Getting Ready for the New Strawberry Season

Last year I planted the first set of June bearing strawberry plants and since it was the first year I wasn't going to get anything from my plants.  Today I removed all the straw from the plants and found that all of them had survived the harsh winter.  Now that they have survived there is a good chance that this season they will begin to produce the fruit and berries that I am looking forward to consume.  Some weeding was done today as well and wanted to just loosen the soil for some air circulation to the roots.

Most of my plants indoors have been getting enough sun to grow, but not enough for successful flower production.  I decided to place most of them outside especially my alyssum, dill, tomatoes, and rhubarb.  They need as much sun as possible and by putting them outside I am also getting them used to the weather and preparing to harden them off.  This is the process of getting them acclimated to the elements that they will find outside once I place them in the garden for good.

Here is my rhubarb plant that I purchased this season.  I have two of them, but this one was the first to get some leaves and the other is getting leaves, but a little bit slower than this one. I plan to put them in the ground once the roots start pushing through the peat pot.  Right now there is just one root that happened to show itself through the pot recently.

Getting Those Other Cool Seeds Into the Ground

Now that I have my onions in the totes and beginning to sprout it is time to start planting some seeds into the garden.  I thought about it and I was sure that it was time for pea and radish seeds to be planted right about now.  The weather is still cool, but these seeds shouldn't be affected by frost or cooler than normal temperatures.  They are less productive when the temperature is above 70 degrees and work better in cool temps.

 

Now there are still many other seeds that I need to get in the ground and as long as the weather cooperates I should complete all the rest by the end of the week.  I would like to get my spinach, broccoli, and brussel sprouts into the ground as soon as possible.  I like to have spinach with salads and different sandwiches and getting them planted in the ground sooner I will be able to enjoy the flavor of spinach sooner as well.

Weather is Right for Planting Onions Outside

It seems like the weather is just about right to get onions planted outside into large totes.  I love planting them in totes and is the best way for me to get good sized onions.  This year I have decided on two types of onions to place into my growing totes. 

I chose the usual yellow onions and I also picked some red onions which will be added to the garden.  I am only using a couple of totes for red onions and the rest will be filled with the yellow ones.  For now I am only going to use two since these onions are new for me to grow.

Now that my onions are planted it will soon be time to get some other spring seeds planted as well.  I plan to plant seeds such as spinach, snow peas, lettuce, and others in the garden real soon.  I am just waiting for a little bit warmer weather before I start tilling the soil.

I also will be removing the straw from my strawberry plants real soon as well.  I took a peak underneath the straw and it looks like many of the plants did survive over the cold winter.  As long as you put a thick layer of straw they should come back every year bigger and hopefully with more fruit.  It does take a couple of years before you get a significant crop.

For now I am focusing on what I have already planted indoors.  This includes many flower, fruit, and vegetable seeds at the moment.  Almost all of them have begun sprouting one way or another. 

The best plants right now are my flowers which are some of the first things that I planted this season.  Dill and alyssum have been growing for the past month and a half and will be ready to go outside with some warmer weather coming around.  I will probably start planting more alyssum real soon because I like to have at least three containers or more of these flowers.



I also have all three tomato seeds beginning to sprout along with melons.  I will keep them under the lights for a short time and then soon place them in the windowsill for some natural light.  Right now my tomato plants are in the windowsill getting as much sun as possible.

Peat Pots Made for Planting Melons, Peppers, and Eggplants

It is pretty common to place sensitive plants into peat pots because when it comes time to planting them outside they will not be harmed by you handling them.  I started planting some fruit and vegetables today that take some time to mature and harvest.  Melons take the longest followed by eggplants and then peppers.  All three were planted using these biodegradable containers.

Once I planted each of the seeds I then added them under some fluorescent lights that are used to start the germination process as soon as possible.  This year I am growing crimson sweet watermelon along with Carolina cross and Georgia rattlesnake.  This type is more round than oblong like most other watermelons tend to be.  As long as it has the same taste I don't mind what the shape of it is.

I am also growing a different cantaloupe as well.  I have been growing an heirloom melon throughout the past several years, but this season I wanted to grow something different.  This year I am growing a crenshaw cantaloupe which is supposed to be much larger than the ones I have been growing.

Flowers grown inside are just about ready to go outside once some warmer weather arrives.  I can place them outside during the day right now, but will probably bring them in during the night.  The night is still too cold to leave certain plants outside, but soon I will be planting my spring cool weather plants.

Tomato Seeds Now Planted Indoors With Others To Come

I just finished planting my tomato seeds this week and they are placed underneath lights to get them started a little bit faster.  Right now the weather has been quite cloudy and they would probably normally take twice as long if I were to put them in the windowsill.

Right now most of my seeds that I have planted have began to germinate and sprout.  Some of them are growing quite well and my second planting of flower seeds have also poked through the soil.  I need to start planting melons and eggplants since these plants take awhile to mature I want to give a good head start this season.  I hope to plant them sometime this week.  They too will be placed under fluorescent lights for the start they need.

Not much has changed in the tomato seed planting and I decided to do five seeds of cherry and steakhouse with 24 Roma seeds.  This should give me a minimum of 34 tomato plants with plenty of room to plant all my other fruits and vegetables.