Spring gardening thread
For those who live in the Northern Hemisphere, this is an open thread to discuss 2024 plans and ambitions now that cold temperatures are waning.
I'll start off:
I'm taking a risk, but got my seedlings planted out yesterday. Officially, last frost date is May 16, but the rate of warming at 45° N has been so accelerated that we've got about 6 more frost-free weeks than in 2000.
My indoor seed starting wasn't as successful as usual for hot peppers, so I'll probably be buying plants. The tomatoes did fine, so much so that they were overgrowing their pots and the grow tent.
Unfortunately, goutweed invaded a couple of beds and I'm just going to have to tarp them until next year. That miserable weed will grow upwards through a foot-deep bed and there's no way to dig it out. Future beds (hoping to build another two or three this year) will be started on landscape fabric, lesson learned.
Spouse finished digging out the last of an invasive autumn olive hedge at the neighbor's fence line. We're deciding on Amelanchier (serviceberry) or aronia for replacement. Each has edible berries, it's just a choice between prettier flowers or bright fall foliage. There's a local native nursery with good prices on both.
We're also looking at replacing a badly placed non-native mulberry with a flowering crabapple. There are varieties that have both attractive flowers and good-tasting or cider-friendly fruit.
Please share your garden plans, including how you're factoring in climate variations.
I'm doing everything in pots on a balcony, but the weather's been warm enough that I've even got my baby chili peppers out already (and I live in Berlin, so not exactly a tropical climate). I had trouble germinating them myself so I bought some young plants from a local seller, and those seem to be surviving alright. Hopefully I get some peppers this summer!
I also bought a dwarf lilac bush and it's growing really quickly. It didn't flower this early spring but it was tiny then, so I'm hoping for the second bloom (it's a reblooming variety). Worst case, though, I don't mind waiting for it to bloom next year.
Currently dealing with a fungus gnat infestation, though. Not sure where they started but they were thriving in a bag of potting soil I foolishly left on the balcony. Threw that out, but they're already in the plant pots by now. I've got those little yellow sticky tags on my plants and they're catch a bunch of the adults, and I'm adding mosquito dunks and neem oil to alternate waterings, so hoping to squash this quickly.
ETA: also my basil from last year unfortunately died over the winter, so I'm germinating a new one. Got some cute little babies already!
Zone 3b here, despite the recent warmth, still holding off until the end of May to put anything in the ground.
Despite that, the raspberry canes that my neighbour has so graciously donated under the fence have started to proliferate - this is year 3 so hoping we get some fruit finally! A patch of chives decided to grow back in one of the raised beds, it's already about a foot tall and has made its way into a few meals. Hoping to get some flowers out of it this year and create some chive blossom vinegar to use in pickles.
Grow tent is in full swing with the pride and joy of our garden - Paisanos! Last year we had some 300 lbs of tomatoes from them, a lot more than expected considering we lost a lot to some pretty significant hail damage.
Last year we struggled to get hot peppers going in the grow tent and ultimately wound up buying them from a local nursery so this year we just didn't even bother trying and will pick some up once available. Last year's mix was habaneros, jalapenos, and banana peppers - thinking I'll just focus on habaneros and jalapenos this year to further refine my hot sauce fermenting techniques.
And assuming we don't have our front porch torn apart by renovations this year, we'll be growing long beans along it - also my other pride and joy. At the peak of summer, we can usually harvest about 1-2lbs beans per day.
I also keep meaning to setup some automation for watering, but I don't even know where to start really, the commercial solutions I've looked at are just prohibitively expensive and the DIY never seems like it'll actually work with my use case and I just don't have the time to design something completely from scratch :/
We are in full swing of garden season.
In our vegetable garden we were very happy to see the asparagus come into its second year strong with amazing growth, although we are now combating an asparagus beetle invasion. May is our busiest month with plants but we are mostly on track. A mushroom bed was already added and this weekend we will likely be building out a new squash bed outside the fenced garden since once the plants mature they are relatively deer proof.
The berry patch is also doing well, all the grapes are coming back nicely and now demanding I finish building the arbor for them. The strawberries have overgrown their two beds and are already growing fruit, so I will need to add the bird net this week. And all of our blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and others are looking good.
Big issue so far this year in the edible gardens is pest control. Now that things are establishing we are spending a lot of time in prevention and mitigation. Last year towards end of summer we had a rabbit break in, hopefully our additional layer of fencing prevents a repeat this year. We also had issues with cabbage worms and this year covered the broccoli and cauliflower immediately upon planting. Slugs are a current annoyance and we are going to try to deal with them via copper tape and beer.
We had a deer break into two of our fenced off fruit trees with an apple taking the most damage. New, larger, and sturdier fencing is in progress and we are using deer spray as a stop gap measure. This year we added 3 baby hazelnut trees to the border of our mini orchard and the woods.
On the landscaping side I am very happy that all 10 of my new hydrangeas survived and are growing nicely as well as the 3 redbuds, white oak, tulip tree, and arrowwood viburnum that were added last year. This year we have planted bare root serviceberries, pussy willow, bur oak, swamp white oak, shellbark hickory, gray dogwood, and redosier dogwood. We also started working on our native meadow project and native swamp meadow with some new grasses and flowers including nodding onion, tufted hairgrass, joe pye weed, foxglove, and others.
For your debate on serviceberry vs aronia I am firmly in the serviceberry camp. We have a couple varieties and are planning a mix between multi-stem plants near our meadow and single trunk for lining our drive. They look great for both spring and fall.
Thank you for the advice on the serviceberry! After a little more research, we've decided to keep the taller serviceberry shrubs in the vast swath of part-shade around the edges of the property to replace invasive honeysuckle, and use aronia as a lower, more disciplined hedge in full sun.
We're looking at redbud and tulip trees as well. Redbuds are gorgeous but expensive. I'm trying to start them from seed. Tulip trees are a little north of their range where I am, which argues for climate resilience. Conifers, elm, beech, and maples are guaranteed successful, but plenty exist already and need diversification, particularly with current disease pressure on beeches. We're at the top of a hill on sandy loam, so willows and other lowland/wetland trees and shrubs won't thrive. I'm still researching chestnuts, but hickory is a good if slow-growing choice.
Depending on the type, hydrangeas can take over your yard!
Edit: I've had good success bordering beds with nasturtium, marigold, and basil as both moth and small critter repellents. Bonus - all three are pretty and edible. Colorado potato beetles are another matter - near daily insecticidal soap kept my tomatillos going last year, but these beetles are still a nuisance.
Fallen behind this year due to other household projects escalating in priority, but I guess that was a blessing in disguise as we had some late cold snaps a few weeks ago.
My bioluminescent Firefly Petunias came in (discussion that resulted in me buying). They're really freaking cool, if still a little sad from shipping.
Mine arrive tomorrow! Bought two. Super pumped. How are they?
Shortly after writing that post, they're starting to flower again. So they're doing great!
I have them in a window box for now so I can move them into a dark spot to show them off.
My 'gardening' this year is mostly getting a handle on my new home. A lot of observation over the upcoming year, planning future landscaping, managing so.many.invasives, a box elder that needs to come down before it becomes a problem...
In terms of actual gardening, I have a lot of tomatos I sprouted and not sure what to do with, give away or plant in nearby family's garden maybe. Otherwise, sticking to easy herbs and a few veg in pots.
I'm in the southern hemisphere, but I'm going to butt in anyway. Try and stop me.
Vegetable garden: I just planted my garlic bulbs for this year. I have traditionally grown a few different varieties, but this years I decided to go all in with Spanish Roja. It has a strong delicious flavor that holds up well to cooking, it has a 12+ month shelf life after harvest, it produces garlic scapes (my favorite!), and it has been through the ringer the last few years (from floods to droughts) and has stood up better against the elements than the others I've grown. Growing just one variety will make harvest and storage easier as well.
I am gearing up to move my vegetable garden to a different location. At its present location, there is an English oak growing to the east. It was very small when I started the vegetable garden, but it has grown by leaps and bounds (it's going to be majestic) and now it's casting too much shade. However, I think I have too much on my plate to do it before the next growing season begins. It will probably have to be the year after.
Ornamental garden: I have been gradually expanding these beds over the last couple years, and I just recently put in a bunch of spring bulbs, perennials, and shrubs. In this climate, I like to plant primarily in the autumn rather than the spring because we have mild winters here (equivalent to USDA hardiness zone 9a) and a Mediterranean climate (heavy rain in the winter and very little rain in the summer), so it gives them the maximum amount of time to settle in before the parching season begins. When I plant in the spring, they struggle a lot more.
Over the last few years, my primary incentive has been to attract native pollinators year-round by finding plants they like that have different bloom periods (such that there is always something they like in bloom). I have more or less achieved that goal, so now I'm moving on to birds.
I have a couple of low-but-steep slopes where I'd like to build terraced retaining walls. I think I might do that soon. It wouldn't be too much work because I don't plan to do it "correctly"; I am constantly changing my garden around (yes, I am one of those awful people who are always digging up plants, pathways, etc., to rearrange them), so a less permanent installation will suit me fine.
Orchard: It is about time to prune the apricot tree (it's susceptible to fungal infection, and our winters are very wet; otherwise, I would prune it in late winter when I prune the other fruit trees). Fruit tree pruning is turning into one of my passions, and I've been thinking about developing a visual guide that compares how to prune different types of fruit trees. The way to a Japanese plum for production is different from how you prune a European plum for production in a few specific ways, for example, but it's difficult to find that information in a single, consistently-presented source.
I think I will try to get my hands on a pomegranate tree this winter (for bare root planting). I have heard really good thinks about a variety called 'Parfianka'.
I would also like to try growing pecans, although I'm not sure if they will produce well here; even though our winter is mild, we have a preponderance of late frosts and a short summer. But at least they would make for pretty trees even if they don't produce consistently.
This is my first year owning a house and I haven't had a soil test yet so I'm not planning on doing any vegetable gardening yet, although I really want to get some potted tomatoes going at least cause I feel like they're easier for a beginner.
What I have started is getting rid of the lesser celandine infestation that I'm assuming someone planted as clover but it's invasive so I had to get rid of it. I planted some greenery (rhododendron, ferns, and transplanted some hostas to better locations that were in abundance around the property) and mulched to define the garden bed which was cool. I probably should have done it a little differently, but hey I'll live and learn. I really want to get more ferns and a forsythia so it comes in nice and yellow next year.
There's an older dogwood tree (~75 years old) that I got to see bloom for the first time this year and I could have cried it was so beautiful. It's really cool seeing the garden come alive and trees leaves come back in waves from the previous owner.
I need to take down a cherry tree that was crushed by a falling branch from my neighbors tree before I moved in, which is unfortunate. But a maple sapling seems to have taken root nearby and I kind of want to see how long it can last. And lastly my favorite thing so far is this little Hardy fig tree I got that's leafing and it's so cool taking care of something. I've never had an appreciation for this stuff before and it's teaching me so much patience.
Soil testing is another reason why Im not planting veggies inground this year. I'm in a neighbourhood with historical activity not too far away that might have left some unsavoury legacy pollution in the soil. I'd like to find out if I should be building raised planters instead.
Edit, I was going to add, depending on where you are in the world and how close it is to buildings, you might want to check what type of maple it is before deciding to keep.
Box elder (aka manitoba maple) are trash trees if close to buildings. they grow fast but fall apart when older.
Norway maple in a north american context is super common in cities but spreads easily and outcompetes native trees including sugar maple. I have a real vendetta against them.
If you arent in North America.. sorry for northamerisplaining!
No I'm very much in north America. Thank you for the advice. I'm pretty sure it's a sugar maple, but probably not a good idea to have one anyway. Kind of wild to see a tiny little tree growing in my backyard though!
I have most of my stuff transplanted outside. Lettuce and peppers remain in the basement for now under grow lights, awaiting space in the garden beds (I planted a lot of onions and garlic over the winter and thought they'd be harvestable by now).
A lot of the tomato seedlings didn't make it after transplanting. I don't know why.
I bought a trifoliate orange treeling on a whim after reading that it could survive snow. Let's find out!
Our mantis experiment probably didn't work out. All three egg cases disappeared from where I put them, presumably stolen by confused squirrels, and I haven't seen anything I recognize as mantises. We do have a new swarm of some small insect I don't recognize but don't think is a mantis. They're tiny winged green things that I have not managed to photograph. I'm hopeful for lacewings (also a bug-predator) but don't know how we could've gotten a sudden lacewing swarm. I ordered a couple more mantis egg cases from a different seller, so they'll either work together or they'll be bonus mantis prey.
Is it possible they weren't hardened off? I have found that young tomatoes are particularly prone to shock if they are hit with weather they are not acclimated to.
Another possibility is that they were killed by pests, such as cutworms. (If this is the case, it should be pretty obvious: it will look kind of like someone came along and snipped them with scissors.)
... yes. Good to know, thanks. It's worked often enough that I never bothered looking up what I was doing wrong.
Prepping for a flower garden. I have the borders marked out and need to turn the soil. I'm going to be planting stuff to attract pollinators and native plants. I also bought a few shrubs for foundation plantings.
New place, new learning curve. I brought all of my of my perennials from my last garden. Clematis, irises and my bleeding heart all have growth. The mini roses have green wood, so fingers crossed. I think it's too soon up here to see peony growth, we will see.
The last owner had daylilies, they are in desparate need of division. There are also random raspberry canes shooting up all willy nilly. Gotta figure out what to do with those. I plan to try to completely cull some nasty shrub roses. They were unsightly in fall and have some wicked thorns and prickers. Still waiting to see what else emerges. Should be a fun season.
Total amateur here in RI. 1 8'x4' raised bed. Planted WAY too much last year and most everything struggled due to comical levels of overcrowding.
This year I'm trying out growing chick peas in a small patch. I heard they can be dried like you get in the store or eaten green in the pod.
I got my garden done late last year and got two really great roughly 3ftx8ft beds put in so I've got a ton of space to plant veggies this year. Gone for pretty standard stuff, carrots, broccoli, potatoes, onions, leeks. I've also got some tomatoes which have done well inside so I'll be moving those out in the next week or so.
I'm also gonna try plant some pumpkins, never done it before so we'll see how we get on.
Strawberries, rhubarb and raspberries are doing great as always, they're really thriving and my herb table is coming to life again.
I did have a plastic tarp greenhouse but I lost it in the horrible storms we got here in Scotland a couple months back so I'm saving up for a proper one but that won't be until later this year in the autumn probably.