Early Planting tips and tricks
BootsNBridles, Sun Apr 28 2019, 05:59PM

It can be tricky getting plants growing early in our season! Anyone have any tips and tricks?

One was taught to me many moons ago : if it freezes when you have young but leafed out plants in the ground spray water on them before the sun hits them. It defrosts them slowly and will save most of them. It seems weird but it has worked!!

Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
solargardens, Sun Apr 28 2019, 06:44PM

Boots, we use frost cloth or old sheets for those days like we have been having (nice days and an occasional freeze)
Cover the plants when you know the temps will be 25 to 35 degrees in the morning. We have started putting out our rose sage, California fuchsia and bumblebee penstemon for the xeriscape plant giveaway. So far so good.


Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
Lumber Jill, Sun Apr 28 2019, 09:04PM

Cammy & I have kept 7 tomatoes and 2 pepper plants alive the last 2 weeks by wrapping them in sheets each evening!

Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
©ammy, Wed May 01 2019, 09:26PM

Here's the covering during our recent graupel storm:




Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
HazMatMind, Thu May 02 2019, 08:48AM

Neighbor planted some poppy seeds. I plan to follow suit. His wife said the poppies might not even come up until next year. Is this accurate? I'm also looking for a sturdy climbing perennial to soften a chain-link fence. Suggestions? Thx!

Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
Lumber Jill, Thu May 02 2019, 09:40AM

HazMatMind wrote ...

Neighbor planted some poppy seeds. I plan to follow suit. His wife said the poppies might not even come up until next year. Is this accurate? I'm also looking for a sturdy climbing perennial to soften a chain-link fence. Suggestions? Thx!

Poppies will sprout on bare ground. They won't in the shadows of grasses etc. They will come up this year, and have limited blooms but will grow into nice large plants over several years. They reseed themselves nicely, again, on bare ground. We have 3 Virginia Creepers which are a beautiful deep red in the fall. Birds love their seeds in the fall/winter.


Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
HazMatMind, Thu May 02 2019, 10:14AM

Thanks, LJ!

Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
solargardens, Thu May 02 2019, 11:34AM

HMM, our pink Shirley poppies that we seeded last month are popping up in abundance. The prickly poppies are also coming back. Watch for the doves, they LOVE poppy seeds and will devour most of them in short order. I have seen doves flying sideways after eating the prickly poppy seeds !! Next time, I will try to get a video of that and post it.
Try good for your fence. Community market usually has a nice example on the West side of the building. I have extra hops plants if you would like a few.


Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
solargardens, Thu May 02 2019, 11:35AM

Good=hops

Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
holeinbow, Sun Feb 02 2020, 09:07PM

I'm thinking about getting some tomato seeds going, last year it was difficult finding black krim and the delicious heirlooms we love so much. Any pointers on starting some tomato seeds other than don't let 'em freeze?

Re: Early Planting tips and tricks
wisteria1, Sun Feb 16 2020, 07:13AM

A variety called Cold Set has been my go-to for a decade. There's nothing fancy about the tomatoes themselves (except they are delicious) but the plants are reliable, suited for our short growing season, can handle "a light frost", and I've harvested well into November most years. I started my seeds in the sunroom a couple of weeks ago and they're about 2-3 inches. On very cold nights I turn on a heat mat for them but other than that they're on their own. I'll probably transfer to the greenhouse in April and into the ground in May (that's when the "frost tolerant" part comes into play, they've always made it through our late season surprises). Good luck! I find growing from seed quite fun.