Well, I got home, and it was dead and shriveled up. So, no picture, lol.

just cut broccoli this evening

Got to get rid of the winter crop to make room for spring. All greens still producing, haven't dug the parsnips yet, still a few turnips, spinach still doing well where I've kept it cut, gone to seed where I didn't. Three types of leaf lettuce still going strong, as is curly endive. Arugula going to seed as well, that stuff grows like weeds!
Planted 9 Celebrity tomatoes in 1 gal. pots on Feb. 10, will keep them there until end of Mar. They are about 6" tall now. Going to put clear plastic around cages this year, and keep it there as long as possible, not for heat units, but to guard against thrips that carry tomatoe wilt virus.
Will see what I can squeeze in between fishing trips.
* Seven hens from last May are avg. 4 eggs a day.

Our seedlings are staying inside until after Easter. Until then they'll stay nice and warm in our seedlingararium.




I'm waaaaaaaaaay ready!

Looks good, Madchad...I don't blame you for waiting...Up there, y'all still could have some could nights...

This morning, I dreamed I had peppers ready to pick that had somehow survived the winter...I had foot long banana and bell peppers in this dream...Oh, I can't wait to harvest my first one...

Would putting a heating pad under the pan holding my seed pots get them growing a little faster? I might start doing that a couple hours a day...

yep... It definitely helps..

My garden this year will consists of 2 pumpkins from Halloween. Every year after the goblins leave, I set the pumpkins on the ground in a sunny spot. They sprout and make runners, but never make any punkins.

Seriously, we simply have to much shade for a garden. I do have a spot in the front yard I could plant, just not sure what the neighbors would think of the "Hic" across the street.

My garden is in my front yard, but since you enter the house through the back, it's really not an issue...Besides, I like getting my neighbors riled up, I mean at their age, they need to get their hearts a pumping...Peppers, onions, carrots, turnips, beets, potatoes, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, watermelons and cantaloupes and okra don't need shade (although the last two do require more water if they don't get some shade), so you might want to look into planting those...

As JDavis wrote it would help. You could also find the room in your house that gets the most sun and stick them in there while you're at work...If it has a massive drop in temperature at night, just bring them back to the main part of the house...

Exactly where we placed our seedlingararium - in the window that gets the most sun. If anybody has an old aquarium that's not in use, just get you a piece of double pane glass cut to fit where the lid goes. Make it 1" short on the length and 1/16" short on the width. Put the lid centered so there's a little gap on either end for freash air and set it in a sunny window and you'll have a nice little green house going. When there's not so much sweat on the inside, add 1/2 cup or so of water. We are having great results. They have all sprouted and the plants are looking super healthy.

The okra sprouts are already 6" to 8" tall and we planted them on Saturday the weekend before last. The pepper plants are all around an inch or two, and the jelly bean tomatoes are a little taller than the peppers. I added 10 peat pots with beefsteak tomato seeds this week (they're for my grandma's garden) and no sprouts in them yet.

Also, I was looking around in the garden and found several peppers (hot banana and cayenne) that had fallen on the ground from last year. The seeds inside looked good so I just mushed them in the dirt a little and we'll see what happens. If they sprout I'll have extra, if they don't there's backups in the seedlingararium.

Well my Texas Redbud is now in full bud... Yep, spring is most definitely here at the top of the top of the Hill Country...

LSS or anyone else, is there such as thing as "must do" and/or "must not do" on planting different vegetables next to each other? For instance would planting peas next to stringbeans be okay or would there be something in one that inhibits the other? I just pulled those two examples out of the air, but I think you get what I'm asking.

Well, I'll say this, DO NOT plant cucumbers too close to pepper or tomato plants, unless you are able to control where the cucumbers will climb...I had some cucumbers growing freely on the ground for the first time ever last year...I won't be making that same mistake. Although the plants flourished and produced quite heavily, they also overtook the pepper and tomato plants making it hard to harvest.

Also, you do not want to plant yellow squash right next to zucchini because you can end up with hybrid fruits. I've had it happen to me a couple of years. Although it was okay, it wasn't as good as the zucchini/spaghetti squash hybrid I intentionally created...

As far as one plant being bad for another, I can't think of any, but as I stated previously, you do need to be mindful. Now if you are planting different varieties of corn, make certain you have 25 feet or more between the sections of corn.

DF, do not plant onions near peas, as well. I don't have firsthand knowledge but I've been told it will make the peas taste terrible. A few feet away should be okay, though.

Did anyone here plant lettuce? I planted mine on 02/01, which makes them in the ground 40 days. They're supposed to be ready in 60 days, but they're still only about 1/2" tall, and only have 2 leaves so far. Strangely enough, the other plants in the garden are growing great.

Thanks for the info guys. Appreciate ya'll.

I've only had my peas next to my onions once and I didn't notice any funky taste to them...Although I do like to eat peas with pearl onions, so maybe that's why?

Have you checked your soil's PH level? It should be at 6.5 from what I've read. Also, lettuce requires a good amount of water. The two snow days since your planting could have damaged them, but if they are growing, I'd probably look to the soil's PH level (you can buy an electronic soil tester)...

sounds like my lettuce from last year.. My guess. Dead from frost bite.

If using 5 Gallon buckets for planters, what soil mix should you use? I used a potting soil with miracle grow in it last year and it didn't work out too good.

interesting planters for 5 gallon buckets.. What's interesting to me is that I did this EXACT example on my own last year, and thought I'd come up with something really original.. Not so much.

http://plant-parenthood.com/?page_id=60

You can use "Mel's Mix" which is 1/3 Compost, 1/3 Vermiculite, and 1/3 Peat Moss. Good stuff...

Planted my peas today and a couple Nasturtiums.