One of the fun parts

Like most activities, gardening has fun parts and not-so-fun parts. I consider planting/transplanting to be a fun part, even when it leaves me almost crippled the next day from all the bending and stooping.

Before one may plant, one must prepare. In my garden, this means trying to get the rampant thistle, creeping Charlie, feral mint, and quack grass under control, at least in the garden beds proper. This means more bending and stooping, as well as digging. Ugh. Like brushing the cat, weeding is never ever completely done, but at some point, one must put the seeds and seedlings into the ground.

Here is what went in most recently:

• Onion plants
• Seed potatoes
• Pea and snap pea seeds

Prep work for all this included: increasing the height (thereby the depth) of the three potato beds; and erecting trellises for the peas and snap peas (and pole beans, to be planted at a later date). Also, a cage protects the onions from being dug up by the cat (Finn thinks the garden is his bathroom).

As you can see, the fencing is still in progress. There will ultimately be more vegetable beds, so I need a couple more fence panels before we can properly contain the garden.

I topped the fruit trees, so now they basically look like 2-foot-high sticks. One of the cherries appears to be DOA - stunted root system, no swelling buds - we'll see if it proves me wrong. The rest appear healthy and on the verge of breaking dormancy. Fun!

Pretty in pink

I have so many photos of the flowering plants in my yard that I don't get too excited about wandering around the property, camera in hand. However, I don't recall the rhododendron ever blooming this heavily before. I'm glad I took this pic despite the windy conditions because the next day, after a frosty night, most of the petals lay on the ground in a pink carpet.

The fruit trees did arrive, as did the underground utility guy. I had to help him find the gas lines because 1) he was not aware that when my neighbor to the south installed a gas furnace, NIPSCo ran the line across a corner of my property, and 2) the utility maps shows the main line to the north to be on the property of my neighbors on that side of the house. I've lived here over 20 years and generally have the utilities marked every year, so I guess that now makes me the expert.

I'm not such an expert when it comes to transplanting fruit trees. Different instructions from different sources do not help, either. The trees are in the ground, hopefully at the correct depth given the root stocks. Now all I need to do is cut them back to where I want the branches to form a scaffold, in my case at about 24 inches, per Grow a Little Fruit Tree. Gulp! Since I finished planting last night in the dark, I have not made this cut yet, as I wanted to be able to see what I was doing. Today is wet and windy and cold, so I will gardener up and do it tomorrow.

By the way, here is what I planted:

Apples:

• Liberty
• Wolf River
• Pristine
• Nova EasyGro

Cherries:

• Black Gold Sweet
• Balaton Tart
• North Star Tart
• Hedelfingen Sweet

The fruit trees are coming, the fruit trees are coming!

Grandpa's Orchard sent me an email to let me know the eight fruit trees I ordered are on their way. I've been reading Grow a Little Fruit Tree in anticipation of this event, and growing a bit anxious myself about timing. The underground utility people are scheduled to mark the yard tomorrow, so then we should be good to go. Yippee!

I'm not excited about today's weather - still cold and windy. The past couple of days I've coped by potting up some of my indoor starts. The lettuce has been transplanted to "lettuce bowls", some of which are destined to be gifts. The peppers are in larger containers, where they can spread their feet until nighttime temps are over 50. The broccoli roots also have a bit more room now, although I hope to get them into the ground by May 1. And I made the first yarden trip of the season to Home Depot, for bags of garden soil and potting mix.

Otherwise, it is just more hurry-up-and-wait. *sigh*

First cut

Friday and Saturday were perfect for yardening, but I was out of town. Fortunately, Sunday's rain held off long enough for me to mow and trim. Once those chores were done, so was I. It is hell getting old.

The extended cool temperatures are extending the bloom season for magnolias and daffodils. The hyacinth and grape hyacinth are up and at 'em, and the rhododendron and forsythia popped over the weekend. Everything is slowly awakening.

I feel like I am already falling behind, especially in the vegetable garden, but this week's forecast is a reality check: highs in the 50's, lows in the 30's. With few exceptions, it really is too early to plant seeds or transplant seedlings. In the meantime, there are plenty of other tasks to keep me occupied while I wait.

Inside, the seed starts are doing well. The population under the lights include Black Eyed Susan vine, broccoli, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, zinnias, marigolds, hollyhocks, calendula, Mexican sunflower, basil, parsley. I decided to give the fish emulsion a try despite my misgivings, and the fishy aroma did not affect the cat.

And that is about all for now.

I see asparagus

This past week as been the epitome of our fair city's nickname, Fort Rain, Windiana. The temperatures have not been all that bad, but when combined with the wet and the wind, being outdoors was just miserable. Today, however, is beautiful.

The only edibles in the garden so far are garlic, rhubarb, and as of today, asparagus. Inside, I have broccoli, lettuces, and peppers started. I plan to transplant the lettuce plants to "lettuce bowls" for myself and as gifts for friends.

The Meyer lemon is producing tiny green lemons, but the plant is starting to look a bit peaked again, presumably because of my neglect regarding fertilizer. I top dressed the pot with some potting soil formulated for citrus. Other options on hand are: fish emulsion (which I don't like to use indoors because it stinks, plus the cat may find it irresistible) or manure/compost tea, which if odor free, would work. Or I could shell out some bucks for something more appropriate.

For some reason, lumber labeled as being 8" wide is actually closer to 7", which I find not quite deep enough for my raised beds, especially for potatoes. The plan is to double the height of three beds each year. Today my (handsome *and* handy) SO brought power tools and accomplished that task.

The movable fence has not yet been erected for the season. I wish I didn't need it - I love having a clear view of the garden. Finn does an admirable job limiting the rabbit, mice, and vole populations, but he won't take on woodchucks.

Having a higher vantage point now helps, though. Pots are coming out of hibernation along with patio furniture. I'm looking forward to morning coffee on the deck.

Current bloomers are daffodils, hyacinth, and something tiny and white that I can't identify. Inside, the mother plant for the coleus has been decimated, and nine babies are establishing their root systems. I'm also starting black eyed Susan vine inside this year, as last year they did not germinate very well outside; unfortunately, they aren't doing very well inside, either.