ashburn-VA
I started tomatoes/bush beans/asian gourds/peppers indoors. Tomatoes and bush beans just started to sprout,
Planning on some direct sow - okra,amaranthus,cucumber

Well I don't know where to start. How about I have 2 gardens one in Bowie MD zone 6b-7a 550 sq.ft. (My Moms House). My other is in Stevensville MD zone 7a 370 sq.ft. All beds are raised. Spring started on January 13th for me planted Arugula, Leaf and Romaine Lettuce, Broccoli, and Spinach indoors. Moved them under hoop house over raised beds 19th Feb (had to shovel the snow from the beds that were covered with black plastic). 2nd planting was started on the 3rd of Feb same plants as the 1st but added more lettuce varieties, cilantro, parsley and swiss chard. All those went into the garden March 7th. 3rd planting was started Mar. 1st and set out yesterday. Peas where planted the 1st of Mar. they are about 4 inches tall, have about a 40 ft row. I have Pepper (10 different varieties), Tomatoes (11 different varieties) and Tomatillio (3 different kinds) under lights they were planted on the 15th Mar with a set out date of late April. Also under lights I have Basil, more cilantro and parsley, lettuce, pac choi cucumbers and cantaloupe. I actually have 144 plants under lights right now with various set out dates. Carrots and Beets were planted on the 23 of Mar. Onions are in. Seed potatoes have arrived, I have them pre-sprouting. Still to plant are my Bush, Pole and Lima Beans, Corn, Squash winter and summer, and watermelon. This year I also added 15 raspberry bushes and 25 more Asparagus plants from Nourse, they were planted on the 6th of March. Also started a small home orchard with 3 dwarf peach and 3 semi-dwarf apple trees all planted on the 16th of Mar. It has been a busy spring. Happy gardening to all. Have great season.

I live in the Piedmont Triad region, in Jamestown (Southwest Greensboro / North High Point). I grow everything in containers ~ Tomatoes, Peppers, Radishes, Carrots, numerous Herbs. This year I will also add (hopefully) Spacemaster cucumbers, Malabar spinach, Nasturtriums, and Winter density lettuce, all in containers too. But I need to get to work asap, especially with this super warm weather! Happy gardening, zone 7'ers!

I have overwintered brussels sprouts plants flowering. An overwintered broccoli plant is near ready for harvesting as is a cauliflower. (These must not have been mature enough to initiate flowering from winter.) The radishes are growing and will be harvested shortly. Some potatoes are in. The onions and garlic are growing good. I have a few cilantro plants in the process of bolting. Carrots, beets, and lettuce are coming up. Everything is growing rapidly with low 80s for high temperatures. I have lots of vegetables and flowers hardening off.

I'm in the mountains of Western NC.
I started 2 varieties of Jalapenos indoors.
I have two 10x4 raised containers. I've started peas(Sugar Snap, Oregon snow, and Lincoln. All are sprouting now. I have 3 varieties of spinach sprouting, as well as 2 varieties of radish and 3 romaines. Mesclun mix is above ground and I've set out Georgia Sweet onions. I have one row of Yukon Golds(not in the containers and two 30 ft rows of strawberries on the property. Five blueberries should arrive any day to supplement the native bushes which most years aren't very productive. Late this month after last frost, I'll put out two varieties of sweet peppers, three varieties of tomato, two bush beans along with Kentucky Wonder pole beans. The jalapenos will be put out also. Straight neck summer squash and cucumbers will be planted somewhere outside of the raised beds.

Other than a few tomatoes and peppers in the past, I'm a rank beginner and trying a wide variety to see what will grow best. My four year old is learning along with me and is about as enthusiastic as I am!

Waving my hands from Long Island. Sugar snaps are in the ground, and my main focus this year is tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. I've been gardeing since 1983 so that is quite a while, :)

Alberta

Meridian, MS

I started tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant from seed the last week of February.

Set the tomatoes in the ground yesterday (Good Friday) along with snap beans and cuc/squash seeds. Night low temps are all forecast well above fifty for the foreseeable future.

Will plant the heatlovers in a couple of weeks: eggplant, peppers, cowpeas, etc.

I am going to sow second crop tomato seeds today, which will go in the ground in about a month.

I am a brand new gardener in Buford, GA.

Tried gardening last year, but it was mostly a "learn-from-mistakes" experience. This year I have 5 3ft X 6ft and one 3ft X 10ft raised beds. I planted 30 Sparkle Supreme strawberries in the large bed, just received 6 Cherokee Purple tomato plants ordered from one of the catalogs, have the following seedlings that I started from seeds: 3 Celebrity Hybrid tomatoes (planned on 4, but can't get the last one to germinate for the life of me), 2 Black Beauty eggplants, 8 Yellow Crook Neck squash, 8 Sweet Slice Hybrid cucumbers, 1 Jalapeno, 1 Sweet Bell pepper, 4 Clemson Spineless okra (will start 4 more this weekend, same story as with the tomato), 2 Crimson Sweet watermelons, 2 thyme seedlings, 2 basil, 1 rosemary, 4 Impatiens. Eggplants and peppers will go in the pots. I can't wait to get my plants in the ground!!! Happy gardening everyone!

7B Ball Ground,GA

Tomatoes and Peppers still in sprout stage (3" high) started indoors.

Going to direct sow, Pole Beans,Asparagus beans, Pumpkins,Butternut squash, Acorn Squash, Dipper/Bushel/Snake/Birdhouse/Canteen,Caveman Club gourds, Zukes, Yellow Wax beans, and watermelons.

Burke VA,
First began gardening in the early 80's in an 20 X 20 plot in Southern VA. I had 2 rows of asparagus and loved having enough room to plant what ever I wanted. My present garden is 12 X 10. Planted 1 row of asparagus, and then did another row in one of the flower beds. The one in the garden still produces, it is almost 10 yrs old. I rarely plant tomatoes until Mother's day to avoid frost. I do 3 brandywine Suddarth's and 3 Burpee Mama Mia Roma's. Trellis on one side for Cukes; marjaram, oregano and parlsey are on opposite side., next to a small but established Rosemary plant. Basil is in containers on fromt steps, thyme isin windowbox. In leftover space, I plant 3 jalapenos, and 3 green peppers. I ususally plant bush beans in the remaining space. This year the trellis will hold cukes and zucchini.

I live in Waterford, Va (not far from Leesburg/NOVA). We have raised beds so I get to plant things a bit earlier. What I have in the ground right now: peas, swiss chard, kohlrabi, rapini/broccoli raab, bunching onions, radishes, scorzonera, hon tsai tai, bok choy, Brussels sprouts (transplanted), lettuce, potatoes (chitted indoors for a month), celeriac (will be transplanting tomorrow). Everything but the peas were planted within the past 2 weeks and some have begun to sprout within the past few days. Garlic and yellow potato onions were planted in the late fall and have come up.

What I have started indoors: tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, leeks, ground cherries (for my dog... she loves them), squash (started yesterday, we have a terrible squash bug problem here), lavender, marshmallow, dill, chamomile, winter savory, soapwort, and catnip (for our barn cat).

All of that and I'm still itchin' to get dirty! I can't wait to start the beans, melons, and cucs.

I would say I'm a semi-beginner gardener... I worked at a really big, nice garden center for several years in my late teens/early 20's (now 25) where I learned a ton from the staff and have been gardening off and on whenever I have dirt and although it's a bit of an obsession I'm hardly as experienced as I hope to be.

It's going to be a great year!

Winchester-VA

Everything will be planted in raised beds.

In the ground now:

Lettuce, mache', spinach, swiss chard, onions, kohlrabi, snap peas, pole beans, asparagus.

Will direct seed: zucchini, yellow squash, pattypan squash, cukes.

Seedlings growing indoors: Tomatoes -- all heirlooms, 12 different kinds.

Will purchase pepper plants.

Happy Gardening!
Mary

A big hello from central Oklahoma!

We had a wild winter, at first it didn't want to leave, then when it did BOY! it got hotter than expected faster than expected. I am brand new this year to gardening, started indoors brussel sprouts, okra, peppers (3 kinds) head lettuce, swiss chard, peas (the last three are hardening off now) radish, carrots, spinach, musclen greens are in the raised beds, going to put out marigolds today. I build a cold frame to make hardening off easier and I am finishing up that today as well.

I have no clue what I am doing..LOL....but I love growing stuff I am bitten by the bug...

Happy Gardening everyone!!!

Northern Alabama, here. I just moved 2 weeks ago into this house and I am mostly settled and ready to put in a garden. This area is swarming with critters, though (that'll be another post!)

This is an experimental year at the new place, so I am just going to put out 2 kinds of bell peppers, tomatoes: one kind of cherry, one paste and slicing, zucchini, Santa Claus melon, fennel, basil, a slicing cuke, and I think another couple of odds and ends.

Serious garden building will happen in the fall when I can put in shrubs and trees, and I'll be doing hardscaping through the summer.

Hi from Long Island. I am a real beginner, although this is my third real attempt at vegetable gardening, but the first two didn't work out well at all, mostly because I was overwhelmed with the rain, and was out of town for a good part of the summer so I lost most of my tomato and cucumber harvest. I have been pretty lucky with herbs, though.

This year I am working on two plots. There is a small plot around the patio that currently has daffodils growing. I planted a few snap peas and have a wigwam set up for some Garden Beans. I have some parsley and mint seeds planted in newspaper seed cups right now which will also go in this plot along with basil, sage, and rosemary which I will probably buy in a few weeks. I also transplanted some chives that were part of the larger community garden.

Unfortunately and fortunately all of the past community gardeners have moved away so I am trying to round up some more interest with newcomers and I inherited the rows of a former neighbor who did a great job keeping down weeds and mulching/composting last fall so I hope to have a less overwhelming season than in the past. In those rows I will do cucumbers, tomatoes, more beans and snap peas, and I will do some pumpkins and watermelons in my older section of the garden which is set further back than the main garden. I'm also going to try Broccoli Raab, in both plots.

Last year my big problem was that I tried to start everything from seed, and when I was trying to weed around my seedlings I would get very confused (especially with carrots which I decided to skip this year). Couple that with all the rain we had last year and I was way too overwhelmed and gave up pretty early on. This year I am doing all of my seeds in newspaper seed cups. I planted the cups right into the ground with the top of the newspaper sticking out so that I know exactly were my seedlings are. We will see how it works out.

Northwest Tennessee, I tried in March to plant directly in soil, nothing happened, so I started in pots 2 weeks ago with lots of new sprouts.

Broccoli, green peppers, banana peppers, pequin peppers (spelled that wrong for sure), cauliflower, brussel sprouts, lettuce leaf and head, red and green cabbage, Money maker tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, onions, carrots, herbs of all kinds, a few potatoes, but the chives I directly sowed are the only thing in the garden growing fine and they are about 5 inches tall.

Winder, GA
I have 204 sqft of raised beds and just built 2 more 6x4 beds yesterday. We've got tomatoes and peppers in and are waiting for the cabbage and broccoli to be done. The radishes are almost ready to come out and we're harvesting lettuce at the moment. About half of the onions sent up seed stalks, so those went in the front yard for the neighbors to pick up on their way home.

Hi scarletdaises,

The soil isn't really warm enough yet for summer crops to germinate. The broccoli and cauliflower and lettuce should have been very happy, though. Perhaps the birds or the squirrels got your seed?

You can force anything if you start them in pots, planting them out with wax paper hot caps or under a plastic tunnel. The weather is in the 80s farhenheit during the days and 50s and 60s at night. I also started them when their was a sudden drop in temperature in March, thought I could get by, but too soon. It's now April, so far so good.

Now I have spanish onions, a few bunching onions, and about 6 garlic sprouting, anything green and leafy the seeds probably were food for the worms. When the ones in the pots get big enough, the onions will be just about big enough to scare away the bugs for leafy greens. I've got one unidentifiable plant that did grow, but I think it's a fennel plant.

You're right, a mini hoop-house will start seeds early, especially in a raised bed. It just doesn't seem to gain much time before maturation, IME; the roots just don't get going well. I feel the same way about transplants. Now if I lived in zone 3 or 4, I'd fight for an extra few days of growing season, but it doesn't seem worth it here. Perhaps I'm just a lazy gardener. :)

We're going to be in the mid 30's at night later this week, which seems to be as close to our traditional Easter freeze as we are going to get this year. After that we are probably clear for the summer crops.

The previous owners planted leeks in the flower bed and they are ready for harvest now -- I pulled one up this weekend to ID it and it really was a leek as I suspected. Unfortunately, I'm allergic, so I guess I will just enjoy the flowers.

This weather here is soooo strange. It could frost tomorrow, but the next day be in the 70s. I've never seen anything like it.

Never thought to grow a leek because I've never seen or ate one accept in books lately. What about a parsnip? I read too many European garden books! That's what's got me growing Rhubarb, but I haven't put the seed out yet.

I see NW TN is like north AL! Yes, spring and fall can be a bit of a rollercoaster. But here, we'll have 2 or 3 weeks of spring and then we're into the blazing hot & humid weather of summer.

It's too hot here for rhubarb and parsnips, but I'm far enough away that it might not apply to you. I have only been in this area for a few years, so there is still so much to learn. I have learned a lot watching what the old gardeners do around here and what they plant (even if it's just driving by!) The farmer's co-op is also a good resource. I have a few non-traditional crops that I have discovered that did exceptionally well here in the heat were resistant to our local bugs -- like black turtle beans and tomatillos -- and I am on the lookout for more.

Foothills of the Blue Ridge in Northern Virginia

Big family, large garden. My microclimate is a little bit warmer, I think, than the surrounding area in general. Anyway, I push the limit as to how early I start stuff! I hope to have coldframes/greenhouse/hoophouse or something someday. I have 3 cinderblock raised beds 4 x 20 feet, four 4 foot square 6 inch deep beds and starting this year a 25 x 36 foot newly plowed area. Last year I was able to use my neighbors very large fenced garden but this year they are back and I need to make my own new space.

My peas have been up for several weeks and I also have broccoli, cabbage and lots of cauliflower that I started from seed all looking pretty good. Also collards and brussels sprouts (first time I've tried the sprouts).

Overwintered: lots of kale (even under all that snow), some lettuce, spinach and a few carrots. And one weird cabbage plant that is now going to seed. Arugula is a weed in my garden, I can't pull it out fast enough. Anyone else have that problem?

Root crops planted about a week ago: carrots, beets, radishes, turnips. Have about a dozen different kinds of tomatoes started in the house, half a dozen kinds of peppers. Some parsley and mustard transplanted outside last week too.

One thing I totally dropped the ball on is annual flowers. I was supposed to start alot of them in flats in Jan/Feb but didn't. Not sure if I'll get around to trying them this year or not.

All the summer crops are going in the new space: tomatoes, beans, cowpeas, corn, sunflowers. Have never grown sweet corn very successfully but hope to this year. We've tilled up the plot with a tractor but are looking for a rototiller to finish the job and they appear to all be rented out--the early super warm weather has gotten everyone gardening.

East edge of Rhode Island, believe it or not, is also north edge of Zone 7. No crape myrtles (at least not the Real Ones, the big ones) but we have a gentler winter than inland; minimum temperature not below zero.

The peas were planted on St. Patrick's Day, the garlic is looking good and heading for a July harvest, and the real veg. garden is waiting for the rototill/manure/fence guy to work his way down his list to us. I'm rarin' to go, but at present I'm looking at tall sticks planted out in the backyard grass to define what will be a potager, a fenced veg. garden with climbing roses on the tall posts of the northern side.

So hello! to all the other 7's out there, all south of us.

Carol

Here we are in Baltimore City, after six feet of snow this winter. If past snowy years are any indication, the garden should be fantastic this year.

We are eating overwintered kohlrabi (threatening to go to seed, so we are eating FAST!), overwintered leeks and parsnips, and lots of fresh chives. There are so many that I put huge handfuls in every sort of salad. No complaints so far, and I'm sure their freshness means loads of good vitamins.

Snap peas are 4" tall, wintersown kohlrabi, chard and lettuce are ready to go out to their beds, and LOTS of lettuce and chard volunteers look like they will be giving us food in just a couple of weeks. First time I've had lettuce volunteers. Go figure.

The indoor starts have spent lots of time on the porch, to begin their hardening off. Maybe some tomatoes will go in the ground this weekend. Meanwhile it is 90 degrees the last two days, so the tulips and dafs are frying. Too bad. They are SO beautiful.

In general, it seems like spring is rushing this year. The succession of blooming bulbs seems to be in fast forward and some of my clematis even have flower buds on them. Anyone else noticing this?

Hepatica

Hepatica, I noticed my clematis starting to wake up as well. I am always tempted to pull it out because of how ugly it is after winter, and then it seems to wake up overnight into something beautiful. We are having crazy weather here on Long Island, too. A week ago it was low 50s, and the week before that near freezing, but today it was in the mid to upper 80s (which we usually never see until the end of May, and isn't a constant until mid June) and all my poor daffodils were sulking in the sun. It is supposed to be back down into the high 50s by the end of the week, so I hope that my lettuce, peas, and broccoli raab make it.

Actually, Carol, many claim that we are z7 here on the Islands. We have magnolias here, and short-leaf southern pine, so I think they are correct.

Of course, grouping spring progress by average winter lows doesn't work that well. We are way behind you mid-atlantic and appalachian z7's. Nothing has sprouted outside the cold-frames except the early peas which started showing a few days ago, and self-sown mustard and kale. The unusually warm weather made me sow some peas around march 20th but it was too early even so, lost some to rot. April fool's day is the time to start sowing peas here, at least until climate change works some more influence.

The weird part about the rhubarb is that in small letters on the bottom is says it's Swiss Chard. Does swiss chard overwinter? Rhubarb can't be eaten its first year, so I wonder what is really what?

I would imagine you have it much more hotter than I do in Alabama. Tennessee is as south as I want to go. I'm a transplant from Michigan like most Tennesseans are. It's weird to have warm weather climate that you can't utilize for gardening, it's just wasted and makes you jump in too quick gardening. Fools gold must be like a Southern winter, it let's you think it's over, then the frost hits you the next day.

Rhubarb and swiss chard are totally different plants. You may have swiss chard with red stems?

I believe you can overwinter swiss chard with some protection, but since it's a biennial I would think you'd have to keep it pinched back or it might bolt rapidily in the spring.

You can absolutely garden year round here (and in TN - I know folks that do it) with no cold frames, hoop houses or other equipment. You just aren't going to be able to grow hot weather crops like tomatoes until it's truly hot. If you don't want to garden year round but want to get a jump on the spring garden season, plant peas, lettuce, brassicas, swiss chard, salsify and other cool weather crops in the very early spring. Here, that means mid-February.

Chard often overwinters in z7. Chard and rhubarb are related, as vegetables go, which is why they both have plenty of oxalic acid.

Yeah, I wrote they company who sold me the seed to find out. It says in big letters up on top Rhubarb, but below it in parentheses it says Swiss Chard. His page says the greens can be eaten, but Rhubarb's greens can't.

I think I bought the wrong Rhubarb and might try again to get the traditional one. I've already planted Swiss Chard, but can replant if they don't grow.

I've got sprouts directly in the garden and mostly in pots, so this week things started growing better. We should be able to grow other things being some stuff stays green outside all year. Our ground only froze for one week this year. Most years they don't freeze at all.

Tennessee Valley, just outside Chattanooga.

I bought my house in the summer last year, and spent a lot of time chasing the sun with my container plants in the backyard as it would peek through the trees. This year, I've moved pretty much everything to the front yard. Sorry neighbors.

I have a 4ft by 10ft bed in the front that previously contained non-descript bushes. At one point, it must've been 'mulched' with rocks, because I had a heck of a time diggging up the bushes, because I kept hitting rocks. There was also a black plastic weed barrier put down at some point, and underneath is clay. I've added in an inch of composted manure, and resigned myself to letting it lasagna this year, with some beans planted sporadically to help break up the clay. Lasagna layers are about 18 inches at this point. I've separated out maybe 1/5 of the rocks, but eventually just gave up on that because it was taking FOREVER.

Everything else is in containers, some self-watering buckets/totes, some just pots and buckets with holes in the bottom. Herbs in containers inside, but I think I'm going to try some outside this year. I do mostly veggies. Right now, besides the green beans in the clay, I've got soybeans, sugar snaps, radishes, lots of greens (chard, spinach, lettuces), blueberries, strawberries, and a bunch of tomatoes and peppers that haven't all been moved to buckets yet. Am planning on cukes, watermelon, zucchini, summer squash, pumpkin, and luffa (which I'm NOT putting in containers this year - going to test out a couple of places in the ground and see if they do okay that way.) and I've got wonderberries and huckleberries sprouted in cups, not moved to their real containers yet.

I'm going to lasagna a couple more beds in the front yard, I think, but they won't be ready to plant in until next year.

True rhubarb leaves have way too much oxalic acid for you to eat. That's why you only ever see stalks in stores. The grower doesn't want to get sued when you get sick (and maybe flop over dead if you eat too much--though I've heard you'd have to eat a bunch for that to happen). Interesting note: Those *&*>%** Japanese Beetles are the only insects I ever saw that can eat rhubarb leaves and live to tell about it. In the absence of grape leaves and other favorite things, they'll eat rhubarb leaves.

Another Long Islander here. I have a really bad habit of starting things waaaay too early, so I'm trying to slow down this year and not get ahead of myself (or the frost-free date). Plus, last year's garden had to be abandoned (medical problems--not mine) and I've got a ton of clean-up and prep that needs to be done before I can plant. In any event, I started peppers and eggplants a couple of weeks ago, green onions last week and I'm starting tomatoes today, all indoors in my plant room (okay, it's actually the boiler room) with lights and heat mats. I'm also hoping to get one raised bed prepped this weekend so I can start greens, radishes and broccoli raab--not sure it it's too late but it's worth a try. Once things warm up enough, I'll start squash, cukes and beans, mostly repeats but with a few new varieties thrown in, and I'll be trying corn for the first time. Not my fave, but Mr. Sparks made a request. I've got 4 4x4 raised beds, an L-shaped bed with 3 planting areas (including one for herbs) and I also plant quite a bit in SWCs--the Earthboxes especially always produce really well.

And a couple of years ago, I was FINALLY able to score some cattle panel. There are no Tractor Supply stores anywhere close by, but when we drove our daughter to college in Ohio, I made Mr. Sparks drive to one near the NJ/PA border so I could pick up some much-coveted panels. We made an interesting sight driving home with a roof full of the stuff. Couldn't get to it last season, but I'm primed and ready to build a bunch of trellises this year. Only another gardening geek could appreciate the thrill of the cattle panel.

Pix below are of the pepper/eggplant seedlings I've got going now--the first is from April 3, the second from today so they've done quite well.

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I'm also in Ashburn, VA.
I have outside in raised beds:
-radishes (the few that germinated are 2" tall)
-beets
-dill (not up yet)
-parsley
-6 bell peppers (just put them out last night, I have 6 still in the house in case the frost gets them)
-carrots, planted 7-10 days ago but not up yet
-golden squash planted, not up yet
-sugar snaps, about 6-8" tall (is that about right???)
-swiss chard
-lots of volunteer tomatoes, zinnia, portulaca

In pots I have:
-romaine
-napa cabbage
-scallions
-arugula
-rosemary
-lavender
-chives (already HUGE)
-thyme
-mint
-sage
-freesia bulbs (not up yet)
-cilantro (seeds just planted)
-parsley

Still in the house, I have:
-lavender
-painted daisy
-bell peppers
-jalapeno peppers
- brandywine, jellybean, sweet 100, and cherokee purple tomatoes
-marigolds
-impatiens
-bunny tails grass
-moonflower
-dill
and some other stuff I can't remember right now

courtcourt, there is a variety of swiss chard called 'rhubarb', because it has red stems. Real rubarb doesn't grow true from seed although you can buy seed from Artistic Gardens (link below). I bought rhubarb seed so I guess we'll see how it goes. The seed packets are only 35 cents so it's not like you'll be losing a lot if it doesn't work out. I threw the whole packet (very small packet) into a covered planting container (okay, a takeout container with a clear top) and so far 6 have sprouted as of yesterday. So if you don't mind paying for the shipping try it out... you could always justify it, as I did, by buying a bunch of other seed packets at the same time.

Here is a link that might be useful: Artistic Gardens ~ Rhubarb

Hi from Durham NC. I use raised beds and a few in-ground double-dug beds. I have:

chard,misticanza lettuce mix, romaine, chinese broccoli, misome, bok choi, tat soi, mizuna, radishes, snap peas, red, yellow and bunching onions, fennel for bulbing and for feeding swallowtail cats, lots of parsley and cilantro, many perennial herbs and edible flowers. Basil and shiso started indoors, ready to go in the beds soon.

Will put in tomato and pepper transplants, and direct seed pole and runner beans, cukes, zucchini and okra in a couple of weeks. Plus probably whatever interesting bedding veggies they have at the farmers' market. I am certain to plant more than I can handle, regardless.

North Texas 7b'er and getting a mite of a late start. Put out a few plants last week - pansies, basil, cherry tomatoes, oregano, and mint. Planted some yellow squash seeds in a little patch. Gotta stop walking through garden centers, picked up a bell pepper in a big plastic pot with cage over the pepper that clips on the pot. I never recall caging bell peppers when we had a big garden as a kid, but maybe one alone verses the 12-15 we'd put out back then needs it.

New to gardening here, working on clearing beds that have not been tended for years. Lots of bulbs that need thinned. According to one neighbor, I have tons of I guess you'd call them heirloom bulbs as they are many years old. Iris, daffodils, some sort of giant purple iris plant. Some of them I will wait until the cool fall but a few of the beds have to be sorted now. I think as they are not blooming they will survive if I water them in and keep care of them well, or hope so. :)

ashburn,va
have tomatoes,long squash ,yellow cucumbers and chillies in pots.. will move them out this week end.

I'm here in the 'burbs of Northern Virginia. This is my 8th or 9th year gardening solo (helped my parents and grandparents plenty when I was young-er), 5th of doing veggies.

In the garden I have peas (2 types), cabbage, asian greens (misome and tatsoi), chinese cabbage, yellow potato onions, shallots, lettuce, swiss chard, broccoli, cauliflower, kale (2 types), potatoes, garlic (2 types), bunching onions (red and white), bulbing onions (2 types), carrots, and 3 fig trees (sunk in pots in ground). There are also many self-seeded wonders including cilantro, dill, mache, and arugala... and tomatoes(? it's been warm at times but still). Oh, and the strawberry plants are blooming like ganbusters.

Inside under lights I have tomatoes (3 types) and various warm-season flowers like impatiens, zinnia, and marigold. I have plans for lots of beans, squash, melons, sweet potatos and cowpeas for the hot months, plus various herbs. Oh and I'll probably buy some hot pepper seedlings soon, my seeds failed to "thrive".

Cheers!

Im in Catonsville, Md, a zone 7 but dont know a or b or even what that means. This is actually my first post. Im doing all container gardening. Im a real newbie. Ive only grown annual flowers in the ground in the past but wanted to grow fruits and vegetables this year. I plan to grow a few things over the winter too. Honestly, I have no idea what Im doing. I keep doing research and find all kinds of conflicting info, bought all kinds of stuff I dont need, or isnt the best thing to use. So, I have drank the Al Koolaid and have been trying to do his soil mixes, find the right stuff and still try to use some of the stuff i already bought.

Anyway, I have snap peas, some sort of lettuce that says it more heat resistant, carrots, and a banana pepper. Will be planting a baby pumpkin and a water melon as well. A dwarf navel orange tree will be delivered the first week of May. I dont have much since I dont know what im doing and work evenings, have 1 and 3 year old boys.

Im in Catonsville, Md, a zone 7 but dont know a or b or even what that means. This is actually my first post. Im doing all container gardening. Im a real newbie. Ive only grown annual flowers in the ground in the past but wanted to grow fruits and vegetables this year. I plan to grow a few things over the winter too. Honestly, I have no idea what Im doing. I keep doing research and find all kinds of conflicting info, bought all kinds of stuff I dont need, or isnt the best thing to use. So, I have drank the Al Koolaid and have been trying to do his soil mixes, find the right stuff and still try to use some of the stuff i already bought.

Anyway, I have snap peas, some sort of lettuce that says it more heat resistant, carrots, and a banana pepper. Will be planting a baby pumpkin and a water melon as well. A dwarf navel orange tree will be delivered the first week of May. I dont have much since I dont know what im doing and work evenings, have 1 and 3 year old boys.

I'm in Rocky Face, GA zone 7 and don't have a clue about the a and b either :). I am a complete newbie but I have 3 types of tomatoes, peppers, carrots, and some herbs. Everything is still alive so I must be doing something right. Yeah me!

I live in Bowie, Maryland. I am growing tropical vegetables for the last 35 years. I grow all Indian vegetables in addition to some fruits like figs, cherries and pears. I have my seedlings in my sunroom. These are snake gourd, bitter squash, luffa etc. I also started some tomatoes, eggplants etc. You can email me if you are also in Maryland or Virginia or DC. indumodali@hotmail.com