Spring Is In The Air.....i Hope

[xkvator]

Today is tomato seed planting day.............can't wait till everything dries up...............I'm tired of mud :( snow and mud :( ......did i mention that i'm tired of mud :(

[mdshunk]

My hat's off to people to plant gardens and tend to yardwork with anticipation. That's too much like work for me. It's one of the reasons why I live in the mountain. All you have to do is remove the biggest of dead trees, and your yardwork is done.

[xkvator]

MD.....you have no grass? :eek:

in summer, cutting grass is sort of relaxation for me - i cut 3 acres around my house and i have 14 about 1/2 mile up the road that i cut about 5 of every couple weeks. I can "escape" up there and usually not be bothered by the phone or someone stopping by to get me to do some work...and then it's an hour or so shot. i'm looking at a tractor with A/C :)right now.
the landscaping though, has gotten out of hand over the years and needs scaled back - i usually haul 5 dump loads of mulch from the sawmill every spring - it's still a lot of hand work spreading it between shrubs even though my Bobcat does most of the work placing it. trying to keep ahead of the weeds is the most work.

[jsmall]

SO tired of mud, and wiping 8 muddy dog paws! Started some veggie seeds today. Three kinds of tomato (Brandywine, Roma, Grape) and two kinds of peppers (jalapeno and red bell). xkvator I thought it was a little early but see you're in western PA. I'm just outside of DC so I suppose now is the time for me too. Also planted some pea and lettuce seed directly in the veggie garden last weekend. I've never had good luck with peas (always bomb in the heat) so this year I decided to start them very early. No sprouts yet but I remain hopeful. Happy gardening!

[Mr T]

Cant believe you are talking about yardwardk in March! Anybody wanna come shovel my driveway? :D

[xkvator]

MR T.....the suns out.....it'll melt. and I hope it stays melted - i'll be going to Detroit in a couple weeks...lunch at Tony Packo's in Toledo - Been There?

JSMALL.....I always start some tomatos middle of MARCH to plant around the middle to end of APRIL...and the rest i start the first week of APRIL. the early ones - EARLY GIRL, FOURTH OF JULY,SILETZ, & STUPICE i plant along the side of a block/brick garage that gets a lot of sun and warms the ground. i cover these at night with black plastic containers from shrubs i have bought.
i usually pick some the first week of july. i'm in the foothills of the laurel mts., so your climate should be more moderate.
once the tomatos sprout, i feed them with very little nitrogen - usually use 0-12-12 and keep the fl. lights as close to the plants as possible...this makes compact,sturdy plants.
for planting in May, i like BIG BEEF, VICTORIA(similar to roma, but bigger),SIOUX, and BIG BITE.
i like to get peas in on St. Patrick's Day if it gets windy and dries the main garden up enough to till.
Hope yours does well!
my favorite veg. are HOT PEPPERS...mostly HUNGARIAN WAX(med. hot) & JALAPENOS. i've tried quite a few of the other mexican varieties, but those are the 2 i always plant.
TOMATO GROWERS SUPPLY in Fla. has quite a selection - only tomatos & peppers

[Mr T]

Do you mean Toledo? Or are you saying that your stopping by on the way to Detroit? Been by it (the origional/MASH one, they are franchising out now) millions of times, never made it into that particular one yet. Good food though.

Get in while you can, I-280 southbound is going to be closed most of the summer starting in a few months to finish the big bridge. Its getting pretty spooky driving under it now.

Snow is slowly melting up here. Just in time for the orange barrells to sprout.

[xkvator]

MR T...we'll be stopping for lunch at Tony Packo's in Toledo on our way to Detroit. Been stopping there for years/about 4 to 8 times/year. i didn't know there was more than one.
i can remember when they started that project on 280 quite a few years ago and watch the progress each time we go up to detroit.
two of the guys i work with went through 10 minutes before the crane collapse last year.

[Mr T]

Just local outlets around NW ohio. But they are nothing compared to the origional!

Unfortunatly due to the accident, the main span of the bridge has not moved at all. They are bringing in a different system to finish the mainspan this spring, and it will require frequent closures of I280.

THey give tours of the bridge and the site (can even go inside the bridge). I heard its a really neat tour, but it books up several months in advance. If interested i can dig up some info on how to sign up.

[xkvator]

probably won't have time on these trips for work...although that would be pretty interesting, especially going inside.
i don't watch too much TV...but MODERN MARVELS, ENGINEERING DISASTERS, and MEGA MACHINES are the kind of shows i'll watch.
that bridge construction should be on one of those DISCOVERY/HISTORY CHANNEL shows.(i hope not ENG. DISASTERS!)