Worry about onions and potatoes first. Then there's still time to worry about brassicas later.

and later still is green peas and greens( spinach , lettuce, carrots, beets ,radishes and such). And that's it for cool season.

here's OSU's say on potatoes:

https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/potato-production.html

I've already posted bumps on potatoes and onions.

If necessary I can link them again;

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6218508/onion-talk-for-year-2022#n=20

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6218547/potato-talk-year-2022#n=11

Rick

I'll worry about the brassicas too. If they're not in your care right now, it's understandable that they are not on your radar. I am caring for many brassica seedlings, and I want them to thrive and produce well. When you start them from seed, now is the time for brassicas. If you buy plants at stores, then it might not be a concern for a few more weeks. But those of us who start from seed....we are thinking about them. And watering them and hardening them off. And up-potting and fertilizing.

As well as onions and potatoes.

I concur about starting brassicas from seed.

I myself just haven't mastered starting plants from seed ( my shame).

But if you are getting plants from where ever , it's getting close to time to put them out.

Rick

I've not had trouble with broccoli in spring (or fall), except occasional buttoning or leaving too long and having it bolt. But cabbage and cauliflower have not cooperated. I gave up on cauliflower. I have had good luck with miniature varieties like Gonzales. I don't know why, maybe because they need less space. I actually grew one in a fabric pot with the herbs.

Once again, tablet is fighting with houzz. TTFN.

I need cruciferous veg and lots of it. This new Dr ordered plan I am supposed to eat 5-10 cups a day : 0 so far I am buying the bags of pre chopped. It works but i definitely rather have fresh. I have wanted to try Gonzalez for years. I never can find the seed and then I forget. I am going to do that now.

Long range forecast is looking good

Mesonet Ticker: Has spring sprung?

I have a hard time getting space ready in the spring, I most often have soil that is too wet to work, and covered with a ton of henbit. I can do ok with cabbage, and fair with broccoli, but my cauliflower looks as nasty as a dirty sock, it just seems like a lot of work to keep the heads covered. I have tried to grow brussels sprouts several times and never did any good with them, which is ok, because I don't care much for them, I just tried to grow them for daughter and grand daughter.

I have been in the center bedroom this morning sorting sweet potatoes. About all of my Red Wine Velvet potatoes are sprouting, but so far I have only found one Covington with a very small bud on it. I am concerned that I need to start slips from the RWV now. The Covington are so slow that I may need to try starting some slips from them also. I am thinking that the RWV may have a shorter DRM on them. I really wish the RWV would store as long as the Covington, and I would only grow the RWV potatoes. From looking at the Covington, they should store for several more months. In the past I have cut off the sprouting end and planted it in a tray or pot and gotten my slips. I go ahead and cook the other end of the potato and freeze it.

I need to check the winter squash also. We have given a lot of squash and potatoes away this year. We don't do well at butchering the squash, Madge and I both are so weak and sore that it is hard for us to cut up the squash. Butchering the squash is my job, and I most often take a long knife and cut it length wise, gut it and bake it. If Madge wants chunks, I have to use a long knife and a mallet and slice it into pineapple rings, then chop the rind off. I get more bang for the buck with sweet potatoes, but the squash and pumpkin are easier to harvest, but fighting squash bugs can cause you to pull your hair out.

Onion plants have just hit this area, but they have taken a price jump like everything else, they are running about $5.50 a bundle for Bonnie plants, Dixondale plants have been hard to find around here for years.

I hope it warms up enough today to go outside and mix up some potting soil, because I am running behind on seed starting.

Yeah, same here on prices. The seeds have gone exponential. Onions were about $5 per bunch at Ace.

Hazel, i'm certainly gonna give it a run. The seedlings are looking good. I'm a little worried because I don't have any real frost protection. I could lay out a little tunnel, i suppose. Those seem like a hassel, but if it works, i'm in. We'll have about 30 plants in total, I beleive.

I think I paid 3.00 a bundle for onions but will likely lose half since I haven’t gotten them out yet.

I will have to check Ace Hardware, a few days ago they did not have any, and Walmart does not have spring plants out either.

I am between a rock and a hard place, neighbor wants about 1000 plants to go in his greenhouse, then another 1000 a few weeks later, he has no seed starting set-up, and no way to control the temp in the greenhouse other than an exhaust fan. I need to get my grow racks going and we need to do more work on his greenhouse. Neighbor thinks he can heat his green house with 115 volts at 15 amps, I have never been around a poly panel greenhouse, but I think it will take a lot of watts to heat a 16'x20' greenhouse on a cold night. The floor of the greenhouse is cover in black plastic, so the gravel base will absorb a lot of heat, but I don't have any idea how long it will radiate heat back into the greenhouse after the sun goes down.

Larry, I don't know much about heating and such. But, our hoop house has black flooring with gravel over it and it gets about as cold inside as outside once the sun goes down. We often do a cover over things that are inside the greenhouse to give it an extra layer of protection.

HWY, with 30 plants you should be able to cover them if needed. In fact, if you have enough buckets or tubs, you could put them over the plants. Just make sure the plastic isn't touching the plants. Covering stuff is a hassle espeically if you work outside the home. You have to remove the plastic/coverings once the sun is up and warm so the plants don't fry. Even opening and closing the hoop house is a hassle because it's often still freezing when I leave for work, but in a couple of hours the sun is up, and that thing heats up quickly in the sun.

The kale and swiss chard are popping up now, and a few calendula. Still waiting on the parsley and valerian.

I'd like to think spring has sprung ( or is springing). But my past experience tells me nope not just yet. Ol' man winter is an a**hole. He likes to wipe ya butt one last time , usually after the onions are in the ground. Maybe again after you got tomatoes are in. Ever hear of a "Easter storm".

Hope it doesn't happen , but what if it does...?

Rick

Our own, Kim, was mentioned by Jessica in a R & R video. It's a good video about storing seed. Check it out.

Kim, i got Gonzalez at Pinetree and Pixie at Renee's. I've seeds for mini napas from Renee as well.

I realized I've never mentioned I was talking about cabbage varieties, inn case you're not familiar with them.

I don't get out a lot, but went to Farmers Co-op in Ft. Smith, planning on buying onions. The onions were so bad I did buy them, but stopped at Sutherland's coming out of town and bought 4 bundles of onions, they looked some better, and was $.90 per bundle cheaper. If I can find some better looking onions I will buy more, but I have not been impressed with anything that I have seen.

I would have tried to buy more today, but just got tired too quick.

Hwy20, it sounds like you are right on target. I wanted some to get some 1015y onions, but the few I saw looked like they were really in bad shape, I just bought 2 bundles of sweet Georgia, and 2 bundles of sweet reds, they were Bonnie plants, that is all I have access to.

Bonnie Plants runs a truck right in front of my house, so I normally know when plants are being stocked in the local towns. I have not felt as well this year, and the weather has kept me inside more, and I don't remember seeing one truck this year. There is Bonnie greenhouses southwest of me, but I still have to buy plants at the stores.

The weather has been a little cool and windy here, and we are getting more rain than we need, and more in the forecast.

Just got my onions in the ground .

I do a mix of 1015Y ,Candy , Yellow Granex , Super Star., White and Yellow Bermuda , Patterson . High Lander , Red River , Sweet Red.

Some of the onion bundles I've been getting don't look all that great.

Some of them halfway dried out, some too small ,a few too large.

Gotta go with what I got.

Next up ..potatoes.

Rick

Yes Amy I did. I have been after Gonzalez since I was a market gardener. But I realized In my research there are several small quick to mature cabbage heads that are named differently. I don’t have 3 weeks to wait for seeds to arrive so I will look locally. Ace carries Renee’s and Calloways carries botanical interests.

Jennifer thanks for posting my claim to fame lol. I was shocked to say the least. Funny thing is I watch all her videos but I almost skipped this one. Sometimes I simply learn how to be a better teacher. That’s valuable for my business.

I agree, Kim. I like how she explains how she does things and her ways might not be everyones ways or work for everyone. She doesnt claim to know it all. And i like how she encourages others to teach what they can, even if they are not ”experts”. And her encouragement for community. If anyone could be successful on YouTube, they are the ones that should…and did. They bless a lot of people.

Grand daughter and her boy friend came over today and planted the onions. The onions and soil were the worst I have had, soil was too wet and too much grass and weeds, the onions were too dry and too many had missing roots, but we planted 4 bunches. I hope to find better plants and hope to have the soil in better shape soon, but we have more rain headed our way.

It was a good day anyway, working with the kids was a joy, or I should say "watching them work".

I enjoy Roots and Refuge also, but I am not man enough to do some of the things they do.

Larry, Jessica and Jeremiah are still in their 30's so younger than most of us here. And, with their success on YouTube and other things, they are able to both work at home and hire people. So, don't feel bad about all the things they're doing, that you're not.

Honestly, I wouldn't want to do everything that they're doing. Not now. Maybe a few years ago.

We spent the evening away from home last night and that was nice, but we're home now and about to do gardeny things.

Yesterday, the onion bed was weeded and cleaned up a bit. The chickens' wing feathers were clipped too. Three of them are still able to get out, so they are in the little secure coop now, which is where they'll spend most of their days for awhile. They'll eat and roost with the others though. The biggest pain in this plan, is catching them every morning after feed time. There are a couple of things we can do to prevent the escaping (except for Maizey probably. I've seen her fly over the coop before. And it's probably 10 feet tall??? I'm not good with judging heights)

But, we're not quite ready to do those things yet--not today.

Today, is onion planting. I got generous bundles of Red Creole and Borettana Cipollini, but the Highlanders were a bit skimpy. My onions came a week early and are a bit more dried out than normal. And a few very large ones as well as some really skinny ones. They all have their roots, tho.

We'll go with what we got and hope for the best.

I call the Bonnie greenhouse this morning and ask when they were going to make a run through Greenwood, but I doubt that the onions will be much better than the ones I bought. I expect that Bonnie grows their onions in a southern state and ships them here, but I will check in Greenwood this week to see if the onions are in better shape than the ones I have already planted. I hate to start ordering onions also, the shipping cost will will be as bad as the onion cost.

Neighbor called about 12:00, and said he had started planting seeds in the green house, planting potatoes in the ground. Neighbor has a corner set up in his greenhouse for me to put stuff in, I am to help look after the greenhouse when he is gone. We have an extension cord and a water hose run into the greenhouse, so care (other than heat) should be pretty easy.

Having one year experience with cucumbers and enjoying growing something new to me, I'm looking forward to year two.

Can cucumber be started from seed ? Are there any advantages to that or is it best to just wait till after last frost and go with seed in the ground ? Or buy the plants ?

Either way , seed or plants , same as squash.

I don't think there's any particular advantage of one over the other ,except the plants gives it a head start.

Rick

I think Bruce posted a reply to someone on the facebook group that in his experience starting from seed doesn't produce any better than direct seeding. I may experiment and see what my results are.

Must have been onion weekend. Bruce ordered some for me when he put his order on, so he brought them over Sunday and I got them planted yesterday. Since I eat most of them as green onions I plant really close, then just harvest every other one until I have good sized onions growing. I think I want to try fermenting more this year. I've done a couple batches and really like them, so i may let more bulb up for a change.

My soil experiment is going okayish. I'm trying to figure out just how bad my soil is, so I started about a dozen different varieties of seed in straight native soil, bagged soil, and a mix of each. Surprisingly the mixed soil is giving me the best results for most things, though a couple are doing better in the native soil. The bagged soil is giving the worst results, but some are starting to surpass the other two groups. I potted up the ones that needed it, using the same native/bagged/mixed soil as before.

And I have tomatoes! Started super bowl sunday, and a few have already sprouted. HJ, I think you asked me which varieties of dwarfs I started. I still haven't brought my list in so I'll have to do that and let you know.

In my soil I always have better luck with amended soil, I have use bagged soil a few times for new plants, never had much luck. One method I tried many years ago was just amending the spot where I planted, that work well on items that I plant several feet apart, and as time progressed I was able to get the whole bedding area in good shape. I expect that I have had more space than some of you do, and you have to adjust your methods by your goals.

I helped neighbor plant 3 or 4 hundred feet of potatoes yesterday. I was not much help but I was able to drive the tractor and to lay off the rows, cut potatoes and adjust equipment. We planted everything on his place yesterday. We will finish the patch on his place, then move over to my place to plant the rest of them. We are not doing to well, we are trying to work between the rains.

I have got to get some of my junk repaired. We are using neighbor's tractor and it needs more ground clearance. All of my equipment is very old, and something is always broken down.

Lynn, I've always put seed directly in the garden for cucumbers. They seem to sprout and grow quickly. Maybe you could do both--see how they do for you. Someone (maybe Dawn??) said that the plants that were started indoors and then planted alongside seeds planted directly in the garden actually were slower to produce. Maybe shock?

It's worth trying it both ways, tho, and see how it works best for you in your garden.

That's a lot of potatoes, Larry. Sounds like you were great help.

Jen, congrats on your tomato sprouts. You're tempting me to do a dwarf tomatoes again. They were so much fun. This. Is. Not. The. Year. I have to keep telling myself that.

Unless the weather is really crazy I had rather direct seed cucumbers, squash, and most other summer plants.

I have had a pretty good day, I took my better half out to eat, picked up some supplies, worked on some of our equipment, and finished neighbor patch of potatoes. So far we have about 2000 feet of potatoes planted. I am as happy as a kid in a candy store when I have grease and oil up to my elbows, and smelling diesel smoke while slinging dirt.

Larry glad you had a good day doing what you enjoy. That is what it’s all about. That is going to be a bunch of potatoes. I have a volunteer potatoe from last year. It’s probably the the only one that I will grow. Potatoes cause me too much inflammation which causes me joint pain. So many things I learn as I get older about food and how it affects me. It’s raining today and supposed to on and off until Sunday. I need to find a break in the rain and pop my onions in pots. I can cover so they don’t drown but they need to start growing roots. I winter sowed 4 containers. One is kale and three different types of cabbage. I need a good cabbage harvest.

I went to town to meet neighbor for breakfast and check to see if the Bonnie Plant truck had delivered any onions. I picked up some supplies, along with more onion plants and onion sets. I seldom plant sets, but they are much cheaper than plants, but thought I would try both this year.

It rained till about noon today. I also need a break in the rain to get some things planted. I keep forgetting about my mineral tubs, I can plant them about any time.

Larry and Kim, y'all are getting more rain than we are. We got a tiny bit early this morning, but not enough to make puddles. Maybe it was enough to water in the onions a little.

I really only wanted 12 healthy cabbage plants... so, of course, I have 43 plants. How does this happen?! It won't with the tomatoes. It WON'T!

A day late, I took a King Cake to the kids at school. It was fun when the little one found the baby in her piece of cake.

We did our "Fat Tuesday" meal a day late too. Jambalaya, cow peas, greens, pickled okra, and corn on the cobb. I didn't eat the Jambalaya and realized everything else came from our garden. Super cool.

We had King Cake for dessert and obviously that didn't come from the garden. It came from me baking it yesterday. It took half the day. I didn't put a baby in our cake at home.

I started flower seed last night.

I am tired tonight.

Jennifer, you are working to hard.

I did not do much today. I took about 3 or 4 doz Covington sweet potatoes down to neighbor's greenhouse to make slips from, along with 2 bags of LP15 potting mix. I have not started any plants yet, but need to get on the ball. I will start the Red Wine Velvet sweet potatoes here at my house, along with other plants. Neighbor has not started a lot of plants, but he is getting a pretty good set-up for growing plants. He is already starting pumpkins and squash, some of the things he is starting in the green house, I just direct seed in the garden, but he is hoping for an early harvest. We got our irrigation shut off last year, and we are afraid that may happen again.

I am wondering if my dog and rabbits know something I don’t. They are eating and fattening up like winter is about to hit again. I hope I am just imagining it. Beautiful day today after the rain. Temps are great. I just can’t get motivated after work. I push myself pretty hard just to get through the day at work. Hard to imagine.

I wondered why my nails were so dirty, then I remembered why my fingernails were so dirty, then I remembered I started seeds and had my fingers in the dirt. This is a major accomplishment for me!

I need to go outside and mix up some potting soil, but I am cold, I don't want to sit in the sleet and fix flats for seeds. I hate to bring a big tub of potting soil into the house, I think I already have my small tarps in use under the beds to store sweet potatoes and winter squash on.

It looks like the sleet has stopped, but it is still a long ways from being warm, this is better cuddling weather than potting weather.

Amy, I am glad you got dirty. When you mentioned "Had My Finger in the dirt", It reminded me of the book that Dorthy wrote, " Keep Your Fingers In The Dirt". I think that Dorthy and Glenn have moved to the northwest, but I think of her often.

The trial by fire began last night. I left two buckets of broccoli and cauliflower outside, but close to the exterior wall. The broccoli looks perfectly fine, but the poor cauliflower looks beaten down. It was a really stiff and cold wind. Nearest station says air temp was around 25F at the minimum with a wind chill of 14F. Overall, pretty surprised. I'll see if that cauliflower can come on through it, but the ol' broccoli motored right through.

Cauliflower is the weakest one of the three.

That cold dry arctic air is what does things in , just desiccates the plant.

Arctic temps suck , just did in the battery in my truck this morning.

Hope that's the end of it , but guess what , gotta worry about tornados/ large hail (Hell) already.

Trying to time out when to plant potatoes in between storms.

A-hole weather.

Rick

Yep, it is certainly an a-hole. Rain all comes at once and floods the field, decides to freeze in April, constant wind trying to snap stalks...hard life for these plants.

I forgot all about the strawberries. I just removed a bunch of crowded plants and replanted as singles in each pocket. Figured i'd give em a break and put the tower inside the garage tonight.

Smart move

It just be behooves me that right when it's time to plant it gets too wet (and cold) .

Then when things are finally planted out , it's too dry ( and too hot).

Anybody see the alignment of the Crescent moon , Jupiter , Venus, this evening.

Might have something to do with it .

Rick

I feel lucky because I don't have any plants to worry about. Madge and I both are a little draggy today. I have felt chilled all day, I think it is time to go to bed with a heating pad.

That's a smart move also Larry . Take care.

Rick

Hwy, I sorta gave up on cauliflower. It's fussy. I do like it, tho. It's a good food.

Maybe someday I'll try it again.

Do you have a greenstalk? I want a couple of those--one for greens and one for everbearing strawberries. Put them on my patio.

Rick, the alignment of the planets and moon have been so amazing this week.

The very cold morning really did surprise me. I thought it was going to stay around 32. It was warm in our house last night at bedtime. In fact, I opened the window. Had to shut it down by 3 or so. Brrrr.

No gardening today. I did look over the onions to be sure none had blown over. I do plant them shallowly. A couple had blown over.

The plants on the light shelf got a good watering.

And that is all.

Amy, happy you got your hands in the soil. What seed did you start?

It's tomato seed starting time. And peppers. And lettuce. Eggplant and a few more flowers.

The light shelf is nearly full. Maybe after next week, the brassicas can live in the hoophouse.

Larry , I have Dorothy's book. Her story about processing meat chickens is the reason I won't ever have meat chickens, LOL.

Jennifer, I planted tomatoes, peppers, collards, some other greens. Mini cabbages. I have room for a little more in one tray, so I think I'll start some basil and other herbs.

The older I get, the less I like cauliflower. I tried to grow it for Ron, but it is a diva!

Jennifer, I've got a Mr. Stackey right now that has 20 pockets of everbearing type. I just got a greenstalk leaf last week that I had planned on putting June-bearing plants into. The bare root plants haven't made it here just yet, so it's on hold for now. The greenstalk has 2 more pockets per row, but the Mr. Stackey has been really good to us for the few years we've had it.

Amy, we have even gotten to were we don't care much about meat, especially chicken. I told Madge to try to find a whole chicken and let me cut it up and cook it like I use to do. Madge told me that she thought it was we that had changed, not the chicken.

We have a good set up here to grow food, meat and vegetables, but there is not enough left of our old bodies to do the work. We are feeding a good crop of deer, but I don't think I could shoot one.

I bought a whole chicken to cook this week. Usually, it provides 2 meals and a few jars of broth. The ones we bought from our friends are gone, so had to buy one at Natural Grocers. I like our friends' chickens better, but we can only get them when they process and IF they have too many for their freezers.

I rarely eat poultry--maybe 3 or 4 times a year. I used to never eat it.

Normally I'll roast it and then the guys pick off what they want to eat. I put the extra in the refrigerator to make either soup or chicken and rice the next day. Then drop the entire carcass and scraps into the crockpot to make the broth.

If Tom would do the "harvesting", I would prepare them for the freezer. Thing is, I don't care a bit about eating it, but people in my family like meat and chicken. It's possible another friend and Tom could do this in the future. They raised pigs a couple of years ago. The meat lasted us about a year. There's still a few ham steaks in the freezer because I can't figure out how to cook them so that they like them. Maybe drop them in a pot of beans????

They also did a lamb a couple of months ago. I've made meatballs with it, but that's all I've done.

Chickens could be a future endeavor.

Speaking of chickens, mine are laying but not great. Maybe 4 eggs a day. Maybe it's the feed? Maybe it's my aging flock? They get lots of "free range" time and scraps to supplement their diet.

Hwy, the greenstalk leaf is on sale right now. I'm considering buying one. I really wanted the original for strawberries, but would get the leaf one for greens and lettuce. I'm torn. Our patio gets lots of sun right now. There's currently very little shade. I just don't know how plants would do with so much sun. If we continue to live here, We want cover the patio. Don't want to spend the money on covering it IF the OTA runs us off. They are proceeding with their plan on our part of the turnpike--the east/west connector.

It is just hard to know what to do. How much to invest in our property.

The greenstalk COULD go with us wherever we go, tho.

I do want to make this property (or our next) a bit different. I know that I would put a fast growing tree (Maybe a Globe Willow) on the far west side to provide shade if we were to move. I would also have our kitchen garden basically in our backyard for ease of quick harvest on things like cherry tomatoes, lunchbox peppers and herbs. It think the Vego beds are attractive for that purpose.

Trying to decide what to do with the rest of the day....

Jennifer about ham steaks. In PA I learned this way. Cook in generous amount of butter. Cook thoroughly. Take ham out. Put flour in salt and pepper. Cook just barely light brown add whole milk. Make thin gravy put steaks back on cover with lid and simmer on very low. About 15 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes

When we got thin ham steaks, I used a recipe in a cookbook (70s era). Brown it in a fry pan. [I think these were the pre cooked kind, that only needed heating, so cook yours to the temp it needs] set it aside, add dark Karo syrup to the pan and a tablespoon of instant coffee granules. A spoonful of water if it'stoo thick. Stir, put ham back in the pan to coat. I know, it's a weird recipe, but I liked it. It did not work the same with coffee instead of instant granules that I haven't bought in years.