Mostly been spring cleaning in the garden the last few days and there is still so much to do. At least today I got some seeds in the ground! I will start soaking more tonight.
So many plants have been growing faster than we can manage them this year–including the dandelions though I admit the view of all the puffs is gorgeous right now. I will pay for that later, of course. *chuckles*
- Stopped by Agway to see if there was an update about the shrubs I wanted, but there was not and the lady that handles orders was not there. Was hoping to pick up the right lobelia seeds this time, but they were even more cleaned out of seeds overall than the last time we were there–and no more native (red) left. I still have not learned my lesson about impulse buying “pretty” things. The poorly labeled Sun Ball flowers (like poofs on top of stems) were not the strawflowers I thought they were (also not native, but good for dried arrangements). The poorly labeled part? It said both “Craspedia” and pycnosorus globosus on the front, which when I looked them up are not the same thing though they are related. Way to go Botanial Interests seed company! Hyacinth Bean because…more purple…and again…totally not native. Lemon basil I knew wasn’t, but food and pollinators and it will die back anyhoo. I still want to start herbs from seed, darnit. Lastly, the only thing I thought was native, marigolds, turned out to be a French variant *sheesh*. That’s it for seed buying from me this year. Good grief have I done a bang up job of messing up trying to only buy natives.
- My partner and I during the water and walkabout discussed and made a few decisions on what’s next. The nearest next is this weekend will be spent continuing to soak more seeds for germination while also clearing out the new patch we’re going to move all the milkweed that came up this year from the patch that was struck by the yellowing disease. I will be keeping a sharp eye on them, and if any start to yellow, out they go and into the burn bin.
- We’ll also move what used to be in some sort of small border bed along the kitchen window section of the back of the house to other beds and then will pull up the cement splash guards so we can both free up the plants growing between the crack as well as finally get that choke cherry out of the corner. We decided since we have two others growing in the back among the other saplings, those are the ones we’ll put up front. That way if we really mangle the one in that corner as we get it out of the ground and away from being too close to the house we’ll still have some. If it survives the unearthing, we’re not sure where it will go just yet. That area will be pumpkins this year. Also companions, just not sure which yet.
- I cleared the bit nearest the treasure trellis, dug out what burdock was nearest and pulled up all the dead grasses that had blown over in the winter. I managed to only mangle one of the strawberries in the process. I’m so happy with how many there are so far. (Much more than what is in the photograph above, just out the field of sight.) I planted six of the scratched and overnight soaked germinated seeds of the Grandpas, three in front and three in back of the trellis. It may end up being too much for that trellis, but I thought I might figure a way to trail them at the fence top if its just a height issue. We’ll see how it goes.
- I wanted to plant more of the Otts, but I was distracted by all the overgrowth that had cropped up again near the side door of the garage. There was a burdock there with a root over a foot long and that took some time getting out all the bits because of course it broke off the first time I thought I had it. So the rest of the germinated Otts that I was thinking of planting along the berry trellis right outside my office window will go in the ground tomorrow.
- Speaking of the safety glass bed, I did move the picket corner edge fence to start marking a possible corner there. I also ripped up some of the creepers that had crept either from the rock wall or the safety glass bed across the path leading down the west side of the house. I really hope we can make some progress on the dry creek bed we want to make along that path. It might not start until July at this rate, but I aim to make it finally happen this year! We also agreed that I’d clear out a third of the berry creepers from there and start moving the volunteer milkweeds in the path into the bed itself. I think I’m also going to try planting some butterfly weed in that bed as well.
- I did clear any dandelion tops along the “goat” trail through the back yard as I was walking back from trips to the compost to dump out non baking bin needed plant detritus from my cleanup efforts. Then I dumped the seeding dandies I had gathered in the baking bin. Hardly made a dent, but better than nothing and as efficient as I could manage in the daylight I had left.
- We did notice the red raspberry bush seemed rather pleased with my cutting back the old growth, as today there was all sorts of new growth. (Probably my imagination, but it was good to see.)
- Found a lot more volunteer ferns in the shady side which is faboo. Also that one plant I still have to ID that also seems to favor the moist part shade also is making a bigger family for itself.
- We did pick out which of the oak saplings will get pulled sooner rather than later. His shoulder has been bothering him so I’m not sure when that might happen. He hurt it this week pulling out saplings in the back after it was already sore from his job. I keep telling him to let the fork do the work, but he forgets or gets impatient. Not sure which. I should ask, now that I think on it.
- We did notice a lot of the burdock all over has yellow and deeply reddish tinged leaves. We’re not sure if it’s the yellowing disease or they got burnt from the recent heat wave or what. It’s not like we’ve been kind and watering them since we plan to yank them all as time allows.
- One thing I keep noticing is deteriorating landscape cloth. I’m going to keep all I pull up and put it in its own bag because I’m curious exactly how much we’ll be pulling up this year. That will be interesting to see. Also found today: AA battery so corroded the outside wrap was breaking apart, a metal bottle cap, a strike plate, another of those curious orange plastic balls (for a BB gun? Bean bag? No idea–but we keep finding them everywhere on the property), another penny, and another marble.
