Yesterday I started Bright Lights Swiss Chard, India Mustard Greens, Summer Crisp Looseleaf Lettuce, Seven Top Turnips, and Red Bowl Looseleaf Lettuce. I have a square foot garden and use a mini-hoop greenhouse over it (to cover when it freezes). Today the high is going to be 77 degrees -- so it's been quite warm so far this winter. We've only had one week this year where the temps got down to freezing at night for about 3 nights in a row. There is supposed to be a cold night next week -- I'll just cover the garden up for that night. I'm also planning on what I'll be growing this coming spring!! I need to get my mind made up so I'll know if I need to order any seeds for varieties that I don't have seed for. Judy Here is a link that might be useful: Ft2Garden.com

seysonn is right, this has been a very very warm spring in ATL which has microclimates between zone 7 & 8 everywhere! I have spring crops in but I planted them very early, and they are doing well. Finishing up the last of fall/winter planted lettuces and chicories, carrying over carrots and some other cole crop veggies but many are bolting already. I've got potatoes in, I just plant a small, whole organic potato and let it go. The peas never much germinated but the favas are looking good, radishes grew so fast in warm temps they are about 1/2" around and ready to harvest. Barbie radishes!

Peter- Wow. Sounds like you're getting into my head. Had some questions a while back about whether people only tended/tilled their rows, or tended/tilled their entire garden. I was thinking that it could be more cost/labor effective if you only tended rows year after year and let the aisles kind of be... with some sort of cover crop. Sounds like it can be done. I'm very interested in that. Is the white clover you mention, "dutch white clover"? When it creeps, will I be able to bring it under control when I till as normal for my fall/winter garden, and my spring/summer garden, or will I need to do additional spading/ edging of some sort then, and throughout the growing season? Can I plant it now, along with my winter garden? The book sounds interesting. I'm going to pick up a copy. Thanks for the clarification on the fact that, yes, I can grow hairy vetch and cereal rye now and still have organic matter to till in, in the early spring. Great news for me. I'm being thick headed here, but I'm still not understanding how the cereal rye affects seeds/seedlings. You say "cereal rye will suppress small seeded vegetables, but will not kill healthy transplants". Do you mean that ANY healthy transplant will not be harmed, and that only small seeds sown in place may have issues? Or do you mean by "small seeded vegetables", even transplants that are grown from small seeds can be affected? No till eh? I might be interested and your experiment suggestion is certainly something I'd be interested in trying. Do you think that even with the poor soil conditions that I have currently, it would be worth experimenting with that right now? Or, as I'm thinking maybe better to bring up my organic matter by tilling in pine bark fines, bring up my potassium levels with sulfate of potash (currently very low), add alfalfa meal to supply nitrogen needs, plant the garden, mulch with either shredded leaves or straw or hay.... Then next season try the no till part of the equation? Frankly, I'm just a little unsure about how the whole no till thing is going to work for me. Don't know a whole lot about it, but kind of thinking it might be better to do "next phase" because my soil is so poor. Please feel free to argue this to me, offer suggestions for no till on poor soil conditions viability. Do you (or anyone reading this) have a good source for cover crop seed? I was going to purchase from Johnny's selected seeds, but they are out of some of the varieties I was interested in.

I planted a couple of rows of peas yesterday and had every intention of planting another 4 rows today. Unfortunately, it's raining. This is the earliest I have ever planted them, but I know they will be fine. I had a horticulturist tell me many years ago that peas could be planted in Edmonton by mid April in any year and last year, in my MG course, we discussed this, too. Our instructor said much the same thing. You shouldn't have any problems with them, Michele. Normally, my sweet peas are the first seeds that I plant. I haven't got all of mine in yet, but I did seed a basket full of a compact variety. Shauna