Getting A Jump On The Spring Season!

Hello again!

Like many other gardeners (and Lancaster County farmers), we're getting a jump on the spring growing season. The lettuce and spinach we started earlier this month is growing well in the bed, as are the plants that are in containers. (The lumber and rocks are squirrel excavation prevention measures.) There was an article in this morning's newspaper mentioning that some locals are even starting there corn rows already. It seems that they may be jumping the gun a bit. We'll hold off on our corn until May.

We'll be covering the bed lettuce up later today (Thursday 3/29) due to the possibility of having a freeze overnight. The containers will be brought inside to spend the night in the kitchen warmth. We also started some cauliflower seeds yesterday.

The bleeding hearts have bloomed early. Now all of my more conservative friends can make sly jokes about the garden and my political leanings!

Little Squirrel is always busy. When not snacking on peanuts or sunflower seeds (from the bird feeder) she's quite active digging holes virtually everywhere possible.

Mica (formerly the Semi-Stray Cat) spends much of his time staring out the window (or standing on hind legs clawing the glass) hoping for just one chance to snag Little Squirrel and her friends.

Hopefully, the cherry tree will produce fruit that will actually ripen this year.....otherwise, the ominous "Young George Washington" solution may come into play!

Finally, the pansies will remain outside and uncovered tonight. They are one of the plants that don't seem to mind a touch of cold.

It's time to get out and cover the the lettuce and spinach plants! I hope to see you again soon.

Springtime Odds and Ends

Wow! Another warm week here in Lancaster. I'm becoming a firm (and happy) believer in Lancaster County Warming, at least for this spring anyway!  Global Warming is a more unsettled issue. There are lots of signs that spring is here in our yard and garden.  I've become convinced that "yellow" should be declared the official color of spring. The daffodils and forsythia are pretty overwhelming in their displays.

                                  A neighbor's forsythia in full bloom.

Of course, those of us who suffer from pollen allergies may begin feeling a little stuffy. Our cherry tree is in full bloom and lots of flying creatures are working on the pollination project they've been assigned. And the street tree in front of our house, shown below, seriously adds to a sneezy problem.

Spring blossom fest in Lancaster

The strawberries are also blooming. We're hoping for a nice crop again this year!

The raspberry runners have begun popping up all over. Each year, we have to thin out most of the runners or they would completely overwhelm the area. Does anyone want some runners to start? 

And, of course, there are always some chores to take care of. One is cleaning up the flower pots you've been using for several years. Soil and fertilizers leave a buildup of various salts on the pots that should be removed. To do this, use a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water in a bucket. Soak the pots for a few hours and then scrub them out with a stiff brush. You will want to wear rubber gloves for this project. Let them dry thoroughly before re-filling the pots with soil.     

Getting pots ready for the new season!

Have a great weekend in this wonderful weather! I hope to see you again soon!

Tabula Rasa

Finally!  Wednesday (March 14)  proved to be a fine day to get back to work on clean up and preparation for this year's garden. I spent most of the afternoon gathering up leaves, pulling out some chickweed and other pest plants, but mostly dividing and replanting last summer's strawberry runners. I hadn't been as conscientious last year as I should have been, and, as a result, the strawberries became overcrowded. I believe this caused a falloff in the berry production which we saw at that time. Finally, the blackberries got their annual trim, taking off last year's spent branches. There's much more to do, but it's a start! A few more dry days would be a welcome assist.

                                     Our garden space in mid-March

Right now, the space is in its "blank slate" state waiting to nurtured into a productive garden, much like a Gullberg (Hmmm...Mike or Maria?) canvas waiting for a brush and paint.  The lumber showing in the bottom right corner of the picture is the front edge of a four foot wide by twelve foot long bed which will primarily host green and wax beans as well as the sugar snap peas.

A big part of getting some early green in this garden will be starting leafy vegetables such as spinach and  several varieties of lettuce, as well as the parsley, basil, and cilantro shown in the top of the picture. There are plenty of other plants that will do well in the cool spring weather. These are just our favorite starters. They are planted in 24" containers so they may easily be brought in for the night if the weather turns colder, which it surely will sometime over the next five or six weeks. Right now, they're just basking in the sunshine. We'll have more to go out in the next few weeks. The brick and glass are there to keep squirrels from digging up the seedlings.

Our daffodils bloomed earlier this week....a little later than our friends and family to the south of us, but the new burst of color is much appreciated and adds to the anticipation of the upcoming spring season.

This is also that time of year when the herbs wake up and start reaching for the sun! The chives always seem to be the earliest, but I can see sprouts coming out on the marjoram, thyme, and oregano. We left the rosemary out for the winter because it has become so large, but the mild winter had no effect on it....it's bigger than ever!

Thanks for taking a look! Your comments are always welcome! I'll be back again in a week or so.  Hope to see you then! Got a question or topic? Post it in the comments block below.

For those of you who have not read the story (and actually care) about how I came to be a life long gardener, you can click the link below and find out.

 www.greenprints.com/en/pdf/overtherainbow.pdf   And by contract, I must state "(First published by Green Prints "The Weeder's Digest", No. 78, Summer 2009)"

Keep A Garden Journal!

Hello again and welcome back!

After a week of chilly, blustery weather, we're finally getting some brilliant sunlight and warm temperatures. It's feels wonderful to be able to be back outside!

One of the things that we have enjoyed and found very helpful in our gardening year is the use of a  journal or diary. We've been keeping one since 2004 and just bought a new journal since we had completely filled the last one after three years. I particularly like the one we we had from 2008 - 2010 . It's a three column journal in which you can keep track of your garden adventures, both highs and lows, on a weekly basis. I can look across the most recent journal, pick a week and see at a glance what was happening during that time in 2008, 09 , and 10. Most recently, I went back to the first journal entries we made in 2004 which detail the extremely labor intensive creation of the garden on top of a barren concrete slab. We were "urban gardeners" before there was such a term!  It was a fun and nostalgic memory. These particular journals are more than just a diary. They also contain lots of written information regarding gardening in general by month and include blank graphs for garden planning.

                              Our Garden Journals for the past eight years

 Some of the interesting and helpful information we've kept is the first and last frost date for each year and how they compare. Or, we can see that in 2008 we brought in 67 pounds of tomatoes, but increased production in 2009 and 2010 to 89 and 88 pounds respectively. Of course, there are always "firsts" like last year's entries about "stink bugs", pests which had never appeared in our garden or journal before. And, as you can see in the picture above, we tape reminders of things we bought giving us a look at what we may want to buy again or not, depending our likes or the success of the plant. Possibilities are endless - dry flowers in your book, tape or paste pictures or articles you've found useful and want to keep as a reference. Your style and imagination will dictate your personal journal.

The "Three Year Garden Journals" we've used are no longer in print, but can be found on auction sites, etc. We paid about $15.00 for the most recent one we bought. They can also be found for much higher prices, so shop carefully if you decide to buy one. But nearly any loose leaf binder or "copy" book will work just as well. So, I urge you to give it a try this year. I think you'll find it as rewarding as Lois and I do!

I hope to see you again soon!

Welcome to Spring 2012!!

Spring has sprung!

Hello again. Thanks for stopping by! It's good to be back here thinking about gardening again! And, yes, I know spring doesn't officially start for another 3 weeks, but I've been convinced for many years that all four seasons actually start 3 weeks earlier than conventional wisdom suggests. For me, and a few others, spring starts today!

First on the list, of course, is the planning of our small space. But before that, a little history for those of you who are new readers. Our entire main garden space originally consisted of four garages with a 22 foot pad in between the 2 pairs. The width of the area is 20 feet. The entire area is a solid concrete pad of approximately 1,240 square feet. After removing the roof systems, we closed off the 22 foot entry pad with a fence. The lane beside our house and garden area is about 6 feet wide with little or no turning space. Getting a truck in to unload soil was impossible. We basically carried in 12 tons of soil by hand - over 300 forty pound bags. Lowe's was always happy to see me! Carrying in the 8"x8" treated lumber was no picnic either! The actual planting bed area is approximately 300 square feet. The beds are approximately 22 inches deep. We augment the space by using many containers of various types in both the garden and other areas closer to the house. (The 400 square foot courtyard area contains a deck, chiminea, and flower beds.) So here's the beginning plan for this year.

 There's lots of information left to be added. Where will the sprawling butternut be planted?  And what about some sweet corn?  We tried it years ago with little success, but it's time to try again. Naturally, there will be tomatoes, snap peas, bell peppers, summer squash, green and wax beans, lettuce, spinach, herbs, and more.

Here's a shameless plug for one of my favorite quarterly gardening magazines. Great stories that are generally  1,500 words or less, and always light,  never technical. Funny and/or informative experiences written by gardeners like you and me.

If you're a new reader, you can look at my posts from last year by opening the "archive" 2011 link in the right column of this page. I'll be back soon with seedling updates, our tomato sauce adventure, and more. Thanks again for stopping by!