Been about a month since anybody mentioned spring gardens, it's finally gettin' dry enough to work the ground!
Well the big boys have been turning some dirt the last few days. They are having to skip some wet spots but it looks promising.
I had to recruit Miss Joy to help me hook up the bottom plows. That is a story all by itself. Finally got the plows hooked up and adjusted and have "broke" the garden and an old food plot. My bottom plows are a set of 4 -16" plows but I have removed 2 plows and am using it as a double bottom plow. They work well with the 46 horse power tractor. When they were 4-16's we pulled it with a 60 horse tractor.
Next step for the spring garden will be leveling the plowed ground with a disk. I have an International 370 pull type disk, it's about 9 feet wide so it should not take long to prepare a seed bed for our spring garden and the grandson's special food plot. Will try and post a few pictures as we progress. I do intend to plant some more of the red corn seed that we've been foolin' with for several years.
Treefarmer
All of my seedlings have been hardened and are ready to put in the ground. Strange thing, I started all the seeds at the same time, everything came out at once expect for the bell peppers. I didn't see one plant pop out until 2 weeks after I started. They are catching up now but thought I got a bad package. I knew it was time to start planting as the 1st signs of asparagus and our raspberry plant started popping up.
ground Temperature has everything to do with it. 60 - 80 degrees.
West Central Florida -
I have silver queen corn already sprouting, purple beans and zucchini are starting to pop. planted 6 bell seedling and 2 egg plants, the seedling tomatoes have been planted / buried in buckets.
Waiting til beginning of April to plant sugar baby watermelons and the sangria watermelons. The ground is going to have to warm up after this cold front goes through before they can be planted.
Hunter1005, you're right on target mentioning soil temperature! Planting early in the central Panhandle has it's pluses, but the are some minuses too. Watermelons used to be planted in February and have you ever seen 40 acres of Styrofoam coffee cups covering tiny little watermelon plants? Labor intensive but if you make the early crop it is well worth the effort financially. But for home gardening a little later seems to make sense.
Just noticed last evening on the Panama City weather news, several years ago there was a stretch of 3 days in March that recorded low 20's, a record. We've also seen snow flurries in March. That said, the full moon is next Wednesday, the traditional "Easter cold snap" is usually on or around the full moon. Our soil temperature is in the low 60's with more rain forecast for the next few days, which will slow any work down in the garden plots for a few days if it's more than an inch.
Field corn will germinate with soil temperatures in the 50's and it is also traditionally planted early but because of too much water, very little has been planted on the big farms. Gardens are a different story but I still like to use the farm equipment to do my part of the garden. My wife leans toward the raised beds and I told her if I could get a tractor in it I would tend it for her :rolleyes . As we age it seems the small garden and raised beds are more practical than planting enough for the whole neighborhood.
Here is a look at the south 1/2 of our garden, also shows a little bit of the 5 raised beds and a corner of the north 1/2 . There is a lane with a couple of pecan trees that divides the garden. The north 1/2 is where I intend to plant the red field corn. As you can see it has only been "broke", that is turned with bottom plows. Disking is next and then planting.
Treefarmer
My spouse wanted raised beds once. But the minute I ask for her help in building them, that was the end of the conversation.
Plus if I have to turn the soil by hand in a raised bed, it is not happening.
