Took the opportunity....

The weekend was very good.  A good break on Saturday afternoon and Sunday from the rain.  After another day of drying today, I planted both the yellow and red onion plants that I picked up from Garden Spot on Saturday.

The soil worked up very good and I was able to get the 3 rows of double plants into one of the 12' beds.  6 " spacings will allow for a generous taking of green onions throughout the summer and some really great onions later on into July/August.

Rain is predicted for the next few days so timing appears to be good.  Keeping fingers crossed.

Be good..

Bill

Happy Easter from the still cold waste lands of the Frozen Tundra

Chives are doing great!

We still find ourselves in the middle of a continuing cold and wet stretch.  Last week saw 10" of wonderful white stuff grace our yards.  For the most part, the snow is gone and only small plow banks survive.  Yesterday was rainy and cold.  You know the kind  of cold, right down to the bone.  It did clear up a little in the afternoon with the sun finally coming out after 4pm and allowing the temps to get into the high 40's.

I took the opportunity to get a few more seeds into starting medium.  Red Russian kale and cauliflower made it into starting cups.  I will start some dwarf curly kale on Sunday.

Also on Saturday a trip to Garden Spot in Oconto to check out the plants.  Ronald and Lillian Martin have a great little green house located about 4 miles west of Oconto on Hwy 22.  For people reading this, Ron is a regular at the Saturday Farmer's Market in Green Bay.  I picked up my onion plants (Red & Sweet Yellow), some primocane Blackberries (PrimeJim & PrimeJan), and some kale seed I was looking for.  I will be following up on a couple of fruit trees this week.  Be sure to check it out:  Garden Spot, 3645 Hwy 22, Oconto  920-835-1237,  M-Sa 8:30-6:00, closed Sunday.  Well worth the drive.

The garden continues to lag.  Cold and rainy does not get the garden started.  The garlic is doing great and will get little help from some bone meal today.  After that, it will be all about foliar feeding with fish emulsion.

Grass is green but beds are very cold and very wet!

Garlic is doing well, despite the snow of last week!

 

It's April 19th in NE Wisconsin.

8-10" of snow.  Aren't we supposed to be planting?

Hopefully we can make it to work tomorrow.

OK. It's late, but....

It's tax time and not time to be planting seeds.  I know that.  I articulate that.  I still don't follow my own advice.

Today, I planted the following:
Brussel Sprouts - Long Island Improved, Bubbles
Broccoli -  DiCicco, Calabrese
Kale
Cauliflower
Basil - Italian Large Leaf, Genovesse, Thai, Licorice, Sweet
Parsley - Moss Curled, Double Curled, Italian Dark Green
Cilantro
Rosemary
Lettuce / Romaine - Outback, Caeser Blend
Swiss Chard - Lucullus, Bright Lights

They are sitting on top of the boiler so a nice heat source that should help the seed explode.


This year I am going to do a lot more staggered planting of our plants.  Think about it.  You go to your local garden center and get some plants that most likely have been started at the same time.  They might have been slowed up to meet some predetermined delivery window.  The way I look at it, one should keep the plants growing very, very fast and not slow the process down.  From inside, to deck, to hardening off, to garden.

Time will tell.  Consider that the sleet on the windows last night put me to sleep and the flooded back yard welcomed me to light of day.  Remember, this is spring.

Be safe.

Why would you want to garden.

A great article from ThePeoplesVoice.org should give everyone a new reason to plant a garden this year.  Some of the thoughts you will agree with and some not.  But in general, you can't argue with them.

Enjoy the read.

Bill