New bed for seedlings, where's winter?

17 years ago

Happy new year to my garden! My friend Becky gave me another trunk load of lovely partially composted leaves and barn straw for my new seedling bed. I'm going the lasagna bed route, and I can hardly wait to plant into it in the spring. It's not a huge bed (approx. 8 feet per side, a square), but it should be sufficient for this year's seedlings. Next year, I'm not sure which piece of turf will be sacrificed.

Has anyone else taken advantage of the unseasonably warm weather in the East to start new projects off-season? Do you have new beds prepared already, or are you waiting for spring? I just can't believe I spent yesterday hauling compost and edging a new bed with flat river rocks, in the sunshine, wearing a fleece pullover and sneakers instead of a winter coat, gloves, and boots - on January 2 in Upstate NY!

Everything is still GREEN, for goodness' sake.

I've got daffodils and reticulated irises peeking up through the mulch, and green buds on my clematis, and pansies in bloom, and my self-sown nigella seedlings look like a fuzzy bright green shag rug. Amazing. This will feel like a short winter, even if the weather gets more winter-like over the next month. Some years winter starts here in October, but the past two years have been quite mild. My kids aren't happy about it, though - they want SNOW so they can go sledding. I had to point out that going to the playground on a sunny warm New Year's Eve, in a jacket and sneakers, was a rare treat.

Laurel

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Comments (5)

highjack
17 years ago
Nope, not here. It is nice for this time of year but not nice enough for me to be outside in the wet gardens. PLUS I am not adding any more beds - I have more than my share - NO NEW BEDS FOR ME. I hope my hubby understands this.

It is indeed a strange winter. We had October weather in September, November weather in October and December weather in November and part of December. Now we are having March weather but I have a feeling winter will arrive again and will probably hang on way too long in the spring. I'll take all the mild weather I can get this time of year and when I start complaining in March because it is still winter, remind me it was nice in midwinter.

Brooke
tweetypye
17 years ago
Haven't had time to get much done in the garden lately, with the holidays, etc, but the weather here has been very nice also. I've got phlox (old fashioned thrift) blooming, and my baskets of verbena are still blooming too. I've noticed paperwhites and some early iris bloomig in various gardens around here lately. We had a couple of days of cold in early Dec. but mostly, it's been above average. Heck, my grass is still growing! I was thinking just today, that I need to get out the lawn tractor, for goodness sake!!! LOL
Jan
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I'm also in zone 5. Have a unheated greenhouse that I have over wintered perennial seedlings in. Sounds like you could add another row of blocks, then glass over all. Come spring when worried about hot tempatures remove a block or two for circulation. Dont forget to give them a drink of water now and then.
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Thanks Laura..if you click on any thing that is underlines on the site it should take you there. I will take your good wishes!Thank you,,, And I'll add... any one in MA/RI I'll take your divisions or your body... I could use help manning the table for a week. I do have a job and can;t spend every minute at the table but the plants sold SOO much better wiht someone who knows a little at the table. SO Check..no plastic. I am scoping out places around the house where some long neglected flower beds are..i can weed'em (or make my sons do it lol) till in some new organics and carve out a spot for the flats and heel em in and do the leaves(that I have in SPADES) and chicken wire. TADA... Right? Am I missing anything?
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When I was in grade school we lived on one site and gardened in another. The site where we lived was too shady for a garden so we made the garden on a another ranch five miles away. In those days you could get your tomatoes off to an early start by using what was called a "Hotcap" over each plant. If the sun was allowed to shine on the "Hotcap" in a few minutes the plant was cooked. We were hard pressed to get over to the garden to remove the hotcaps every sunny morning, and we did not always make it. Al
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You are probably right about me babying the trees. I guess you could compare me to a first time parent which I am also. ==>>> you hit the nail on the head .... when you vary wildly from mother nature.. you add so many variables.. that you cant perfect them all ... and usually.. in my experience.. screw one variable up so bad ... you regret not doing it the easy way ... so by using ma nature... you reduce the variables you can screw up.. to a minimum ... and increase your odds wildly ..IMHO ... they are not children ... stop feting now ... water properly .. and let them wind down ... plant in early fall.. when days are warm .. but nights are starting to cool ... fall is root growing time.. for me until ground freeze.. for you perhaps all winter ... depending on how cold the soil gets.. how deep down ... once you have done this.. you are down from protecting from rabbits.. and mice.. and voles ... if you have yard space.. a small plot with chicken wire and posts.. can keep away the evil bunny ... there was a post about this last year.. when you try to think it all out.. think of them as 100 foot trees .. no matter their current size.. and treat them accordingly ... they are not children ... ken
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kydaylilylady
17 years ago
Currently we are wet, wet, wet. I started to haul a load of mulch last weekend but was afraid the ground was so wet that I'd get stuck backing up to the far end of the daylily field. I should probably be out there spraying winter weeds. It would appear that they are actively growing so if it stops raining that could be a Sunday project. Might as well get a head start on spring, right?

Our electrician is about ready for his first inspection. Who would have thought he'd be comfortably working in a nonheated house in Kentucky in January in a very light jacket? Or I would be out taking walks at work in just my shirtsleeves? I do hope we get a little more cold if for nothing more to get rid of some of the bugs that will plague us next summer otherwise.

Janet
highjack
17 years ago
For a change, my winter weeds aren't too bad but I'm sure the spring weeds will be just fine. I spread dirt in some low places in the yard yesterday which was tough because it was so wet but I'm sure the winter freeze/thaw will help break up the clods so I can winter sow some grass seed. A nice 1" snow about mid February would be perfect.

Our plumber showed up yesterday although it was 1:30 but he got the trench dug for the electricity and got started on the water trench. Blew a hydraulic somethingorother about 4 and had to quit. Today, heavy rains and no plumber but that's OK - we have his backhoe, trailer or is it trailor, sitting in the driveway and we have paid him zero dollars so I know he'll return.

Brooke
laurelin
Original Author
17 years ago
LOL, Brooke, nothing like having a hostage to bring the workman back. . . .

It's quite soggy up here today. We just got back from a jaunt to Lancaster County, PA. We marveled all the way down and back at how warm and green it was, and saw not a single speck of snow (unless you count a patch of icicles on the rock wall in a highway cutting that never gets direct sun). To weird, El Nino in action. It was quite a treat to take a January vacation in NICE weather, and let the kids play on the playground in their jackets, and go for a walk. There's a lot to be said for an "off season" vacation when the weather cooperates!

Laurel

P.S. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for the hosta seeds! I'll review your planting instructions tomorrow. I have to accumulate more milk jugs to winter sow - my husband, bless his heart, cleaned out under the kitchen sink and tossed my extra milk jugs. . . .

New bed for seedlings, where's winter?

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highjack

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New bed for seedlings, where's winter?

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highjack

tweetypye

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