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2013 Lawn and Garden Thread


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It's getting to be that time of year.

 

Anyone have any big plans for the summer?

 


My wife and I are going to try our hand at vegetable gardening (Really, I'll be gardening, she'll be cooking). While we don't have much room for a traditional garden, we're going to use 3-4 earthtainers placed on our patio.

 

I started a bunch of seeds indoors two weekends ago, including a few pepper varieties, some peas, tomatoes and some herbs. The peas have already sprouted and will need to be transplanted to a larger container before too long.

 

Additionally, the lawn needs some work. It was a mess when we bought the house 5 years ago and it's been pretty low on the project priority list, so I'll start tackling that as well.

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My planting schedule...

 

 

Seed Name

March 3 indoors lemongrass

March 3 indoors Kiss-me-over-the-garden-gate

March 3 indoors Onion, New York Early

March 3 indoors Onion, red bunching

March 3 indoors Onion, Rossa di Milano

March 3 Pansy, Swiss Giants

March 3, passion flower/fruit, maypop

March 16 indoors abutlion, bellvue mixed

March 16 indoors Angel Wings Schizanthus

March 16 indoors Culantro

March 16 indoors Brussels sprouts, roodnerf

March 16 indoors Eggplant, Ping Tung Long

March 16 indoors cabbage, Bacalan De Rennes

March 16 indoors Calamint

March 16 indoors moonflower  

March 16 indoors dondo blue, ageratum

March 16 indoors, Night Scented Tobacco

March 16 indoors Four O'Clock

March 16 indoors hare's tail grass

March 16 indoors Klip Dagga

March 16 indoors Kohlrabi, Gigante

March 16 indoors Lupine, Good and Plenty

March 16 indoors or April 20 outdoors mustard, Japanese, osaka purple

March 16 indoors, Pepper, hot, fish

March 16 indoors, pepper, hot, aji amarillo

March 16 indoors, pepper, hot, ancho poblano

March 16 indoors, Pepper, hot, black cuban

March 16 indoors, Pepper, hot, hinkelhatz

March 16 indoors, Pepper, hot, Thai bird's eye

March 16 indoors, Pepper, sweet, mini red bell

March 16 indoors, pepper, sweet, quadrato d'Asli Rosso

March 16 indoors, pepper, sweet, Jimmy Nardello's

March 16 indoors, Pepper, Sweet, Ozark Giant

March 16 indoors, Roselle

March 16 indoors, Royale Mix Painted Tongue

March 16 indoors, Snapdragon, Rider Building Mix

March 16 indoors, speckled fritz chickendive

March 16 indoors, stevia

March 16 indoors, stock, vintage mix

March 16 indoors, Sweet Pea, America

March 16 indoors, sweet pea, Blanche Ferry

March 16 indoors, Sweet Pea, Eckford's mix

March 16 indoors, Sweet Pea, Lord Nelson

March 16 indoors, Sweet pea, mammoth mix

March 16 indoors, Sweet pea, Sweet Dreams

March 16 indoors, Tanagra Lavatera

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Cherokee purple

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Cour di Bue

March 16 indoors, Tomato, cream sausage

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Gezahnte

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Great White

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Limbaugh Legacy Potato Top

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Mama Leone

March 16 indoors, tomato, pineapple

March 16 indoors, Tomato, riesentraube

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Rutgers

March 16 indoors, , San Marzano

March 16 indoors, Tomato, Santa Cruz Kada

March 16 indoors, April 20 outdoors, Très Fine Maraîchère Olesh

March 16 indoors, Zaatar

March 23 indoors Browallia,  Blue Lady

March 23 indoors lemon beebalm

March 23  indoors kiwi, baby or arctic

March 23 indoors Night Phlox, midnight candy

March 30 indoors Balsam, camelia flowered mix

March 30 indoors, Basil, genovese

March 30 indoors, Basil, Lemon

March 30 indoors, Basil, mammoth

March 30 indoors, Basil, Siam Queen Thai

March 30 indoors, basil, Corsican

March 30 indoors Epazote

March 30 indoors cumin

March 30 indoors Kale, rainbow lacinato

March 30 indoors, Savory, Winter

March 30 indoors, Parsley, dark green Italian flat leaf

March 30 indoors, Parsley, Krausa

March 30 indoors strawflower

March 30 outdoors cardinal flower

March 30 outdoors Cress, garden

March 30 outdoors, Snap Pea, Sugar Snap

March 30 outdoors, spinach, giant winter

April 6 outside Chinese mustard, tatsoi

April 6, outdoors greens, Perpetual Spinach

April 6 outdoors Minutina

April 13 indoors Aegean Wallflower

April 13 indoors, dianthus, baby doll

April 13 indoors, Night Scented Stock, Starlight Scentsation

April 13 indoors mountain garland

April 13 indoors, QIS Formula Mix Pincushion Flower

April 13 indoors, Vietnamese balm

April 13 outdoors Mizuna, early

April 13 outdoors Mizuna, ruby streaks
April 13 outdoors Chard, Five Color Silverbeet

April 13 outdoors perpetual spinach

April 13 outdoors Lettuce Mix, Rocky Top

April 13 outdoors Lettuce, Deluxe mix

April 13 outdoors mache, large round-leafed

April 13 outdoors, Radish, Easter Egg Mix

April 13 outdoors, Radish, Rat Tail

April 13 outdoors, Rutabaga, purple top

April 13 outdoors, Salsify, Gammel Gotlandsk

April 20 indoors blue thimble flower

April 20 indoors Calendula

April 20 indoors melon, Minnesota midget

April 20 indoors, Watermelon, Cream of Saskatchewan

April 20 indoors, watermelon, moon and stars

April 20 indoors, Watermelon, Orangeglo

April 20 outdoors Calendula, solar flashback

April 20 outdoors beet, golden Detroit

April 20 outdoors Carrot, imperator

April 20 outdoors carrot, jaune Obtuse du Doubs

April 20 outdoors carrot, nantes

April 20 outdoors chervil

April 20 outdoors, greens, Toraziroh

April 20 outdoors Mustard, sheali hong

April 27 indoors, pumpkin, Galeux D' Eysines

April 27 indoors, Pumpkin, Howden

April 27 indoors, Pumpkin, PA Dutch Crookneck

April 27 indoors, Pumpkin, Rouge Vif D'Etampes

April 27 indoors, Pumpkin, Wee-be-little

April 27 indoors cucumber, Delikatesse

April 27 indoors cucumber, dragon egg

April 27 indoors Cucumber, Mexican Sour Gherkin

April 27 indoors cucumber, poona kheera

April 27 indoors, sunflower, decorative mix

April 27 indoors, Sunflower, Red Sun

April 27 indoors, Sunflower, Skyscraper

April 27 indoors, Sunflower, Tall orange sun

April 27 outdoors bachelor button mix

April 27 outdoors, Parsnip, Harris Model

May 4 outdoors dill, bouquet

May 11 outdoors aster, crego mix

May 11 outdoors, summer squash, cocozella di napoli

May 11 outdoors nasturum, dwarf jewel mix

May 11 outdoors aster, princess mix

May 11 outdoors, Bee's Friends

May 11 outdoors flax, scarlet

May 11 outdoors Bird's Eye Flower

May 11 outdoors, Edible Gourd, Serpente Di Sicilia

May 11 outdoors candytuft, tall

May 11 outdoors Cleome, purple

May 11 outdoors cosmos, double click

May 11 outdoors Cosmos, sensation mix

May 11 outdoors, poppy, Flemish antique

May 11 outdoors, Yomogi

May 11 outdoors, tassel flower, Irish poet

May 11 outdoors, The Pearl Achillea

May 11 outdoors, Zinnia, Benarys Giant Mix

May 11 outdoors, Zinnia, Cactus Bright Jewel Mix

May 11 outdoors, Zinnia, California Giant Cherry Queen

May 18 outdoors amaranth, love-lies-bleeding

May 18 outdoors Corn, Country Gentleman

May 18 outdoors Cowpea, Old Timer or Purple Hull Speckled

May 25 outdoors bean, bush, dragon tongue

May 25 outdoors, bean, red seeded asparagus

May 25 outdoors Bean, Scarlet Runner

May 25 outdoors Beans, Pole Lima, Christmas

May 25 outdoors Long Bean, Chinese Red Noodle

May 25 outdoors long bean, Thai #3 Extra Long

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It's getting to be that time of year.

 

Anyone have any big plans for the summer?

 

My wife and I are going to try our hand at vegetable gardening (Really, I'll be gardening, she'll be cooking). While we don't have much room for a traditional garden, we're going to use 3-4 earthtainers placed on our patio.

 

I started a bunch of seeds indoors two weekends ago, including a few pepper varieties, some peas, tomatoes and some herbs. The peas have already sprouted and will need to be transplanted to a larger container before too long.

 

Additionally, the lawn needs some work. It was a mess when we bought the house 5 years ago and it's been pretty low on the project priority list, so I'll start tackling that as well.

There are a few tricks that you can use to get the most out of your limited space. One is growing varieties that take up limited space like bush variety of squash instead of vining, or if you want to grow something with shorter vines like cucumbers make a trellis out of two thin poles and twine. 

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There are a few tricks that you can use to get the most out of your limited space. One is growing varieties that take up limited space like bush variety of squash instead of vining, or if you want to grow something with shorter vines like cucumbers make a trellis out of two thin poles and twine. 

 

I've been doing a fair amount of research, that's why I've settled on the earthtainer. If you're not familiar: IMG_3749.jpg

 

Those are 96" tall indeterminate tomatoes grown by the creator of the earthtainer. He also grows a plethora of other vegetables (corn, squash, cukes, peppers, etc) in them and has better results in the earthtainer than he does in the ground.

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Haven't heard of Earthtainers. That's a pretty innovative system. I grow too much to use them exclusively but I think I might try growing eggplants in them as I have fits with flea beetles on them and this could be a solution. Doing a bit of quick research I found a few people who obviously didn't read into them like you did, they were perplexed that their plants got disease...a system like this doesn't protect plants from wind born fungal diseases like blight and powder mildew. But, of course, it would help avoid soil-based ones unless you get contaminated compost. 

 

I really like this. Thanks for sharing. Off to Lowe's this weekend. 

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Haven't heard of Earthtainers. That's a pretty innovative system. I grow too much to use them exclusively but I think I might try growing eggplants in them as I have fits with flea beetles on them and this could be a solution. Doing a bit of quick research I found a few people who obviously didn't read into them like you did, they were perplexed that their plants got disease...a system like this doesn't protect plants from wind born fungal diseases like blight and powder mildew. But, of course, it would help avoid soil-based ones unless you get contaminated compost. 

 

I really like this. Thanks for sharing. Off to Lowe's this weekend. 

 

If you haven't found it yet, here's the construction guide:

 

http://earthtainer.tomatofest.com/pdfs/EarthTainer-Construction-Guide.pdf

 

You're not supposed to use compost, it hurts the wicking process.

 

The creator recommends 3:2:1 potting mix : groundcover bark : perlite.

 

An engineer by trade, the creator has been tweaking his design for a number of years now.

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Raking of the yard will commence tomorrow, first with raking the driveway back into the driveway and we'll go from there. 

 

Best of luck to the vegetable growers, I'm not sure what if anything I'm going to try this year.  It seems like every year there's something that screws up my garden, heat, blight, last year it was the freaking chipmunks and squirrels eating my toms as a source of liquid during the dry spell.  I have a great fence to keep the deer and groundhogs out but not so much for the smaller game.  I don't know how farmers survive.   

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Once the yard dries out a bit, it'll be time to get the roller out and mush down all the mole hills. Then, the mowing marathon begins.

 

Some new flower gardens and maybe a bigger koi pond are in this years plans.

 

I have molehills at the very end of the yard. Just rake them.

 

Great day today, wish tomorrow would be similar. Damn rain.

Made 2 earthtainers today, planted 40 peas in the one. 20 little marvel's and 20 alaska's. I LOVE peas.

Fresh-grown peas are really really good. 

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I raked out the patches on the lawn that get squished by snow cover and walking on it during the winter, planted a tree and put down the first application of fertilizer. I noticed my day lilies are coming up so it’s time to spray the deer repellent. Maybe I’ll see a bloom this year. I’m thinking about renting a slit seeder.

 

Like Rob, I’m not sure if I’m planting vegetables this year there are too many things and critters out to destroy them. Throwing money at it would fix the problem… I don’t know if I want to go down that road and grown $20 a piece Tomatoes

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I raked out the patches on the lawn that get squished by snow cover and walking on it during the winter, planted a tree and put down the first application of fertilizer. I noticed my day lilies are coming up so it’s time to spray the deer repellent. Maybe I’ll see a bloom this year. I’m thinking about renting a slit seeder.

 

Like Rob, I’m not sure if I’m planting vegetables this year there are too many things and critters out to destroy them. Throwing money at it would fix the problem… I don’t know if I want to go down that road and grown $20 a piece Tomatoes

Yeah, my wife pointed that out to me last year, especially when you consider the various farmers markets and stands in our area.

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Yeah, my wife pointed that out to me last year, especially when you consider the various farmers markets and stands in our area.

 

IMO Most everything that comes from the local farmers is very good EXCEPT tomatoes which are bland supermarket hybrid types. I do prefer heirlooms homegrown but.......

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My planting schedule...

This is the first time I've ever posted on this board, but I have to ask...

 

Where in the world do you put all your indoor seeds -- or the outdoor plants, for that matter?

 

Obviously you don't live in a suburb as I do, but do you have several acres or a greenhouse?

 

That's impressive!

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This is the first time I've ever posted on this board, but I have to ask...

 

Where in the world do you put all your indoor seeds -- or the outdoor plants, for that matter?

 

Obviously you don't live in a suburb as I do, but do you have several acres or a greenhouse?

 

That's impressive!

Indoor seeds are in flats like you see at garden centers. You can have a giant garden in two little flats. 

 

I have one 100x18 garden, one 6x75 garden, and several smaller ones for flowers and stuff. It does keep me busy. A lot of the stuff I plant really doesn't take up much space, such as the flowers and greens. 

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I have obtained a 10' x 15' plot at the Penn State community garden.  I bought all my seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, which is based in the Missouri Ozarks.   Last weekend (a little late, I know), I started a couple of plants' worth of each of two tomato (Green Zebra and Illinois Beauty) and three hot-pepper varieties (Fish, Grandpa's Home, Mustard Habanero) indoors in some flats.  On Saturday, I sowed a row of each of two lettuce varieties (Forellenschluss and Red Romaine) and a radish variety (Purple Plum).  In a couple of weeks, I will probably sow some green beans.  By Mothers' Day, I figure that it will be time to sow cucumber and zucchini.  I have not decided when I will put my indoor-started tomato and pepper plants into the ground yet, as, unfortunately, I will be travelling out of state around the time I would like to do this (around Memorial Day); I am thinking that I will transplant just before I leave.  

 

Should be interesting.  I've been doing vegetable gardening for 15 years, since I was a boy, all in northern Illinois until this year.  The climate here is fairly similar -- perhaps a touch cooler during the JJA period --  but there seems to be a lot more pests here, not the least of which is the groundhog.  The community garden area does have a strong fence, fortunately, but apparently a groundhog has managed to penetrate, anyway.  

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I have obtained a 10' x 15' plot at the Penn State community garden.  I bought all my seed from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, which is based in the Missouri Ozarks.   Last weekend (a little late, I know), I started a couple of plants' worth of each of two tomato (Green Zebra and Illinois Beauty) and three hot-pepper varieties (Fish, Grandpa's Home, Mustard Habanero) indoors in some flats.  On Saturday, I sowed a row of each of two lettuce varieties (Forellenschluss and Red Romaine) and a radish variety (Purple Plum).  In a couple of weeks, I will probably sow some green beans.  By Mothers' Day, I figure that it will be time to sow cucumber and zucchini.  I have not decided when I will put my indoor-started tomato and pepper plants into the ground yet, as, unfortunately, I will be travelling out of state around the time I would like to do this (around Memorial Day); I am thinking that I will transplant just before I leave.  

 

Should be interesting.  I've been doing vegetable gardening for 15 years, since I was a boy, all in northern Illinois until this year.  The climate here is fairly similar -- perhaps a touch cooler during the JJA period --  but there seems to be a lot more pests here, not the least of which is the groundhog.  The community garden area does have a strong fence, fortunately, but apparently a groundhog has managed to penetrate, anyway.  

That's great - the community garden over near the golf course/graduate student housing? I walk past there all the time. Baker Creek is a great source for seeds.

 

Might want to hold off a little on the green beans and plant them around the tomato/pepper plantings. BTW fish peppers are great hot peppers, I grow them. Neat foilage too. 

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That's great - the community garden over near the golf course/graduate student housing? I walk past there all the time. Baker Creek is a great source for seeds.

 

Might want to hold off a little on the green beans and plant them around the tomato/pepper plantings. BTW fish peppers are great hot peppers, I grow them. Neat foilage too. 

Although I have heard of the garden by the graduate-student housing, my plot is in a community garden (associated with the Penn State Center for Sustainable Living) just south of the football stadium, off Porter Road.  Actually, Jeff (PennMan) has a plot there, too.  

 

Thanks for the advice regarding the planting time of the green beans.  Definitely seems like prudent advice given the cooler weather expected to set in again next week.  

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  • 2 weeks later...

Although I have heard of the garden by the graduate-student housing, my plot is in a community garden (associated with the Penn State Center for Sustainable Living) just south of the football stadium, off Porter Road.  Actually, Jeff (PennMan) has a plot there, too.  

 

Thanks for the advice regarding the planting time of the green beans.  Definitely seems like prudent advice given the cooler weather expected to set in again next week.  

I was out at the garden this afternoon. Perfect weather. Now have several types of lettuce, radishes, spinach, beets, dill, cilantro, parsley, nasturtiums, and sunflowers planted. My radishes and lettuce have just begun to sprout. In about three weeks I'll plant tomatoes and a few varities of peppers.

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I was out at the garden this afternoon. Perfect weather. Now have several types of lettuce, radishes, spinach, beets, dill, cilantro, parsley, nasturtiums, and sunflowers planted. My radishes and lettuce have just begun to sprout. In about three weeks I'll plant tomatoes and a few varities of peppers.

After another week -- so busy lately with meteorology graduate course work, but that will be ending for a while soon, thankfully -- I got out to the garden mid- to late yesterday afternoon.  The radishes and lettuce that I had planted two weeks ago today have germinated nicely; the radishes will need thinned a bit pretty soon, probably by the middle of next week.  I decided to water a bit, but that may not have been needed, as the conditions are increasingly looking unsettled and rainy (and certainly not too sunny) for tomorrow and the beginning of the week.  Depending on how this week goes weather-wise and how the following week is forecast to be, I may look to plant some green beans around next weekend.  Carrots could be put in anytime, I reckon, but I think that I may want to time my planting so that they are maturing more during the late summer and fall rather than in the heat of the mid-summer; they usually have a better flavour if they can be left in the ground through some of the cool weather in the fall.  Like you, Jeff, I will probably look to plant tomatoes and peppers, plus cucumbers and zucchini, by mid-month and certainly before I leave on my trip to my parents' house in Illinois in the several days surrounding Memorial Day weekend.  

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I was out at the garden this afternoon. Perfect weather. Now have several types of lettuce, radishes, spinach, beets, dill, cilantro, parsley, nasturtiums, and sunflowers planted. My radishes and lettuce have just begun to sprout. In about three weeks I'll plant tomatoes and a few varities of peppers.

 

 

After another week -- so busy lately with meteorology graduate course work, but that will be ending for a while soon, thankfully -- I got out to the garden mid- to late yesterday afternoon.  The radishes and lettuce that I had planted two weeks ago today have germinated nicely; the radishes will need thinned a bit pretty soon, probably by the middle of next week.  I decided to water a bit, but that may not have been needed, as the conditions are increasingly looking unsettled and rainy (and certainly not too sunny) for tomorrow and the beginning of the week.  Depending on how this week goes weather-wise and how the following week is forecast to be, I may look to plant some green beans around next weekend.  Carrots could be put in anytime, I reckon, but I think that I may want to time my planting so that they are maturing more during the late summer and fall rather than in the heat of the mid-summer; they usually have a better flavour if they can be left in the ground through some of the cool weather in the fall.  Like you, Jeff, I will probably look to plant tomatoes and peppers, plus cucumbers and zucchini, by mid-month and certainly before I leave on my trip to my parents' house in Illinois in the several days surrounding Memorial Day weekend.  

When I plant all the cold sensitive stuff will hinge on how warm we get. I'm not convinced as yet that mid-month will have warm enough soil for stuff like tomatoes, peppers, any of the curcubits, beans, etc. You need a good warm soil for beans to germinate, for example, or else they will rot in the ground. A good guide: http://www.gardeners.com/When-to-Plant/warmenuflp,default,pg.html

 

Even if you are putting in plants, if you plant say tomatoes too early, all they will do is sit in the ground and not do much. 

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Heading home at noon (kids have a half day) and plan on planting my peas, onions, etc.  Cool weather stuff.  I'll try to plant the potatoes I have from last year, if I can find them.  It's early for them but they will just go to waste otherwise.  Ave last frost date here is May 20 or 28th or something like that.  About 1 in 3 years we have a frost in early June.

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I'd hold off on planting anything frost-sensitive looking at the long range pattern. Not enough warmth to get the soil up to temp in true central PA and frost threat is still there. Ave last frost here is around May 10. 

I think that I am going to hold off another week.  Air temperatures look great this week, but the soils probably should warm up a bit more and will be to do so with the warmer nights (50's versus low 40's) expected this coming week.  That is in step with what I have done out in Illinois, where the average date of last freeze is around 10 May, as well.  

 

I visited my plot today -- I am hoping to do this several times a week now that the semester is over -- and the lettuce and radishes that I planted three weeks ago continue to progress fairly nicely.  The fallow (for now) area in the plot really needed weeded, so I did that.  Also, I watered the radishes and lettuce since it's getting a bit dry out there again.  

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Another beautiful day, perfect for lawn and garden work.

 

Started off the morning by core aerating the lawn. I'm in the process of constructing another earthtainer for tomatos (which I've started hardening off today). I'll build another next weeked for peppers, and possibly 1 more for sweet corn.

 

Later, I'm going to mow, and we might pick up another 2 flats of liriope. We're lining a walkway with it, it's the only thing that holds up to the dogs.

 

Last weekend involved constructing the arbor below, which will be covered in wildfire clematis (excuse the dilapidated garage, we plan on replacing the windows and touching up the exterior down the road).

 

Wildfire clematis (gets 8" blooms):

 

ClematisWildfire.jpg

 

post-7557-0-60505500-1367684685_thumb.jp

 

This area was nothing but brush and weeds when we bought the house. I think we improved it quite a bit. I kick myself for not taking before and after pics.

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I think that I am going to hold off another week.  Air temperatures look great this week, but the soils probably should warm up a bit more and will be to do so with the warmer nights (50's versus low 40's) expected this coming week.  That is in step with what I have done out in Illinois, where the average date of last freeze is around 10 May, as well.  

 

I visited my plot today -- I am hoping to do this several times a week now that the semester is over -- and the lettuce and radishes that I planted three weeks ago continue to progress fairly nicely.  The fallow (for now) area in the plot really needed weeded, so I did that.  Also, I watered the radishes and lettuce since it's getting a bit dry out there again.  

The 12Z GFS from today needs to STFU about 5/13-5/14  :gun_bandana:

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