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Gaining Ground..I think!

Category: gardening | Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 6:53 pm

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Now that the snow's melted off and the never-ending winds have dried things up a bit, all I see is work, work and more work to be done outside. Was debating having the Siberian elms "cleaned out" again this season, but looks like there's no worry there: anything loose, dead or fragile is now on the ground, patiently awaiting pickup and a quick trip to the local landfill as a "mulch donation". Surveyed the leaf accumulation across front of property, appears to be another 18 bags worth..at least! Grass is growing faster than I'd like to see, looks like another bumper crop of weeds as well mixed in.
However, Oriental poppies, white valerian, lambs ear and comfrey in a front garden are up and looking good, lilacs are setting buds, and there's actually some "green" showing in herb bed as horehound, garden sage, hyssop, chives and a few other things show signs they made it thru the winter. French tarragon is off and running, noticed the spearmint and oregano aren't far behind, dish gardens of various sedums are "coloring" as well. Green bunch onions are almost a foot high, and there's an Earthbox of Red Russian kale starts, and one of early cabbages, OUT! Have them "caged" for time being, more to protect them from the wind than anything else, but they seem quite happy in their makeshift tents. Doesn't look too pretty, but you gotta do what you gotta do in this country!
Prepped all the Earthboxes (have 7 of them) and large containers left outside, are now ready for their 2008 plants after reworking the played out soil a bit, adding some builders to and much needed nitrogen sources. Soil is now nice and pliable, the two resident PEST red squirrels are having a field day re-digging them up for me on a daily basis, are probably looking for their peanuts (that are long gone!) they got somewhere and hid in them last fall..what can I say?
Plant starts are doing nicely, should have them out in greenhouse but winds' have been so bad, I can't get trays from sunroom to it without them taking off for parts unknown in the process! Do have gorgeous pansies out there tho', and have been picking GH leaf lettuce on a regular basis for a month, feel like a rabbit from eating it all.
Checked barrel composter yesterday after turning it's contents, was surprised to see some great black and sweet smelling compost in there, plants are gonna LOVE it! Another few weeks and it'll get emptied, will start another batch with old leaves and grass clippings plus ?, put it to good use! Will be adding comfrey as fast as it grows also.
Am gaining on things, slowly but surely, just can't WAIT to get everything outside now, get green things everywhere you look! Hanging baskets of ivy geranmiums on the old windmill, containers of other flowers here and there, tomatoes/peppers/eggplants/cukes and other edibles growing! I'm a very impatient gardener... .



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Signs That Spring IS Trying To "Sprung"

Category: gardening | Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:45 pm

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Tulips have begun to pop up all over the yards, and it looks like a few daffies are beginning to show also after the long, hard winter we've endured. See some "green" on the Oriental poppies, Johnny Jump Ups, bunch onions and sedums, even had the first antelope of the year wander thru back yard last weekend, surely a sign of better things to come! Weather's still doing its pogo-ride however: is near 50 one day, back to the 30's and SNOW the next, but at least it's melting off fast, actually contains a fair amount of moisture that we drastically need after several years of drought. Notice the birds are back at feeders in force, are singing their beautiful Spring songs, think it's almost time to brush the loose hair out of my Saint Bernard and let it "fly" for the birds to gather for nesting purposes again.
Inside, the sunroom is beginning to overflow with held-over ivy geraniums that, despite a DRASTIC cutting back last fall, are back to full size and blooming away (as are the zonals), shelves in front of big south-facing windows are crowded with trays of vegetable and flower seedlings, all waiting patiently til the day they can safely be put outside for the summer. Many of the seedlings should be put in the greenhouse, but every time I'm ready, the winds pick up and it's impossible to make the transfer without them suffering a "quick trip to the mall", windburn or experiencing a chill between here and there, so the jungle continues to grow in the small, crowded space. Mother Nature has really triggered the plants the last few weeks, another sign of impending Spring? Hopefully?
Time to plant tomatoes, and TIME I begin taking some photos with new digital camera so I can begin sharing growing experiences with everyone. Had been putting off purchasing one, but after seeing such great pictures on this site the "seed was planted", decided the time had come to finally "spring" into the 21st. Century and join the fun! Nice thing about a digital is I can always delete my OOPS! shots and try, try, try again!

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