spring planting

What does everyone have planted so far this year if any thing or when do you plan on planting ?

Great idea for a thread. It looks like we are in for one of our super-early springs this year, though there are a few months until our official last frost date. A lot of the wild animals like frogs and lizards have come out of hibernation already, which is usually a good sign that it's time to get the garden dug.

So far I have growing outside...

Overwintered - kale, mangelwurzels, chard, turnips, fava beans, winter barley, and garlic.

Planted since winter solstice - more fava beans, peas (which failed to germinate mostly because the seed is over 20 years old), more garlic, and big red poppies which I'm calling 'bread poppies' because that's what I use them for. Also my experiments with Fukuoka's Natural Grain Raising have sprouted and already half an inch through the mulch in places.

Inside I have growing - leeks and artichokes. Also planted and waiting germination are teasel and fennel. A small selection of tree seeds I've saved over the winter including orange and hawthorn. A small decorative planter next to the front door has miners lettuce and a dwarf pea called Tom Thumb that grows 10 to 12 feet tall (apparently) and is OP so great for saving seeds.

Today I might give in and plant some yellow soup peas called Darlaine. Soil is a bit soggy, but I'm chomping at the bit to get some peas into me.
Maybe also start some Tangerine Gem marigolds indoors, time permitting.

My goal this year is to grow as many OP and Landrace varieties as possible with a focus on saving seeds that grow well in our climate.

I have something like 100 trees and bushes arriving. I may have over extended myself. Help!

Order form filled out, just need to send it in. Lots of things on the list.
Still frozen here.
Hoping my sun chokes do well in their second year.

I've started seeds for my new herb business - this year, I'm just going to sell seedlings, and plant whatever doesn't sell in beds to make products in the future. I've started yarrow, st. john's wort, new england aster, elecampane, lady's mantle, lavender, echinacea, feverfew, codonopsis, marshmallow, valerian, motherwort, sacred basil/tusil, blessed thistle, and skullcap. I've got my veggie seeds already, but I'll be starting them in a week or so. Garlic I planted last fall.

I'm glad to be seeing green shoots, with 3 feet of snow piled up outside....

This weekend we are planting two new Pear trees. First of March we will be starting the vegetable gardens, they get row covers until last frost which is usually around the middle of March but I think this year it will be the first of April before we will remove the row covers. We have started gathering our seeds to plant; Patty pan squash, beets, carrots, Rutabaga, Kales, Lettuces, Corn, beans, peas, Kitchen herbs, medicinal herbs, Oats, Sorghum, the list is large.

Planned so far at Bratsholme Farm for this spring:

From Coldstream Farm— 50 Persimmon and 50 Apricot;

From Washtenaw County Conservation District— 50 White Oak, 50 Elderberry, 100 Hazelnut, 50 Highbush Cranberry, one each of 4 Apple varieties, 2 Stella Cherry, 2 Red Haven Peach

From St. Lawrence Nursery— one each of 9 Apple varieties, 6 Pear varieties, and 6 Plum varieties

Tagged to be transplanted within the farm— ~250 Red Cedar, ~120 Shagbark Hickory, and miscellaneous others

So far I have planted peas, peas, and more peas! I planted snow peas at the end of January and snap peas three days ago. I also mixed some old salad greens seeds with some soil and sprinkled those out, just in case I get lucky. In December I planted an Antonovka apple tree for my son's first birthday, as well as Jerusalem artichokes, comfrey, and two aronia bushes, with much thanks to Eric Thompson. Oh, and last month I planted walking onions, and they're already sprouting up! Yay!

Well, we got the pear trees in the ground as well as three mulberry and three paper shell pecan trees. The next trees to buy are the apples, peaches and cherries along with some high bush blueberries. We had a serious cold snap with ice, snow and sleet and we are getting more of that tomorrow and the weekend. followed by even more serious cold. And here I thought I lived far enough south.

In the fall I planted rye, wheat, winter peas, sunroots, and garlic. I have started a few early cold-tolerant things in an unheated greenhouse: favas, garbanzos, spinach, onions, true potato seeds, tobacco, mullein. I am currently harvesting winter onions. It's been a mild winter, so the planting on the south side of the house didn't freeze this year.

To produce seeds I am overwintering parsnips and chard in the garden.

Here's what the parsnips looked like yesterday.


They are a variety named Kral. They originally came out of Russia. I grow them because they have turnip shaped roots which make them diggable in spite of the heavy fall soil.


I am growing a few of my earliest variety of tomato in the greenhouse: Surrounded by cloches, bottles of water, and floating row cover. They are currently forming flower buds. Here's one with the cloche and floating row cover removed.

Do the water bottles make a significant difference?

I have started some seeds in a compost heated hoophouse (Leeks, celery, broccoli, tomatoes...) things that are normally started indoor at this time of the year, just as an experiment. The broccoli is already sprouting. Daytime temps are 25-30 celcius when the sun is out but it drops to 5 degrees celcius at night. I covered the pile with fir wood chips and the whole pile is like my seedling table... kinda act as a heating mat, filled with life, and bugs (bugs might not be a good thing at this point!) we will see what happens hehe.

I was throwing around some early seeds just a few days ago. I have a bare new hugle and I'd noticed the nettles around here were starting to pop up from seed too now. So lots of nettles. Arugula and mustard. Clover mix. Fucilia? Don't know how to spell it and google won't correct me on it. It's awesome for bees. Generally, when in doubt (ie I'm not sure it WONT WORK) I just pitch a ton of seed. and then I do it again in a couple of weeks. Geese and rakes and time basically do the rest. I also do the opposite of most people since I already have a bunch of trees around from 2 to 200 years old and plant my understory first and then work up. Crazy. I know.

Landon Sunrich wrote:Fucilia? Don't know how to spell it and google won't correct me on it. It's awesome for bees.

phacelia?

Miguel Laroche wrote:Do the water bottles make a significant difference?

This arrangement adds about 18 F (10 C) to the temperature around the tomatoes at night, compared to the low temperature in the greenhouse. The greenhouse temperature falls to about the same as outside to 3 F warmer at night.

Burra Maluca wrote:

Landon Sunrich wrote:Fucilia?

phacelia?

]
Yup. This one maybe?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phacelia_tanacetifolia

I kinda just pocket some seeds when I was walking down a row at the right time of year. Hopefully its not grand theft bio.

How is everyones crops coming along?
We have been harvesting radishes and spinach should have cabbage in about 2 weeks.
tomatoes and peppers are in the ground allready getting blooms on my tomatoes.

Tomatoes are blooming, potatoes are getting along nicely, beans are up and peppers, squash, beets, carrots and kale. Planting two new Fig trees this weekend and getting more seeds into the ground.
Storms keep rolling through and slowing the progress but we are plugging along as best the weather lets us.

I feel so far behind peas are up and growing, but barely 2 inches tall. Corn salad is sprouting, also daikon, bunching onions, cabbage (germinaction seems poor), waiting for two kinds of swiss chand to pop. Garlic and leeks seem to have overwintered well. Sunflowers beginning to sprout. I think I lost the quinoa by overmulching, not strong enough to come up through the leaves. Wondering when the sun chokes will appear - hoping for that rampant invasive behaviour they are supposed to exhibit. Think that is everything so far. Last frost date is May 15, so lots to go in once we get there.

Joseph Lofthouse wrote:I am growing a few of my earliest variety of tomato in the greenhouse: Surrounded by cloches, bottles of water, and floating row cover. They are currently forming flower buds. Here's one with the cloche and floating row cover removed.

That was February 11th.

This is today...

This is my first in-ground garden ever, so it's quite exciting, although I feel very new to all of this! I've only had container gardens until this time. Anyway, to catch up, to the posts.. I've planted 9 different types of tomatoes-slowly coming in, a couple cucumbers-eaten 2 now, zucchini squash-yellow monsters, we've eaten 3, eggplant-doesn't seem to be getting pollinated, but flowering often, a plum tree-took well, artichoke-the fastest grower, about to put another seedling in the ground now, blueberries-not so sure if they'll make it, strawberries-also not so sure they'll make it, and have arrugula, and a variety of lettuce sprouting up. We've been eating the arrugula a lot, but it's getting bitter, is that normal? I planted more seeds last week and I already have baby greens. I planted a bunch of beet seeds, and only a few took, I'm thinking of putting some more down, same with carrots :/ I also have a variety of herbs: lemon grass, oregano, lemon thyme, sage, rosemary, lavender, sorrel and I think that's it on herbs, all doing very well, growing, seem happy. Yesterday I got a grapefruit and fig tree.. hopefully going in ground today or tomorrow. Not sure exactly where placement should be, doing my best to take what I've learned from books, videos, and now these posts. I didn't know who Paul Wheaton was until 3 days ago, so I'm new. I'm excited. You can see some pics of my garden on my tumblr below. cheers and thanks for existing.

Welcome to permies Mary Ellen Gordon, sounds like a good start to your first in-ground garden.

Our current status for planting this spring:
8 strawberry plants (producing) potatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, cucumbers, pole beans, bush beans, squash (yellow, patty pan, zucchini),
tomatoes, peppers (3 different bells), beets, carrots, spinach, onions, Egyptian Walking onions, purple stripe garlic, 1 pineapple, rhubarb,
sage, pineapple sage, rosemary, mint, sweet basil, thyme, cilantro.
3 fig trees, 2 pear trees, 2 plum trees, 3 mulberry trees, three pecan trees, more to come but continued rains keep the slow down in place.

Try to grow Asimina triloba (Paw Paw)....it's a very hard plant and gives very tasty fruits.