cover next year after I get one bed started. The BIG house will wait until beds dos and tres are operational.
Rainbow, I concede that I could be starting SOMETHING under lights, but at this point I have way to much demolition work to do before I think about new plants.
Applestar, yes, I suppose there is still some planning I could do. I find though that I am much more of a "hands on" gardener than a "theoretical" gardener, whatever that is. Once I can start digging in the dirt I'll be fine. Maybe by May.....