What's in your Herb / Vegetable garden?

[Ciel21]

@TrueNorthTreasures I'm not certain which fruit pits got planted into Mom's garden. I know that her two mulberry trees from two years ago are still standing but their lower bark does not look good. The third tree is a pear? They were from a nursery.

I noticed the garlic bunch had scapes just shoot up about a week ago and I cut them off on Monday. Mom has put veggie plants from a garden centre into her garden but I have not been paying attention to what she has sown from seed.

[Ciel21]

Mom harvested her first almost ripe tomato last week. The string beans were eaten by some critter. Most likely the rabbit that ran out of the tall grass when I decided to mow one side down today. Mowed down the rest to minimize more critter snacking.

The other tomatoes remain green and Mom won't get some red plastic to put around the base of the stakes to encourage the ripening process.

The sage bush in the front yard is overdoing its growth. I had to cut it back. Don't know why Mom doesn't move it to her garden.

[walkonby]

I felt sad harvesting DH's many long railing planters of delicate lettuces because looks like this is it for them. The dreaded heat wave has nearly killed them! I was supposed to water everything....oops, sorry honey, my bad. I was able to salvage about 12 +cups worth of leaves. Picked, trimmed, washed, spun...the usual drill and had 2 salads today, one at both lunch and dinner.

[TrueNorthTreasures]

It's too early to start seeds for most transplants, but I'm eager to get started! In the meantime, I started a few leeks, cutting celery, and this year I'll try growing asters for the first time.

Has anyone else started their seeds? Any new or exciting plans for your garden this year?

[walkonby]

It's too early to start seeds for most transplants, but I'm eager to get started! In the meantime, I started a few leeks, cutting celery, and this year I'll try growing asters for the first time.

Has anyone else started their seeds? Any new or exciting plans for your garden this year?

Hi @TrueNorthTreasures About a month ago I purchased some Dollar store seeds and starter thingy's and DH laughed at me saying it was way to early to start these. So....is it STILL too early? My plan was to have these start in the front window and then transplant the sprouted " stalks " outside to barrels and large pots.
He says nothing can go out there until May 24th at the earliest. So why is it so wrong to just start them now-ish? Will they get too huge and topple over in the wee cardboard starter wells?
I know the green bean seeds I bought will not need starting but get plopped in the dirt outside later on.

[TrueNorthTreasures]

@walkonby Different things don't do well started too early for different reasons. Some are finicky and don't grow well if their roots are disturbed (so give you the plant version of the middle finger when you try to transplant them by dying or delaying growth so you're no further ahead fo having started them inside). Other things are really heat-loving and get terribly leggy and weak if they aren't started under grow lights and/or are started too soon. I ignored the advice early on and planted all sorts of things too soon as my patience to get going in the Spring has always been limited. Ha! Unfortunately, the advice was usually right. The only thing I've really gotten away with starting too early has been tomatoes, as you can plant them deeply up the stem in late May/early June and they seem to do okay.

I haven't grown onions from seed before, but from what I understand, it's similar to growing leeks. In that case, you could likely get away with planting them now, as you can give them a "haircut" every few weeks, keeping them about 2-3 inches tall, until they are transplanted outside. (Let them grow to ~ 5 inches long in the week or so before you plant them outside.) Might want to check out some YouTube videos to make sure.

Basil is heat-loving, so tends to do best directly sown in the ground. Some people do start it indoors, but I would think it would do best under a grow-light to keep it from getting leggy. You could always try planting a few seeds now and putting the pot in a very sunny window and seeing how they do. If you do, I'd love to hear how they make out.

Dill, I'm not sure about starting indoors. I've always directly sown it once the ground is warm outside. I think you can start them 4-6 weeks before the last frost date, but they do need a lot of light to keep them strong. (Again, you could always experiment.)

One thing I learned to do early on, and it made a real difference, was to turn an oscillating fan (on low) on my seedlings/transplants a few times a day for ~ 20 minutes at a time. (Start with just a few minutes at a time.) This helps toughen them up so they don't get too floppy/leggy.

I think your DH has the right idea about not being able to put those items out until late May. The onions would likely be the exception; as long as you're no longer getting frosts, you could likely put those out earlier. We plant cool crops (beets, carrots, peas, potatoes, parsnips, onions, leeks, etc.) in early to mid May. Everything else (tomatoes, beans, herbs, etc.) gets planted out in late May/early June, depending on the weather in any given year.

A fun thing to look into (it was a game changer for me) is "milk jug greenhouses" or "winter sowing". Some things can be started in clear plastic jugs outside as early as March (depending on where you live). The transplants that grow in them don't have to be hardened off and it frees up a lot of room in the house. I start brassicas (kale, cabbage), chard, some herbs and some flowers this way.

[Frugalbigmama]

I planted some seeds in pots today. Maybe late to the game but I had the stuff so I'm giving it another try!
Will see what makes it
Didn't go crazy. All fits on a large cookie sheet so easy to move outside on nice sunny days or just leave in the window in the house.

[walkonby]

The first " harvest " from DH's barrel of zucchini!! It's a flawless specimen ( yeah, there was only one so far ) and will either be part of a stir fry or just oven roasted.

[flemeth]

The first " harvest " from DH's barrel of zucchini!! It's a flawless specimen ( yeah, there was only one so far ) and will either be part of a stir fry or just oven roasted.

Nice @walkonby . My DH did not plant any zucchini this year only Chinese long squash so far we did not harvest anything

[Purdee]

The first " harvest " from DH's barrel of zucchini!! It's a flawless specimen ( yeah, there was only one so far ) and will either be part of a stir fry or just oven roasted.

we like to slice zucchini, dip them in an egg wash then bread them in fine breadcrumb with italian seasonings, then deep fry them. we would stand by the stove, set up an assembly line, fry them and eat them when they come out. I like my zucchini slices are bit thicker and hubby likes his thin.

[TrueNorthTreasures]

That is so neat, @walkonby ! Things are coming along in our garden, but no harvests yet (other than garlic scapes and herbs).

[Frugalbigmama]

I spotted cherry tomatoes! Can't wait till they are ready to pick!

[walkonby]

A "whopping " one pound and nine ounces of freshly picked garden green beans. My sore, sore back was aching but I persevered!

[Thatdone]

A "whopping " one pound and nine ounces of freshly picked garden green beans. My sore, sore back was aching but I persevered!

Wow. Great for snacking


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[TrueNorthTreasures]

The first few gifts from the garden! A Dragon's Egg cucumber, Early Prolific summer squash, and herbs & greens.