I learned a lot this year. This is my first year with a "real" garden and I am reminiscing about what I did right and did wrong and making my plan for next year.

I'm just waiting for warmer weather. We've had frigid weather with temps dipping into the single digits, so it's too cold and the ground is frozen, so I can't do much. I was getting my bamboos planted so they could settle in over the winter and will get back to it once we get back to our "normal" weather.

We had high winds a week or so ago and it took down part of a cedar, so we have that to clean up. Fortunately it didn't go across our road or our neighbors, so there's not a rush. It's hung up in other trees, so it will be harder to take care of. It had 2 tops and the other part will have to be taken down.

I have a couple of rose cuttings in the house and they have rooted, surprisingly since I didn't do much, so hopefully I can keep them going.

So that's all that's going on in my garden.

Except in coastal regions (and the southern hemisphere), edible gardening is pretty much shut down at the moment. I'm planting lettuces, brassicas, peas, fava beans and onions, but won't be harvesting much but greens for a while. Last night I planted 4 rows of cereal grains, but that's mainly off-season goofing around, everything gets free rainwater until the ground dries in June.

After a dismal potato blight-y summer that trashed MY ENTIRE TOMATO CROP (caps intentional, as in me shouting).

I have to duck and cover for one more day till our annual cert gets done, then I can finish packing seeds.

Hope springs eternal

Tom C

Cert is over, seed packing resumes.

It was the option of the administration to drop the seed exchanges here. I am afraid that is at least partly my fault. Most all of my new OP seed needs are being met by the seed banks i supply.

Mention of those seed banks roused at least some ire here.

I'm sure Rob will tell me if this is an off-topic for this site.

I've been going over all the things I've learnt this year. What a year!??
This year I decided to go 'green', after all the chemical trail wasn't working any more, dismal crops hardly worth the bother of planting.
So in order of priority I've learnt the following,
Compost Tea, works wonders.
Sowing seeds with a cover of vermiculite.
Pelleted seed where possible.
Municipal compost. Gives the ground a boost.
Rotted sawdust from the local sawmill, great as a soil amendment and mulch.
Soil testing. I should have started doing it years ago. I was way off base with my analysis of the problem. Short on Magnesium! not nitrogen as I thought. Prevents the uptake of Potash which is vital for good root growth.
Corn Meal Makes a good compost accelerator, adds nitrogen.

OK, so what else have you found this year?

Waitin' on Feb. 1st to roll around so I can start my indoor seeds....tomatoes, peppers, and some new things.

I'll start mine in March, that way they don't get so big. I plant them in chicken wire cages to keep the moles from plowing through the root system, so small plants are easier to do that with.

I'm waiting for some decent days so I can do some work outside, mainly getting rid of weeds and planting a few things.

Enjoy the anticipation!

Transplanted onions over the weekend, as well as some shallot sets.

I'm contemplating building a seed train box and trying it out here.

Questions?

Interest?

PLMK

I'd be up for it. Best hurry though, I'm already sowing spring things and will start on summer stuff in a couple weeks.

I never heard of pelleted seeds. I googled it. Makes sense to me. Sweetpea06 isn't Feb early? Do you have a lot of room? a sun room. I started real early(tryin to be different) and ran out of room. And did not have the light to do it.

I learned that animals suck. Something ate everything last year. Ground hog/rabbit not sure but I was mad. Gonna build a better fence I guess. I am not a big fan of capture and release at least the release part. In all this snow I saw tracks and some looked like rabbit but I remember seeing a ground hog and baby skunks. The other thing I think I am gonna do is keep the outer perimeter more open.

All a part of my 5 year plan.