I wish I had a tale to tell. I have about 200 onions under lights with some having necks pencil size all in individual cells. I want to get them out early and thinking I'll plant April 10th with a 12% chance of a freeze below 24 degrees. So on the 10th If the 10 day forecast looks good the odds of dropping below 28 degrees after April 20th is only 10%. I've read Onions can take 20 degrees for a few hours, so what do you think?

Kevin if the long range forecast looks mild I'd take a shot at the 10th, but only if it looks ok beyond that and you have to plant them due to their maturity. Not much help since one of the crops I had to stop growing was onions when I down sized ~10 years ago. The next 4 days here will be in the 80's but with an expected cold shot after that, perhaps as low as 34F. It can be a dice roll fer sure, but as you say onions can take it well. When it hits the 80's in early April I'm tempted to plant the first corn and bush beans, but I have been frost bitten before so have to reign in my fever ;-)

Thx Beesneeds for starting up April. Nothing much to report after yesterday's March update. I did notice today that the pears are shaping up nicely and about pea size (Bartletts & Keiffers). My young Sugar pear tree (Seckel) at 4 years now did bloom later (now) so I cut some Bartlett stems with closed blooms about 10 days ago and placed them in the outside fride to slow them down. Three days ago placed them in the Seckel tree for pollination and today all blooms are doing well. I got one Seckel pear last year but it's looking like a good crop of them right now.

We had some strong winds today. I had to tie down some of the plants as they were being tossed around. Lost one of my Scarlet runner plants as the plant broken from the wind. I was able to transplant a few small plants yesterday. Some Durango Red Marigolds, loose leaf basil, and orange bell pepper plants. I am waiting for the wind to calm down again to finish up with those. Hopefully tomorrow will be calmer.

Sharing some pics:

Growing some Lettuce leaf basil, the first time trying this variety. We are big basil fans!

Starter plants for Durango Red Marigolds.

We grew some oakleaf lettuce this year.

Our white mustard is going to seed and started producing flowers.

Well that little devil on my shoulder made me do it.....I planted some corn today. My gardening angel was asleep. It's just too dang warm outside and will be in the 80's thru the weekend and I have extra seed (that's the devil talking ;-).

Banana tree(s) trying to make a comeback

Ghost pepper

Got 4 week seed mostly done yesterday. Had to set up a greenhouse cage in the porch. With a heat mat on the bottom and a couple light bars, I can do up to 4 trays on the top couple levels out there. Mostly flowers that will be getting shifted right to outside greenhouse cages. Still need to do some second round herbs, but coming right along. I still have one tray of space I can fill out there.

First round sweet peas, sprouted eating peas, first round catnip, sage, yarrows, and first round marigolds are out in one of the kitchen container caps now. Sculpit, miners lettuce, and some chinese cabbage are ready to be harvested.

Got several inches of rain with the storm sweep earlier this week. Everything is soggy.

Tomatoes have been repotted. I think the micros will just stay in their 3" pots till they get planted out. But the processing ones will for sure need another one before going out. Pepperonchini are growing right along. A bit slow because it's been on the cooler side in the house. Tomatillo is already crazy and needing repotting again.

Well after a 4 day stretch of mid-80's temps we're in the lower 50's today with a cold rain as the temp steadily drops into the 40's tonite. Tomorrow nite (or Weds AM) the temp is expected to drop to 30F for a few hours. No more 30's after that one niter so if my 2 cheatin' tomato plants can survive (with a little help) everything else should be ok.

The fruit trees are loaded with tiny fruits so they should also be ok for 1 night in the lower 30's, hope so. All fruits have been set except for the apples, persimmons, and pomegranates*. Today's cold rain = 1" as of now but another stream is on its way, maybe another half inch? The cabbages, broccoli, lettuces, carrots, spinach, and peas love the return to cooler temps and the soaking rain.

* Forgot to add the Blueberries which are now in full bloom mode.

The temp did dip down to 30F last night so I protected my 2 outside tomato plants in boxes and light bulbs, see below...

Here's the set up...

Night time as the temp drops...

This morning's unveiling, the thermometers dipped down into the upper 40's inside the boxes so all looks well...

^^^ I'll do anything to get that early tomato ;-). Will be putting away the boxes & light bulbs today since the long range looks to be frost-free and no more 30's. The tiny pears & plums and the other fruit trees did ok, no frostbite. Time now to prep the garden plots for future cantaloupes and watermelons. Will be freezing more spinach today.

Well the corn seed I planted 8 days ago is popping up this morning, glad it missed the 30F that hit here 3 nights ago. We also got another inch of rain yesterday so Spring is getting off to a moist start. A warming trend is on the way so I'll probably plant the bush beans and squash seed tomorrow once the soil is workable, maybe the cukes too. My 2 cheatin' tomato plants are now blooming as are the apple trees. Hope that's it for the freezing temps, but one never knows...

Baby Bok Choy

I have 28 tomato plants with tomatoes on them

Getting 3-5 new mostly yellow and white scallop squash a day. There are 9-10 that could be eaten now

Well, Things got dry enough again after a lot of rain. I planted the first planting of sweet corn a couple days ago, set out the broccoli and cauliflower, and planted 1 row of spring potatoes. I hope to get the rest of potatoes in tomorrow and fertilize the strawberries.

The first planting of sweet corn is Honey Select, the second will be Irresistible, and the 3rd Montauk

I'm getting set to buy weed-blocking fabric to cover parts of my plot until I get to plant them. Does anybody have a brand preference? Preen, Scott's, Vigoro, Ace?

Wow Annie. I impressed with your grow light set ups there.

I'm just getting into seed starting myself , been buying my plants .

Probably could save a lot of money if I got good at it.

Getting close to retirement now , would be a good activity for me.

That and a green house.

Xmas mode:

Raised bed on one side:

Shelving for transplants on the other side :

Winter Mode :

Okie HU

"Preen, Scott's, Vigoro, Ace?" Don't waste your money on these. Vigoro won't last 2 years and will barely allow water to pass through, it's cheap garbage. The best, and what I use is DeWitt Sunbelt Woven Weed Barrier Landscape Fabric Ground Cover going strong after 8 years and the company claims 12 years and longer.. There are other brands just as good as Dewitt so look for a Weaved fabric with good UV protection.

Annie, I'm also impressed with your setup especially how neat and tidy every thing looks on the shelves. I use a 2'x6' rack with 2 shelves and a total mess shifting things around. Took the onions, broccoli and Brussels sprouts off two weeks ago moving them outside during the day to start other late season veggies. Finally planted my onions outside yesterday here in Minnesota in 65 degree weather when you had snow and 27 degrees. I have a 10% chance it will get to 28 degrees now and 2% chance it will get to 24 degrees now. Onions can take 20 for a few hours and 12 hours below freezing so I'm now crossing my fingers, but the 10 day forecast shows no freezing temps coming up.

I noticed you have onions on your rack, have you started hardening them off yet?

Okie, I'm glad to see that greenhouse covered with snow. We just started building a similar one today, it's only 3 cattle panels long and I'm going to put raised beds on each side with a walkway in the middle and probably a table for potting or seedlings at the end. My little raised bed "hoop houses" work great until we get a heavy wet snow and then they cave in, so this should be sturdier, hopefully I can get tougher seedlings out there like the cabbage and brussels sprouts and lettuces. I've always saved some seeds, Grandma taught me that, so things like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash, beans, potatoes, those all get saved. I buy seeds for things like celery, leeks, lettuces, beets and carrots because some are biannual and I don't have a place to keep them for two years to allow them to seed. Some I just don't use enough of and a packet of seed will last me several years and others have been sent to me by friends. I've never started flowers before but last year I just wanted some salvia for a planter by the front door and I couldn't buy them anywhere, every place had geraniums, begonias and impatiens but that was about all. Vegetables were no more plentiful. Plus flats went from 24 plants to 18 plants to 15 plants but the price goes up. Then my daughter wanted flowers, the neighbors wanted flowers, I gave up and planted more flowers, LOL. Wave petunias will be the next to be up-potted.

Kevin, those aren't onions, they are leeks. It's the first time I"ve grown them from seed instead of buying plants, so I'm optimistic, they did better than I thought, although I've had to give them a couple of hair cuts. I order my onion plants from Dixondale, and usually leeks too, so the leeks are my "learning experience" so I can figure out how to do that. I haven't started hardening anything off yet, I won't planteven onions or potatoes outside for a couple more weeks. Last year I planted onions and potatoes on May 5, but it was an early and warm spring, this year is more typical. Since we've had 20 MPH winds with 40MPH gusts, and highs that are struggling to reach 40F, I haven't moved anything outside to harden off and now we are possibly getting hail tomorrow. Next week we are supposed to get up around 60F with only two nights below 30, so it's warming up gradually, but not nice enough yet for seedlings. Even the cattle are still eating hay, the grass has not grown enough for them to eat it yet.

I have 11 shelves with lights that will hold 45 plants each, and this week I'll probably be using those bottom two. The third bottom shelf is for storage, as are the tops, all my pots and trays and miscellaneous stuff like wire and scissors and water bottles live there.

Annie

First scallop squash of the year and a baby bok choy

I'm jealous Richard, even with my 2 light bulb warmed cheatin' tomato plants they're still just blooming now. Looks like you'll be picking a tomato in 2-3 weeks if not sooner. Today I completed planting all of the crops, the last ones to go in were the Cantaloupes, Watermelons, & Sweet Potatoes. I do have one Eggplant that's still too young but that will be the last one other than some later corn, cukes, and tomato plants in June-July. Hope to have some pics soon.

Oh, man, I'm jealous too. Here in Michigan I've just started putting my plants out to harden off, it'll be two weeks minimum before I can put onions, leeks and potatoes in the ground, longer than that for planting sweet corn and putting out the heat loving plants like tomatoes, peppers, eggplant. We are predicted to get down to 27F tonight and then 33F on Friday night, after that it will hopefully climb into the low 40s and not freeze the peach or cherry blossoms.

I do have peas in the ground, as well as some spinach and green onions, they are in a raised bed and I'm still waiting for them to germinate. I have particularly bad luck with peas. I've got shelling peas and snap peas, but they start well then it gets hot and they give up before I ever get more than a handful. I'm not quite sure why I keep trying, my husband tells me the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results, LOL. Yup, peas are going to make me insane. At least worse than I am!

Annie

Vgkg, I have had about 10 ripe Sungold cherry tomatoes so far and a couple of the purple zebras look close to ready. The sun peach cherry tomatoes also have a few almost ripe too. Got a few watermelon vines starting to grow now too.

Annie, I always have trouble with the peas too. The Rattlesnake pole beans are about the only ones I can get to grow.

Rattlesnake pole beans

Grano onion

Vgkg, watermelon (black diamond) vines

Sun peach getting ripe. The Sungolds don’t last long enough for the pictures. lol

Purple Zebra

How do you start a new thread for May?

A May thread is up and running...

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6494157/garden-tales-may-2025#n=4