Planting the garden

This weekend was our flurry of spring planting, weeding and yard projects. The weather was great Saturday and Sunday, so we got lots done, then rested on our cold and rainy Monday.

What's new:

• Mike built me two new beds on the side of the garage and I have filled them with peppers and tomatoes. Because they are raised, against a south wall and on concrete, they should get a lot of extra heat, which will be great for them. The girls planted the third one full of their own veggies and herbs and put it in their sandbox.
• I moved one of my square foot beds onto the driveway.  We have never actually parked our car in our garage, so I parked my raised bed in front of it.  I'll let you know how things do there. I planted about half of the spaces with flowers, basil, beet seed and a pumpkin (my lone veggie bedding plant from a store - old seed didn't sprout).
• A bee hotel is a great think for a gardener - the girls made me this one for Christmas and I am hoping to attract some lone bees with it.
• Mike is gradually growing the stone path that connects my front steps to the sidewalk in front of our house. Thanks to rocks donated by James, there is great progress. I also used some to make a dry stone bed in the front.

Our planting:

I always try to plant on the May long weekend because it is our last frost date (although as Anna noted, there was a frost warning last night after the last frost date). This year I put in two types of bedding plants: those always done in Saskatchewan and those I did so we could have early crops.

Tomatoes:
I planted three types I like, Yellow Pear, Cherry and Sub-Arctic Maxi.  I also bought a new heirloom type and a small pack of Roma's. The tomatoes are planted mostly on the south side of the house and garage, although I have 9 in the front yard and 12 in the garden. I have used spiral stakes in the front because they were great last year. The tomatoes twine themselves up the stakes and need less pruning, so Mike is a big fan. I also planted three in the greenhouse and the ground and potted 6 more as patio tomatoes. Last year I thought the upside down tomatoes did not work well, but it was such a bad tomato year that I am trying another.

Cucumbers and squashes and other vine things:
I am growing four types of squashes and two types of cucumbers. The cucumbers are on the south side of the house where they did really well last year, as is the watermelon (which did not, but Mike wants to try again). I had to buy two pumpkins, as mine did not sprout.

Corn and Peppers:
I have learned that starting corn in the greenhouse a couple of weeks early ensures I get a crop of corn before first frost. I did that again this year. Peppers need a much earlier start to be able to fruit. I did mine in February - they are always the first thing I start.

Herbs:
I started basil, oregano and mint this year. Mostly, I did a lot of basil which I kept in the greenhouse in hanging baskets and pots. I put about 15 plants throughout the yard as well. I also did some edible flowers like nasturtium and potted them with the herbs in the front.

Plants usually grown from seed here:
I actually plant in three intervals now.  Most of my seeding happens on the May long weekend, as do my potatoes. I also plant extra peas, beans, chard and beets about two weeks later. The other big thing I do is start a number of things early so I can put them in as bedding plants and start eating them sooner. This year I planted bedding plants of:

• sunflowers
• coriander
• spinach
• chard
• beets
• yellow beans
• purple beans
• lettuce
• rocket
• kohlrabi (with my new bug screen)
• onion, green onion

Check out all Mike's pics of planting weekend to get a feeling for how things are laid out. We are currently eating herbs, lettuces, rhubarb and lots of asparagus.

Happy blooming

This year, my flowers looks especially lovely in our late "early" spring. Because I planted so many tulips last fall, and my mother's 2009 hyacinths have bloomed, there is color in ever bed in yard, and beautiful layers of flowers in a number. To left is the view of my bed beside the deck. I like the varied heights stepping up to the middle on the bed and the 6 different types of blooming flowers.

In each of my flower beds, there are several things blooming. Mike just re-mulched the front bed under the pine tree, which is always the driest bed that needs the most fall compost to keep the soil balanced.  The mulch is made of dried coconut and gives a great visual contrast with the flowers. We couldn't get it last year, but Mike found two bags this year, which was enough for the entire bed.

Currently blooming perennials and vegetables:

• 7 types of tulips
• Grape hyacinths
  
• Poppies (orange and yellow)
• Apple tree
• Cherry tree (back)
• Daffodils
• Cucumbers and squashes
• Flox (pink and purple)
• Johnny jump ups (think wild violets)
• Strawberries
• Lilly of the Valley

As usual, Mike's pics really let you see the beauty of the flowers. Check out some artistic ones from the 3rd week of May, and compare them to the lack of greenery in the second week or the full growth in this 4th week.

Greening

My mouth is sore from a braces tightening today and I didn't get to talk to Jodi very long tonight.  I am turning that negative into a positive by using the time to write a blog post.

I was gone last weekend at debate in Estevan at got home Sunday about 12:30 with the girls. It was Leora's Junior Nationals, and they fed us "kid food." By the time I got home, I was really craving green food and burning to see my yard.  So much is blooming, and it makes me feel a little giddy. I picked my first asparagus of the season and cut some chives, spinach and rocket.  Then I alternated between working in the yard and making a delicious salad for supper to go with the potato soup (made from our potatoes and basil) that Mike brought up from the freezer.

Mike had sent me a picture of crocus blooming in the front and something else I don't remember the name of blooming in the back.  I zoomed around the yard inspecting each bud. Today I have grape hyacinths blooming in 5 beds and white tulip blooming in one. My daffodils, tulips and  phlox will all be blooming soon. All my leaves are in bud and I can see growth each sunny day.

The help from the girls on Sunday was grudging, but nothing could hamper my green rejoicing. I nagged them to do and hang their laundry then looked on happily at the second line and thought I was glad Mike hung it, or all the laundry would not have fit. I felt the same way as I gleefully watered everything in the yard for an hour and a half, and emptied my three rain barrels. I was even happy weeding as I watched my daughters do a decidedly mediocre job of mowing with the push mower.

At the end of my green afternoon, my salad was delicious and marred only slightly by the sunburn on my chest. I guess there is such a thing as too delighted. . .

So Much Fun

Mike and I are so exhausted but happy after a busy weekend in the yard.  It has been cold and windy all week long, but this weekend we got some sun and only 20km winds, so we enjoyed the time in the yard as much as we possibly could.

I was wrong that my first flower would be a chive.  The buds are almost ready to flower, but the first flower was actually on my strawberries. I found it yesterday when transplanting some that had crept into the garden from the berry patch. My asparagus are up (two tips so far) and about 5 cm tall. I also have buds on my grape hyacinths, which did not bloom last year. My violets are also blooming.

I spent a happy afternoon Saturday transplanting in the greenhouse, expanding the front flower bed by lifting grass and doing spring transplants.  Mike got 4 van loads of rocks from James, so I also spent time re-building the dry steam bed and placing new rocks around the yard.  Mike expanded his rock paths and built me two stone benches, one in the front and one in the back. Leora and Anwyn both helped lift the turf, and Leora also removed some bricks and replaced them with rocks. Anwyn trimmed the four clematis and they both mowed the backyard. I mowed the front (around the rocks Mike was storing on the lawn) and my elderly neighbor's yard.

This evening as I was bringing in laundry off the line, I was so happy I actually stopped and gazed at the yard.  Mike and I are both sore but happy - nothing like a workout that actually accomplishes something.  I'll post pictures next time when the main path is done and things are starting to bloom.