The traditional time in Charlotte for planting the spring garden and starting greenhouse plants is Super Bowl weekend. The greenhouse plants were pretty well started; but the spring garden was a problem. The ground was frozen Super Bowl Saturday. Sugar peas went in on Super Bowl Sunday along with broccoli and bok choy plants. The rest of the stuff did not get in until this weekend and yesterday. On the weekend spinach, kale, radishes, beets, onions, mesclun and arugula went into the ground. Yesterday (Monday) the rape, chard, turnips, mustard and potatoes were planted.
The moon is waning which is not a good time to plant; but the soil was finally right. To wait on a new moon for the potatoes and an increasing moon for the other stuff would put everything too late. I am too superstitious to thumb my nose at the moon and too practical to wait for it. It is supposed to rain and snow today. How long will it be before the soil is dry enough for planting?
Since the garden is mostly into raised beds now, the potatoes needed special treatment. All of the raised beds have fairly fresh compost except for some that have not been filled. The unfilled beds were used. The ground under them was tilled before the beds were built; but the rain must have re-packed the soil. It had to be tilled again before the potatoes could be planted. The soil in the unfilled raised beds was very dry for this time of year. The soil in the raised beds has the perfect moisture level. They had been covered with leaves until Sunday when the mulch was removed to allow for drying of the soil.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
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