May 2011 Update

I took all these pictures a week ago, but haven't had time to post them.  Everything is growing well except for the cucumbers and the carrots.  The cucumbers have developed a white film over the leaves and appear to be dying.  Oh, and the Baby Pam pumpkins aren't looking so great either.  I don't think I hardened them off well enough before transplanting.  This week I moved the melons out into the garden and planted the winter squash.  All the cool weather crops are flourishing because we have had few clear sunny days and lots of rain this spring.  The moat around the garden is clear of most weeds, thanks to the chickens.  There are a couple of types of weed that they won't eat, but in general they do a great job.  So, on to the pictures!

Peas

Radishes

Lettuce

Cauliflower

Broccoli

 

Celery

Tomato

Pepper

Cucumbers

Volunteer Lettuce

Basil

Marjoram

Parsley

Daisy

Onions

Guardians of the moat

Peach tree

Apple tree

Cherry trees

Warmer weather is ahead, right?

I just got some seeds planted and thought I should do a quick post.  It has been a very wet spring.  Not as snowy as last year, but still cold.  I managed to get some peas in the ground a couple of weeks ago and they have sprouted.  I left some onions in the garden last fall and they're growing really well, too.  This morning I got some carrots, lettuce and radishes in the ground.  More rain is expected and possibly some snow showers, so I shouldn't have to water outside for awhile more.  I scattered some old lettuce seed on one of my boxes awhile ago, too, but none of it has germinated.

As for the other stuff, the broccoli and cauliflower are getting hardened off.  I should be able to put them out in the garden within a few days.  I'm going to need the pots to get my melons started anyway.

Inside, I have several herbs, celery, tomatoes, peppers, pumpkins, squash and cucumbers in various stages of growth in the house.  I moved my gardening table to the south end of the basement where I can take advantage of the south-facing window.  I am also using Miracle-Gro and ASAP Plant Minerals to give the seedlings a good start.  Hopefully that generates some good results.

 

This last picture is of a volunteer that started in a pot I had outside.  I think it's a canyon maple.  I'm going to let it grow and see how it turns out.  I'd love to have more of these trees in our yard.  The leaves turn a fantastic orange and red color in the fall.

So, just a few more weeks until outdoor gardening will be in full swing!  Now to take care of all the weeds in the yard...

Seed Ordering Time!

Amidst all the shoveling of snow, chipping of ice off the driveway and porch steps and dealing with ice dams on the roof, it's time to look forward to the garden!  I have a lot of seed left over from the last couple of years that should still be viable, so I only ordered a handful of things this year: green beans, celery, carrots, radishes, cauliflower, peas and some hot peppers.

I decided last year to try doing sets of onions rather than just from seed.  They didn't get very big before the tops died off, but that seemed to be the case for many people around the area.  So I left the onions to overwinter in the garden.  I have no idea how they will turn out, but I've got my fingers crossed!  Having a chicken-roamable area around the entire garden was very helpful in keeping the grasshoppers under control, but the chickens refused to eat squash bugs.  So I'll have to figure out another way to control those pests.

So, three more weeks until it's time to plant the broccoli seeds!  And before you know it, the snow will be melting and it will be time to start the growing season.

June 2010 Garden Tour

Camary and I did a video tour of our garden almost a month ago. We had snow and freezing temperatures clear through May, so I'll post an update of all that fun later. On to the show!

Spring has sprung

The weather has been nice for the last few weeks, with one exception.  The week of Spring Break was cold and stormy, with several inches of snow falling.  Luckily, we were in southern Nevada that week.  Unfortunately, I had put my broccoli out in the garden the week before without hardening it off properly and I lost all but three plants.  I'll have to see how they come back from that experience.

We also planted peas, carrots, chard, lettuce and radishes the week before the snow and transplanted the onions outside.  The peas are just starting to emerge.  The onions look like they haven't been watered enough, because they haven't.  My boxes seem overrun with weeds already, so I'll have to tackle that as well.

We've been following the planting schedule, so we have peppers, tomatoes and pumpkins going, and just got summer squash in the pots yesterday.  I also decided to try some herbs again.  I tried those years ago and didn't even get anything to germinate.  I had more success this time, with parsley, sage, cilantro, mint, basil and thyme.  Sorry, no rosemary.



I also potted up my Anaheim pepper that I planted awhile ago, and have been hardening off my second set of broccoli.  And the boys and I moved some fencing yesterday in an effort to give the chickens some room to roam all the way around the garden.  I hope to finish that project this week. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the last frost!  Happy gardening!

The First Seeds Have Been Planted

I'm in trouble. It's not even March and I'm already behind on the blog. Not a good sign. Three weeks ago Camary and I planted some broccoli seed. Those plants are now getting their second true leaves. Last week we planted some more broccoli, as well as some onions and some peppers - jalapenos and anaheims to be more precise. It's still early to be starting peppers, but I plan on potting these few up, so I can bring them back into the house next fall and have fresh peppers through the winter. I'm hooked on salsa, so I need a steady supply. Here's a link to the planting schedule I posted last year.

And finally, a picture of my new batch of chickens.  Grasshoppers beware!

Thinking about gardening yet?

Well, last year certainly was a bummer. But I'm looking forward to a better year in the garden. I plan to move the fence around the garden so that the chickens can roam around all four sides and keep the grasshoppers under control. Unfortunately, some red tailed hawks have found our little flock and decided it's an easy source of food. Hopefully our chickens will actually be able to roam later this summer. But that's another story.

It's time to order seeds for this year's garden. I got a catalog from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com) and they have Anaheim peppers, which neither Seed Savers Exchange (seedsavers.org) nor High Mowing Seeds (highmowingseeds.com) carry, unless they're under some name I'm not familiar with. Anaheims make a great salsa. It looks as though Baker Creek's prices are a little better than the others, and they're closer (California), so I'm going to order as much as I can from them. SSE and HMS are both excellent, so I will continue to buy certain seeds from them that I can't find elsewhere.

So, I'm plotting out where I'm going to plant what, determining what seed I have left over from last year, and getting ready to order for this year. Happy gardening!