May gardens

[prairiewindmomma]

How are your gardens? 

[Lady Florida.]

I'll update more later but my current answer is: Very Wet. 

Central Florida, and my county in particular has been getting a lot of rain with one more month left in the dry season. I haven't been able to get out and do much because it's either raining or the ground is soggy. We've just had a lot of rain but within a 5 mile radius there's been hail, tornadoes, and wind damage.

[Condessa]

My final strawberry bed is planted.  I have six varieties: Charlotte, Ft. Laramie, Seascape, All Star, Albion, and Gurnsey Giant.  We are going to have more strawberries than we know what to do with next year.

Four of my five little cherry trees are putting out leaves, but I am worried that the fifth might be dead.

[Serenade]

I'm harvesting tons of lettuce.  So much so that I think I'm going to ban the purchase of other veggies until the lettuce crop slows down.  I'm enjoying it, though. A good salad is one of my favorite veggies.  Lettuces that I"m harvesting right now include lollo rosso, red oak leaf, rouge d'hiver, green salad bowl, black seeds simpson, butter crunch and a mesclun mix with a heavy emphasis on mustards and pungent greens.  I've also been harvesting Tokyo express white turnips, onions, and radishes here in central NC. What totally flopped for me was baby bok choy.  I planted it in early March, it sprouted in about 10 days, grew appropriately....and then bolted before forming those loose heads. We had a couple of warm days in the 80s, and I wonder if that set them off.  I was very disappointed.  I guess I'll harvest the few leaves off the stalk and throw them into a mix of other greens.

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, Lady Florida. said:

I'll update more later but my current answer is: Very Wet.

Same here. I think we've had about twice our average amount of April rainfall. And it's been cooler than normal.

[cjzimmer1]

Nothing happening here yet.  We had one glorious week that hit upper 70's - 80 and it's been cold wet and gloomy ever since.  i have so many outdoor projects but I just can't muster the motivation to work outside on/in the cold damp ground when it's in the 40's.  We've had a couple of nicer days but they have always been on days when I'm working in the greenhouse (I'm not complaining about it being nice when I have to work though it does make it hard to get stuff when I'm home).

I've got about 50 feet of new raised beds that needs to be leveled.  It's on quite a slope so I have to do a combo of digging one side in while raising up the back side.  Taking a lot more effort than I planned since the ground didn't "appear" to be that uneven.  

Then I have to cut support rods and get them installed.  I did a non standard configuration of the kits and so need a lot more support bars then they include with the kit.  I went to order more bars and they are backordered till the end of July so now I'm making my own (well I will be when it's not damp and raining because the metal has to be cut outside).

So till that part is done, I'm on hold prepping and planting those beds.

But for things that are happening without my help:

Last I checked the garlic had sprouted (first time growing it) and I know the rhubarb was looking nice (also just planted last year but the plants were so huge by the end of the season that I might pick some this year already if they look that nice), raspberries are starting to leaf out. I'm going to need to move my black raspberries as they decided to plant themselves in front of my gas meter. Which doesn't bother me at all except the gas company just notified us that they need to do equipment upgrades this summer so I know they will not appreciate them.  Hoping I can push the upgrade off until August so I can at least enjoy their fruits before they get damaged.

I see flowers on the honeyberries (flowers appear before leaves on these guys).

I planted a cherry and peach tree from bare root.  It's been so cold that they really haven't even started leafing it out.

I also bought a potted cherry tree and 3 blackberries bushes that are patiently waiting for it to be warm enough to get out and get them planted.

[Faith-manor]

I am finally home from Alabama, and from Kalamazoo. Mark took excellent care of my seedlings. The cukes are looking great, so are the broccoli. But because I didn't realize that I should have started them three-year weeks sooner, they are small. The cherry tomatoes are too small to transplant. I will be going to my favorite nursery this week and purchasing transplants. But, I am happy that I tried to grow from seed, and have learned a lot. I will transplant these seedlings to pots/buckets as soon as they are large enough. The carrots, radishes, and green bean seeds are going in the beds this coming weekend. I wish I had been home to get the carrots in a lot sooner.

Mark also found a cedar 8" deep 2 ft deep by 3ft long planter in a kit on sale at a farm place for $30. It had a beautiful shelf under it, very pretty. He put it together, and I will fill it with top soil, compost, and add some chicken manure pellets this week, let it all mix and get nice and nutrient dense. I am not sure what to put in it. Should I try my hand at garlic? I could put strawberries in it, but I also have space for 15 strawberry plants at the base of each panel of my other raised beds. I didn't have a plan for much salad green space, so maybe I should use this new space for that. Is butter lettuce hard to grow? It is my favorite salad leaf followed by spinach and then radichio (?sp).

At any rate it has been cold and rainy so not a lot going on. This week temps are going to be in the 60's and lows in the 40's which is the warmest we have had. I will put the transplants in on Thursday, my first sunny day, and cover them at night to hold heat in with the hopes of getting that soil warmed up so they will grow.

Current plan is 13 Amish Paste tomato plants, 4 cherry tomatoes, 3 cucumber, 12 broccoli, 4 jalapeno (need to make pesto and taco sauce), chives, green onion, a bed devoted to carrots and radishes, 6 bell pepper, 15 strawberry plants, two beds of green beans hoping to have 42-60 plants, candy onions grown in buckets, some baby red potatoes grown in buckets, cilantro, basil, and oregano in four hanging pots on my shepherd's hooks, and now whatever goes into the new planter. I won't have as much as I wanted, but we ran out of pallets and haven't found more. The 3x13x2.5 ft bed that was going into the middle of the yard in front of the blue spruce tree (my other large, sunny spot) can't happen until we find pallets, and if we don't find them soon, it will be too late unless I wait until mid-August and plant a fall, cool weather crop like peas, more broccoli, and some spinach or something.

The rhubarb is up and going well. The black caps, which I have not had the heart to kill but are becoming an out of control menace, are threatening a bumper crop. I will probably harvest them, and then I really need to have a killing spree because the previous owners out them in right up against the brick part of the house, and they AR e breaking out the bricks, holding too much moisture against the house. The grapes look terrible, always do, but I am sure they will come back with a vengeance. The apple trees look fantastic.

I am going to be engaging in some crazy picking this summer. Strawberry farm in June, blueberry farm and cherry orchard in July, and peach picking early August. I must be insane. Thankfully, we now have two dehydrators. I don't have freezer space for all of it, and I am NOT going to the work of canning fruit.

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, Faith-manor said:

 

 I am not sure what to put in it. Should I try my hand at garlic? I could put strawberries in it, but I also have space for 15 strawberry plants at the base of each panel of my other raised beds. I didn't have a plan for much salad green space, so maybe I should use this new space for that. Is butter lettuce hard to grow? It is my favorite salad leaf followed by spinach and then radichio (?sp).

. I won't have as much as I wanted, but we ran out of pallets and haven't found more. The 3x13x2.5 ft bed that was going into the middle of the yard in front of the blue spruce tree (my other large, sunny spot) can't happen until we find pallets, and if we don't find them soon, it will be too late unless I wait until mid-August and plant a fall, cool weather crop like peas, more broccoli, and some spinach or something.

 

Garlic is planted in fall and harvested the next summer.  I forget the name of the process but it actually has to go through the period of sitting in very cold temps in order for it to make a bulb. So I would skip garlic for now, and when you find more pallets later this year, it would be a good time to consider planting garlic.  Garlic is typically planted in October but can go in as late as November as long as the ground isn't frozen.

[BeachGal]

This past week was too cold and rainy to do any planting. I did divide and transplant some ajuga and sedum. Both seem happy.

Indoors I have about 250 plants that are ready to go outside but most of them will need warmer temps. My tuberous and wax begonias are huge! I hope they transplant okay. I have about 30 sweet pea plants indoors that are over a foot tall that I’m thinking of just growing indoors. I like them in bouquets. I will have to create a few planters first.

In a few days, I can finally place my big order for shrubs and other perennials through a service that deals directly with nurseries. They have great deals and the plants have never disappointed in the past.

In the meantime I cleaned the shed thoroughly and sharpened some of the tools. Everything is ready to go. Just need some warmer temps!

 

[Rosie_0801]

I've just come in from planting a few native grasses my brother bought me, and a few non-natives I bought yesterday, out on the nature strip.

[TechWife]

I’m starting to get excited now!
Patio -
All of the herbs are in their raised bed with the basil the last to go in. The oregano that grew throughout the winter continues to thrive and is huge. I’ve harvested some to dry & I need to harvest more. 
I have two tall planters  planted with light pink supertunias and light pink salvia. 
My one tomato plant is going great in its pot, but rain & wind knocked the two blooms off of it. I need to find a cage or at least a stake for it soon. It’s about 18” tall now.

Three season room -

This space is adjacent to the patio and while the patio is sunny, the afternoon sun only hits a small slice of this room late in the summer & so its full shade. Everything that goes in here has to be cat safe.  I bought a huge pot at less than 1/2 retail at pottery barn. It had the wrong price tag on the tag. I found a gorgeous camellia with a narrow twisty trunk - the exact name is escaping me right now. It will have orange-red blooms on it. Anyway - it’s going in the giant pot in this room. We’re having that room painted & I’m waiting to pot it until after that’s done so I don’t have to move it. 
I will be adding some impatiens and fuchsia in separate pots in there as well.

Front porch -

I have  two new smallish planters for the finished. Each of them has snowy woodrush, dark red alternanthera and candy cane verbena.
I have four large boxes across the front of the porch. Only one of them had Cala Lillies came back. I’m on the lookout for three more in the garden centers - preferably pink. I think it’s a bit early to find them. I enjoyed the boxes last year with the lillies  and vinca in them & want to repeat that if possible. The neighbors enjoyed them too. 
I have ordered two large planters to replace the planters that the wind knocks over - one for each side of the front door. They should get here by the end of the month. In the meantime I’m trying to figure out what to put in them. I’m thinking maybe a broad leaf evergreen and some annuals, but I don’t know exactly what, yet. 
I still have two small  uncommitted 10” pots there I want to fill. Something that takes full sun & isn’t fussy.  

Flower beds -

I spent 2 1/2 hours weeding today, mostly clover removal . I’m about 1/2 done but I think the remaining area has less of it. It’s hard to get rid of & it also comes in with the wind so I think it’s going to be something I’ll always have to stay on top of. 
I’ll wait another week or two to put in annuals. I’d like to see the daytime temp come up about 5 degrees first. 
The perennials are shaping up nicely. I have three varieties of hydrangea and they are all looking good. Two of the three are just starting to bud. The third usually lags a few weeks. The Duke Yew had a growth spurt these last couple of weeks. They are such an interesting shape. 
Did I tell you all my roses had a fungus? I cut them all the way back to stumps last month and they are beginning to grow back in now. The leaves look nice & glossy so I’m hoping I managed to rid the bedding area of the fungus. I’ll proactively treat them later this week.

[SHP]

I still have tulips! 3+ weeks and I still see some that haven't bloomed yet! 

I have one iris plant blooming and several others that are close smd a few other things that are getting there but my garden is entering the annual low point of post Tulip pre everything else. I visited gardens and took highly detailed notes last year to know when everything blooms and purchased plants to make sure there were no gaps. This year all the plants are doing everything different. <.< 

[Faith-manor]

Update:

It seems like every time we think we will get a, b, c done in x, y ,z time, we are so wrong and it takes a lot longer. So we are still working to get the garden in.

We have completed the shoveling of top soil and compost, 3 cubic yards of the stuff (2.295 cubic meters), and have tilled it. We paid the higher price for garden soil, and they delivered very crappy top soil that was full of clumps, and rocks, and even pieces of copper wire. I took pictures, and made a bit of a stink after the company was first going to do nothing. They refunded us our money, but wouldn't send anyone to scoop up the junk stuff, and we couldn't deal with another massive amount of dirt to move. So we have been using it, but having to sift every shovel full. I am so worn out!

That said it is with great satisfaction that I announce today I was able to put the seedlings in, and though two weeks late, we have 12 broccoli plants, 3 cucumbers, 4 eggplant, 4 red chili peppers, 4 bell peppers, 4 jalapenos, 4 basil, 1 oregano, 8 Amish Paste, 4 cherry tomatoes, and a bunch of marigolds. The little raised bed kit Mark got on sale has been assembled and contains four snow pea plants and will be seeded tomorrow with a row of scallions. The old raised bed has 2 rows of carrot seeds and one of radishes. (I am going to have a very hard time waiting up to three weeks to find out if I sowed the carrots correctly.)

We now have to complete the pallet beds for the green beans. Bush beans. I have 8 transplants, and will also sow seeds with the hope of having 48 plants total, fingers crossed.

Never take your man to the nursery. Just don't. 😂 😂😂 I was supposed to have 4 more bell pepper plants. But he got giddy over snow peas. So I sacrificed the space to make him happy. I was supposed to have 15 strawberry plants, and ended up with blueberry bushes. 🙄 I still have room for strawberries since the blueberries go in a completely different part of the yard. However, he kind of blew my budget out with those 1 gallon potted blueberry bushes instead of a flat of young strawberry plants. Oh well. No harm done. I wasn't going to be able to plant enough for our needs anyway, and will end up at the u-pick farm and orchard no matter what so it is okay.

Oh, and celery. I sacrificed the space for 4 more broccoli because he spied celery. That is okay too because I am actually quite curious about growing it, and we do use a lot of celery.

He has worked so hard to give me all of these raised beds. He has shoveled 80% of that dirt because he has been worried about me injuring my back which does act up ever since the car accident. I want him to be happy with our harvest too!

[SHP]

I needed more flowers. The ones I want go for $7-$10. I found someone an hour away selling for $1.50 each. Yes, I drove an hour way for flowers. 

[wintermom]

We're still in the "danger zone" to plant anything that isn't already used to being in the cold ground. I've been purchasing plants and keeping them indoors until May 24, the magical planting day of Canada. 😅

Otherwise, most of the new perennials I planted last year have survived the winter! 

[itsheresomewhere]

I finally settled with the company and now am waiting for the landscaper to come.  This is number 3 ( other two disappeared) and I hope he comes through.  Otherwise, I am renting the equipment and doing it myself. I will be planting tons of sun flowers this year to help the soil remediation. My petunias have been selling well along with my succulents.  I bought some gold raspberries, pink blueberries and black raspberries to replace the dead ones and add more. I have my grow bags ready to grow some veggies in as soon as the yard is done.  
 

Faith-  I thought of you at a store’s garden center.  All the tomato plants looked great, healthy and strong except the San marzinos.  They looked like pitiful, weedy little things.  Such a temperamental plant. 

[Faith-manor]

22 minutes ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I finally settled with the company and now am waiting for the landscaper to come.  This is number 3 ( other two disappeared) and I hope he comes through.  Otherwise, I am renting the equipment and doing it myself. I will be planting tons of sun flowers this year to help the soil remediation. My petunias have been selling well along with my succulents.  I bought some gold raspberries, pink blueberries and black raspberries to replace the dead ones and add more. I have my grow bags ready to grow some veggies in as soon as the yard is done.  
 

Faith-  I thought of you at a store’s garden center.  All the tomato plants looked great, healthy and strong except the San marzinos.  They looked like pitiful, weedy little things.  Such a temperamental plant. 

Thanks! I am rather happy that I did not try to grow those special snowflakes! 😁

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, itsheresomewhere said:

I finally settled with the company and now am waiting for the landscaper to come.  This is number 3 ( other two disappeared) and I hope he comes through.  Otherwise, I am renting the equipment and doing it myself. I will be planting tons of sun flowers this year to help the soil remediation. My petunias have been selling well along with my succulents.  I bought some gold raspberries, pink blueberries and black raspberries to replace the dead ones and add more. I have my grow bags ready to grow some veggies in as soon as the yard is done.  
 

Faith-  I thought of you at a store’s garden center.  All the tomato plants looked great, healthy and strong except the San marzinos.  They looked like pitiful, weedy little things.  Such a temperamental plant. 

I had forgotten about that mess.  I'm glad it's over and I hope the settlement was reasonable enough to take some of the sting out of losing everything.  

I'm curious what do sunflowers do/have that helps with the soil remediation?

Hopefully #3 is your lucky number.  

[prairiewindmomma]

We’ve gone from 50s to 90s weather in just a couple of days. 🙄

My strawberries are doing nothing, my blueberries died overwinter, but my grapes and my raspberries came back. My apple trees seem to be settling in. I need to do a bunch of cleanup and planting this weekend. Right now the weeds are trying to take over.

[SHP]

1 hour ago, prairiewindmomma said:

We’ve gone from 50s to 90s weather in just a couple of days. 🙄

My strawberries are doing nothing, my blueberries died overwinter, but my grapes and my raspberries came back. My apple trees seem to be settling in. I need to do a bunch of cleanup and planting this weekend. Right now the weeds are trying to take over.

Sadly, I keep hearing over and over in my local about all the plants that didn't make it, including ones at professionally managed gardens. 

And the weeds. OMG the weeds. 

[prairiewindmomma]

We are seeing massive tree die off (Firmageddon) and other landscaping catastrophes from climate change. Climate change is bringing new fungi and diseases, weakening trees and plants, and then weather extremes finishes stuff off.

If we are returning to El Niño conditions, I am really worried about what drier and hotter weather is going to do. Dh and I are discussing options re: easier watering and shade cover.

[SHP]

46 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

We are seeing massive tree die off (Firmageddon) and other landscaping catastrophes from climate change. Climate change is bringing new fungi and diseases, weakening trees and plants, and then weather extremes finishes stuff off.

If we are returning to El Niño conditions, I am really worried about what drier and hotter weather is going to do. Dh and I are discussing options re: easier watering and shade cover.

We have been in drought conditions for over a year. I mulch heavily (1-2 feet) to help keep the ground from drying out. The problem comes when I have plants, like irises, that do not like to be mulched.

I was at a nursery today talking to the person about ground cover that can tolerate the heat and and dry conditions and are plants I do not hate. They didn't have anything.

[prairiewindmomma]

Creeping phlox? Creeping thyme? Vinca minor? Ice plant? Lantana? Alyssum? Candy tuft?

Lantana is my usual standby, fwiw. It was an annual in zone 5, but in TX it was a true perennial.

[BeachGal]

Here’s a xeriscaping resource https://www.highcountrygardens.com/. I like a lot of what they offer but many won’t grow well where I am.

Removed 10 yews today. Took 2 hours. My trusty all steel, one-piece narrow spade makes very short work of this kind of work — and transplanting. Highly recommend. The area looks better already because they were so poorly pruned for years which just makes me smh. So out they went. Alpine currant ‘Green Mound’ will replace them. They should arrive by this weekend. Groundcover going in tomorrow, I hope. Very easy, reliable liriope.

Put in some gorgeous lobelia ‘Black Truffle’ yesterday. It’s a plant that likes water so I created a reservoir under it to hold more water. It does drain but slowly. Such a beautiful plant and hummies love it. I’ll intersperse them with Northern Prairie Dropseed and maybe a gold carex, not sure which one, and something else. Not sure yet. I’m thinking honeywort maybe. Or maybe ‘African Bride’ Love-in-a-Mist.

Two of my ligularias did not make it through winter unless they’re just taking their time. Darn. All of my divided epimedium made it. They did not all appear to have made it but all of them are flushed out now. Yay!

Moved some clumps of allium that were planted in the wrong spots. The flowers are great but the foliage is blech and needs to be tucked away. Took out some odd iris reticulata. The foliage is so odd. I saved them but have to figure out what to do with them now. The flower is light blue and would look good in a patch of dark ajuga, maybe, if the flowers don’t bloom at the same time.

Spraying neem oil on boxwood for emerging psyllid bugs. This will be a chore for a few weeks.

Indoors planted some tuberose bulbs. They smell so good. Sweet pea vines are also indoors and doing well. They are also very fragrant.

That’s it for this week.

 

[BeachGal]

On 5/9/2023 at 11:39 PM, cjzimmer1 said:

I had forgotten about that mess.  I'm glad it's over and I hope the settlement was reasonable enough to take some of the sting out of losing everything.  

I'm curious what do sunflowers do/have that helps with the soil remediation?

Hopefully #3 is your lucky number.  

There is some evidence that they can remove heavy metals, phytoremediation. Maybe more.

[Faith-manor]

Something romple stomped through one end of the first raised bed and broke two of my three fledgling cucumber seedlings. I have commanded Mark to stake out the garden tonight with his air soft pellet gun. Whatever it is, I am ready to stew it, fry it up in a pan! 😁 He does not seem amused. Sigh. I might be on my own catching this bugger.

Other than that, I am in the daily watering phase when it doesn't rain hoping everything establishes itself very well, and not really doing anything else. It will be a long, long time until I harvest anything. I just hope for some steady growth, but am not impressed with the soil we had delivered, and worried that the plants will not do well. I think it has too high of a clay content. I may amend it this fall with some sand, and a bunch more organic compost in the hopes of it being much better quality for next year. 

Mark has committed to making a garden sign for me, "Faith's Rhapsody in Bloom". I have no idea when it will be done, but I am thrilled. The play on words with one of the first and most favorite pieces I ever played with an orchestra is delightful! I performed that my senior year of high school with a city/community orchestra. So he is harking back to a time when he didn't even know me. He is a gem!

[SHP]

12 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Creeping phlox? Creeping thyme? Vinca minor? Ice plant? Lantana? Alyssum? Candy tuft?

Lantana is my usual standby, fwiw. It was an annual in zone 5, but in TX it was a true perennial.

I have creeping Phlox for a transition area. I am looking for something to grow between pavers. I will probably go with creeping thyme, if I can find any. 

I want either Scottish moss or Irish moss but I keep hearing mixed things about full afternoon and the person I spoke to had no idea and kept pushing succulents. I do NOT want succulents.

[ikslo]

This is just ONE longevity spinach plant which has grown in and around my irises and bird of paradise. I guess it likes the location where it was planted. 😳 I got a bunch of cuttings and just put them in various places in the yard to see where it grew best. I’m thinking now I may not want the BEST location. It is taking over. Time to harvest a bunch.

[Faith-manor]

27 minutes ago, ikslo said:

This is just ONE longevity spinach plant which has grown in and around my irises and bird of paradise. I guess it likes the location where it was planted. 😳 I got a bunch of cuttings and just put them in various places in the yard to see where it grew best. I’m thinking now I may not want the BEST location. It is taking over. Time to harvest a bunch.

Beautiful!

[LifeLovePassion]

MIL, SIL and I went to plant sales/garden centers today. Got a bunch of stuff. Focusing on native perennials as much as possible. I still need to plant it all. 

Also cleaned out the back landscaped areas behind the house of excess leaves and dead material from fall. 

The pine tree area needs weed control help. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I spent the morning power washing and weeding. Things are back under control. I need to dig out my summer direct seed stuff to get it in the ground this week.

[popmom]

On 5/9/2023 at 11:39 PM, cjzimmer1 said:

I had forgotten about that mess.  I'm glad it's over and I hope the settlement was reasonable enough to take some of the sting out of losing everything.  

I'm curious what do sunflowers do/have that helps with the soil remediation?

Hopefully #3 is your lucky number.  

Yes! I had been wondering how this was going! @itsheresomewhere I'm glad you updated! 

[ikslo]

I waited until today specifically for this question: What do you want to do for Mother’s Day? Well, I wanted to visit Little Red Wagon Native Nursery, of course. Convinced it was going to be a pricy nursery based on location, DH wanted to say no, but couldn’t. Because it’s Mother’s Day and I get to choose what we do.

He drove and ended up picking out half of what we got. 🤣

Dune Sunflower, Prickly Pear Cactus, Bird Pepper, Beach Tea, Native Strawberries, and Spiderwort (which I was able to divide for two plants)

Up north I had Sweet Kate Spiderwort and loved it. I have an area here I have wanted to plant some, but finding it down here in the nurseries had proved more difficult than it should have been. I got the kind that is native to Florida. Some here think of it as a weed but I adore it. 

[Loowit]

Saturday DH and I went to a local annual plant sale and got a couple tomato plants and three pumpkin plants.  We got them transplanted and they seem pretty happy in their new home.  I also have a volunteer pumpkin plant this year, which is funny after all the trouble I had last year trying to get any of the seeds I planted to grow.  It will be fun to see what type of pumpkins it produces.  Later in the day we went to the farmer's market and got some local honey (what we went for) and I also picked up some flowers to plant in my barrel out back and a hanging arrangement for out front.

We finally got all of the roses transplanted.  It was a huge project and I am glad it is over.  They are all doing really well in their new homes so far, but it will take them a while to get big enough to have blooms.

We have been having a lot of discussions about redesigning our landscaping to get rid of a lot of the lawn we have.  I have a general plan in place for putting in native trees, bushes, and ground cover, but it is going to take a couple years to achieve it.  I am also trying to think through the impact the neighborhood and making sure our dog has enough room to run around.  I would also like to put in some more raised bed garden areas, but that will likely be next spring or the one after.

[Halftime Hope]

My local garden center had veggies from one brand on sale for $2, so I bought a bunch of (late) transplants to fill in. It's been a rpetty miserable spring; mostly overcast and quite a bit of rain. I'm hoping that the tomatoes don't all get blighted.

[prairiewindmomma]

We’ve had August hot spell weather here this weekend (90s instead of 60s-70s) and the drying winds are trying to take out my young plants.

Has anyone done their own automated drip line irrigation in their garden bed with timers and stuff? I don’t know much about this but I am hesitant to do sprinkler watering as a long term plan when it is so dry and hot as I lose so much to evaporation even if I water in the early morning.

ETA: rain barrels aren’t a good choice here because our dry season can mean 6 months without measurable rain, and grey waters seem to be a tremendous hurdle in bureaucracy in my city code. If we move into apocalyptic end times levels of drought, I’d consider it, but for now I will keep my bucket in the shower to haul out my water that I waste as I wait for it to warm (about 3 gallons, and I put it on my tree).

Edited May 15, 2023 by prairiewindmomma

[cjzimmer1]

4 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

We’ve had August hot spell weather here this weekend (90s instead of 60s-70s) and the drying winds are trying to take out my young plants.

Has anyone done their own automated drip line irrigation in their garden bed with timers and stuff? I don’t know much about this but I am hesitant to do sprinkler watering as a long term plan when it is so dry and hot as I lose so much to evaporation even if I water in the early morning.

ETA: rain barrels aren’t a good choice here because our dry season can mean 6 months without measurable rain, and grey waters seem to be a tremendous hurdle in bureaucracy in my city code. If we move into apocalyptic end times levels of drought, I’d consider it, but for now I will keep my bucket in the shower to haul out my water that I waste as I wait for it to warm (about 3 gallons, and I put it on my tree).

I have!

Best thing ever as it saved soooo much time.  dripdepot.com is a great place to order supplies from.  As far as the drying out goes, I place cardboard on all my beds as a form of weed suppression but it also does wonders for moisture retention as well.  If you find the cardboard unsightly, you could also use mulch on top of or instead of the cardboard.

Edited May 16, 2023 by cjzimmer1
mistyped website name

[Serenade]

1 minute ago, cjzimmer1 said:

I have!

Best thing ever as it saved soooo much time.  dropdepot.com is a great place to order supplies from.  As far as the drying out goes, I place cardboard on all my beds as a form of weed suppression but it also does wonders for moisture retention as well.  If you find the cardboard unsightly, you could also use mulch on top of or instead of the cardboard.

I'm going to try the cardboard.  I've been thinking about this, so it's good to hear from someone who has used it.

[prairiewindmomma]

We used cardboard as mulch last year—make sure it has no shiny/laminated bits as that decomposes into plastic. Dh didn’t believe me and now we get to dig that out flake by flake in one area. 
 

But, yes, I had forgotten how much it helps. I will go rustling through our recycling bin.

[BeachGal]

Drip irrigation systems take a bit of time to set up but once you do, they are great. Years ago I used to have a timer on my spigot which worked well. Some of them have multiple hose attachments and timers, iirc, in case you need more than one.

Planted liriope spicata today all day long. I’m only about 1/4 of the way done. The liriope looks good but plants are over $3 each in a flat of 32. I ordered some bare root plants that are a tad more than $1 each. That’s better. They should arrive next week. Hope they survive the mail!

Alpine currants going in this weekend. When it’s raining. At least they won’t need much water. The site is all ready so hoping it’s an easy job.

Snagged some nice native plants for $7 each. I will plant those tomorrow. I am going to take a picture of the ‘Black Truffles’ lobelia for y’all.  They have grown a few inches already and are looking so good!

[Halftime Hope]

3 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

We’ve had August hot spell weather here this weekend (90s instead of 60s-70s) and the drying winds are trying to take out my young plants.

Has anyone done their own automated drip line irrigation in their garden bed with timers and stuff? I don’t know much about this but I am hesitant to do sprinkler watering as a long term plan when it is so dry and hot as I lose so much to evaporation even if I water in the early morning.

ETA: rain barrels aren’t a good choice here because our dry season can mean 6 months without measurable rain, and grey waters seem to be a tremendous hurdle in bureaucracy in my city code. If we move into apocalyptic end times levels of drought, I’d consider it, but for now I will keep my bucket in the shower to haul out my water that I waste as I wait for it to warm (about 3 gallons, and I put it on my tree).

Yes, we did drip lines, and I mulch with pine straw.

[Halftime Hope]

22 minutes ago, BeachGal said:

Drip irrigation systems take a bit of time to set up but once you do, they are great. Years ago I used to have a timer on my spigot which worked well. Some of them have multiple hose attachments and timers, iirc, in case you need more than one.

Planted liriope spicata today all day long. I’m only about 1/4 of the way done. The liriope looks good but plants are over $3 each in a flat of 32. I ordered some bare root plants that are a tad more than $1 each. That’s better. They should arrive next week. Hope they survive the mail!

Alpine currants going in this weekend. When it’s raining. At least they won’t need much water. The site is all ready so hoping it’s an easy job.

Snagged some nice native plants for $7 each. I will plant those tomorrow. I am going to take a picture of the ‘Black Truffles’ lobelia for y’all.  They have grown a few inches already and are looking so good!

Your yard is going to be so pretty!

[Carrie12345]

I’ve been too busy planting gardens and doing other things to post about them, but here’s my tragic update:

I killed almost all my seed starts.  
Then I got overly ambitious on Mother’s Day and planted some store seedlings. Then we got an unexpected and unannounced frost (microclimate) and I killed those.

Grabbed some more seedlings yesterday and kept them in the garage last night for this morning’s (announced) frost.  
I will be attempting more seeds, but our season is so short that it may be fruitless. Pun intended.

The front perennial garden is coming along. I got my lilac bush for Mother’s Day, a couple of hydrangeas, and some odds and ends. I’m struggling to restrain myself to accommodate future growth. It’s so tempting to fill it all in!

Starting from scratch bites! But it’s also exciting. And expensive!

Four 8x4 food garden beds are ready to go. Four more are built but not filled in. Temporary fence is up, with lots of permanent fence ideas marinating.

My clover front lawn is super patchy. The areas where it’s taken we’ll are gorgeous, but our hill has been hard to establish with those itty bitty little seeds that wash down no matter what we try. 😞 

Eventually, our house will not look like a new build!

[LifeLovePassion]

I laid out with sticks how I want the shade garden to look. I am thinking of signing up for a chip drop because I want the paths to be wood chips. 

I got a bunch of things half off at the plant sale yesterday for the county master gardeners.

[wintermom]

On 5/18/2023 at 6:02 AM, Carrie12345 said:

I’ve been too busy planting gardens and doing other things to post about them, but here’s my tragic update:

I killed almost all my seed starts.  
Then I got overly ambitious on Mother’s Day and planted some store seedlings. Then we got an unexpected and unannounced frost (microclimate) and I killed those.

Grabbed some more seedlings yesterday and kept them in the garage last night for this morning’s (announced) frost.  
I will be attempting more seeds, but our season is so short that it may be fruitless. Pun intended.

The front perennial garden is coming along. I got my lilac bush for Mother’s Day, a couple of hydrangeas, and some odds and ends. I’m struggling to restrain myself to accommodate future growth. It’s so tempting to fill it all in!

Starting from scratch bites! But it’s also exciting. And expensive!

Four 8x4 food garden beds are ready to go. Four more are built but not filled in. Temporary fence is up, with lots of permanent fence ideas marinating.

My clover front lawn is super patchy. The areas where it’s taken we’ll are gorgeous, but our hill has been hard to establish with those itty bitty little seeds that wash down no matter what we try. 😞 

Eventually, our house will not look like a new build!

We're still getting frost, too, which is why our garden planting tends to only be safe for the May 24 long weekend (Canada). I've made the same mistake you just did. One trick a gardening friend mentioned is that if the ground the transplant carme from was cold, it should be good to go into the ground when there is still a chance of frost/cold. Seedlings and other garden centre plants tend to come from warm earth.

[wintermom]

I've split a few plants from my sil, planted them, and most seem to have survived the move. My hanging baskets of annuals are being shifted indoors at night while there are frost warnings this week. I hope to get some tomato plants put in this week.

I have 6 emerald cedars ready to plant, but my arms are dead from too much digging. I'm hoping to get my ds to dig the holes, and I can do the rest. It sucks to get old! 😉  I have so many other little projects I want to get going on, too.... Must let my old bones rest a while, though. 

[Grace Hopper]

Joining the wet set. 
 

I’ve dug up two large beds and am working on reinstalling showy perennials to attract pollinators and just look nice for the neighbors (lots of walkers in our neighborhood going past my highly visible garden areas). The things I’ve managed to get in place are loving the light rainfall we’ve been getting a lot of. I’ve just not been able to fill all the spots in my dirt due to weather. This weekend I really need to get all the plants in and lay on a mulch covering so the dirt doesn’t get carried away. I may just go out in a swimsuit if that’s what it takes. 

Edited May 19, 2023 by Grace Hopper

[Grace Hopper]

On 5/18/2023 at 5:02 AM, Carrie12345 said:

 

I’m struggling to restrain myself to accommodate future growth. It’s so tempting to fill it all in!

Starting from scratch bites! But it’s also exciting. And expensive!

 

I’m feeling all of this!

[Ann.without.an.e]

Does anyone know what this squash is? I think they sent me the wrong seed. It was supposed to be a small honey bear acorn that vines and needs trellis. It is a bushing squash and I didn’t give it room to be that lol. 
 

[Serenade]

4 hours ago, Ann.without.an.e said:

Does anyone know what this squash is? I think they sent me the wrong seed. It was supposed to be a small honey bear acorn that vines and needs trellis. It is a bushing squash and I didn’t give it room to be that lol. 
 

I'm not sure, but that same sort of thing happened to me last year.  I bought a pack of mixed mini pumpkin seeds, and I somehow ended up with a golden acorn squash.