2024 gardens

[mike89]

yard is still crunchy here...  tulips are about 4 or so inches tall and my chives are about 5 plus inches already!!!

[glenn57]

yard is still crunchy here...  tulips are about 4 or so inches tall and my chives are about 5 plus inches already!!!

better get that truck load of that  cottage cheese!!!!!!!

[mike89]

yard is still crunchy here...  tulips are about 4 or so inches tall and my chives are about 5 plus inches already!!!

better get that truck load of that  cottage cheese!!!!!!!

dats the plan, get cottage cheese and load it up with the fresh chives!!!   

[KEN W]

My Rhubarb is about 4-5 inches tall. 

[HD]

When do you guy's put your onion sets in the ground?
I'm going to give it a try for the first time this year.
I bought some yellow onion bulbs....

[glenn57]

When do you guy's put your onion sets in the ground?
I'm going to give it a try for the first time this year.
I bought some yellow onion bulbs....

shortly after the garden is tilled.......which according to the G will be sometime the week of the 21rst! 

[roony]

Now would be good if the soil is fit.

[KEN W]

As soon as possible.

Onions grow bulbs according to daylight hours.
On our longest days they start growing bulbs
The larger the tops are at that time, the larger the bulbs will be
The earlier they are planted, the larger the top will be.

Onions are biennials. If left in the ground, they will grow again next year with seed pods on top. So they can even stand in snow. So cold weather will not hurt them.

I always use plants not sets. My philosophy is....If you get tears when peeling them, they are too hot to eat raw. They are just fine for cooking. I always plant the variety called....Candy. Sweet, large bulbs and they keep well. Patterson is another good one. For Red Onions.....Redwing.

Sets to me are a little to hot.

[LPS]

Very interesting.  When I buy onions I get sweet ones.  We plant red ones since they store for a long time.  We use them for cooking since they are a little strong.  We do use sets too.

[KEN W]

If you are buying onion sets from a bulk basket by the pound...Pick out the smallest ones. 2 reasons. Don't use a scoop.

Larger ones will think it is their second year and grow seed pods on top. They won't keep at all and should be eaten first.

Second.....buying small ones by the pound will give you more bulbs.

[KEN W]

Also time to buy seed potatoes. Pick out the small ones so you don't have to cut them and take a chance on them rotting.

Take them home and put them in a tray in the light. Better yet under florescent lights. They will get green short stubby sprouts. DO NOT leave them in the dark as they will grow long white sprouts that break off easy.

Then I usually plant the around the middle of may.

I am a big fan of Red Norland. They make great mashed potatoes. Keep well and you can get some of those Baby Reds after they bloom.

For baking the best is Norkota Russet. Make great baked potatoes.

I also like Viking and Yukon Gold. But not as well as those first 2.

[tangle tooth]

      Speaking of taters, I got 4 varieties for this year. What's your opinion of these?

      Viking.
      Dakota Pearl.
      Norland.
      Butterball.

      I'm going to try (first time) growing these under straw. Place them on the ground and cover with straw. No tilling or digging. What do you think?

[glenn57]

aint never done it that way.......

i gave up growing potatoes!!!!

[glenn57]

has anyone seen any asparagus popping out of the ground????

i'm sure ole Roony gotz bushel baskets full already!!!! he gets everything early!!!!!!

thinking by the end of the week my winter onions will be game on!!!!!!! especially after the Tuesday rain!!!!

[KEN W]

      Speaking of taters, I got 4 varieties for this year. What's your opinion of these?

      Viking.
      Dakota Pearl.
      Norland.
      Butterball.

      I'm going to try (first time) growing these under straw. Place them on the ground and cover with straw. No tilling or digging. What do you think?

I have grown Viking....excellent keeper
Norland.....best potato developed for mashed potatoes
Also Dakota Pearl.....a white potato. Grew it last year. Good for french fries and fried potatoes.
Never grown Butterball

If you use straw.....it has to be really deep. I have grown them in Straw Bales. 3 to a bale. Works OK. Best is still in the ground. Then hilled up. Main problem with straw is it gets matted down with rain and the potatoes stick out and turn green from the light. Have to throw them away.

[fishingstar]

I stopped growing potatoes. They take to much out of the ground. I started planting them about 10 years ago and what ever is planted where the potatoes were didn't do very well. I do fertilize very well just didn't seem to be worth it.

[Dotch]

has anyone seen any asparagus popping out of the ground????

i'm sure ole Roony gotz bushel baskets full already!!!! he gets everything early!!!!!!

thinking by the end of the week my winter onions will be game on!!!!!!! especially after the Tuesday rain!!!!

Haven't seen any "pickers" just yet. Usually they flock to the area to our north on the Lemond Road to Owatonna where Festal used to grow most of their asparagus. Lots of it went to seed and can be found in the road ditches there.

[roony]

I checked the asparagus but nothing is poking out yet. The winter onions are close.

[Dotch]

You & glenn get all the good winter onions...

Planted 3 more of the spring bulb planters the wife had inside that had died down. Keep doing that & the bed I started by the house will be full soon. Need to leave space for the crocuses & tulips I'd like to move from another bed. The hyacinths I moved the past several years are absolutely beautiful this spring. The grape hyacinths in particular are a magnet for some kind of small gray bees. Found another lupine amongst the leaves so that makes 6 of them. They're liking this spring so far. Fertilized them ahead of the forecast rain. Also have some rainwater collected in case it doesn't.

Been a while since growing spuds here. A lot easier to grab them in the store or from one of the local growers. When the wife worked at the potato & carrot farm that solved a lot of that. Still think about putting some in then it passes. Norlands are nice, early potatoes but never kept or yielded as well as the later red Pontiacs for us. Norkotahs would definitely be my baker choice. Have grown Yukon Gold too but was disappointed in their yield. A lot of potato preference depends on what you're going to do with them. With us, it's baking, frying and more recently air frying. Done in the air fryer, those baby reds & small golds are the bomb when drizzled with olive oil then sprinkled with garlic salt, oregano, basil and parsley flakes. The seed availability makes a difference too. Most around here aren't going to drive 40 miles one way to get a couple varieties for a dozen hills of potatoes. Size selection can be what you see is what you get. A lot of the seed potatoes are pretty well picked over in these parts, leaving more of the larger specimens to choose from. When that happens, it's a good idea to cut them up, trying for a couple eyes per set and let them dry for a few days prior to planting them. The dry barrier formed on the cut helps prevent disease organisms from having a direct conduit to the sprouts. It is prime potato planting time here. Soils are warm and fit. The forecast has moderated temperature-wise somewhat so wouldn't be bashful about planting spuds in this latitude this year. It could get wetter in a hurry so have to seize the opportunity when it exists.         

[KEN W]

Good info Dotch. Seed potatoes aren't available here yet. End of the week most likely. I usually sprout them for a couple weeks before planting them.

[Dotch]

Had a few minutes to play in the small garden so took a few pics. The hyacinths were being swarmed by small bees that were tentatively identified as leaf cutter bees. They were also collecting pollen from dandelions, those the red admirals weren't using. Poppy chased a lot of those off temporarily.

[roony]

Some Asparagus is emerging after the rain we had.

[roony]

Mayflower and Dutchman's britches are blooming in the woods. Also the Lillies of the Valley are coming up.

[Leech~~]

Had a few minutes to play in the small garden so took a few pics. The hyacinths were being swarmed by small bees that were tentatively identified as leaf cutter bees. They were also collecting pollen from dandelions, those the red admirals weren't using. Poppy chased a lot of those off temporarily.

If you guys down in the southern parts see any of those funny looking fungus things growing down there yet give a shutout. This warm spring could be a hard one to know when their going to start popping!   

[roony]

I think the shrooms are a couple weeks off. Maybe will be better picking this year.

[Dotch]

I would think the more moderate temps and adequate but not excessive rainfall this spring down here should be more favorable for mushrooms, especially in April so far. Just looked at the weather data from last April. We had 8" of snow in Bugtussle and aside from a few warm days, it was colder than normal. 

[glenn57]

found out this morning from the lady where my asparagus is planted......isnt up yet. 

[roony]

Picked ours today. It was short but I figured we might as well have it before Jack Frost got it.

[Dotch]

Thinkin' Sunday might be time for a rhubarb pie test run...

[roony]

Our rhubarb looks healthy but the stalks are still quite short. These cold nights slow things down.