We're Planting Tomorrow!!!!

My DH, FIL and I are gonna plant Good Friday! It's a tradition for them. I am soooo excited. Now if the Good Lord will only send us some rain and keep His deer away!!!!!
Some varieties are: Christmas Lima bean, Pink-eye Purplehull pea, 4 varieties of corn, yellow and zucchini squash, eggplant, cucumber, Brandywine tomatoes, Jenny Lind and Charentais melons, and Moon & Stars and Georgia Rattlesnake watermelons. Probably forgetting something, but this is most of it.
I would like to know what y'all are growing, too!
I will keep you folks posted!!!!
Hope everyone's gardens will be fantastic!!!

We started Apr. 1. This is early for us. We planted peas, lettuce, radish, & red beets. Today some more seed came by Speedy truck, so planted more peas & another radish.
We definately need rain. If it don't happen by Monday we are going to put out some T-Tape.
Onion plants are due next week. Potatoes will go in soon.
Bernie

HALLELUJAH!!!!!! We got it all planted. My FIL who has farmed on his land here for 50 yrs. told us not to plant the peas and melons. He said to wait til end of April b/c soil isn't warm enough for them. I wanted to plant now but Pa said he had never had success with planting them now. So I'll defer to his vast knowledge and wait. It was hard- I didn't want to but I will.
The ground is like cement and the dirt is so dry. Pa said this is possibly the driest Spring he has ever saw in his 76+ yrs.
Dear LORD, please be gracious and send us some rain.
I am anxious to see if everything comes up. Won't be able to water b/c on a well.
I am also hoping the electric fence we installed today will keep the deer out!!!!
I want lots of feedback from y'all and what you planted or are planning on planting!!
God bless you and your garden!!!

Congrats berrygirl! I've got a week or so before I can get going with mine. I agree with the hold off on the peas(cowpeas for those of you above the Ohio River line) and melons. I always wait till the ground warms more for them too.

So far this spring has been dry for us too...waiting for the monsoons to descend upon us though. Locals have already got Frankencorn and Frankenbeans in the ground all around me.

Mel... don't you hate the frankenfoods? How close are they? Close enough to cross-pollinate?

I'm only growing a few heirloom tomatoes this year. No space. MUCH too soon to set them out now. Looks like the next Moon in Scorpio (best time to transplant tomatoes) is Memorial Day, so that's when I'll set mine out, holiday or not.

This message was edited Apr 10, 2004 9:40 AM

Yup...I've quit growing corn just for that reason. I can see fields of the stuff by standing in my yard.

We have GM corn for animal food and GM corn for 'people food' everywhere. This is a huge corn growing area...lots of corn for taco type stuff..if you eat a Dorito, chances are ,you've eaten corn from this area.

Lots of popcorn too, but I'm not aware of GM popcorn, but I guess it's out there.

Thanks for clearing up the bit about the peas, Mel. Here, Good Friday is the traditional day to plant garden peas and sweet peas. I did just that yesterday, along with a very short row of lettuce. I dug out the last of the carrots from last fall and intend to have them for Easter dinner tomorrow with my folks. My kids are all in Kentucky for Easter enjoying the warmer temps. It's sunny here, but the last two days the high has been about 42 with a chilly north wind.

Kathleen, the pea I was referring to is in my first post.
These are warm season, not cool season peas. We just don't have luck trying to grow "English" or "sweet" peas here. I wish we did as I love them.
Today, DH and I set out several tomato plants in a raised bed and made "cages" for them out of 14 gauge "utility" fence wire. We did as Horseshoe (at least I think it was him) had suggested{ somewhere else on DG} and planted them AROUND the wire, not inside it. I think it's gonna work great!!!!
It is supposed to rain tonight- I pray to the good LORD above that it does as we are in a drought!!!!!

We plant English peas on Valentine's Day. Field Peas (cowpeas) go in as the soil warms.

Kinda chilly and gloomy today...high 50's...drizzle tonight...but hey, we actually need rain.

I planted Candy onions and red and Yukon Gold potatoes yesterday(Easter Day)afternoon. Had to till first but with raised beds and the Mantis tiller it wasn't a problem. I worked on cleaning a couple more beds before giving in and quiting for the day. We still have 20# of potatoes to get planted. That will take up one more bed. Then if I can find the onion bulbs that I bought(I think)a couple weeks ago I will put them in another bed and be done with the early stuff. We don't eat radishes, leaf lettuce, etc. so there is no point in planting them. We do love spinach, but there is a little out there from last fall and I could put some in between the onions and them pull the spinach plants later to make room. There are other beds I could put spinach in too if I just get around to it. We like it mixed with the wild greens such as poke, docks, lamb quarters, dandelion, etc. Lots of garlics coming back and I have lots more to get planted in flower beds to keep underground tunneling vermin at bay.

I'm only going to put out about 4 or 5 tomato plants this years. And maybe a dozen Asparagus beans. We have so much left over from previous years that need to be used first. I have cucumbers & zukes started that will likely be raised in pots. At least the bush cukes and the zukes.

With just the 2 of us it doesn't make sense to raise so much anymore. I raise the potatoes and onions for a couple of the kids and their families, but let them do the rest themselves.

Try sprinkling your gardens with bloodmeal and making a bloodmeal/garlic/hot pepper solution to spray on the veggies to ward off the deer. I'm going to have to do something to keep them out of our peaches this year if the late frost tonight doesn't kill this year's crop. All of our fruit trees are in full bloom right now.

It is nice to read about everyones activity in the garden. Here in zone 10 I grow all year but through the winter months I feel lonely and usually don't say to much because I used to live in N.Y. and envied the southern gardeners and I didn't want you to think I was bragging or rubbing it in. So now we can all have fun!!!

Tplant, never worry about that! The only thing better than getting out and gardening,is talking about it. We are envious of course, but you're getting ready to get some misrable hot weather and we can brag about our temps in the 70's and 80's for awhile...so it goes both ways.

Thanks Melody -- Yes it will be getting hot and humid in a couple of months and that makes it fine for peppers, cucumbers and most importantly sweet, sweet cantaloupes, honeydews and sugar baby watermelons. Also this year I will try cherry tomatoes especially Dr. Carolyn. I love the sweetness and the beautiful color of this tomatoe. Will also try some heat loving plants from TGS. I hope Carolyn comes in on this. I would like her advice on the best heat lovers to cultivate.

It was tempting to get stuff set out last week, but after watching snow flurries fly this afternoon, I'm glad my 'maters are still sitting in the GH. With luck, they'll go out this weekend, after the temps return to normal (mid to upper 70s) and the soil should be good and moist after all the rain we've had for the past couple days.

No peas, potatoes or onions here (just too lazy to get 'em planted, lolol!) But I am going to be working on renovating my strawberry bed with a different variety, and I need to hit up notmartha for some of her rhubarb that she told me I could have. The asparagus is shooting up, and we should get some this year.