More storms

Saturday 3rd May

It was a busy weekend as we had to go on the "Full Retail Experience" on Saturday.

Both my wife and myself hate shopping so to help brace ourselves for the shock we had a lovely lunch out at Java Dave's in Grove. Then we went into battle and didn't get back home until around 6-00pm.

But Sunday I was up early, without Alvin's assistance, and got out in the garden.

Staked Peach Tree

I wire staked the young peach tree as it had a pretty bad lean on after the ice storm. It looks well and has lots of little peaches forming but whether they'll form to full size is another matter.

The old peach tree has once again been hit with Peach Tree Curl and so I'm not expecting anything from it again. Both these trees will need spraying early next year if we are going to be in with a chance of fruit. To be honest I'm finding fruit trees a bit of a pain in the arse and won't be planting any more, thats for sure.

I had to get the grass mown as it was looking like a jungle so I broke "Herbie" out of the garage and set about the task. It's usually a 4 to 5 hour job....


One man went to mow..........Herbie and friend, straining at the leash.

So I mowed........................................

And mowed...............

And mowed some more...................

Then it was time to look at the veggie plots.....

Plot 1

Plot 1, now the "onion patch"

A couple of the sunflower seeds have broken through here as well as this volunteer potato plant.

Volunteer potato plant in Plot 1

Plot 2

Plot 2 waiting for seedlings

I'm probably going to plant watermelon and cucumber in here, I have the seedings ready to go in. There's also more sunflower activity going on as seeds sprout and break the surface.


Sunflower seed breaking through in Plot 2

Plot 3

Plot 3 with fancy new floating row cover supports.

Things may be slow but are coming along here. The second crop of radish looks good and a few lettuce plants have sprung here and there. I'll go into the new floating row cover design later when I have more time.

Plot 4

Plot 4 looks nice and green.

Plot 4, my smallest plot, is doing well. The turnips are growing strong but you never know if your going to end up with lots of leaf and nothing under the ground. I need these for my egg swapping plan so I hope they do well. Spinach continues to s-l-o-w-l-y grow. The 3rd batch of radish which was mixed with carrot seeds are coming through. The idea is that the radish come through first and break up the soil which makes it easier for the carrots. No carrots in sight so far though. But the first radish harvest is in and refrigerated.

Radish, best picked early before they get bitter.

Plot 5

Hilled on the left, mulched on the right.

I added more earth to the hilled plants and more straw to the mulched ones. I also decided to make a new floating row cover for this plot so I can keep it covered for a while. I need to make it higher to give the plants room to grow. The new material arrived this weekend so I'll get it started this Monday hopefully.

Plot 6

At last, the tomatoes are out.

The tomato plants finally went out Tuesday evening. Then the temps plunged down to around 38F to 40F. I'm glad the floating row covers were in place. Wednesday night still not too good although it didn't get quite as cold. Terrible storm Thursday night with winds reaching 60mph. Radio going off throughout the night so not much in the way of sleep. Friday morning I expected to find both the covers and the plants gone but everything held although I lost one tomato plant, snapped off at the top. Oh well.

I'll be digging the cages out of the shed on Monday, removing the covers and from then on they will be on their own

Reward for all the hard work.

When at last the work was done it was time for a couple of cold beers and a barbeque of sausages, baked potatoes and my wife's "Grilled Cheese and Tomatoes.

Empty Nest

Sunday April 27th

The empty nest.

They've all gone.

I miss them already.

I hope they all do well in their new homes.

All the tomato plants have been handed out, 25 in total. 12 Giant Beefsteak, 7 Old Virginia and 6 Big Red. I’ve asked everybody who received them to give me feedback, good or bad.
Later, when the plants had all gone one of my co-workers approached me and said they would buy any spare tomatoes that I had. They didn’t want any plants, they just wanted to buy the tomatoes from me. This got me asking myself what I was doing here with this small project of mine, and what I was trying to achieve.

The first year I grew tomatoes I had a bumper crop. I didn’t do anything special, it was just one of those years. I had spares so I took them into work and left them in the lunchroom, along with a small moneybox, and asked people to donate whatever they could and the money would go to the local Humane Society. The tomatoes were popular, money was left in the box and everyone benefited.

I then thought that, if I could get more people interested in growing their own heirloom tomatoes and encourage them to save the seeds I would be doing my bit to propagate these old varieties and help spread them around. Also, I hoped that when people ate them they would realize how tasteless and overpriced the ones were that they were purchasing from Wal-Mart and such.
Last year I gave away around a dozen plants and one person did actually save the seeds, grow more plants and pass them out to THEIR friends and relations. Hey, some went to Oklahoma City. I was proud!

This year I’ve tried to expand the project a little by growing more plants, but the idea is still the same. What I want from all this is information. Feedback on what works and what doesn’t in this area. I hope to find out which varieties work best and build on it. Maybe some of mine will fail to bear fruit, maybe all.
But perhaps if we are lucky we will get some of each type so we can exchange seeds between us if necessary. I’d prefer to pass on spare fruit to people who didn’t have success with their plants (but at least tried) as an encouragement for them to try again. By doing this they would get seeds from the fruit too, and hopefully grow their own the following year. All that I’d request would be the same small donation for the Humane Society.

Early start

Saturday April 26th
As usual, I received my weekend early morning call from Alvin at around 6-30am.
After a hard night out hunting he comes and sits on the window ledge outside our bedroom and
wails to be let in.


Alvin. Better than any alarm clock.

It's a lovely sunny Saturday morning, a little on the cool side, but ideal for gardening. I've made a list of things to do so after a couple of cups of Rington's tea it's time to start...........

Plot 1

Plot 1. Corky's Winter Onions and even more onions.

There's been a radical change of plan here, I've decided to make this the onion patch. I didn't want an onion patch, I didn't need an onion patch but it's because of this little chappie...


The dreaded Carrot Beetle.

This is a Carrot Beetle and a whole swarm of them literally fell from the sky one evening in late spring of last year. I thought it was hail-stoning and went outside, armed with flashlight to investigate. I discovered that it was the noise from them hitting the shed wall, bouncing off and falling into Plot 1. By the following morning they had disappeared so I forgot about them.
Big mistake Mick!

That year I'd planted my potatoes in there and they were coming along great. Fine healthy plants with the promise of a good crop. I'd screwed up the year before, planting them in a location that ended up shaded as the trees over them flourished and cut off the sun. I had compounded the problem by overwatering. But these looked well. I was a happy man.

Then one of the plants fell over, then another, then another. No sign of disease or wilting. They simply fell over on their sides. I dug around and found scores of these black beetles huddled around the stem of each plant, about 2 inches below the surface, chomping away at my precious spuds plant stems. It was as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and snipped them through. I lost every plant.
I dug the plot over and got as many out as possible (but obviously not them all), moved my Pole Bean plants to the other end and got on with life.

So today, when I dug the plot over and found them still here I had an idea. I called round at Corkey's, picked up a dozen duck eggs from Mr Corky and liberated a few Winter Onion plants from their garden. These I planted along with some white onion sets so now any beetles that are still in there can eat onions if they like, not that they will of course. Perhaps by next year they'll be gone. Watch this space. But now I've lost room and will have to do some shuffling around.
Once the onions were in I planted my row of Sunflower seeds along the back.

Plot 2

Plot 2. Sunflower seeds are in. Watermelon later, hopefully.

The Red Onions along the front look a little on the wet side to say the least and I may lose them through rot. But who cares, it looks like there's going to be no shortage of onions this year.
I dug over the rest of the plot and planted my second row of Sunflower seeds along the rear edge.

Plot 3

Plot 3. Bell pepper and not much more here.

The Bell Pepper plants seemed to have settled in well and a few Romaine Lettuce seedling have popped through though not many yet. This plot seems to be really slow on the uptake this year, carrots, lettuce and radishes either not appearing at all or struggling and I dont know why? Hmmm, perhaps a change of plan is called for here too?

Plot 4

Plot 4. (l to r) Turnips, Spinach, Radish. Potted Basil hardening off.

The Turnips and Radish are doing fine. The Spinach plants are sparse but trying their best. I'll be pulling the Radish soon so maybe I'll try a few more Spinach seeds before the temps get too high. I let the potted Basil harden off a little as I worked.

Plot 5

Plot 5 showing traditional and deep straw mulching methods.

The potato plants are doing well. I hilled the front 5 in the traditional way and gave the rear 5 a thick covering of fresh straw. I raised the height of the floating row cover to give them a little more room and better air circulation.

Plot 6

This African Blue Basil will join the tomatoes in Plot 6

I gave this another forking over and weeding. The plan was to put the tomato plants in today but the forecast for Sunday night is pretty low so I'm going to wait until Monday. Then they are going in. Period! I also have an African Blue basil plant to put in with them as this did especially well last year and attracted lots and lots of bees. It grew like crazy and I ended up hacking huge sprays off and placing them in a vase on the dining room table so we could enjoy the aroma in the house. I also have some Spicy Globe which I've raised from seed. Although this doesn't have the same strong aroma as the African Blue it's better for cooking, having a strong spicy taste.

Out in the sun

It's a lovely morning, the sun is shining and a gentle breeze is blowing. A perfect day to enjoy working in the garden.
But first....................................


Breakfast !!

What better way to start the day than with 2 fresh soft boiled eggs, lightly buttered toast, a cup of Rington's Connoiseur tea and The Herald Cryptic Crossword.
After that I'm ready for anything. And so to work.................



Tomato plants hardening off.

It was such a nice morning that I thought the "kids" would enjoy a little time in the sun too so I carried them out and set them down in a sheltered spot away from the wind. I checked the soil temperature in all 6 plots and it was between 68 and 70 degrees.


Yolo Wonder Bell Peppers awaiting planting out.

Plot 3
Here I planted 4 Yolo pepper plants. These are a new variety to me, a rounder shape than I've grown in the past and look excellent for stuffing as well as freshly chopped in salads.
If I can keep the dreaded Blister Beetles off them, that is.
I also reset some Romaine Lettuce seed along with Amsterdam Minicor Carrots and more Cherry Belle Radish.


Potato Plants

Plot 5
I removed the floating row covers and let the sun dry the soil out a little as everything is still pretty damp. Later on in the afternoon I mulched the rear row with a thick layer of clean straw. The front row will be "hilled" in the traditional way when the plants get a little taller.


Prepared Tomato Plot

Plot 6
I turned over the whole plot then added a good measure of my homemade compost. Then I turned it over again. I also let this plot stand uncovered for the rest of the afternoon, replacing the covers around 5-00pm.


Big Worm.

Now this looks good. I saw plenty of worm activity whilst turning the plot, some were huge as shown in the picture above. But size is not what matters. If you have plenty of worms, large or small, it's a good sign that your soil is doing well. Worms dont like poor soil.

After all this I repotted the Strawberry plants into 2 hanging baskets and hung them in front of the garage. This site gets plenty of sun for most of the day and should be ideal.
Next I dug over one of the flower beds, added compost and planted out a Pink Creeping Phlox. Then I labeled all the tomato plants that I'll be despatching to people at work and made a list of who's getting what. I had a count up and I've got the following:
9 Old Virginia
14 Giant Beefsteak
8 Big Red (from my own seed stock)
My next door neighbour was out in her garden so I called her over and let her have first pick.
She chose an Old virginia and a Giant Beefsteak.

I dragged the barbeque out of the garage and gave it a good clean then proceeded to dirty it again by cooking some of my wife's delicious home made "Cheesy Dribbler" Beef Burgers accompanied by a couple of well earned cold beers.


Cloudy moonlight.

Yawn, and so to bed.

Survivors

Saturday April 19th

To get a successful crop of vegetables from my small plots I have to make many considerations. Location, soil quality and temperature, companion plants, how to deal with the usual onslaught of pests etc.

But elsewhere in the garden, away from the well nurtured soil, it's a different world. Here plants and trees who want to survive have to tough it out and face the horrific onslaught that winter throws at them. OK, some things didn't make it this year.....


We lost the Flowering Dogwood, snapped in half......



.......and a Redbud tree.

But here are some who refused to lie down and die despite having the odds stacked against them........


Our Fuji Apple tree after the ice storm hit...........



......is now almost fully recovered.


The Willow, squashed flat by the sheer weight of the ice.....



...is slowly coming back to shape but will need assistance by staking and pruning.


The young Peach was crushed by this huge falling limb and lost a number of branches.......



.....but seems to be recovering well after a little TLC and a touch of "Tree Seal".


Chrysanthemums encased in ice........


.....are back for another go this year.


The herb garden was out all winter and froze solid at one time.
But, the Curly Parsley and Oregano are making a comeback........


......as is the Beacon Silver Lamium.


Nothing seems to deter the Creeping Phlox from sharing their spring colour.

Mother nature is a wonderful thing.

A bit of colour

April 12th

After all the heavy rain this week it's nice to see a bit of colour.
(Yes, I'm English so the word "colour" has the letter "u" in it)


April Tulips



The garden creek, normally a mere trickle.

The seeds I planted on March 30th are up and running. I think that every one of them has germinated.


(L to R Cucumber, Watermelon, Squash)

I had a drive over to our little garden center here in town with the express wish to buy some lettuce seeds. I think I know why the first lot didn't come up. They were last years and apparently lettuce seed is only good for a year. Duh!!

So I picked a packet up along with 4 Bell Pepper plants and then somehow these seemed to suddenly appear in my hand...............???


Delmarvel Strawberry Plants

Well, to be honest, it's all Elizabeth's fault really. I've never been much interested in growing strawberries, too many plants rambling all around the place and taking over the garden etc etc.
But when I saw on her blog here that she was growing some in a hanging basket I suddenly had a change of heart. I also remembered that I have at least one spare basket kicking around in the garage so this was a good way of using it. We always have flowering baskets at the front of the house, why not try some fruit? All I have to do is try to keep the House Finches from nesting in it and all will be fine.

In the past we have struggled to water and tend a basket due to it being transformed into a nest site for these cute little birds. It's just a little scary as we have 3 cats who of course take great interest in the comings and goings of the parents while they build the nest then feed the young. On hot summer evenings I have to enjoy my nice cold beer sat in front of the garage rather than on the patio so I dont scare the birdies. Fledging time is a nightmare!!
I may hang the strawberries round the back of the house actually as that area gets the sun all afternoon (and I'll be able to drink my beer in peace)

More rain...........

April 7th
Wow, has it been wet these last few days or what?
It's rained so hard that it's punched quite a few holes in my Floating Row Covers. I'm probably going to have to purchase some more before spring is over. Everything looks wet, sad and limp.
But, here's the story so far...........
Yellow Onion Sets in Plot 1 are up and looking good as are the Red Onion Sets in Plot 2.
Plot 3 looks rather barren. OK, I'll wait and see.
Radish and Turnips are doing well in Plot 4 but the Spinach seems to be a "no show" at the moment.
But, here's the good news. ALL 10 potato plants are up in Plot 5.
Hurray !!
There seems to be life in the latest (and last) seeds I started indoors. Cucumber, Squash and Watermelons have all sprouted under the lamps.
And, as I type this I'm hearing thunder and seeing flashes of lightening all around the area so more rain is on it's way.
Hey, who ever said it was easy growing stuff in Oklahoma?



Baby trees in nursery

My batch of baby trees arrived from the Arbor Society last week. I'd forgotten about them to be honest and only remembered when I spotted a 2 foot long bag protruding from the mail box. Eeek, ok, dont panic Mick!!
All I've got to do is find them a home for the next year as their future sites are not ready yet.
Hey, to be honest their future sites aren't even decided upon yet.
And, I dont want to lose any precious growing space either.
Enter the old medicine cupboard...................
This fine piece of late '1970's woodwork was ripped with great force from the bathroom wall last year by my good self (the previous owner of the house having kindly fastened it there with 6 inch nails) and had been living in my shed since, awaiting a use. I potted all the saplings and found the ones which require "Full Sun" a little space in my small fenced off area so that they could get a good start without being hassled by rabbits or naughty pussycats.


Front Flower Bed

Some needed to be in partial shade so these were found a place in the front flower bed which loses the sun soon after mid-day. Since this photograph was taken I've surrounded them with chicken wire.



Front Flower Bed

So, everything is found a little home and we can all relax.
Until the next gardening emergency...................