Garden Diaries, 2020

[KimChick]

Nothing has been planted outside here; below freezing temps at night are not even good to plant peas. Yesterday, DH got a lot of well-aged manure out to the garden, and will be tilling it in soon, weather permitting. Less wind would be nice, too.
The only plants out in the garden are asparagus, horseradish, rhubarb, and those that reseeded - chamomile, rapini, dill, and maybe borage in the squash patch.

[Kbr42]

Wow! Nice job!

[Shnookie]

We're still close to winter so nothing has been done outside. Lows at 0 or less and winds between 50 to 70 km per hour. I have started some flowers under grow lights. Grass is slowly starting to green and the dugout only opened up yesterday. There was hardly any snow this winter so both dugouts are low. Tons of gophers again so I am considering getting some kind of metal containers to plant in. I expect we will have a short growing season this year.

[Jaye]

re: still "close to winter" lows below freezing (-5C overnight is the average ATM) and crazy wind gusts
- same here, @Shnookie . Our ready-to-use compost bay is still mostly frozen in the centre, so can't move it to the veggie patch yet. Need to cherry-pick some microgreens to plant into pots for the garden.

[Farrier1987]

Anybody here grow parsnips? I like the darn things but can never seem to get them to germinate. I think I had 3 parsnips last year out of the whole row. I could use some advice if anyone has any. Resorting to starting them in trays this year, might work, but seems like an awkward way to grow a root vegetable.

I have been digging in the garden, yes digging not roto tilling. I find the tiller almost more work than the shovel. Advantage being its over all at once. So I turn with the shovel an hour or two each day, and it will get done just fine in time for planting.

Moved my strawberries. Had extra and mailed some to KB, along with some rasp canes. Cost $25 to express post. I paid cash. KB emailed 40 to my wife. Some would say I made $15, but my pocket math says I lost $25, Funny how that works.

[Ontario Chick]

I have given up on parsnips couple years ago, after talking to a market gardener, who said the germination rate has been so low last few years, they have finally stopped planting them.

[Killerbunny]

Love parsnips but can't get them to germinate either.
Really looking forward to the strawbs and canes. The strawbs were the type of thing I was lookng for with a "wild" strawberry flavour so the info says. We have the tiny wild ones in the grass which are amazing but the chickens usually get them first.

[TomK]

Ok...i love gardening threads...and I read this one with relish...yup..the hot pepper one...anyway, first, parsnips...depends on your seed..parsnip is notorious for poor to non germination on seed that is more than one season old...soooooo...if you went to the feed store, bought some parsnip seed off the revolving rack chances are that the seed is old, regardless of the date stamp on the pack...parsnip needs realy great conditions to germinate well...plant too early and get too much damp and well, not much gonna happen...its a crapshoot...i love parsnip, grow it every year...worst situation i have had is 50% and best is damn near the whole row...so I have been lucky...i get my seed online...the thing is, the big seed companies distribute and sell retail on a weird consignment basis in retail locations all over...and normally the seed display rack is not all sold out by planting season end so they collect the display rack and take unsold seeds back ...they do a spot chk on germination viability on the returns and if the results are good then they are repackaged and sold next year...if this happens to parsnip seeds then the viability looks good but sucks next spring...nuff said on that..lol
..as to what i am doing..everything is inside still..hell we had a blizzard last night and plus 8 today...i have my usual crazy volume of tomato varieties on the go...various peppers and a whole lot of interesting gourds, pumpkin and squash started...i may have jumped the gun on the latter as they are growing waaayyyyyyy too fast..lol...we will see...actually started some petunias for MJ...stingy seed quantity in the envelope form Vesey...9 seeds of one variety and 11 of another ..like really?..have to find out whats behind that quatitative miserliness...garlic is up...potatoes are going in on Saturday...i see the rhubarb is up well...lots of fence to build and all those raised beds...yikes...i think i need a libation of some sort just to settle me down thinking about it all....should be fun tho...

[Killerbunny]

Where did you get the seed potatoes?

[Shnookie]

I have an older Stokes catalogue with these directions for parsnips:

Rototill the ground to a depth of 16”. Soil should be rather sandy and not too rich in fertilizer (which causes hairy roots). Sow seed May 1 half an inch deep, 3 seeds per inch, in rows 18-30 inches apart. Seed germinates in about 21 days at 60 degree soil temperatures. Thin to 3 inches apart.

My Seed Starter’s Handbook says:
Be sure to use fresh seed. Sow thickly because parsnip seed is notoriously low in vitality. Seedlings are weak and easily overwhelmed by a heavy soil cover so put no more than half an inch of light soil over the seeds. A light sowing of radish seeds that will emerge early and break the soil crust will make it easier for the parsnip seedlings to push through. In a dry spring, sprinkle the row if a week passes without rain before the seeds have germinated. They do not transplant well.

Canadian Tire and Walmart both have seed potatoes here.