My broccoli is up ya'll! It is in little pots in the side porch! My Monarda is up too and so is my Savory! Yippy! It was 74 degrees today. I wish that I could send some of this weather North for ya'll up in Wisconsin and other chilly places! Hey Ardie and Shau....we could all point our box fans in your general direction and maybe start a warm breeze?! HaHa! Ya'll have my warm wishes anyway!!! Wish you could have seen my goldfish today! They were so happy for the sunshine!!! The chickens were singin' a little happier and the puppies were kickin up their feet! The calves in the pasture are runnin around havin a ball! Spring really is coming! Oh....good news for you Northerners....I saw the Snow Geese heading your way so it won't be long for you either maybe! Whatcha all got sproutin? Whatcha waitin for in the mail? Whatcha tryin new?

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 06, 2001

Answers

I just put 128 tomato seeds in , peppers are next. I can imagine summer , as we still have about 5 feet of snow! ow will it ever end ?

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), February 06, 2001.

I've been out tilling in the garden the last two afternoons, trying to get it all done once before it rains again, probably Thursday. My folks have got lots and lots of tomatoes up. I've never had any luck starting them--well, I can get them up, but can't get enough light on them to make them nice and sturdy to plant out. I will probably get a few from Dad, and buy a few. Trying to hold off a few more weeks.~~ Last year I had the garden planted by mid-February--had to cover it a few times.

-- mary, texas (marylgarcia@aol.com), February 06, 2001.

Man, after yesterday, I think you ought to point those fans in the direction of the Northeast -- those poor folks. Up where my aunt lives in New Hampshire, they're under nearly two feet of new snow!

Strangely, in January I was driving over for one of my semi-annual shopping trips to another town and passed a little sheltered pot-hole pond that doesn't seem to freeze over (the people next to it may be heating it - everything else freezes three feet thick) and it was practically covered in mallard ducks. What they were doing there in January, I haven't a clue!! They weren't fenced, they didn't seem to be being fed, they were just all acting like they were at the hotsprings spa!

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), February 06, 2001.

Starting late this year!! I just planted broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and peppers--hot and sweet both. Have to get some tomatoes in maybe next week. I have one of those 4 shelf, florescent lighted plant stands, which really helps, but isn't near enough for all I start. My sister gave it to me a few years back, and I sure do love it! This is the year we HAVE to get the greenhouse built! Have the plastic and some fiberglass, plus some old windows, so shouldn't be too much of a chore. I'm really going to concentrate on planting open pollinated varieties of corn and some other things this year, and keeping better track of the varieties I plant for future reference. Got to get the seed orders in, too! Still way too cold to put anything outside, yet, but I use the wall o waters, with good results. Always put my cold stuff out way early in those, then transfer then to the tomatoes and peppers, etc. Jan

-- Jan in CO (Janice12@aol.com), February 06, 2001.

That reminded me... does anyone know how to make those wall of waters with milk jugs? I don't remember anyone ever answering that the last time... I may have missed it. Could someone explain it?

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 06, 2001.

Nothing up here or it is covered in snow. We have a storm heading through for the next day and a half and then temps in the neg. teens. My eyes are killing me from reading so much. Tekk them snow geese to bring their warm skivies. HA! Nan i just cut the bottom out of milk jugs and sink them in around the plant. Holds in moisture.

-- Shau Marie (shau@centurytel.net), February 06, 2001.

oop's that should have read tell them snow geese.....

-- Shau Marie (shau@centurytel.net), February 06, 2001.

Got tomatoes, squash, bell pepper, carrots, strawberries, lettuce and cabbage and chives started in the sunroom. Got all my worms working the soil for eight of my squares (worked it with a hoe and brought it in to mix with the castings for a couple of weeks before taking it back outside). I figure letting the worms do their thing will make that topsoil "top grade".

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 07, 2001.

Worked an extra shift last night so I was blissfully snoozing away long about noon when Pop banged on my door and hollered "Your seed order's here!". Reckon he knew I wouldn't want to waste a minute getting things started! Wouldn't you just know it, though - it wasn't the one with the tomato seeds or herbs in it.....guess I can make do with starting the broccoli and hot peppers. May sneak off to Rural King with my buddy Jon tomorrow and buy just one package (or two!) of tomato seeds - if I bribe him with lunch at the Amish restuarant, he might not even tell on me!

Can't wait to see Hubby's face when he sees our free gift seeds - a package of zucchini!! I only planted 4 hills last year, but they produced so well that he and Jon resorted to using them for target practice!

Our temps have gone from 30 to zero to 50 to 20 - typical Illinois weather! My spinach is still doing okay, but it's about the only thing. Hmmm - you know, buddy Jon's got a truck too; maybe we can pick up the pvc pipe for those chicken run slash cold frame covers after lunch tomorrow....dang!...I may have to bribe the boy with dessert as well! I feel garden fever comin' on - but not strong enough to go out there and clear off those last two beds in the rain and sleet we're getting today!

Went out a couple of days ago and was tossing crushed egg shells on the proposed tomato beds (calcium - good for blossom end rot problems). In my mind, I was gracefully frolic-ing in the garden - tossing handfuls of pale tan shells to land in a delighful mosaic against the dark earth....I was standing there admiring the patterns and imagining my lush and bountiful tomato harvest.....warming a handful of the good earth in my hand....pulling some strength from the soil ......I could almost feel the summer heat and see the butterflies and smell the sweet peas climbing up the clothesline post.......Then Mike the neighbor drove up - "What're you doing out slogging around in the mud - don't you know it ain't time to garden yet!" I swear, I don't know HOW that big splot of mud got on the side of his truck!! What I DO know is them big old rubber barn boots just ain't made for runnin' - he darn near caught me 'fore I made it to the side porch!! Had to feed him a couple of hot rolls with honey to get him calmed down - then I still thought Pop was going to have a stroke, he just kept sittin' there across the table going hee-hee-hee and drippin' tears in his coffee. I tell you, I just don't get these men and their sense of humor: "Tee-hee-hee...I thought he 'bout had you there by the lilac bush!" "Hoo-hoo-snort ...you'd a caught her there by the steps if you hadn't got tangled up in that rosebush, boy!" and "Well, if I hadn't had 12 pounds of worthless dog hanging off my pant leg, she wouldn't even have got past the chicken house!" (The twelve pounds of worthless dog enjoyed his biscut, too - by the way!) Poor old Hubby even seemed to enjoy Pop's instant replay - at least more than he enjoyed having to rub Ben-Gay into my calves later on!

Sometimes it seems there's never a dull moment down on the farm!!

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), February 07, 2001.

Hey, Polly, if you can run in rubber boots and you gotta pretty good arm, You ought to come over to our place and play some cowpie baseball this spring! I bet we'd whoop the boys!!!! Don't volunteer for catcher. They try that on all the new comers!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 07, 2001.

OOPS! Must have turned the fan the wrong way by mistake! We are getting a chilly breeze this morning! Nice time to finish up my seed trays and my sewing! Oh...How long does it take for onion seeds to germinate. I planted some old ones to see if they would do and I haven't seen em yet. The broccoli is up and I planted it the day after. I'd say it has been about 2 weeks.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 08, 2001.

Nan, those onions take awhile, but to be on the safe side, I'd buy some new seed and plant some more...just in case!

-- Ardie from WI (a6203@hotmail.com), February 08, 2001.

I forgot to tell you...I got my seeds from TotallyTomatoes yesterday!!!! Besides regular tomatoes,I'm growing two kinds of cherry tomatoes and some sweet peppers. I also ordered some VERY hot peppers to grow to dehydrate. I'm going to crush them and see if I can use them to persuade the outside cats to do their duty away from the house. TotallyTomatoes is also very nice in that they send new free seeds for us to try. NOW,where is Spring?????

-- Ardie from Wu (a6203@hotmail.com), February 08, 2001.

We order from totally tomatoes. I just love the vast variety! Good seeds too, no complants yet. I wish that the weather would warm up, I'm wanting to make some new raised beds for early veggies, but not when I have to do it in the snow! Usually the south wind keeps the snow blown up north! What do you find yourself craving? I want a nice mixed saled with fresh carrots, shallots, spinich, and honey lemon dresssing! (Hurry up May)

-- Marty (Mrs.Puck@excite.com), February 09, 2001.

Hey Marty, I have a cold frame that I made out of square bales. I put 4 down each side and one on each end and covered it with heavy mill clear plastic. The plastic is held down with assorted odd pieces of board that we had in the barn and that were ucky anyway. I thought that I had lost it when the elec was out and it got down to way below freezing(about 10 degrees) but I didn't! I keep a light bulb out there suspended by some chicken slats(oak 2by2s). It is gloriously warm under the plastic. Anyway, what I was going to say is that we have enjoyed spinach, red leaf lettuce, radishes, salad bowl lettuce and some odd buttercrunch and black seeded simpson seeds thrown in. It has been wonderful. I will do this every year from now on. You have to wait until it is pretty close to above freezing to open it, but I pick extra when it does and it has lasted a lot longer than the stuff from the store would. YUM! I am not really out anything because I am going to mulch with the hay anyway this spring and I already had the plastic and the wood. The light bulb is just a little boost for the heat. I bet you wouldn't have to have one if you live in zone 6 like me.

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 09, 2001.

I was so excited today when I looked out and could see my herb garden and all the raised beds - all the snow was gone! I put on a rain coat and boots and sloshed through the mud so I could look at it all close up. Bad news is snow is coming in tonight.

-- Terry-NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), February 09, 2001.

I think I'll retract what I said last. Aim those fans THIS way. It's -15 F. tonight. Guess I'll just repot houseplants.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), February 11, 2001.

The driveway is a sheet of ice and hubby got my van stuck when he slid off on Saturday. Hmm..when I get stuck its because I did something wrong. When he gets stuck its the ice's fault... First seed order arrived yesterday! I did a little skip as I came in from the mailbox. Mapple Farm in New Brunswick, Canada. The service was very speedy!!!! I got Mystery Keeper tomato seeds and Latah tomato seeds. I'll start them in March. Can't wait till the ice thaws off that garden!!! And I have visions of my front gardens when the veggie plots are planted..then its time to feed the soul with flowers etc.

-- Alison in Nova Scotia (aproteau@istar.ca), February 13, 2001.