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Still dry but we are supposed to get some rain this afternoon. I should have watered last night but was just too tired. Been fighting a summer cold and trying to convenience myself I am not going to catch it. I am sure it will sneak up and bite me sooner or later. I don’t have time to be sick!
Gave some more pond plants away. I potted up some off shoots of the lotus and four leaf clover, added some hyacinths, water lettuce and gave them to a co worker who just put in a pond. My pond is still full!! Loads of lilies still blooming, but nothing from the lotus yet.
We will get the new raised bed up this weekend and do the soil prep, to have it ready for a fall veggie planting. Want to do some peas and beans and more greens. My yellow tomatoes have been the best producers so far. They sure are yummy. The red varieties are producing, just not as big or as many. I think the vine borers have finally discovered my zukes, I have two plants withering that I will pull out tonight. L Cukes are still doing great and I have one with dinner every night. I think the heat is starting to get to the peppers. The banana peppers are curling. I have been checking to be sure that they have adequate even water. Any suggestions?
More of the new daylilies are getting ready to bloom. These should be the Crimson Shadows. I have to late season ones that I hope will bloom also. One is called Late Embers and the other Fall Pink Melon. The two blooming now are called Go Figure.
Have the inevitable weed pulling and deadheading to do as well. Been lazy about the weeds in the flowerbeds with heat we have been having. The black and white brigade has been promised a trip down to the lake in the morning, so we will be up before the heat and I will have no excuses after that. The boys will be good and tired after a swim and Briar will have a good long ball session. They deserve it after being put aside a bit while company’s been here.
Rob now has the timing of the raccoon family’s visits down. They show up on the deck at about 5am every morning now and he knows it. No barking this morning, he just sat at the sliding glass door to watch them eat their breakfast. The babies are growing fast. Got a couple of dark pix of them this morning and will try to get them posted tonight.
The bird feeders have been really busy in the evenings. I am seeing a lot more indigo buntings this year. Not sure if there are more than normal or I am just providing a better seed selection. Must make some more of Gene’s suet for the pileated woodies. They are now daily visitors too.
Went out to check the veggie patch and pull a few green tomatoes to send to my mom. They are still off vagabonding in their RV and she loves fried green tomatoes. I have zukes and cukes all over the place. Wow. I put in a few extra plants just to be sure at least a few would take well, all of them took well! Also now that everything in there has matured, I am seeing my errors of where I planted and being able to maneuver around in that fenced space is getting more difficult. I can hardly wait for next year, now that I have learned these important lessons I have big plans!! Hubby is probably going to grumble about building more raised beds but if we get them up now I can work on the soil in them for next spring, right? And…still might be early enough to have a fall planting…more ideas!
My elephant ears are going crazy with all the rain and heat they are loving it! I think I will put in a few more next year; they really break up all that brick from the wall of the garage.
Will get up early tomorrow and get the lawn mowed and things spruced up outside, do the regular housekeeping when it is too hot outside. The house full is coming and I can hardly wait to see them all!! Two of the kids are leaving California this evening and should hit Arkansas Saturday night or Sunday morning. They are going to switch off and drive straight through. One more kid flies in on Sunday afternoon and my best buddy from Seattle gets in Monday night. I am so excited I haven’t been able to sleep. Like a kid on Christmas Eve.
The squirrels and I have worked out a great schedule with the feeding trough. They come for breakfast every morning and are gone the rest of the day. This allows me to fill it the night before and it’s all ready for them when they arrive. Thankfully it has kept them out of my herb pots and other flowers on the deck.
The coon has been coming nightly and I leave him a treat of peanuts and apple slices and he stays out of my bird feeders. He does continue to use the bird bath as his wash bowl, so that must be emptied and refilled every morning. Plan to camp out in the dark diningroom by the sliding glass door and watch for him Saturday night while I am waiting for the kids to arrive. Hopefully I can get some shots of him.
The chipmunk that I have been feeding at the back of my pond has planted his seed stashes all over my flower beds. I am still finding sunflower sprouts coming up all over the place. No more sunflowers in the front yard please! So sadly I have stopped feeding in that area of the yard.
The black and white brigade will get their baths and frontline tomorrow morning too. They need to be pretty and clean when their kids arrive. Rob to this day goes nuts when he hears a VW Beetle drive by. He is so sure that his girl is coming to see him. I feel so sad for him when he finally realizes it’s not his Shannon coming. Now we are all just counting the hours till they arrive!I got two new family members and am so excited! I got a....wait for it...BLACK PRINCE TOMATO!!! WOO HOO!!! Not just that, but I got a Brandywine! Of course I got them at the Farmer's Market. They are not the most attractive things but damn sure are when you are eating them. I bought a couple of Black Prince that were so wonderful, and I enjoyed a guilty pleasure of mine for dinner, tomato sandwiches. Next it will be drizzled olive oil and herbs on halves, covered in mozzarella or parmesan and a bit of breadcrumbs then Broiled, hehe...oh it is going to be grand to have REAL tomatoes this year!
I also got garlic curls, sugar snap peas, baby bok choy and some broccoli and am going to stir fry them up, hehe...Summer is coming on fast here. We have been pushing toward the 90’s all week. Expecting severe storms tonight with wind and hail. Hope things don’t get too bad.
Finally beat the squirrels to some of the ripe strawberries; they were few but very yummy. The squirrel trough is working wonders and they haven’t been in my pots all week!! Of course I had to make a run to Wally World for more seed. But that’s okay. (posted a photo in my profile of the trough)
My best friend and two of the three Calif kids are coming for July 4th week!! Our younger daughter can’t make it because of summer college classes. (boohoo) I am so excited and have begun planning for the week. When I planted the petunia bed I was hoping they would be coming so I put in white, blue, red, red & white and blue & white petunias. I am still the crazy holiday decorator and the kids will get a kick out of it. I have been picking up little things here and there to decorate with also. Flags and buntings and patriotic garden stakes. I am going to replant the pots and baskets on the deck with red, white and blue this weekend so that they are well established for the party. I can’t wait to see my friend and the kiddos!!
The decks still are not restained! Every time we go to start on them it rains again. At this rate they will never get done. Got them cleaned and sanded but can’t stain until they are completely dry for a day at least. I am ready to give up and just paint away.
We took the black and white brigade for a long walk last night. Old Buddy is noticeably slowing down and that kind of worries me. He is a dear old soul and I knew at his age taking him into our pack would not be forever. At least he is loved and comfortable and will enjoy what is left of his life. Think we will go for a check up just to make sure he is doing okay. As long as he let’s me know life is still worth living we will let him enjoy what is left of it. (You can read Buddy’s story under my profile.)
The veggie garden grows and grows. I have one mater starting to blush! I can almost taste them as I check the plants for more fruit. I know it sounds crazy but I love the smell of tomato plants!! Lots of squash blooms and noticed a few cuke blooms last night. Got the rest of my bean starts out last night when I got home. Noticed that one bell pepper plants dropped three peppers. The whole stem of the peppers were yellowed and laying at the base of the plant. I am hoping it is only the result of the pounding rain we had and not something else. The banana peppers are all doing well though. Next year definitely calls for a larger veggie garden, that is all there is to it.
Harrison paid a visit this morning. He roosted on the tomato trellis and sat watching over my garden. I thanked him and wished him a good day before I left for the office. Couldn’t ask for a better scare crow or squirrel patrol than a red shouldered hawk!
The battles with the bushy tailed beasties over my bird feeders and potted herbs on the deck continued until this weekend. I had been putting feed and bird seed on the railing for them to try and deter the ravages to my herb pots. The mess they made with the seed shells on the deck was driving hubby bonkers. While I was out in the garden he went to work on a solution to our problem.
He built them a squirrel trough! It’s a six foot by six inch platform with a 1 inch rail all the way around. The whole contraption is hinged so that it can be dumped out for cleaning and has a guard chain so it doesn’t flop all the way down. The trough sits on long shelf brackets on the outside of the deck railing so any shells fall down to the ground. There is a steep slope down to the lake on that side of the house so no harm cleaning it out there. It works great!! I can fill it with enough feed and seeds to keep them happy all day and out of my pots!! The jays love it because they are too big for my bird feeders and the titmice love it because they can pick all the peanuts out of the seed. Everyone is happy, especially Hubby who doesn’t have to go blow the shells off the deck everyday.
Gave the maters a feed yesterday. I was up to 53 tomatoes but there are too many to count now. I love it!! Yummy! Squashes have blooms all over and the cukes are trying there best to start too. Pulled out the last of the lettuce and spinach, it was pretty much done and our last pounding rain did them no favors. Peppers are starting to get a little bigger. Now that we have sun and warm maybe they will think about growing, you can see the little peppers on the plants, they just haven’t done much with all the rain we have had. Going to put in more beans where the lettuce and spinach was, I have some starts that I will put out this weekend.
Got all the containers watered last night because we are up in the 90’s today. Thank goodness it is not humid yet. My daylilies I put in a couple of weeks ago now are doing wonderful; one that was about a three fan size is thinking about blooming, it is called “Go Figure”. The others are all late bloomers. I have a Masquerade Ball daylily that is getting ready to bloom, I put it in right before the freeze and it made it. All three elephant ears are up at the back of the pond. The leafs are huge and it really filled in that side in front of the garage. The new willow that took the place of the Japanese maple we lost is doing great. Lot’s of new stems and foliage.
And best of all my dinner plate dahlias are all about to bloom!!! I have had to stake a few of them they were getting so tall. But soon they will all be flowering. I will take some photos as soon as they do. The sunflowers have all bloomed. I think I will plant some more of those on the hill side just for the birds. They really are pretty.
The shade bed has really filled in. I was watering a container near there last night and notice this fungus growing on the mulch. Looked kinda yellowish and spongy. I gave is a squirt of the hose and the whole thing exploded in a big brown cloud!! So great, I can just imagine the whole shade bed is going to be covered with this fungus from all the spores I released by hosing the thing down. So how do I get rid of that????
Two of the three elephant ears I planted are up and growing like crazy. My white clematis has two buds on it and the red one has finally decided to grow. The annual bed with the sun flowers, petunias and zinnias is filling in more everyday. If I could just keep the neighbor’s sheltie from doing his business there I think it would do better.
The hostas in the shade bed are all putting up buds and will flower soon. The coleus are huge and have filled in wonderfully. All the impatience are thick with flowers and the calla lily now has five blooms on it.
My dinner plate dahlias all have buds now and I can’t wait to see them bloom!! Lion Bane, Larkspur, Sweet William, Columbines, Coral Bells are all going great in my woodland bed.
The veggie patch is my favorite place. Checked last night and my squash all have blooms or buds and the cukes are not far behind. I pick four beans and ate them right there last night, oh so sweet. My two later tomatoes are now blooming and will add to the high count of maters very soon. Think my lettuce and spinach are just about done and I have some more bean starts that I am going to put in their place. So I will pull out the last of those greens this weekend and get that area ready for the beans. Need to start looking for some canning or pickling recipes for banana peppers, I am going to have a ton of those. I love pickled peppers.
Hubbers cut the lawns last night and watered a few of my pots that were looking sad after the first sunny day we’ve had in a while. The new willow likes its new digs at the back of the pond. I sent photos to our vagabonding parents and they loved all the work we have done so far. I will try to get on later tonight and post some update photos.
Started my compost heap but with all the rain we have had this week it still isn’t getting warm. What have I done wrong? I layered browns and greens just like the book says, should I give it a stir already? I shredded leafs that I used really well and added a layer of sticks at the bottom for air. Then in went a layer of grass clippings and deadheaded flowers, a layer of dried leafs, then more of the same and so on, with a squirt of water. But then it has rained all week also, is that the problem?
Its the 28 of april and im gonna go out and buy some tomato seeds. start my grow.
Ok, so...grass, and a garden fork. Bulbs that do not need to be there...LOTSA spiders, me telling the youngest who was helping me by going back and forth the the yard waste bin for me (wait till I get the pics downloaded) that SPIDERS ARE GOOD, I am the organics kind of gal. He was like...ok...um...spiders good, fine but don't make me touch them! Haha. Kids. He did enjoy the ladybugs though, happy happy JOY JOY, I have breeding ladybugs! He held a couple (not the breeding ones!!) but I did point those out to my Partner because nothing is better than baby ladybugs! Well, maybe some baby praying mantis...my next want on my list. I will get a couple of Mantis egg sacks (love hatching them). So, after a nice back breaking session, the spot is HALF done and not completely done. All I want to get DONE right away is the spot for a couple of Tomato plants...I have not had fresh tomato's (at least out of my OWN yard) for quite some time. As soon as I get the pics downloaded (killed the batteries taking pics, hehe) I will post them. This spot, omg....way too left alone, and it looks like the onyy thing that has been planted there has been flowers and I want veggies, so if I have to recondition a garden spot at a rental house, I am GOING to have VEGGIES, dammit. lol. All I can say is. Ow. If it were not for the garden fork that my Sweetie has, I would not have gotten anything done, lol. Would have been POTTED maters. I got a Jalapeno that will be in a pot, just haven't decided how big of a pot. So, next week, maybe I will get that overgrown MESS finished.
Here is the Jalapeno,
After the transplanting, only two of my tomato seedlings are looking like they're not going to make it. The rest are looking perky and smelling like tomatoes.
My beans are also starting to sprout. I wouldn't know this except for that when I planted them, there were two that I planted too close to the surface. Now I can see the shoots uncurling from the seed - it looks like the beans were in the fetal position, and now they are starting to stretch out.
Now I've got to wait till it's warm outside before putting them in the ground. Hurry up warm sunny weather!
This week I started some seeds of romaine inside in the house. The main reason to start seeds indoors is to give them a jump on growing outside. In spring the weather is cool and the seeds often have trouble germinating. Also, if you plant certain seeds, like a tomato in the ground directly you run the risk the plant will never get mature enough to yeild a tomato.
Seed starting kits are, in my opinion, the best way to go. I like the ones that have a little plastic cover because they create a mini greenhouse. You can also add a seed starting mat under the kit to increase the heat.
Be sure to place the kits in a sunny window. You can make your own mix to plant in or do the easy thing and buy a starting mix.
If you reuse your kit year to year sterilize the containers with hot soapy water. You can even use a bit of bleach, just be sure to rinse them out well.
Start your seeds indoors according to the directions on the back of the packet. Many seeds require 4-6 weeks of lead time before putting them outside. I have found that sees of carrots, peas and beans do not do well being started inside and then moved.
Lettuces, melon, tomatoes, peppers, and other warm weather crops are best started early.
Its a Cold Week Ahead
4/9/2007
It’s been a cold spring so far and this is going to continue through mid-April. I see the jet stream continuing to bring cold air in from Canada. Therefore, we have to hold off on some things we would otherwise be doing. The winter month caterpillars, a problem in the Massachusettes area, will be slow to hatch with this cold weather. Do not spray unless you are sure they have hatched. I have still not planted my peas or some of my other cold weather crops. With the daytime highs in the 40s it will be hard for much to germinate. If you have a cold frame or other covers for the seeds you can plant as they help mitigate the cold. Continue to clean up the lawn and perennial beds. Cut back your perennials.
You can prune summer blooming shrubs now. I cut back my rose-of-sharon hard this time of year. It will produce great blooms in August.
Well, I transplanted them yesterday. Hopefully I didn't do too much damage. I definitely heard the sad sound of roots ripping once or twice. It's amazing how little of a root structure they have. When we pulled up the blackberries last fall there was 3 times more root than plant. These are just the opposite!
They looked pretty sad and droopy after transplanting, so I watered them and left to go out for the evening. This morning (and what a beautiful sunny spring morning it is!) almost all of them are looking perky again. So resiliant for being so small! Kind of like children - they don't break, they bounce.
I also planted some beans (kept inside with the tomatoes for now) and an herb mixture (also inside for now) I'm excited to see what I get.
Tomato seeds grow so fast! Mine are already 2 or 3 inches high - they need to be transplanted!
How much dirt does a seedling need to be able to grow for a month or so before it goes out in the garden?
This is how I like to start my tomato plants from seed:
1. Save some seeds from tomatoes going bad in the fridge.
2. Plant the seeds just under the top of the soil in a tray of dirt (or small containers) about 2 inches deep.
3. Place the tray / pots by a sunny window, any exposure will do
4. Water frequently to keep the soil damp but not wet
5. When the seedlings are 1-2 inches tall replant / spread out any that are less than 2 inches apart
6. When the weather gets warm and the plants are at least 4 inches tall, plant them outside in a sunny spot
Tips: If you can, transition them to living outside by planting them when you think it will be warm but cloudy for a few days so they don't sunburn, and if there is a lot of slug or snail activity in your planting bed, wait till the plants are at least 8 inches tall before moving them outside
Okay, so here's my story. I'm the Grandson of a vegetable farmer from Canada. He started life as a farmer, like his father was, and quickly realized he had a passion and skill for construction. He took the large parcel of land he had, and began building. His construction business grew so well that gardening was relegated to a hobby and pleasure. After retiring in his 50's he maintained one killer veggie garden. He had turnips, potatoes, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, lettuce, cucumber, corn, squash, raspberries, and probably a dozen other things I'm forgetting. He loved his large backyard garden.
I always wished I had spent more time with him in that garden of his as he was always so calm and relaxed when he was there. Don't get me wrong, he was always calm, but he was especially peaceful when his hands were in the dirt.
Here I am, many years after he's passed, and I'm trying my hands in the dirt with my kids alongside me. Of course, I have far less knowledge and skill than he did, but I do enjoy it very much. It has that same calming effect on me. This past summer was a successful one in the garden with broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, green onions, oregano, rosemary, basil, and cilantro growing quite nicely. I try to include my kids so it's something they can watch grow from their efforts, and then eat and enjoy. It's a special treat!
Now, if I could just keep my 10 year old Labrador retriever from eating all the ripe tomatoes I'd be thrilled.
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