More Snow Is On The Way !!!!!

Sunday, March 2 - It is so hard to believe that I am sitting here thinking about the predicted snow fall in our area that is supposed to begin this evening. At this time, my area, Sewell NJ, is calling for 8 - 10 inches, ending Monday afternoon.

As I mentioned in my last post, this past weekend was beautiful. With unseasonable temperatures in the 60's all my neighbors were outside trying to get a jump on our spring clean up. This weekend, I went outside and started my snow blower making sure it was ready for tomorrow.

Daffodils standing 3 inches tall
waiting for the snow storm to
begin.

For the past 5 years, I always plant my cool weather crops the weekend before St. Patricks Day.  I know the typical planting date is this holiday, but I try and get an extra week of growing since I don't fertilize my garden, only using compost and organic means.

My cool weather crops I am planting this year are peas, different types of spinach, lettuce, broccoli and cauliflower. All of these crops could benefit by the covering of snow that would occur tomorrow, but seeds need germination temperatures no lower than 20 degrees and this week we have a few days where the lows will be in the single digits. The possibility of not receiving any crops if I planted this weekend was not worth the risk of trying to get a "heads start".

It looks like I will spend next Sunday in my garden. Here's hoping this is the final snow storm for this winter.

By the way, if my good friend I work with does take the time to read this note, yes, it is true I sat on my tractor today wishing I was able to begin my spring ritual. :)

A Beautiful Winter Weekend !!!!!

Sunday, February 23, 2014 - It is so hard to believe with all of the snow we have had this winter, this weekend we were "teased" with temperatures in the 50's. ( Yes, and this week we will have temperatures in the 30's with two days of snow showers expected ) Today I decided to work in my vegetable garden.

It was a great day to be outside. Seeing neighbors I have not talked to in months as well as beginning to prepare my soil for planting for mid - March put everyone in a great mood to begin the work week.

Today I tilled part of my garden. Before beginning, I did sprinkle saw dust and shredded paper on the soil to help with the drying out process as well as help prepare the soil with the needed nutrients for growth.

This is a great start to the growing season. Getting air in the soil as well as breaking up those areas which are hard will be a benefit to my planting of my cold weather crops.

A Great Gardening Weekend !!!

Sunday, March 3 - It was a great weekend working in my vegetable garden Saturday. I decided to till my garden and then plant an early crop of cool weather vegetables.

I chose to plant 4 types of lettuce; Salad Bowl, Mesculin Mix, Black Seeded Simpson and Gourmet Mix. Also, I put in a small line of baby and olympia hybrid spinach, broccoli and kale.

It was great to get back in the garden but my planting did not stop outside. I did purchase a grow light system by Hydrofarm so I could begin some vegetables inside for planting around Mothers Day. With my inside planting, I started 6 type of tomatoes; golden nugget, sweetie, beefsteak, rutgers, roma and tomatillo.

Also I planted inside watermelon, cantaloupe, kale, purple basil and green and yellow squash.

This is the first time I have started seed inside with a grow light. I am excited to see how my plants will grow over the next few weeks.

Today, my wife and I went to the Philly Flower Show. This is the first time I have ever gone to this event and enjoyed this years theme England. The beautiful landscape display of flowers combined with the many vendors helped make this morning enjoyable.

We Escaped the Winter Storm !

Sunday, February 10 - South Jersey was very fortunate as we escaped the much anticipated Nor'Easter this weekend. With only a thin coating of ice and snow we have in our thoughts those living in New England who are struggling from the brunt of this storm.

Before my wife and I went to the Philly Home Show Saturday, I spent the morning planning when and were I was going to plant my spring crops. I also took a few pictures of how beautiful the winter weather is around our home.

Time to Get Ready for Planting !!!!

Saturday, January 19, 2013 - Happy 2013 Everyone !!!! As we enter a New Year and work our way thru the winter months, I have already started preparing for my spring planting.

Last year, I was able to plant my cool weather crops early as we had a mild winter. Keeping my fingers crossed, we have not had many cold days and our snow fall has only been minimal. With that in mind, I spent time this afternoon working on my compost pile and tilling some of my garden.

We have had much rain this year which has left my compost pile soggy. Today I turned over what was in the pile and also spread the pile allowing the air to dry out much of the moist areas.

I also tilled the new part of my garden. In the fall I decided to add on to my growing area by adding another 3 feet. This area will be used to grow either watermelons, cantaloupe or zucchinis; making the final decision after I decide on how I am rotating my crops this year.

This evening, I finished ordering my seeds through mail order. It is a tradition for me to always order from Rohrer Seeds located in Lancaster County Pennsylvania.

This tradition started many years ago when my father had a vegetable garden. He always believed Rohrer's had the best seeds and always provided him excellent yields.

I will be checking in soon when I begin planting seeds outside sometime late February, mid March, depending on our winter.

Stay warm everyone and feel free to drop me a line with your spring garden plans.

Fall Cleanup Time

Sunday, October 14, 2012 - Yesterday I spent the day saying "good bye" to my vegetable garden for the season. I spent the morning raking leaves in my back yard and then raking the leaves over the top of my garden.

In the afternoon, I tilled the leaves into the ground and raked out the dirt once I was done. I also checked on my strawberry plants which I planted in the fall and  already started to produce runners.

Friday evening we had our first frost of the Fall. It was cold Saturday morning, waking up to temperatures in the high 30's.  I picked the last tomatoes and peppers for the season and brought them in the house preparing for the cold weather.

I am now preparing to think about next spring. What to plant, how to rotate my plants in the garden and the possibility of starting some of plants from seed in my home during the winter months. In the past when I have done this, I have not been met with much success. The plants grow but never seem to be strong enough to plant outside once the growing season begins. It is time for me to do some research in this area to see what I have been doing wrong. If anyone has any suggestions on what do do, please let me know!!!

It also has been time to make sure the bird feeders are filled and cleaned. As you can see from this picture, the finches started their afternoon feast right before 4pm. It will be great to see these finches in another month when their feathers will turn yellow in color.

What a Beautiful Weekend !

Sunday, July 22 - Waking up this weekend to temperatures in the 70's has been quite refreshing. We have had two heat waves this summer with temperatures at times in the low 100's and the heat index hitting 105 on one day.

My vegetable garden has survived these extreme conditions however I am disappointed with the yields from the tomato plants so far . Usually by this time I am picking daily up to 10 - 15 large tomatoes and with the grape variety, I have picked up to 1/2 a bucket at times. Yesterday, I had one of my largest yields of the summer, picking 3 4 heirloom and around 25 grape and cherry.

Last weekend I planted 6 each of  tomato, eggplant and cantaloupe plants. Also, I planted 14 zucchini seeds hoping for a second yield during the end of September.

Rain also has been scarce this summer. We did have a downpour this past week but besides that small amount, rain has been hard to come by. I am sure this has played a reason for the slow yield this summer as the well watering I have been doing just is not the same.

My flower gardens are doing well. My hydrangea tree is beginning to bloom and the limelight hydrangea bush has been in full bloom the last 3 days. It is nice to see these colors this time of year adding a special touch during these hot and humid times.

I am beginning to think about how to expand my garden. Once I determine what I am going to do I will share my ideas with everyone.