What have you done today in the Garden?

Mel, not only can I grow my toms outside, but I have done it. Now I grow my toms in a greenhouse. Here is a reason for that an the reason is Phytophthora. It is not a question of will it come, but when.
Our growing season for toms ends in october.

A note: I buy my tom seeds from a chap over here that develops new tom sorts. Last year I tried some seeds for a new type tomato that has resistance on two genes. We grew some in the greenhouse, but two plants outside. Amazingly there was no disease and they gave toms into november. I was well chuffed. The taste was very, very good. I ate so many right off the plants...they never made it home.

 

@Sjoerd , never heard of Phytophthora, over here we have tomato blight and potato blight.

 

Loggie, Phytophthora is the pathogen that is blight. Its variations can occur in different plants.
Actually, the word was featured on the recent Spring Quiz thread a couple of days ago, along with the explanation.

 

Ah I see, I googled it on wickipedia and they didn't say anything about it being blight.

 

Wow....I had to take the time to look this up. I still haven't been able to read all of it - perhaps tomorrow. Wouldn't it be lovely if your neighbour founded a disease resistant tomato. Very exciting that you could have tomatoes outside as well as in the greenhouse. Wonderful that you could enjoy them until November!!

 

Loggie—Did you look here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytophthora_infestans

Melody— it was great being able to grow toms outside. I had not been able to do that for years. As you know My country is an agricultural one and as such, here in West-Friesland tulips are not the only thing we grow, we also grow lotsa spuds for export. Out in the countryside surrounding our town are many fields of potatos. I believe that this is the reason. It blows in and cannot be avoided.

 

I think the reason for my initial up-potting failures was blight although I don't know what kind. Everything I up-potted into that mix died - carnations, peppers, geraniums, rooted cuttings and seedlings. I discarded everything, and washed equipment in hot water and detergent. New up-potting efforts in a different brand of potting mix have done fine and are mostly flourishing. The one slight exception is carnations - they aren't thriving like I hoped, but at least this time around they haven't just died and rotted in the pot. Never grew carnations before, maybe they are not vigorous in my growing conditions.

As for what I did yesterday, I moved one six pack of carnations and one of statice into the big nursery bags in my garden planter. Might be too early - prediction is for 40F at night and 50-60F daytime for a week. Also, oregano and Ratibida plants, and scattered seeds of Flanders poppies. I filled six of the 25 gallon fabric nursery pots (grow bags) with garden mix. Two are only partial, for potatoes and two have reserve to fill in as potatoes grow.

 

Phytophthora (order *Peronosporales) A genus of fungi, many of which are plant pathogens of great economic importance (eg., P.infestans causes late blight of potato and can also infect other plants of the *Solanaceae). There are many species.

 

Weeding, weeding, weeding. Trying to tackle the early spring weeds, add Pinestraw to landscaped areas, and put down a tarp down on the garden bed to try and prevent more weeds from taking over. Haven’t even planted anything and I’m already exhausted.

 

No I didn't see that bit perhaps i didn't read it properly

 

Decided to jetwash the patio, to remove the few white pigeon poo stains.
So I got out my "trusty" Karcher K4 and turned it on.
Nothing!
I've had it for about at least ten years and only gets used once or twice a year.

Checked the fuse, it was OK.

Had a think about about it and wondered if the water was getting through. So I turned it off, took off the "business end" of the lance and turned on the water, a few pops and bubbles but then a steady stream of water out of the end of the lance hose. Put it all back together again and success! It was working again. Guess it must have had an air lock in the pump.

 

I looked up where you live Sjoerd. Thank you - it would be lovely to be so close to the ocean.

Yesterday was a marathon potting up day. With the arctic front coming, and low day time highs, the snow melt on my gardens is going to stagnate a bit. As is the temperature of the soil. We spread some wood ash on a large pile of snow on the upper garden to encourage the snow to melt. Last year I eeked everything in during a warm spring on May 1. I had to cover everybody for a few days when it snowed , but it was worth the extra couple of weeks of growing. This year I believe I will be lucky to get things in by May 14.

We had some longer slats of fir in the wood bay left over from the sawmill. They were too long for the woodstoves, but after Isplit them, I think they will work great for the tomaotes. I potted up 15 Tomatoes ( Hubby says we can erect a temporary greenhouse if necessary ). There are Big Beef ( always have to try one), Early Girl Bush, Bush Beef, Bonny Best, Better Boy (had to try) and Subarctic Plenty. Also four dwarf Red Robins. I also decided to pot up some Green Goliath Broccoli, Tango celery, and some O S Cross Cabbage because of the delay getting them in the ground this year. Today was planting another six early cabbages, and some flowers. Only three Gazania's sprouted from the old package of seeds my friend asked me to grow for her, so they are now in wee pots under some lights.



The artichokes had to go in the cool shack yesterday, but today and for the next week they will be covered on the porch with lows of -8 expected. Four more days and they will be vernalized. The Imperial Stars only need 200 - 240 hours. I did experiment with Green Globe this year, and have two in larger pots. They need 500 hours vernalization. With this crazy spring, everyone should get a solid 500, but unless the Green Globes are amazing in the garden I don't think I'll gamble with the long vernalization they need next year.

It was +14 this day, but the soil and roots stayed at 5 with the snow shack.

 

I have to say Mel, the things that you are showing and describing are very interesting to me because the conditions that you have to work under are so different than here. It is a wonder. Thanks for another great posting.

It is nice living near the sea. There’s a certain charm to it.

 

@Melody Mc. your garden is looking great!

I dug trenches for planting the main season potatoes. One trench dug, four more to go. They still need to chit a week or two so there is time.

I transplanted a climbing rose I grew last year from a pruning. All I did was stick the dormant prunings into the vegetable raised bed, and they all grew. I've been trying to find homes for them. This is the one that I just moved. I cut off about half of the top, to compensate for root loss.



Here is a ginger plant that I started from a bud on a grocery store ginger root last winter. It's been under LEDs and is starting to grow.



I just started Four O'Clocks from seeds. This year I want to use them as a low, blooming hedge for my meditation garden. It will take a few seedling six-packs to accomplish that. Rabbits and deer don't touch them.



Last fall I had saved seeds from yellow and magenta Four O'Clocks but I decided I wanted other colors too. So I planted home saved seeds and bought seeds.

Salpiglossis seeds sprouted. I've never grown them before. The seeds are tiny, like oregano or celery. I sowed them onto moist seed medium and pressed them in. It worked.



Sweet Cherries are in full bloom. These are Ranier and Bing. Last fall I pruned back about a third or more of their height - I couldn't reach the cherries. They bloomed anyway. I see lots to eat fresh, share, and can this June.

 

Getting ready to direct sow some tomato seeds.
The reliability of volunteers and the fact that they always perform better than transplants for me leads me to opt for direct sowing either in the fall or early spring. Our season is somewhat short, so for the larger toms my harvest is always in September/October no matter if I transplant or direct sow.
This year we're going for cherry tomatoes and some plum tomatoes. Those should give us a good harvest earlier in the season. I may purchase some started beefsteaks to plant in buckets just to have a sandwich tom.