# Spring is sproinging – planting thoughts for a new year **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 9, 2020, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126 "2020-03-09T00:44:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/21 "2020-03-10T00:31:23Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Onions should be planted very early in the spring. Garlic gets planted in the fall, and overwinters underground, growing roots whenever the soil’s thawed enough. Spring-planted garlic may produce something, if planted very early, but it won’t produce much. Yes. Plant garlic in October. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/22 "2020-03-10T01:08:32Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > Do you mean the onions? Yes, if somebody’s selling bundles of young onion plants for transplant, and your market’s open by April\*, that should work just fine. > > If you mean the garlic, I’ve never heard of anybody doing that, and suspect you’d still get small bulbs. Garlic does better getting its roots established over the winter where it’s going to grow. (However, if you try it, please report results to me at harvest time!) > > ``` > * it occurs to me that I don't know where you are. If you're far enough south to be growing short-day onions, I don't know when those get planted. > > ``` I’m in the Southeast. Farmer’s market is open all year, though the first week in April is when they go to longer hours and that’s when they’ll have new plants. Onions are available. Of course I suppose I could just harvest the ones that grow in the yard … ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/23 "2020-03-10T04:44:30Z")
One of my rotating compost piles graduated to live in the soil. I prepared a plot, and worked in the compost. Planted three hills of watermelon, and a role of cilantro. Now, to get some tomato seeds. It is awesome living where there is no frost. Ever! ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/24 "2020-03-10T05:07:07Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I saved cardboard egg cartons all winter. Just last week I started seedlings of: > > Nicotiana sylvestris > Nicotiana alata > Datura innoxia > Ipomea alba > Mirabilis jalata (white) > Zaluzianskya capensis > Alyssum lobularia > (fragrant white flowers for the porch) > > Ipomea sp. “Scarlett O’Hara” > Tropaeolum specium > Salvia greggii “Furman’s Red” > (red deep-throated hummingbird flowers for the windowboxes) Many of these have physiological or mind-altering effects. Coincidence? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/25 "2020-03-10T07:00:25Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Many of these have physiological or mind-altering effects. Coincidence? Wait till you see my Papaver somniferum. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/26 "2020-03-10T14:55:59Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > I saved cardboard egg cartons all winter. Just last week I started seedlings of: > > Nicotiana sylvestris > Nicotiana alata > Datura innoxia > Ipomea alba > Mirabilis jalata (white) > Zaluzianskya capensis > Alyssum lobularia > (fragrant white flowers for the porch) Nice list. I have seedlings of old-fashioned fragrant vining petunias growing under lights, along with seedlings of tomatoes, eggplant and assorted flowering plants. I sod-busted with the new tiller the past two days, nearly doubling the ornamental growing area. Nice of the previous owners to leave me 18 roses, but there’s room for lots more goodies, including the 5 thornless primocane-fruiting blackberries I found at Lowe’s for a good price yesterday. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/27 "2020-03-10T15:01:29Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Wait till you see my Papaver somniferum. The Department of Transportation plants fields of poppies in some of our freeway medians. They’re gorgeous, but I’ve always wondered a little about that choice … ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/28 "2020-03-10T18:07:35Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > The Department of Transportation plants fields of poppies in some of our freeway medians. They’re gorgeous, but I’ve always wondered a little about that choice … They’re probably not P. somniferum; more than likely P. orientale. Somniferum foliage is wide silver-gray-pale-greenish leaves; they’re often called lettuce leaf poppy. Orientale, the standard red garden poppy, has dark great semi-ferny foliage. Opium hobbyists know exactly what an opium poppy looks like, so if they were planted in freeway medians, they probably wouldn’t stay there for long. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/29 "2020-03-10T18:12:34Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Nice list. > > I have seedlings of old-fashioned fragrant vining petunias growing under lights, along with seedlings of tomatoes, eggplant and assorted flowering plants. > > I sod-busted with the new tiller the past two days, nearly doubling the ornamental growing area. Nice of the previous owners to leave me 18 roses, but there’s room for lots more goodies, including the 5 thornless primocane-fruiting blackberries I found at Lowe’s for a good price yesterday. Nice. I’m skipping petunias this year; my porch face south but there’s an unbroken ceiling of Norway maples, which of course throw a killing shade. 5 different petunia varieties I used last year rotted away without blooming. I have sun on my windowboxes, but I’m going 100% hummingbird magnets. Petunias aren’t hummingbird repellant, but they didn’t make it to the top of my list this year; my window acreage is limited and I’m going for as much verticality as possible. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/30 "2020-03-10T18:18:28Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > They’re probably not P. somniferum; more than likely P. orientale. Somniferum foliage is wide silver-gray-pale-greenish leaves; they’re often called lettuce leaf poppy. These sound exactly like the ones that grew spontaneously in my mother’s garden one year. No idea where the seeds came from, but they re-seeded themselves every year thereafter. I have several varieties of morning glory that do the same thing - no idea where those came from either! ---
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2020, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/31 "2020-03-10T21:01:24Z")
Magical mystery flowers are my favourite kind 😃 I’m in the situation where I’ll almost certainly be moving away this summer- though when and where to is a bit up in the air- so I’m not so excited about planting things I won’t be able to harvest. I should bung some broad (fava) beans in the ground soon, plus some salad green seeds and maybe some first early spuds; I’ll probably be around to harvest them. After that? I dunno… I’ve already paid up for the plot for the year, and there’s rules on keeping it cultivated, so I’ll have to plant something, even if I do have to just abandon it. I’ll be trying very hard to move somewhere with a garden, and there’s things I’d like to bring with me, so I’d rather not be thrown off early. Mostly though, I’ve broken out with a serious attack of houseplants, and not just the pretties; with lighting, I already have the first of this year’s tomatoes forming on the plant. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/32 "2020-03-11T22:11:21Z")
Ipomoea, zaluzyanskya, and a pot of impatiens I added at the last minute have all started to sprout. Still watching Nicotiana and nasturtium for activity. Adding Basil, purple artichokes, and red okra today for my sister’s patio in the next couple days. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/33 "2020-03-14T13:03:34Z")
Last two years we bought cherry tomato seedlings and last year I also bought kettuce seedlings. They all did well, but all the lettuce matured at the same time. So the time for harvesting lettuce was really short. I think we’re past frost (except for the normal [Ice Saint Days](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Saints) in May) so I’m thinking to try sowing some lettuce seeds in the planters this week, then some more in 2 weeks, repeat until I get bored or discouraged. Maybe I’ll even try basil. Other suggestions? I think we’re equivalent to USDA zone 8b. We’ll buy cherry tomato seedlings in May. We already have chives, parsley and mint coming up from the previous year. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/34 "2020-03-14T13:45:43Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Last two years we bought cherry tomato seedlings and last year I also bought kettuce seedlings. They all did well, but all the lettuce matured at the same time. > > So the time for harvesting lettuce was really short. > > I think we’re past frost (except for the normal [Ice Saint Days](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Saints) in May) so I’m thinking to try sowing some lettuce seeds in the planters this week, then some more in 2 weeks, repeat until I get bored or discouraged. Maybe I’ll even try basil. > > Other suggestions? I think we’re equivalent to USDA zone 8b. > > We’ll buy cherry tomato seedlings in May. We already have chives, parsley and mint coming up from the previous year. How about some peas or beans? If you have room for them, those are always fun to grow and you get a harvest fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/35 "2020-03-14T15:51:21Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > How about some peas or beans? If you have room for them, those are always fun to grow and you get a harvest fairly quickly. Ooo peas! Both would be equally possible / not possible, but fresh peas. Swoon. I just looked up peas in containers and looks quite possible. Thanks for the great idea! I also like the idea of beans, but my favorite way to eat home-grown green beans is canned. I know it’s weird, but that’s how I am. And I don’t want to can beans. I could, just need to be able to do a water bath. Or maybe I can do that in my steam oven. Off to do research! ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/36 "2020-03-14T16:11:01Z")
Last spring my wife and I decided to get some planters and put flowers around our small (maybe 100ft²) covered front porch. We got a couple of window box-style planters and planted strawberries in those, and then bought maybe 8 big hanging baskets with… I dunno. Pretty flowers. One was a fuschia, another had marigolds in it… I dont know what the rest were. But it was actually really nice having them hanging there and brightening up the front porch. We’ll do the same this year for sure, even though I have no idea what we’ll plant. I know I’d like something in a hanging pot that really spills over the edges and hangs down, I think that would make the front of the house more attractive from the street. I left the strawberries in the planters because I was told they would return the following year. So far nada. I may have to get new plants for those. One thing that I want to do this year is plant a pepper garden. Last year I planted 18 or so hot pepper plants, and this year I want to do it again. Jalepeños, cayenne, Thai hot, ghost, tabasco… I dried and then ground them up to make powder. Yummy stuff. I’ll likely have to do them in pots this year as the space I was using to plant them (at a relative’s property) is no longer available. I wish I had a big garden plot. I’d plant more veggies than I’d know what to do with! ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/37 "2020-03-14T16:41:59Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > all the lettuce matured at the same time. > > So the time for harvesting lettuce was really short. > > I think we’re past frost [. . .] so I’m thinking to try sowing some lettuce seeds in the planters this week, then some more in 2 weeks, repeat until I get bored or discouraged. Maybe I’ll even try basil… Most varieties of lettuce are at least slightly frost-hardy (some more than others); so if you’re past all but the occasional frost, lettuce should be fine. And sowing some seeds every two or three weeks is exactly how to do it. Lettuce will bolt sooner or later (again some varieties faster than others) so the way to have it all season is to keep re-seeding it. Basil, on the other hand, is very frost-tender; and is cut-and-come-again. Either start it indoors or wait till after danger of frost; but you don’t need to seed it repeatedly. Just keep trimming the plant back as you want to use it. If it goes into bloom, the flowers are also edible; and basil, unlike lettuce or cilantro, doesn’t change flavor when it starts to flower; but if it starts getting really leggy, trim it back some extra. > [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > I also like the idea of beans, but my favorite way to eat home-grown green beans is canned. I know it’s weird, but that’s how I am. And I don’t want to can beans. I could, just need to be able to do a water bath. If you like dill pickles at all, try dilly beans. They’re very good, and presuming you use the right sort of recipe so that you’ve got enough vinegar, they can be hot water bathed\*. \*if I were saying that, I’d say it with the short a of “bath” in this context. But spelled out like that, it looks like it would be said with the long “a” I associate with the different meaning of ‘past tense of a human, or possibly other animal, taking a bath to get clean; or going swimming’. ---
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/38 "2020-03-14T16:56:10Z")
I am really glad I bought a bunch of seeds already - just need to acquire some more soil to start peppers and eggplants and tomatoes, plus some micro greens for the back porch. Soon it will be time to plant peas and radishes and kale in the backyard. Home gardening is going to take on more importance than usual in this time of social distancing (and I’m asthmatic, though in my case it’s quite mild and intermittent- I go months at a time without needing treatment other than allergy meds). This year I plan to plant a bunch of funky purple beans up the back fence in lieu of morning glories. The ornamentals are mostly going in the front yard - I bought a ton of zinnia and marigold and nasturtium seeds, plus I have leftovers of various sorts from last year. And I can finally be home to take delivery of a truckload of compost to cover the round of lasagna composting covered with straw that we have in the front yard right now. Gardening is going to be very useful therapy this year - I just wish we had laid in all the supplies before we went out of town. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/39 "2020-03-14T18:58:12Z")
I’ve grown peas in containers - both English peas and snap peas. You won’t get a lot of peas unless you have a lot of containers (or a few very big ones!), but it is fun. Here the growing season is long enough I can get two crops. Anyway, I went to the farmer’s market today and sadly this will be the last one for at least two weeks - the Health Department has told them they have to shut down for the time being since our county has declared a state of emergency due to The Virus. I got some sage and some basil at the market and picked up some dill and a tomato plant from the hardware store. The lady I got the sage and basil from at the market told me to call or email her if I want any more tomatoes or herbs starting next week - I can either go to the farm when they’re ready to plant or she’ll drop them at my place. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2020, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126/40 "2020-03-14T19:14:42Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > Anyway, I went to the farmer’s market today and sadly this will be the last one for at least two weeks - the Health Department has told them they have to shut down for the time being since our county has declared a state of emergency due to The Virus. Is your health department also shutting down the grocery stores? I would think that, if anything, the farmers’ market is less risky. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spring-is-sproinging-planting-thoughts-for-a-new-year/849126.md?page=3)