do you have itchy green thumbs?

[bookworm]

Now is the time to get your seeds in the ground for cold weather crops like broccoli, carrots, beans, peas and lettuce. I grew all 3 in Grantsville (I had the hugest yard and so much garden space- I do miss that! ) and they do really well if you have good soil. So get some peat moss worked in and get planting! I am not the best gardener, but I do try. I love working in the soil. At least, until the weeds begin to take over. Then I love to give up and wish I had a good solution for them. I do use black plastic & weed block fabric, and that helps a lot.

I can't wait for tomato season!

[Dia Minha]

I have had itchy green thumbs for years. My biggest fear is failing. After all these years it's going to happen, but I am terrified of messing it up. I had no idea about planting those things this early. I knew we needed to get our grass in very soon, but broccoli, carrots, and hummm lettuce was it? I might just have to concentrate on a salsa garden this year and work everything else in later. When should I put in my tomatoes, peppers, and onions?

[bookworm]

peppers and tomatoes grow well in the same bed, but I don't know about onions- you can research what grows well together on the internet. I've grown cantaloupe and watermelon and pumpkins together, too. The watermelon didn't do well, but only because it is a very long season crop, and it is Utah, after all!

Your peppers and tomatoes have to wait until it warms up. In my experience, it is fun to start seeds indoors to try and transplant, but I haven't had much success transplanting them outdoors. I think I'm too impatient to let them get used to the temp change at night little by little. Anyway, I just wait until the very end of May, beginning of June to buy plants at Home Depot or WalMart or another garden center and plant them like that. I usually have a great tomato crop, but peppers have been here and there for me. I also have struggled to grow cucumbers in tooele, but when I grew them in grantsville, they were wonderful. I try every year.

Last year I learned, too, that if you put Miracle grow on your new plants every 10 days (I think) or so, then stop when they begin to fruit they do really well. I think our PTA treasurer told me that. She is waaay good at this stuff.

Also, make sure that your tomato/pepper garden has sunlight for most of the day. They will grow in partial sun, but do much better if they have it all the time. My garden was in when I bought my house, and it is behind the tallest part of the house, so only the very back gets full sun, and it still does pretty well. I've considered moving it, but there is an apple tree and 2 lilacs on the opposite end of the yard that I just can't bear to part with, so it's still there.

and I would say don't hold back! There is so much information out there to help you- and if it dies, it dies! So what!? At least you will know you tried. I encourage people to jump in with both feet with gardens- it's how I learned. I didn't know anything when I started. No one in my family does it but me.

[5ft Diva]

I'm gun shy because grasshoppers destroyed my garden one year.

[Big_Sissy]

Just a note on tomatoes. If the temps get to freezing they will die. Which is why you have to wait until it's warmer. But boy do I hear you on when is Tomato season. Mmmm, nothing like fresh tomato on a piece of bread with some salt... mmmm ....

[Big_Sissy]

Originally Posted by 5ft Diva

I'm gun shy because grasshoppers destroyed my garden one year.

And you should be. Until we get a fence and some neighbors behind us, I think it's a futile effort.

[5ft Diva]

That's so frustrating!

[Dia Minha]

I'm so sorry. Those grasshoppers are a pain.

[ElderFubeca]

When growing up we had lots of fun catching grasshoppers. One time I filled a Whopper container once with the largest grasshoppers that I'd ever seen. When I opened the container the next morning they were all dead...evidently died of congestion.

I'd be for sending some of of those boys out with Whopper containers

[Dia Minha]

Congestion? What?

[5ft Diva]

Originally Posted by ElderFubeca

When growing up we had lots of fun catching grasshoppers. One time I filled a Whopper container once with the largest grasshoppers that I'd ever seen. When I opened the container the next morning they were all dead...evidently died of congestion.

I'd be for sending some of of those boys out with Whopper containers

Sounds like a plan

[bookworm]

I think grasshoppers are of the devil. They are the worst! I haven't ever sprayed for bugs, so I'm not sure what to do about them.

BS, I did mention the very end of May, or first of June on tomatoes- if it's unseasonably cold then, you really should wait. As long as it isn't freezing at night, it's okay then.

My DH loves tomato sandwiches- white bread, fresh tomato and mayo. I'm going to plant tons this year for canning- we've almost gone through all of last year's bottles already.

Diva- if you don't plant any this year, remind me to share! Maybe you could put a few plants in your front yard flower bed? Don't you have some space there that's dirt?

[Big_Sissy]

No, we don't, but we are planning on making some .. at least I think that's the plan.

However, the grasshoppers are just as bad there too.

Actually, now that I think about it, I think flowers are going to be a bad idea too

[5ft Diva]

She's talking about the patch around our front porch.

[Big_Sissy]

Yeah, and remember what the grasshoppers did to that green plant right by the side of the driveway? They had a hay day eating that thing up.