NFR 2024 Garden and Growing Things thread
- Thread starter Matt B
- Start date
Non-fishing related
Here in Chicagoland, we're WAAAY behind. Last frost here isn't until April 20 on average (4/22 last year), so the only thing I can put out before then are onions and shallots, both of which I've got started in my little greenhouse in the garage. My garlic is doing gangbusters; Upper Midwest winters had little effect other than to brown the edges of the leaves. I'll be putting a little high nitrogen fertilizer on them soon.
But the rest of the garden won't be going outside until the last week of April. Until then I'll be biding my time; I hit every inch of the garden with my garden fork last fall, so the bed is loosened a good 10". I even screened it. I then put in some organic fertilizer and some sand and peat moss, tilled it thoroughly again, and put dead leaves (of which there is no shortage where I live) on it until spring. I'll just till those leaves in this spring with a fresh application of organic fertilizer of a general nature. That should give the plants their best chances of thriving.
But the rest of the garden won't be going outside until the last week of April. Until then I'll be biding my time; I hit every inch of the garden with my garden fork last fall, so the bed is loosened a good 10". I even screened it. I then put in some organic fertilizer and some sand and peat moss, tilled it thoroughly again, and put dead leaves (of which there is no shortage where I live) on it until spring. I'll just till those leaves in this spring with a fresh application of organic fertilizer of a general nature. That should give the plants their best chances of thriving.
I just harvested my winter carrots that were sowed in July. They're in buckets packed in sand and will be used up about May. I still have the last dozen I sowed in April last year. They all made through that cold snap ,15 degrees in Oly, and were fine. I just leave them in the ground and harvest some as needed all Winter. Amazing plant. Got my seeds all bought from Territorial. I place black plastic over my beds all Winter to keep the rain from leeching out the soil. I used to sow my garden in mid March but found it is much more productive to wait until April. Cold snaps stunt their growth in March and they don't recover. They'll actual mature sooner by waiting two or three weeks. Happy gardening...
Oh, they smell SO GOOD!
My kids made the same observation!
I don’t brew, I just like the way they look and smell! Not ruling out brewing someday, but I’ve been assistant on enough buddies’ brews to know that I’m probably not fastidious enough to make good beer.
I’ve got citra and one other that I’ve forgotten. Just two rhizomes - started them in pots back when I lived in an apartment and transferred them to my raised bed a couple years ago. They didn’t get well established until last summer.
I’m hoping to propagate them this year by splitting off some of the bines- need to do some research.
That’s a great looking crop you’ve got there! What did you end up brewing with them?
I no longer grow hops (man, the rhizomes love to travel), like you I love the smell and I think the vines are very pretty. Initially I grew them for a friend who brewed for decades. I helped him maybe a dozen times; he was fastidious with his brewing, kept detailed notes over all those years so he was able to consistently get "Herb's Perfect Porter" and so on..........I had Cascades and I forget the other one.
That’s funny - our stories are pretty similar, minus a few decades on my end! I need to find someone to give all my hops away to rather than letting them rot on the vine.
Stuff is really popping out at my place. Magnolia tree buds are about ready to really open up. The next few days should really get things going. My nose is already sensing some pollen.
This seems appropriate for this past weekends weather though.
SF
This seems appropriate for this past weekends weather though.
SF
Just saw this article. Interesting stuff…
www.seattletimes.com
Welcome to zone 9a, Seattle – Decoding our new hardiness zone | Produced by Seattle Times Marketing
Seattle has entered a new hardiness zone. Here's what that means for your garden.
www.seattletimes.com
For at least some of my vegetable garden planting I have noted this change optimum time to plant some crops change over the last 50 years. At the start of that period for example the best time to plant my green beans was early to mid-June and now it seems to be nearly month earlier. I typically make several plants each season and clearly the earlier plants have been doing better on the average (also so year to year variation).Just saw this article. Interesting stuff…
Welcome to zone 9a, Seattle – Decoding our new hardiness zone | Produced by Seattle Times Marketing
Seattle has entered a new hardiness zone. Here's what that means for your garden.
Curt
I’ve never paid much attention to the growing zone stuff. I’m all about anecdotal data and keeping a few notes to aid my memory. I’ve lost enough “hardy” plants to justify this.
Seems to work for me:
I aim for late May/early June for most plantings
Seems to work for me:
I aim for late May/early June for most plantings
Anyone have a preferred method/product for removing moss and mildew on concrete? The north side of our home gets very low levels of light and stays damp long after rains. All of the paved surfaces, sidewalk, driveway, retaining wall, stairs, etc., have moss and/or green and black mildew. We do have a pressure washer but I'd like to clean more than a 2" stripe at a time.
