I am sooo happy! I really think it is entirely safe to plant some warmer weather crops this weekend. I will be doing that on Saturday and Sunday. There are tons of tomato, eggplant, cilantro, and cukes all ready to go on a trip to the roadside for selling. The peppers haven't really tried oo hard to make any headway yet, but I think by next weekend they will be showing themselves. I'm just so happy to finally be able to get to plant some of the yummier stuff!

These last two arctic blasts totalled my baby spinach, but my Swiss Chard is coming back as is the kohlrabi, and the garlic needs to get harvested this weekend as well. Happy happy! How bout you? What stage is your planting in right now?

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), March 13, 2002

Answers

Lucky you.

We are supposed to get 5-8 inches of snow tomorrow.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), March 13, 2002.

Why don't you just rub it in. I don't think that I'm getting the full effect of the loose dirt yet. Maybe you should throw some of that natural fertilizer on me so I can smell like that makes me feel ! Just Joking !! I'm glad someone is getting the feeling--mine will come on Good Friday.

-- Joel Rosen (JoelnBecky@webtv.net), March 14, 2002.

All right Doreen, don't rub it in!!! This summer when our tomatoes are growing like mad and the grasshoppers are eating your stuff, we'll rub it in!! Seriously, it'll be a couple of weeks here before we can plant even the cold weather stuff. It is supposed to get up to 70 today though and that sure gives one the fever but it could just as easily be 20 next week. Like Joel says, Good Friday is coming. That's traditional tator planting time here! Can't wait! I do have lettuce, broccoli and cabbage started under plant lights and my garlic I planted last fall is about 8 inches tall and the strawberries are trying to poke through the straw!

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), March 14, 2002.

If the tiller was ready I could maybe use it this afternoon. Still might be too wet here. Gary's gonna get it ready when he get home. Otherwise, I'm building a raised bed and am planting a ton of carrots in it and other salad crops. Got 50 of red potatoes waiting to plant and 5# of onion sets. This will be the first garden here in years. We're working on a really good compost pile and I want to get some cold frames in.

I started working for a friend at her greenhouse for barter of plants/seeds. I love working in a greenhouse. I wouldn't be able to get all the plant I want this year cause of money shortage, so this is great. God's gooed. We're palnning on our own greenhouse by next spring.

-- Cindy (SE. IN) (atilrthehony@hotmail.com), March 14, 2002.

Joel,

Try what I do, do some starts in milk jugs to get "a little fix" before spring planting and good head starts in the garden.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), March 14, 2002.

I didn't mean to rub it in....Sorry! As Barb said you can all rejoice that I will probably be in a massive drought and have more grasshoppers than anything else in the not so distant future. I was just excited and wanted to share it!

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), March 14, 2002.

It hit 85 here in Dallas today. I was out on the deck sunbathing. Hee Hee. I even had to turn on the AC. Enjoy the snow! P.S. This August I wont be giggling when it hits 110!

-- Buffy in Dallas (buffyannjones@hotmail.com), March 15, 2002.

I TRIED to start a bunch of tomatos inside, but the commercial potting soil I am using is giving me fits! It dries out much too quickly and turns to concrete! It doesn't want to suck up the water I give it, even when I put the pots into a container of water! Even when I finally get the soil damp, it looks hard! What brands do you folks have good luck with? In the past I only started a couple of plants inside so I used jiffy pots, but I wanted enough tomatos to sell so I got a bag of potting soil and started 40, which are NOT doing well!!!!!!!

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 15, 2002.

Doreen, I was just kiddin wit ya! I really hope you are hopper free and enough rain this summer! I'm starting some seed under grow lights so that is taking care of my growing fever for now! Hopefully taters will go in in a couple of weeks! It is still wet here too Cindy but those raised beds dry out quicker. I know you will love them!

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), March 15, 2002.

My turn to brag!!! Hubby helped me plant snow peas, leaf lettuce, spinach and beets today! Yea!!! Garlic is looking good and strawberries are poking through the straw. I'm going to transplant a bunch to another raised bed soon. In a couple of weeks I'm going to plant carrots, turnips, onions and of course tators. This is my time of the year - I LOVE TO GARDEN!!!!

-- Barb in Ky. (bjconthefarm@yahoo.com), March 15, 2002.

I was gonna go out and build my coldframes today, but it is too cold. Snow expected again.

I do have some really nice artichoke starts in my window and all my indoor plants are blooming.

By August, I will still be cutting sweet salad, picking a bumper of snowpeas, fresh tender artichokes, and big juicy berries. Yup, I'm still in the dreaming stage!

-- Laura (LadybugWrangler@somewhere.com), March 15, 2002.

Today I went to the greenhouse and planted different kinds of lettuce! Few people sell it at the farmers market because hot weather turns it bitter early, but with the greenhouse to start them in I have HIGH HOPES!!!

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), March 15, 2002.