What have you done today in the Garden?

@Daniel W - your pruning technique of pruning while the tree is in blossom. This sound brilliant. Am I correct that you prune away the branches that don't have blossoms? Is this before they open? I'd appreciate it if I could pick your brain on this.

 

More very nice foto’s Pac, especially that last one.

So then Daniel, the first harvests are in ! Well done you.

 

Thank you .


Mowed front , back sides of lawn sprinkled moss killer. Then leveled areas using tractor bucket and took out a huge section of rotting fence posts with the front bucket. Knocked out a couple of trash trees poking up on the pasture 5’ - 10’.
Used the tractor to blow off all the pine needles that blew on the driveway , so many needle couldn’t see driveway. Wind storms do manage to clean out the needles in trees… millions of them…

found a gopher hole and set traps. UGGGG…

Then came in a took a nap… hehe

 

Mel, More or less correct. As long as I can tell the buds are going to be blossoms, that tells me if I am removing potential fruit. I don't need a huge amount of fruit, but the buds tell me enough to make a decision. Some of the trees are already blooming, which I think is OK.

 

After spending all afternoon outside, I'm just catching up other stuff. I want it to rain all day tomorrow, so I can take a break!

On the briefly famous Garlic Chives, the first planter has enough for a second batch of dumplings.



They are still a little floppy today, which doesn't hurt anything.

I completely rehabbed the second planter. That gives a younger colony for future use.



I planted two each of Four o'Clocks and dwarf dahlias, into the garden. I want to see how they do, then get moving on the others. I forgot to check the soil temperature.




Debating which seeds to start now. I think I'll do a test run of just a few green beans, maybe a couple of squashes, more snowpeas.

 

I've hardly done anything in the garden for a week. It's been left to its own devices and has managed quite well without me.
Quite a bit going on in this corner.
The Amber clematis on the fence is rampant, the two bare root David Austin roses I bought a month ago in their square pots in the wooden trough are doing well and the Acer Palmatrum Taylor I put in the garage over winter has survived another year.




The other acers are now in full leaf, they'll need a bit of "fettling" to conform to the symmetrical look I like, but I'll leave that for a week or two.













All the wisterias are doing well, though we lost a few blooms in the wind. Also the wood pigeons confuse them with ears of corn or what have you and peck a few off.









But there's still hundreds.














All the old favourite azaleas and rhodos will put on a good display this year.









There's been some recovery of the "dead" clematis I put on the shed window sill, three definite and one possible, but they're very slow.





The front garden more or less looks after itself. The big acer's foliage will be as abundant as ever, despite the all round prune I give it each winter to contain its size.
The azaleas too get pruned back a bit, (with garden shears) and there's the usual amount of flower buds on them. The rhodo in the middle is coming into bloom.

 

It started to warm up a bit so I've done some more weeding.

 

Pac— Chapeau. What a competent outdoorling you are.

Daniel your garlic chives and Mirabilis is looking good, isn’t it mate.

Riley, your garden is again looking too be in tip-top shape.

Loggie— you did that funnest of fun jobs.

 

My "dead" clematis might really be dead. But some times a plant can fool you!

 

@Daniel W I grow the smaller varieties of melons that work in my growing season.

 

I bought seeds for a small variety to try in a container this year.
I've also been pondering grafting a watermelon seedling onto a squash rootstock, for better vigor. It's done commercially for disease resistance.

In fact, I could try now, to work on my skills...

Tongue - Approach grafting looks like the easiest way to go.

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS1257

 

Daniel would enjoy watching you graft a melon seedling and see how it turns out. Interesting technique and link.
Sorry about your clematis. It will fool you and spring back. I’ve had a few just disappear never sure why.

Sjoerd the garden and pastures have many different management techniques to keep it up and maintained. Your garden has been shown to be very successful during both growing season and harvest.

Riley your superior gardening skills are showing in your beautiful garden it looks amazing. Won’t be long til those wisterias to pop.

Logan weeds in my garden are everywhere. I don’t even know where to start. Once it warms up and the rain stops , I can spot spray.

Clay the growing zone is too short to grow melons in my zone. Very lucky you can grow smaller varieties.

 

Clay I'm trying a smaller melon that my Northern Seed company recommended. I have to start it indoors and then gently transplant into the greenhouse - but I'm excited to try. It is smaller as well, as supposedly tasty. I'm not sure about real estate, but I won't be able to let the vines go crazy anyhow because of my short season. I'll keep and nurture the ones that form the earliest.
It's called a New Queen hybrid. It has yellow flesh but a watermelon green exterior. The maturity date is 61 days from transplant so I have a shot. I'm pretty excited about it.

 

The snow melted by noon today, but the high is only 5 C so everyone is staying in under the grow light party for another day. They are coming along though. My poppies, flowers, herbs and celery hang out in the living room window and then get kicked out on the deck when it's 10 C.


The tomatoes are almost ready for a pot up to 1 gallon pots. I tried some new and fun larger varieties this year. Mortgage Lifter ( heirloom), Gigantomato, Big Beef Hybrid, T and T Monster, Roma VF, Amish Paste and of course Red Robin Dwarf cherry, Bush Early Girl and Bush Beef. I'll be teaching my daughter to can tomatoes this year



The Rhodochiton are doing well - four germinated. I'm excited and curious to see if I can get them to bloom. It will depend on how warm my summer is.




I'm optimistic for the spinach and lettuce.



And THIS little baby has been wonderful. I ordered these little watering spigots on Amazon. They don't fit a water bottle but do fit a soda water bottle. It has been so much easier for watering seeds and sprouts.

 

This is a great posting, Mel. I mean the whole posting is great, but the toms…the toms.