It is that time of the month again in the garden. You know that time where we look into the garden and see what trouble is mucking about? It’s time for the Garden Update for March 2022.

What’s Up in the Garden?

I am nearly finished with my cool weather crops. I still have some onions to transplant. There are also radishes and peas to plant and potatoes needing to be nestled into their pots.

However, there are plenty of the various kinds of cabbage out in the garden. We have lettuces and leeks. As well as turnips, carrots and parsnips waiting for me. At least I hope so.

Normally, I try to get these plants out during the first week of March. Unfortunately, 20F temps keep everything in their nursery pots an extra few weeks. It was bad, I was having nitrogen shortage issues so I am concerned about a reduced harvest caused by stressing my seedlings out.

Experiment 1: Chinese Peppers

After getting them overwintered last month, it is time to pull them from their short nap and get them ready for 2022. Of course, they are helping me by starting to grow their new baby leaves.

Also new for the Garden Update 2022 is the Chinese Pepper babies!

This is the next generation of the mysterious pepper. I intend to plant these out and save seed from them all. In theory they should still be unstable genetically so God knows what I am going to get.

Experiment 2: My Mulberry Tree

My worst fears about my mulberry tree did not come true. It is looking strong. At least its new growth is looking strong.

The old growth is still not in good shape but there has been quite a bit of new growth this month and it is looking wonderful.

Experiment 3: Dragon Fruit Attempt 4

I am starting to see some stress on the seedling. These guys were so infested with gnats that I laid down a bit of insect powder. It has been a rough month for them. I am considering starting to up pot some of these seedlings. I just don’t have the light space yet to do it.

Experiment 4: Poinsettia

Another bit of happy news is my poinsettia. It has started to grow back leaves and is looking pretty healthy.

Everything Else Growing Garden Update for March 2022

This has been a rocky month. The extreme cold has done a number on the planting schedule. I am still starting summer crops indoors. I should have been doing that at the beginning of the month and not the end. It is never good when you have to battle with space issues in your seedling starts.

My peach tree, which normally blooms in February has waited until last week to start blooming.

My pimento peppers are looking pretty good but are just starting to suffer with a bit of leave damage.

I need to get these into a regular pot and get them outside. The great pepper plant rotation will be coming. Out in the morning and in during the night, will be my pepper life.

It has been a crazy month but I have all the cool weather stuff out. With only 2 weeks until my last frost date, I should be ok with my summer crops. I will need to figure out how to get them into the garden as the spring crops are taking more space then anticipated. I planted my tatsoi like I should have planted my bok choy and vise versa. I can normally fit 4 bok choy into the space of 1 tatsoi. You live, you learn.