2025 Gardens

This topic has 6 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 2 weeks, 3 days ago by Italiancook.

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February 8, 2025 at 6:28 pm #45488
Mike Nolan
Keymaster
Time for a new thread for 2025 garden planning and updates. I've hit several of the places that sell seed in Lincoln but haven't found all the tomato varieties I'm hoping to plant this year yet. No rush yet, I usually start the seeds the last week in March. The ones I can't find locally I'll have to order by mail. (I also want to get some white eggplant seeds, I grew some of those a few years ago and they were fun to watch grow and we even ate some. My wife love the look of eggplants when they're growing, but isn't fond of eating them, so we gave most of them away.) I also need to order leek plants from Johnny's.

I may change what I'm using for a seed starter tray, but I'd like something that will fit in a standard 10x20 gardening tray. I saw a nice 50-compartment one, but it was 11x21.

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March 24, 2025 at 4:59 pm #45897
Mike Nolan
Keymaster
I started seeds for 12 different varieties of tomatoes, (6 of them that I have not grown before) and 2 varieties of eggplant (purple and white) under the grow lights today.

The 12 tomato varieties are:
Celebration (New)
Super Sauce (New)
Delicious (New)
Purple (New)
Estiva (New)
Celebrity
4th of July
Defiant (New for outdoors but I have two growing in the hydroponic garden)
Amish Paste
Italian Roma (New)
Italian Heirloom
Porter

The Purple one is one my older son found and gave me for Christmas, I don't know if he's grown it in his garden or not. (But purple and white are Northwestern's colors.)
March 31, 2025 at 5:04 pm #45958
Mike Nolan
Keymaster
So far about 20 of the tomatoes have sprouted.

I put in about 60 leek plants today.

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April 17, 2025 at 2:11 pm #46081
Italiancook
Participant
For the first time, I have a red squirrel -- a young red squirrel -- roaming the trees. He/she has eaten all the leaves off two branches facing my window. It appears he taunts me to stop him. He or she stares at me while shoving leaves into his mouth. First of all, I never before knew squirrels eat leaves. The usual cadre of grey squirrels don't decimate my trees' branches. Second, as far as I know, there aren't any seeds in these leaves. So this red squirrel made me wonder:

I haven't read anything about any of you gardeners having problems with squirrels eating your crops. Are squirrels -- red or gray -- a problem in your gardens?
April 17, 2025 at 2:24 pm #46082
chocomouse
Participant
I have at least one problem chipmunk - he/she will pick a cherry tomato from the deck plant, peel it, eat the insides, and stash the peel in a pot with all of its other peels! I have to keep a wire mesh cage (with a top!) over the cherry tomato plant.
April 17, 2025 at 7:00 pm #46088
BakerAunt
Participant
Italian Cook--We have red squirrels. My husband has seen red squirrels eat oak buds. Is that what your squirrel is doing? We haven' t witnessed them stripping branches. I wonder if you put out a squirrel feeder if it would leave your tree alone.
April 18, 2025 at 8:42 pm #46104
Italiancook
Participant
BakerAunt, I've mulled over your squirrel feeder idea. I already have many gray squirrels. I'm hoping the red squirrel was just yard-hopping and that there aren't anymore of them. Too destructive to suit me. I'm afraid that if I put out a squirrel feeder that I'd soon have every squirrel in the county! Thanks for the suggestion, though. Next week, I'm going to call my retired tree man. I'm going to ask him if there's a humane way to shoo red squirrels from my yard/trees. I have an oak tree & a black walnut -- squirrel magnets. Several years ago, Mike gave us some information on selling black walnut trees to a tree company. The circumference on mine is smaller than what that company wants. Plus, I'm attached to that tree now and don't want to lose it.
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