We harvested a large potful of early purple
sprouting broccoli yesterday, and I finished
planting most of my tomatoes. I regret putting
them out this early, but I had to put them out
under clothesline tent while I had people hired
to help me. Nights then turned colder,
unfortunately. I haven't lost any to frost
(unless it was last night), but it's not good for
Solanaceous plants to be outdoors in temps under
45=B0 F, and it has been under that temp for
several nights. As long as they survive, I'll be
happy, although I do have a lot of extra
seedlings. Our first harvest was of lettuce, and
we have a lot more ready now. I had let a
lettuce go to seed last fall, and when seed heads
were brown, I scattered it in the seedbed where
it's presently growing. Planted about
Thanksgiving. It germinated, then sat there all
winter as tiny seedlings. When the weather began to warm, it began to grow.
I'm growing lettuces under row cover, as
suggested by John Mertus. Lettuce remains tender
when protected from direct sun. Margaret L
To Find the Buddha, look within.
Deep inside you are ten thousand flowers.
Each flower blossoms ten thousand times.
Each blossom has ten thousand petals.
You might want to see a specialist.
> Margaret,
> How wonderful though - early broccoli -
> is this the first time you've tried it?
It's early sprouting broccoli, not one large head, but many
side-shoots, and flowers are still edible. Seeds from Territorial.
> I have to wait until Memorial Day (as a rule
> of thumb) for tomato planting - and sometimes
> when I go up to the farm to buy the plants,
> they're all gone.
Because others didn't wait until Memorial Day.
> I did clear a nice spot yesterday while I
> had the chance but I've yet to spade it
> and fertilize it, so it's ok that I wait.
What do you use to fertilize soil?
BTW, you'd better shut Gabe in some cage somewhere if you're running
a weed whacker. I heard the results when a neighbor's dog tangled
with his. Tathers gets shut up whenever lawnmower or weedwhacker are
going. He bit a chunk out of the rubber bumper of our previous
vacuum cleaner, but just comes to me for protection when cleaning
lady is running it. That's okay, he protects me when I go in the
bathroom. If he doesn't accompany me, he waits outside to make sure
the dread "whoosh" doesn't carry me off. Margaret L
Margaret,
How wonderful though - early broccoli -
is this the first time you've tried it?
I have to wait until Memorial Day (as a rule
of thumb) for tomato planting - and sometimes
when I go up to the farm to buy the plants,
they're all gone.
I did clear a nice spot yesterday while I
had the chance but I've yet to spade it
and fertilize it, so it's ok that I wait.
I'll be after my usual salad garden -
cukes, zukes, tomatoes, basil, lettuce
and maybe something else if I get inspired.
:)
June in zone 6
grow.
Margaret,
Darn their sinister hides.
They scoop up the good stuff before I get
to it. Still, if I scout around, I can usally
find a few. My garden is so small I can get
away with it.
I did have the garage to put plants in
previously, but now Gabe has the garage and I
don't trust him with plants all day while I'm
gone and he's bored.
I use Miracle grow- I didn't get around to
collecting all the deer droppings - don't know
if it would make a difference anyway. I think
the best is fresh horse manure put in at the
end of the season. One year I got lucky and
a barn nearby was giving it away. Other than
that, dried cow might do.
Haha - now you made me spit out my drink again.
Tathers to the rescue of Margaret!
Gabe is securely tied up and out of reach of
the weed whacker. Oh, he would have loved to
pounce on me and the whacker. He was eye-balling
it from up on the deck. Gabe doesn't play "fetch"
like other dogs - he takes his big bone or
whatever, and prances around with it - then drops
it and steps discretely back. He stands there
grinning. I am supposted to dash in and grab the
bone away and run with it. I would not only
be tackled from behind if I could get to it before
Gabe, I can see he takes great glee in running
'round and 'round tangling me up in the lead.
So, down would go the weed-whacker, and me,
and Gabe would certainly be victorious. He's lean,
he's fast, and he's got a twinkle in his eye.
So - up on the deck is his territority and out
of reach. My gardens survived last year because
he couldn't reach them. One of my tasks is
to fill in where he has furiously dug holes
in pursuit of what was underground. He has destroyed
his habitat as much as possible. :) Holes,
digging under, making a nice comfy spot, and
of couse peeing on the grass until that potty
area is dead.
Yet, he does have beautiful brown eyes.
June
