Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Thinning

Why can't plants figure it out by themselves... why do I have to decide who stays and who goes... I never liked this part, and that's probably why my carrots tend to be small  and crooked.  I don't mind thinning lettuce, because we eat them in salads, but the ones that we don't eat are the challenge. I spent two hours doing what an seasoned gardener would have done in 15 minutes... I don't know why, but every single string bean sprouted, which should make me feel proud of my green thumb, however, ... I decided to transplant all those crowded green, red, yellow, and Roma beans all around the perimeter of the fence... You'd think that would teach me to put them in the compost bin instead. But, two days later, the transplants are doing great, and the ones in the original beds are happy to have more space to thrive. It seems like we'll have string beans to feed the whole neighborhood! Maybe I'll open a farm stand...

Monday, May 17, 2010

Done with Seeds

I finished sowing, at least for the Spring. I sowed cucumbers,  and summer squash of different shapes. I had no way to distinguish the seeds, except that some were smaller than others, so hopefully we'll get a few different ones. I also sowed romaine lettuce, and transplanted the onion seedlings and the eggplants. The eggplants looked worse than a week ago. Something (or somebody) is eating the leaves.  I need to check how they do in the next few days now that they are in their final home. Speaking of being eaten, something else is eating the leaves of the Roma beans and the string beans, not all of them, so I'm happy to pay garden tax, but I don't want it to get out of hand.

The annuals I bought at the Maplewood Garden Club plant sale are adding a wonderful splash of color to the garden. The petunias are happy in the hanging baskets, and the geraniums have such a velvety red, that it looks like the color bleeds out of the flowers.

The irises are at peak. It's a treat! And they are so fragrant... It is definitely purple week, between the clematis, the irises, some left over phlox, and the sage in bloom, it's a full display. See the pictures.

We've been enjoying salads with home grown lettuce. We have arugula, romaine, and a few more, but I forgot the names; well, one is called "small head",  which doesn't describe much, but the flavor is mild and sweet, and it is definitely my favorite. Can't wait for the tomatoes to be ready... they are only 3 inches high now, though...

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Protecting the new transplants

Last weekend I transplanted the tomato plants and two days later they announced a thunderstorm, and after the storm the Roma beans that I had seeded were all exposed and sprouting. So I covered them all back with soggy soil.  Since I remember my experience from last year when most of the plants died water-logged before having a chance to get established, I decided to cover them with a large plastic sheet that I had bought for the poly-tunnel. So that worked out well, a bit messy with the water on the plastic, and the invariable spill into my shoes.  It was nice and toasty under the plastic... and everybody seemed happy.

Just when I was thinking, it is almost mother's day and the good weather is supposed to be on our side, they announced another storm ... again I covered the tomato plants, and also the Roma beans, and the green beans too. The storm wasn't so bad, but there was plenty of water to process, when I came back of a special function for prospective students at work (yes, on a Saturday... my gardening day). Since the temperature is supposed to go down to 43F overnight, I drained the water, and I decided to leave the plastic cover on... did I mention wet toes? I should have changed my shoes before...  I know.

The Maplewood Garden Club had its annual plant sale this week, and I went yesterday to get a few annuals for a couple hanging baskets, and I couldn't resist another trip today for a self-mother's day gift.
I got a beautiful gorse bush, that reminds me of our days in Edinburgh, and the walks on Blackford Hill.
I also bought a Crape Myrtle, hopefully this one is hardy in our zone, and it won't die like the ones we got from the Arbor Day Foundation.

Monday, May 3, 2010

Potatoes, tomatoes, ...



I had a 10:30 AM appointment for a 30-45 minutes visit and I left
after 3:30 PM... I'm too far from home to dash to the garden to brush
away my frustration, so I'll catch up with the blog.

A lot is happening. In early April the potatoes arrived, and a week or
so later since they already came with chubby tubers, I cut them in
pieces and put them in the ground hoping they wouldn't rot. It's
interesting how every seed potato seller tells you a different story
on how to deal with them. The one I used last year said cut them in
pieces, cover the cut surfaces with anti-fungal, let them dry for a
couple of days and then plant. The one from this year suggested to 

cut them and plant them right away. I guess there is more than one way to
do this right...


Obediently, I put them 2 inches under ground in 6 inch high furrows,
at however many inches apart. My dad would have brought the ruler, I
just did it translating from inches to centimeters and then convincing
myself that this high was about right.


I am experimenting with mustard meal. They look like cork worms. The
bag said how much you need per area, but it didn't say what to do with
them. So I just mixed them with soil before seeding the potatoes.  I
used two areas for potatoes, one in a raised bed and the other at
ground level. I used mustard meal in the raised bed only. Don't ask me why.

I didn't remember how long the potatoes were supposed to take to
sprout, and I waited, and waited looking a the lonely furrows
wondering if they were all rotten, or if I killed them with too much
fertilizer... but from one day to the next last week sure enough in
the raised bed there were green leaves coming through the soil (not
dirt, remember). My son and I were together when we saw them coming
up, and we started cheering and jumping. We had a good silly potato
time together, and then we watered the baby plants.

The ones on the ground level furrows hadn't come up yet, and I started
thinking: maybe it is too wet for them here and they are all rotten by
now... But yesterday, I saw the first plant breaking through the
ground, and then I remembered that I didn't put any mustard meal
there... Hey, fertilizers work!

All the leafy greens are sprouting, and with the heat this weekend,
they went from shy shoots to little plants in two days. The fairy
meadow is also coming up nicely, and in the flower garden the irises
and the lavender clematis are beautiful.

On Saturday I transplanted the tomato plants and leeks that I started
from seed.  I hope they didn't drown in last night's storm... I should
have saved some for later... Now I know from next year,  never put all
your tomato plants in the same basket.