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Category: Michele's Garden | Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:47 pm

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It rained all day on Saturday May 31st and I wasn't feeling very well so we didn't work out in the garden. BUT we made up for that TODAY!

Logan and I were in the garden by 8am. I worked the soil, adding manure and compost and we managed to get a lot planted. While I was planting the sweet peppers in their planter boxes my husband was building me a new hot house to place over them. I still think it gets a bit cool at night so we have 2 hot boxes we place over the peppers to keep them protected at night.





Logan helped me to make 4 hills for the pumpkins. We are cutting WAY back on the number of pumpkins we plant. We got TOO many last year and couldn't get rid of them. I carved about 6 and gave 4 away and that should be enough. We should get about 12 pumpkins from what I planted. We also planted several packets of sunflower seeds around the pumpkins. Sunflowers did well near the pumpkins last year.

I put in 4 cantaloupe plants and 4 watermelon plants that I started from seed about 8 weeks ago. I put floating row covers over them to protect them at night. I have been hardening them up by putting them on my cool porch so they should be okay.

Here is a picture of Logan standing in from of the pumpkin hills and near the floating row covers.





I planted 2 tires with 5 pieces of potato in each. Hopefully they will grown and by fall we will have 2 stacks of tires with nearly 50lbs of potatoes.

I planted zucchini in a stack of tires and also in a hill. That should be enough for me and my mom. We are the only one that eats it. I can't wait to grill it and also make some bread!

I weeded the asparagus out a bit. I left some accidental sunflowers that grew from seeds of last year. This is the second year for the asparagus and we have had about 7 stalks pop through. It is so hard waiting 3 years to harvest! I love asparagus and wanted to pick that first stalk, but resisted. Here is a pic of it gone to seed.



We got the stakes out of the coop where we store them and we put them up with twine. I outline certain areas of the garden with little "fences" to keep child and husband from trampling things that are growing and not yet growing. I have some really cute signs I made 2 summers ago that need to go int he garden but they need some work to bring back the words. I carved the names of my veg into stained boards and put them on stakes. the words have faded so once the garden is done I can work on them and get them in the garden.

after lunch we did some harvest of the rhubarb. I think we picked 10 lbs! I have already given away that much and there is 2 times that much out there still. I am going to attempt to freeze it. My mother in law loves in but they don't come over from England until winter. So I am freezing as much as I can. Next weekend I will try to make a pie again. Last year it was a failure but I am determined. Anyone have a good recipe????



The last big project of the weekend...the tractor tire needed to be filled with peat moss, top soil and compost. It took a lot to fill it. we spray painted it first then while we were picking rhubarb it dried.

Here is the BEFORE...



Here is AFTER...



I planted snowball marigolds, red and white petunias and blue and white labilia...My husband had the idea to plant my onions in it too. So I planted about 30 red onions in and around the flowers. I ran out of room in the garden so this was a perfect place.

After all the hard work was done I walked the yard with my son and husband and took some pictures of buds that are coming. Soon I will have bearded irises. I transplanted them from a neighbor last year and the summer before and never got blooms. BUT THEY ARE COMING!

Here are various pics of buds coming:











This rose bush is very special to me. My grandfather planted this rose bush nearly 50 years ago in Hartford, CT. He passed away 8 years ago. In our first summer in this house my aunt cut a chunk of it and brought it roots and all to us. We planted it and waited to see if it would grow. The winter of 2006 we covered it with leaves and sheets to protect it. It came back last summer and didn't bloom but grew and grew up the trellis. It has come back very strong this year and we HOPE to get roses.




Here are the ACCIDENTAL SUNFLOWERS..there are quiet a few of them around the yard...I love to see where they pop up from. We get a lot under the bird feeders and all over the garden area. I just let them dry in the fall and let the birds and critters have at them.





Well that was my weekend. I am tired but so happy to have accomplished so much. Next weekend we will be tilling up some areas and planting the rest of my onion sets. Almost all the really hard work is done. I can't wait to be able to watch everything start to grow.

Good night all.


Last edited: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:49 pm

This blog entry has been viewed 451 times

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Biita wrote on Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:17 pm:

Wow,, you have been so busy!! Everything looks great. Your potatoes can i give you a little hint that the old farmers do here,,, add your banana skins to the soil..your potatoes will thank you for it. and so will your soil.

OMG! You got chickweed and dandelions! I can live off that. Ohhh wow i see salads, wines, teas, steamed veggies,, side dishes,, all from just those two "weeds",,,lol.

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Droopy wrote on Sun Jun 01, 2008 9:27 pm:

I'm breathless just reading about what you've accomplished today, and can't imagine what I'd feel like if I'd tried to do all that! Your tractor tire looks good, well done. My husband froze rhubarb last autumn, and now it's being transformed into wine.

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eileen wrote on Sun Jun 01, 2008 10:27 pm:

Well who's been busy today then? Gosh you've achieved so much that I can hardly believe you could get so much accomplished in just a day. I love your tractor tyre especially now it's all planted up. Well done you!!!!

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gardenmama wrote on Sun Jun 01, 2008 11:19 pm:

Oh I hate that chickweed and dandilions..they take over EVERYTHING!...that chickweed is the biggest problem I have in the garden..Come and get it if you want it!

Thanks everyone for the nice things that you say. It makes me feel very good.

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glendann wrote on Mon Jun 02, 2008 3:18 am:

You have been a busy lady.I love your little hot houses.I plant in tires too.I don't plant potatos in them as the fire ants would eat them up.

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cajunbelle wrote on Mon Jun 02, 2008 5:18 pm:

Wow, you are one heck of a gardener, I am tired just reading it.

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SongofJoy57 wrote on Thu Jun 05, 2008 10:51 pm:

Thanks to your blog, I have seen rhubarb now . . . Man you have been quite the busy gardener there. I know one family that will be doing some fine eating this winter.

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