Planting Planting and Chat Thread for March 2024

[packyderms_wife]

Planting Calendar - Gardening by the moon

This planting calendar helps you pick the best days for gardening tasks based a 200-year-old formula. Our readers swear by it! Learn more.

www.farmersalmanac.com

• 1st – 1st
  Start seedbeds. Good day for transplanting. Excellent time for planting root crops that can be planted now. Also good for leafy vegetables.
• 2nd – 3rd
  Barren days, do no planting. Second day is a good harvest day.
• 4th – 5th
  Any root crops that can be planted now will do well.
• 6th – 7th
  A barren period, best suited for killing plant pests. Do plowing and cultivating. Good harvest days.
• 8th – 9th
  Good for planting cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, and other vine crops. Set strawberry plants. Good days for transplanting. Favorable days for planting beets, carrots, radishes, salsify, turnips, peanuts, and other root crops.
• 10th – 11th
  Cultivate and spray, do general farm work, but no planting.
• 12th – 13th
  Favorable for planting crops bearing yield above the ground.
• 14th – 16th
  Seeds planted now tend to rot in ground.
• 17th – 18th
  Excellent for sowing seedbeds and flower gardens. Best planting days for aboveground crops, especially peas, beans, cucumbers, and squash where climate permits.
• 19th – 23rd
  A most barren period, best for killing plant pests or doing chores around the farm.
• 24th – 26th
  Fine for sowing grains, hay, and forage crops. Plant flowers. First day is an excellent time for planting corn, beans, peppers, and other aboveground crops where climate permits. Last two days are favorable days for planting root crops.
• 27th – 28th
  Start seedbeds. Good days for transplanting. Excellent time for planting root crops that can be planted now. Also good for leafy vegetables.
• 29th – 31st
  Barren days, do no planting.

 

[Toosh]

I've started an experiment: I saw on YouTube where they planted the heads that I normally cut off from strawberries. From the heads grow several new plants. What the heck, nothing ventured, nothing gained. They were going into the compost anyway. Should take about 10 days to see if it works. ...not that I need anymore strawberry plants...

 

[Slydersan]

I was tempted to plant some of my cool friendly plants/seeds yesterday. But I talked myself out of it. Mostly because it rained most of the day (central MD). The weather guessers predict temps should be fine, but the standard around here is don't plant before St. Patty's day. But the old feller that used to live behind me, and we always talked gardens/etc, always said "If you aren't losing a few plants to frost every year, you aren't planting soon enough." LOL

 

[philkar]

I was tempted to plant some of my cool friendly plants/seeds yesterday. But I talked myself out of it. Mostly because it rained most of the day (central MD). The weather guessers predict temps should be fine, but the standard around here is don't plant before St. Patty's day. But the old feller that used to live behind me, and we always talked gardens/etc, always said "If you aren't losing a few plants to frost every year, you aren't planting soon enough." LOL

My dad used the same quote!

 

[Border Collie Dad]

My dad wouldn't plant his transplants until Memorial Day here 50 miles north of Pittsburgh.
Soil wasn't warm enough.
I'm going to try to push the envelope on broccoli and cabbage.
My last frost date is around May 15.
I'm gambling on a few plants early April and sopme Mid-April.
Trying to keep the broccoli from bolting

 

[packyderms_wife]

I was tempted to plant some of my cool friendly plants/seeds yesterday. But I talked myself out of it. Mostly because it rained most of the day (central MD). The weather guessers predict temps should be fine, but the standard around here is don't plant before St. Patty's day. But the old feller that used to live behind me, and we always talked gardens/etc, always said "If you aren't losing a few plants to frost every year, you aren't planting soon enough." LOL

I was going to plant some cold tolerant plants this weekend but decided to hold off until next weekend! If I had one of those tunnel cover set ups I would have ahead and planted some kale, chard, and mustard green seeds. Central Iowa.

 

[packyderms_wife]

I've started an experiment: I saw on YouTube where they planted the heads that I normally cut off from strawberries. From the heads grow several new plants. What the heck, nothing ventured, nothing gained. They were going into the compost anyway. Should take about 10 days to see if it works. ...not that I need anymore strawberry plants...

Curious as to what your results will be!

 

[GingerN]

I know nothing for the most part about gardens as I have a black thumb. I am going to try to reverse that this year. I do remember my grandfather, who could grow ANYTHING anywhere in abundance, saying not to plant before Good Friday.

 

[Rabbit]

Down here in Georgia I usually have something in the ground by St. Patrick's Day but not this year. I've been tempted, my tomato and pepper starts are under lights and looking good. I know there will be an April surprise and when plants struggle because they were planted too early, they usually take a long time to recover, if they do.

 

[Toosh]

I'm USDA zone 6. Herbs are outside, in winter-sow milk jugs and are about 1" tall. Strawberries, garlic and onions are in the ground under plastic low tunnel. I'll start peas next week, in the ground under plastic. I'll start beans in the ground in about 2 weeks.

Peppers and toms are about 4" high in the grow tent in the garage. I'll start melons and cucs indoors in 2 weeks and transplant them out - even if I have to low tunnel them by April 15.

Then we'll see what else I have room for. I'd like to put in a few peanuts.

 

[philkar]

I'm USDA zone 6. Herbs are outside, in winter-sow milk jugs and are about 1" tall. Strawberries, garlic and onions are in the ground under plastic low tunnel. I'll start peas next week, in the ground under plastic. I'll start beans in the ground in about 2 weeks.

Peppers and toms are about 4" high in the grow tent in the garage. I'll start melons and cucs indoors in 2 weeks and transplant them out - even if I have to low tunnel them by April 15.

Then we'll see what else I have room for. I'd like to put in a few peanuts.

Oh for sure do peanuts!!

 

[Slydersan]

Most of my pepper and tomato seeds that I started in my house are all poking up now. I am convinced those seed heating mats work really well. I had a really bad time with heat/drought/and squirrels last year. So I was trying to save some San Marzano (roma Type) seeds and literally only got about 8 seeds from 1 tomato that made it to being ripe. I started all of them and I think all but 1 came up and they look pretty good so far (still in my house). So maybe those seeds will be somewhat drought resistant now. That would be neat.

I put peas and potatoes in the ground on the 8th and some of the peas were just starting to poke through the soil yesterday. It has been cool though. I planted some onion, spinach, carrot, turnip, radish, and beet seeds on the 15th. Don't get too excited I only have a few 4'x8' raised beds so it's not like I was planting 50' rows of each or anything. LOL So when I say "some" ...maybe like a 4' row of each. .... .... .... And now we wait.... (and cross fingers). A neighborhood cat and many squirrels love to dig and use my raised beds for other things.

 

[Border Collie Dad]

I'm in a new part of Zone 6.
Just today, I'm planting tomato and pepper seeds.
I planted cabbage and broccoli seeds several weeks ago but it will be, at least, the second week in April before I try them outside.
Several weeks before peas and onions

 

[summerthyme]

We're under a winter storm warning, and looking at 18° Thursday night. I'm having trouble getting motivated to plant, but I know it's time! I do have 500 Copra onion seeds and 250 Walla Walla seeds planted in the cold frame... hoping to get situated so I no longer need to buy plants. Dixondale onion plants are great (except they don't have Copras anymore, and the Pattersons they replaced them with suck in comparison), but in 7 years, they've gone from $30 a case to $90!

Summerthyme

 

[philkar]

We're under a winter storm warning, and looking at 18° Thursday night. I'm having trouble getting motivated to plant, but I know it's time! I do have 500 Copra onion seeds and 250 Walla Walla seeds planted in the cold frame... hoping to get situated so I no longer need to buy plants. Dixondale onion plants are great (except they don't have Copras anymore, and the Pattersons they replaced them with suck in comparison), but in 7 years, they've gone from $30 a case to $90!


I love dixondales but started lots from seed just to see if I could do it. It worked! I will be growing my own from now on!
Summerthyme

 

[Orion Commander]

I was tempted to plant some of my cool friendly plants/seeds yesterday. But I talked myself out of it. Mostly because it rained most of the day (central MD). The weather guessers predict temps should be fine, but the standard around here is don't plant before St. Patty's day. But the old feller that used to live behind me, and we always talked gardens/etc, always said "If you aren't losing a few plants to frost every year, you aren't planting soon enough." LOL

Sounds like canning. If you aren't losing a few jars you aren't canning enough.