Blueberries are here!

Two of my blueberries arrived today! The bigger ones. I'm SO excited, and nervous. Highly prized blueberries that I have been waiting for forever, the main cornerstone of the south side gardens, and I have never planted bare root plants before. I am so afraid I'll kill them somehow! It is poor timing for them to arrive as we've had a week straight of soggy wet rain; and now we're heading into another week of rain and cold temperatures. That means I'm not able to get out and build their raised bed for a while, and I'm worried sick about them staying in their packing material for another week. I can't even heel them in with all this rain. For now they are in the garage, cool and dark, with damp soil around the roots covered by damp shredded newspaper. Fingers crossed.

Spring!

Well it seems like Spring happened overnight here, as it alwys does. an it really be that just a few weeks ago we were in subzero temperatures and 3 feet of snow?

My hyacinths are looking good, about 2" tall now, and no signs of pest damage (rabbits and deer) so far.

The ground everywhere else is still frozen solid, except for a few spots.

I planted a lot more seeds today; basically everything went into jiffy pots except for the vines which are so tender. I managed to find some old fashioned hollyhocks even! SO excited. Oh, and if my lemon balm doesn't do well from seed this year, Bachmanns sells it in pots.

I also had a chance to give the big snowberry a bit of pruning today. It REALLY needed it, it's so overgrown. I reduced its size by about 1/3, shaped it, and got a few of the canes out. I need to clip a few more. It's a lot more work than I remember - it's a big bush!

I repaired some damage to the lilac from falling roof bits - lost about 5 canes 1/3 of the way from the ends. Too bad.

My sprouted onions look thin, stringy, and weak. Not sure what it is they need but apparently they aren't getting it. Everything else except the few peas affacted by mold are HUGE and out enjoying the sun while they harden off. I may need to buy onion sets and plant them.

Even the grass in the lawn is starting to green up again, where the drainage is better (like in the fenced area.)

Chamomile

I almost forgot, I also planted (hopefully) my German Chamomile tonight. I read that the seeds seem to have better germination with a freeze and thaw, so I tried putting them in a greenhouse tonight and out on the back deck. (It's supposed to be like 22 tonight, and around freezing or above every night for the next week or so.)

I used one of the 6-pack peat greenhouses, topped the peat off with 1/4 - 1/2" of generic potting soil, moistened it, and then just touched my damp fingertip to the seeds and to the soil. They're slightly mixed in from the moisture but basically on the surface for getting some sunlight. Hope it works!

Hyacinths are up!

Today (March 19) I went outside after our new roof was put on to check the plants for damage from the falling shingles. And next to the laundry room window, the hyacinths are up! Just barely poking through the mulch. Most of the ground is still hard and frozen, but I think there they warm up just enough close to the house and the dryer in the laundry especially.

They are so beautiful! I can't get enough of them and can't wait to see more!

Fruit, Veg and Herb notes

Keeping a List for Myself of notes about various stuff I'm planting this year (finally getting around to it after I did the other list earlier today!)

Basil
Very tender, killed / damaged by temps under 50 degrees
Full sun
When plants are 6" tall, pinch tips to stimulate branching
Will not tolerate wilting, keep moist

Beans
Tender - sow seeds after last frost
Plant every 3 weeks for extended harvest
Minimum 6 hours sunlight a day
Good drainage - will not germinate well if too wet
Harvest snap beans when pods are long and firm, before seeds swell
Harvest dry beans after the pods dry on the vine and split

Broccoli
Can handle a freeze but not heat (transplants can go in the garden 3 weeks before avg frost-free date)
Broccoli will be harvested and gone by midsummer so plan to plant a secondary crop after it (fall peas perhaps?)
Prefers full sun; will produce in partial shade but smaller heads
2 - 3 plants deep across the bed for proper spacing
Side-dress with fertilizer when plants are half grown; 10 - 12" tall

Carrots
Hardy, sow seeds as soon as ground can be worked
Grow better in deeply prepared soil
Need high potassium levels for good root development
Full sun (8 - 10 hours)
Grow best if thinned. 1 every 1 - 2".

Chamomile
German chamomile should grow to 3'
Freezing and thawing improve germination - plant out before last frost
Full sun, dry soil

Cucumber
Very tender, not only to frost but will rot in cold and wet. Plant late.
Start indoors on avg frost free date
Gentle transplanting, roots are delicate
Full sun to dappled shade part day
If thinning, pinch instead of pull to avid root damage
Probably need insecticide from cucumber beetles
Male and female flowers

Garlic
Usually planted over winter as a bulb - you can try planting in early spring ASAP to see if it will crop this year
Full sun, well drained soil that won't compact bulbs
Plant cloves 2" deep by 4" apart by 12" wide rows (point up of course)
Plenty of water, weeds will be an issue all summer - stay on top of them or mulch
Harvest midsummer when most of the leaves have turned yellow
Dig in the morning, dry in the garden until afternoon, spread on screens to cure 2 weeks, then braid

Lettuce
Can handle freeze but not heat - grow spring or fall
If seeding autumn crop, do it mid - late July, transplants in mid-August
Full sun to partial shade (especially shade during hot months)
Need good drainage and will suffer in wet ground
Be careful weeding, lettuce roots are shallow and easy to uproot
Bitter lettuce (from hot weather) will lose its bite if washed and refridgerated a few days

Melon - Honeydew / Canteloupe
Need warm soil to develop, will rot in cold / wet weather. Plant late.
Start indoors a week before avg frost free date or seed out 2 - 3 weeks later
Full sun
Consider trellising large vines
Careful when transplanting, roots are fragile
Probably will need insecticide (Sevin?) from cucumber beetles
Reduce disease by planting vine crops in different locations each year

Mint
Sun or partial shade
Keep controlled
Soil moist but not wet
Harvest when flower buds first appear, cut sprigs 6 - 10" long

Onion
Totally hardy, in the future start seeds mid-January indoors
Transplant seeds deeper than they were growing, about an inch
Water in transplants with starter fertilizer, 10-30-10 or higher
Full sun
Thin when they reach about 4" tall, eventually down to 1 every 3"
Shallow roots so careful as you weed
Side-dress with 10-10-10 when plants are 12"
Pull any that flower and use immediately, they will not store well
Dig onions when all of the tops have gone down (yellowed, fallen over)
Dry outside, cure on screen 2 - 3 weeks, then cut tops down to 1.5". Store in cool dry place, prefereably in a mesh bag.

Peas
Totally hardy, can be sown in ground around mid-March
Do not tolerate heat well
Full sun, except to extend production into summer a couple weeks
Look for good drainage to plant early without getting soggy
Thin seedlings 6 - 10" apart
Can use small (2 - 4') forked branches for support if need be
Don't need much water
Harvest snap peas as pods mature. Harvest garden peas while still green, before they begin to dry.

Pumpkin
(see instructions for cukes and melons)
Full sun, will grow in very light shade
Need lots of water and fertilizer
Side-dress when vines cover the ground
Harvest when full color has developed / no green

Squash
(see instructions for other vine crops)
Similar instructions to pumpkins
Winter squash is mature when full color and too hard to cut with a fingernail

Strawberries
Replace plants this year
Plant in only slightly moist soil
Just cover the roots with soil - don't bury the crown or it will rot; don't let the roots dry out
Need full sun to produce
Mulch to conserve water and keep weeds down
Side-dress plantings in August for next year


Tomatoes
Tender, set out after frost-free date and cover if need be
Full sun
Transplants should have good color and 3 - 4 sets of leaves
Water in with a cup of transplant starter
May need fungicide
Water well and regularly
Mulch when flowers bloom
Side-dress when fruits are tiny (golf ball sized for regular tomatoes,) repeat side-dressing every 3-4 weeks

Watermelon
(see instructions for other vine crops)
Cucumber beetles are a major issue

To Do list - March

Things I need to remember to do as the days get warmer and I can be outside (and the snow melts!)

Prune back the perennial bed. The Russian Sage should be cut back to a fan a couple inches high. Everything else should be cut down, removing all the dead old growth while watching carefully for new growth.

Prune the snowberry (the big one.) It needs major help. Cut above a bud or junction, and remove about 1/3 of the canes. Cut the remaining canes back to about 2/3 their height. You won't kill it. But it needs pruning. You may need new shears or repaired shears for this job.

Don't touch the lilac.

Cut back and remove dead stalks from the hostas.

Start to remove winter mulch from the bulbs as the days get warmer and growth appears.

Inspect roses and remove and dead growth. It will be hard to tell for a little while.

Clear the growth from the veggie bed.

Start clearing the space for new beds, but don't work the soil until it is dry enough to be worked!

This year the lawns will need to be aerated / cored and reseeded. Wait until MAY to do this though, and drier soil.

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For the record, as of now (March 15th) we have about a foot of icy snow left on the ground. We had 3 feet fall within a week at the beginning of the month, but since then we've had a week in the 50's. Fickle spring! Everything is melting fast but temps are below freezing at night about half the time now. I can see the edges of the lawn and flower beds, about a foot away from where it was plowed.

My seeds (onion, broccoli, peas) all germinated in 2 - 3 days! They are now in the East window getting some light but I will move them to the shelf / artificial light as soon as I can.

And the 2007 season begins!!

As of yesterday, I officially started gardening for 2007! Woot woot! There may still be a foot of snow on the ground but that's OK. We can start seeds inside. I have a shelf with a grow light in the laundry (ah, memories of college days!) and we're getting a jump on the season with the cool-weather veggies that won't tolerate our normally short spring.

I planted a tray each of broccoli, onions, pod peas (victory freezer) and snap peas (super sugar.) If I can get them up and solidly grown by mid-May, our average last frost, they can go right into the ground with a head start. In a couple of weeks I'll start 2 more trays of peas to extend my season a little. We LOVE peas around here!

Now I just have to decide where I want to put more raised beds in the backyard and how many. Right now the possibilities seem endless but I know that by August I'll be so over the watering and weeding that I should contain my enthusiasm a little.

I have a few books from the library I've been reading up on, mostly managing produce gardens in the upper midwest, and I've been compiling my info and tips. I need to type it all in here someday so I have it on record when the books go back!