blazepepper

I refer to the link below (PDF file) quite often to help me decide when to plant things. You're quite right. The time is approaching when we can plant some things as long as we use our common sense.

Most of the early Springsters must be planted as seeds, though asparagus is almost always bought as plants. Many brassica seeds (cabbage, kale, broccoli, etc.) can be started soon. You can plant onion starts or seeds. I don't know how much frost or freezing the young starts can take since they have to spend some energy rooting before they start growing, but the seeds will come up with enough light, some warmth, and moisture, and once they're up, they're pretty hardy against everything but hard freezes.

You can plant English peas soon, as well as lettuce. Take a look at the chart below. It'll give you some information about what you can plant when.

Here is a link that might be useful: Middle Georgia Planting Guide PDF

It is true that cool weather crops can be planted(seeds in the ground) in February. Here I plant English peas, Irish potatoes and the like by Valentines day. Atlanta should not be more than week or so later. English peas should be ready for harvest in may or early June. If you use sets or plants, you can pull green onions at about the same time. Mature onions take longer. Asparagus, typically you plant crowns this year, let them established themselves and began harvest next year. all the cool weather crops can tolerate frost. A freeze which is rare in March may damage some of them, but they recover. Did not lose a thing in last Aprils freeze. Just think of February as early spring in Georgia.

I have found this publication from the Extension Department at UGA to be very useful. Hope it helps you as well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Home Vegetable Gardening

Forgot to say I'm in Metro Atlanta also. If you want to start broccoli from seed, you should do it now I think. I have mine started already and plan to plant them end February. Maybe it's different for others, but broccoli grows very slowly for me so it takes a few weeks to get them from seed to transplant size.

I plant swiss chard, kale, mustard greens, lettuce from seed in February. Even with the late freeze last year, I've never lost any of them to cold weather.

I saw an article in the AJC this week re. drought, and they reported some of the big box stores have canceled spring orders from all nurseries, and plan to close their garden centers. I think mainly for nursery plants, surely not mulch, gardening supplies etc. If this is true, it may be a little harder to find vegetables for transplanting this year. In our county, Pikes has gone out of business. I'm hoping Lowes and Home Depot keep their garden centers stocked.

Opal

This past week I noticed a Pike's Nursery seemed to be doing business here in Cherokee County, but I'm glad you posted the information about various nurseries closing down because of the drought. We've had several heartening days of rain and snow lately, though I know that doesn't mean much if we don't get normal rainfall year-round.

Bobby, I think you can plant anything in containers with few exceptions...IF YOU HAVE TO. Containers are better than nothing, LOL. I know onions are touchy about consistent water and that is sometimes hard in containers. They are fairly shallow rooted and that is where you would lose moisture first in a container unless you had a drip system or some such. I've never grown asparagus. I love peas and plant too many to consider container growing them. If you could fit 4-6 of the larger vining types and train them up you might possibly get a taste worth the effort. I know lots of people here container grow so you may get better advice. If it is a space issue, by all means go for it. If it is a weather/warmth issue, I would just wait for the appropriate time and put them in the ground. Lori

Hello Whisperingraven (Chris)

I am very interested in purchasing some of your seeds for my fall garden. I live near Decatur and would like to plant as soon as possible. Please let me know how to contact you to make the purchase.