seedlings inside under lights

I have lots of little seedlings growing. Beets, broccoli, marigolds, lettuce, escarole, endive, eggplants, peppers, tomatoes.... Some I'm on time planting, some ahead of schedule and some behind schedule.

soggy crocus

Everything is cold and soggy, if not icy this spring. These are some sheltered crocus in my yard - trying their best to bloom.

Our local plant grower is having hard time with the cold weather. She's pulled plants out of the greenhouse and into her heated garage. I heard at Home Depot that all growers in the area are at least 2 weeks behind because of the cold weather.

Well, I'm pulling for the little crocuses. It would be cheery to see some color around here about now.

fig tree brought into sunlight

I remembered my small fig tree up in the attic today and brought it down into the sunlight. It had already broken dormancy and leaves were coming out. Still a bit chilly, so I'll leave it on the porch a while before it goes out in the yard. I suppose it will need a bigger pot this year.

the raised bed movie!

Here's another movie of my garden: Time lapse video of raised bed construction. Funny to see us running around and making 8 raised beds in 2 minutes....

eight new raised bed frames

Yesterday my husband and I made eight raised beds for my new garden! Kind of a dreary late March day, but I am so happy seeing the beds all lined up! We made six 4x12 foot beds and two 6x15 foot beds.

To make the six 4x12 beds:
- We started with fifteen 2x8x12's, untreated pine.
- We brought a compound miter saw down to the garden area. (It was raining off an on so we used a canopy to keep it dry.
- To make the 4' edges, four boards were cut in thirds.
- To make 24 corner brackets, two 4x4x8 untreated fir beams were cut the width of the boards, 7.5 inches.
- We butted up the boards one edge at a time and attached them using wood screws.
- We then placed the 4x4 bracket beam piece in the corner and used self-threading lumber screws to securely attach from both sides.
- Then we placed the beds where we wanted them. We're still looking at the placement and it may take us a few days to get the positioning we want.
- Next steps, we will level the beds with brick at one edge since we are on a bit of a slope. Then we'll secure the beds in place by pounding in wood stakes on the outside of the beds, every 3 feet. Then we'll add DIRT and plant stuff!

not so common raven

I got some better photos of the enormous black bird the I saw last week near the Gardens. I think it must be a Common Raven. Not so common here near Boston! Its the first time I've ever seen one here. Bird books say it is never here. Probably just passing as it's that time of year and I haven't seen it since.

From Cornell Bird Site:

"Not just large but massive, with a thick neck, shaggy throat feathers, and a Bowie knife of a beak. In flight, ravens have long, wedge-shaped tails. They're more slender than crows, with longer, narrower wings, and longer, thinner “fingers” at the wingtips. Common Ravens are entirely black, right down to the legs, eyes, and beak."

scoping out sizes of new raised beds

My husband and son carried the wood that will edge my new raised beds down to the site of my new garden. We then laid out a few pieces to see how the beds will look. My plan has six 4x12 foot beds and two 6x15 foot beds.

time lapse video: making Skippy's new garden

I am making a time lapse video of my new vegetable garden. So far, the video only shows us bringing the boards for the raised beds down to the garden area. The boards are 2x8 untreated pine.

We also set out a few boards where the edges of the beds will be, just to see how they look.

Time Lapse Video: Making Skippy's New Garden

I'll extend the video as we create the garden and as the plants grow this year. Tomorrow we plan to make the raised bed frames.

happy birthday Skippy

Skippy is 9 years old! Where does the time go?

turning under snow to sow pea, carrot and beet seeds

Yesterday I decided I had enough of this snow! So I got out my shovel, turned under the snow and planted.

There was about 4 inches of snow on my garden with nicely thawed soil underneath. I turned the snow under like it was a cover crop. Then I put in a wide row of snap peas, two rows of carrots and a row of beets.

Now I feel that the gardening season has really begun - to heck with the snow!

seedlings

planting list 2013

January 28 (inside under lights)
Onions, Ruby Ring
Onions, Frontier (did not sprout)
Onions, White Wing
Onions, Walla Walla
Onions, Pontiac
Shallots, Prizma
Leeks, Giant Musselburgh
Celeriac, Brilliant

March 11 (inside under lights)
Broccoli, Diplomat
Eggplant, Tiger
Eggplant, Black King
Eggplant, Kamo
Lettuce, Prizehead
Lettuce, Oaky Red
Endive, Tres Fine
Endive, Galia
Kale, Winterbor
Kale, Tuscan
Radicchio, Red Precco #1
Radicchio, Palla Rossa

March 24 (inside under lights)
Pepper, Costa Rican Sweet
Pepper, Canary Bell Sweet
Pepper, Quadrato Rosso D'Asti (Sweet Red)
Pepper, Sweet Chocoloate
Pepper, Nardello
Pepper, Amelia's Cayenne
Pepper, NuMex Joe E Parker
Pepper, Ancho 211
Pepper, Thai Hot
Pepper, Annaheim
Pepper, Jalepeno
Pepper, Tepin
...note: just one or two plants of each of these peppers and chiles
Parsley, Single Italian
Marigolds, Burpee's Best Mix
Marigolds, Cottage Red
Mexican Sunflower, Torch
Basil, Italian Large Leaf
Basil, Genovese
Basil, Lemon Aromatic
... I ran out of seeds of my favorite basil, Nufar, so trying these
Beets, Merlin
Beets, Red Detroit
Beets, Chiogga Guardsmark

March 24 (directly sowed in my community plot - in spite of snow cover)
Peas, Sugar Sprint
Beets, Early Wonder
Carrots, Carnival Mix
Carrots, Mokum

the first flowers of spring

Before it snowed last week, I walked around my yard and took pictures of the flowers blooming. These are under a foot on snow now. I hear we may have more snow on Monday.

poor man's fertilizer

I was talking with a real farmer (my brother in law, Scott) the other day, and he was looking on the bright side of all this spring snow we have. He says snow traps nitrogen and since the soil is thawed underneath, this nitrogen will seep in as the snow melts and will be available to the plants. Scott says this may be a myth, but its nice to think there's some benefit.

my garden gnome on the first day of spring

I can see it in his eyes that he has snow fatigue too. But he's toughing it out.

birds

I have been bringing my zoom lens on your walks and trying to photograph the birds I see. Some summer birds are gradually starting to arrive, like red wing black birds. I think all of the birds here are winter birds, robin, chickadee, tufted titmouse, starling. I wasn't sure what the bird next to the titmouse it. It was near the titmouse, but not behaving like a titmouse as it was up at the top of the tree singing "sprrriinng", "sprrriinng". I suppse the photo looks like a titmouse, so maybe this is male spring behavior.

And then there is the very blurry photo of the big black bird. It was an enormous bird - bigger than a red tailed hawk. It appeared completely black in the bright light, but I think the photo shows a bit of mottling. My camera battery died and I only got one shot. I am thinking maybe an immature bald eagle! He took off to the north.

I am going to bring my camera again today, with a full battery, and see if I can add more bird photos.

We are expecting another big snow storm today. If this weather keeps up, I may never be able to garden......

workable soil

My soil is workable!! And only 6 days ago we had a foot of snow.....

What does it mean when a seed packet says : "Plant as soon as soil is workable?"

Well, it's cause for excitement and celebration!!! It means the soil is thawed and has drained enough so that its not too wet to turn with a shovel. It means your boots didn't sink in the mud. Your shovel didn't get stuck in frozen soil. Your garden gate opened without a foot of snow blocking it.

It doesn't mean you need to turn it before planting. I've planted early crops the past few years without turning the soil. I just draw a furrow and plant beet, pea, or carrot seeds. Lettuce, arugula, endive .... (so many crops, so little time)

I'm thinking I'll plant my first outdoor crops at the end of next week. We still have cold weather predicted. And a bit of snow - though I'm sure it will be short-lived. My seed packets are ready. This week I'm planing to get my plot ready by turning last year's compost, setting up a new compost bin, cleaning up my plot, taking a soil sample and doing some planning. ..... Next week I'll plant.

vegetable garden i phone ap

I have a new ad I just posted for a vegetable garden Iphone ap. I bought a copy myself to try ($2.99). If anyone else buys one - let me know what you think.

6 yr old onion seeds didn't sprout...

How long do seeds last?

I've given up on my 6 year old onion seeds. :-( They didn't sprout this year. Time to throw out the package. I think also last year they also didn't sprout. It may have been the previous year (4 years old) that was the last time they came up. And that year, they took an extra week to come up.

Onions seeds are one of the more short-lived types. Its often recommended you only use them the season they are packaged for. Other short-lived seeds include corn, leek, onion, parsnip, and spinach. Hmm, I haven't bought spinach in ages. Mine have saved very well. But I agree with putting parsnip in this list and I'd add carrots here. I have some 5 year old popcorn seeds I was thinking of using again this year. I'll try a test germination on paper towels to see if there's any life left in them.

Long-lived seeds include beets, all brassicas (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, collards, kohlrabi), chicory (endive, escarole, radicchio), cucumber, kale, lettuce, melons, mustard, peppers, radish, rutabaga, sunflower, tomato, and turnip. Long-lived means 5-10 years if kept cool and dry.

roses for my new arbor

I'd like to grow climbing roses up an arbor over my garden gate. Pale pink ones. Its fun to think about variety. I think my favorite is Eden (also known as Pierre de Ronsard). A modern French rose with an old fashioned look. "The flowers are huge and cup-shaped and very heavy. The buds are light green and develop into creamy white almost cabbage looking and later cup-shaped flowers with a delightful blush pink center. As the flower ages they turn almost white."

'Eden' rose


Other nice roses are 'New Dawn' and the David Austin rose 'Sombreuil'


Other nice David Austin climbers are 'St. Swithun' and 'Mortimer Sackler'


I wonder how it would look to have 'Eden' on one side of the gate and 'Sombreuil' on the other. It seems from the pictures that their colors compliment each other.

'Sombreuil' description: "The flowers have many petals arranged in the form of flat, quartered rosettes. They are creamy white, sometimes with a hint of pink at the centre, and have a delicious tea scent. A hardy rose that repeat flowers well; in fact, we know of no other old variety that produces better flowers in autumn. 12ft."

companion planting plans

I've looked up some companion planting suggestions and included the on my planting diagram. I'll put carrots next to parsley. Peas away from cucumbers. Lupines next to the peas. Marigolds and Bee Balm with the tomatoes. And lettuce by the squash. I've never done more than the basic companion planting - add marigolds and pollinator-attracting flowers here and there. It'll be fun to give this a try.

I've grown hyssop for years and its great for attracting bees. I'll put a row of hyssop, lavender and Echinacea along the front to attract pollinators and look pretty.

At my community plot, I'll also try a bit of companion planting this year. Tansy with the squash and pansies with the onions.

garden-to-be

My husband and I shuffled through the snow to mark out the edges of my garden-to-be.

I'm getting prices for putting in nice fencing around the plot. I'd like 4 foot post and rail. I'll put some kind of wire netting behind it, like chicken wire, to keep the rabbits out. I'll dig it down 6 inches to keep the woodchucks out. Then probably an electric wire at the top (or a 6 foot extension of plastic fencing) to keep the deer out.

Alternatively, we've been thinking we may just go with light weight fencing and metal poles all around this year and put in the post and rail next year. That'll give me some time to see how the location and size work out before adding a permanent fence.

The snow is starting to disappear from some of the sunniest areas. The ground is showing along the little brook that runs behind may garden-to-be. Tomorrow, we have an inch of rain coming. Maybe that will melt more of our snow.