Garden Work Continues

My hand-carved good luck Pike pin.

Night time of -

-the IKEA lanterns in the oak tree - fun

The Alpine strawberry border by the front walk.

The blueberry Earthbox plant.

The quinoa looks just like a weed - will see what the results are.

Cucumbers on the trellis and lettuce underneath.

The greenhouse cucumber soon should have fruit.

The lettuce inter planted with the parsnips after thinning to a few seedlings

My sliver maple bonsai is looking good this year.

Two events have made it difficult to get a new entry done - I went to Canada fishing for 10 days and that gave seedling care to Susan who did a wonderful job; and we tore up one bathroom  and put new flooring in the entire house!  This has made getting caught up challenging but we are finally there - I think.
The blueberries are doing fair - one has died but the others are growing nicely in the Earthboxes.  I have peppers planted in another Earthbox and I have enough plants to plant another container.  The spinach in the cold frames did not do too well this season but we are eating it anyways.  I have built two new frames and will have almost the same sq ft space that I had in the old hoop house and the cold frames are so much easier to manage.
The parsnips are up and I did the first thinning of them. The lettuce that was inter planted in the garlic and onions is now ready along with the lettuce that was planted in the with the parsnips.  I planted leeks in trenches and got a nice seeding of red stemmed dandelions ( endive) that the bunnies are really attracted to.  Cayenne pepper dusting's will keep them away until those pesky rabbits get too big to get through the fence.  I started to install a 7 in piece of plastic fencing to protect the bottom of the fence and try to discourage the young bunnies from getting into the yard - we will see how effective this measure.
Apple bagging is in full swing and I have done over 200 bags to date.  The trees did not seem to have many flowers this year - especially my 7 on one tree.  I pruned this spring correctly and that tree should have had flowers but it really does not have much fruit set - so who knows what's going on.  I do have some insect damage but I have bagged that fruit anyway.  I think I will have at least another 200 bags and then I will have the trees done.
The tomatoes were strung up today and I have not planted as many as in the past.  I have four rows and about 8-10 plants per row.  Cucumbers are on the trellis and I have one plant in the green house that will have fruit in less than 2 weeks. I have some squash planted and I hope to get the beans started soon and then the garden will almost be done. I do not direct seed beans but plant them in peat pots so I can position the bean poles and then plant the beans. The flower beds have mostly been planted and last years strawberry border in the font of the house is really nice this year - I really like those Alpine strawberry plants - now lets hope the robins leave them alone...
Happy Gardening

The Garden Season Finally Gets Going.

Watch these tulips the next picture will be when they turn yellow.

Tomatoes from seedling tray to 2in pots.

Transplanted pepper that will be in an EarthBox planter.

Cucumbers and squash seedlings - guess the pumpkin?

Lettuce, beets, and the quinoa.

Watercress grows in an aquarium in about 3 in of water.

Trench for the leek seedlings.

Leeks in clumps that I will thin later.

These cucumbers will be transplanted into this pot.

Last years cotton hung for the birds.

We have a downy woodpecker that made a next hole in our old crab apple tree.

The season has started to move along and one of the cold frames if full of transplants.  Tomatoes and peppers were moved outside last week after being moved into larger pots. That gave room for a few more trays to be planted - cubits, nasturtiums, and lettuce.  I got most of the cucumbers and squash started and with the help of bottom heat they quickly germinated and they too have gone outside now that nice weather has seemingly arrived.  I used more compost to fill a pot to plant one one the greenhouse cucumbers that I am growing this year.  The seedlings will be transplanted into that 5 gallon bucket and the vine will be strung up in the greenhouse for early cucumbers. The trays of basil and zinnias are still in the greenhouse for another week to gain some size before they join the rest of the seedlings outside. 
The garden ground is still not ready for anything but cool season pants.  I will plant the tomatoes and peppers after I get back from a fishing trip and by them the ground will have warmed.  Planting tomatoes too early just has them sitting in the ground and not advancing.  My tomatoes will probably bear fruits just about the same time those plants put into the ground this week.
Cool ground is fine for onions and so I planted the leeks seedlings in a shallow trench this week and will thin them in a week after they have taken hold.  I will also pull the soil in around them to help make nice white roots.  The onion sets, the garlic that was re planted are doing nicely in this part of spring and the parsley seed planted weeks ago is sprouting nicely after we had a crop failure last spring.
Apple trees are blooming and I think the low flower set is due to the very hot weather we had last spring when the trees were setting blossom wood for this year.  I did my pruning the same this spring as always and am sadly noticing a small amount of flowers on the trees. 
The old crab apple tree in the front yard is now a home for a downy woodpecker. The pair worked diligently opening a nesting hole in a portion of the tree that has been dead for some time - yes, shame on me for having not removed the limb a long time ago but now it is a home for someone - so the stump will stay.  The ground below the limb is covered with bits of wood that the birds removed to make their nest cavity.
The first crop of bunnies is running around and squeezing through the fence so I will have to get busy and rectify this intolerable situation .  I have some plastic fencing that I want to install as a six inch barrier at the bottom of the fence and that should keep them out permanently.
Happy Gardening

Gardening Finally Begins in May!

 

I have pre painted the lumber for the second of two new cold frames.

I like to add handles on each side for easy movement for the frame.

I will try to add a screening compost video below...

Blueberries planted in EarthBox planter.

Time to forage for Ramps.

And then cook them - They are great eating.

After what has seemed like forever gardening weather has finally arrived.  The newest cold frame got a paint job and is in use with plants already.  I got the current and blueberries in the mail this week and so had to make the decision as to where to plant the currants.  The blueberries are going into the Earthboxes as way to ensure the soil can be amended to acidify the pH.
Luckily the compost was thawed so that I could screen enough to use that soil and peat moss to mix a soil to plant these small bush types in. I use a wire screen and do this to the compost bins in spring - putting the big stuff that needs some more time back into a new bin.  I mixed the compost and peat about half and half and added a 7/7/7 fertilizer mix and later I will add some ammonium sulfate around each of the plants.  The smallest variety - Northsky - I decided to get another plant to have a total of two in one planter.  The other planter has one Northcountry and one Northblue and I hope to find one of these varieties that does the best in this planter experiment.

The Rovada currants I decided to put in part of the old perennial bed just off the path leading into the garden for easy picking.  I really like red currant jelly – some of the easiest to make because red currents contain great pectin and jell almost by themselves.
The fig trees have been in the greenhouse for at least two weeks and have not sprouted yet - I think they are done for.  If I have to replace the Chicago turkey fig, I am going to carry the experiment with figs into the ground - literally planting them in the ground as close to the house as I can.  The cloning experiment did not yield a new plant as I had wished.  I think I tried to plant the clones too soon and they both sadly did not have enough roots to survive.  But it was a good learning event.
Seeds seem to be more difficult than normal to sprout this year - or maybe it could be the old gardener!   Parsley and lettuce seem changeling as well as some pelletized onion seed.  This year I did ship in some set of "Candy" onions which I got in the ground this week.  I also had some blanks in the garlic patch so I tried to replace them with some to last year’s garlic harvest that was sprouted and maybe will grow.  This week I should get to the flower seeds and herbs and maybe tomato transplanted.  The peppers need at least another week before they have true leaves - the marker that they are larger enough to be transplanted into a larger pot.  Remember don’t go too big with transplants keep the intervals small so that the little plants are not lost in a big pot.

With the weather continuing to get better we will try to use the rototiller and get the garden space on its way.

Happy Gardening

Anyone Seen Spring?

Good thing I have a ditch to take some of the water away from the garden.

Apple pruning has been interrupted.

The robins hang out next to the house looking for worms.

The pictures tell it all - it continues to snow and snow and snow and at this rate the garden will be soggy until June 1st!  Good thing I have the greenhouse to keep my seed starting on track. 
Happy Gardening

Start on the Seed Planting

Species crocus.

The planting board will help me remember when I plant more crocus next fall.

The fig trees before pruning.

The Chicago brown turkey fig after pruning.

The fig clones planted and at home

Tomatoes and peppers in 72 packs.

This is one of the fig clones.

Freezing water does a number on cement.

The wall will have to be fixed and soon.

With plastic on the inside of the greenhouse, I turned on the furnace with Susan's help. We will heat the space for about a month.  During the day the sun heats up the interior so that the venting system opens and closes to keep and even 80 degrees.  At night I have the heat set to 55 degrees so as not to break the bank.  Today I planted tomatoes, peppers, and parsley.  I have been hot water treating the parsley seed - a shot of near boiling water seems to make them germinate in less than 21 days. The fig trees are out of the garden shed where they wintered and into the greenhouse - but I don't think they had a good winter.  I had to really prune them severally to find what I thought was live wood.  I did bring, as you see, the clones back from Appleton and of the 8 we started out with I have two possible exact duplicates of Figgy - and all I really need is at least one to replace her.  Oh well, that is what garden experimentation is all about.

I also started lettuce a few days ago and planted radish and arugula outside next to the house in a bed that is under the windows of the house ( in the picture with the crocus and panting board).  The crocus on that little slope are continuing to bloom and reinforce that spring is here.  All we need is the snow to disappear to help us know it is true.

I need to get to the apple trees as they need their spring pruning but still have snow under them and working in snow is no fun, plus I do need some ladder work and I don't want to be in the snow for that.
The cold frames have had a water issue as the melting snow seems to want to run through them and not around them so I had to ditch two of them yesterday and hope that will help the spinach crops.

As the pictures show we have some issues with the greenhouse wall.  I guess I will have to bring in some cement guys to give me some advice as to how to fix this annual problem that water, ice, and freezing and thawing have done to the wall.  Because I don't use the greenhouse in the winter I thought the wall would not get so bad but I guess I was wrong.
Happy Gardening

Sunflower Seed Sprouts

Use 1-2 cups of  sunflower seed.

Spray with bleach spray and rinse thoroughly, then soak seed for at least 6 hrs.

Add soil-less mix to tray bottom - just cover the grooves.

Rinse the seeds one more time and then spread evenly in tray.

I really do not cover the seed just make sure it is all spread out.

Cover with wet paper toweling and a tray lid.

Cover with a cloth and place in a bottom warm spot - mine are on top of grow lights.

In about three days you should have sprouted seed so uncover them.

Keep them watered (spray or liquid) with lid in place but in light now for growth.

After about 6 days I start taking the plastic cover off and allowing them more full sun.

These are ready - I pull them out or cut them and enjoy "yummy" home grown sprouts.

As you can see most of this post is a technique for growing your own sunflower seed sprouts.  These sprouts usually retail for about $4-5 a package and you can make a tray for next to nothing with a little planning.  They take about 6 - 10 days to have an edible product that will last another week in the tray and about that long if you cut the last ones in the tray and refrigerate them in a wet paper towel in a plastic bag.  Any questions just ask and I will try to help with a response.
Happy Gardening

So Where Is Spring - Really!?

Crocus March 7 2013.

Cold frames planted last fall. They replaced the hoop house.

My future Aspen planting board.

The newest cold frame (season extender).

Google - Cold Frame Manual and go to the Door County site.  (second)

Planting board in use for lettuce.

The best compost bin I have ever had.  Make some now.

Last March 7th in 2012 - NO SNOW!

With some rain recently I thought we were on our way to getting rid of the snow but not so; and there is even some hint of some more today.  Well, even with that threat, it's time to get some building done.  With planting soon to be on every one's agenda now would be a good time to build a cold frame or two and make a new planting board along with maybe some more parts for the compost bin.  I did recently make a presentation at the Kress Family Library in DePere and built a new cold frame to demo for that event.  I also gave away a new planting board as a door prize - the first time I did that - what fun!  When I bought the board for making the gift planting board, I found two pieces of lumber that tempted me for a new board of my own - a fantastic piece of Black Walnut and a beautiful clear piece of Aspen - based on the price I got the Aspen but I am still tempted by that Black Walnut board - six feet of gorgeous wood that would make a great heirloom for someone.
All the plans for these projects are on former blog posts and I would refer you to them instead of repeating them again.  I myself go back to them too - the Cold Frame plans are April 9th of 2009 and the Planting Board is April 26th of 2009 also.  The Compost Bin Board Cut-outs are on April 8th 2012.  So April looks to be traditionally  a building month - but with all this snow still around I think this would be a good project time and then if April allows one can get to other garden projects with these done already. 
I also am working on showing you a series of sprouting photos as we are so hungry for greens that I started a tray of sunflower sprouts.   I want to share that process because sunflowers are one of the larger sprouts that take a little different technique than one uses for alfalfa or mung beans.  We really like sunflower sprouts on salads, in eggs, and on sandwiches and a tray that you start at home would retail for almost $30 if you bought them at the produce market.
I have to get the greenhouse plastic insulation in place before I start up the heat and that job is on the work list for getting done just as soon as I see the accountant and get the taxes done - always a March job (both of them).
We have had crocus in the yard for most of the last few snows and I am hoping for February Gold daffodils soon. We had them last year by this time.  The apple trees will need their spring pruning but I am still looking for a warm day to get that job done and Mother Nature has not helped me there...
Happy Gardening.