order

Finally found my order...Should be here next week it looks like. Hopefully everything will hold while we go to Austria. Shouldn't be too bad for one week. I tried my broccoli and cauliflower seedlings in my greenhouse last night. It hasn't been getting below freezing in there so I thought I'd give it a shot. Besides it is still early enough that I can re-start if need be.

I took the tape measure to the garden plot yesterday (in the snow). I think I'm going to make the main plot 30 ft x 11 ft. If I have to expand things next year I will. I also have a couple small beds around the house.

I'd better work on getting ready for work so I can support this habit I've got going.

Losses

I finally had some losses. I lost three okra and a watermelon. Also, I gave up on the angelica seeds and the basil seeds. Of course this still leaves a bunch of seedlings. I'm hoping they don't take too much of a hit when we go to Austria. I do plan on using gel packs to water with while we are gone. We used those one time on my house plants that were stored in the back of my pick-up for a month. They worked really well. I'm hoping they work as well for my seedlings.

I got my blueberries all planted in pots now. I hope that works out well. I'm a little worried as far as my big plant order... I haven't heard anything about them shipping and can't find any confirmation e-mail. Hmmmm...I still have my order print out with the order number and I have an e-mail into them asking about it. I hope things didn't get messed up since the order is also for a friend of mine. If I don't hear anything on Monday I'll have to start making phone calls. I want strawberry and rasberry plants in the ground this year.

Worms

While I was digging beds the other day I discovered we have a large number of worms. Yay! That makes things easier.

Spring!!!

It is official it is spring. We couldn't have had a better day for it either. I bet it was close to 60 degrees out there. I got to dig a bunch of ammendments into my soil in two of my beds today. I didn't get another veggie bed started like I wanted, but I did get a little white wire fence up around the two other beds I'm going to do herbs and flowers in. I also ended up planting one of my blueberry plants in a pot. I thought I had two of them, but one must have dissappeared in the move. I'll have to find another. I was going to plant the blueberries in the yard but realized they had been forced out of dormancy by being inside. I don't think they will be very happy being planted out right now. As nice as today was I just can't see it staying that way. I know we'll get more snow.

Lots more transplants today. Finally my poor beefsteak tomatoes got larger homes. Also, the rest of my walla walla onions. I think that is about the only ones I did today. I seem to either run out of soil or pots. I can't seem to keep them coordinated.

Transplanting

More transplants tonight... Swiss Chard, 1/2 of my Walla Walla onions and all of my peppers got new homes. I still have Beefsteak tomatoes, and the other half of my onions that need homes yet. That will entail a few more pots.

In addition to transplanting veggies I started soaking a couple Bird of Paradise seeds. These will be a long time house plant. It is supposed to take 4 years before they flower. It might be more than I'm willing to carry on, but they are Tom's favorite flower so I'd like to try. They will never survive outside unless we move to a MUCH warmer climate.:) I don't forsee that happening so they'll be house plants. Also, I'm trying starting one of the Hollyhocks indoors. I think the rest I'll direct seed, but I want to see the difference.

Mary and Ginna have supplied me with a wonderful little greenhouse that I stayed up way too late putting together last night. I can't wait to get it in place and see about temperatures etc. I didn't get it out today since I had to finish up the door. What a great way to spend the evening. Two things I love doing...Gardening stuff and putting something together. The best of two worlds. I can't thank them enough.

I think things are actually getting wound down to the point of maintaining right now. I'm going to have to post some of my plants on craigslist. It is a little too cold for a roadside stand right now. -8 degrees F the other night. That just doesn't sound like fun for myself or the seedlings.

Off to bed so I'm not up too late again.

Zucchini, Green onions, and Apples... Cucumbers, cauliflower, and one pumpkin...

Golden Delicious Apple...
All sorts of veggies...

The newest plantings...

As you can see we are being taken over. The zucchini are sure growing like crazy. I need some larger pots for them all ready. Good thing I have some out in the garage. I haven't brought them in yet, but that will have to be next weekends project. I also picked up some blueberries at Costco yesterday. Add that to my crazy bramble hedge.:) I love this stuff. I can't wait to turn our yard into a crazy edible garden.

Gardening

I've been thinking about the whole garden thing. It isn't something I ever really got into before. A big part of that is I've never had a place to put a real garden in at. Also, I was usually busy with school, work, and any other multitude of things. I still am, but getting our own fresh food is a much higher priority now. Its amazing how the price of things can climb upward in just a few years. Between the prices and the simple fact that there is something very satisfying about seeing things grow I'm gardening. Something I didn't think I'd ever do.

On that I'm trying to decide what to do with all of my apples. I have about 7 McIntosh and on Golden Delicious. If only I had the lot next door...Ah well. I will find a place for a few of them and then the others will need to find a home elsewhere. I can't wait for the snow to disappear. Once it is gone and things warm up a bit I'm going to have a yard sale. We need to get rid of lots of excess stuff and I'll put a table of plants out as well. I really don't think I need 2 varieties of tomatoes of 18 plants each. More like 4 or 5 plants each for us. But, I don't want to kill them either. I have things surviving for once and I don't like having to kill them off.

I hear someone woke up from his nap. Time to be responsible I suppose.

New set of planting

I got a chance last night to plant a few more seeds. Now that I know my seeds are pretty darn good at germinating I'm cutting way back on the plantings. Let's see, my list from last night...

Blue Lake Bush Bean
Kitchen King Bean
Brussels Sprouts
Spinach (a hybrid from a friend)
Lemon Balm
Salad Burnet

In addition to this I'm trying an experiment with some Marigolds. I have a large indoor potted plant. I sprinkled a few Marigold seeds around the base of this plant. We'll see how they do. I'm not going to baby those ones too much. If they live with the other plant, great. If not, so be it.

I will be direct sowing my root vegetables. Potatoes (maybe), carrots, beets, turnips, and rutabega. In spite of getting snow we seem to be quickly approaching spring. At least the willow trees and birds are telling me its on it's way. The willows down by the creek are fairly orange and seem to get brighter each day. Before we know it they'll turn green.

Spring is on the way!!

Progress

Well, other than the fact that we now have about 6 inches of snow on the ground things are progressing quite well. All but my rosemary and basil are up. I need to get more big pots to transplant into because I'm out. Everything is growing like crazy.

A friend and I put in a plant and seed order last week. I ordered some flowers, but mostly edibles. I'm putting rasberries as a bramble hedge. We have strawberries, horseradish, and a currant coming. There is a variety of lilac that is supposed to bloom throughout the summer. Then there are the Bird of Paradise, Zinnias, Russian Sage, and a couple other types of flower seeds coming. Also, I'm getting my tomatillo seeds.

Lots of people think I'm crazy with all these seeds and plants. I don't think that most people I talk to realize they aren't all going in one garden. I have several areas planned out in our yard. All according to the light and the moisture. Yes, I will have my main veggie garden, but then I also plan on using things like the currant and rasberries as landscaping hedges. My strawberries are going along the south side of the house. We don't walk there much and it gets great sunlight.

In addition to all this we are going to put in our fence this summer. Then it will be time to figure out whether or not I can have something like chickens or guineas to help control the bugs. We have a crazy number of hobo spiders here. I'd like something that will eat the spiders and make them move out to boot. I'm tired of the things coming in my house and I can't really afford to have an exterminator come out here. I think a couple of chickens just might do the trick. I like to think I'd move out if chickens moved into my neighborhood and I was a spider.

Now that it is March I'm going to have to get cracking on my planting. The main things that I'm going to start inside that are left are: Brussels Sprouts, tomatillos, peas, beans, my herbs, beets, and I'm forgetting others I know. Bear is ready for some play time since he's up from his nap.