re: 2026 Spring Garden Thread

I've got cucumbers, jalapenos, and bell seedlings growing from seed. Still indoor. Waiting for midweek cooling (next week) to pass before planting

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I've got cucumbers, jalapenos, and bell seedlings growing from seed. Still indoor. Waiting for midweek cooling (next week) to pass before planting

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I put mine in the raised bed garden last week, but I think I am going to transplant into 4" pots today for the cold spell. The plant festival in Forest Hill is the 20-22nd So I think I am going to take off work and head down on Friday and buy my flowers and maybe a few other things I find interesting and spend the weekend getting everything planted.

I believe I have 8 different kinds of peppers and 4 different types of cherry tomatoes.

I do. I don't think 39 for a couple hours is incredibly damaging, but supposedly it can stunt growth. Water them really well the day before too if it doesn't rain.

I saw this video today and thought others might enjoy it. This is basically how I garden…starting new beds from scratch in areas where I have an old stump, a low spot I want to fill, or grass area I want to get rid of. Emphasis is on using natural materials you probably have around your property if you have trees. 90% of my beds are bordered with logs or split firewood just like she did



I’m not nearly as cute as she is though

Former weed patch next to driveway



Rotten stump



Zero dollars spent even on the plants which are all transplants or volunteers

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Emphasis is on using natural materials you probably have around your property if you have trees.

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I raked a ton of leaves over the winter and have a huge pile. Plan on using those as mulch just like my grandma used to.

there is nothing better than a rotting stump to build a bed around. It dumps nutrients back into the bed as it decays and acts as a water sump, soaking up excess water when available then adding it gradually to the bed.



It also provides habitat for beneficial garden predators like lizards, toads and skinks

I used to just leave them on the ground and mulch them up into the lawn with my lawnmower. Same with grass clippings. Last year I decided I would start collecting everything (grass clippings and leaves) for the mulch pile. Didn’t realize how quickly the pile would get huge!

I have a couple of different places where I “age” bed dirt and leaves/etc, in shady areas that hold plenty of worms. I never see any of the red worms just the big nightcrawlers I might try and order some red worms for the vegetable beds. I use the worm dirt for topping the beds in the winter

Forecasted to be 34 in Covington. They may be fine. Covering with 5 gallon buckets works pretty well. If Sunday comes around and the forecast still looks low, I'll cover them. I only have 12 plants though.

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I guess I’ll be losing my tomatoes

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I just repotted mine in 6" nursery pots (peppers too).

On your beds around old stumps, how big are the beds you are making around the stumps? I have one I am doing using a 12" metal raised bed and right now I have it about 4' from the stump to the outside of the bed. I am thinking about reducing it to 3' before backfilling to make it easier to work in the bed. This is going to be a wildflower bed, so it should not need that much work.