What have you done today in the Garden?

Frost warning last night and tonight so the lettuce is being covered and uncovered

 

This is our third Acer Palmatum Taylor. They don't like our winters, the previous two died each one in the previous two years. This I took in August last year. It spent the winter in the little room in the garage where we keep two freezers. It's draught free




It was a bit disappointing as the leaves were mostly green, very little pink..
It spent last winter in the garage again. This is it yesterday.

All pink!





I guess the other colours will come later.
The two bare root roses we bought from David Austin in the two tubs in the wooden planter to the right are doing well.

 

@Doghouse Riley - isn't that a pretty one! I like the pink very much. Congratulations!

@Daniel W - I really enjoy the patience that you have when explaining your gardening and thought process. I did not know you could have the apple adventures that you have - it's very interesting. You'll be happy to get that irrigation up and running.

@Pacnorwest - it's good that you are listening to your body. A couple days of rest and you'll be up and running again. I have a hard time not getting overwhelmed but how much there is to do in such a short period of time. Your approach of picking your battles, and doing what you can when you can helps my own self talk.

 

Exactly… So true….

 

@Sjoerd ...congratulations on your Tomato bud! In your honour, and upon reflecting for the last year on your horror that I was removing my first tomato flowers until I put them in the ground , I'm not pinching mine off this year. hahaha. I'm going to experiment with the fact that they are in large enough pots until they can get in the ground, that their growth will not be stunted if I let them flower. I have enough irons in the tomato fire this year to experiment. I have a Mortgage Lifter that is budding, and it will lead the charge.

 

Riley your maples are gorgeous. When they mature they do change color thruout the season. All mine are color reflections of the seasons like Chameleons. And I wonder why they don’t do well in winters there? Maybe once in the ground and time to establish root system in the soil they will do better. I have learnt the hard way mine don’t do well in pots for long periods. Sending garden fairies to keep them safe.

 

@Pacnorwest - it's good that you are listening to your body. A couple days of rest and you'll be up and running again. I have a hard time not getting overwhelmed but how much there is to do in such a short period of time. Your approach of picking your battles, and doing what you can when you can helps my own self talk.[/QUOTE]

Melody your assessment of ‘short season’ and so much to do … is very overwhelming for many of us. One thing leads to another and before you know it all the plans for the day is stopped in its tracks. When I slow down after overwhelmed with all that I think needs done and become so darn pooped aching from head to toe, I just shrug it off and retreat to a rest period. Tomorrow is another day and ‘Mindfulness’ on practicing and planning daily chores does not have to be a total list check off. I have decided to learn and accept my many limitations at this stage, remembering the bottom line… most importantly, I am ’Grateful’ I can still get out there and garden at this stage in life. As we all have struggled thru various stages over the years and managed to find good resolutions for making a choice for self preservation without guilt before gardening. Finding a balance somewhere along the way can help extend and prolong our journey to stay healthy , happy and productive.

 

Mel— Hahaha…my horror. Haha. Well, it is pretty big of you to try not pinching your buds off. Who knows you may get a few more toms. We shall see.

Today it was time to select the toms that I want to plant tomorrow in the greenhouse. It will be 12 Marmande and Money Makers on the one side and far end Romas on the other side.

After the selection, then all the leaves must be removed except for the top 2-3.


Here are the extra’s:


Finally here are the candidates packed-up and ready to go tomorrow.


The reason that I have made the stems so bare is because They will be laid horizontally in a sort of deepish groove. The tom plants will form many feeding roots along those underground stems.

 

Weeded 2 borders this afternoon......in the drizzle, and surprisingly very wet drizzle it was too
At least the weeds/ roots are easily removable due to all this rain we've had lately.

 

Good for you, Oreti. You’re a real gardener .

 

It rained and rained. I stayed inside.

I did plant these seeds.



Puttered in the sunroom, and that's about all.

The pelargoniums are outside in sheltered location against the house. I will start leaving the remaining Mirabilis out there too, until they are planted.

 

Looking very good! Chapeau!

 

Daniel puttering in your sunroom is more than I did today. It was windy, cold , wet and rainy. Even the dogs didnt want to go outside.
The dog-wood trees - Cornus florida ‘Ruba’ are blooming at least the wind didn’t knock off the pink bracts. They are such dependable trees and bloom right on schedule every year. These were tiny trees when first planted now they are 50-60’ tall . The sky cleared up at 6pm to get blue skies for a pix.


Ever wonder why they are called dogwood trees ?
One thought is that “dogwood” was derived from the Old English dagwood, from the use of the slender stems of its very hard wood for making “dags” (daggers, skewers, and arrows). Another earlier name of the dogwood in English is the whipple-tree.
Things that make ya go mmmmmm.

 

The rains started before I got outdoors this morning, and we have been having heavy rains all day, probably through the weekend? Gardens won't grow without rain, so I will mow some other day. As of suppertime, we had over 2" of rain so far. It is still coming down, and we might get some heavy storms with it.

Yesterday, a friend gave me some Thai mint plants, and a malabar spinach plant. I found an empty pot by my back door and put the Thai mint there. When I fed my horse, I took the malabar spinach along and put it with some garlic in a tub. I prefer the real spinach, so maybe my kids or the chickens will eat the malabar "spinach"?

I did pull a few weeds when I had to be out anyway and gave them to the chickens.

I also planted (scattered) some spinach seeds in a tub, and more redbeet seeds near the 2 rows that have not sprouted. I had planted other redbeet seeds and carrot seeds in the bed with potatoes and carrots growing, and where the trellis is for my scarlet runner beans recently. Hopefully the rain will get all those seeds to sprouting. I do water them in the mornings.

 

Not too sure about that Sjoerd........more like a desperate gardener trying to catch up on tasks!!

Have to say that I really don't mind the weather and will be out there, if need be, in most.