Friday, March 24, 2023

Garden Friday

 
 
 
Welcome to Garden Friday,
where we share what's happening on our
Zone 7 Piedmont homestead.
(These double daffs are beautiful,
but not as helpful to the pollinators as singles.)

 
Our biggest project this week was to spread
three yards of gravel along the back walkway.
Using the mower and one of our small trailers
sure makes the job a lot less tiresome.

 
Although this type of work is taxing,
it's good for my bone building
and gives such a feeling of satisfaction,
when things around the homestead are looking their best.

 
We also used some of the gravel to fill in a ditch
near the chicken run to aid in diverting rainfall.
There is sometimes standing water,
which is not good for the chooks.
Hopefully, this will remedy the situation.


 
The garden is coming alive!
 We may have had our last night of freezing temps,
and I am working quickly to get things ready for spring planting.
Here are a few of the winter sowing seedlings 
that will be transplanted to larger pots
or directly into the garden in the next week or so:

tat soi

cabbage

leek

 
red ripper beans
 
The beans may be babied a bit longer,
as it is probably not the ideal time to plant them out.

buttercrunch lettuce

 
As you can see,
we have plenty of lettuce growing.
I'm hoping to use some of it as part of my
ongoing experiment with foodscaping.
It'll be nice to share some of it with friends as well.

 
These lettuce plants were all germinated
using the winter sowing method,
then transplanted to cell trays.
It's taken about a month for them to get this far.

 
We'll have several varieties ready for eating in no time,
with resowing taking place to encourage a staggered harvest.
I've never grown on this scale before,
but the winter sowing method made me a believer! 

 
I actually had time on Tuesday
to transplant and fertilize some of the seedlings.
Fish emulsion was used to soak the cell pots
in repurposed sheet pans for 20 minutes.
The cookie sheets are an efficient way
to bottom water young crops.


The cell pots were then placed
in the garlic bed to grow a bit more,
until they are ready to put out in the landscape or garden bed.


 With spring temperatures ushering forth,
only a few beds required covering overnight in the past week,
as there were delicate seedlings placed here.
 

The sweet potato slips are coming along
and were pinched off of the spuds
and placed in water to grow.
We have plenty of time before these are planted.


Here's hoping that spring is coming up 
wherever you call home.
 
 
 

14 comments:

  1. I wish we could raise chickens here but they take a lot of work...I also have to invest in more pots for my patio garden. Getting too old for the inground garden...hard to get up!lolol
    You have really done a lot of work on your's!
    hugs
    Donna

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    1. That's an interesting perspective on chooks. I find them easier than most any pet. They don't need much and they make your breakfast!
      Raised beds and tower planting (like my Mr. Stacky) makes gardening easier as we get older.
      Thank you for stopping by!

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  2. All of your garden starts look great! You're way ahead of me.

    Have to agree about those labor intensive jobs and how productive they make you feel. Your walkway looks really good.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Leigh for the kind words. I think we would make a great work force together!

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  3. Gosh, you've been busy! It's all looking so happy. I'm behind on most everything, but did just come in from weeding the raised beds on this beautiful day. Isn't winter sowing wonderful?! I did have some containers succumb to the very cold nights, but can always plant again. The feeling of satisfaction after getting tasks done, and seeing the difference it makes keeps me going too. Enjoy these beautiful spring days!

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    Replies
    1. Yes, getting things crossed off the list is fantastic! Sounds like you've been mighty productive. Enjoy the rain today!

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  4. I love the gravel paths! They look amazing--as do your wonderful fluffy chickens!

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    Replies
    1. I LOVE the sound of gravel under my feet! Thank you for visiting.

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  5. Gosh, your walkway looks fantastic! You've got a lot done so far this spring! Seeing it makes me very excited to get outside!! Our snow is surprisingly mostly melted. I can even see most of the garden!! Another week and I should be able to get in and start prepping. I agree with your comment above about the chickens - they are SO easy! Is the asparagus photo in your header from this spring's harvest? It looks soooo delicious. Wishing you a wonderful weekend and week ahead!

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    Replies
    1. The weather has been cooperative here, so we've been able to be outside. The asparagus is from last year. So far this spring, I haven't picked much. Enjoy your weekend!

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  6. Oh the double daffodils are so pretty - not sure I've seen those before. And you had me reading up on winter sowing, I've never heard of that! I wonder if if will work here in zone 5...I'll be checking. Planing seeds this weekend - a little behind, and hope to do a little dreaming of what I'd like to do with flowers & veggies this summer. Everything there looks great - you're keeping me motivated! Mary

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    Replies
    1. I think the winter sowing is worth a try. I know there is a Michigan gardener who uses it and she has a lot of success. What have you got to lose? Best wishes...

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    2. quick question...if you get a cold snap after plants have started peeking up, how do you protect them? Into the greenhouse, indoors, heavy plastic? thanks! Mary

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  7. The beauty of the repurposed containers is that the lid can be closed. If the plant is taller than the container, and the lid can't be closed, I would use row cover on top of it. Just make sure to take it off when the sun comes out and the chance of frost has passed. You could also use inverted pots on top of the plants or cloches made from a 2-liter bottle (just cut off the bottom, stick that in the ground and leave the cap off the top. Works like a charm!

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Thanks for taking the time to leave your thoughts!