Zones 3-5 Gardeners, post here!! - Page 3

[AAK]

I consider my area zone 5. Although there are pockets of 4 and pockets of zone 6 too. But most of us are really zone 5.

I grow a modest veggie garden and this year I am going to try to grow lots of what we really use-- and not a lot of (oh this looks cool) or (we should eat more of this). Therefore, I will be planting a salad garden with lettuces, spinach, onions, radishes, etc. I also plant carrots, corn, cucumbers, zucs, tomatoes, peas, & beans. We have strawberry and raspberry plants and a very thriving rhubarb. I am going for another year of pumpkins (pray the deer don't eat them all!).

This year I am eliminating potatoes. I will get what we use at the farmers market. I will be trying cantalope again--I did hearts of gold one year and they are awesome! I will also use the farmers market to try out veggies that I want to use more often.

We always try to share our crop with the food bank and I do a fair amount of preserving. I love gardening and each year it gets better.

We deal with skunks and deer and the darn potatoe bug! : I would love to hear how others hand these guys.

My favorite part about gardening is watching the kids graze out in the garden. What could be healthier?

Amy

[BedHead]

I am a lazy seed starter. I just plant them in little pots and set them in front of the window. When my kids have left home and I have more room to myself I intend to get fancier and do a lot more.

[Mama Dragon]

Subbing...I'm in zone 5 and am just starting out figuring out what I want to do....pretty late in the game I know, but we just found out we can stay here.

[sacredmama]

I started a echinacea seed! I will most likely keep it in the house most of the time in a container and just take it out as it warms up a bit. I wasn't able to plant till June last year, so it's too early for starting. Although, I think I'm gonna attempt to plant greens early and see how they do.

Has anyone ever had success starting spinach, chard, or kale outdoors earlier than your other stuff? How early?

[ErikaLeigh]

I think I am in this section, but since we just moved to Michigan I am not sure.

Can anyone help me out?

[Mama Dragon]

Zones

[box_of_rain]

Originally Posted by Synthea™

Zones

Thanks for that. Looks like I'm still in zone 4. :

[box_of_rain]

Erika!!

[farmercraig]

Question for those starting seedlings under flourescent lights

Howdy all,

For those of you using flourescent lighting to get your seedlings going...Do you cycle the lights on/off using a timer or just keep them on 24/7?

If I remember correctly from friends' (ahem) less licit basement projects, there's vegetative growth vs. flowering growth. I certainly don't want to encourage flowering in my tomato and pepper starts this early.

In past years, I just kept my lights on 24/7, and things worked out well. Just wondering what you all did.

Thanks,
Craig

[lmonter]

Originally Posted by farmercraig

For those of you using flourescent lighting to get your seedlings going...Do you cycle the lights on/off using a timer or just keep them on 24/7?

Our lights are on a rather unfancy timer that hubby quickly installed before we left town on a 4-day trip. Lights go on at 7am, off at 7pm. May tweak it to slightly longer hours at some point to mimic whatever the daylight is outside, but right now it works. My onions and leeks are already going gangbusters - I may need to give them a haircut here soon...

But we also do notice a slight rise in the electric bill during my insanity of seed starting, so leaving 'em on all the time would be kind of silly for us.

[ErikaLeigh]

HI Molly!!

[BedHead]

Originally Posted by sacredmama

I started a echinacea seed! I will most likely
Has anyone ever had success starting spinach, chard, or kale outdoors earlier than your other stuff? How early?

Of those, I only grow spinach, and even planting it outside on the May long weekend I get at least 2 if not three harvests because it matures so fast. So I don't bother planting it early.

[ktmama]

Hi all. I'm in Zone 5 in Colorado.

Last year was the first growing season in this house. We have some really nice soil in raised beds, but last year I spent all spring pulling weeds (and weeds and weeds) and we spent fall cutting and pulling out eight weed trees from the garden. Now that we are good to go, we'll have more room. It's still too cold here to plant peas, but we had lots of success last year with them and with mixed greens, spinach, cucs and tomatoes. I also planted raspberries last year which I hope will bring a harvest this year. I've been reluctant to plant any type of melon due to the space requirements. Any advice on that?

Also, I'm interested in planting some more root veggies (carrots and onions especially) this year so that we can store some over the winter. Any suggestions on what stores best and the best way to store? Unfort. no room for fruit trees here

[lmonter]

Originally Posted by ktmama

Also, I'm interested in planting some more root veggies (carrots and onions especially) this year so that we can store some over the winter. Any suggestions on what stores best and the best way to store?

Go get yourself a copy of Root Cellaring by the Bubels. Awesome book. After checking it out several times from the library I finally relented and bought my own copy (yes, I'm that cheap).

[Quaniliaz]

Originally Posted by ktmama

I've been reluctant to plant any type of melon due to the space requirements. Any advice on that?

Last year I planted acorn squash right in the corners of my raised beds - somehow they intuited my intention and sprawled over the edge and onto the yard - took up very little space in the actual garden!

[Liberty5_3000]

Hi, I live in 6, but my garden will be in 5 in Pennsylvania. I'm in an apartment, so I have to use my parents yard for my garden. This is my first year to have my own and I'm pretty excited about it, though I always took care of my mom's when I lived at home.

[box_of_rain]

Originally Posted by ktmama

I've been reluctant to plant any type of melon due to the space requirements. Any advice on that?

I grow my melons up a fence (grew sugar baby watermelons last summer). Anything that vines I grow vertically. It's such a space saver.

[katiedidbug]

Hey all! I believe I'm in zone 3, according to posted zone map. Can someone double check for me? I'm in Springfield, MO which is in Greene county. Here is what I'm already doing:
http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=867299

I am very excited. Any help would be awesome!!

[Daffodil]

I'm in Zone 4, in Vermont. Everything is still covered in snow here, but I have tomatoes started inside. (And maple sap flowing outside. We're going to collect just a little and boil it down on the stove, just for fun.)

[Daffodil]

Originally Posted by katiedidbug

Hey all! I believe I'm in zone 3, according to posted zone map. Can someone double check for me? I'm in Springfield, MO which is in Greene county.

I thought, no way could any part of Missouri be in zone 3. Then I looked at the map from a PP's link, and it did seem to show one section of Missouri was zone 3. I figured that had to be a mistake, though, since it was right next to a zone 6 section, and then I found a map on a different site that showed that same area was zone 6a. So I think you're really in zone 6.