[reverseapachemaster]

I'm a pretty bad gardener so I'm still struggling to get some hops to grow well. I have a very vibrant rosemary bush because it's extremely hardy. I'm going to grow a few peppers, a squash plant and a couple tomatoes outside with some low maintenance herbs inside the house in front of a window. I planted a couple tomato plants prematurely and killed one entirely and almost killed the other but it is growing back slowly. We'll see how much more I can kill before the growing season ends in the fall.

[euge]

Horseradish is invasive? I better move the two plants out of the beds they are in to a spot where they can thrive... and multiply.

[tschmidlin]

Horseradish is invasive? I better move the two plants out of the beds they are in to a spot where they can thrive... and multiply.

Horseradish might be worse than hops, at least in our area.  I would move them ASAP and then keep a sharp eye out for any growth where you moved them from.  I kept mine in a pot, it eventually died one summer when it didn't get enough water.

[kylekohlmorgen]

Its depressing to read The Garden Thread when we're currently getting 2"-3" of snow 

I actually just like the pictures - the wife and I have a hard enough time growing grass and shrubs.

[bluesman]

I also want to get some horseradish root and shallots, but they weren't in yet. They said they should have been in by now, but for some reason they haven't arrived as of yet. I'll give them a call this weekend.

Make sure you contain that horseradish - invasive as crap

Good to know...thanks! 

[bluesman]

More horseradish for your liking. 

http://www.horseradish.org/history.html

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/horseradish

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_prepare_horseradish/

I think I'm going to plant these guys away from the main garden.

[redbeerman]

This from the recipe link:

 "A ground up fresh horseradish is many times as potent as freshly chopped onions and can really hurt your eyes if you get too close. Keep at arms length away, and work in a well ventilated room."

My experience says do it outside.  I really can't reiterate how potent this stuff can be.  It basically chased us out of our little apartment kitchen the first time we made it.

[boulderbrewer]

Seeds ordered and we will do the tunnnel this year to get a couple months extra.

[morticaixavier]

potatos started poking up above ground, this years potatos that is, last years started poking out about a month ago.

Got corn seed in the ground and a few strawberry starts planted.

[pinnah]

last years started poking out about a month ago.

Wooee!  Volunteer potatoes are excellent; always the first new potatoes to be harvested here.
 
I caught the first yellow rhubarb leaf poking up yesterday, as well as a few garlic shoots.

Made the mistake of deciding on a new spot for peas and cucumbers
right where a Centennial crown has been living for a few years.
Holy crap, removing an established hop plant by hand is no fun.

Also got the fruit trees trimmed. 
I love to prune, but am bad about picking up the branches.

Yea, hear ya Vert on the potato rotation. 
Wish I had some raised beds I could swap out!  Making new potato beds is a chore.

[redbeerman]

Picked up onion and garlic sets yesterday.  Too cold to play in the garden today (it may snow, where the heck is spring?)  Oh, that's right, not until Wednesday.

[euge]

I rotate my beds never growing the same plants consecutively. Not sure, but is it 2-3 years before one can replant in a prior bed?

[morticaixavier]

This is only my second year on this garden. and we are rotating some but mostly we just plant a big ol' hodgepodge anyway with lots of stuff growing every which where.

[erockrph]

I rotate my beds never growing the same plants consecutively. Not sure, but is it 2-3 years before one can replant in a prior bed?

The old rule of thumb I'm familiar with is a 4-year rotation of Legumes > Leaves (i.e., Brassicas) > Fruits (Tomatoes, Squash, etc.) > Roots. Now, within my home garden I definitely don't grow an even enough assortment from each of these categories to be able to do this, nor is my garden large enough to do a strict rotation like this. Since I keep my vegetable garden organic, I'm mainly concerned with soil nutrients and pest control. I try to follow legumes with veggies that can use the extra nutrients (brassicas or corn, generally), and I try not to plant veggies that get hit by the same problem insects following each other. If I can keep my rotation to at least 3 years, then that's good enough for me.

[andrew]

Anybody care to take on another year in the growing food thread?

Pretty cold yet here, but the garden is now snow free and I am starting to dream.
Still have some leeks in the ground.  Should lift those and see how they wintered.

Anything new planned?  Seeds started?
Shoot... Andrew is probably already eating corn.

I have been wondering if I can keep planting potatoes in the same spot year after year.
Do you folks rotate certain crops around?

Cheers to spring!

Nope not eating any corn yet!... although me and the wife finished off what was left from last year's frozen harvest a few weeks back.          However, I do have popcorn planted that is several inches high!

Always gardening here, but it took a beating a few days before Easter with a heavy late frost while I was out of town. Had to replant squash, cucumbers, and a couple of peppers. Most everything else will make it although it got burned. Potatoes and tomatoes are over 1 foot tall, ate asparagus through mid March, just starting to harvest strawberries, picked most of the carrots already, and already pickled beets this year.

My hops are up already and have been for a few weeks, but they also were a little burned at the end of March.

Most of my fruit trees are leafing out or blooming except for just a few, and I had a newly planted apple tree blown over in a thunderstorm yesterday morning. It was staked, but not good enough for 50 MPH winds.