Garden Time Coming

[Fan]

I'd buy some peppers from you I have a huge batch of chili in the crock pot right now.

[Diogenes]

CK,

What a lovely story about your grandfather and dad - passing on farmland and home to children I bet is old fashioned now but still it is wonderful to hear about. Perhaps where you live it's still in vogue, I don't know.

Do you still have that land?

Anyway a garden is a garden no matter where.

Anyone can grow tomatoes in Southern California - in fact I have a volunteer growing on the balcony among the red geraniums. Will take a picture and see if I can post - probably not but I will ask RA.

I was born in 47 too. I will buy some of your wares - will they be on the Internet?

[Cherry Kelly]

We are working on the write ups for the pepper seeds and powders. Will let you know asap..

[LeslieV]

It was minus 13 (-13) here Thursday night. I just brushed off the snow on the greenhouse windows and took down the insulation behind them. Going to let it warm a little before I go in and take off the covers and put out the candle heater that so far has kept it warm enough the cool weather crops are doing OK.

This has been one fast come to winter with these below zero temperatures and I was no where prepared for it so doing the best I can growing food.

Garden is done and I harvested the last of the crops under hoops last weekend so when the snow melts I need to pull up the stalks and pile them up for the shredder.

I plan on saving the pennies and get one of the 'Buddy' heaters this spring when they will go on sale so I have a better heat source next winter. Also a lot more work on making the greenhouse more insulated. In case I never mentioned, it is basically a shed with glass on the south side only and reflective insulation boards on the other walls to reflect the light around inside from the winter sun.

I do have peppers and tomatoes growing in the house window boxes as they like heat so bring them in at night under lights so they get the proper amount of light and stay warm.

[Cherry Kelly]

Leslie -- sounds like you are doing great - in spite of weather problems. I have peppers growing and producing in the sun room. For some reason, tomatoes just do not work out well indoors. I tried some of the smaller cherry types and they just did not grow well or produce. Smaller early girls - only the left-over green ones did any maturing, but did not produce more. Hotter type peppers are the only ones that seem to do the best. I ws planning to try growing a tomato from seed indoors to see if that would produce, but this year, time just got away from me to do that.
Herbs are doing okay too! Of course most flowers do well - even some that are "annuals" -- but its early so will see if they live through the entire winter.

[LeslieV]

I've had luck here at my high 7,000 foot elevation with cherry tomatoes so have them going now for maybe a February crop.

I opened up the plant covers a couple hours ago in the greenhouse so they are getting good sun and of course lots of heat and heating the water bottles all over the place. A few more nights of below zero then back to semi-normal temperatures next week that are easier to manage.

The herbs do good in the house window garden boxes and I bring them in at night. I put on the window boxes in a way that the windows stayed on the house so I can close the windows to the boxes at night to help keep heat in the house.

Getting lots of solar gain here now and the house is in the low 70's storing heat for the night. Won't need additional heat until after sun down and then very little so the wood stove won't be working hard at all.

Each year is another experiment in growing what is needed to keep some fresh food on the table. So far, so good.

[Cherry Kelly]

Picked a couple peppers for salad this morning. And some parsley to add on the side.

VERY cold this morning, but with the sun shining doesn't feel as bad as yesterday! only 10° outside but can tell the solar will work well as it builds up for later in the day.

[Cherry Kelly]

Gardens are resting over winter. In the Sun-room - I discovered several pepper plants with blooms. Shaking the planters helps, but the old fashion q-tip also comes in handy on those you can't shake. Touch to one, touch to another one of the blooms.

Some of the pepper seeds are now listed on ebay for sale, and hopefully with have others up later, as well as pepper powders.

[LeslieV]

Peppers are at the same stage here in the house window boxes. Tomatoes seedlings are up so soon transplant to bigger containers.

Greenhouse is doing real good with the cool weather crops. I finally ran a long extension cord, about 300 feet, out to it and a small utility heater in there on low is keeping the plants warm. I do put old blankets and tarps over them at night in a large tent fashion. the heater is in the tent.

Did a cost estimate and the electric is less than the 'Buddy' type of heater to run and safer. Just a pain running that heavy, very heavy, cord out there. Since only needed for the winter there is no sense in spending the $$$ I don't have to trench a line out there. I do think I will put a outside reverse socket in a weather proof cover with a male end for the female end of the cord then put a regular outlet inside. It will be better than the snake under the door at the weather seal and save me the time every evening of making sure it is sealed.

Right now bright sun so everything is warming up including all the water jugs inside so they store a lot of heat so the heater does not run a lot.

Had a nice spaghetti squash last evening from the summer garden. Still many more in storage for the weeks and months ahead.

Another week and the days start getting longer.

[Cherry Kelly]

FOR those interested in some of the pepper seeds now up on ebay....

http://www.ebay.com/sch/kellyspeppers/m ... 7675.l2562

There will be more later... as well as powders.

[Cherry Kelly]

Leslie - sounds like your set up is doing great... WISH we had a space for one -- but right now - ehh...just don't...

Maybe in a yr or two will have time to do one..
((course I have been saying that for some time now.))

[Cherry Kelly]

For many its time to get your seeds ordered for this year's gardens.

Got mine on order, and two new seed starter flats with their clear covers picked up and ready to go.

Reminder - put seeds in water overnight before planting and they germinate a bit faster.

Know your area garden planting time, count back weeks for plants to grow and then count back time for seeds to germinate. (Note an extra growing week or two indoors no problem, then add a week for getting plants used to being outside.

[LeslieV]

Already have tomatoes growing in the window boxes, they will most likely be the indoor ones for late winter picking; all cherry tomatoes.

Greenhouse has the usual cool weather stuff growing and with increasing day length I'm getting more out of the pots.

Lots of heirloom seed here saved from plants adapted to the high and dry so will get things started going into February.

Of course Monsanto may stop by and stop me. I see the EU has basically outlawed gardens.

[voguy]

This year it's peppers, pickles, and tomatoes in our house.

[Cherry Kelly]

Adding a bit more to my gardening this year in the way of veggies. With are heavier clay based soil (ok I do add natural compost which works fabulously for most veggies) it has not been easy to grow carrots. They prefer sandy type soil to grow their best.