Spring Planting

[MrMon]

Anyone got plans to plant anything this spring?

I am determined to get things in this spring, before it becomes the usually blazing hot, so I've got plants on order and I've got to get the heirloom veggies started. I've decided to go the small fruit route with the scrubs to keep it interesting, so I've got blueberries, raspberries, red & black currants, Saskatoon berries, and quinces on order, plus a few lilacs, all from Raintree Nursery online. (Great place to find really unusually stuff cheaply, and the plants are wonderful.) Had to replace a maple that died last year, so I've got a new 10' red maple in the yard now, waiting for final planting. I even got the fertilizer and crabgrass preventer down already, so this is like a record spring for me.

So what are you planting this year?

[asofel]

I finally have a little boxed in garden type area, so I'm trying to figure out what to do with it...I was hoping some simple vegetables like onions and cucumbers and maybe some tomatoes...

Anyone with experience recommend something for a novice?

[MrMon]

In my experience, onions aren't worth it, unless you're growing something unusual. Tomatoes are always worthwhile. Cukes are easy, I love growing white ones. I figure if I'm going to grow something, it's going to be something usual that I can't get in the store or something that is expensive.

Peppers can be a lot of fun, a lot of varieties and strengths. Beans are pretty easy, but you have to have a large number of plants or you'll wait forever to eat anything. Zucchini is so easy to grow, you'll wish you didn't plant so many. One or two plants produce enough for an army. Herbs are pretty simple, way better than the store, and much cheaper as well.

Here is my favorite place for seeds, they specialize in heirlooms.
Seed Savers

[nolanfan34]

We're not really doing any veggie or fruit yet. Just our rosemary bush in the backyard. I love taking off a fresh branch for cooking.

We live in a newer house, and as is typical of newer developments these days, at least in the NW, they don't lay down [censored] for topsoil before planting sod or grass. So our lawn is a big focus. We have a ton of moss because the hardpan underneath doesn't drain that well. Anyone have some good moss remedies?

The other day we were doing some planting in the backyard (free lavender, columbines, flox, and a hydrangia FTW), when I noticed some Latino gentlemen pull into our cul de sac and proceed to unload an airator (sp?) from their truck. One of them approached me before I even had the chance to go over there, and for $25, they came over and airated the lawn. I don't think I could have rented one of those machines for that much, let alone got it home, so it was a good deal.

That's supposed to help with the moss, we'll see.

Otherwise we're just working on trying to plant flowers and plants in our backyard. My wife and I aren't exactly green thumbs, but it looks a lot better already. Maybe I'll post some pics of our tiny backyard.

[guids]

We have a huge garden a couple blocks over that my family takes care of, everything is tilled, and the irrigation drips are all up, but I dont think they planted anything yet. I think they may have started the peppers and the herbs, but eggplant, tomato, zuchini, etc isnt in the ground yet.

[FeliciaLee]

I have a strange situation, living in the desert. I can keep some things over winter. Tomatoes and peppers will bite the dust when/if we get a hard freeze or two, but I was able to keep onions and garlic with no problem whatsoever. I thought my sweet pea might not make it, but in the end, she didn't die, either.

I can start planting very early, because our last frost date is supposed to be in February. So my garden is already almost full.

Things like cucumbers are almost impossible to grow here, and very frustrating, so I finally gave up on them. It takes so much time, water and pampering, and in the end, they almost always just die anyway.

Cherry tomatoes are a breeze, as are any pepper (hot or sweet). Root crops tend to fare better than veggies that grow aboveground. My grapevine already has the beginnings of bunches. Almond tree is coming along (just purchased it last year).

I have very short seasons here in Arizona mid-desert (about 2900 feet above sea level), so the types of things I can grow are more in keeping with places like Maine and Alaska as far as the timeframe goes.

I try to start most seeds indoors. The harsh winds and dry, hot desert is just too much for many seedlings. Here is a list of things I'm going for this spring:

1) Sweet Red Cherry Peppers
2) Olive Tree
3) Blue Mediterranean Bush Beans (supposed to be drought tolerant; we'll see)
4) Carrots (lots of different tolerant varieties)
5) Persian Melons (desert adapted)
6) Cherry Tomatoes (many varieties; regular sized tomatoes are almost impossible for this region)
7) Aloe Vera
8) Lavender
9) Sage
10) Basil
11) Red Onions
12) White Onions
13) Garlic
14) Currant Tomatoes
15) Squash (many varieties; they seem to love the hot sun)
16) Desert King Watermelon
17) Sunflowers
18) Garlic
19) Pumpkins (desert adapted)
20) Radishes
21) Turnips
22) Beets

I might be missing some, but basically that's about it. We have a whole acre, so someday I hope that I have the soil amended enough to grow most of our food ourselves.

Right now we are using a lowered bed. We dig about a foot down in rows, and then aerate the soil a little, put in some amended soil, plant the seed (or transplant), and then the plant grows up somewhat protected from the wind. If I had a digital camera I'd take some pics, but I've killed two of them and am horrible at remembering to take pictures.

Anyway, there is a quick overview of mid-desert gardening.

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[adsman]

As I live in the mountains I have to be careful with Spring planting. An unexpected frost can occur up to late May. This year has been strange with a warm winter suddenly turning cold now. We got 60cm of snow on Monday. So I'm going to hold back for the moment.

My usual planting list is;

Tomatoes,
Cucumbers,
Peppers,
Celery,
a variety of herbs,
several diffent types of salads,
radishes.

As for blueberries and the like, the forests here are full of them, no need to plant your own. We also have the wonderful porcini mushrooms. People come from all over Italy to our little valley for the porcini. It's best to go into the forest very early, around five in the morning. They are very hard to spot, and you have to know where to look for them. I may do a porcini hunting trip report in June when they start to come out.

[FeliciaLee]

[ QUOTE ]
People come from all over Italy to our little valley for the porcini.

[/ QUOTE ]
Where do you live? What is your elevation?

Last year I tried a lot of things that weren't suitable for the desert. Everything I bought was supposed to be adapted, and drought tolerant, but I knew these things would never make it, even so:

strawberries
blueberries
blackberries
raspberries
several varieties of lettuce (I was actually able to grow them in late fall and winter, but they were still too bitter. There aren't enough cold hours during our winters to make greens sweet)

I would love to hear more about gardening in Italy, and in mountainous regions. Glenn and I are thinking about buying a summer house in the mountains (in Arizona there are elevations as low as sea level, and as high as 12,000 feet. We are interested in something in the middle, maybe about 5,000 feet or so).

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[adsman]

I live in Val di Sole, which is in Trentino in the Italian Alps. I live at 800 meters, (I've no idea in feet). The porcini grow around 1300-1600 meters. The gardening window is very small - June to late September if you're lucky. The soil is amazing however, the plants just explode out of the ground.

Just to note that you cannot cultivate porcini. Though many have tried.

[FeliciaLee]

Although it's not exactly correct, you can just say that there are three feet in every meter to get a rough estimate (800 meters is actually 2625 feet). It is so odd that you are lower in elevation than I am, yet you can get hard freezes in May!

Our soil is terrible. It is very sandy and alkaline. We compost as much as we can, and use gray water, since we only get about 10" (25 centimeters) of rain each year.

I found Trentino on the map. It is very far north! No wonder it is still so cold. One of my best friends is from Milan, but he has lived in the states since 1994. Max Pescatori.

Felicia [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]