*March Gardening Thread*

[mommycass]

I'm really needing that book, lol! I'll have to check the library Thanks

[vjbakke]

Originally Posted by mommycass I have a question about a raised bed. I'm going to get some zoo poopy doo from our zoo's compost sale this month. What ratio of mixes(compost, soil, mulch, etc) should the raised beds be?

We do the 1/3 method, aprox equal parts compost, coconut coir, and vermiculite. n We also add some black dirt in as well sometimes. We don't use peat due to it is strip mined and takes hundreds of years to grow back. We have had good luck with the coco coir.

[3lilbubs]

Where do you buy the coconut coir? I don't really have a actual method. That's kinda embarrassing. I just pick up a handful when it's wet and smoosh it. If it is too squishy/globby I add more compost. If it's too crumbly I add more dirt. If it's gritty, peat moss.

[debmom2boyz]

DH and the boys worked on building the beds today. We started seedlings a few weeks ago.
We planted
4 varieties off tomatoes
eggplant
bell peppers
cucumbers
yellow squash
green squash

The eggplant took the longest to sprout. Only a few have. Everything else looks great! Can't wait to transplant and start the lettuces and peas.

[Tris]

Originally Posted by vjbakke We do the 1/3 method, aprox equal parts compost, coconut coir, and vermiculite. n We also add some black dirt in as well sometimes. We don't use peat due to it is strip mined and takes hundreds of years to grow back. We have had good luck with the coco coir.

Peat moss actually isn't endangered in the US, we get 95% of ours from Canada and they practice sustainable harvesting.
http://www.garden.org/urbangardening/?page=august_peat

http://www.peatmoss.com/blog/using-p...ental-concerns

[Tris]

Hopefully it's mixed salad, romaine, and kale I think hah. Oh and the tall ones I the middle are garlic

[Fashionably Green Baby]

I have such lovely sprouts going in the kitchen. The kids and I plan to build our box this week. I was thinking Saturday but may do it sooner. I am just so excited to get it done.

We are attempting blueberries and those are doing fabulously as of now. Hopefully they keep thriving. And we are doing strawberries in hanging baskets. I just have one basket going right now and it is inside and just putting out in the sun during the day. I think we will do 2 or 3 more baskets of them.

[3lilbubs]

Love all the activity and everyone's little sprouts! It has been so warm here, I have just had my seedlings sitting on the patio table outside. They're already hardened off and have been so I planted out most of them today! As usual, I was stuffing tomatoes everywhere. I may just barely be able to walk thru my garden when it's all grown in. LOL!

Between yesterday and today, I set out herbs, celery, nasturtiums, tomatoes, peppers and tomatillos. I still have to put some of my flower starts out, but I think I may repot those and wait to see where the gaps are so I don't set them in full shade. I have snowball marigolds, green zinnias, burgandy mexican hats, shasta daisy, echinacea and seashell cosmos.

I started all my melons, summer and winter squash, pumpkins, cucumber and corn in the seed trays. I know most of those are direct sow but I had better luck transplanting them last year. The birds peck the sprouts if I direct sow and it drives me nuts trying to fill the holes! If they're already getting prickly they'll leave them alone. Same thing with corn, they only seem to want them when they're first up. Plus I had a really tough time getting some of the more finicky melons to sprout so I hope this helps.

Garden is kind of exploding right now and I'm a little worried because I'm having to combine some of the early spring and summer crops due to our early, warm spring. A few things are getting pushed off to fall as a result. It's all good though, can't wait for things to really get growing!

[Macyllehub]

I keep waiting for you ladies to start a April thread and I'll join in

[3lilbubs]

Whoops! Man, I have dropped the ball twice now! Getting to it.

here's april!
http://www.diaperswappers.com/forum/....php?t=1505477