Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Some catching up on spring works
I picked up three blackberry plants. Thornless - Arapaho. Planted all three somewhat apart along the fence on the western side of the backyard. This is the area where the leaf mulch was placed in the fall. I have also planted 10 trees in this area. These trees are the little things available from the Arbor Day Foundation. This is the second set of these trees I have planted. The first set is on the other side (west) of the house behind the front fence where the lavender grows now. The 10 trees are 2 each redbuds, 2 dogwoods, 2 Washington hawthorns, 2 golden raintrees, 2 crabapples, and one crape myrtle (a bonus tree). Not much to see of these little things.
The four vegetable garden plots are ready for planting. They have been dug and 2 cu ft of peat moss added to each one during the digging. All the grass rizhomes have been removed (hopefully). Plastic edging is installed inside each 4 x 8 frame. Worm food is added in the bottom of the soil matrix using cheap dogfood. This is a trial. We will see how well the worms do. They seem to have disappeared from the soil immediately after the digging.
Brocolli sets are in. Romain sets are in. Sugar snap peas are coming up in one block. Cucumber seeds are sown in another. Green onions are in one 2 sq ft section. Sweet onions have been planted. There were way too many in the bonus package for $0.01 more and get 2... So the extras were just set into the leafmold by the fence (above) to see if they would grow. Carrots are behind the onions along with beets.
I planted some sweet peas along the fence behind the blueberries. They are coming up and the resident rabbit has not found them yet. I see him eating the clover every morning. He hides under the deck in the back or in the bushes by the deck. He is certain that he cannot be seen if he is very still.
I had 5 packages of additional sweet peas to plant and it was getting late to put them in the ground. If you soak them for a day in water, they should sprout sooner. So...I put all 5 packets in a little cottage cheese tub of water and left them overnight. The next morning I began to plant them and found that all the envelope glue had melted. All the peas were loose in the tub. So, now I have a row of mixed sweet peas at the south end of the sunroom.
I found a forlorn bird house shaped and colored like a shotgun shell. Put it up and within a couple of hours it had been occupied by a pair of chicadees. I put up a little house for the wrens that like the shed. No renters for it yet. The new bluebird house is occupied. That one rented in two days.
There are black eyed susans under the three trees in the east yard now, along with purple coneflowers. These should attract butterflies. Also, there are two new trumpet vines planted by the east fence behind the daylilies. These should provide flowers and a green vine on the fence behind the lilies.
I see lilies coming up in the rye. See the earlier note.
First asparagus ... thin as pencil lead!
Rhubarb coming up!
Dahalias are planted in pots. Last years geraniums survived in the garage and are on the porch.
The four vegetable garden plots are ready for planting. They have been dug and 2 cu ft of peat moss added to each one during the digging. All the grass rizhomes have been removed (hopefully). Plastic edging is installed inside each 4 x 8 frame. Worm food is added in the bottom of the soil matrix using cheap dogfood. This is a trial. We will see how well the worms do. They seem to have disappeared from the soil immediately after the digging.
Brocolli sets are in. Romain sets are in. Sugar snap peas are coming up in one block. Cucumber seeds are sown in another. Green onions are in one 2 sq ft section. Sweet onions have been planted. There were way too many in the bonus package for $0.01 more and get 2... So the extras were just set into the leafmold by the fence (above) to see if they would grow. Carrots are behind the onions along with beets.
I planted some sweet peas along the fence behind the blueberries. They are coming up and the resident rabbit has not found them yet. I see him eating the clover every morning. He hides under the deck in the back or in the bushes by the deck. He is certain that he cannot be seen if he is very still.
I had 5 packages of additional sweet peas to plant and it was getting late to put them in the ground. If you soak them for a day in water, they should sprout sooner. So...I put all 5 packets in a little cottage cheese tub of water and left them overnight. The next morning I began to plant them and found that all the envelope glue had melted. All the peas were loose in the tub. So, now I have a row of mixed sweet peas at the south end of the sunroom.
I found a forlorn bird house shaped and colored like a shotgun shell. Put it up and within a couple of hours it had been occupied by a pair of chicadees. I put up a little house for the wrens that like the shed. No renters for it yet. The new bluebird house is occupied. That one rented in two days.
There are black eyed susans under the three trees in the east yard now, along with purple coneflowers. These should attract butterflies. Also, there are two new trumpet vines planted by the east fence behind the daylilies. These should provide flowers and a green vine on the fence behind the lilies.
I see lilies coming up in the rye. See the earlier note.
First asparagus ... thin as pencil lead!
Rhubarb coming up!
Dahalias are planted in pots. Last years geraniums survived in the garage and are on the porch.
