Kicking Off The 2026 Gardening Season!
Hello old friends! Or maybe new friends. It's been a minute since I've logged in to see how things are buzzing in the Hive community.
While life continues to be busy, I'm always grateful to the garden for allowing me room to breathe and slow down here and there. And it continues to be the one topic I'll make room for to take note of on here, if for no other reason than to be able to come back and see how things change from year to year in our garden chronicles!
No year is the same as the last in the garden. Weather patterns change. One category of plant or another rises to the occasion and provides more than we could hope for, while others leave us wanting more. The one thing that never changes...the battle with the critters. 😂
This year started out with some wildly fluctuating weather, causing the continued degradation of the greenhouse roof panels. @dksart improvised as he often does and came up with a fix to make it useable for our early planting with found items around the house and garage. I mostly use the greenhouse for overwintering plants and early seed starting, so an old shower curtain and plastic sheeting will suffice for this year!
We are growing many of the usual suspects for our Atlanta climate--tomatoes of small and larger varieties, cucumbers, eggplant, beans, and copious amounts of squash. Always squash.
The tomatoes are happy in the greenhouse for now, along with the cucumbers and eggplant that have yet to emerge from the soil. The weather has turned just enough to have moved the fast-growing summer squash varieties out into the beds. Always a risk to do in late March, but the risk of waiting is decimation by bugs.
This year I opted to try out a new seed company, Sow True Seeds, to stock back up on some new varieties and old favorites. So far, germination has been great! The zucchini are looking good, as well as the Sugar Magnolia snap peas I got to add to my existing stash of snap and snow pea seeds. With the longer days and warmer weather, they'll be flowering soon.
After not having any luck with beans the last few years, I also got Cherokee Wax Beans and Blue Lake green beans from them, as well. I planted straight out into the beds a little over a week ago, and they're all pushing up out of the ground. However, the squirrels started finding the delicate seedlings first and bit off the tops of the first few seedlings.
The fake owl was no deterrent, but we opted to try out reflective pinwheels to see if that may deter the fuzzy thieves for now. So far, so good. Fingers crossed it continues long enough for us to actually get to enjoy some fresh beans this year! We have a few other varieties growing, as well, but these are the ones I'm most looking forward to.
The oregano, mint and lemon balm have all exploded, and I have some other herb seeds planted, as well. However, I'll finish out my April update with the fruit trees.
We had a hard frost after early warmth spurred the budding of the plums. Luckily, one tree was a little behind the other so I am really hoping we get our first plum harvest! We had lots of immature fruit last year for the first time, so perhaps this year is finally the year they make it to maturity for us?
The fig trees also took a hit, but they're slowly coming back, as well. We are up to three trees this year, two well-established and one that's still small but growing nicely. Our fig harvest last year was phenomenal, so hoping for much of the same this year.
The two nectarine trees we planted a few years ago are coming along and pushing out some first fruit. Though I am pretty positive they are still too small to hold any mature fruit. It is fun to finally see them grow, though, since we got them so small.
I am sure I've missed a few things, but looking forward to plenty more to share in the upcoming months. Now is the time of much patience as we watch and wait for the first fruits to be ready to pluck...
Happy Gardening!
Hello old friend, long time no see. How nice to see your progress. I know it's way warmer there, so you're ahead with everything.
Half of my country is under snow again, so my dad only sowed the onion 🌰 cloves (I hope this is the right word) and the garlic. The rest has to wait a week or two.
It's so nice to see you post again.
Hello! So nice to see you pop by!
I hope all is well despite it still being a bit wintery there! Yes, we are definitely into the warmer weather here. Despite a few later frosts, it was a really mild winter here. I felt like I was a little late in the game getting some of my seeds starting, but I think it's all worked out well so far.
Hope you all can get some warmer weather soon and get some more goodies planted!
Well well look who's here! so nice to see you now and then.
Good luck with those beans this year. I will be bereft all winter if my beans ever fail! Do you know what happened?
I'm excited for you and your plums. I hope for a few nectarines, too.
@owasco! So nice to see you, as well!
So far so good on the bean front. The seedlings are all popping up nicely, and fingers crossed that the squirrels find something else to munch on. I think the seeds that I had last year must have been a dud batch. These ones this year have had much better germination rates. I think I have a little more space, so need to pop a few more seeds in the ground to maximize production!
I am so excited for the plums, as well. Last year we had just a few we were able to taste. The trees are well-established now, so I'm really hoping we'll get at least enough to enjoy fresh, if not extra to play with in the kitchen.
Hope all is well in your part of the world! Looking forward to making my way around the virtual gardenscape in the community here.
You have so much up and growing already with your warmer climate. You will be harvesting in no time. Those squirrels and chipmunks can be pesky sometimes. They eat my strawberries and first tomatoes, lol. Have fun!
I am counting down the days! We finally had some much-needed rain, so I am sure that will help everything take off even more. Counting down the days to the first harvest. Fingers crossed for your strawberries and tomatoes! 🤣
Thanks, the critters seem to like taking a bite out of many of the berries. Would you believe it is snowing again, geeze! Happy harvesting.
Well goodness me, look who it is! Was thinking of you the other day. Every time I plant squash I think of you haha.
Did you know I moved house? So I have a whole other garden on the go.
I'm jealous of your figs. I'm planting a nectarine soon, though I have to plant dwarf varieties but that's okay. It's amazing how much you get into a small space.
Beans are the best! I have mine away from possums which are our version of a squirrel. Maybe try some temporary cages or wire round them.
Hellllllooo!
Haha, yes, always squash! I'm sure it was tough to leave the old beauty of a garden behind, but there is something about starting fresh, as well, isn't there? I'm sure you'll have a lush little oasis in no time, nectarines included.
The figs seemed to have been hit by the ambrosia beetles again, argghhh. Gardening at its finest, and not so finest. The pinwheels, however, seem to be doing the trick to deter the squirrels!
Pinwheels never deterred ANYTHING in my garden - grrr! At least we dont' have rabbits or blackbirds anymore, which was partly why we moved!
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