40 Inches of Snow and 2 Blizzards: Time to Garden

It's Feb. 11th and I have missed 3 days of work, shoveled the driveway about a dozen times, salted, and started my garden. There isn't much to do in the backyard as you can see. I think there is 40 inches of snow out there. I hope it smothers the dang snails and other pests.

However, inside there is a lot going on. I started purchasing seeds this week around the storms. It is time to buy your cold weather crop seeds. I am starting with radishes, greens and onions. I also picked up my slower growing herbs like oregano and chives. I will be starting herbs and flowers indoors this week in seed trays.

I am building my grow closet and will have an article up soon. Ill also be writing another radish Knol with the focus being very rich but sandy soil. My clay soil keeps mutating my radish roots.

I intend to track all my expenses this year as a way to show you what you can save by growing you own vegetables and plants.

Here is to a great gardening year. Go and get dirty.

COMING SOON: Indoor Growing Station

It's time to order seed catalogs and get ready for indoor growing.

Im working on an indoor growing closet. Ill be put up details soon.

Soak your seeds to save time

If you want to save some time pre-soak your seeds.

Any seed can be pre-soaked. They can be hard to handle if the seeds are small when they are wet but soaking gives you a good 2-5 day jump.

They only need to be soaked over night 8-10 hours. Any seed can be soaked. You don't want to over soak them. 8 hours is plenty of time for them to absorb water and be put in the ground.

Sure if you put them in the ground and can stay up on watering them daily it might not make much of a difference.

But if you are like me your busy and might let the plots dry out a bit here or there. This can and several days to the germination process and peeking of the first leaves. Soaking them gives them a head-start.

Radishes, Lettuces, Spinach, and Greens

In Maryland its not to late to get these crops in the ground. They can withstand a light frost and need about 40 days to 60 days to mature.

Greens do need longer to mature, specifically, the kale and collards but many of them can withstand the winter and will grow in spring. Same with certain varieties of spinach.

So clear out you fading tomatoes and vine crops and put in the cold weather crops.

Hedge Hog?

Something big is eating my tomatoes and leafy plants. It knawed through my fence to get in. Any ideas?