Seed Lists and mutual advice swap

[Opsa]

Okay, I spoke too soon. I just got some seed for Romaine lettuce, too.

[Aggie]

All of a sudden, it was spring.  I'm sure winter will come back for a bit of revenge, but I managed to clean up the yard a little and got some kales, wasabi greens, radishes, seed garlic and green onions planted against the house.  I put up a partial cold frame consisting of a large (6' x 6') window in front, and some reflective insulation board for the backing.  The sides are still wide open, so it'll cool down at night, but it should be enough to give those hardy seeds a little head start.

[Opsa]

 

Here, too! We had our first little tiny yellow crocus open on Sunday. Yesterday I started clearing out the front bulb beds and found the purple crocuses trying to bud under the leaves. Today I finished raking it out. (Going a little slow, as I've been under the weather.) I sprinkled some plant food down for the daff, tulips, irises and croci.

Today we expect rain. Tomorrow, back to cold- but spring is really on the way.

Gotta get my veg beds ready for the early guys, but haven't got back there yet.

Please keep posted on the cold frame! That is something I've always been interested in doing.

[Aggie]

I've got four of these windows, so I'm considering setting up a sort of partial greenhouse with them to get a jump on the tomatoes and peppers, etc.  I might glass in 3 sides plus a top for the spring (and use solid material to back it), or just make it 4-sided in glass with an open top.  That'd work for the summer, anyways, as it'd let the worst of the heat out the top and keep things more humid by creating a wind-free microclimate.

[Opsa]

Man, you are TEH efficient one. A little hothouse would get you a head start on those 'maters.

[Aggie]

I'm usually trying to do a hunner-bazillion things at the same time, so I need to try for some efficiency. 

This year, I'm going to try for less variety and larger quantities of vegetables.  I've tended to get a little too scattered in my gardening to this point.

Hmm...  actually, the tomatoes usually do fine, and I often grown more than I really care to eat, so maybe I'll focus on eggplant if I glass in an area.  I love eggplant, but never get good results before the growing season's over, usually because they get stuck behind a tomato plant.


Hey, here's a puzzler...  I've got an in-ground digester (one of those green cone composters) that leaches nutrients out into the ground around it.  What would be a good choice for a relatively deep-rooted heavy feeder to place next to it?  I don't have enough space to let a squash or pumpkin run in this location.  I was thinking this might be a good area for some larger tomato plants, but I'm not sure whether they root deep enough to take advantage of the nutrients.  It's a small spot between the garden and the path, so I wouldn't have room for corn etc.

[Opsa]

What about carrots or beets? I've never had luck with carrots or beets here because our soil is so heavy and not very deep.

[Aggie]

I've got the same issue here, but I'm going to try to plant some early beets and get them harvested while they're still young. Once the soil starts to dry out in the summer, it strangles out the root crops. Carrots like sandy soil, so one option there is to prep a single area to be more carrot-friendly by digging in some sand.

We're thinking about growing a pumpkin fort in the yard this year, for fun...  basically, planting vines around a meshed-in enclosure and training them to act as the roof and walls of the 'fort'. Not sure I'll get time, but I've got a few months to get it together, so maybe.


Top priority now is pruning the pear and plum trees while they're still dormant.

[Opsa]

Oh! That fort sounds like fun.

We have tree and shrub pruning to do here, too. I enjoy pruning. I have some weigelas that I've been slowly getting to come back to their former glory. Two years ago I pruned them back by a third. Last year another third. This year I ought to be able to go in and take out all the ancient limbs that no longer produce.

[Darlica]

Thank you Opsa! 

Out of curiosity I googled "weigelas" since I never heard that name...

We have one of those in my mothers garden. Grandpa must have bought it 30 years or so ago,    but for 20 years nobody have known what it is...
Both my mother and I have tried to identify the little bush but haven't been successful at all.

Now we know and we can take better care of it and perhaps give it a companion.

[Opsa]

Cool!  

They are very old-fashioned flowering shrubs. Lots of people mistake them for azaleas, but they are quite different.

We have two kinds- the first I got as a house warming gift (a coupon to a plant nursery- nice!). We've been here over twenty years and it started to get kinda tired looking, but we did the gradual pruning thing and it regained it's vigor. It's a variegated weigela- the leaves are dark with pale edges and very pretty. The flowers are pale pink and cover it like fur on a monkey's tail. (See photo below)

I also have five smaller ones with darker flowers and plain green leaves. Those I bought through the mail as a flowering hedge.