Spring Has Sprung!

Boy this year was a disappointment to the local ski resorts! There was no snow! We went skiing for the first time here right on the biggest snow day, but that was it! However, as a gardener, I sure was excited! The only thing I am not looking forward to is the bug population, except for the good bugs! Anyhow, two days ago, Sunday, I was able to finally see my garden in good light thanks to Daylight Savings! My garlic is a good 6-8" tall now. Lots of weeds that overwintered and thanks to the rain last night, the soil was nice and soft to dig in and pull weeds out! I also planted some peas tonight since this Thursday and Friday are orchid show days so I won't be home early enough to see. Of course, that has never stopped me before! :D

Garlic & Impending Hard Frost

Columbus Day came and went this week, but I was so busy I wasn't able to plant my garlic. Tonight I needed some garden therapy and my garlic needed to be planted so I cleared out the tomatoes and planted the garlic in its spot. By the time the tomatoes were out, it was dark and I had to plant by head lamp! They maybe a bit crooked, but they are in! Will need to get some compost! 

This coming weekend will be our first frost and it will be a hard one, I think! I still have a few plants to dig into the ground, but if not, I can place them next week I guess! I would just have to bring them back inside during the cold spell! I think the Dahlias will need to be dug up next week I bet. 

Beauty, Anticipation, & Disappointment

The cabbage worms were wrecking havoc on my cabbage this year. It's my first time growing it. I've been spraying it every other day to every few days with neem oil and all of the new growth so far has been intact!

I was also spraying my grapes with neem until we had two weeks straight of rain and I did not spray during the rain. Soon as it quit, these spots showed up 😕

These Yucca flowers are unique.

Garlic is ready to harvest!

I've been seeing these for the last couple of weeks at the local grocery store. They have no name, but boy are they pretty! I finally caved and bought one!

This little cutie has been teasing me for awhile! Still waiting!!!

Garlic, Fall Deals, & Fleas

This year I am doing some crop rotation now that I have the space to do so now! Yesterday, I planted my garlic in my tomato patch this fall. Unfortunately the tomato plants are still growing so it was a bit hard to reach all the way in, but I tried my best! They should have plenty of space to grow and the area is already heavily amended so hopefully they really like it! I will add more compost later so they stay nice and snug throughout the winter. Because I didn't get as many bulbs (or as big) as I had hoped this year, I really don't have much garlic to use so I planted a lot. At least it's what I think is a lot! I didn't plant them all as much as I would like to! In order to plant as much garlic as I would like, I would have to not plant sweet potatoes and squash. I did exhaust the tomato patch so I had to plant a few more back into where I had them last year. 

The potatoes I threw out into my compost heap is really happy out there! 

Lowes has their perennials on sale! I picked up 4 variegated hostas for $1.50 each! :D I planted them by the side fence. When they grow in, they're going to be so pretty! 

Not only did Lowes  had perennials on sale, they also had those mini kales on sale that I was eyeing up earlier! The pansies were only 30¢ each! I got six! AND....pumpkins were on sale! Granted most of them did not have any stems left, but you can't beat half price! I wished that they had another one of the crooked necked gourds though. Oh well! The one I got had a huge crack in it, but who cares?

So for the first time in a long time, I have a flea issue! The last time was nine years ago! I'm thinking it's the neighborhood cats that have brought them into my yard. Today I treated the backyard with a product called Wondercide. It's totally organic (99% cedar oil) and is supposed to kill fleas and leave beneficial insects! So we'll see how it does! I used 2 oz in 2 gallons of water. It smells pretty good too! :D

There is also another product called Cedarcide, but I found it to be more expensive. 

I had to wait a few days to do so because of rain and my old sprayer was broken. I had ordered new parts, but one of them did not fit even though I had checked with Hudson on the right part number. Fed up, I got a new sprayer, a D.B. Smith Professional sprayer. I wasn't crazy about the all plastic parts compared to my brass wand with the Hudson sprayer, but I was pleasantly surprised when I went to use it. It comes with a few different nozzles, for which it is quite hard to understand how to put together if you are looking in the instruction booklet. The diagram is small and hard to figure out. It also has a lifetime guarantee on the parts! I could've bought a cheaper sprayer, but because of that guarantee, I chose to pay $10 more for this one instead. I'm hoping it lasts! Although really, I had my Hudson sprayer for a long time so I guess I should not be surprised that it has failed finally. I never did do any maintenance on it and probably did all I shouldn't with it like cleaning it out after I was done since I always liked to keep something in it for a quick fix! 

Fall Happenings

This is my largest tomato! I'm pretty sure I got the tags mixed up somehow and this Pineapple! It's got a great taste! Definitely will be growing this again! It's so pretty too!

The bottom of the tomato.

The inside! See how pretty it is?

I think this is my Japanese Kobacha squash....not sure? Will have to look at my seed packets, but it is getting big! 

My little watermelon! It's gotten big, but it isn't ripe yet still! *sigh*

Found a baby pumpkin growing! 

Another small pumpkin growing on the tomato cage! This one is bigger than the last. 

My beautiful kale! <3 p="">

Dahlia 'Potluck'. Not very impressed by this strain...less colorful than I expected! 

My milkweed finally bloomed! 

Seven spikes!!! This is the second time this Pleurothallis convallium 'D&M' has bloomed for me and I only got it this past May! 

This little Masdavallia Peachie must be happy with me as it threw out a spike!

Papillio in full bloom

Garlic 'Music' all squeaky clean and ready to be eaten/planted! Most of it will be planted as I did not get nearly enough to get much to be eaten this year unfortunately! :( 

Garlic Harvest

Finally harvested my garlic and it is PUNGENT! :D Broke the two biggest bulbs of course! Digging in this first year clay soil is tough before I managed to perfect my technique! They aren't as big as I had hoped, but not bad! Soon as I can amend the soil enough it should grow some HUGE garlic! :D That's what I am aiming for anyhow ;) 

Signs of a Harsh Winter

It's been a harsh winter. My garlic is now a good 5" tall now, but some of them appears to not have made it. I thought I planted more than this, but I guess not! 

Native plant: Anemone is in bloom!

More evidence that this winter was really harsh....even with inches of mulch over this hellebore, it is not quite as big as it was last year, however, it is blooming!

The Daffodils and Forsythia are also blooming today! Tuesday it is supposed to get really cold again :\ The pear tree has broken dormancy and sprouted some leaves already! We're ready for spring, but winter isn't giving up the ghost yet!!!

My hot peppers that I have overwintered aren't doing so hot :(

Garlic is IN!

So the garlic is IN! Hopefully my hubby won't dig them up or squash them accidentally!

Music is planted right next to the grape vine!

Bogatyr is planted to the right of that rock line! 

The Harvest Has Begun!

Another Patio Tomato harvested! Just got my first ripe Black Prince tomato too!

Had a volunteer tomato sprout in one of my large pots at the old house! Thought I needed that pot so I transplanted it into this smaller pot. Finally moved it to the new house to see what it is! Probably a cherry tomato of some sort as they seem the most prolific! 

I forget where I planted what, but I know I planted watermelon and pumpkin seeds here so we'll just have to wait and see what it is that really sprouted!

Check out our grapes! Not sure what kind they are or when they might be ready. 

Some of my plants that I dug up from the old house. The one that is quite brown is an Itoh Peony that went into shock. I'm hoping it recovers...

I totally forgot to harvest my garlic! Went to the old house, saw them and finally thought to myself "Hey! It's past the 4th of July!" Doh! So I dug them up! Some of the ones in the shade didn't look ready yet. At most, they had only one to two brown leaves. I'll give it another few days.

I am really bad at keeping up with this blog this year! Of course, not much to post about since I did not grow much this year. The garlic was dismal this year! I didn't have time this spring to baby it like I normally do and it's been an especially dry summer. Even my lilies did not look that great this year thanks to the drought.

My Dahlia 'Duet' did GREAT this year and all in an itty bitty pot too! I'm pretty sure it has rooted into the soil below. I got a new Dahlia called 'Hawai'i' this year and the first bloom I got looked nothing like what was pictured, however, as it blooms more, the flowers are starting to look more like the picture!

My watermelon hasn't gotten any bigger. It seems they have hit a plateau. One is about softball sized and the other about the size of a baseball. The stem is still green so I am letting them be even though it is September already!

There has not been many stink bugs this year. I thought it was because I did not grow any tomatoes or my feeding the wild birds, but I spoke to Doug Oster at the Phipps Tomato and Garlic Festival and he mentioned the same thing! Go figure that the year I choose not to grow any tomatoes there aren't any stink bugs! Let's hope they don't come back!

This is how the tag looks...

This is what bloomed!

Another bloom....this one looks a bit closer to what the tag looks like!

This one is the most recent bloom. Now we're talking! The blooms are much bigger than I expected. Not a bad problem though!

An Unusual Winter

It's been extremely warm this winter. I am not complaining by any means! I am SO glad that there hasn't been much snow. Phil, the groundhog, said there is six more weeks of winter. I'm A-OK with that as long as it stays as it has been! My garlic and hyacinths are peeking out of the ground already. They'll be alright though. I'm thinking I may not plant tomatoes this year as it is useless to plant any when all the stink bugs just eat them all anyway! My Bhut Jolokia doesn't seem to have survived the winter this year, which really sucks. I've started new seeds. I hope they sprout! I may have to get them their own light next year! I think I may do without the habaneros too since we have plenty in the freezer. That ought to last my chili making for a long while!

Garlic is Planted!

So this post will show up a bit late....I really planted them October 11th! I decided to put the super big cloves of the unknown garlic back in the shade. I figured that would give them a helping hand to grow in the shade. I also put German Red next to it since they are good, but I am still in love with Music! I planted some of Music in the area with more sun so the cloves can get bigger next year and I will rotate in the German Reds, maybe. I might just get rid of the reds and unknowns to grow solely Music as that seems to be my all time favorite for flavor! I so need a larger yard with more sunlight! I'd love to have a huge garlic patch! Now I just need to get more pine mulch as it seems they love that stuff the best!

Last year, in the shade patch, I put in cow manure and pine mulch and they grew bigger, but nothing like the area that got more sun with just pine mulch. Maybe I just have to move my plants in that area to the other? The shade patch gets a ton of compost too! I really think it's just the lack of light. Only thing is my peonies can't go into the shade and I'd hate to move my Cypripediums... I need a new yard!!!

Columbus Day = Garlic Planting Day!

Unfortunately I did not get to planting my garlic today. Maybe tomorrow! I still need to clear out the area for them though. My neighbor's chickens will be having a feast! I've already given them some tomato plant cuttings to feast on and they preferred it over the collard greens I gave them! I don't blame them, honestly! Those Black Krim tomatoes are yummy! Their leaves have to be just as good too :)

What's Blooming

My Stargazer lilies just opened up yesterday and they smell HEAVENLY! I always look forward to these blooms each year. Almost more so than my red Asiatic lilies. I think I may cull the one type out as I am not impressed by the flower shape as well as they are taking up too much space for my garlic since they grow in the same space!


I finally planted my Black Krim tomatoes (they're in bloom already!) and basil after I dug out all the garlic. I can't wait to have tomatoes again!

Three of my Japanese Neofinetias are in bud! Not in spike, but in BUD! YIPEE!!! They smell awesome too! I love growing these things as they are so easy and bloom so readily for me. The other perk is that they stay SMALL!

The Bhut Jolokia has almost met death twice now with lots of broken branches. This last time I tried to salvage the broken stems by tying it back together in hopes that it will heal. So far, only a few leaves lost, but no wilting, keep your fingers crossed! It's been blooming its head off, but no fruit :( The other peppers are setting fruit just fine! I hope no stink bugs are around this year to eat them. I have not seen as many of them this year, knock on wood!

Garlic Harvest

These were not grown in my usual garlic patch. These were the mix-ups that I had from last year. They could be Music or some other no name type. Strong flavor though! This group got a lot more sun and space and the bulbs were MUCH bigger! I wish I had more sun/space to grow garlic as these are more like the size I wanted them to grow to be! The oddest thing happened with these...we put weed block fabric down and the bulbs luckily and oddly formed above the fabric (but under the mulch)! The roots penetrated into it for moisture and nutrients though!

These are German. They didn't do too bad.

These are Music. They are slightly bigger than they were last year thanks to the cow manure and mulch, but no where near as big as the ones that got more sun and space.

In the place of the garlic, I planted my two Black Krim tomatoes as well as some basil. I debated whether to plant the Dahlia or not and decided to try them in pots this year instead. It would make storing easier without having to dig them up!

October happenings

I have been really bad at keeping this up to date....

Last week, Tuesday after Columbus Day, I planted all new garlic as the bulbs I grew this year were really disappointing in size. I planted more Music, German Red and this unknown bulb I got from the farmer's market that I once knew the name of, but I have forgotten since! :\

Last night I discovered that my Phrag. albopurpureum 'Sir Arthur' was in spike! I am excited as I have never seen it bloom! It must be a nice one as it is awarded!

Then just a few minutes ago I discovered a little oncidium I have is also in spike!

My B. nodosa flowers are fading. It has bloomed for quite a long time! My first time flowering it since I got it as a seedling in flask!

I also have a Masdevallia Copper Angel x floribunda in bloom at the moment!

My double tuberose is in bloom at the moment, but the buds aren't opening up for some reason. It smells just as good all the same though!

Spring Stuff!

Garlic is Planted!

Yesterday winter arrived. It dropped down to 23˚F! Moved my Cymbidiums back inside and I almost missed my peppers. Yes, PEPPERS! They were still growing! One was starting to ripen up too, but alas, I had to cut them off. The cold was affecting the leaves and I knew it would not survive the night temperatures in the low 20s. Today, just as I had expected, autumn was over, which only means one thing...time to plant garlic!

The soil had a frozen crust on top, which is exactly perfect for planting garlic! I planted 20-some cloves of Music and the mystery garlic John had sent me. I somehow got them mixed up so I can't tell which is which! I also planted one called German Red, but I'm not sure how well that one is going to grow since it looked a bit shrunken already. Apparently it doesn't keep well! I still have plenty of room to grow tomatoes next year in the same plot (I know I'm not supposed to! But I didn't get the blight this year so it must be working???) as well as maybe a few herbs too! I think I am going to try to grow more herbs so I can dry my own next year! (Thanks Jen!)

Anyhoo....time to study and after that....play with my indoor plants for a few months till spring arrives! Stay warm!

Orchid Festival

So Saturday morning I was supposed to do the Heart Walk. Meanwhile, my alarm decided it had other plans for me. Maybe it was a good thing since I was wiped out and needed sleep badly. I woke up a half hour before I was supposed to be there and I could've made it except I had guests over and our one and only bathroom was occupied. So instead, I decided to go back to bed and sleep in! I made it to the Orchid Festival around noon-ish. Ended up purchasing two little Phals, a Masdevallia, and a terrestrial orchid that I can plant outside!

After that was over I went home and skipped the Halloween party we were invited to also because I just did not have the energy to stay up late and socialize and Justin did not feel like it either after his fiasco with the car.

This morning I again got up late, figuring that the Orchid Festival isn't nearly as busy as our spring show and I was right. I found parking right away! I think (hope) that the vendors were pretty happy with their sales. I hope it was worth it for them to come! I couldn't help myself...bought a Cyp. pubescens today as well as 5 double pot hangers for my Epiphyllums.

After coming home, I planted my Betilla striata alba next to my regular pink Betillas. I sunk my wild blackberry into the ground to save it from the winter. I will dig it back out come spring since I planted it pot and all into the ground. I also planted the saffron crocuses that almost washed away during the spring storm. They had all sprouted and was ready to bloom! The only thing I did not sink into the ground was my miniature evergreen. I think I might take my chances and leave it on my enclosed front porch and see. Worst comes to worst I can throw it in the coal cellar where it stays around in the 40s during the winter.

I think I am ready now...waiting for the first hard frost so I can plant my garlic. I am also hoping my mystery peppers will ripen up before the frost hits! Still trying to decide if I should sink a pot of grass into the ground also....probably should as well as the pot of strawberries and succulents. Need to find more space where they won't be mistaken for weeds!

I forgot....I still need to dig up my sweet potato vines once the frost gets them as well as my caladiums. They are getting there! The sweet potato vines are a bit wilty today. I wish I had a greenhouse! It'll be interesting by the time we move out of this house. I am taking my plants with me! Yes, the ones outdoors! The three peonies and all the orchids are coming with me!

I am quickly running out of space indoors....! Help!

Garlic

Harvested my first garlic today. The bulb wasn't too bad, but it wasn't super big either for such a big plant! I think I'll pull up the others later.