Category: Gardening 2023

Garden Update May 11, 2023. The raised planters on the patio are working well this year! They seem to have protected the lettuce and radishes from a few cold nights. I was able to pull a handful of radishes today…yum!

We had two kinds of radishes…the longer ones were milder.

Bert rototilled the two small raised beds near the patio.

I planted potatoes that had sprouted in the bag in the kitchen.

Potatoes ready to be covered up!

The second planter will have beets and herbs. Hopefully, the deer won’t find them too delicious and handy!

Up in the garden on the hill, we replaced our lavender plants…trying to find the right kind that will give me fragrant flower buds through the summer.

Lavender

Echinacea

We’re keeping the tomato plants under grow lights for another week or two…we’ve made the mistake of planting them out too early in the past and a late frost killed them!

Super Sauce tomato plants still safe under grow lights!

We’ll fill in the garden on the hill with the tomatoes, green and yellow beans, carrots and Delicata squash. Spring gardening is so filled with hope! Enjoy!

It’s been raining for several days and showers are expected off and on for the next few days. That means…growing things are really green around here! While it’s too early to do anything in the garden, the redbud flowers are giving way to green leaves and the grass is going strong!

I’ve planted lettuce, spinach and radishes in the raised planters. The tiny plants have survived a few frosts and are still growing. A few sunny days will really help!

In the shop under grow lights, the first few tomatoes popped up several weeks ago. Finally, most of the seeds decided to sprout too.

I also had one sweet potato that I forgot about on the counter…I’m going to try putting it into a big pot to see if it will grow there.

And of course, I thought I’d try some sprouts while I’m waiting to eat fresh lettuce. More about sprouts another time.

Green growing things always make me smile! Enjoy!

April weather is tricky. We’ve had temperatures up in the 70’s and blossoms are bursting out all over. That’s great…except Mother Nature is unpredictable and all those beautiful blossoms could be hit with cold temperatures, frost and even snow in April. Here are a few things we’re working on to get ready for garden season 2023.

The lavender has struggled for two years. I really wanted a row of beautiful lavender (like the pictures of lavender fields in France) that I could dry for my skin care projects. We’ve decided I didn’t get the right variety. Bert has researched our choices and begun getting the row in the garden prepped for new plants. Step one was to dig out the old lavender:

Now when he rototills the garden that row will get turned over well and amended to meet the requirements of the new plants.

The echinacea doesn’t look very exciting yet…but up close we can see the potential!

Bert has the small raised planter ready for my radishes. He added the other two raised planters (up on blocks) for my lettuce and spinach. It’s high enough the roving bunnies won’t find it for lunch.

I’m trying two kinds of radishes. Each section has been planted with exactly 10 seeds so I shouldn’t have to thin them out.

I now have enough planter space to try 5 kinds of lettuce and spinach. The markers aren’t fancy but they should last until the seeds come up.

Our Super Sauce tomato seeds (from Burpee) are now in pots in the shop under grow lights.

While it’s still too early to do much in the garden, the forsythia we planted last summer is surprising us with color. They make me smile! Enjoy!