Early veggie garden planted!

[chris-md]

Spring crop seeds have been planted today, I'm really excited :41: he bed is maybe 25ft long, and I've got a bunch of stuff in there.

For those who don't know, there are veggies you can plant before your summer stuff (tomatoes, pepper, squash, etc...) that usually gets harvested around the time you're ready to plant your tomatoes.

In this bed I have:
In the foreground are 2 spring blooming rose bushes I can feed buds and petals to Parker. They aren't treated with anything.
Strawberries
Swiss chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Dwarf blue kale
Sugar snap peas
4 kinds lettuce
Spinach

I'm missing three I can't think of off the top of my head.

Admittedly I don't eat much of this. Not a fan of cabbage, kale and Swiss chard. Much of this is actually for Parker, if it germinates. Save some money at the grocery store. I'll be starting the summer veggies in trays in about a month or so.

Most of It is from 5 year old seed that has generally keeps well in the refrigerator. But I had surgery last year that kept me from gardening so I didn't see how they would have done last year. Gives me an idea of how well they'll do his year.

Here's to a successful veggie year!

 

[plumsmum2005]

Pleased to hear you have been busy and hope all your crops are successful. Parker is a lucky bird. I love cabbage especially sprinkled with a few drops of Worcestershire Sauce yum. I'm intrigued by Swiss Chard but have not seen it in the shops here to even try. Will look out for updates on how your crops are going.

 

[Doublete]

Isn't it supposed to get below freezing here still???
My horses water tank had ice this morning!

I always wish I could handle a garden but I just don't have time. My weeds would thrive.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Isn't it supposed to get below freezing here still???
My horses water tank had ice this morning!

I always wish I could handle a garden but I just don't have time. My weeds would thrive.

You can feed parrots some weeds you know LOL

 

[Doublete]

I would have all weeds.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Pick the right ones and you're on a winner lol

 

[Doublete]

That requires knowing what they are... I have lots of grasses and weeds in my horse fields too but I would be terrified to give them a toxic one

 

[plumsmum2005]

The info is around if you are really interested to research and they ie weeds do provide birds with excellent nutrition (well the correct ones LOL) if you pick, rinse and just leave dangling through the bars or roof of cage most birds will love this some even try bathing in the wet leaves.

 

[Doublete]

Hmm. I would be worried I matched the wrong picture to the wrong plant but I'm game to try.

 

[plumsmum2005]

It is something I need to do more - the obvious one is Dandelion which is great for them.

Prob sensible to take it one by one, have one fixed in your mind and go looking for it. You are more likely to remember them this way IMO. If you have fields to roam through looking that is fantastic. Do you have the luxury of trees like Rowan for berries in the Autumn too?

 

[Tony21]

Spring crop seeds have been planted today, I'm really excited :41: he bed is maybe 25ft long, and I've got a bunch of stuff in there.

For those who don't know, there are veggies you can plant before your summer stuff (tomatoes, pepper, squash, etc...) that usually gets harvested around the time you're ready to plant your tomatoes.

In this bed I have:
In the foreground are 2 spring blooming rose bushes I can feed buds and petals to Parker. They aren't treated with anything.
Strawberries
Swiss chard
Cabbage
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Dwarf blue kale
Sugar snap peas
4 kinds lettuce
Spinach

I'm missing three I can't think of off the top of my head.

Admittedly I don't eat much of this. Not a fan of cabbage, kale and Swiss chard. Much of this is actually for Parker, if it germinates. Save some money at the grocery store. I'll be starting the summer veggies in trays in about a month or so.

Most of It is from 5 year old seed that has generally keeps well in the refrigerator. But I had surgery last year that kept me from gardening so I didn't see how they would have done last year. Gives me an idea of how well they'll do his year.

Here's to a successful veggie year!

Just about all of that can be growen right up until fall (except for the strawberries). You have one lucky bird! I have to buy my strawberries, we get pretty poor sun where my gardens are. For most I have to use raised beds, which is a bit of a bonus, because I can start my growing much earlier tgen most. I live in central Ontario Canada and we still have some snow, and temps still hitting the negatives. Your pretty lucky to be able to already start.

 

[chris-md]

Doublete, plumsmum is so right, a number of weeds are great! Dandelion is one of them. Wild scallion FLOWERS are good. And Japanese honeysuckle FLOWERS are great, parrots like the nectar.

For timing, all these Ive planted can take some cold. They are what are often referred to as cool season crops. They are sown/planted here in MD from feb-may. Harvested around the time you plant the summer stuff that can't take the cold like tomatoes. You should give it a try!

Tony, thanks! It's not so easy to do these in our area year round. The heat of the summer usually does one of two things: cause them to bolt, and if you escape that, the heat can make the leaves bitter. The most likely scenario for success with these in the summer is growing them shadier, but it's no guarantee.

 

[chris-md]

My overall challenge here is light. My backyard is shaded by an old oak tree. Obviously trees haven't leaved out yet so it's still bright. In this spot sees sun the soonest, around 2pm. Not a whole lot of time

I also see insane problems most people don't deal with. My squash get squash stem borers, do growing those are out. my cucumbers get a bug that introduces a xylem clogging bacteria that dehydrate the plants to death, so those are out. tomatoes always get show stringing I have yet to understand (possibly herbicide damage from a neighbor treating their lawn). So they get dramatically reduced yield. Raspberry won't flower and fruit. And all of this is under the constant surveillance of the dc tree rats (aka squirrels) ready to pounce on the slightest hint of a fruiting body. They are why I can't grow corn!

My neighbors don't generally have these issues, so I'm more than a little miffed.

 

[plumsmum2005]

I think you are very conscientious parront and I did see the trees and wonder. Wishing you lots of luck this year. Do you think your neighbours would let you plant in their back yard/gardens LOL ?

 

[chris-md]

Nope! We have a stereotypically curmudgeonly old lady on one side who loves to garden. It was bad enough just convincing her to let me grow some flowering perennial sweet peas on the joint chain link fence, which she calls HER fence. she cut the vines down two years in a row and threw them back into my yard before we had this discussion.

Other neighbor just moved in a couple months ago. Not really an appropriate conversation to have.

 

[Doublete]

The deer eat my flowers I plant... I'm a flower girl... Although maybe I should plant some
Flowers I can give the fids!!!!

 

[chris-md]

That's what I'm gonna do here in this bed too. I have a whole list of them I need to buy:

Impatiens
Marigolds
Tulips
Daisies (bellis perennis specifically)
Nasturtium
Salvia officinalis (sage)
Gypsophila paniculata (babies breath, just need to verify if it's the perennial or annual)
Petunia
Lemon balm

Rugosa rose (a more wild rose form)
Lilacs
Crepe myrtle
Tropical hibiscus (probably not, since I only want perennials or cheap annuals, not an expensive annual).

 

[Doublete]

So those are all fid safe???

I usually want pretty flower containers but I can do two that are birdie only

 

[chris-md]

Yep they are all bird safe! Oh and pansies too!

 

[Moose]

Good information here. I'd love to have a garden. Just not much of a green thumb. Lol