Everything seems to be in bloom since I last posted an entry. The peonies, and other flowers, are attracting some true (?) honeybees. I seem to be seeing a few more this spring than I have for the past several years. Perhaps some hives have become big enough to split. That would be a big step in their comeback here in central PA. Or maybe I'm being fooled by some mason bee/honeybee look-alikes.
Because we have a very limited garden space in our urban backyard, we try to get the most out of the containers we use. The picture below shows a cherry tomato in a 6 gallon container on the sidewalk a few feet from our kitchen. Looks like strawberries on the left and tarragon on the right. We pretty much have to optimize all the sunny spaces we have!
With the exception of the rainy days we've had, we spend some time in the garden every day, often several hours. One of the more tedious chores to be done is often referred to as "deadheading". It is also one of the first chores I was taught by my garden mentors, Margaret and Dorothy. To keep pollinators coming to our garden, we need to keep the flowering plants productive. Most flowering plants produce buds which mature and become flowers. After a time they drop their petals. If left alone, the plant will then produce a pod which contains seeds. This is the primary job of the flower...producing seeds so more flowers will produce more seeds. But the process also wears the plant out to the point of early death. To keep your flowers blooming, pinch off each wilting blossom at a point just below the first leaves. This forces the plant to rush into producing even more flowers which will give your garden a lush flower filled look! Just a few days ago we deadheaded 134 older, wilting blossoms - which gives you an idea of how many flowering plants we have attracting mason bees and butterflies into our yard.
And, finally, the last of our spring crops, the sugar snap peas, are in blossom. we have about twenty-five feet of sugar peas! Just a few more weeks before we really begin getting garden vegetables on a regular basis. The green beans will follow along with all the other summer crops.
Thanks for stopping by. I hope to see you again next week.
Comments or questions? email me at http://chucksgardenspot.blogspot.com
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