Got a few more things planted

Today is probably the biggest day in terms of getting things in the ground. Having tilled the back garden, the soil was ready for seed. the nights are still cold, but predictions are about 10° above freezing so we should be relatively safe from frost. By late morning the sun had made the soil surface pretty warm. The outlook for the next few days is gradual further warming with cloudy conditions. Seems like good conditions to keep the ground moist enough to sprout seeds. Here's what I planted:

• Garlic bulbs
• Chives
• Walking Onions transplants

 The previous three were planted on either side of a row of beets and will hopefully discourage rabbits. Two plantings last spring were eaten as they sprouted.

• Early Prolific Straightneck Squash (Yellow)
• Burpee Fordhook Zucchini
• Harmony Hybrid Spinach
• Sweet Burpless Hybrid Cucumber
• Waltham Butternut Squash
• Gold Rush Wax Beans
• Lutz Green Leaf Beet
• Short 'n Sweet Carrot
• Sugar Snap Peas

I also put most of my pepper and tomato starts in the ground. that includes:

• Sweet 100 (cherry tomato)
• Pepper Mix (Sweet red and yellow banana shape)
• Jalapeño
• Couple store bought tomatoes for which I saved seed
• Mortgage Lifter Tomato
• Early Girl hybrid

Most of these went in the back garden but I put some extras in the side garden as well. I even filled the space between the Yucca and A/C unit.

Now I just need to keep these things watered until they sprout. In a few days or week I'll need to make some second plantings of stuff like radishes and lettuce.

Time to catch up with this Garden Log!

Starting with most recent... I planted some Cilantro and Italian Parsley in the side garden. It rained last night and is drizzling this morning but the soil is only wet on the top layer.

Yesterday I tilled the main garden in back, making it about twice as big. :D But I didn't till in any compost yet. I guess I can dig some in as I plant. I also need to place some flagstones in it in order to reach different parts of the garden w/out stepping in mud.

Rhubarb and Walking Onions

We picked our first harvest! Yesterday I brought in a handful of Rhubarb stalks. The crowns that I transplanted aren't big enough to pick so I'm glad I left some undisturbed. Next year... We also have some self sown oak leaf lettuce on the side that I can pick any day now.

This Oak Leaf Lettuce is out competing the weeds!

About a week ago I planted a second whiskey barrel planter that sits where it gets full sun. I put mostly herbs in it but also included some radishes, peas and carrots for some small crops. I'm hoping that the peas can be trained over the edge so they don't take up space in the barrel proper. A complete list of what's in that planter is:

• Sugar Snap Peas
• Summer Savory
• Broadleaf Sage
• Rosemary
• Greek Oregano
• White Icicle Radish
• Chives? (Maybe - cannot recall.)
• Short 'n Sweet Carrot
• Sweet Italian Large Leaf Basil

Radishes sprouted first followed closely by peas. Some other herbs have also come up. Basil, I think and something else. I think carrots are up too.  We had some record hot days that resulted in fast sprouting and now it's going to be cold and rainy today and gradually warming through the week.

White Icicle Radishes

Peas 'n Carrots

Spinach and lettuce in the other whiskey barrel are doing well. they look bigger every day and I'll soon be putting thinnings in our salad.

Peppers and tomatoes started in peat pots have all sprouted. Some of the peppers took a really long time.

Seeds are sprouting all over!

Time for an update. Almost all of my seeds sprouted indoors in peat pots have come up. All of the tomatoes have sprouted and only a couple of the "long mix" peppers have not broken ground. Tomatoes came up first and some have been visible for weeks now. Peppers took longer but they are now mostly making their appearance. I take these outside so they get some sun every day.

The seeds in the whiskey barrel have all sprouted and I have thinned them a bit. I'll collect some early thinnings as they get bigger to add to salads.

My real embarrassment was when I checked the side garden along the house. There is some oak leaf that must have gone to seed and has sprouted. The leaves are about 5" long and it is far beyond the stuff I have planted! That spot gets too dry later in the season, but I'll have to allow some more lettuce go to seed this year so I get more volunteers!

And the rhubarb continues to grow. The roots that I didn't transplant are now much bigger and nearly ready to start harvest but all are doing well.

Lots of spring flowers as well.

Oops! Be sure that the coals are cold before sifting ash from the fire pit into a plastic wheel barrow.

Rhubarb looks good!

These were taken a few days ago.

Rhubarb leaves are pretty crinkly when they first open.

Here are some of the crowns I transplanted with part of the original clump behind. The transplants are doing very well.

Lots of other stuff is starting to bloom, including forsythia.

Daffodils

More daffodils

Yes, even more!

These are squills I think. Some yards are just blue with them around here so I found a few where I could dig them up and trans[planted them in our yard and garden where they are spreading like weeds.

Starting this year's garden - rhubarb, lettuce and spinach.

A couple days ago I noticed that the rhubarb had started coming up. It was time to lift and separate. The clump was about three feet long and half as wide and had probably been there ten or fifteen years. I dug around the clump and lifted under 'outliers' until they loosened and I could lift them out without disturbing the main clump. I replanted some of the outliers more or less in a row with the original and potted up a couple more in buckets to give away. Probably two thirds of the clump remained in place so we should still get some stalks. The roots on the transplanted crowns were pretty big as well so we shall see what they do this first year after transplant.

I also got the whiskey barrel planter covered and planted. We're expecting highs in the 60s this week so I'll have to open the poly dome to keep it from cooking. But the warm temps should stimulate germination of:

• Harmony Hybrid spinach
• Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach
• New Red fire Lettuce
• Jung's Sweet Repeat Mix Lettuce (probably red fire and simpson. :D )
• Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce.

Inside I put some tomato seed on damp paper towel including:

• SS1 (*)
• SS2 (*)
• Early Girl Hybrid

(*) These are seed I saved from tomatoes bought at the store and I don't know if they will breed true. I also don't know what IP I am violating by saving seed so they shall remain nameless.

I plan to start some pepper seed as well. I picked up Super Sweet 100 hybrid, a cherry tomato, and Mortgage Lifter - an heirloom beefsteak variety. I also got a long pepper mix (Corno di Toro and Sweet Banana)

I also threw some more seed down alongside the drive where the neighbor pulled out the Chinese Elms (Yay!) I found a mix with Bluegrass, Fescues and some Perennial Rye. Something in there should prosper along the drive I hope. I should get some out in the recently tilled spot in back as well. We've got a couple more days in the mid 60s so I hope to take advantage of them.