Virginia Gardeners - Page 8

JJJessee · March 23, 2015

So far I have direct seeded, spinach, gai lan, radicchio, cilantro, snow peas, beets and some stir-fry mixed greens. I've also set about 10 brassicas and some swiss chard. Weather looks on the good side of seasonal for the next ten days with a little rain.

linzelu100 · March 24, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by JJJessee

So far I have direct seeded, spinach, gai lan, radicchio, cilantro, snow peas, beets and some stir-fry mixed greens. I've also set about 10 brassicas and some swiss chard. Weather looks on the good side of seasonal for the next ten days with a little rain.

Can you tell me a little bit about Gai Lan? I am not familar with that one.

linzelu100 · March 24, 2015

Today, I planted seed of more peas, carrots, radish, cilantro, swiss chard (Electric Neon- which actually grew like regular rainbow chard and was not worth the extra money from Territorial Seed!), also spinach.

shelleybean · March 31, 2015

Well, I'm keeping a close eye on the forecast. A have a couple of cherry tomatoes that have grown faster than all the other tomatoes and they've reached the very top of the grow light. I can't raise it any higher. Looking at the low's coming up, we'll be in the mid 50s most nights. I think Saturday night is more like 45 but that doesn't bother me. So I guess I'm going to start hardening off at least the tomatoes on Thursday. February and March are a blur to me. Can't be believe tomorrow is April!

Outside, things are slowly coming along. I know these below average temps are mostly to blame. I think the warmer weather this week will help a lot.

Where do the rest of you stand with your tomatoes, peppers and eggplant right now?

birdermom · March 31, 2015

Tomatoes and peppers still under lights and will be ok for now. It is so wet that an area that is suppose to be a "new" garden is still not tilled. I have been moving plants in and out for the past two weeks and hoping when I placed them outside yesterday it would be the last time for any moves. My peas and spinach are up and some greens. I was using some old seed so the germination is not great. I will putting in the rest of the greens and cool weather plants today and tomorrow...getting some blueberries and raspberries prepared for a new home but with no leaves on the trees I will have to try to remember where the best area for sun...which is very limited in the middle of an oak forest, very little cleared areas. With all that said....so great to see the sun this morning!!

shelleybean · March 31, 2015

Just saw my first bee of 2015. It was a bumble bee and he was checking out the violas while I thinned beets. It's really starting to feel like spring... FINALLY!!

roper2008 · April 3, 2015

My sugar snap peas have finally sprouted. I had to put chicken wire on top of
them so the rabbits don't have a snack. I also have Lacinato kale seedlings
and my garlic is going strong. Today I'm going to mow the lawn for first time
this season.

shelleybean · April 6, 2015

We're supposed to get some steady rain this week so that'll help anything already planted outside. All my seedlings are out to harden off now. The forecast for the next week looks perfect for it. I'm waiting for my irrigation company to come and turn my system back on. I'm already tired of lugging the hose all over the garden. I'll be glad when my built in sprinklers are back on. Lots of cabbage moths out there so after all this rain I'll have to put more Dipel on the cabbage. Roper, they might like your kale, too. Peas and lettuce and radishes are growing quickly. Spinach, spinach, beets and onions are a bit slower. I'm just glad it finally feels like spring.

shelleybean · April 13, 2015

Okay, my garden is full. I planted the last of it yesterday. We suddenly found out my husband will be having neck surgery on Wednesday and I didn't know how much time I'd have to myself after that, so I thought I'd better go ahead and do it. Every bed has something in it, so now I'm just waiting to pick something. Lettuce and radishes should be ready very soon. I start seedlings for friends, family and neighbors, too, and I'll get all those delivered to their new homes by tomorrow and that will be out of the way before the surgery. Anybody else planted tomatoes, peppers, etc. yet?

mecktom · April 13, 2015

Have a Kimberley, Sophie's Choice, and a Stupice planted....it is easy to handle a few if a cold snap comes in. Hopefully, I can hold off with the others to the end of the month. Onions, radishes, lettuce, spinach, and arugula look nice. Cabbage, broccoli, and collards are growing nicely. Hope the weather stays nice!

shelleybean · April 14, 2015

Yes, I hope it stays warm, too. This last week has really made the spring stuff grow quickly. I think the lettuce and radishes have doubled in size. Speaking of tomatoes who don't mind a little cold, my Galina's seedlings have buds.

shelleybean · April 25, 2015

Good grief! What's up with this nutty weather? It's 52 degrees here right now!!

My radishes are about done and I'm just beginning to pull almost full sized heads of butter lettuce. I need to thin them out a bit so I'm removing some before they've really developed a solid heart in the center. Of course we eat them all anyway. I direct seeded my leaf lettuce and it's catching up quickly to the stuff I started inside. My spinach is about ready to start cutting. All my crookneck squash has come up. When my spring onions are done, I'll plant some zucchini. Cucumbers are sprouting. I have golden beets growing but I'm wondering if I could get away with planting some red beets in that space when the gold are done. We've had cooler summers the last couple of years. I might get away with it. This week I've planted wax beans and okra. My Galina's tomatoes are beginning to bloom so I should have some little greenies soon. Buds on the larger varieties are forming and some of them look huge. Peppers have buds. Eggplant is just sort of sitting there. They'd like it warmer, I'm sure. Me, too! Cabbage worms are attacking the cabbage. I keep putting Dipel on them.

Anyone else eating their cool weather veggies yet? I'm sure there's a lot of variation in temperatures across the state and up in the mountains.

linzelu100 · May 8, 2015

Errrr! Update on that whole moon planting thing...it's a crock! I planted my tomatoes much later than I would have normally and they are so small. Worst of all they are the least healthy looking. Stunted, leaves falling off...hot mess. I am trashing them and buying transplants this year from a farmer I trust. Boy was that a hard learning lesson. Back to February it is. And I learned the best time to plant is when you have time.

shelleybean · May 9, 2015

Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Most people here are planting later than usual but not because of the moon. It's all these weird cold snaps we've had. I did plant out close to my usual time but I felt rushed because of my husband's surgery. It worked out fine for the tomatoes. They are all blooming and I have green fruit on Galina's.

Other things have not gone so well. I had such spotty germination on the peas, I just gave up on them and put some beans in. They are doing much better. My beets and onions are really slow. I have loads of lettuce and spinach and I've been giving it away in gallon sized bags. Radishes are done and okra is planted in its place now. I lost a pepper due to some stem damage. I have back ups started indoors. The rest look okay for now. Something broke the main stem on the only eggplant I kept. Leaves are filling in so I want to see if some kind of new stem will grow. It's not going to die but I don't know what kind of shape it'll take on now that the main stem has broken off so close to the ground. Squash and cucumbers are coming along and obviously really liked the hot weather we had at the beginning of the week.

I hope we don't get a lot of wind from Ana. Looks like most of that will stay to our south.

roper2008 · May 10, 2015

Only last week I planted 3 tomato plants. I need to get the rest in their homes. The
cherry tomatoes go in large pots and the peppers go into fabric pots.
My sugar snap peas have been growing very slow. Hopefully I will get peas before
it gets to hot. I need to plant my greasy beans also today. These are an experiment.

March 24, 2015	#108
linzelu100 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Virginia Posts: 447	Today, I planted seed of more peas, carrots, radish, cilantro, swiss chard (Electric Neon- which actually grew like regular rainbow chard and was not worth the extra money from Territorial Seed!), also spinach. __________________ Lindsey

March 31, 2015	#109
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Well, I'm keeping a close eye on the forecast. A have a couple of cherry tomatoes that have grown faster than all the other tomatoes and they've reached the very top of the grow light. I can't raise it any higher. Looking at the low's coming up, we'll be in the mid 50s most nights. I think Saturday night is more like 45 but that doesn't bother me. So I guess I'm going to start hardening off at least the tomatoes on Thursday. February and March are a blur to me. Can't be believe tomorrow is April! Outside, things are slowly coming along. I know these below average temps are mostly to blame. I think the warmer weather this week will help a lot. Where do the rest of you stand with your tomatoes, peppers and eggplant right now? __________________ Michele

March 31, 2015	#111
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Just saw my first bee of 2015. It was a bumble bee and he was checking out the violas while I thinned beets. It's really starting to feel like spring... FINALLY!! __________________ Michele

April 6, 2015	#113
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	We're supposed to get some steady rain this week so that'll help anything already planted outside. All my seedlings are out to harden off now. The forecast for the next week looks perfect for it. I'm waiting for my irrigation company to come and turn my system back on. I'm already tired of lugging the hose all over the garden. I'll be glad when my built in sprinklers are back on. Lots of cabbage moths out there so after all this rain I'll have to put more Dipel on the cabbage. Roper, they might like your kale, too. Peas and lettuce and radishes are growing quickly. Spinach, spinach, beets and onions are a bit slower. I'm just glad it finally feels like spring. __________________ Michele

April 13, 2015	#114
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Okay, my garden is full. I planted the last of it yesterday. We suddenly found out my husband will be having neck surgery on Wednesday and I didn't know how much time I'd have to myself after that, so I thought I'd better go ahead and do it. Every bed has something in it, so now I'm just waiting to pick something. Lettuce and radishes should be ready very soon. I start seedlings for friends, family and neighbors, too, and I'll get all those delivered to their new homes by tomorrow and that will be out of the way before the surgery. Anybody else planted tomatoes, peppers, etc. yet? __________________ Michele

March 23, 2015	#106
JJJessee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Abingdon, Va Posts: 184	So far I have direct seeded, spinach, gai lan, radicchio, cilantro, snow peas, beets and some stir-fry mixed greens. I've also set about 10 brassicas and some swiss chard. Weather looks on the good side of seasonal for the next ten days with a little rain.

March 31, 2015	#110
birdermom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Virginia Posts: 116	Tomatoes and peppers still under lights and will be ok for now. It is so wet that an area that is suppose to be a "new" garden is still not tilled. I have been moving plants in and out for the past two weeks and hoping when I placed them outside yesterday it would be the last time for any moves. My peas and spinach are up and some greens. I was using some old seed so the germination is not great. I will putting in the rest of the greens and cool weather plants today and tomorrow...getting some blueberries and raspberries prepared for a new home but with no leaves on the trees I will have to try to remember where the best area for sun...which is very limited in the middle of an oak forest, very little cleared areas. With all that said....so great to see the sun this morning!!

April 3, 2015	#112
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	My sugar snap peas have finally sprouted. I had to put chicken wire on top of them so the rabbits don't have a snack. I also have Lacinato kale seedlings and my garlic is going strong. Today I'm going to mow the lawn for first time this season.

April 13, 2015	#115
mecktom Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Southern Virginia Posts: 342	Have a Kimberley, Sophie's Choice, and a Stupice planted....it is easy to handle a few if a cold snap comes in. Hopefully, I can hold off with the others to the end of the month. Onions, radishes, lettuce, spinach, and arugula look nice. Cabbage, broccoli, and collards are growing nicely. Hope the weather stays nice!

April 14, 2015	#116
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Yes, I hope it stays warm, too. This last week has really made the spring stuff grow quickly. I think the lettuce and radishes have doubled in size. Speaking of tomatoes who don't mind a little cold, my Galina's seedlings have buds. __________________ Michele

April 25, 2015	#117
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Good grief! What's up with this nutty weather? It's 52 degrees here right now!! My radishes are about done and I'm just beginning to pull almost full sized heads of butter lettuce. I need to thin them out a bit so I'm removing some before they've really developed a solid heart in the center. Of course we eat them all anyway. I direct seeded my leaf lettuce and it's catching up quickly to the stuff I started inside. My spinach is about ready to start cutting. All my crookneck squash has come up. When my spring onions are done, I'll plant some zucchini. Cucumbers are sprouting. I have golden beets growing but I'm wondering if I could get away with planting some red beets in that space when the gold are done. We've had cooler summers the last couple of years. I might get away with it. This week I've planted wax beans and okra. My Galina's tomatoes are beginning to bloom so I should have some little greenies soon. Buds on the larger varieties are forming and some of them look huge. Peppers have buds. Eggplant is just sort of sitting there. They'd like it warmer, I'm sure. Me, too! Cabbage worms are attacking the cabbage. I keep putting Dipel on them. Anyone else eating their cool weather veggies yet? I'm sure there's a lot of variation in temperatures across the state and up in the mountains. __________________ Michele

May 8, 2015	#118
linzelu100 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Virginia Posts: 447	Errrr! Update on that whole moon planting thing...it's a crock! I planted my tomatoes much later than I would have normally and they are so small. Worst of all they are the least healthy looking. Stunted, leaves falling off...hot mess. I am trashing them and buying transplants this year from a farmer I trust. Boy was that a hard learning lesson. Back to February it is. And I learned the best time to plant is when you have time. __________________ Lindsey

May 9, 2015	#119
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Most people here are planting later than usual but not because of the moon. It's all these weird cold snaps we've had. I did plant out close to my usual time but I felt rushed because of my husband's surgery. It worked out fine for the tomatoes. They are all blooming and I have green fruit on Galina's. Other things have not gone so well. I had such spotty germination on the peas, I just gave up on them and put some beans in. They are doing much better. My beets and onions are really slow. I have loads of lettuce and spinach and I've been giving it away in gallon sized bags. Radishes are done and okra is planted in its place now. I lost a pepper due to some stem damage. I have back ups started indoors. The rest look okay for now. Something broke the main stem on the only eggplant I kept. Leaves are filling in so I want to see if some kind of new stem will grow. It's not going to die but I don't know what kind of shape it'll take on now that the main stem has broken off so close to the ground. Squash and cucumbers are coming along and obviously really liked the hot weather we had at the beginning of the week. I hope we don't get a lot of wind from Ana. Looks like most of that will stay to our south. __________________ Michele

May 10, 2015	#120
roper2008 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Virginia Bch, VA (7b) Posts: 1,337	Only last week I planted 3 tomato plants. I need to get the rest in their homes. The cherry tomatoes go in large pots and the peppers go into fabric pots. My sugar snap peas have been growing very slow. Hopefully I will get peas before it gets to hot. I need to plant my greasy beans also today. These are an experiment.