What have you done today in the Garden?

Your orchard is looking good. Fruit blossoms are always such a hopeful sign, albeit somewhat tenuous.

 

Yesterday and today were busy days. I had to take a gamble on vernalizing the artichokes. They need a minimum of 11 days between the temps of 0 and 10 C to trick them into thinking they had a winter. They're a biennial and need this to produce buds. BUT the weather is highs of 8 ( good) and low's of -4 C ( not so good). If I wait much longer they highs will be 14, which poses another problem. Hubby helped me roust up a couple of large boxes from the barn, some styrofoam sheets and some old sleeping bags. They have a frost free house on the porch, hopefully. I'm just waiting for the thermometer to move above freezing to take them out. It will be dark for them a little longer than I'd like, but hopefully it works. It's an ugly little artichoke fort for sure hahaha But it does beat taking them up to the guest cabin in a wagon every day like I had to do last year when it was so warm.






Every other plant was shuffled as a result of the artichokes moving out. The tomatoes get more natural light now. The onions, leeks and herbs are in upstairs room, and the tomatoes, brasica, celery and flowers are in the other. We're all waiting for spring The onions solved their own "to trim or not trim" dilemma, because they were interfering with the grow lights. We're enjoying eating the trimmings.

 

We moved our tomato, pepper, and cherry tomato starts out to full sun and the elements today. They are sitting on the garden table waiting to be put in the ground next week. We are finally back on gardening schedule--neither late nor early. This year has been a challenge!

 

Wonderful posting Mel, all those plantlets are coming right along. Your protective measures look effective.

Jane, I am excited for you. Just imagine the feeling you will have when you get those things into the ground. Ahhhhh.

 

Another golf day so not much,

Tied up a few clematis and finished painting 'arry's summer house.




This was the last photo I took on my ageing Lumix DMC TZ60, before it gave up the ghost. Took the card out of it and stuck it in my laptop to get the photos.

Cameras are expensive to have repaired even if you can find some one to do it.

It was eight years old and had a lot of use. Over the years, I'd dropped it a few times (on the carpet of the front room).

Anyway, I've ordered another Lumix, a DMC LX15 It has a swing up screen so you don't have to hold it up to your face to take a photo







It'll be the third Lumix I've had. I've still got a little DMC LZ7, that's in a cupboard, it still works fine, but the photos aren't nearly as good as those from modern cameras.

Our kids will get the house and everything we have when we're gone. So as they say, "We're spending the kids inheritance," but actually, not really making a dent in it.
The value of our house increases each year by far more than we spend on "luxuries and non essentials"

So whenever either of us are thinking of buying something reasonably expensive, we discuss it, but end up saying, "Do you think the kids will buy us....(whatever)?"

So the other one says, "Yes!"

 

Bought a couple of clematis to fill some gaps.

We finished the last two panels in the side fence. so the job's done. Well it is for me. My neighbour will be getting someone in to clear the "carpet" of ivy he has covering the border on his side.
Putting the panels in was easy enough for me, to stand on the roof of the tea-house and drag them up whilst my neighbour centred the bottom edges in the slots.
Still needed a bit of "fettling" as the end panel's concrete base panel had been lifted at the far end by the roots of the tree in their garden. So I had to use a crowbar and spade to lift the other end to level it off and pack some bits of brick under it. I've put wedges in to stop the wind rattling the panels.




I'd previously re-painted that side of the tea-house and cleaned the paving slabs to the side of it, so we're looking quite tidy.






I've finished 'arry's summerhouse. I'm leaving it on the veranda of the tea-house, so it will get a chance for the smell of the paint to dissipate and weather a bit, before I swop them over.








I'm using my old Lumix DMCLZ7 at the moment which is about fifteen years old now, still works, but needs AA batteries.

 

Never tried a cold frame before. This morning I threw this together.


Outside temp is about +6C today and sunny. By 2pm, the soil temp was about 15C. Going to try some carrots and radishes tomorrow and see what happens. Hard to read temp.

 

@Doghouse Riley arry's summer house is looking great.

@harrylee that cold frame looks great also.

 

Not a lot today as it is sunny but very cold.

Just tied up a few more clematis, which are showing rapid growth.

Now that the fence is finished, I've rebalanced the wisteria branches. They lend themselves very well to being repositioned. I use very strong garden wire to tie them. I find it's ideal as you need only to wrap a bit around the branches and the wires. So no chance of them later being unseen and forgotten behind foliage, cutting into a branch as it grows. They just expand a bit.

Can't do anything with the height of the second panel. The roots of the tree on the other side has pushed up the concrete base panel at this end.



I'm pleased with the progress of the four new hebes in this narrow bed. As always there's a lot of bluebells.

I'm also pleased with the progress of our roses. This time last year they got hit by a late frost and later, by a lot of blackspot.

This year I've been using this.

Sulphur Rose.



They say as well as spraying both sides of the leaves, you should also spray the area around the roots.

So far, no trace of blackspot and many already showing flower buds. But it's early days yet.









Even those in the "alley of shame" which gets hardly any sun, are doing just as well

 

@harrylee Your cold frame looks great! An old friend of mine had one and I was always amazed what she could grow. It would be full of greens and carrots long before anyone else had things in the ground. I'll be excited to see how that works out for you ( ....as Mel starts scoping out a spot for one next year.....) Please keep us posted

 

Some milder weather is moving in and my day time highs could be in the low teens for a few days. This is lovely and will melt a lot of snow. However, it does not bode well for vernalizing my artichokes below 10 C during the warm part of those days. The trip up to the unheated guest cabin that I used last year is straight ice and I'd like to avoid it.

I'm going to use what nature gave me, and today I will finish digging a two foot deep, 4 x 4 pit in the snow outside the back porch. It will fit two laundry baskets with arties in them, and I hope with some cardboard on the bottom and a piece of remay on top will keep their roots cool enough. Kinda fun playing in the snow and making an Artichoke snow fort. Brought me back to when my son was little and he and I would tackle the big snow banks with shovels to make forts. The Artichokes should only need it for a few hours of the day.

Next year I will plant six instead of twelve. Maybe. I'm thinking after packing them around so much I should name them soon.

 

@Doghouse Riley - I was surprised to see cages around your roses. I had never thought of that. And with being green they blend right in. I struggle with roses, even the "hardy" ones, and every spring is a visit to every one of them to see who made it. I do love them though. I have many in the memory garden. Thier new spring growth often falls over with a bud. The cage is a clever idea. I'll be sure to have some extra ones on hand painted green this spring.

 

Sprayed the seedlings and a bit of watering.

 

Thanks for that, I only use cages round those roses that need training. Those with them "tighten up" so for the following year I can remove them if I choose and put them round another.

 

Lot's of work going on in lots of gardens everyone!

I was delayed by lack of staples (not horseshoe nails) until today. I stapled in a plastic liner for the big planter box. Now it's as protected from excess moisture as I think I can make it. I installed a platform for the grow bags, and set them in the box. Each is 25 gallon and takes up about two square ft of area. No photos of that step yet. I filled each about 1/3 full with a soil mix. Next, we will need to take a trip to a supplier for the rest of the soil mix. If it's done in two weeks, I'll be happy.

Meanwhile, all of the slicer and cherry tomatoes are in individual containers now in "Black Gold" potting soil. They get a half day outdoors in the sun, the rest indoors under grow lamps.



A bit more than half of those will be gifts to other gardeners. Most of mine are dwarf open pollinated types, either heirloom or via "Dwarf Tomato Project".

Even at a small size, it's easy to see the size difference. The three on the left are dwarf types.



The flower seedlings are doing well. I started more perennial seedlings this year than ever before. I hope they do well. All of the Rudbeckias and Echinaceas are already in the ground, and the first half of the Coreopsis. Next will be the Ratibidas, carnations, milkweeds, and more Coreopsis. There are also annuals - bloodflower and Statice, and a six pack each of thyme and oregano.



I started up potting the chilis. They usually lag and I always worry they wont thrive. There are banana peppers, jalmundo, early Jalapeño, Serrano, Thai, Tabasco and one Cayenne.

Finally, geraniums I started from cuttings. The bigger ones are from last fall, the sad looking little ones from late winter. Also a new colorful one in the back.



I need to plant a fair number of these to clear space on the plant shelves and under the LEDs, probably in a couple of weeks.