Every day they keep changing the forecast, and it gets colder and colder and snowier and drizzlier than before. Let's keep it right there. I really don't want it to get any cold. You also have to factor in the wind and the feels like temperature. And the thing is, what ever they forecast for Wichita, it is always 2-4 degrees cooler and 2 more inches of snow here.
I bit of good news. The propane man showed up and was impressed with our amount of consumption. He told us that one of our neighbors got a full tank the same day we got a half tank, and that neighbor was down to 5% while we (on the same day) was only down to 15%. Well there is a very good reason for that. . . but we are not freezing.
Time to start the cool weather veggies. I have broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, brussel sprouts, rhubarb and onions going. If you live in zone 5 or 6, sometime this week it will be a good idea to get them going. You should put them out in your garden come St. Patrick's Day. To get a long harvest season out of these items, plant a new seed every 3-7 days.
Edit: Before I startle any more people, allow me to explain the eggplant thing. You actually have until March to get those seeds going. I have found however that because eggplants are so picky about cool temps, that if I start them in my zone when I start my first batch of seedlings, and put them in the garden come May, I don't have them dying without harvest by the time the first bit of cool weather comes.
9 comments:
Eggplant ALREADY? You just made my heart stop! I haven't even ordered seeds yet! Oh my, this will be another year of falling behind - but what fun it is! Thanks for your lovely posts.
http://www.stilllifewithwoodstove.blogspot.com/
-Simple.
Seems like I'm not the only one shocked by the eggplant beta...
I have started lettuce, cabbage, spinach, carrots and onions indoors. I'm zone6-7 and on "new " ground for me(Georgia now, no longer Texas), but recollect the thumb brought some of it's emerald tint along...
Thanks for the info, Phelan.
Slainte!
eggplant takes a very long time, and yes, now is the time for my zone to get them started. Didn't mean to startle you.
Carrots don't like to be transplanted, be very carefully with them when you try. They should be seeded outside the same time you put out potatoes.
here is my article on eggplants. These you can not put out in March, and have to wait until later.
http://a-homesteading-neophyte.blogspot.com/2007/05/eggplant.html
I'm ready for some gardening, tha's for sure! Gonna start a LOT indoors, even though I can plant earlier than most here on the Texas coast!
Glad the propane is holding out for you! Frugality does make a difference, huh?
Not being frugal, we have no heater vents in the house, so we use the stove for heating.
I've had great success growing eggplant in zone 4. You start them early indoors and then when transplanted outdoors, I put those green Wall of Water around them. I leave them in the Wall of Water until they are blooming, then remove and we have a nice crop of mid sized eggplants by end of Aug beginning of Sept.Just in time to harvest before the first heavy frost.
I have a question. Where in your home do you put the seedlings while they're growing indoors? Last year I started a few seeds indoors and all died. I didn't know where to put them so as to keep the prying kitty paws and teeth away and where they'd be warm enough. I ended up putting them in the upstairs bathroom we don't use. It was warm, but without windows and natural light.
I want to try my hand again this year. Any idea where to keep indoor seedlings?
omg its 91F to 94F here (brisbane, Australia) during the day and if we're lucky it dips to a low of 78F overnight, im longing for winter when temps here get as low as, oh, 50F brrrr (not). My mind boggles when i read northern hemisphere blogs lol the only time i've experienced anything below freezing, ever in my entire life, is sticking my head in my freezer! and that includes my one trip to the "snow".
Post a Comment