Gardening 2024

[johnnymacrds]

I got a few pots of greens under way, been getting a few handfuls each week. Under the lights I have some starters of zucchini, squash, cucs, tomatoes, pumpkins. New this year; watermelon, cantaloupe and Corn... potatoes are chitting.. will have the cheap plastic greenhouse set up this week since the starters need to get out from under the lights.

I'm chitting my potatoes now. I got impatient last year and planted them to early.. and also harvested them a little too early.. still good but they got eaten so fast due to the size.

Anyone else having any cool garden crops or early season tips to share?

[Sundancefisher]

My crocuses are up and blooming. Daffodils have been trying to come up for a while.

Try growing giant kohlrabi. Great veggie.

[elkhunter11]

As an experiment, I put my potted stawberries in my heated garage for the winter. There are plenty of green shoots now, and after this week, they will be back on my deck. to see what happens.

[Drewski Canuck]

Crazy as this will sound, I started carrots in doors. Last year I transplanted the carrots on May Long weekend, and they caught and grew very well!

Central - Northern Alberta needs another 4 week growing season to deliver consistent big carrots. Starting them now they go in the ground a few inches tall on May Long, and it gives the carrots a nice jump.

Other experiment was an unknown apple from a tree that produced many 5 gallon pails of 3 - 4 inch apples last year. I saved the seeds and planted them, but so far, no germination. Very hard to say exactly what this apple is, as I have never seen it before. But it had a rough red skin, and was the shape of a Macintosh, but firm flesh.

Drewski

[Dmay]

Originally Posted by Drewski Canuck

Crazy as this will sound, I started carrots in doors.

Haha.....yup, sounds crazy! But great idea!!!

[TBark]

I started my tomatoes on March 1. A bit early but oh well.
I’ve got some 15-16 inches tall already, looking to put the sun shed on my back deck this Sunday or Monday when the overnight temps can manage them outside.

TBark

[slough shark]

Originally Posted by elkhunter11

As an experiment, I put my potted stawberries in my heated garage for the winter. There are plenty of green shoots now, and after this week, they will be back on my deck. to see what happens.

Just curious did you have to keep them watered over winter or just stash them there and let them dry out? Then now that it’s springtime you started watering them, just kinda wondering as I’m planning on getting a bunch of strawberries going this year and looking into what to do with them over winter (I just built a greenhouse last summer/fall so getting it ready to go.

[Drewski Canuck]

Slough Shark,

For any perennial that starts from the root and is not a bulb root, like strawberries, the problem of warm storage, or even above zero storage, is desiccating or drying out the root. Once it is dry, basically it will die.

You would have to have the root in a moist media like peat moss, and keep it cool and damp so that dry out does not happen.

People talk about winter kill, when it really is the root drying out. This happens to trees that have not a good root set and not watered in sufficiently in the fall.

Last year's long warm fall was dynamite on the plants and new fruit trees as we did not have any real moisture from September to freeze up in December.

Drewski

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by slough shark

Just curious did you have to keep them watered over winter or just stash them there and let them dry out? Then now that it’s springtime you started watering them, just kinda wondering as I’m planning on getting a bunch of strawberries going this year and looking into what to do with them over winter (I just built a greenhouse last summer/fall so getting it ready to go.

My garage is kept a 7 degrees all winter, but they were on the floor, so cooler than that. I watered a bit every week, but they took very little, The plants stayed green until December/January then turned brown over a couple of months. This is today, more green shoots every day, and growing fast.

[slough shark]

I see, so since I plan on having strawberries and other plants in the greenhouse if I want to make them winter properly and leave them there I’m going to need some system for keeping some moisture in the dirt since it seems even in winter the greenhouse warms up during the day. I’m guessing watering them and putting some plastic over top or something to keep the water in and checking on them every now and then.

[Savage Bacon]

Little jalapeños

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[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

Little jalapeños

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Nice!

My Jalapenos are just starting to flower, but I seeded my peppers later than normal.

Your Hot Sauce thread inspired me this year, so I went pepper crazy.
10 Jalapenos
6 Arapaho
9 Ghost
1 Trinidad Scorpion
and 1 Carolina Reaper...
Not sure what I'm doing yet but like most things, it's hard to have a final plan if you don't start with something.
We'll see what grows. Guessing most will have to move to the inside green house in September to get a decent harvest.