Last week my plan was to have everything in the garden planted by Tuesday, June 1st. Also, to have all thinning done and all the weeds under control. This actually would be possible if I could get a couple of whole, full days in the garden.
But we all know, life seems to throw little interruptions in here and there (some planned, some not) throughout each day and the stop and start process leaves a lot to be desired as far as producing real progress.
Pickling cucumbers, squash, dill and osaka purple mustard are still waiting to be planted. Also a second bed of spinach and radishes. Our weather has been a little warm for the spinach and radishes, but I'll put them under a shade cloth and hope for the best.
I made a second planting of lettuce a week or so ago and two of the varieties are refusing to sprout so I need to replant those with other varieties.
I want to plant out four pots of nasturtiums that I'll place at the end of the four rows of potatoes in the field garden just to make it look purdy.
Lots of thinning ready to be done: Swiss chard, mizuna mustard, slicing cucumbers, carrots (ugh, hate that job), morning glories and lettuce.
A little bit of touch-up weeding to be done in the blueberries. A whole bunch of serious weeding to be done in the raspberry patch. I mulched it heavily this spring but did not till up the ground as I usually do before mulching. Bad mistake. Huge, monster, steroid-fed dandelion plants have come up right through the mulch. I must eat a big bowl of Wheaties some morning soon and attack that mess.
The cover crop of oats and barley we planted in the pumpkin patch this spring is very close to being ready to be plowed under. Next green manure crop will be buckwheat. That little plot of ground is going to be so fertile, we'll be able to grow 100 pound pumpkins next year! (What the heck would we do with a hundred pound pumpkin?)
So you can see, I'm not lacking in things to keep me busy in the garden area. Tomorrow? Laundry and ironing day. Dang. Something else to keep me from spending a solid day in the garden.
Pictures coming up this week, I promise.
It's nice to hear that someone else has a to do list like mine! I spent the whole day outside working, but still didn't get done what I needed to! At least you've/we've still got two days until June 1st, right?
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to the photos...
Wow, busy busy! I need to do some massive weeding of the side of the garden not yet planted, so I can actually plant something lol.
ReplyDeleteMake sure to take some time for you too :)
I haven't gotten by stuff planted yet, either. http://rainbarrel.ca/
ReplyDeleteStill laughing at the ironing, that's one chore that could go years around here. I had to actually go buy an iron so I could block my knitting - otherwise I wouldn't even have one! 100 lb pumpkins? Maybe we could shellac/weatherproof it and that will be our summer cabin! I'm with you on the carrot planting, ugh! Sounds like you have things going pretty early this year, give yourself a break and actually sit down to eat those Wheaties before you jump back in!! I love Mizuna, mine is done and now I have to wait until fall again, luckily I found one lettuce mix that does fairly well in our summers so I need to plant another row of those today, since my first is about 3 inches tall... sometimes I am so bad about succession planting, I need to set an alarm on my computer!
ReplyDeleteHey, Fiona - Here it is 11 o'clock on May 31st and I haven't managed to get out to the garden yet. ARRRGGGH! However, life is full, life is good so I shall now give myself a swift kick, stop being cranky and appreciate, appreciate, appreciate. :o)
ReplyDeleteHi, Stephanie - I always say if soil can grow weeds, it should be able to grow vegetables. So yay for weeds? (Or maybe that's going too far.)
Anonymous - If we do any succession planting at all, we're NEVER done!
Hey, Erin - GOOD thought for the 100 lb. pumpkin!
Now go out there and plant some more of that lettuce mix, you wrinkled person you!
100lb of pumpkins?? Sounds like you have a business plan for providing the neighborhood with jack-0-lanterns :)
ReplyDeleteI hate thinning seedlings - always afraid I'll pull the wrong ones (and seems like such a waste!)
Hi, Jen - No, not 100 lbs. of pumpkins . . . I was talking about growing (in my dreams!) a 100 pound pumpkin! 100 lbs. of pumpkins . . . I'd be happy to grow enough to use as decoration and share with Chicken Mama!
ReplyDeleteYour garden sounds great and it's nice to know that someone else is behind on their to-do list! Still, I figure at least I have a plan and that helps me stay on track more than anything else.
ReplyDeleteHi, Leigh - Making lists also helps me stay on track and feel like I'm accomplishing something . . . at least on paper. Oh, the tricks we play with ourselves!
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