What have you done today in the Garden?

Today I transplanted a hybrid cucumber and a crookneck squash. They came up volunteer in entirely the wrong spots, so they are moved, watered, and enjoying an overcast day. I also weeded the onions for the last time. Tomorrow is "pull and hang onions" day. I'm so looking forward to doing that! Perhaps I need to get out more . . . .

 

Okay, so I got so fed up with the thistle, that I totally dug it up!I didn't bother to separate the dirt as much as I had been. It was very tightly clumped together, so if I saw worms, I'd dig them out. I didn't find too many, though.
I dug up my poor raspberries, which were apparently calling to the thistle, because I'd dig up one and the next day there'd be 2 next to the raspberry. When I dug them up one defenseless berry had 4 circling it. But the didn't seem to mind being dug up. They all look very happy in their new weed free home. I'll wait this season and next, then the following one dig down and get the black plastic out. The cardboard should be pretty much gone, by then.
I also planted the zucchini and cucumbers Back there in the weed free area. The weather cooled down even more than yesterday. But it's supposed to be up to 90 (F) tomorrow. Hopefully the zucchini and cucumbers will take off in that heat.
I went in, today and saw the room we will be moving into, if school starts this fall. Many windows on the correct side for plants! Yeah! I packed up the small-ish coat closet/storage. I will be going in for a couple hours each day this week to pack and label boxes. The movers will move the class supplies sometime in June. They're tearing out all the above closets (each of our upper El classrooms had one) to put in sinks. But; the three upper El are moving upstairs and they're expanding the lower El (1st, 2nd, 3rd) one classroom and putting 6th (going into 7th) graders, (one class this year) into our old classrooms.

 

Willow, it sounds like you are really making progress with your garden! I hope your cukes and zuc's do well.

So it looks as though your school will be opening up in the fall (late summer)?

SJ, thanks so much. Gardening gives me such pleasure. Balm for the soul. I know I have told you I am envious of your Lottie!
BTW, our state Governor has issued regulations for safe gardening at Community Gardens. So our camoflage - guerilla gardening is over. No more Morse code flashlight drills. Ironically, we have concluded the Governor cribbed our covid guidelines for the state version!

I have been moving the Japanese Forest grass here and there. I do like it's color and wave action.

Sorry about the lack of rain. We have been experiencing that as well.

 

Transplanted volunteer maize and volunteer tomatoes. I will go back out and transplant more tomatoes. Last night we had a welcome 9mm of rain.

 

Odif I am very glad your wife's flowers have done so well. And I like your description of a "haven of biodiversity".

 

Cayuga, we still don't know for sure if we're opening in the fall. We may start, then close if there's a second wave. But we have to be prepared either way. Last year the hall we're moving from was opened, so the kids helped pack everything in preparation for the movers. But this year we have to wipe everything down and sanitize every little bead. And Montessori has a lot of beads, even in the upper El.
I just ordered strawberry netting, so I'll save my berries from the birds. Well I'm off to pack for a couple of hours....yeah

 

Watered tonight and found 2 volunteer tomatoes. I pot down more cardboard out back. I think two more boxes will do it. My neighbor gave me a really big one that covered a lot.

 

Oops, stupid auto correct that is put; not pot.

 

Didn't do anything today, the overnight rain took care of any necessary watering. I did tidy the garage, utility/freezer room and shed and used the vacuum cleaners on the floors. The shed just needed a go over with the GTech rechargeable it's like an old fashioned carpet sweeper. I've another cleaner I use on the car. Oh! and there's a steam mop for the vinyl in the tea-house.
These appliances are the ones that have long fallen out of favour with my wife.
My wife has more vacuum cleaners than you'd believe.

 

I have planted potatoes and beans and transplanted physalis and weeding and weeding. I also transplanted some parsley too.

 

The weeding never ends, does it?

I didn't do anything today. A friend came by and we had a nice socially distant chat on our terrace. It rained last night so I didn't have to go to the Community Garden to water the babies. A day off.

 

Well, it was sad but the onions began showing peculiar signs of changes a few days ago and now the whole patch looks curly and collapsed.


After digging up a few we could not find any larvae or pupae; however, the bulbs were quite soft and there was some discolouring. By process of elimination we decided that it may be the very small worms that grow in the soil here upon occasion. We elected to make the difficult decision to remove all the plants and destroy them. Difficult.


So we dug the soil and turned it over, broke the clods and raked them with the great claw rake. Hopefully the cruel sun's rays will roast the almost invisible worms. I may plant some Tagates minuta plants there to kill the little worms...if I can find the seeds.
We planted a couple of courgette plants in their place.

We cleaned out the poached-egg (Limnanthes) plants from under the blueberry bushes. The Limnanthes are the yellowish green bloomers under the little blueberry bushes.


And here's the same area after the cleaning:


Removed the shot spinach plants and planted the last two courgette plants in its place.

I broke the strimmer (my Bride says that IT broke itself, and that I did not actually break it--nice when she takes it up for me innit haha) and after a long investigation decided to just buy a new one, which we found on sale without batteries (we shall just continue using the old ones.
We weeded the Swiss chard and the parsnips.
We have had some strawbs to eat, but so have the voles--those hahtless bahstahds.

I checked the honey attics on the hives to see if it will be time to sling the honey any time soon. The girls are beginning to fill the frames, but it isn't quite time yet:


We have been giving loads of water almost every day, especially in the greenhouse. The toms are loving this heat and are growing away. We have tied them in once and they now need it again already! We have suckered them twice and laid down a comfrey mulch layer. We have also fed them with comfrey tea a couple of times; for as you know, once the tom plants have open blooms, then the feeding begins.

We harvested more comfrey leaves and began more tea.

Finally, a couple of pics to test the plant ID skills of the readers. We planted them in the front plot in amongst all sorts of other plants. Hopefully the effect will be pleasing. Do you know what plant this is? First a lateral view:


Then a view from the top:


It is difficult to perceive, but the bloom has a very discreet pinkish tint.

p.s.--CAYU--So you guys are the guideline for the covid measures in your state , right! hahaha Well done. I guess a little bit of the excitement of gardening on your Muni plots has diminished, eh?

 

Wow, I literally droped my jaw just now by seeing your garden for the first time @Sjoerd.
I wish the sun happy roasting for the onions sake!

Today, I took all of my plants down from the window/table and finished a movie recording of my plants that I grow within a 70 liter demijohn jar

 

@Sjoerd your Lottie does indeed look great! Too bad about your onions though. Too late to start onions elsewhere?

I appreciate the tip that when the toms begin to bloom, it is time to fertilize. I did not know that.

So I have no idea what kind of flower that is. It looks like an annual, vaguely like a poopy but I have never seen one like it. It's the crepe paper like blossom that makes me think of a poppy. It's not a cosmos is it?

@Letsgetphil ....a 70 liter demijohn jar...for making movies?!? With plants?

 

Thanks PHILL-- Yeah, my fingers are crossed, but I suspect that I shall have to take steps next season.

Ta CAYU-I think that it is just too late for a second planting, as we have such a short growing season here. Good luck with your toms, meid. I shall wait a day or two to see if anyone else will hazard a guess before telling you what that bloom is..