Sunday, April 26, 2009

Busy, busy, busy.

So busy, it's hard to find time to blog!

I love this time of year, I really do. Things are growing, looking healthy, promises of full crops of abundant produce are everywhere.
Then things get planted out and the bugs arrive "en force" and eat all my hard work.
But, am I downhearted?
Of course not!
Anyroad, this weekend has been great. Sunny enough to be pleasant and windy enough to keep the bugs away.
Perfect combo, methinks.
So, lets get out and see what's happening.........................

I mowed of course. I mean, we have thunderstorms forecast for Sunday evening/night so I got that out of the way on Friday evening/Saturday morning so the whole area is straight(ish).
I was determined to get at least some of the trees in and managed to plant new conifers down by the creek (photos later). I also put in two Eastern Redbuds and one White Flowering Dogwood at the front of the house......

.....as can be seen above. These are the saplings I started last year and grew in containers.
I also put in two Goldenraintree's.......................

.....at the rear of the house. These need mulching and I'll be picking some up after work tomorrow.
Now to the veggies......
Plot 1, which is now the Onion patch. What can I say?

These Winter Onions and the Garlic I planted last fall look great! Some of the Winter Onions have the appearence of leeks and if the garlic is as good below ground as it is above I'm going to be delighted.
Already, the onions are forming the bulbils......................

.....of next years crop.
Extended Plot 2 will be the home of the 2009 Tomato crop.

It's been dug over, compost added, weeded, dug over again. I would have put some in today but the stiff breezes and pending thunderstorms made me hesitate. I can wait a day or two.
Plot 4 and the Kohlrabi seems at a standstill.....................

...so I added some manure and compost to try to get things kickstarted. Perhaps, if we do get rain tonight, the moisture and added nutrients may get things moving along. These are cold weather veggies and I want them ASAP.
The Red Onions around the perimeter seems to be doing fine.
Plot 5 is, for this season, one of my potato plots (along with Plot 3 which I seems to have forgotten to photograph and part of Plot 6 which I haven't started work on yet).

All looks great. I've started to slightly hill the earth around the plants and am continuously watching for woodlouse/pillbug activity. All potato patches are/will be given a covering of Iron Phosphate at regular intervals as I'm determined that 2009 will go down as the year that The Happy Gardener did not lose his precious potato crop.
Plot 6 is ready.

This will be where I'll be putting my 3rd crop of potatoes and my Yolo bell peppers if all goes to plan. Mind you, when as that ever happened?
I've sown the Mesclun mix...............

......in the box. I really want to grow a few greens this year, another area in which I'm lacking. The problem being, Oklahoma seems to go from "freezing and unable to plant out" to "really hot and frying temps" in hours, then back again. It's very difficult to gauge what to plant and when?
Indoors.......................

....my "BBQed Chicken" container has become my Cress propagator. Watch this space..............
Tomato plants are ready to move on. It's like sending the kids off to school for the first time............

I mean......................

I worry!..............
I brought these up from seeds...........

.......and finding good homes for them is essential.
All in all it's been a very, very busy weekend. But pleasurable too.
I've "ticked off" many things on my "to do" list and I even...................

......managed to clear out the shed a bit.

Enough!