It may seem a might early, but I always try to get some sprouts up indoors to get just a little ahead in springtime. Right now I have a few container-plant veggies (spinach for one) but the main drive I have going on is CATNIP believe it or not...

I have over thirty plants that are going to go out and around my place after the last frost. WHY am I growing catnip? I tell ya what - it isn't because I either like cats all that much, or that I am creating a "baited field" . The plain answer is that research has shown catnip to be ten times as effective for repelling mosquitos as Citronella grass, Pine trees, marigold flowers, or one of the common italian spices - I think it's Rosemary. Those are the five primary plants that come up when you search online for natural mosquito repellents. Catnip is supposed to be the best one.

They are very difficult to sprout - you just about have to start them indoors so that you can tell what they are when they come up (the seeds are pinhead small), and so you can keep them happy until they are big enough to survive outside. The seed packets I got were also marked "Low germination - double seeds given" (I ordered them from Parks Seeds online).

I saw the other day that a lot of the stores are now stocking the garden centers, and setting up displays of seeds and plant care things.

I don't know if many of you have ever used the six by twelve plastic seedling trays that several companies offer - my advice there is to get them for the trays themselves, but don't use the seedling cups, or if you do use them cut them into 3 X 3 squares. What I do is use the trays themselves - but I put my seeds and soil in clear plastic cups with a hole cut in the bottoms. This allows watering by filling the tray, and the clear cups allow you to see for sure when the plants begin to get root-bound.

Tall cups (about 10 or 12 ounce) are ideal. Especially for peppers because peppers will sink a root system down faster than sideways.

Groundhog day was just over a week ago. I'm pretty sure the little dude said "SCREW THIS!" and jumped right back down in it's hole. But six weeks is just about right to get some plants well established so that they have a head start this time around. It would be nice to see them bearing early, wouldn't it?

This year I want to do several mellon varieties, a whole truckload of yella crook-necked squash, a bunch more zuchini plants (now that I know what to expect) and I also want to see what I can do with lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, spinach, and a few types of spices.

THIS TIME I'm going straight for the black plastic right from the git go!

I'm tired of weeds...

I do sort of wonder how I can get rain water into the ground when it is covered up with plastic though.

 

I have heard old carpet is good between the rows. And put old newspaper between the plants. That way they still get water.

I have a good garden going now.

An Ice garden lined with beautiful piles of Snow. LOL

 

My sage and rosemary have survived the winter onslaught; flowers are starting to come out. Now is the time to prune your fruit trees. Also, if you have roses, if you haven't pruned them already, take the stalks down to about 18 inches and replace your mulch.

 

As wet as things are around here, I am considering planting rice or cranberries!!!!

 

Those waders that you will need in your cranberry fields can do double-duty when you go fishin'...

 

Dad's got a groundhog to take care of, his work in the garden this past year has dad with pure hatred, he's said he plans to get in the barn loft, and set it out until the sucker heads for the garden, pick him off from there. I may go out there and find a place to setup, try out my shotgun, I thing a slug should quickly retire him.

 

Groundhog is pretty good eatin' but you gotta remove the sweat glands.

 

This SOB would be big enough to eat, he's huge.

 

Sounds like a job for a 20 guage! I picked up a Winchester 1300 20 Gg a while back that I'd like to take somewhere and pop off a few boxes of rounds through.

 

This is a very large ground hog, and very smart, when he hears the hammer pulled back on the 20 ga, he runs, gonna be difficult to take him down.

 

I'd say keep the safety off, loaded, locked, pointed away from everyone, and ready to go so that all it will hear is the wind....

Point, shoot, and who gives a dang if it can be et?

It has to go....

A big enough groundhog can screw up a farm dog.... (And give it dystemper or rabies into the bargain - not to mention PARVO VIRUS. You never want that...)

 

It's a break action with a hammer, can't have it in the truck with the hammer back.

 

Yeah - but if you set up a good "HIDE" where you know it's going to be you can pack a lunch and wait for it. Be down wind....

I'd bait the danged field for a few days, and let it come to me.

IT'S A GROUNDHOG! There ARE no rules to rodent elimination....
Just be sure you get the rest of them before they can breed strongly in that area, or you may have to come back.

Look up online what they are attracted to the most, and good hunting to you. Keep all dogs and other groundhog threats away from that area, so that it goes there all the time.

THEN BLAST THE SUMMITCH!

Hopefully you'll take out the female. If it's that big it kinda sounds like it - you don't want six or more of them next year.
You'd better stop it now.

Pass my thoughts along - they make good sense.

 

I have 24 times the amount of tobasco pepper seeds that I need for this year!
I cleaned the seeds from all the dried pods I harvested at the end of last year, these seeds are very fertile and germinate in about a week under the right conditions.

The sprout in the below attachment was planted around four or five days ago and is already up.

I have 24 extra packs of seeds and if anyone wants one of them, PM me for my address and send a stamped self addressed envelope to me and I will hook you right up with more seeds than you need - totally free of charge!!!

*An advantage to these also is that they are 'Tennessee Proven'. They grew over three feet tall with no hassles whatsoever.

I'm planning on six plants total at my own place this year, more than that would be too many because they produce constantly.

I also have tons of Long Red Cayenne, and I just found even more Tobasco pods.
I have Thai Hots dried pods - same deal if you want to try growing them, but I will probably send a pair of whole pods to you. I doubt I will pick through them all to seperate all the seeds.

 

Dad had purple hull peas, okra, tomatoes, green beans (can't recall name), zucchini squash (did too well), peppers, onions, and radishes, I'm sure I missed something, gonna do beets this year too. Purple hulls put out a lot, you're constantly picking once they come in, they taste similar to black eye peas. The zucchini, we had to figure a new use for them, makes great pickles, and a sweet relish with peppers, thank god for my food processor. Dad used to put out a butter pea, I'm hoping he'll do a row or two of them, I like them, he got burned out. He's going with an old high yield okra that has been around a long time, the pods are nearly a foot long, I'd never seen it before, guy who used to do odd jobs for my uncle plants it on his farm, he's giving dad seed.
It's been years since I did any, before I was injured, I lived in Knoxville, rented a house from my aunt, had a garden in the back yard, beat myself ragged with an old front tine tiller. FYI, after a plow turns the dirt, you really have issues running it through, I needed a disc, and maybe compost to thin the clay.