Right on, Jay, I would say that it is definitely worth the risk.

I hear you. For the first time in 4 years, we have not been drowning, and I could actually get spring crops in easily. I just finished this weekend w/peas and immediately thought, "Why not beans?" I also considered early squash under some low tunnels for the blossoms if nothing else. I already started selling asparagus this week and will be offering up rhubarb soon. If it weren't for all the trees I didn't get cut this winter, I'd almost feel relaxed. I force myself to get 2 cut down and sawed up every night. The leaves are coming on very quickly.

Jay, I beat you. I planted some last week and they're up. Figured that if they survive I'll be super early, if not, I'm out just a few seeds. Planted 2 varieties, both dark seeds.

also need to transplant LOTS of my beets, anyone have success with that? I've got probably 10-15 trays equivalent to transplant. Old seed, wasn't sure if they would germinate, so I planted heavier than I needed.

Marla

Marla,
I have done fine three years in a row, just heavily seeding beets in deep pots or in the starter beds in the fall and transplanting them bare root. I always do this in a cool period. I make a deep gap with a trowel drop the root in the soil then remove the trowel and let the soil collapse around the root and water. I have done that three times this year with success and took a pot to the school garden where they did it and got good beets too. Sometime I feed them fish fert a few days before transplanting and at transplanting sometimes I don't.

Marla,

I would have planted them last week, but it rained/drizzled/sprinkled/showered every day last week (Monday-Friday). I was surprised it was dry enough on Monday.

Jay

I've transplanted several into 1203s, my garden isn't ready yet.

I planted the green beans inside the hoop house. Some of our Amish pre=plant their green beans. I've also started some sweet corn, mainly to see if the year-old seed was viable (it was). I've also started pumpkins, squash (winter and summer), ornamental corn, cantaloupe, watermelon and almost every seed that I had on the shelf (again mainly for germination factor), then I'll transplant out into the garden.

Marla

I've been doing my beets as transplanters for the last 2 yrs, I plant them kind-da like rustico, only I use a 10" long steal tool thing, tapered from 1/2"round to a point-punch tool(the one you would use to line up two holes to get a bolt in place, whatever you call that thing)I put a piece of duct tape around it to mark my depth, works great! I planted 16 trays=960ft row of (1 lb) sugar snap peas , 13 trays=780ft row of (1 lb) snow peas and 16 trays=960ft row of (1 lb) shelling peas yesterday. The trays I use are the ones that hold 18-3" sq pots (size ? I got them FREE, 400 of them) I put 3 double rows of seed in each tray, each row has 36 seed (108 seeds per tray) each tray plants a 5ft row. All are for tpansplanting when they are about 6"-8" tall. I'll sow more later in the ground for fall. I took pic's of these trays, but since I never posted pic's before,I'll try to, you never know, I might be posting pic's all the time. Jay, I know someone who does their peas in half pvc pipes, like you do with your onions, then they transplant.
Deb

I finally planted my green beans Sunday, but I'm in Texas. I actually planted tomatoes, peppers, and cuc. family plants a couple weeks ago. Due to the warm weather, I opened up my CSA Sunday---two weeks early.

I like beet transplants because I don't have to thin. The roots get big because they never have to compete with other seedlings.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.354152767960341.75145.198942070148079&type=3

Thanks for the support about the beets, i usually don't even get them to germinate, let alone develop beets.

Marla