Done! All Seeds in the Ground

Everything is finally in the ground!  Now I just have to water, wait, and watch out for problems.

I planted the following seeds today:

• watermelon (Carol's)
• cantaloupe (Carol's)
• zucchini
• yellow squash
• green beans (bush)
• black turtle beans
• basil
• cilantro
• yellow marigolds
• zinnias - 3 varieties
• bachelor's buttons
• asters
• sunflowers - 4 varieties

James planted the following seeds today:

• pumpkins
• sweet corn
• Italian pole beans

Garden Notes - May 27, 2013

I was outside by 10:30 this morning, determined to make the best use of this gorgeous day.  I didn't stop until 4:30.  I only stopped because I could feel my shoulders stinging from sunburn.  But, it was a productive day!

First, I brought out all my plants into the sunshine and checked everything that I had already planted.

Next, I went to work in the front.  Jamie is anxious to get the mulch down, but I wanted to prune all the azalea bushes, hollies, and Japanese barberry bushes first.  I pruned them as far back as I could. Every year we mulch first, but then after I prune the bushes, I feel like I'm scooping up all the mulch when I pick up the branches.

I also did a lot of weeding up front. I still need to fertilize all the bushes up front, but I can do this after the mulch is laid.  The front is now ready for mulch.

The front took most of the day, but after I fertilize and mulch, I won't have to think about it again until next year.  And it looks so pretty!  Michael finished painting the rose trellises, so I'll put those in place tomorrow or Wednesday. And I planted the Snowball marigolds that I grew by the Midnight salvia and roses.  It should look lovely when they bloom (although I think the salvia will be spent).

Then I worked a little bit on the perennial garden.  I planted the Baptisia plant I bought at the plant sale, as well as the two Rose Campion plants.  I weeded a little bit and cut some dead canes off the climbing rose, and had to prune back a butterfly bush the a deer pushed over. Grrrr.





I planted all of my French marigolds, too - some at the edge of the perennial garden, some along the edge of my bean garden, and the rest along the edge of my vegetable garden.

Actually, before I planted the marigolds, I started to rake and shovel the vegetable garden.  It was impossible!  It was all hard and lumpy, and now I feel really bad that I put my seedlings into such unprepared soil!

When I realized that it would take me all day to prepare the soil, and that I already had an aching back, I worked up the courage to pull the rototiller out.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to start it up, since I'm not really good with machinery.  Well, it started up (after a prayer!).  In no time, the vegetable garden, James' pumpkin patch and my bean garden were in perfect condition for planting!



So, moving right along!  Tomorrow, I plan on putting in the rest of my seedlings, all of my seeds, and my dahlias.  I plan on setting up some fences and the rose trellises, doing some fertilizing and setting out some mulch.  Another busy day!

A couple of concerns.  The deer and rabbits.  And the fact that a few of the plants are struggling (see plant on left.  Yikes!).

Memorial Day Weekend - Journal Entry

These past 2 or 3 days have been cold and rainy.  Just a few minutes ago, I stepped outside to see how my plants are all doing.  What I saw was a little discouraging.

First, I went over to see my basil plants.  I noticed one of the seedlings had been eaten a couple of days ago, and then last night I discovered another plant was missing.   I suspect rabbits.  So, last night I put some clear plastic covers over the plants.  I have 4 basil plants left.  Yikes!  I plan on growing more seed, but I'm going to have to put some sort of protective cage around them.

Next, I walked over to my vegetable garden, half planted.  I had gone out last night to check the temperature of the soil and plants, because it was a very cold evening - 39 degrees.  As I was checking the temperature, I noticed that one of my eggplant seedlings had been ripped out of the ground and was just laying there.  When I went to replant it, I discovered the deep hoof impression that can only belong to a deer.  I hate deer.

So. I ran to the garage to grab a bottle of coyote urine that I bought to deter these pests.  One of my former instructors from WMMGA insists that it works, so I'm giving it a shot.  I soaked the cotton balls in the 3 vials that were provided with the urine and set them outside - one by the basil and 2 by the vegetable garden.  Because that didn't seem like enough, I dribbled more urine around the perimeter of the garden.

Today, as I inspected the garden, I can see that the plants are having a rough time.  The tomato plants actually look pretty good, but everything else looks a little battered.  Between the deer, rabbits, insects, cold, wind and rain, these little plants are having a rough beginning.

I'm just going to have to build a fence.  Eight feet high!!  It's not going to look great, but I don't care.  I'm tired of fighting these deer.  And coyote urine doesn't cut it.  After I came back in the house, I discovered that Shadow smelled disgusting!!! Apparently, he likes smell of coyote urine, and he managed to get it all over his fur.  Jamie had to sleep with him in the family room so that he wouldn't smell up the rest of the house, and then this morning gave him a bath.

On the positive side, the perennial garden looks beautiful!  There are a dozen plus alliums in bloom, and they look lovely with the small, yellow irises.  The taller, showier purple/yellow irises are also in bloom, and the purple midnight salvia looks magnificent.  Also in bloom are the pink geraniums, and the peonies, and white Japanese iris are about to bloom.  My new purple baptisia plant is also in bloom.

Photo courtesy of Treefarmsystem.org