Taking stock and planning - spring 2020

[Ontario Chick]

Half front lawn still under snow here in EasternON , but even here things are starting to peek,
1/2 chives, should be enough for potato toping by the wknd
1" rhubarb buds, it will take a while yet before rhubarb crunch will be on the menu.

Planning the garden leaves more questions then answers this spring.
Last year I simply didn't feel up to seed planting, so purchased only started plants at my local IGA garden center, which led to some interesting results and we are still eating butternut squash.
We can only assume that many seeds and started plants, if there are any, are going to get purchased by people who have never grown anything and will give up soonest.

So on taking stock of my garden perennials, I have Lovage, Chives, Garlic Chives, parsley tends to reseed, rhubarb and garlic and Jerusalem artichokes.
Worse case scenario I can just plant potatoes everywhere, but difficult to imagine summer without tomatoes and cucumbers.
On the other hand difficult to imagine lining up to purchase plants one person at the time.

[Killerbunny]

I hope I will still get asparagus crowns. The bed is all ready for them!

[Happy]

I grow veggies every year but I'm often not very good at planning ahead to start seeds. I intend to every year, it just often occurs to me far too late. This year we finally set up the grow lights that have been collecting dust and I scooped up seeds at my feed mill on my last visit. They were already experiencing huge seed sales and expect sell-out. So I didn't get anything fancy but tomatoes and peppers are started. Yesterday I dug up an old retired flower garden against the south side of my house. It's at least a month ahead of the rest of the yard. Spinach, leaf lettuce and radish are seeded there. When they are done there will be tomatoes going in. Maybe even some cantaloupes or watermelon if I can find them. Our main garden is a nice sunny spot but it gets an awful lot of wind as my entire yard does...so I'm trying to figure out an esthetically appealing wind block that I can concoct within the next month. I get A LOT of wind off Georgian Bay and it stays cool for quite some time. If any ideas I'd be happy to hear them!

[Ontario Chick]

Well, I din't think of feed store, our only essential trip, next time DH goes he can pick up some seeds if they have any, should be interesting.
Our season here is very short, and tomato seeds cannot get started indoors before April 16, or they get too leggy and weak before they can go out in to the garden.

[Killerbunny]

Oh right you had to say that didn't you! I had mine started ages ago, now you've cursed them!

[Happy]

Well, I din't think of feed store, our only essential trip, next time DH goes he can pick up some seeds if they have any, should be interesting.
Our season here is very short, and tomato seeds cannot get started indoors before April 16, or they get too leggy and weak before they can go out in to the garden.

When is your "typical" move to outside date for tomatoes? We are usually ok by end of May here although if memory serves me last year was later than that.

[Killerbunny]

Last year in this area was mid-June, awful spring.

[Jenny d]

I am experiencing spring at a house I bought in late fall. I got excited a couple of weeks ago and ordered seeds online.
Now I think I may have jumped the gun on some things, as the snow recedes I'm seeing lillies and tulips and daffodils start peeking up in spots around the yard. I won't be surprised if chives and mint and asparagus are already somewhere in the yard.

[Shnookie]

Happy, I have a suggestion for a wind block. There is a farmer near here who is making a new yard on one of his quarters of land. The first summer he planted 12 rows of corn around 2 sides of the yard. He said he planted it to keep his grass seed and topsoil from blowing away. It worked for that, and he left it there for the winter and it works well for a snow fence too. It's not ugly to look at and is environmentally friendly. I assume he didn't plant expensive corn. He just mowed it off where he wants to drive into the field.

[Ontario Chick]

Well, I din't think of feed store, our only essential trip, next time DH goes he can pick up some seeds if they have any, should be interesting.
Our season here is very short, and tomato seeds cannot get started indoors before April 16, or they get too leggy and weak before they can go out in to the garden.

When is your "typical" move to outside date for tomatoes? We are usually ok by end of May here although if memory serves me last year was later than that.

Oh right you had to say that didn't you! I had mine started ages ago, now you've cursed them!

Same here mid June, in a bad spring even later.
When we came here in 81, we watched a local farmer plant his huge garden towards end of June, while we city newbies followed the long wknd in May theory, took us few years and many frozen cucumbers and catatonic tomatoes to realize that he was right