I don't think it's too early at all. My mother always planted peas the last of February. Today I'm planting peas, lettuce, and radishes. Since these are cold-weather veggies, they will be able to tolerate at least a mild freeze. Rainfall is a much bigger worry to me, but since there's a chance of it this weekend, I think it's a good time to plant. At least seeds are relatively cheap!

I have not planted anything yet but I may plant some radish and spinach this weekend. I have planted some onion sets. Water is going to be an issue for me. I've not gotten a drop of rainfall in a long time and the garden is one big dust bowl. I've not had enough moisture to do some tilling in most of it. I'm not going to plant much yet because I'd have to water alot to keep it going. Is it ever going to rain out here in the west???

WindsurfGirl

I planted some radish lelluce spinich kale and carrots.

I am going to keep it small this year too. Kind of worried about sucking the well dry. Gonna use lots of compost and mulch.

Hi, I planted lettuce and potatoes today and set out onion plants, brocoli and cauliflower plants last week plus my radish seed is coming up now.
I always plant the cooler weather plants the last week of feb and the first week of march and never have any trouble yet.
Plus my garlic is about 8 inches tall already and my strawberry plants are showing some signs of live.
Good luck with your gardens.
Gary

I found a volunteer tomato and two morning glories up in the garden this morning. That tells me the soil is very warm. I planted tomatoes and broccoli seeds this past week. Have leeks and garlic thriving. The chives are making new leaves and the little parsley plants from seed I sowed in October are now beginning to make more leaves and grow bigger. Been finding sunflowers up all over the place from the bird feeders
Got no rain here. Just a few drops. I have my own water well...been watering almost daily since November, even on cold days. With my sandy soil, most everything would have been dead by now had I not watered.
Yeah, keep us informed on how your veggies are doing.
~SweetAnnie4u

Well, I'm glad others are planting also. Aren't these temps great? The nightly lows are incredible for this time of year. My forsythias are blooming now. My winter sown seeds are happy in their jugs and sprouting.

I'll get potatos and onion sets while I'm in Edmond today. I noticed my peas are already sprouting that I just planted last Wednesday.

How are your vegetables?

Robin

My radishes are popping up columbine and sweet Williams. The dog plowed up everything else. I flattened it out. It will be a surprise to see what comes up where.

I have learned how to bury mouse traps without setting them off. The dog has learned to respect the garden beds.That and a couple of surprise attacks with the garden hose.

I am going to wait till St Patrick day to plant potatoes.

I got some onions planted and ... and starting on some seedlings...
Is it too soon to plant zuchinni?
Michelle

Here is a link that might be useful: Angel Brittney's Mom

Pandamama,

I lost my youngest child. He was just 14. It has been a little over 10 years since he died in a terrible car crash on Halloween night. He is my Blue-eyed Angel Child, the youngest of my four children. I have a lock of his silky blonde hair and saved his special hats and things. I miss my tall Swedish boy. He was at once the source of most of the trouble and all of the joy in our home. I know that he is still near me, but I miss his physical presence so much, his smell, his touch...his sweaty hands and stinky feet and contagious, out of control giggling. He pestered me until I thought I couldn't stand another minute of it, and yet he was always there for me to help out in anyway - sometimes he was too helpful, if you know what I mean. We all said he was an enigma. Who could have imagined our life without him? It tore my family to pieces. We all still grieve in our own ways. My father still sobs out of control and grieves over that boy. Charles did everything with his Grampa, even helping take care of the family cemetery where I buried him.
I understand the emptiness and longing you are feeling.
I don't think you ever get over losing a child.
It is doubly hard on the surviving children who still are at your side and still need you to see them, and love them, and who still need your attention, even older children.
I poured myself into gardening and genealogy - focussed on family gatherings. Grandchildren were my salvation. I had to learn to try to keep my continued grief to myself and not spoil life for the ones I yet have at my side - not easily done by any means.
I built a Memorial Website for my son on my family history website. I plant flowers in the garden for him every year that he loved, so he can come there and enjoy them whenever he likes. I take fresh flowers to the cemetery. He liked wildflowers too.
He and I made a simple honeysuckle vine wreath when he was 12 and he began straight away decorating it with "Pretty Feathers for Mom", he said. I continue to add feathers to it - special feathers I find that say, "Oh, Look at this one Mom!" I have to feel like it is one he wants me to pick up. Not just any feather will do! I have literally had feathers float down out of the sky and land on my shoulder.
I think the thing I resented most was the fact that after he was killed, life went on all around, oblivious to his absence. It angered me. From the hundreds of mourners who initially thronged to give their condolences and send cards and phone calls, it too soon began to trail off, until they stopped coming and sending cards altogether. No one left flowers and trinkets at his grave anymore or on the highway. His friends stopped holding a candle vigil on the anniversary of the accident after a couple of years. That hurt. I understood it, but it hurt. I didn't want life to go on without my Charles!
There were two young girls he grew up with and went to church with, now young women in their twenties, who continued to make a yearly pilgrimage to the cemetery on Memorial Day and leave a single red rose "for Charles". No note, just anonymously coming to offer their continued love and remembrance of their friend. I thanked them for not forgetting my Charlie. "Never", replied the younger of the two. But they too have stopped coming.
I still wake some mornings, wondering if it was all just some horrible nightmare...hoping that surely it could not have happened to my son...not my Charlie. I lay there waiting for the sound of his footsteps - for him to come bursting into my bedroom, bouncing on my bed, all silly and giggles and happy and begging for Teddy Bear Pancakes or Malt'O Meal with "lots" of brown sugar and bananas!
"P, P, P, Pleeeeeease Mom?"
And I lay there, waiting, but he does not come, and then reality sinks in and I mourn all over again and it hurts every bit as much as it did 10 years ago.
It does get better with time, but you never get over losing a precious child...and you know in your heart that you don't ever really want to either.
My heart and love goes out to you, Angel Brittney's Mom, and a gentle understanding hug.
God be with you.
~ Annie

Here is a link that might be useful: My Blue-eyed Angel

Well, I finally got the potatoes in yesterday. The onions have been in for a couple of weeks. All that I had originally planted is doing fine---not very big though. The oriental cabbage hasn't shown either. The rabbits are after my pea seedlings. With these warm temps we should be eating lettuce around here soon!

I have containers of winter sown tomatoes, more lettuce, spinach and kohlrabi. The tomatoes are beginning to sprout and the others will go to the garden soon.

How's your garden?
Robin

I set out my cabbages this past weekend. Have chives and leeks. My tomatoes are up and more coming up in the containers. Will plant a few more soon.
I have Beefsteaks, Romas, and Sweet 100s up.

I will start Brandywines, Juliets and Snow Whites tomorrow. I have onion sets to plant.

Only one broccoli seed sprouted. I will try another package of seeds, but may end up just buying plants this year if I can find some.

Have Mammoth Dill up in the garden. The Chamomile is up and the Calendulas. Have gobs of Spicey Globe Basil and parsley.

That's all for veggies and herbs.

Mice got to many of my WS flower seedlings, so I am just sprouting about a dozen flower seeds and will plant them in a few days and set them in the greenhouse, I guess.

That's all Folkes!

~ Annie

Annie,

Sorry about the mice eating your plants. I didn't realize they would do that! I know you had so many started.

Is the Snow White tomato really white? How do you know when it's ripe? Sounds interesting.

I've seen broccoli at Lowe's and at Wal-Mart. I have never had very good luck with cabbage or broccoli in the spring. Too many loopers. Two years ago I grew it in the fall and both did much better for me.

Good luck on all your plantings!
Robin

Robin,

The small grape Snow White tomato is an antique ivory color - really pretty. It is so sweet you would think you are eating a grape! No kidding! Beautiful in a bowl with Sweet 100s or other grape-type tomatoes. I bought some at a Farmer's Market last year and saved the seeds. hehehe. It will be my first time to grow them this year.

As for growing cabbages and broccoli, I get Loopers on my broccoli too. They mostly munch holes in the leaves of broccoli. Heavy infestations will devour the flowerheads too eventually. The trick is to keep a watchful eye and check the underside of the leaves for tiny eggs. Remove them immediatly. I mix up lemony dish soap water and with a sponge clean the off the eggs. It is also a good detourant for the little white Cabbage Butterfly to stay away and not lay her eggs on my plants. Cabbages can be a little more tricky, but the same thing needs to be done. Check the underside of the leaves daily and remove any eggs or caterpillers. Usually any damage done to cabbage is only to the outer leaves. I just strip them off and rinse with the garden hose and toss the rinsed, damaged leaves into the compost pile. The inner cabbage is sweet and tender and generally not marred in any way. If they get really badly infested, add some crushed garlic to your lemony dish soap water. Bye, bye caterpillers. They drop to the ground and take off. I give them to the chickens. Most insects don't like the taste or smell of lemon.

I hand-pick off any caterpilers I find every day and spray the plants with a blast of water, especially on the undersides to knock off any caterpillers I may have missed and butterfly eggs. I put them in a coffee can and then give the caterpillers to the chickens. Yum, yum!

After havesting a head, I bring it in the house and soak it in salted water to remove any caterpillers I may have missed. They let loose of the broccoli and come floating to the top of the water right away! It works quick.

Broccoli and Cabbage are heavy feeders, so you must plant them in very rich soil. I apply compost in Spring and dig it in into the soil, then plant my Broccoli. I plant Dill or Basil, Cilantro, or other aromatic herbs grown in pots set near them. Certain types of flowers, like nasturtiums, white petunias, pots of rosemary or pelargoniums, cosmos, calendulas, marigolds and others are good planted with them too and many others.

{{gwi:1086799}}
Here I have Lemon Basil planted with the cabbages and onions and okra together. Hot peppers were planted amongst them too. All thrived.
Practicing correct Companion Planting methods and Gardening Organically does not mean ugly, poor quality, inferior fruits and vegetables as you can see.

~ SweetAnnie4u

Wow, Annie! Beautiful!!

Those are huge broccoli heads. Thanks for the info on loopers. I like the sponge idea---I think that would work. May have to try them again in the spring.

Have any more pictures? I enjoy them.

Robin

Thanks Robin.

I have others posted in my Photobucket:

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden and Orchard

Thanks for those too, Annie. I enjoyed them.

Planting anything else today?

I direct sowed some flower seed yesterday.

Robin

Here is a link that might be useful: June 2005 garden

Oh, Robin,

I love your garden! We have a lot in common I see in the things we use and how we garden.

Exactly where in Southern Logan county are you located? My son and his wife and daughter will be moving back from Houston this Spring (thank God) as soon as school is out and are looking to live in that area as he will be working in Edmond. I think they would like it where you live. I only live 25 miles east of Guthrie right off Hwy 105, so I can go see them often. That will be just too cool. (Happy me!)

I envy anyone fortunate to be living where there are big gorgeous trees like that. It looks so green there and really makes a great backdrop for your garden. I will go look at your photos again. Maybe gets some ideas from you. I use rocks and broken concrete for paths & stepping stones too. :) Makes great pavement and steps. I like the way it looks, too. I would like to build a patio with them. Would look so groovy!

I hauled two loads of rock last week. The grader guy came by and dug up a bunch of good red bedrock. I stopped him and hem said I was welcome to have them all. I asked if I could have those huge ones up the road.He said sure and because they were so big, he used the grader to push those Mammoth sized boulders to my driveway for me. I was thrilled! He made two trips and shoved five huge rocks to the entrance of my driveway. I planted a patch of big yellow flowering Prickly Pear Cactus there 3 year ago and now I will add some Yuccas. I made two trips and picked up a half-truck load of rocks each time. They are piled out by the driveway now. (I had to recover from it for several days). I can only move a few at a time. It just kills me, but I am a determined gardener. I want rock terraces, paths, and need more for the fishpond now that I am digging it bigger and deeper.

I sprouted six bags of Hollyhocks - about 10-15 seeds per bag. I have all of them to plant out today. I will plant them in flats for now until they get to a size big enough to set out in the garden. It only takes about 3-5 days to sprout them in damp paper towels in a baggie and then when I plant them they really take off. I will have gobs of hollyhocks this year and next, God willin'. I use this same technique for beans, corn, okra, tomatoes, peppers, and other medium to large seeds. Really big seeds do well if I put them into a cup and pour boiling water on them first. Let them sit overnight, then plant.

Well, thanks for sharing with me Robin.
I better go get those Hollyhocks planted.
Have a good one!
Tootles.
~ Annie

Exciting news!

I just found out my 9 year old grandson will be in a new Warner Brother's movie! The movie is called, "Unnacompanied Minors", that will be released soon. It's a Comedy/Drama. They are filming part of it in Salt Lake City and vacinity.
I think the airport scenes (and maybe a few others were filmed in Chicago at O'Hare, but the rest will be filmed in Utah.

Plot Outline: A group of kids bond while snowed in at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport the day after Christmas, and ultimately create a makeshift holiday for themselves.

As it is still in production, the data is subject to change.

Unaccompanied Minors Starts Production

Source: Warner Bros. Pictures
March 16, 2006

Production is underway on the comedy Unaccompanied Minors, directed by Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks) and starring Lewis Black (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart), Wilmer Valderrama (That 70's Show), Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris) and Dyllan Christopher (Seabiscuit) for Warner Bros. Pictures in association with Village Roadshow Pictures. The announcement was made today by Jeff Robinov, President of Production, Warner Bros. Pictures.

It's Christmas Eve and five kids have just been snowed in at the airport -- and there isn't a parent in sight. Unaccompanied Minors follows awkward Spencer (Dyllan Christopher), rich-girl Grace (Gina Mantegna), tomboy Donna (Quinn Shephard), geeky Charlie (Tyler James Williams) and bashful Beef (Brett Kelly) as they try to outwit a disgruntled airport official (Lewis Black) and reunite with their families. Using "borrowed" golf-carts, a canoe on a snow hill and the help of a reluctant flight attendant (Wilmer Valderrama), these kids are about to prove the holidays aren't about where you are, but who you're with.

The comedy will also feature Rob Corddry (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart) as Spencer's dad, as well as cameos by Donny Osmond (Donny & Marie), Al Roker (Today), Teri Garr (Friends), Jessica Walter (Arrested Development), Tony Hale (Arrested Development), Rob Riggle (Saturday Night Live), BJ Novak (The Office), David Koechner (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), Dave Gruber Allen (The Naked Trucker) and comedian Nick Thune.

Unaccompanied Minors is produced by Lauren Shuler Donner (the "X-Men" franchise) and Michael Aguilar (Constantine) from a screenplay by Paul Feig and Kate Kondell (First Daughter) and Mya Stark & Jacob Meszaros. The executive producers are Ira Glass, Julie Snyder, Carrie Morrow (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang), Michael Lambert and Bruce Berman (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). The director of photography is Chris Baffa (Nip/Tuck, Running With Scissors); the production designer is Aaron Osborne (Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) and the editor is George Folsey Jr. (The Pink Panther, Animal House).

Unaccompanied Minors will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

I'll let ya'll know more as I hear.

Cool. Sounds like quite an experience for a nine year old.

randy

Annie,

How exciting for you grandson. You'll have to let us know more as you find out.

Rocks! I love our native rocks. They can really wear you out, though, transporting them. So be careful.

Yes, we have LOTS of oak trees. In fact, if you want to have any clearing, you have to cut down trees! I have an abundance of oak leaves to use as mulch and to add to compost. Lots of shade too.

Oh, and we live east of I-35 and North of Waterloo Road in Logan County. It's a great area----easily accessible to Edmond and only a 30 min drive to OKC.

Thanks for your comments about my pictures. The elephant ears grew to about 8' by the end of the season. Those are green beans growing on the arch. I look forward to June again!

Good luck on your hollyhocks. They'll be beautiful!

Anyone else have success with your early plantings?

Robin