Catch-up

Didn't i say i was going to plug in the list of what i seeded the other day?

So i'll do it now:

Tomatoes
4 Pruden's Purple
2 Sweet Chelsea
4 San Marzano Lampadina
4 Banana Legs
4 San Marzano from Providence Acres
3 Aunt Molly'sGround Cherries (also from Providence Acres)

Everything is up except 2 Banana Legs and the 4 Aunt Molly's

Kale
3 Red Russian
3 Kai Lan Queen
1 Starbor   (only had one seed left!)
3 Peacock Red- Flowering
3 Fringed Formula- Flowering
3 Teasel
2 Saltwort

None up yet.  They are outside anyway.  In the weirdly warm weather  we've been getting.

I may rethink the teasel. I often wanted it for a couple interesting seedheads, but further research calls it a potentially noxious weed,  and i had assumed this biennial plant was an annual and not hardy to my area.

I am going to try and make room for some Job's Tears and Leonotis,  Job's Tears have such pretty seeds for beading and i love the Leonotis flowers.

So...  i'll probably stuff  some Job's Tear seeds in the Teasel pots and call it good.  Same with the Saltwort.  Further  research on that shows seed viability of about 4 months. {facepalm} My seeds are 2 years old.  Bleh.

My Carmine Jewel cherry trees came today.  They look pretty good actually. Small,  but fully leafed, sturdy little things.  I am not disappointed.  Wish i could post a pic,  but like i mentioned before,  i can't find my camera-to-laptop cable or my minidisk adapter.

The grapes are now waking up and getting full sun much of the day.  The apple is getting pink buds.  The blueberries are getting ready to blossom. The prune plum has leafed out, lilac buds are the length of my index finger, grape buds are swelling, the Autumn olive is looking good, the asparagus is almost 2 feet tall (can be harvested next spring).  Well,  i think that is it for today...

Seeds Started

Got my tomatoes and kales seeded in pots tonight. I had some extra space so i went ahead and planted some teasel for fun. Not much else going on except for the incredible weather.  I'll record the seed list tomorrow.  Too tired from chasing somebody small and cute around outside.

Sunburnt

Just a little.  But this is the earliest time i have ever gotten a sunburn. I kept loading the sunscreen onto my little one,  but forgot to apply it to myself.

The lilacs are making little flower buds now.  I must get seeds started soon. Hopefully tomorrow.

Early Spring Continues

The weather was gorgeous today. We were easily in the 70's.  Budding and leafing is well underway for most things. The apple tree is almost ready to open its leaf buds,  the lilacs have leaves that are thumb sized.  The horseradish has been awake for weeks now,  the asparagus are popping up,  the blueberries are sending out red buds,  elderberries are sending out shoots. Daffodils are blooming, Stanley (prune plum) is waking up. I've got the rhubarb covered by a black rubber tub to blanch it. Also, my from-seed Autumn olive is leafing.

First mow of the lawn was done today.

Its been so dry though.  Fire warnings have been issued almost daily and we have not had more than a token rain shower or two for what seems like a very long time.

We are still getting the occasional frost.  Of course i'm worried about flowering and killing frosts.  But there's nothing i can do really.


i ...think... my unnamed elderberry might be dead.  its showing no signs of waking up,  while York and Nova are stretching out.  Its ok though,  i'd rather have named plants anyhow.  I have Goldbeere and Caerulea coming. I'll just dig it up and throw it out.  New plants should be here by the end of the month.

I was hoping to start digging up the unwanted plants this weekend,  but our oldest daughter spent the weekend at my parents' house so i had nobody to watch the youngest daughter while i dug.  So maybe sometime this week since it is April vacation.

I'm hoping to get my seeds started this week as well.  Its Sunday now and 7 weeks to last frost.  After years of starting way too early i have finally learned to cool my jets and wait.  I'll start tomatoes first and squashes later.  Cukes too.
I'm also not using 9packs this year.  The wells are just too small for good root growth.  i never have time or the room to pot-up,  so i'm using the paper flats i saved from last years' marigolds and 3" single pots saved from herbs i bought from Garden Spot.

Well i guess that is it for today.  I started writing this Saturday and its now Sunday morning and the little one wants desperately to go outside,  so out we go!
.-
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Some more rearranging

I decided that the Rose of Sharon (double, pink) that is by the elderberries, will go.  I'm giving it to  my mom. It gets too big and bushy, i don't like the shredded looking flowers and it does not produce fruit.  It just sits there, annoying me.  So it will be moved to a new home.   I also decided the same for the small hydrangea (not the big old PeeGee) and the purple smoke bush.  Both need more room than i have in their spots.  I tried keeping them dwarfed by pruning,  but they just look stunted, not dwarfed  There is a difference in my eyes.  My mom is very willing to take them.

So, to fill the gaps,  i decided i want fruit.  Small fruit.  Not apples or pears.   Cherries sounded nice.  Also considering my oldest daughter's recent fascination with the Washington D.C. and Japan Cherry Blossom Festivals,  it seemed like a good idea.  So i did some researching for very small, treelike cherry types.  Carmine Jewel seems to fit the bill.  Not cheap and based on reviews,  not very big for almost $30 each,  but excellent in all other respects (i got to use the $25 off coupon). But,  i have gotten used to mail-order companies and have had no trouble with DOAs and replacements,  so i'm taking the chance.  I also have made no  major purchases since last summer (My Raintree order, due to be shipped the end of this month),  no more than $5 in seeds.  All i need is seed starting mix and time.  After these cherry trees come,  i will be officially out of room.

Carmine Jewel is expected to be very hardy,  compact- almost bushlike tree form,  high yeilding, 6.5 foot plant.  The fruit are sweet and a bit tart,  but get sweeter the longer they are left to ripen.  The flowers are supposed to be pretty and fragrant which is nice because other than the apple,  i no longer have flowering plants that smell pretty.

So,  maybe this weekend,  i'll be digging up the old plants and the cherries should be arriving shortly after.

I need to  find my camera's cable so i can post pictures again.

Nomal weather again

Woke up to snow this  morning,  just a dusting that was soon gone.  The ground is warm enough so it didn't stick really.  The temps were above freezing anyhow.  I doubt it hurt much in the way of plants.

The maples are flowering as of Sunday,  my elderberries were also showing buds. I have one unnamed one that i got a year before the Nova and York that seems to die to the ground each year...  not  sure if i will keep it  if that is the way things are going to be. It takes longer to start than the others; barely berried last year and had tiny fruit.  I don't want to kill it,  but if its not going to produce it won't be part of my landscape.  I don't have enough room to waste.