Now if we could only get a long enough fall this year so that the apples would have a chance to fully ripen . . . or should we start now building a REEEALLY big greenhouse over the whole orchard?
This raised bed has a sunken pot of Sweetgrass in the center. (Sweetgrass will spread and take over the acreage if you don't contain it.) This year I decided to sow a wildflower mix in the rest of the bed. Seeds are starting to sprout . . . but so are what must be a million little weeds! As a person who likes to yank every weed before it becomes a problem, this planting may push me over the brink. How do I know which are weeds and which are wildflower sprouts?? In past situations like this, I've grown some weeds all the way to the flowering stage before I realized that, duh, you dummy, you just spent three months cultivating a WEED!
Last year I started some California Poppies indoors and transplanted 21 of them to this garden bed. They filled the bed (see above picture) and provided gorgeous blooms for much of the summer and into fall. I loved them. In the fall I let the flowers go to seed and this spring . . .
. . . look at the volunteers! My question now is should I thin some of these plants out? The bed became completely filled last year with the 21 plants I set out. Here we have 21 bazillion plants coming along, and I'm wondering if they will do okay or if they're going to be so dense they'll choke each other out and the blooms will suffer. Anybody know?
7 comments:
Hey Mama Pea, I'm thinkin' you need to move that sweet apple blossom photo up to the top of your home page!!! A beautiful sign of new life coming. Of course, here in Georgia, we already have young apples on the trees and blueberries on the bushes and my garden is thriving....such a welcome sight after a lousy, long cold winter (by southern standards, you understand! ;-)) Blessings for a bountiful harvest for you this year! Vivian
I agree with Thimblevee, put that as your blog header, what a great sign of hope for the new season! Can't help you on those poppies, I have 15 thousand cosmos popping up all over the place, the kind that got over 8 feet tall last year....! I think the wildflower plan is a great one, speaking of, how are the bees? Did they fare okay through the winter?
As usual, I have garden envy. What beautiful apple trees! I am still working on filling my ONE raised bed - my goal is today. Then to plant!
Hi, Vivian - Good to hear from you again! And you can see I took your suggestion for my new blog header photo! (Not that it needed an update at all . . . )
Our blueberries are just now blossoming. I should try to get a pic for the blog of them, too.
Hoping you have a great summer season to make up for your winter!
Hey, Erin - We went into the winter with three hives. One didn't make it but the other two are goin' great guns . . . probably due to our early spring and lots of early blossoms this year. It's 80 in the sun already now at 10 AM so it will be another good, good day for them.
Hi, Susan - Remember our garden didn't happen overnight. Lots of blood, sweat and tears went into it all. Heck, even yesterday I contributed more blood and sweat out there. (But any day when there are no tears(!) is a good day!) Let's see a picture of the raised bed tonight, eh?
Wow, you are quick--- oooh, yes, that is so refreshing to see up top! Have a blessed day!
The header looks wonderful! Glad to hear the bees are doing well, they will love the new wildflower beds!
Hi, Vivian - Thanks again for your suggestion for the new blog header photo. It looks a lot better than I thought it would!
Hey, Erin - Every bloomin' thing we can plant around here helps the bees. Since it's not like they have whole fields of clover to work, they have a hard time of it.
Thanks for the kind words on the header photo.
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