Planting notes
It's a lovely spring weekend and I have been using it to get the vegetable gardens started.
This morning B and I raked off the winter leaf mulch, then walked down to the farmer's market for vegetable starts. (I bought some seeds last week.)
afternoon I got started by setting in cabbage, kale and swiss chard over by the muddy gash. That bed isn't usually dry yet, but I was able to turn the soil. Two swiss chard from last year over wintered in that bed, to my surprise.
In the northwest bed I use for vining things I set in two zucchini starts - too early but maybe I will get lucky - and planted two hills on the north inside, planning to do subsequent plantings so I spread the zucchini through the summer.
I set in a line of sugar snap peas on the east side of the pea trellis. On the far west side of the bed I planted a row of walla walla onions, too tight, they will need thinning, probably about the same time I plant that side of the pea trellis.
I weeded the perennial beds of asparagus and strawberries, all of which seem to be doing fine. In the middle of the east asparagus bed I set in a spare Brussels sprout. By the time we go to harvest it the asparagus will long since be cut back.
In the sheltered garden I have a dilemma. There is a bunch of over wintered stuff and I am not 100% sure what they are. I remember that last year I thought I planted broccoli and it wasn't; the starts were mislabeled. I thought it was going to be easy to figure out eventually, but if it was Brussels sprouts then it failed to sprout. It might be cabbage that didn't form heads, or maybe collards since that is something I have never grown and that would explain why I don't recognize this cole. Anyway, they are still there, in the primo spot for things I can over winter. I wanted broccoli there. I set in four broccoli starts, all I could fit without killing the mystery veggie, and ended up putting two more broccoli starts in the bed where I was going to put most of the Brussels sprouts.
On the easy access side of the sheltered garden I planted some lettuce starts and three rows of buttercrunch seeds. I also put in a few more swiss chard starts. I meant to plant arugula, too bad but apparently either lost it or forgot to buy it. Too bad. I find myself humming "rocket man" as I work arugula.
Tomorrow I need to finish planting the turnip seeds, the Brussels sprout starts, and maybe potatoes. It is too early for melon, beans or tomatoes. Nevertheless, I did take a flyer at planting some beans in the whiskey barrel planters. The dead bean vines from last year had dry beans still on the vine. As I cleared out the dead plants I crumbled last year's beans into the soil. Hey, it could work. No harm trying.
A couple of notes about nuts and fruits:
The grape vines are doing fine, so is the blueberry patch. I just pruned the suckers off the peach tree (too late, but got a pretty bouquet of peach blossoms for my efforts.) The cherry tree and east apple tree are little but alive. The west apple tree is big and robust and coming into blossom. The cherry shrubs are half dead, but one of them is gloriously effervescently in bloom right now. I cut back the raspberry canes today, they look good. The kiwi is alive and mysterious. There are too many vines offer there, I cannot really tell what I have there. The hazelnuts are grown big and ready to bloom - more like trees now than I expected. On the other hand, the chestnut trees are wider and shorter than I expected, more robust and present than ever, but more resembling a large shrub than a tree. Since I have never seen another chestnut tree before (nor has anyone I know) I can't tell you if this is normal or not. They appear healthy and the south one has nutted two years now.
As for other elements of my edible landscape: Fiddle heads - yes. Ramps - no. Mint and thyme - yes. Mushrooms - no.
This morning B and I raked off the winter leaf mulch, then walked down to the farmer's market for vegetable starts. (I bought some seeds last week.)
afternoon I got started by setting in cabbage, kale and swiss chard over by the muddy gash. That bed isn't usually dry yet, but I was able to turn the soil. Two swiss chard from last year over wintered in that bed, to my surprise.
In the northwest bed I use for vining things I set in two zucchini starts - too early but maybe I will get lucky - and planted two hills on the north inside, planning to do subsequent plantings so I spread the zucchini through the summer.
I set in a line of sugar snap peas on the east side of the pea trellis. On the far west side of the bed I planted a row of walla walla onions, too tight, they will need thinning, probably about the same time I plant that side of the pea trellis.
I weeded the perennial beds of asparagus and strawberries, all of which seem to be doing fine. In the middle of the east asparagus bed I set in a spare Brussels sprout. By the time we go to harvest it the asparagus will long since be cut back.
In the sheltered garden I have a dilemma. There is a bunch of over wintered stuff and I am not 100% sure what they are. I remember that last year I thought I planted broccoli and it wasn't; the starts were mislabeled. I thought it was going to be easy to figure out eventually, but if it was Brussels sprouts then it failed to sprout. It might be cabbage that didn't form heads, or maybe collards since that is something I have never grown and that would explain why I don't recognize this cole. Anyway, they are still there, in the primo spot for things I can over winter. I wanted broccoli there. I set in four broccoli starts, all I could fit without killing the mystery veggie, and ended up putting two more broccoli starts in the bed where I was going to put most of the Brussels sprouts.
On the easy access side of the sheltered garden I planted some lettuce starts and three rows of buttercrunch seeds. I also put in a few more swiss chard starts. I meant to plant arugula, too bad but apparently either lost it or forgot to buy it. Too bad. I find myself humming "rocket man" as I work arugula.
Tomorrow I need to finish planting the turnip seeds, the Brussels sprout starts, and maybe potatoes. It is too early for melon, beans or tomatoes. Nevertheless, I did take a flyer at planting some beans in the whiskey barrel planters. The dead bean vines from last year had dry beans still on the vine. As I cleared out the dead plants I crumbled last year's beans into the soil. Hey, it could work. No harm trying.
A couple of notes about nuts and fruits:
The grape vines are doing fine, so is the blueberry patch. I just pruned the suckers off the peach tree (too late, but got a pretty bouquet of peach blossoms for my efforts.) The cherry tree and east apple tree are little but alive. The west apple tree is big and robust and coming into blossom. The cherry shrubs are half dead, but one of them is gloriously effervescently in bloom right now. I cut back the raspberry canes today, they look good. The kiwi is alive and mysterious. There are too many vines offer there, I cannot really tell what I have there. The hazelnuts are grown big and ready to bloom - more like trees now than I expected. On the other hand, the chestnut trees are wider and shorter than I expected, more robust and present than ever, but more resembling a large shrub than a tree. Since I have never seen another chestnut tree before (nor has anyone I know) I can't tell you if this is normal or not. They appear healthy and the south one has nutted two years now.
As for other elements of my edible landscape: Fiddle heads - yes. Ramps - no. Mint and thyme - yes. Mushrooms - no.