Yes, you read the title correctly. It's time to snow blow the garden and plant the peas. When my father was alive he made sure the first 2 rows of peas were planted by March 30th of every year. Even if it meant that he put the plow on the tractor and cleared a spot on the garden!
However, this might be the year we don't have to pull out the blower! From my first post to now, all of our snow is 99% gone. I can walk through the garden and not lose my boots! I was talking to my neighbor and she too is looking forward to getting her hands dirty! It is still mid-March and we are bound to get another storm. So what do you do? One word RESEARCH!
Check weather history for your area, and find the answers to these questions:
* When was the last time this happened?
* What were the snowfall records? Heavy high moisture but quick to go, or minimal snowfall?
* Did the summer end up being dry or wet? What were the rainfall totals? Was it drought conditions?
Once you do this research you can then plan out your planting cycle and what to plant. If your research shows that it was a dry summer, get out the rain barrels and start water collection. If it ended up being wet, you may want to build a few raised beds for your beans, peas, and leafy veggies.
Fertilizer is another thing to think about. "How much and when?"
In my case we have enough organic fertilizer to take care of half the town. Cows, Chickens, Rabbits, and our compost piles. So for us, we put a "load" on the gardens in the fall after harvest and tilling the garden. It gets covered with snow and sits through the winter. Then in the spring when it's safe to put the tractor on the garden, you add 1 more load and till it about 3 times, then plant. This of course is all about timing. Again, what do you do when the weather pattern has changed? With a low snowfall this year, we won't put on a second round of fertilizer. You put too much on with a low water table, the soil becomes acidic and in some cases has cooked our plants. Then you have to till it in, pray for rain and start over again. (Costly if you grow produce to sell)
So is this how planting works everywhere? NO! Every area has it's own growing pattern. If you want to start a garden but are not sure about how to start, drive around and find a neighbor who has a garden and ask them about it! They would know! I say that because my Father had a lot of people stop and chat with him about gardens over the years and he of course "had answers"!
So what am I going to do with our gardens here in Mid-March when normally there is snow? I think I'll plant 2 rows of peas, check the Rhubarb, and keep the snow blower on the tractor for now. You all know when that blower comes off, we'll get the big 3 foot storm! New England weather is always interesting!
More on the gardens as the season progresses!
*Update...The snow blower is off..so far so good! Planning to till the Gardens this weekend!! So excited!
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