Heating up

The temperatures are rising and so is the grass.

Thankfully, Herbie is repaired and back in action.

Replacement wheels, axles and bearings are fitted and two belts purchased as a back up.
So, it's time to mow..............................


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Upon completion I discovered this little fellow trotting around the garden. Thankfully, he was small enough to pass under the blades without being injured.......

.........so I placed him under one of the conifers.

Things are coming along in the garden too, despite my terribly late start.

Tomatoes, Bell Peppers, Onions and a volunteer Potato all seem to be standing up to these sudden increases in heat which have hit the area. Also in there are Bee Balm (to replace the unobtainable African Blue Basil), Mint, Spicy Globe Basil and a whole load of Dill which has made an almighty comeback despite being "dug back in" at the end of last season.

Once again, the Mesclun has been impressive.......................................


These fresh and spicy tasting greens make an excellent side salad and the more you crop them back, the more they grow. Sadly, now that the temperatures are on the rise, the plants are starting to bolt so these handy greens are about at an end.

My experiment with the Fingerling Potatoes looks good up to now........................

They started off in around 3 to 4 inches of soil at the bottom and I've gradually topped it up as the plants have grown. A couple of weeks ago I reached the top of the barrel so that's as far as I can go. The plants are forming flowers now so it's important for me to keep them moist from now until a couple of weeks before harvesting. This is the period of most tuber development and allowing them to dry out can seriously affect any crop I manage to get.

Around the front of the house the tiny Rosebush, sent to me by a friend in Canada, has had lots of lovely small blooms.


Sadly it also had a whole lot of Aphids too. I doused them with Diatomacious Earth and the bugs have gone. A close inspection earlier this week revealed a lot more buds are forming so there could well be more colour to come.

Both fruit trees have set plenty of fruit. The last two years have seen next to nothing develope due to late frosts

The Fuji Apple...................................



............and the Peach..........................



.....may well supply a modest harvest later in the season. I'm planning on adorning them both with some kind of glittery bird deterrent in an attempt to improve my chances.

Spring has sprung.

Spring has sprung.
The grass has riz
I wonder where old Herbie is?

Well, I'll tell you where he is...........................................


....He's in bits!!
Both front wheel bearings were found to be completely shot. Major repairs are underway.
At least I got the grass cut.......


......afore he got pulled in pieces. Phew!!

In the veggie plots the Egyptian Onions which wintered out are back in full force.


Even some that I "threw away" near the shed are growing well.

The white onions are also showing good signs of growth.

I've put around 50 in I think.

My container Fingerling Potatoes have broken the surface.

I wonder if this project will be successful?

The Mesclun is romping on and we'll be starting to use this in the coming days.

It's a "cut and come back" salad green and I was impressed by last years crop.

Indoors the Yolo Bell Peppers are awaiting planting out but I'm holding off until the winds die down a little.


Tomato seedling germination rate was very high and I've been thinning out and moving them to larger pots.

I have kept 4 of each of the 8 varieties that I started which will be more than enough for me and hopefully a few spares for friends and neighbours.
The first true leaves have formed so I gave them a drink of half strength Fish Emulsion this morning.

I also have some Spicy Globe Basil seedlings coming along.

Everything is late this year and I'm doing a lot less but I'm sure that things will turn out fine.

(He said hopefully)

Startup 2010

The 2010 season is starting off wet, very wet. In fact so wet that it's almost the end of March and I'm only just getting started doing any outside work.

After a "not so successful" 2009 I've decided to cut back on what I grow this year and concentrate on just a few basics. This way I'm hoping that the soil will get a much needed rest and it will be a little less work for me when the temperatures get uncomfortably hot.

I've done some rearranging out there for this year..........................


Plots 1 through 4 have now been made into 2 plots. Rotting timbers have been replaced, the plots dug over and mulched. My plan is to leave these two areas empty this year but you never know. Maybe I'll not be able to resist the temptation and start filling them up at a later date.
My plan is to grow only Tomatoes, Bell Peppers and Onions this year but I'm sure that I'll end up with a couple more things besides.

I shall be growing the above in what was plots 5 and 6..................


Plot 5 (above) was in a terrible state but has now been dug over and had lots of home made compost added. This is ready for mulching but I'd run out so it must wait until next week now. I've moved the Swiss Chard plants to the far end but they got so devastated by the Blister Beetles that I'll be surprised if they come back this year.


Plot 6 has had the same treatment and is mulched and ready for use. At the moment I think I'll put 6 Tomato plants in the rear portion of these 2 beds then add the Bell Peppers to the front of one and the onions to the front of the other. As you can see, the Egyptian Onions have survived the winter in both of the above plots. I'll not be growing as many of these this year either.

One of the successes of 2009 was the Mesclun. These tasty greens were great in the salads so..........................

.......I've dug over and composted the old box, thrown a few seeds in and covered it with chicken wire to deter the birds/cats/rabbits.

Around the front of the house the little Rosebush which was sent to me by a friend in Canada has survived the winter..............................

...........and has plenty of new growth. Now my knowledge of growing roses could be written on the back of a postage stamp so it's anyones guess how it will turn out.

As usual, the Daffodils made an appearance just in time to get hit by our last heavy snowfall but they seem to have recovered.


At least we have a little colour around the place to brighten up this soggy weather.

I've started this years tomato seeds and they are now on top of the fridge.



From L to R..... Old Virginia, Black Krim, Sicilian Saucer, Brandywine, Sweet Cherry, Big Red, Giant Beefsteak and Cherokee Purple. As you can see I'm trying out some new varieties this year along with seeds from my own stock.

So, all I need now is a little sunshine and perhaps things can get underway......................

Winterizing 1

Rising at 8-00am to a clock which says 9-00am. Yes it's fall back time!
No cat calls to awaken the Happy Gardener on the wonderful

......sunny

...........Autumn morning. Recently temperatures have been varying between pleasant and cool, the evenings especially having been colder. No sign of any frost yet so the herbs

...... are still outside

........on the patio. Some have been harvested and are drying in the kitchen.

Here we have bunches of Basil Spicy Globe and Rosemary and a little Sage.

The forecast says of temperatures possibly dropping below freezing next weekend so we must be alert. Later today we are supposed to get light rain so better get started.

I've been giving the trees a bit of a tidying up, clipping off low hanging branches

....and generally winterizing.
I've also pruned

....the Fuji Apple and

.......the Forsythia.
These and all the new trees have also got a thick layer of mulch laid around the bases.
Despite the cooler temps I'm still pulling

......a few tomatoes every few days.
More winterizing

.............in the way of chopping up some dead trees

....... and sorting out the log pile in preparation for a new delivery.
I should have room

.......for another couple of ricks by the time I'm done.
Next, the garage

......needs a good clearing up so everything gets dragged out.
Alvin checks to make sure

......I've done a proper job.
Around the back I make a start on clearing out Plots 4 and 6. I pull the last carrots

....and dig up a few potatoes from Plot 3

......to go with them. The making of a Beef Stew, perhaps??
All the time I'm digging, someone is watching me.

This fellow was non too please when I politely asked him to "hop it" for a while to allow me to work in HIS plot.
Plot 6 gets it's primary digging over. My two surviving Parsnips

.........are left in place. I'll be mulching these and hopefully pull them in the Spring.
Two Parsnips, WOW. What a crop.
I dig out the Parsley plant, clip off some off the dead or broken stems and put it into a pot. This will be brought indoors and reside on one of the windowsills.

Hopefully it will give us a little greenery through the Winter months.
Autumn colours are here now

......in the hedgerows and

.....our small saplings. Above is one of the two Goldenrain trees I started a while ago.
This will be their first Winter out in the garden, last year they stayed in the nursery plot buried under a thick bed if straw.
Late afternoon skies

........look full of that promise of rain. Then the drizzle starts.

And I stop!

And yet cooler still

Rising at 8-30am.

No early morning call from Alvin this morning.
This is due to a sudden drop in temperatures and he hasn't got his winter coat yet.
To get around this problem he's switched to "day shift" and hunts while the sun is up. The nights are spent curled up keeping my office chair warm.
These wild flowers growing at the back of the house...................

.....don't seem to mind the change.
Neither do the Black Swallowtail caterpillars....................

....which are still happily munching away on my Parsley plants. We have lots of Parsley still growing, far more than we will ever use this season so I don't mind sharing with them. And, they do grow into.................

....these very beautiful butterflies. Well worth having around.

Colder temperatures remind me that it's time to prepare for when it gets really cold. I have a couple of dead trees that want felling and sawing up for the wood pile...................


...........and so that's done.
I've given the trees a bit of a haircut to tidy up any low hanging branches, pruned the Fuji Apple and the Golden Willow and removed a broken branch from one of the small Oaks round the back.
I see that our resident "Squirrel Nutkins"............................

.......will have an ample store for the coming winter.
Enough for today.



Oklahomegrownvegland skies of beauty and wonder..............................