OT, maybe. What are you doing in the garden today?

[Gina]

Woman does not live by figs alone.

I'm filling the green cans for tomorrow morning pick up. Beautiful sunny day here after a light shower last night. Temp in the mid 50*s but seems warmer.

[Kelby]

Nothing... this is my blueberry patch.

[FiggieFive_0]

Sheeh! Yup, you're not gonna be doing much of anything there.

[COGardener]

Watching the snow try to melt before the next storm arrives.

[zone5figger]

Pruning apple trees, taking scionwood from my Norkent, Trailman, Black Oxford, Zestar for a friend.
It is above freezing here today!

[GBIII]

Staring and hoping that the glacier that has formed in my back yard will eventually melt. I don't think I've seen the actual ground for at least 6-7 weeks. lol

[ako1974]

Trying to keep up with rooting and germination. Aside from the fig trees, I'm germinating eggplant, peppers, petunias, and onions. The super-hots (Bhut jolokia and Trinidad scorpion) have already germinated nicely, so I'm potting up. I need to pot up the Japanese bunching onions as well. Later today, I may start kale and collards.

[COGardener]

Trying to keep up with rooting and germination. Aside from the fig trees, I'm germinating eggplant, peppers, petunias, and onions. The super-hots (Bhut jolokia and Trinidad scorpion) have already germinated nicely, so I'm potting up. I need to pot up the Japanese bunching onions as well. Later today, I may start kale and collards.

I'm growing all the super hot peppers also, did you get any Carolina Reaper seeds? They are at this time the undisputed hottest pepper upto 2.4 Million Scoville units.

[jkuo]

Not doing much outside for a while. There's still a bunch of snow on the ground in the yard. Inside, I've got my asparagus seedlings growing. I'm going to start my tomato, eggplant, and broccoli seeds soon. If I get ambitious enough, I might try to start some flower seeds early, but most likely I'll run out of time and grow light space, and just end up direct sowing those when it's warmer.

[FiggieFive_0]

Not going to the garden today. Played around in it all weekend. Need some kind of different therapy...

[Gina]

I got about 90 minutes in before a strong shower forced me inside. Am hoping to get back out there soon however.

Got about half the large (95gallon) bin filled with weeds, and two figs de-weeded and transplanted into 15 gallon containers. It was pleasant.

You all remind me I need to start some more veggie seeds. Zucchini, cukes, chilies (wimpy numex joe e parkers), and ?
Tomatoes already up and growing. Fruits on some. And a protected rogue seedling currently has 3 ripe fruits.

[nepenthes]

I would kill for your bin of weeds right about now. Yup, I mean it. Where most people spend their time yanking weeds out, I'm the crazy person growing as many as I can. Tortoises have to eat!

[Bevman]

I would compost them, because anything organic should not go to a landfill, but I am assuming that is where it is headed since you say you have it in the 95 gallon bin.

[Gina]

I'll use some pulled weeds for mulch, but if they have already set seed, they go into the can. From there, the weeds go to the local waste facility were green waste is ground up, allowed to heat, and if we want it, given back to us customers. There is a nominal delivery fee for a truck load, or you can pick it up totally free at the landfill.

When I was first composting, I used to put all weeds into the bins.. but learned the hard way that seeds on the outside of the stacks did not always lose viability.

[figgary]

Yesterday was very nice and warm, so mostly weeded and pruned, getting the garden ready. Managed to graft some extra fig cuttings onto my potted Blackjack. First time grafting figs, so we'll see. Added Longue d'Aout, St. Gabriel, Bourjassotte Gris, and Genovese Nero.

[COGardener]

Gina, you're killing me!!! I need to move somewhere nicer!!! My frost free date is May 15th......

[Gina]

Sorry about that.

My mom had cousins in Colorado Springs.

[COGardener]

It's a beautiful place to live. We have all for seasons. .. sometimes on the same day. But the short growing season is a drag. Green houses will help once i move to some acreage.

[Gina]

Frost free date? I don't think we even have one of those here. Frost is very rare.

[ako1974]

I'm growing all the super hot peppers also, did you get any Carolina Reaper seeds? They are at this time the undisputed hottest pepper upto 2.4 Million Scoville units.

Scott - I didn't - I'll swap some seeds with you end of year, if you like. I bought a bunch of seeds from Rare Seeds and they had BJ and TS, so I went with that. Have to say, they are germinating like gangbusters. I really like Rare Seeds - not one complaint.

[COGardener]

I got the Reapers and others from seed rack. I'd love to swap some seeds, I'm a pepper growing fool.

I will have more this year then ever, I make small batch artisnal pepper suaces. So the more the better, I'll have almost 1000 square feet of just jalapenos this year. And another 2000 square feet I plan to plant with all the other cultivars of pepper.
then ssqueeze in the tomatoes, garlic, onions and then the regular garden.

I need more land in the worst way.

[ako1974]

Very nice! I have 1,200-ish square feet total to split up amongst all veg. Every year, though, I randomly make a new bed somewhere else

I grow about 10-14 different varieties of peppers, depending on which seeds/room I have in a given year. My staples are Hinkelhatz (~100,000 Scovilles), which is very prolific and has nice fruitiness (fermenting some sriracha with it right now), and Rooster spur (~75,000) for drying and grinding into chili powder. I grow a bunch of others to play around with, such as the super-hots.

[Gina]

I went nuts for peppers one year. Got all kinds of seeds and got all sorts of pods. Not the really hot ones however - just one generic hab. The harvest was lovely. But now I mainly grow only one kind of numex for general cooking.

When the time comes Scott, can you tell us how to make good pepper sauce? Maybe I should plant some jalapenos. I smoked my own chipotles once.. they were very good.

[COGardener]

Gina, going pepper crazy is a good thing! Smoking them is a great idea, once smoked, I would dry some and grind them in my mill to make smoked chipolte pepper powder.

Your getting me exited. ....

[Bevman]

At this time the garden area is under 6 inches of snow and it was 20F this morning. Freezing rain coming tomorrow. The most I do it the garden at this time of year is keep adding to the compost piles. they do not heat to much at this time of year but come spring they will heat fast.

[Kelby]

Actually, I decided to trudge out for blackberry and raspberry cuttings. Ouch.

[COGardener]

I will have to look those up. There is not much of a pepper market here sadly, so right now I'm forced to work with what I can find locally. Mostly jalapeno, Thai and habanero, a few others from time to time. I have jalapeno and habanero fermenting and pickling right now, and jalapeno and Thai pepper paste marinating in the fridge now that will be ready to be pressed and bottled this coming weekend.

[fitzski]

I dug out my cold frames again this morning after another snowstorm. At least it was only a few inches this time. Rumor has it that we will have 3 days in a row over 32 F this week and then another warm up next week.

I plan on repotting my figs from last year to bigger pots and then move them to the greenhouse seeing temps were over 60 in there again today.

[newnandawg]

The first real signs of spring here as it was 70 degrees with a little sun. These guys were ready to get out of the garage
but there is still over 100 that haven't decided to wake up, not to mention 36 in ground that probably wait another
3 weeks.

[WillsC]

Not to rub it in but it is 85 here today and planting new figs, put 8 new varieties in the ground today and another 25 go in tomorrow.

[COGardener]

Really!!!! 85.... Just had to didn't you Wills...

[WillsC]

Well just remind me of it when I am melting in July when it is 95 degrees and 100% humidity.

[COGardener]

In July, it will be about the same temp here by day. .. but around 10% humidity..... maybe 20%

[SharonC]

We were 60 today which felt pretty good considering yesterday we had ice until 11:00am. I had to work but slipped out at lunch to clean up my figs. Everything appears to be fine but 1 fig tree is gone. Pot and all. It was my only black weeping fig so I am bummed. The only good part is maybe I moved it and forgot where I put it.. But maybe a customer had to have it and removed it from the propagation house. Anyway I will look again when I go back but I will be happy when these babies come home for good. I did rake up all the old leaves, sweep the plastic and run a quick inventory. The Cravo got down to 26 this year but with humidity and no wind everything made it.

[pppldj]

Off from work today. Depending on how it goes, I am planning on spreading pre emergent on the lawn. Also have some southern pear and apple pruning to do. And I am going to indoor start some tomatoes and okra. Got a variety of okra called heavy hitter that is supposed to be very prolific and going to give it a try. Oh yeah,. going to build a bluebird house out of a cedar dog ear fence board.

[Gina]

As soon as it warms up, I'm going to work on the figs. Some moving of pots, some root cutting, some up-potting, a bit of pruning, maybe some culling... What ever needs doing. Most are just barely coming out of dormancy. I'm looking forward to a fun day. Maybe some weeding too.

[WillsC]

I have officially become a lazy azz I hired a professional weeder My farmer father and farmer grandfather are i'm sure rolling in their graves at the thought of it.