Garden Friday

It's Garden Friday!

The weather has been all over the place this past week.

From springlike days to below freezing,

it's a wonder that anything is growing out there!

 

 Our check on the veggie starts finds the kales coming right along.

Some of these will be transplanted into the straw bale garden,

and others will be put in containers.

It'll be interesting to see how they each fare.

The lettuce is looking a bit leggy.

I think all they need is a long stretch of some sunny days

and they'll be growing much better.

A few more lettuce starts and the green beans are up next to the house,

in an attempt to keep them warmer overnight.

More lettuce will be sown this weekend,

if we can get above freezing!

It's about time to start planting shallots again,

so I will most likely pull up one of these and see how they look.

These were started in October of last year,

so they may still need a bit longer in the pot.

A few of the leek are ready to pull up.

These were also started from seed in October

and usually take 9 months to mature.

 The parsley I transplanted into the mailbox planter amazed me

by never really dying off, despite some frigid temperatures.

The broccoli is about done.

The small offshoots I've been getting have slowed down,

and the color doesn't look good on what's left.

A few more starts should be taking off soon.

Some will be placed in the straw bales

and a few will be left in containers.

The Brussels sprouts never got much size to them,

probably because I slacked off on the fertilizing.

The tiny morsels I have been snacking on have been sweet and tender.

It was quite a surprise to find coir at our local Walmart.

This along with vermiculite was picked up

to use as an amendment.

These two materials add aeration to the soil,

and help with drainage and retaining moisture.

A couple of trowelfuls were added to each pot and mixed in.

I'm so excited that I have a soaker hose to use this year.

It will help me to water just where it's needed.

Another thrilling event this week was the discovery of these tulips!

The folks who owned the house before us must have put them in.

It will be so amazing to watch them come up and bloom!

 I haven't figured out what these are popping up near the azalea bushes.

I'm thinking some kind of iris?

We'll soon see.

It's riveting to watch as nature wakes up from Her deep sleep!

These sweet dandelions are the bane of many gardeners.

We leave them in place

as we've heard that they are one of the bees' most vital food sources.

This woodpile in the backyard was uncovered this past week.

I went through it systematically,

trying to salvage any lumber for future projects.

 Mostly what I found was these critters.

Thankfully, no snakes surprised me!

This was about all I could keep,

most everything else was rotted through.

These might be used to create a small raised bed.

We have quite a few wood piles scattered around the property,

as we've been clearing some of the wooded areas.

These can shelter creatures during the colder months,

so we're happy to leave them where they are for a while.

 One of our trees has this nasty looking damage.

It's one of the trees that will most likely be removed,

so it's not much of a concern.

It just makes me wonder what happened.

Most of the trees on this property seem to have been neglected,

so it will take some time to nurture them back to health.

Just when we thought spring was upon us,

the temperatures plummeted to high 20's overnight.

Spring will take Her own sweet time getting here,

but it'll be SO worth the wait!

Garden Friday

On this Garden Friday,

the garden is in a state of transition.

As temperatures are getting a bit more tolerable,

we are excitedly awaiting the onset of the spring garden.

Here is what remains of the fall/winter crops.

The cold weather has taken its toll on some plants,

while others just seemed to go along for the ride.

 The shallots are still doing just fine.

These weren't phased in the least by the cold,

snow or ice!

Amazing how something can still be green after all of that.

 The remaining broccoli head doesn't look like

it wants to do anything but wrap itself up in its leaves.

I'm thinking of starting some new seeds for spring,

but not sure how well it will do if its gets warm quickly.

I guess it's just seed, so why not try?

In the wooded area of our property,

I've had a couple of projects going.

One was to tidy up this leaf bed.

I'm hoping that I can use what's under here

to lay down a foundation of good, loose compost.

It's so great having a spot on the property just for dried leaves.

Goodness knows, we get our share!

This is the area we call "Old Man Kelsey's Woods".

If you are an Andy Griffith fan,

you'll know where the name comes from.

(Hint:  Ernest T. Bass)

See the green compost bin in the center of the picture?

We've been using that since we moved in here last summer,

so it will soon be dumped and examined to see what goodies might lie in wait.

The leaf pile is just to the left of the bin.

When the trees start leafing out,

this area is so private,

no neighbors in sight.

 Here is Kelsey's Woods from the street side,

facing the side of our house.

C and I have been working on clearing out the dead wood

and tidying it up in there.

With most of the trees being deciduous,

it has made it much easier to tackle this job.

We still have a way to go,

but the new Saw-zall that Big K picked up

has made it a breeze.

I think it's my favorite new toy.

I don't know what this nasty varmint is,

but it is certainly a nuisance.

This stuff grows up from the ground

and wraps itself all through the branches.

The thorns are razor-sharp,

so long sleeves and long pants are a necessity.

This is one of the piles of this obnoxious invader.

I may add vinegar to the sites where I cut it off at the quick

because I surely don't want to have to fight this off again.

We have a full week of rain in the forecast ahead,

so I am hoping to get out this weekend and start some seeds.

I'm still a bit unsure of how the spring garden will look.

I'm vacillating between sticking with containers,

or creating some raised beds for growing our spring veggies.

The organizer in me prefers the tidy look of a bed,

without the mismatched pots to look at.

We're also planning to restart the straw bale garden.

If the weather continues to warm up,

I imagine I'll be feeling a bit more ambitious,

so perhaps I may create some raised beds,

and maybe I can even rope C into helping me.

How's your spring garden planning coming along?