‘It feels like we’re in a bit of a holding pattern here at the Camp Butterfield Religious Family Sized Garden. Thinking on what to do first prior to gardening in Mid Coast Maine.
On one hand, we have tons of growing space and the seedlings are ready to go…
But on the other hand, the ground is still a wee bit too wet and we still have two more nights with temps in the 30’s so I’m not able to harden off the 200+ tomato and pepper plants that have taken over our home.
We are hoping the HH can get out there with his tractor and move the 20 yards of garden soil down to the big garden on Friday {before it rains this weekend}.
If not, he’ll have to wait until late next week until it dries out again.
Mid May Gardening in Mid Coast Maine
It seems so weird, not to have anything in the ground yet. But this is Maine. And although the growing season seems short, things generally work out and with all the sunshine we usually get and things seem to work out in the end.
But still… I’m ready to get planting!
In the meantime we’ve been busy pulling weeds and roots out front in one of the overgrown beds out front.
And it’s not been fun yet starting out my gardening in Mid Coast Maine.
The weeds are plenty and the roots are long but I’m happy to report, we’re almost done. We wake up every day sore and tired but by about 9am we’ve perked up again and ready to keep on going.
I love it. The HH, not so much. He says he feels old.
I tell him to suck it up, WE ARE getting old… And this is what it feels like.
Chop, chop… We have things to plant and projects to work on. Let’s go and start gardening in Mid Coast Maine:)
We stopped by the greenhouse yesterday {or rather we drove to the greenhouse yesterday, we were on a mission} and picked out a nice lilac bush to put smack dab in the center of the spot we had just cleared.
The old grumpy man {my husband} flipped out at the price of the lilac bush {$54.99} and I told him not to worry, I’ll make the money back in cut flowers in about 2-3 years and he just rolled his eyes.
And then on our way to pay, we passed by some rhododendron bushes and were gobsmacked at the price… $99.99!!! For the ugliest bush on the planet.
We couldn’t believe it.
And then he went on this whole rant about how maybe we should get a greenhouse… And I had to contain my smile because HELLO… This is what I’ve been telling him all along!!!
We also picked up a few hosta plants from a roadside stand on the way home {$5 each}. Which by the way, was about half the price they were going for at the nursery.
One of the 10 million pepper plants I started from seed.
I think I prefer growing them in the clear Solo cups, as you can see the roots and when they are starting to dry out. {Plus they’re sturdy and can be re-used year after year. I think I’m on year 3 right now}.
Sage.
Rosemary.
Lavender round #1.
Lavender round #2.
Yes, I’m starting my corn in flats. Last year the birds pulled up most of my shoots in the garden so this year we’re not having any of that!
Same with the sunflowers and beans.. The marigolds I plan to sell as neither the HH or I are fans of marigolds.
Our garden.
The Duck Lady’s Garden.
She’s about a week ahead of us and planted her corn seeds last night.
Gardening. Every year is a bit different. And I think that’s what I like most about it. What a boring world it would be if everything was the same year after year.
How’s it going over at your place? Are your tomatoes in the ground yet? How about your apple trees? Are they full of blossoms?
Keep Calm and Garden On.
~Mavis
Diana near Atlanta says
Good Morning!
Picking shelling peas. Green beans are in full bloom. Pole beans are to the top of the poles. Cilantro, parsley, thyme and rosemary are in the railing planters and doing well.
Greenstalk lettuces are about ready to harvest. Spinach is doing well and peppers have been planted in their greenstalk. Have a few more pockets left and I’m debating what to put in them.
Potatoes are flowering already! Zucchinis have lots of flowers, but all male so far (isn’t that always the way?). Tomatoes are getting huge and I saw my first flower a couple of days ago. Cukes aren’t doing so well. Don’t know what’s wrong but I started another round of those and dill. Blueberries are still ripening and I’m about to cover them with netting so the birds don’t get them.
I keep sitting here, with everything ‘done’ except to check on it each day and it feels like I’m forgetting something, lolol..
Ca says
Where are you located? I like to read all these gardening comments. Having an idea of how crops grow in different parts of the country is interesting to me. I’m in Northern California and just getting started with the summer garden although my cabbage and lettuce has bolted with our recent hot days! Thanks
Mary says
The greenhouse is the way to go! We built a small one here in northern vt from wood my husband milled from trees on our property. Really glad we had everything in it yesterday, it was *Snowing* here, enough Mother Nature!
Jamie says
Mostly planted here in Northern Illinois. We’ve had a warm May. Your starts look amazing. I can never get mine to look as healthy as yours so you must have the perfect touch!!
Melissa says
I agree. Those seedlings look amazing. Mavis – what kind of soil do you use when you transplant your starts into the Solo cups?
Mavis Butterfield says
I use a combination of Pro Mix and garden soil. I bought a giant bag of the Pro Mix at the garden center. I cant find the exact one I bought, but it’s something like this: https://www.promixgardening.com/en-us/veggies-and-herbs
Mrs. C. says
Mavis, I recommend taking a look at sileage tarps. Bootstrap Farmer dot com tends to have good prices. Amend your soil and then lay them over your religious and family garden plots over the winter and early spring. When you are ready to plant, pull them off and no weeds!
I am getting strawberries and asparagus. Today I hope to get a bunch of stuff in the ground!
Mavis Butterfield says
Do you have a greenhouse? I can’t remember?
Katelyn says
You might consider keeping those marigolds – lots of older Vermonters swear by lining their gardens in them to keep critters out!
Ruth says
Marigolds are a classic “companion plant” to use in the vegetable garden to keep pests away.
Get the HH a Muller’s Smart Cart….pricey, but really lightens the load! Worth every penny! Their HQ is in Buxton, ME….maybe you could take a field trip and report back to us?
Christie says
Last night it was 39 degrees in Maryland so the tomatoes, peppers and herbs are still in a cart that I roll in and out of the garage. I hope to get them in the garden this weekend. Peas, spinach, radishes, beets and 1 zucchini are in the garden and doing well so far. Only trouble is it’s dry. We could use some rain for the garden and to wash away all this pollen. Overall, off to a good start. Can’t wait to see how those 200+ plants turn out!
Stephanie in Utah says
I planted tomatoes and peppers this week. I bought them from someone selling oodles of unique heirloom varieties out of their driveway. They didn’t have many bell peppers left when I went, so I may pick up a few more of those. Also transplanted some swiss chard that my sister grew from seed. I don’t have any apple trees, but the peach and pear trees have blossomed, it was nice to not have to worry about late frosts this year. Last year I spent a lot of effort covering my peach tree and I still only saved a fraction of the blossoms.
Mavis Butterfield says
Are peaches easy to grow? I think I’d like to get a few peach trees for out place.
Nancy says
Lots of lettuce, swiss chard, radishes, herbs coming in. Picking strawberries and garlic have scapes on them. Green beans blooming.Tomatoes have small green tomatoes and peppers have small peppers. Bunches of blueberries on plants and blackberries are blooming. Temperatures staying in 80’s in day and 60’s at night.
Mavis Butterfield says
That’s beautiful growing weather!
Diana says
I always start my corn in flats first too, otherwise it always gets eaten. I actually don’t direct sow hardly any seeds, maybe just carrots and radishes. That way I know exactly what is going to grow and can get the spacing just right.
I have apples on my trees, tomatoes starting to form, peppers, and eggplant. I just harvested lots of onions, lettuce, spinach, collards, kale, radishes, carrots, and broccoli. Some things are starting to bolt so planting squash, cucumbers, and melons out soon.
That is one thing about living in a warmer area, gardening is year round so you don’t get a rest!
Carolyn Rust says
This is a season of tear out for my yard. I need to rework the property for easy care as I age. Currently there is too much maintenance and I only expect to have my son here for a few more years to help. So – this weekend I plan to get the herb garden bed cleared and planted with rosemary, sage, and thyme (perennials) and intermix with lots of basil and other annual herbs. We will continue whacking out the grass and blackberries and probably uproot and dispose of a couple of shrubs that are just in the wrong place. Weather here in PNW should be excellent for outdoor work – not too hot, not pouring down rain.
Rosemary says
All is still going well in the garden (topless greenhouse). The tomato plants have lots of tomatoes and they are getting big. I can’t wait until they are ripe and I can pick them. Dreaming of a tomato and mayo sandwich! The sunflowers have gotten tall and I can see the beginning sunflower heads on them. There are lots of flowers on the cucumbers, green beans, eggplant and bell peppers. The bell pepper does have one pepper that is a good size – I will wait a while to see if it gets any bigger before I pick it. I planted a third set of onions (gave up on the beets and put the onions in their spot). I agree with the others – keep the marigolds. They deter aphids as well as critters.
Mavis Butterfield says
Did you plant the mammoth sunflowers? That would be a hoot to see coming out of the greenhouse!
SueD says
I always companion plant marigolds with tomatoes, and when I had a veg plot, also planted them around most of the circumference. These days, I’m relegated to fabric pot planting until the terraced garden is completed. With everything going on around here, I had no chance to start seeds, so plan to buy plants Friday. One goal this summer is to get the greenhouse to the point that I can *use* it as a greenhouse rather than a storage shed the OH thinks it is.
Sandra says
According to this garden planting your above garden plant there are a few days when it looks good.
The Duck Lady looks like she is planning on keeping the local wild life out of her garden.
The Duck Lady says
I’m trying! I have a doe and her babies that think my garden is their personal buffet. For the most part it just keep my chickens and ducks from destroying everything until the plants are large enough.
Judi Y. says
Your plants are amazing! You have such a gift with growing….well, everything!
Diane says
Did I recall reading in a previous post that you don’t put drainage holes in your solo cups? And that you rinse them out and reuse them year after year? If so, just wondering how you make sure you’re watering enough to get to the bottom roots, but not so much to get right. Or is my brain making that up? Also, curious to hear how your winter sowing did this year.
Mavis Butterfield says
I don’t put holes in the cups, and yes I re-use them every year. With nealry 200 cups to fill with water, it’s easy to just fill the first one up and then fill the rest up with the same amount of water. I seem to be watering them about every 4 days or so.
Tanya says
Other than radishes, lettuce, and peas I’ve never had any luck starting anything from seed so I’m always impressed by your seedlings!
This is my first year gardening in Arkansas so my expectations are not high. We have a lot of shade and what I thought would be plenty of sun in the previously laid garden patch may prove to be too shady now that the trees are in full leaf again. Like I said my expectations are not high!
It has been a VERY wet spring but I’ve planted cucumbers, squash, onions, okra, peppers, tomatoes and artichokes from seedlings I bought at the farm store. I did plant an old pack of bush bean seeds I had but only 1 came up. I also planted blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries along with a few herbs in the garden and mint and lemon balm in pots. Everything seems to be doing well so far but they are calling for hail tomorrow evening. I’m hoping I don’t wake up to a massacre Saturday morning!
Mavis Butterfield says
You have been busy!! Finigers crossed that it doesn’t hail. 🙁
lien backwards says
Stop digging! Flatten out those cardboard boxes and cover your plot with them, put some holes through with a garden fork, cover with a good layer of compost (doesn’t need to be totally composted), then top soil and there you are. The worms and bugs will do the heavy liffting and no strained backs. In the Autumn cover with more compost plus leaves and top soiland then with fleece to keep the bed a bit wram.
neil
Pam says
It’s too early for tomatoes and peppers here in Michigan. I always plant Memorial weekend. I do have my garlic (planted last October), onions, potatoes and lettuce planted. I should have sown a bunch of seeds a week ago but had to wait as I wanted to move some beds around. Hopefully I’ll get them in this weekend or early next week. Depends on how much rain we get today and tomorrow.