Home Forums Miscellaneous Topics Rural Living Too Early To Plant A Garden?

Maybe, maybe not, depending on the weather. Anyway, the urge to play in the dirt hit me yesterday, so I planted some stuff in the high tunnel. Set out a few cabbage and broccoli plants, planted some green peas, beets, and carrots. Thought about planting some potatoes, but have never grown any inside like that, so am still thinking about it. I can somewhat control the temp in the high tunnel, so maybe it won't get too cold. I started out using drip lines for irrigation, and still use them for some things, but have gone to an overhead sprinkler system for overall coverage. The biggest problem I've found with the high tunnel growing of vegetables is with the fertilization process. Most fertilizers contain salt, and you get a high salt concentration in the soil, which damages the roots and can drastically cut production. That's why I went with a sprinkler system, in the hopes of putting on more water, which will help leach the salt out.

Interesting James, years back we would return to Iowa after fishing through three feet of ice in very early April in Ontario.

Even in Southern Minnesota we might have only seen the odd farmer spreading manure.

My father-in-law would return from Texas, and tell of corn six inches high in Texas.

Latitude makes a huge difference.

Yes it does Richard. I have planted early garden outside in late February. I have also seen some of the worst winter weather here in March, so the weather does vary from year to year. Some years, there will be corn planted here in mid to late March, providing that the ground is dry and warm enough.

I know nothing of the weather in Kaintuck, looks like USDA zone 6...but your garlic should have been in before last Thanksgiving...your cabbage set out now....your hardier 'cole crops' next month?

i got some hot pepper seeds started in the shed today .they do not like the cold . if it is not 70* they won't live

Garlic as planted last November. The problem with planting early here is that we have been having some wet winters lately, and the ground in the outside gardens usually does not dry up enough to allow early planting. That's where the high tunnel comes in handy. I usually start my cabbage plants from seed, but bought them this year from a neighbor who has a commercial greenhouse.

You're right about peppers, they don't like cold weather. I see places like Lowes selling pepper plants in March and April, when it still get's down below freezing at night here often. I won't set them out until May at the earliest. Even then, they do better after it really gets hot in mid to late summer.

Nice garden building!

Minimum 3 more months here.

Don't know about where you are in KY but it was 10 degrees last Friday, and 13 degrees here in the Nashville area last Saturday morning.

Cool weather plants like those you listed should love it in the inside of a "greenhouse" now and do quite well.

Finished today my little plot. Gonna wait a couple of week's and put in a few watermelons. 81 today.



Just the right size for me to handle

Anyone use the grass killer Preen?

Isn't preen a pre emergent weed preventer?

Yes.

I'd think granular treflan would work as well.

I don't like using a lot of chemicals in the garden. I'm not an organic grower, because I do use stuff like Sevin to kill bugs, but pretty much draw the line at using any herbicides. I did have to spray my strawberries for grass, but that was after they had already been picked. If I were to, I'd think something like a low rate of Treflan would work.

I get the fire ants in rows and I’ll hit em with the sevin to run em off. Just get em somewhere else so I can treat em good!

It would, we have a box garden. So hit it with round up wait a month then plant

Got my corn and beans in the ground today.

Getting close here, don’t know if I’m going to this year.