Temperature drop

Here's the scene in Oklahomegrownvegland at the moment.
Sad sight, isn't it?

The weather has once more taken a dramatic turn and we are now forecast to get snow these coming days. Night time temperatures are forecast to be around 20F (-7C).
We had an unexpected heavy frost the other morning which has nipped the potato plants pretty severely though I'm sure they will pull through. Luckily, my determinate tomato plant in Plot2 was covered and survived.
Yesterday was warmer and calmer so I made a start on my favorite chore.....................


Mowing with my old mate Herbie. I was late starting so only got around the house done.....................

.......around the back...........

.....and front.
Whilst trundling around on Herbie I see that the Fuji Apple tree blossoms.....
...................are still there despite the cold temps and frost.
Even the Tulips are hanging on in there




For how long is any ones guess?
I left the rest of the mowing for Sunday but this morning The Happy Gardener arose to extremely high winds of around 40 mph making it feel very cold even though it was above freezing. A 10 minute walk around the property and my earlobes are burning.
I decide against it and Herbie is left in his stable
This a blow as the land down by the creek gets extremely boggy and if the grass grows out of control it's difficult to cut. So, I chop some firewood instead. A log fire may well be required this evening and tomorrow.
Back indoors, things are still moving along. I picked out the strongest looking tomato seedlings and re potted them.

The Old Virginia and Giant Beefsteak are at the back. At the front left are two pots containing Big Reds and to the right some more Catnip. Speaking of which...................................

These are doing great. I moved them from my office windowsill and put them back under the grow light as there was no sunshine or heat to be had and probably wont be for the next few days. They seem quite happy with the move though.
Below are a couple of other things I've started.

On the left are Spicy Globe Basil seedlings and on the right are some Cherry Tomato seeds, something I've not grown before and want to try. I recall that the Basil is pretty slow to grow and this seed is over a year old now. I have more on order (hopefully).
Then, around lunchtime, on the way back from the filling station I called in at the mail box.

At last!! The seeds have arrived. Phew, panic over. But in a way I'm glad I haven't been able to start some of them as they would have surely perished in these cold times.
This season I'm hoping to get a supply of parsnips and carrots growing and leave them in the ground for use during next winter. But, the soil is going to have to warm up quite a bit before they can be started.

Enough!!

A little progress

Rising at 8-30am
The Devil Bug has struck me. I have sore throat, runny nose and a pounding headache.
Not a very happy gardener today.
We have a little progress to report though.......................................

The first couple of potato plants have pushed through in Plot 5. The one in the picture is a store bought Red which had sprouted and was consigned to the compost heap. I stuck it in here at the end of last season and it looks to have survived the winter. Nothing showing in Plot 3 yet.
In Plot 1 the winter onions look really well................

I pulled a few small ones last week to have with dinner and they were delicious.
The garlic is in the same plot and............

that too looks to be doing fine. I expect this will be ready around mid summer.
In Plot 2 I have a new arrival in the shape of a Determinate variety of tomato plant, purchased from Lowes.

I've always grown Indeterminate varieties so this is a first for me. I may also try a Cherry Tomato plant from there too if they get some in.
The Kohlrabi in Plot 4 has survived it's first week outdoors................

I now have to find a home for the others which are waiting patiently in my growing room.
There's a few of the red onion sets sprouting around the edges too.
Tree planning and planting has been discussed and the Crape Myrtle is ready to be transplanted to it's new location.

But not today. I feel too sickly to do any hard digging so it will be next weekend, I hope.
The daffodils are about done now but the Tulips...................

..................are coming up right behind them.
Back indoors:
I got an email from Heirloom Seeds informing me that my seed order would be dispatched this coming week. This caused me a certain sense of relief as I was beginning to wonder if I had, in fact, ever sent the order in?
In the meantime I've sown a few Tomato seeds from my own seed stock and they have begun to sprout...............

A quick count reveals 9 seedling sprouting where there was none the day before.
The larger Catnip plants seem to be enjoying their new home..............

.......on my office windowsill. I also re potted a few more of the smaller ones and have put them on there too.
OK, I'll leave you with my lovely sunset.

Planting continues............

Rising at 8-30am

Another sunny but cool weekend here in Oklahomegrownvegland. Very pleasant working conditions for the Happy Gardener.

I've decided that the four largest Kohlrabi plants can go outside now. These plants prefer cooler temperatures so the sooner I can get them in the ground and established, the better. They will be going into Plot 4, the smallest of the 6 plots I have. I clear off the Cyprus Mulch, fork the soil over and rake it flat.

As I mentioned earlier, I've read that these veggies don't really like transplanting so.........

...I carefully cut off the bottom of the peat pots and place the whole lot into the ground. As you can see from the picture above there's a lot of root growth. Cutting off the bottom of the pot allows the roots to spread easier. They transplanted well last year so I'm confident.

I then plant them fairly centrally in the plot. This is because these plants grow some pretty big leaves and, should temperatures drop dramatically and I need to put the floating row cover over them, they will have plenty of headroom. Then, just for the sake of it, I stick in a few Red Onion sets around the outer edges of the plot. Last of all I add a liberal sprinkling of Iron Phosphate.

Next, my attention turns to Plot 5. I'm only going to work on one half of it for the moment as both Bright Lights Swiss Chard plants from last year seem to have survived the winter

and are growing back. Swiss Chard is a good substitute for Spinach and it's quite a bit more heat resistant too. A handy quality for a plant to have in this neck of the woods. At the other end of the scale, if you cut the plant right back at the end of Fall and give it a good covering of mulch it will grow back again the next Spring!

Here again I clear the mulch then fork and rake the soil flat. I then dig out two trenches approximatley 3 inches deep, into which I place my second batch of seed potatoes of the year. These are the Red variety (Lowes finest). The soil is then raked back over. I dont water them as there is a chance of storms in the area so the job may get done for me. If not, I'll give the plot a moderate drink in a few days time. Again, Iron Phosphate is added.

Around the front of the house last years Chrysanthymum is ready for a haircut.

We left it like this throughout the winter because the old growth helps to protect the lower part of the plant from the snow and severe frosts that can hit......

....as can be seen here from a couple of years ago.

The cropping is done and reveals..........

.....new 3rd generation of growth forming at the base

Indoors now to repot the two largest of the Catnip plants.

Again, these plants are left in their small peat pots. The bottoms are carefully removed and the whole lot transferred into these larger pots. The new containers are then filled around the edges with a mixture made up of equal parts of soiless potting medium, garden soil and my home made compost which I then mix together and slightly dampened. They are given a place on the windowsill in my office, allowing them plenty of sunshine throughout the day. The newly formed plant tops are nipped off to encourage bushy growth and they are treated to a drop of half strength Fish Emulsion.
The last task of today is to start off my first batch of tomato seeds.

As you can see, I've set them off in a couple of old egg cartons filled with soiless potting medium which I dampen slightly. Remember, this medium doesn't want to be too wet to start with.

Into each compartment I put 2 seeds. The two varieties I'm starting with this week, both from my own seedstock from last year are:

Old Virginia and Giant Beefsteak.

The bottom of the tray is covered with a few layers of kitchen roll onto which I pour a little water, just enough to dampen the base of the containers. The tray is them placed on the top of the refrigerator.
Enough work for today. Time to help make................

Chicken with Garlic, Rosemary and White Wine. The garlic is left whole, simply "topped and tailed", and with the skin intact to give it a sweeter taste. Serve with good quality Basmati rice
Meanwhile, certain other members of the family prefer to eat..............

....far plainer fare.

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.