Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2010 1:43 pm Post subject: A New Year Begins ~ I Have Big Plans
Hello Everyone.
Here I go Again. It is time to start the garden again. I wanted to start my Broccoli and cabbage this week, but it has been too cold. We have been having ice storms that have been trying to do their best to cause damage to my yard.
I am in the middle of building a mini-greenhouse (all I did was build a 4 sided frame and stapled plastic from soda bottles to it) and plan to use that to help me start my plants in this freezing weather.
Before the winter got here, we planted 4 fruit trees (Two Apple and Two Pear) I am looking forward to seeing these bud and grow.
We are planning to grow a lot of vegetable this year. I want to grow Cukes, squash, tomatoes, corn, broccoli, cabbage and a whole mess of herbs. I am even planning to grow something in my upsidedown planter I got as a gift last year.
The last few years I have documented my Garden Diary in Photos on http://roberttgasperson.com/articleblog/category/gardendiary/. This year I created a Blip.tv account and I am working on documenting my garden this year in video format. It will be fun I think.
Good luck to you with all your gardening endeavors! Your plans are making me anxious to plant and grow things too! It gets so hard to be patient in these last weeks of winter, doesn't it? and, Mother Nature gets to decide when spring arrives...
I'll look forward to hearing more about your gardens!
_________________ Kay
To love what you do, and feel that it matters - how could anything be more fun?
We have big plans this year. We asked for Gift cards for Lowes so we could go buy what we needed to get the grass to come in thick and to grow all the vegetables we could ever eat. I am excited and axious to get started.
Do you have plans for that soda bottle green house? I may have to build a small one for my early start stuff like my Zucchini and Gourds.
I look forward to hearing about your progress and success. I plan to do a lot of vegetables in containers this year and hopefully I will actually grow something that is edible this year besides Zucchini.
It will be neat to follow your progress again this year! Good luck!
_________________ Daisybeans/MaryAnn
"Once the relation between poetry and the soil is well established in the mind, all growing things are endowed with more than material beauty." -Elizabeth Lawrence
Posted: Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:37 pm Post subject: Milk Jug Greenhouse
I saw this little project in a magazine I was reading on my lunch break, so I thought I would give it a try. I don't really think it will keep the frost back. I may have to rethink the idea. Till then, I will keep watering this jug and see if it will make the broccoli grow.
Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 7:55 pm Post subject: Snowpalooza Has Reached My Doorstep
We got a decent snow from that storm that has been ravaging nearly the entire country. We had it easier than most. We had a light dusting of about 4-5 inches. The snow was soft and light. It didn't even stick around for more than a day. It was fun while it lasted though.
Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:07 pm Post subject: I Planted My Seeds Inside Today
I probably should have started these two weeks ago, but I was hoping to start them outside. I went ahead and started just over 2 dozen plants in this one container. I am hoing they will grow decent enough and not crowd each other out before I get a chance to transplant them. I hope you enjoy the video.
Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 10:22 pm Post subject: I planted my seeds inside today
Hi Robert. I am enjoying watching you begin your garden. I wondered what part of S.C. you're in. I have relations in the upper part and down Simpsonville way too.
I too am getting the itch to get my fingers into the earth and hide a few seeds beneath the dirt.
I begin mine inside in small pots in potting soil and use a grow light for a few hours each day.
I have a list ready for Seedsavers. Just have to call it in.
I am pondering onion plants. I had my first success with potatoes last year and I want to follow a sort of rule of thumb for growing onions this year, so maybe I will do as well with them as I did with potatoes.
Best wishes for your gardening efforts.
Posted: Tue Feb 23, 2010 4:23 pm Post subject: A New Year Begins
Rgasperson, I wonder if growing garlic in N.C. would be anything like growing it in Michigan? Here, we set the bulbs out in the Fall, usually October. In N.C., it may be okay to plant in Spring. I would ask my local County Extension Service.
I ordered seeds from SeedSavers and learned later that I need quite a bit more, so I will either order more or buy plants locally.
This past Sunday was so lovely, I thought Spring had sprung and got out the peat pots, trays, gloves, etc and planted a package of Sweet Spanish onion seeds. They are under the gro light awaiting the real Spring! Ah but it was so encouraging for that one awesome day!
I got the itch too Robert. Brutal February here in Maryland, really was.
I liked your videos. Watching new seedlings I think is the most exciting part of growing. I just wanna stare at them as they emerge. Maybe I'm a kook, i dunno, but it's wonderful Haha
Newspaper pot was a great idea. I'm worried about the ink being toxic though. Do you know if that is a hazard?
Many of us plant into newspaper pots Matt with no problems. They make it so easy to transplant seedlings as the newspaper simply rots away so go ahead and use it without any worries.
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Regular Plants Contributor
Happy growing! It certainly looks like you're ready to start. 
