HOW'RE YOU PREPPING NOW FOR SPRING/SUMMER GARDENS?

I'm waiting until 2nd or 3rd week of March to do melons,squash and summer annuals in my greenhouse.No heat mat and I don't move them in and out everyday until it's time to start hardening them off.

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That's a problem for me, (hardening off ) I don't do well doing that. so 's why I put the trays outside daily and take them inside at night, they sprout in the sun, and I don't have to harden them off, cause I always kill them when I harden off. I'm really wanting to buy a 4 tray heat mat and a couple of those bio domes from parks seeds, but I don't have to have the biodomes, I have some domes with trays I could use. I want to see if those heat mats make that much difference. LOL. But I haven't wanted to spend the money on the heat mats yet.

I just spread some compost and some purchased soil into my raised beds. Over the past few years, the soil level has dpiied quite a bit, probably since when I weed, I'm not too carfeul about the dirt that goes out with them. Mixed everything through to about 7-8 inches deep.

I haven't started seedlings yet, I know I have to wait for at least another couple of weeks or I'll have to repot. Even though I'm in California, we get rain through April at least, and it's still pretty cool. First to get going will be the tomatoes and cukes.

I'm still planting lettuce rows a week apart. It's the easiest thing for me to grow, and there's no aphids yet!

kathy-ann,
You can't open the ends of your greenhouse? I roll up the back wall half way up,secure bird netting across it to keep the neighborhood dogs and cats out,open the front sliding doors and turn on the fan during the day.I leave the back up all night unless we get a really cold snap forecast. Close to planting time I move them outside under a bench and gradually pull them out into more sun over a period of a week.

mim,
I planted my first run of lettuces,carrots and radishes a couple weeks ago. As soon as I get the rest of the garden cleaned up and tilled,I'll do another run.

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I do open the ends of the greenhouse. I like the bird netting idea, I haven't opened it up completely though, all the windows still have plastic over them. I'm fighting the chickens right now. Can't let them out if I have the greenhouse open, they distroy everything on the shelves by walking over it and knocking it over. DH is suppose to be building screen doors for it this spring to keep the chickens out, so they can still run around the yard.

Haven't turned on any fans yet, haven't needed to , really.

I use one of the narrower benches turned on it's side,propped up against the front door when oped and held in place w/ concrete blocks to keep critters from coming in the front doors. High enough to keep them out but still low enough for me to step over without trouble.

Haven't used my fan yet either. Hub's put one of those turbins(sp?)like you see on house roofs,to pull heat out ,on the back wall.
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