I did buy 12 tea rose bands that I will keep in pots this year so I don't have to worry about them. The rest of the year I'll concentrate on improving my existing plants. I have to add mulch and this year for the first time I'll be using my own compost.

I put in two rain barrels so hopefully I'll have enough water. Not for the lawn, though. That's on it's own.....

It's biting the heck outa' me too. I found an old Lowe's giftcard today in my wallet with $7 bucks left on it so of course, I had to spend it lol. Saw a couple of miniature roses in colors I don't have that struck my fancy so I snatched them up plus a discounted $1 gallon Hydrangea that was trying to sprout. Not to mention a much-needed pitch fork for my growing compost pile but unfortunately the giftcard didn't cover that one. Didn't know those suckers were so expensive!

I've got loads of home-hybridized daylily seeds that are ready to be planted and I was snooping around the vegetable seed rack at Lowe's too though I haven't bought anything yet. Need to get my soil tilled up for the new year and decide what I'm gonna' grow this year. Water restrictions aren't really a factor out in our area for private well users but I am planning ahead to do better with conserving water and making all the use of grey and rain water I can before using well water. The threat of drought hasn't affected my plant selections though, at least not yet. I think if I can incorporate smarter irrigation practices coupled with adding organic matter to improve the soil and mulching properly the garden will do alright.

Danielle

I went to HD to get something in a plumbing dept., but saw a display of spring planting flower bulbs, and forgot what I came in for. To make a long story short, I went home with a bunch of Stargazer lily bulbs. They are patiently waiting planting in my garage now. I am NOT as patient. Dreaming of spring...
Is anyone going to SE Flower show next weekend?
~Natalie

Yes. I mostly do vegetables and I couldn't wait for spring this year so I have decided to try some cold weather crops. I bought a couple grow lights and started a few flats of broccoli, collard greens, lettuce, and cabbage indoors. I hope to have my garden space tilled and ready by mid February.

I also bought some pepper seeds- some that I haven't tried before that I plan to start indoors as soon as I get my cold-weather things in the ground. I am doing sweet and hot banana peppers, jalapenos, poblanos, serranos, and corno di toro (bulls horn.)

Last year I wasted a large part of my garden space on corn that wasn't very productive for me. This year I am sticking with crookneck squash, zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and green beans.

A link to my blog is below if you want to see my new baby collard seedlings!

Here is a link that might be useful: Georgia Garden

I'm fighting the gardening bug. I am very scared of the effects of the drought. I don't see myself really putting in anything new except vegetable simply to conserve water. We've got to have tomatoes, a couple kinds of peppers and I'd like to try some melons and pumpkins. I'd love to start an asparagus bed but I'm concerned about starting perennials with no water in sight.

Yes, the gardening bug has bitten me, and that was before the holidays!

So I'm muscle-sore and fire-ant-bitten today. The last two days I've been outside rearranging, expanding, and filling my raised beds, almost half of which are framed by cinderblock. Fire ants are in one of the beds! They bite/sting even in January, though they're more sluggish than in hot weather. Gotta get rid of those suckers!

With all this physical labor, still haven't fit in a trip to collect some BioBlend from Cobb County, but probably will next week after I get the other frames in place. I'll go ahead and plant peas and lettuce today or tomorrow and go hunting for some okra seeds, the only vegetable I've planned for but don't have the seeds yet.

Most of Georgia has very acidic soil, 58% with a pH of less than 6.0. Gotta buy lime, bonemeal, greensand, and some more bloodmeal to keep things balanced, along with hydrolized fish fertilizer and seaweed additive.

This is one of the "in between years" when I've run out of a lot of plant fertilizers and nutrients, and since I can't afford to replenish everything all at once, I'm having to plan and juggle everything very carefully.

But it keeps me from chomping at the bit about getting started, since in a way I am!

Good luck to all, and no fire ants!!!!!

Let's see, I just planted some hardy cold lettuce seeds today, even some snow peas as an experiment.

I picked up a delecious red dwarf apple tree and got it in the ground today before these great rains..

I also stocked up a good supply of herbs and potting soil/peat pellets to start some stuff indoors now.

Add that to my back hoeing( to bring up more volunteers) my continuous avocado project..

AND the big winner;

The PINEAPPLE plant I bought today at home Depot.. I was astounded... only $15... and it was a 3 year plant with a half mature pinapple on it!
Add that to the fact that I have four pineapple crowns in water and already failed on one... not much sucess there... My pineapple plant is my baby! OH YES!