Early June Yard Tour

It's been less than a month but I missed the peony by the air conditioner blooming.  It bloomed, got scorched by the sun, then beaten down by the rains.  Kate clipped off the tattered, dying blooms before they made too much of a mess dropping all those petals.  The smaller, white ones on each side of the gardens are now blooming.













Other notes:  The solar lights are out so I can see what works and what I can get to work well.  The rest will be tossed and I don't think I'll be getting any more.  Strawberries are starting to ripen, we've had a handful this past week already.  And we still have to get something for the corner out front.



You'll see what I'm speaking of after the break!

Late July

Even though I'm posting this first, this yard and garden tour is from after my bike ride this afternoon.  When I got home I first put my bike up, and by this time the yard was dry enough to mow so mow I did, then I took these pictures.

We've had a very wet spring and summer so far, in fact we had a some little lakes again in the back yard last night.  Something to remember for when I install a permanent fire pit in the yard.









And there's usually a few slugs every year, but more so this year with all the wetness.  Maybe not quite the damage my blogger friend Blue Witch has described to me, but you can see their damage on some hostas and the lettuce in the garden if you look close.

Otherwise, it has been a fine year for the yard and garden for us.

After the break is the full picture tour.

Hello Spring 2017

It finally dried out enough and the sun showed up so I got to take a picture tour of the yard and gardens for Spring!  These pics are from Saturday, as of yet I see no blooms (but some are getting close).  It was officially spring a week ago, but I've done nothing outside yet other than dig up a few rocks that became exposed over winter around the stump.  I think I'll use them in the corner under the lilac to define that corner some more.

Full tour after the break:

Mild December

This pic was taken two days ago, on Friday.  Since then it has been overcast and wet, yet very mild.  As I write this it is almost 60º outside!  We'll see how this mild fall/early winter affects the garden.

Fall Chores, Day 2

Again we took advantage of the nice weather to get the yard and gardens ready for winter, you can read more at the regular site.


Kate planted the garlic in the west garden, in rows above the monster lemon pepper plant (I'm thinking of a pictorial side story on that).  She also spread leaf mulch throughout the flower beds and hay to the garden. 

The first pictures here are of the garden and I will dump a few more pics from today after the break.

Quick Notes

Just a quick update to note 2 things:  The posts are in for the raspberry trellis and last night was a frost warning so we covered the east (nearest) garden with a sheet.  Other than that, not much to say yet.

A Break From April Showers

Finally the rain gave us a break - see my rant yesterday here - and we finally got a dry day to do some work on the garden.  Of course, the forecast calls for rain 6 out of the next 7 days again.  Saturday looks to be dry as of now, and if so then we (Kate) may be able to get the strawberries in plus some plants around the yard.

We added 2 cubic feet of composted manure and 2 cu ft of garden soil to the east garden, closest in the pic, and 1.5 cu ft of the composted manure at the top of the west garden where Kate has put in a trellis for the peas, also planted this afternoon.  We have 2 cu ft of garden soil and 1.5 cu ft of composted manure left over for adding later, saving for next year or using around the yard where needed.

Spring 2013

Okay, time to shake off the cobwebs around here and get ready.  It is officially Spring as of this past Wednesday so all things should be go, right?  Well, Mother Nature is a bit behind schedule this year, not surprising considering the type of schedule she kept last spring and summer.  I snuck back to take this photo on Friday, today there is a fresh layer of snow on top... again. 

Plans have been made and made again, it is almost time to get busy.  When?  Well, I guess we'll see.

A Nice Day For Finishing Fall Clean-Up

Yesterday was beautiful, sunny and in the mid-sixties.  We got several things done outside, including cleaning up the yard and garden.  We did not get to the east garden, there are just dead strawberry plants to pull, that can wait until Spring.

Before

What is left is the thyme in the lower left and parsley atop and oregano below more toward the middle in the 'after' pic below.   All around them are garlic sprouts that will probably get covered for winter.  We have a little bit of usable hay left, the bottom of the package is rotting so that hay I will probably use to cover the earth in the right side of the compost bin, the side we aren't using yet.  If you take a closer look, you will see a strawberry plant that is growing in the middle of the right side here.  My guess is maybe a critter left part of a berry behind the trellis that was there all summer, and it actually grew?  I shouldn't be too surprised, the chives pop up in odd places all the time.

Before October Leaves...

I'm a week late in my bi-monthly posts, but I wanted to document how it looks now because Kate is planning on some garden cleanup this weekend.  I expect that she will remove the pea plants and pepper plants toward the right and harvest what herbs she can.  The garlic that was planted for Spring is coming up already, but what can we do now?  I'll try to do a more detailed post this weekend, but for now, it has been relatively untouched since the last post other than I used the sweeper to blow all the leaves I could out of the garden area before I took this pic.

The side of the garden facing the camera has been losing dirt between the boards, especially when it rains.  Either this Fall still, or early next Spring I will have to seal that up.  What you see here and just the top inside of the east garden (not pictured) are the only areas where this is happening.

Labor Day Weekend Garden Update 2012

Happy Labor Day weekend!  These pics were taken Saturday morning, before Kate harvested much of the herbs.  The pepper plants have rebounded well from the odd summer, the jalapeno plant is small, but producing.  The tomato plants are a near total loss this year.  We still have a chance at some fall peas and lettuce, though.  The weather has been very dry again recently.  The lawn is turning brown again and the garden should get daily waterings.

Pics and a Mid-August Update

Pics are possible once again!  I wrote about it over here if you care to read about it.  Otherwise, let's get this garden blog back up to speed, especially after that two month drought that tried to cook everything and the much more seasonable weather and rainfall we've had lately.  Hell, a month ago we were ready to give up!

I guess we did give up on the strawberry bed.  It is fried.  There are a handfull of plants still struggling but most are dead.  I'm sure we'll develop a plan for that area next year by this Fall.  Kate is interested in berry bushes up top and maybe the surviving strawberry plants at the bottom, left in the pic.  For the rest of the year I may only post the view shown below.

Everything left in the west garden survived thanks to almost daily watering for two months.  And the morning after my last post, on August 3, Kate even planted some more seeds!  There is a row of new pea plants coming up along the bottom of the trellis at the right, lettuce in the top left and another try at radishes in the middle left.  The tomatoes are no longer cooking on the vine and the peppers are no longer getting stolen by the local wildlife.  The squirrels must have been pretty desperate to steal the peppers!

Well, posting here should return to normal now.  This is just for us, anyway.  I get no visitors here and they are not necessary.  This site is for my wife and I to keep track of all things garden and to be able to refer back as needed.  If someone else reads this, then all the better.  Thanks for stopping by!

Pics Not Available

It is the beginning of August and an update is due, however I seem to have reached my limit for photos so I will have to remedy that this weekend.  I can say, at least, that we have been getting some rain now for the last two weeks or so.  Finally.  The lawn has mostly come back and the plants in the garden should be out of danger.  We are still expecting some hot temperatures, still two digits only and hopefully no more 100F degree days.
Not much else to say except I'll post pics as soon as I'm able.

No Rain Yet...

After only getting .31 inches of rain in June, we have received only a trace so far this month. Any thoughts of planting anything else this year have been long laughed off. What we have left may or may not survive well. The squirrels have been getting the tomatoes and peppers -even the jalepenos- before they have a chance to get to full size. Besides having to find water, their food supply is probably drying up as well.

The strawberry bed is a wasteland.

I don't think they can survive the cooking they have had the last two months.  We'll have to have a new plan next year, and hope for a seasonable summer - for a change.








I am on vacation this week and have gotten some small yard projects done so far.  You can see the pics here.

Very Dry Going Into July

The month of June recorded less that a half inch of rainfall in our area to go along with very high temperatures.

In the west garden we have been watering every evening and still can't keep up.  The peas were looking to start a second bloom, in fact we do have a few growing, but the plants are drying up.  The tomato plants have been cooked by the sun and would surely be a dry shell if we haven't done the watering we have.  I think they'll still make it, but we have to have some rain and milder weather soon.  The peppers and the herbs are doing well enough with our watering.

In the strawberry bed, well, we don't even water it anymore.  Now the question is if they're just dormant or dead.  Dead is fine, actually, we could stand to add some more dirt and nutrients on this side.

We continue to water the thyme and sage, in pots in the upper right, and they seem to be okay.





My lawn, on the other hand, is drying out more and more.  *Sigh*  We need rain!  Somebody do a rain dance!  Anything!

Garlic Harvest

Last Sunday, after my last post, Kate did indeed harvest the garlic.  So, before a regular update is due again, here's a pic of the garlic that was planted last Fall and endured a mild Winter and up and down Spring.  The bulbs are small, but may last us a season hopefully....  Well, maybe not, but there are still a few odd bulbs that were planted this Spring that we'll get in the Fall.

The weather here has been very warm to hot and very, very dry.  We have been watering the garden at least every other day with the hose but the lawn is turning brown.

I Hate Ants

Only 8 days later than the last post (9, actually, but I took these pics last night) and you can see how the recent daily rainshowers have helped the peas grow.  I'm still concerned about them attaching to the trellis.  I may have to add some chicken wire to the front so they have something easier to grab.
The garlic that we thought was ready is not, so it will be left in for the time being.  I think the very mild winter and oddly warm March may have messed up their growth pattern a bit.  Oh well, we'll leave them be for the time being and maybe check them again in a few weeks or so.

The strawberry plants are looking well with many flowers and teeny, tiny, going-to-be berries.  Last year we had an anthill in the upper left of this garden and they have been back even stronger this year.  I try and try but getting rid of them has not been easy.  I did get some to move, but only over to the other garden, it seems.  I will need to get something stronger that won't hurt the soil or plants, if possible.  I'm open to any suggestions in the comments!

Again With The Frost, Kinda

We had a freeze warning for last night, and we have one for tonight.  Like last post, I'm not really convinced we got any frost here, and I get up pretty early.  It was cold, even just below freezing according to the morning news each time, and probably will be again tomorrow morning, before warming up a bit later in the week.  We covered the strawberry plants last night, I removed the sheet after work, and we will cover them again before dark.  Just in case.  No pics, it looks like the last post.

Fretting The Frost

There is a frost warning tonight, so as a first for this blog we will have a nighttime post!  We went out just a bit ago to cover the strawberry plants, the garlic and pea sprouts (visible in the west garden, top in this pic) should be okay, my wife says they are hardier plants.  Same with all the hostas, irises, day lillies (lilys?) and lily of the valley early growth and sprouts.  But the lilac has bunches of buds that are days from opening, I hope they weather the cold night.

On a side note, you may have noticed the look of this site has changed.  It needed updating to a wider format, and though this is one of Blogger's canned templates, it does not mess up the old posts too much and will do nicely for now.  Also, a friend of mine from work has started a site for his garden and pond.  I urged him in this direction and I think he will enjoy it as much or more than I like doing my sites.  He already has some great pics up, give him a visit here, or on the link in the right column.

Fall Is In The Air

It's the middle of September and the garden has wound down for the most part.  As things are removed and winterized I will continue to chronicle it here, for my own reference if nothing else.

The cucumbers didn't flourish like they teased, but it was worth the experience of trying to grow them.  Kate made an attempt at a recipe for them, but I think we need to start with a better, more apt type of cucumber for our needs rather than the free seeds we used.  The tomato plants have been cut down to one surviving grape tomato stem that may be finished after possible frost last night and tonight.  Last night, when these pics were taken, we covered the pepper plants (top left and below) that are still producing and have a dozen or more peppers growing on each.  We will have to cover them tonight as well, then we should warm up a bit again.  Two nights ago Kate cut and brought in both of the basil plants.  The only other things left are sage in the middle top and thyme in the lower left (both in the top pic).

On a side note, the chives that spent the first year in the garden and this year in a pot beside the garden, have been thriving.  I hear some people plant them just for decoration and not just for consumption and I can see why.  Right now they look healthy and have nice white blooms.  We're trying to figure out a place to plant them in the yard, maybe in the area around the tree.