.
Finally got to the garden center last weekend, so I’ve been transplanting pansies/violas, allysum, and a couple species geraniums into the raised beds and hanging planters. Found a Patriot blueberry bush (which may eventually be too tall for the raised bed), and a new creeping variety called Peach Sorbet as well. Not a very well-matched duo, but mine is a very cottage garden — which, before the marketers got their hands on the concept, meant “a riot of estate leftovers, transplants & give-aways crammed in any-which-way”.
This weekend’s specific project has been dragooning the Spousal Unit into helping me hack down the Little Barbie mini-rose climbers along the front line of the yard, which have regularly overtopped their six-foot obelisks and stretched out to snag innocent passers-by. Now they’re poor little knee-high stubs of their former glory, and I’ve got a mild case of gardners’ remorse for fear they won’t rebound. Which would make the Spousal Unit happy (he’s not a fan), but even though they’re viciously thorned and practically scentless I love how they explode with popcorn-ball bunches of self-cleaning blossoms several times every summer, through rain or drought or the year the hardscapers hammered a granite-block edging within inches of their roots and then ran hot asphalt paving…
And Rocket the new cat has impinged on my gardening endeavors, again, by eating the fingertips off my favorite gardening gloves. We were warned he had a fondness for cloth-chewing, but I didn’t expect him to sneak downstairs and attack my dirt-encrusted, sweat-scented leather gauntlets, the evil meezer.
So… how are things looking in your gardens, right now?
.
BillinGlendaleCA
I have a little patch of dirt outside my window, it was just weeds. I’ve developed into a small mostly wild flower garden. The centerpiece is a California Poppy, which grew wild. Imagine a CA poppy growing wild in CA…
https://www.dropbox.com/s/htko5zxc011ma3v/2013-04-25%2016.20.39.jpg
raven
Ugh, we had the final meeting before the work starts on the addition. There was a big area of lenten roses and other plants that I didn’t know would have to be moved so I have to get on that. Yesterday I took up a brick sidewalk that I put in 12 years ago and continued taking down the back porch. Here’s a shot of the granite I have moved, all I can say is I’m glad the boss didn’t listen to me when I said we should set it all with concrete. Taking that apart would have been, how should I say, a stone bitch! The big garden tour is today, it’s supposed to rain all day so I don’t know how it will go but here’s the poster.
cmorenc
Yesterday, I planted (or rather, seasonally replenished) my small herb garden outside below a big picture window in my kitchen. I planted sweet basil, thyme, tarragon, green sage and purple sage. Regenerating from last year I have a thicket of oregano (already more than I can possibly put to culinary use this season), plus peppermint and spearmint, plus a small hedge of six rosemary plants now in their third season. This herb garden is also only a half-dozen steps from where I keep my Weber gas grill, so often times when grilling something I’ll bring a pair of scissors and harvest some absolutely fresh herbs to add to whatever I’m grilling. The sage and rosemary do very well on pork chops or beef. As for the basil, it always amazes me how prolifically just a couple of them planted in April will produce by mid-June; if you don’t keep pruning them for culinary use, they’ll bolt on you and get leggy and not as tender-tasty.
Redshirt
Thar’s dead bunnies out thar, y’ar.
HeartlandLiberal
Yesterday I labored for four hours, and planted 17 tomatoes, 20 okra sets, five varieties of squash, 16 varieties of peppers, and 12 sets of three varieties of eggplant. I was pushing to beat the 80% chance of run forecast for overnight.
I admit that afterwards my body felt every one of its 67 years.
Will be planting some corn, sunflowers, and other odds and ends to fill in rest of garden in a couple of weeks as it continues warming. Cold crops were planted almost a month ago.
This year I am fashioning little wire cages from 1″ mesh chicken wire. Cut a 24×12″ strip. Make a cylinder. Thread a stick through to seal the edges, then use that stick and a second to shove into the ground, surrounding the plants with a protective shield from the rabbits and box turtles. Here’s hoping it works, because last year they totally wiped out the okra sprouts. Going to have to come up with some similar solution for stuff like Swiss Chard. That turned out to be a favorite with them.
I am sure that in the woods next to the house the deer, rabbits, and turtles were all watching me labor yesterday, and laughing with appreciation at my efforts to feed them.
I did not mention the skunks and possums, which are also legion, because I have never caught them preying on my veggies. Anyone every noted them as a problem? The skunks like to come up to the back door on the lower level, and scrounge among the seeds that fall from the bird feeder up on the deck on the third floor. One can stand inside the glass french double doors and watch them while they eat and watch you.
Linda Featheringill
@HeartlandLiberal:
Oh, my goodness! What at garden!
I’ll bet it’ll look terrific this summer.
satby
We had a frost night before last, but the online garden centers didn’t get the memo, because plants were delivered all week; each bearing the “plant as soon as possible” instructions. I have most heeled in in planters on my covered deck. I did get my 4 new saplings planted and the tree tubes around them installed to prevent the deer from enjoying them.
Linda Featheringill
My garden concept is s-l-o-w-l-y becoming a reality.
I plan one long raised bed this year, 4×15. I just now completed the dig-up-the-fritten-fratten-grass phase. The seeds I started outside in February are beginning to sprout. I’ll have tomatoes and onions if nothing else.
I’m so impatient. Do you think I’ll learn patience in this lifetime?
Cathy W
– I built a chicken-wire cover for my strawberry planter. The strawberries will be MINE this year. If I get any – no blossoms yet!
– The squirrels seem to have dug up my Swiss Chard seeds. They left the lettuce and carrots alone. Squirrels… Sadly that box is 4′ x 10′ and I don’t think I could manage chicken wire on it.
– My clematis was only MOSTLY dead! Unfortunately I found that out when I pulled the theoretically-dead plant out and saw that the roots were still vibrant and hey, wait, is that new growth? I replanted it, and hopefully it’s still only mostly dead.
Raven
@Linda Featheringill: get some impatiens!
Randy P
About 3 weeks ago I finally pruned the apple tree that came with the house when we moved in 10+ years ago. Most of the apples grow in the upper branches and the squirrels get them before we do every year. A neighbor who’s an old farm girl kept telling us it’s a dwarf apple tree, it’s not supposed to be that tall.
But with all pruning I’m always afraid (a) I’ll kill it by cutting too much (b) I’m too early/too late in the year and I’ll kill it because of that, or (c) I’ll cut the wrong stuff and kill it.
Anyway, finally cut it just before the buds opened. Looks reasonable happy. Maybe next year I can actually start shaping it.
Ordered a couple of apple trees online a few years ago. One never grew. The other grew for two years then never came back the 3rd winter.
Final tree tragedy, we apparently have a very rare Franklinia tree, and this year that too did not come back, except for some new young shoots around the base. A tree-expert friend pointed this tree out to us. Apparently one grove was discovered in the wild in the 1700s (by Ben Franklin perhaps?) and the seeds collected, but when they went back to look for it, it was never found in the wild again. So all the trees in existence came from one specimen.
I live in fear that there’s some obscure law somewhere that will eventually cause me to be evicted for tree neglect. Over the Franklinia if nothing else.
WereBear
Good point. I gotta get on the planters for Beltane.
Redshirt
@Randy P: You’re literally worse than Bush. Reagan too.
Kathi
Finally got my raised veggie bed constructed this spring on a teardrop-shaped “island” with an in-ground bed for the fig trees (which looked better before the hard freeze we got a week or so ago). Still a tad too cool to put the tomatoes, peppers & eggplant in, so they are sheltered by the back door but the Bluestone Perennials order came a few days ago and I got the Tomato Soup and Green Jewel coneflowers planted yesterday. Wild Thing salvia is going in today, I hope. Still doing spring cleanup but things are moving along nicely.
c u n d gulag
What garden?
I used to love to dig-up the garden for my parents, and let them do their magic.
We haven’t had a garden in, probably about 5 or 6 years, when I came home for Easter from my job in NC, and dug it up for them one last time.
Now, with my Father passing away last year, and my Mom’s getting too old to garden, and I’m too handicapped to dig, there’ll be no garden.
But, in a few weeks, I’ll buy a half-dozen or so tomato plants, and cuke seeds, and grow some stuff on our back porch.
For those of you who still dig, and garden – ENJOY!
I know my parents used to.
R-Jud
I have tray upon tray of plants in my garage, waiting for after Tuesday, which is when some guys are coming to build me a new patio and some raised beds of brick. I wanted to harden the plants off outside but it actually went down to 29°F here last night. I’m most excited about the cavolo nero; I keep checking on it and talking to it.
I was also able to score a greenhouse kit on clearance, but I won’t put that up until after the patio has set for a few days. I WILL have tomatoes this year, dammit. And chilis. And possibly a dwarf Meyer lemon. But this could all be crazy talk.
Maude
@Randy P:
Dwarf apple trees are 10 to 12 feet tall. Standards are 20 to 30 feet tall.
nancydarling
Anne Laurie, I can’t believe you are still gardening with cloth gloves. When I first moved to AR, I spent a few hours each week working for a no-till, organic farmer (who happens to be from France) to learn the technique from him. He turned me on to Atlas Nitrile Touch gloves. They are like a second skin. I have given them to my sister and all my gardening friends and they bless me every time they step into their gardens. The palms and fingers are made of nitrile and the rest is stretch fabric. They wear like iron. For the first time in decades, I don’t have little cracks in my thumb and index finger from pulling off my gloves to do something requiring fine finger work.
I understand that a lot of horse people use them, too.
They come in three sizes, so you men-folk can use them as well. You want them to fit snugly.
jnfr
I still have not captured the rabbit that plagues me. As soon as I put out the Havahart, it vanishes. So my solution is to leave the trap out all the time. It’s magic! No rabbit!
Schlemizel
The last of the snow finally disappeared this week so we uncovered the beds but that is as far as we can go for now. The Snow Drops had popped up before the last snow and are now blooming so guess that means we survived another winter out here on the frozen tundra.
eclare
How is Freckles?
Gex
I have not yet started to garden. I move into my new apartment next week. The apartment complex has garden plots and I also have a patio. I’m not a gardener, my thumb is not green, but this year I want to try growing some red bell peppers.
I love those things so much, they’re like candy to me.
Are peppers something I could do on the patio? Or would a garden plot be necessary?
Linda Featheringill
@Gex:
Peppers do okay in containers.
I used the cloth reusable grocery bags for containers. They only last about a year but they’re cheap and they have handles on them. :-)
And they drain beautifully.
Once the peppers get started well, they’re pretty tough. You can move them around regularly if you need to chase the sun.
ETA: Don’t place them right next to the building. Give them a little room for air to circulate around them.
OzarkHillbilly
Muddy. Rain, rain, and more rain. All the creeks in the neighborhood flash flooded this week and the Meramec is back up again and I won’t be surprised if it jumps the banks again for the 2nd time in 2 weeks. And cool, highs in the 50’s. Supposed to get a break starting today, clearing with a high off 66, then tomorrow, Tuesday, and Weds. it jumps to the low 80’s before the next rains come through, thurs thru Sat. I should not complain, this time last year we were well on our way to drought.
As to what is growing…. I remain stuck on broccoli and brussel sprouts, though before the latest rain I noticed some lettuce finally peeking at the sky. I guess it is looking for some sunshine. Good luck.
My herb garden sits in a sheltered nook so no fear of freezes. As such it is almost done. Plenty of basil (4 types, sweet, purple, greek, and thai), dill (for the pickling), rosemary and sage (pulled one of the old plants as it was all wood, no leaf, and planted 2 new), 2 great big holdover oregano, 4 parsley (2 flat leaf, 2 curled), of course cilantro (4) and a couple of lavender to replace last years wretched leavings. Still looking for thyme and tarragon and maybe a couple newbies to try this year.
Gex
@Linda Featheringill: Thanks!
I can’t wait to finally move! I signed a lease in February at an apartment complex in Minneapolis. It’s between Dinkytown and Downtown, RIGHT on the Mississippi. The first unit I had was 5th floor away from the river, but I was able to be first on the list requesting a change if something else opens up.
Before I could move in to the 5th floor unit, an first floor river side unit opened up with a patio. Everything about the place is awesome. Except for the fact that I’m moving alone, of course.
ETA: I am considering dedicating one of the closets in the place for a hydroponic red pepper grow operation year round.
OzarkHillbilly
@HeartlandLiberal:
Last year I live trapped a coon and a skunk in the garden. The coon I managed to release down the road without losing any fingers. The skunk… sad to say it was shoot it, or get sprayed. I was not very happy about it. My real problem are the squirrels. They destroyed my corn last year and by early August were nibbling at every tomato without ever actually eating one.
Slowly but surely the population dwindles nearly daily.
28 Percent
Just mucked out one disaster of a foundation planting yesterday, transplanting seven lonely hostas to another bed and uprooted/tilled in the rest of the bed – pretty much just clumps of grass and some spent hyacinths. The bed I transplanted them to has been taking off since we cut down a holly tree in the middle of it that was turning the whole thing into a dead zone. The really good news is that the hellebores I planted three years ago seem to be competing with each other for which of them can be the sluttiest, so it’s looking like this fall or maybe next spring the seedlings that are coming up all around them will be developed enough to transplant. Next is putting in a new foundation garden – I’m thinking of going with Ivory Halo dogwoods – it’s a dwarf red twig dogwood shrub with variegated leaves.
dr. bloor
Wait, what? That’s kitteh crack you’re describing there.
Planted a bunch of annuals yesterday. Figured that in doing so I was guaranteeing a killing frost last night, but I was sick and tired of looking at dirt in my raised beds.
Randy P
What redeems me from just being a tree-killer is that I make good compost. It’s about time to harvest the stuff that’s been cooking all winter. My wife is the vegetable and flower gardener in our family and her babies just go nuts over the annual infusion of compost.
GregB
Transplanted a bay leave and rosemary plant into bigger pots for out on the deck.
Transplanted a lavender into the perennial box in front of the annual garden and threw in 3o onion plants into boxes and a few open spots around.
Got most of the raking done too.
Southern Beale
We had a helacious gullywasher of a rainstorm last night. Washed all the mulch away. Sigh.
RoonieRoo
@HeartlandLiberal: 20 okra? I grew okra for the first time last year and we learned that 1 – that is ONE – okra plant was plenty for us. I was pulling 5 or 7 pods off every single day. Granted, we aren’t giant fans of okra and having it twice a week was more than enough for us. But I can’t every fathom having 20 of them.
SiubhanDuinne
@Southern Beale: It moved through Atlanta sometime around 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. Now it’s just gloomy and overcast, but the rain seems to have stopped for the moment.
brettvk
@OzarkHillbilly: I b’leeve I’m west and south of you, but it’s been remarkably cool and wet down here too. My workplace has killed many, many retail plants so far, but other sellers seem to have wisely throttled back on the hoop-house bedding plant sales until the season settles down. OTOH, I picked and ate about 1.5 lbs of morel mushrooms from my front yard yesterday. And the potatos in grow sacks that I planted the last week of March are doing splendidly.
bemused
We need a new compost bin. The current, not ideal, bin is on it’s dying legs. I want a sturdy wood two compartment setup that will be easy and quick for my spouse to make. Poor guy already has many carpentry projects on the spring to-do list, most of them my wish list requests, and then I add another one to the list this morning. He had a stoic look on his face.
Any suggestions of favored compost bins plans would be welcome. We have plenty of room so bigger is better and my spouse has the tools, bench saw thingies to work with.
TaMara (BHF)
@BillinGlendaleCA: That cheered me. Love California poppies.
MomSense
@HeartlandLiberal: @RoonieRoo: is right and you have way too much okra, please send it to me! The only stuff I can find at our grocery stores is just too big and tough and practically inedible.
Today I am going to finish cleaning out the perennial beds on the front and side of the house and then start dealing with the back of the house. I need to move the plants and tons of weird red mulch left by the previous owner, put in a drip line of gravel, amend the soil and then plant.
I transplanted some beautiful peonies and other perennials and they are starting to come up–phew. They had been abandoned in a too shady place for years.
MomSense
@Gex:
I wish you joy and peace in your new place! If the complex has garden plots–there are probably some experienced gardeners who will help you. Great way to meet your neighbors.
I’ve never tried growing them in containers but some friends of mine do–and they do very well.
Emma
I have decided to use a long dreamed about project as a distraction. The Femara side effects are driving me into a minimalist life: home, work, home, work and “home” usually means bed-and-laptop because by the end of the day the hot flushes and the joint aches have taken all my energy.
Today I will start the first part of reclaiming the small side yard to the house, turning it into a garden and dreaming place. I might even sign up for an online class in garden design. I don’t care if it takes years, this will get done. By me.
I will start with a small raised vegetable bed and go on from there.
All advice welcome.
OzarkHillbilly
@brettvk:
Northwest Washington County for the record, about smack dab equidistant of Sullivan and Richwoods. Morels… I’m jealous. I have been able to get out only twice this spring and came up zip both times. I swear I have lost the sight and just can’t see them anymore as I have been just too busy for serious hunting since we bought the homestead 4 yrs ago. I figure to head down into my hollers this afternoon if I get what I need done, done.
Speaking of which, time to get busy. Enjoy the day y’all.
WaterGIrl
@raven: That is one cool poster!
I am making a sad face because you have to move all that stuff.
Violet
Well into the spring gardening season here. Tomato plants are taller than I am and I’ve already harvested the first cherry tomatoes. A few things that wintered over, like pepper plants, are producing. I’m excited to see an eggplant plant also wintered over and actually has an eggplant on it.
Winter vegetables are mostly done. I’m coaxing a few collard greens out of the last plants, but they’re getting bitter. All other brassicas are finished. I’m harvesting the last of the carrots, the onions are ready to be harvested and I’m watching the beans and cantaloupe come up. I’m late on both, but we’ve had a very chilly spring so it has thrown off planting schedules.
Tons of rain yesterday. Good for everything except it fell so heavily that some things are damaged. The petals on the irises are beat up.
raven
@WaterGIrl: Part of the deal. It’s drizzling so at least I’m cool.
Mnemosyne
I bought a couple of these pots on Amazon yesterday so I can put plants on the railing of our miniature balcony. Now I have to decide what to plant in them. I’m thinking of kitchen herbs in one and hummingbird/butterfly attractants (like fuschia and/or salvia) in the other.
I got these over some of the other models because there’s a fastener that you can use to secure them to the railing — a lot of the other versions were free-floating, and that seemed like a bad idea on the second floor in earthquake country.
Anne Laurie
@nancydarling:
My beloved Bionic gloves are fine leather, not cloth. They also fit closely, and are the first gloves I’ve been able to wear even while transplanting delicate annuals.
I tried on a pair of the nitrile gloves, but didn’t care for the feel — I have really sweaty hands & it felt like the nitrile would be as unpleasant as a wet bathing suit in a hot car. Could be just prejudice on my part, but the Bionics last me a good three seasons (barring cats eating them) so I just ordered another pair!
Starlit
The raised garden bed is promising to feed us at least once this summer. The potato starts are poking up, the prostrate rosemary is growing down, and the scallions and garlic promise to keep six-footed and bipedal vampires away.
The blueberries have a collective sad. Not sure what to do about them; they all have new shoots. They just look a bit tired and low on the bud count.
My great discovery: blue forget-me-not and Siberian bugwort have identical flower forms and colors, but since one is perennial and the other is bienial (bi-annual?), and they’re different heights, I have a frothy wash of sky-blue spilling up and out of the front yard April through May, four years in a row, now. It makes me happy.