First early planting

In typical Oklahoma style, things have changed weather-wise. It's now......

....80F (26C). The daffodils are happier...............

....and are in full bloom.
The Happy Gardener must take full advantage of these warmer climes so I decide to make a start on Plot 3. The Cyprus mulch has done a good job of keeping the weeds clear and the soil temperature up over the cold winter nights.

When I rake the top surface clear, wonderful dark moist earth is revealed.

And, when I dig it over I see plenty of worm activity too. Next I make 2 trenches around 3 to 4 inches deep along the length of the plot........

...into which I place some seed potatoes. This first batch to go in are Russets. I'll be planting a second crop later which will probably be Reds. I try to purchase small seeds and plant them whole. If you can only get large seeds you can cut them into pieces leaving a couple of "eyes" in each piece. However, the large cut ends are prone to disease and it's recommended that you toss the cut pieces in a paper bag with a little agricultural sulphur and leave them for a couple of days to "heal" before planting.
Last season I tried 2 methods of growing potatoes. Traditional hilling with earth and deep mulching with straw. The deep straw method seemed to attracted a lot more woodlice which chomped merrily through the main plant stems. I lost all the plants on which I used this method so this year I'm sticking to the traditional way. The seeds are then covered with earth and the whole plot given a liberal sprinkling of Iron Sulphate, an organic compound which kills any woodlice and is actually good for the soil too. It's a Win-Win situation.
Later, when the plants reach around 12 inches I'll start to "hill" the earth around them, leaving just a few inches above ground.
The area around the fenced-in plots is looking ragged and overgrown so I break out the strimmer or "weed eater"and clear the whole area around them.

I've taken it right down in an attempt to keep some insects away. Many bugs can be put off visiting if they have to cross an open area to get their meal. It also gives the birds more of a chance to pick up a tasty snack too. Win-Win again, hopefully.
The indoor plants are coming along nicely. The Kohlrabi seedlings are around 3 to 4 inches tall.

They all look pretty healthy too and will be getting another feed of half strength Fish Emulsion this afternoon. Actually, I read that it's not recommended to start these veggies in pots and replant them but this is what I did last year and it worked. They prefer a cooler climate so I grew them in the fall last year. This time I wanted to get them in the ground early before the temps really take off. Starting them indoors hopefully will give them a good chance of survival should I get caught out with a large temperature change either way once they are outside.
The Catnip is growing but it's slow work. I seem to remember that they took ages last year too. I will also be nipping the top growth off once they mature a little. This will encourage bushy growth and more leaves. That means more "nip for your buck"

Here are the 2 biggest plants but even these are only around an inch tall. Both these and the Kohlrabi have come from seeds left over from last year so anything I get will be a bonus. I still haven't received my new order from heirloom seeds but their website says they aren't taking any more orders until the summer so it seems they have been inundated and are probably run off there feet.

Enough!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes.

Thursday evening in Oklahomegrownvegland saw pleasant temperatures around 72F (22C).
By Saturday morning things have changed...........................

.....its now 24F (-4C) and light snow is falling.
The happy gardener had planned on erecting the new TV antenna today.
Obviously, this chore has now been postponed. Despite the cold............................

.....the Winter Onions and Garlic cheerfully grow on.

What's this?
These look suspiciously like Wild Onions to me. They grow in abundance down by the creek but these are right up by the front of the house. I don't mind them, they smell delightful when I run over them with the mower. It's too cold to hang around doing a full diagnosis, I'll keep an eye on them and see.
The Tulips are up but no sign of any flowers yet.

Perhaps they are waiting for it to warm up a little?
Not so the Daffodils......

.......though they do look to be wishing they were back underground.
The Kohlrabi seedlings are nice and snug under the lamp in the growing room.

I re potted them last weekend and will be giving them their first feed of half strength Fish Emulsion fertilizer tomorrow.

And finally, I have.......................

.....my first 2 tiny Catnip seedlings through.

It's now early evening and the light snow is still falling.

Time to light the fire, close the curtains and prepare dinner.

Damp day

A dull, damp day here today in Oklahomegrownvegland, temperature around 40F (5C).

We had a light rainfall during the night, adding to the wintery feeling.

But amongst the cold and wet there are signs of life all around

Last week I planted 9 Kohlrabi seeds.......................

.....this week I have 9 Kohlrabi seedlings.
No sign of any of the catnip coming through yet though.
At the end of last season I chopped the chives right back and placed the pot on my office windowsill.

Now the first new shoots of the year are here.
Some of the trees are showing buds too.
It seems they think that spring is here but it's only Mid-February, plenty of time for more heavy frosting to occur.
The supposedly "dormant" garlic on the right of the picure below..................................

.....refuses to sleep and looks pretty healthy. Well, the top bit does, who knows what's going on underground. To the left, the tops of the Winter Onions are growing back. These tender green shoots are delicious chopped and added to soups and stews.

Here's a closer look.
Bleak skies overhead. I do a little weeding and gather firewood.

The warm house beckons...........................

Enough.

Startup 2009

A pleasant 68F (20C) here in Oklahomegrownvegland.
The happy gardener's day starts off with...................

....a delightful breakfast of poached eggs on toast.
Then a quick look out at the garden reveals...............

.....the first tiny spring flowers in bloom.
The garlic I planted late last year was supposed to hibernate over the winter.
Apparently, nobody told the garlic this and.........................

.....it's continued to grow throughout the winter.
When I'd finished with the Swiss Chard I cut it right back to the ground and mulched over it.....

Well, it's back, or at least trying to make a comeback.
I've made a few purchases.................

......peat pots to replace those eaten by the mice in my shed.
The chewed remains were consigned to the compost heap.
I also treated myself to a few onion sets and seed potatoes.

I may try an early start with some of these, weather permitting.
Of course I couldn't resist starting a few seeds, old stock from last year.

Catnip and Kohlrabi started in a moistened soiless mixture and placed on top of the fridge.
This years seeds are ordered from www.heirloomseeds.com and should arrive in around 30 days.


It's good to be back!!

A little Summer Sunshine in Winter

Oklahomegrownvegland is now firmly in the grip of Winter and
temperatures are barely getting above zero F some nights.
Ice storms, freezing winds and snow are regular visitors.
Those green Summer days seem so long ago.

The veggie plots sleep on....................

..........as do the flower beds and the few remaining potted plants.
As I walk around the house taking these few pictures the grass.........

.....crunches like broken glass beneath my feet.
Our firewood pile.....................

.............is shrinking.
At times like these it's good to reach into the freezer and pull out
a little of that preserved sunshine.
Remember this?..............................

.......one of the many Spicy Globe Basil plants, grown from seed
then transplanted into almost every corner of the garden.
Such great companion plants.

The Onion patch which kept on producing (and still is).
And these?.........................

.... the hugely successful Yolo Bell Pepper plants with their bountiful harvest.
And who could forget these....................

....boxes and boxes of delicious Heirloom Tomatoes.
Again grown from seed and my best ever crop.
Lots of wonderful flavours, and they're all in here.........




.....waiting to be enjoyed with warm, crusty French Bread.
Now where did I put those seed catalogues?

Bedding down and gathering the final harvest

Saturday 13th December

Rising late to the sound of high winds blowing from the south.
Our flag..................

......is at full stretch.
I'm going to clear out the plots and bed them down for the winter so I wont be posting every weekend as usual but will be updating from time to time.
I'm saying this because I don't want either of the two people who read this blog to worry about me when I don't put a new post up :-)

I ask Alvin and Wilson if they'd care to accompany me in my gardening efforts.................

........but they politely decline.
Tommy Ticklemouse, Man of Mystery (or Mousetery)...............

.........is always up for a spell outside.
On the way we pass the selected rhubarb patch for 2009........................

.........which I never got prepared.
I pull up the only cauliflower that I have managed to grow...........

and take it in to the kitchen.
Then all the plots get a thorough mulching.

Plots 3 and 4

Plot 5 gets an extra deep cover as I know that there are at least 2 toads wintering it out in there. I must be careful next season when I come to dig it over.

Plot 6 has been the home of my most successful tomato crop yet but next year I will be growing something different in here. What that will be is yet to be decided on.

I've left the Brussel Sprouts growing in Plot 2.................

......but I doubt that anything will come of them as they were severly attacked by catapillers and grasshoppers from the start.

The onions in Plot 1.........................

.......should hopefully survive the winter.

The garlic may be another matter but it's all a learning curve.

Temperatures are due to fall dramatically on Sunday and Monday, highs of 20F (-6C) are being mentioned. Not good for the happy gardener but all I can do is make sure that the few remaining plants I have are protected to the best of my ability.

Late afternoon skies of beauty and wonder.

Time to go indoors and decide what to do................

..............................with my poor lonesome Cauliflower.
If anyone out there has any recipes.................................