Today, I planted the rest of the cockscomb that looked alive. I won't have as much of it as I wanted, but I'll just hope that some of it comes up. I saw seedlings trying to grow in that bed. I think I will have many cosmos and zinnia "volunteers." Which is just fine. I also planted some alyssum seedlings with my son. They should be very pretty.
I need to dig out the edge of that front garden, put paper down as a weed barrier, and then cover that with a few inches of mulch. I don't know when I'll get to that. The tulips look like they are coming in strong! I imagine that they'll bloom in early May.
I had my husband try an arugula sprout that I thinned earlier today. He was actually impressed, which pleased me. (He's not easily impressed.) They do taste quite wonderful.
I'm hoping that in a week we'll have some lettuce and radishes for salads. It may be two weeks though.
My tomato plants outside have a nice color and seem to be settling in. The ones I'm keeping indoors do not look quite so happy. I put the rest of them in peat pots and am getting them ready to live outside too. Tues and Wed now are both expected to be cold nights. So Thursday or later they will go out. I'll keep the peppers and eggplants another couple of weeks.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Plants I want to try next year
I'm already thinking ahead to what I'll try next. I'm forcing myself not to buy any more seeds until I make my order for cool-season flowers and vegetables (if I need/want any more) this fall.
I want to try (that I haven't tried yet or have seeds for)
I want to try (that I haven't tried yet or have seeds for)
- Peanuts
- Huckleberry
- Alpine strawberries
- Pole beans
- Black-eyed peas
- Snap peas
- Spinach
- Onions from seed
- Baby Carrots
- Pattypan squash
- Mustard greens
- Okra
- Purple tomatoes
- Ornamental corn
- Claytonia
- Garlic
flowers and more
OK, let me say, it was a poor idea to use garden soil in my peat pots instead of potting soil. My cockscomb became very unhappy in the wet conditions, and then I let it dry out too much, and it got all wilted. Several of my seedlings died from drowning, and others died from drought. But some have prevailed. I planted several out in the garden and plan to plant more tomorrow. I hope that they will be okay on these cold nights Tues. and now Wed. But I feel like they're safer out there than they were in the poor conditions I was subjecting them to. Okay, only potting soil in containers. Yes, only potting soil in containers. (My blueberry bush is growing happily in garden soil in a container.)
I think I also prefer to use a special "moisture max" potting soil for my containers rather than the organic one I've been getting. I'm no purist.
My echinacea is still growing in my seed starter, and it looks very happy in there. I will be transferring it to peat pots soon, because I need to start getting it used to the outside world, and I need the space under the lights. Most of it can go. I will have 18 seedlings in all, which should fill up the area I have designated for it nicely. I was looking at pictures of it (coneflower white swan) on google images, and I think it will be such a lovely planting and perfect for that difficult spot next to the pavement. I hope it will smell nice as we walk by it on our way in out of the cars. My first perinnial flower to commit to...
Four of my chive seedlings are ready to go to their pot, so I will get them fixed up tomorrow. I'm ready to put St. John's Wort out there too. It is still very small.
I like the way all my clay pots look from the street. The herbs should be very striking when they bloom. The speariment looks crazy healthy. I'm glad it is so happy. The peppermint is coming in nicely too. It had a more difficult start than its cousin. It was put out in the heat of the summer and not watered enough. But it seems to have recovered from my initial neglect.
When we moved here, I wasn't so interested in flowers--only vegetables. I didn't know that most of my vegetables would be producing flowers! And my herbs. And I learned about how flowers would attract bees to my vegetables. I love the flowers that basically grow themselves, and those are the only ones I'm much interested in.
I tried some garden planning software tonight, a 45 day free trial. It was interesting, but I honestly prefer to make loose plans and then improvise.
I think I also prefer to use a special "moisture max" potting soil for my containers rather than the organic one I've been getting. I'm no purist.
My echinacea is still growing in my seed starter, and it looks very happy in there. I will be transferring it to peat pots soon, because I need to start getting it used to the outside world, and I need the space under the lights. Most of it can go. I will have 18 seedlings in all, which should fill up the area I have designated for it nicely. I was looking at pictures of it (coneflower white swan) on google images, and I think it will be such a lovely planting and perfect for that difficult spot next to the pavement. I hope it will smell nice as we walk by it on our way in out of the cars. My first perinnial flower to commit to...
Four of my chive seedlings are ready to go to their pot, so I will get them fixed up tomorrow. I'm ready to put St. John's Wort out there too. It is still very small.
I like the way all my clay pots look from the street. The herbs should be very striking when they bloom. The speariment looks crazy healthy. I'm glad it is so happy. The peppermint is coming in nicely too. It had a more difficult start than its cousin. It was put out in the heat of the summer and not watered enough. But it seems to have recovered from my initial neglect.
When we moved here, I wasn't so interested in flowers--only vegetables. I didn't know that most of my vegetables would be producing flowers! And my herbs. And I learned about how flowers would attract bees to my vegetables. I love the flowers that basically grow themselves, and those are the only ones I'm much interested in.
I tried some garden planning software tonight, a 45 day free trial. It was interesting, but I honestly prefer to make loose plans and then improvise.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
How many plants?
Well, this is a helpful link! I don't know how accurate it is, but it is a good starting point, when trying to figure out how many vegetables to plant.
How Much to Plant Per Person in the Vegetable Garden
Found Another:
What to Grow for a Family of 4
They totally contradict each other!
How Much to Plant Per Person in the Vegetable Garden
Found Another:
What to Grow for a Family of 4
They totally contradict each other!
Planting Schedule
The website Heirloom seeds has a really helpful planting schedule based on last frost date for spring and first frost date for fall.
Spring Planting Schedule
Fall Planting Schedule
Flower Planting Schedule
Spring Planting Schedule
Fall Planting Schedule
Flower Planting Schedule
spring, spring, spring
The maple tree I planted in the front yard a few weeks ago is coming out of dormancy, as are the crabapple and dogwood in the back. I'm still waiting to see about the crape myrtles, but I did see some green on my blue rose of sharon bushes. I am so excited about those. I am going to plant shasta daisies around them, and I think they will look so beautiful in the summertime.
When my other saplings came a few weeks ago, I received 2 free forsythias from the Arbor Day Foundation. I wasn't sure I wanted them though and didn't get around to planting them. However, the forsythias around town have been so lovely this week that I regretted that. I had shoved them in the pantry, and I went to look at them, and they were coming out of dormancy. Any shrub that hardy deserves a place in my yard. So, I planted them. Hopefully, they'll be all right and produce beautiful yellow flowers next spring.
No frost forecast yet, but it is supposed to get down to 35 on Tuesday night. I'm going to investigate my options for protecting my tomatoes. This article has a lot of good ideas: Protecting Plants from Frost. I'm hoping the forecast changes by then. If it doesn't, I will try covering them with newspaper. My tomato seedlings are very small.
Speaking of that, I saw at Lowe's many large, lovely plants for planting in the garden, including large specimens of Early Girl, which I have growing. They were cheap. It made me wonder why I bothered starting my own seeds... Except that I enjoy it.
My tomato towers finally came, and I have them installed. I had bought bamboo stakes since I was convinced the towers wouldn't be here in time, so I'll have to find another use for them (shouldn't be hard).
I feel like my asparagus should be here by now. I will have to check on it.
One of my houseplants, my "aluminum plant" got very "leggy" and ugly in the low light situation that my parlor palm and spider plant do not mind. It also prefers its soil to stay moist, whereas they prefer a wet-dry cycle. I moved it upstairs to the office, where it could get more light, and I could water it more, but it is just ugly. So, I am going to root a cutting of it and then compost the poor thing. I think the dry winter air upset it. This will be my first attempt at rooting a cutting.
So much waiting! Waiting for asparagus crowns, waiting for spring vegetables to grow, waiting for the weather to warm to put in later plantings. I'm already planning for fall, winter, and spring as well. Thinking of naturalizing daffodils in the front lawn since my crocuses croaked/bulbs were likely eaten by squirrels. (Here's a link I liked on Naturalizing Daffodils.)
When my other saplings came a few weeks ago, I received 2 free forsythias from the Arbor Day Foundation. I wasn't sure I wanted them though and didn't get around to planting them. However, the forsythias around town have been so lovely this week that I regretted that. I had shoved them in the pantry, and I went to look at them, and they were coming out of dormancy. Any shrub that hardy deserves a place in my yard. So, I planted them. Hopefully, they'll be all right and produce beautiful yellow flowers next spring.
No frost forecast yet, but it is supposed to get down to 35 on Tuesday night. I'm going to investigate my options for protecting my tomatoes. This article has a lot of good ideas: Protecting Plants from Frost. I'm hoping the forecast changes by then. If it doesn't, I will try covering them with newspaper. My tomato seedlings are very small.
Speaking of that, I saw at Lowe's many large, lovely plants for planting in the garden, including large specimens of Early Girl, which I have growing. They were cheap. It made me wonder why I bothered starting my own seeds... Except that I enjoy it.
My tomato towers finally came, and I have them installed. I had bought bamboo stakes since I was convinced the towers wouldn't be here in time, so I'll have to find another use for them (shouldn't be hard).
I feel like my asparagus should be here by now. I will have to check on it.
One of my houseplants, my "aluminum plant" got very "leggy" and ugly in the low light situation that my parlor palm and spider plant do not mind. It also prefers its soil to stay moist, whereas they prefer a wet-dry cycle. I moved it upstairs to the office, where it could get more light, and I could water it more, but it is just ugly. So, I am going to root a cutting of it and then compost the poor thing. I think the dry winter air upset it. This will be my first attempt at rooting a cutting.
So much waiting! Waiting for asparagus crowns, waiting for spring vegetables to grow, waiting for the weather to warm to put in later plantings. I'm already planning for fall, winter, and spring as well. Thinking of naturalizing daffodils in the front lawn since my crocuses croaked/bulbs were likely eaten by squirrels. (Here's a link I liked on Naturalizing Daffodils.)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Tomatoes out in the garden
Maybe I'm crazy, but I am pretty sure we're not even going to get close to having another frost. My tomato seedlings looked unhappy, and I decided it wouldn't hurt to put one of each kind of tomato out in the garden. If they die, I have a back-up for each. If the weather stays nice, I think they'll be much better off.
I may not plant the back-up of all of them, if the ones currently out make it, especially the hybrids. I marked each with a little wooden plant tag. I guess I'm going to go to Lowes and get some stakes since my tomato towers STILL AREN'T here. I would cancel the order, but they were a good price, and I will just use them next year.
The tomatoes I planted:
Early Girl (hybrid)
Glory (hybrid)
Container Choice (hybrid, bush)
Brandywine (heirloom)
Pineapple (heirloom)
Green Zebra (heirloom)
The cherries:
Jenny (non-hybrid, yellow)
Ladybug (hybrid, red)
Snowberry (heirloom, white)
Depending on the forecast, I may plant my peppers out within the next couple of weeks, at least one of each type.
I think next year, I will probably start an early variety this early but save my mid and late season varieties to start 3-4 weeks before the last frost.
I may not plant the back-up of all of them, if the ones currently out make it, especially the hybrids. I marked each with a little wooden plant tag. I guess I'm going to go to Lowes and get some stakes since my tomato towers STILL AREN'T here. I would cancel the order, but they were a good price, and I will just use them next year.
The tomatoes I planted:
Early Girl (hybrid)
Glory (hybrid)
Container Choice (hybrid, bush)
Brandywine (heirloom)
Pineapple (heirloom)
Green Zebra (heirloom)
The cherries:
Jenny (non-hybrid, yellow)
Ladybug (hybrid, red)
Snowberry (heirloom, white)
Depending on the forecast, I may plant my peppers out within the next couple of weeks, at least one of each type.
I think next year, I will probably start an early variety this early but save my mid and late season varieties to start 3-4 weeks before the last frost.
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