Garden Thread 2026

[HawkinsHollow]

That's right it is time to start thinking about the 2026 garden. I know some of you are still locked down in winter, but it is still time to start thinking about it.
I got my first set of seeds for my spring crop going this weekend. 2 kinds of lettuce, spinach, arugula, kale, snap peas, kohlrabi and dill. I am a little worried these seeds might not germinate, they were about 3 years old. I added extra seeds into each block to make up for the potentially lower germination rate.

Has anyone else used soil blocks to start your seeds? I am a fan, a little bit extra work but I believe it helps the young plants take off with less shock from transplanting. Tried a new soil recipe this year and it worked very well. We can put these crops in the ground in early March around these parts. I am a little behind.

Does anyone grow kohlrabi? If you don't, do yourself a favor and give it a try. I LOVE IT!!! It is kind of turnip like but has a flavor all it's own. Slice them up and put a little salt on it, MMMMMMMmmmmmmm!

 

[Engineer42]

Still a bit cold here but itching to get started

 

[NHBX]

Really looking forward to this year’s garden but still have a couple of weeks to go

 

[Jstpssng]

We're just getting into snow season here. That may not hold true for this year but the way weather patterns have been we seem to get more snow in March than the previous months.

 

[skipmarcy]

I have always planted my broccoli, cauliflower & cabbage right around the 1st to 2nd week in March. Have had snow on the plants a few times and of course many frosts but these plants survive short durations of this. For extended frosts/freezes I cover the small plants with small plastic buckets attached to a stick to shove in the ground. I leave the bucket up off the ground about an inch or so.

Used to be able to plant the main garden by mid-April here for decades until just a few years back - now it's usually 2nd week of May before I can plant seeds. The ground just isn't warm enough for germination and/or HEAVY rains wash it all out and have to replant almost every year now.

 

[kenmbz]

I planted corn here late april last year, that did not go well.
I will watch more closely when the local farmers put in their corn.
Tomatoes were doing well until we got our first ever wave of army worms.
Lost half the tomatoes to them.

 

[LittleBittyBigJohn]

We started on our raised bed. We haven't ever done one but hopefully this will work out. 5' wide beds in a U shape that's 16' tall and 15' wode. It's 2 - 2x10's tall. I got 1 load of horse stall clean outs that are about a year old. Going to get 1 more load and mix it about 1 to 1 with dirt that I will get from scraping high spots on my property.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

Been thinking again... I usually till up my garden rows about twice and about a week apart then put in transplants or direct seeding. Seems to kill the weeds that sprout up etc.

Anyway. I was thinking maybe I should run my 3 point plow or chisel plow through the row to break up the deadpan layer and roll over the top. Then till it up.

Any words of wisdom? It's getting garden planting time transplants are ready, planning to put em in the ground Monday.

 

[ponytug]

Been thinking again... I usually till up my garden rows about twice and about a week apart then put in transplants or direct seeding. Seems to kill the weeds that sprout up etc.

Anyway. I was thinking maybe I should run my 3 point plow or chisel plow through the row to break up the deadpan layer and roll over the top. Then till it up.

Any words of wisdom? It's getting garden planting time transplants are ready, planning to put em in the ground Monday.

Deadpan? Hardpan?

If you have hardpan, then yes running a ripper or chisel through it can help a lot if you can get deep enough to break through / below it. It helps to dig down to figure out how deep the layer is and how thick it is;

What is Hardpan and How to Breaking Up Hardpan Soil | Facts About Soil

I think plowing only helps if you can get below the hardpan, and even then it is a lot of HP to plow that deeply. Ripping is easier (faster, lower HP) in my experience, but there are a number of different types of hardpan that arise both from different soils, water, and the equipment used.

We had a low lying field done once, and the dozer rippers were set 60" down. The field fertility went up by a lot for many years.

If you can amend the soil and or plant some deep rooted cover crop over the winter, you might be able to help break it up.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Paddy]

We focus more on our peach trees than a true garden. We plant tomatoes, cukes, garlic and okra. I didn't think we would like okra. A quick dredge of olive oil and spices, then on the grill whole to just a few min. Don't over cook to avoid slime!

We don't turn over a plot for a garden. We have a 60 ft long, 2 ft wide mulched strip. It surrounded by grass/yard. So I can mow up to the mulch. "walk the garden" with out stepping in mud. Buried under the mulch is a drip water system on a timer. Pretty much hands free other than picking

Peaches are in bloom now. We normally get well over a 1000 peaches from our 3 trees

 

[Jstpssng]

I had the brainstorm a few years back to plow and harrow my garden spot and turn the weed seeds in. I'd spent considerable time picking rocks so that it tilled easier but those weeds were terrible.
I should have known to stop after tripping my plow the first time. Or at least the second or third time... I brought more rocks up than you can imagine. 5 or 6 years later I'm still picking rocks, yet have just as many weeds as I ever did.

 

[ponytug]

@Jstpssng How big is your garden?

FWIW: We found a layer of composted hay mulch goes a long way to reducing weeds. we used to put a thin layer down around seedlings and then keep adding to it each week as the seedling grow until the layer was six or eight inches thick. The few weeds that grew, came right up when pulled.

My current tiller is pretty good at tossing rocks ahead and out of the garden, when tilling half in the ground, which gives me six inches or so of rock free soil to plant into. I till down 10" on the second pass, before the rock tossing pass, but we don't have Maine levels of rocks to deal with.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

^^^^
Not as big as it once was, now it's about 1/4 acre as I plant a lot of potatoes and corn. I used to plant a few pounds of dried beans but there was no way that I could keep up with the weeds. Picking them was easy, I'd just pull the dried vines. At the time I had a 14x20' greenhouse so I'd spread them on the benches to finish drying.
But then you need to shell the darned things!

My field is about 2 acres,It was all grown up when I bought my land, I had it cleared and stumped but of course that took the top layer of topsoil off. Now that the stumps have rotted down I'm working it back into the garden. About 1/4 acre is in fruit trees and the remainder that isn't tilled I intend to start planting cover crops.

 

[part-time-Farmer-NC]

I'm referring to hardpan. When I run my tiller through it just under its reach (about 8") is a harder layer. When we get a good rain, the top becomes mushy for several days then slowly dries out. Making me believe the rain isn't soaking down well.

I think I am going to try a row or two. I don't want to add to my work load with lots of rocks so that should be a good test. I usually do find a few more rocks after running the tiller. My garden rows are in between my blackberry rows. I think I have 10 or 12 that are 125' long.

We just got a cold snap last night glad I didn't plant the maters and peppers yet. Will be doing that this week though.