PreEmergent Experiment

 In two of my raised beds I have a problem with purslane weeds.  Each year I weed it and manage it but the following year it comes up from whatever seeds are left.  Last year I intended to use a preemergent control but didn't get around to it.  This year we are going to give it a shot.

Corn gluten meal  is derived from the part of the corn kernel that is not used when making corn meal. It is commonly used to control weeds. The oily coating on the corn gluten meal doesn’t allow plant roots to form, so newly germinated seedlings die.  I purchased 10 pounds of corn gluten meal on line and I wanted to get it spread before the seeds started to germinate.

The worst bed is one that I am planning to plan cauliflower and cabbage seedlings in this year.  I won't be seeding anything and I don't want to have to weed every week.

I spread three scoops of the corn gluten meal and today's rain should begin to activate it.  It should be good for five or six weeks and then I will spread a second batch.  I'll let you know if it helps.

It is another soggy day out.  I managed to dodge the raindrops. 

It was also quite warm out and I got a few other things done in the garden.

I set out my pre-sprouted ranunculus corms.   I'll run you through that project when it is complete.  Our weather is supposed to be very normal for the next week with no artic blasts forecasted.  I was sort of hesitant to set out the corms this early.  I wondered if I should pot a few up separately and put them in the cold frame but  thought - "no, I did the research and laid out these dates and I'm sticking to them.  If they don't work out then I'll have to try something else next year."  In for a penny, in for a pound.

This time of year when the ground is soft is also a good time to do some driveway maintenance.  The guys had a tractor ballet going next door scraping the crown out of the neighbor's driveway with a box scraper and taking the material away.

It looked like a bit of a mucky mess, but they took a lot of used gravel out and used it as fill in other areas and then laid down fresh gravel.

Afterwards it was flat and fresh and ready for summer.

This is the first year I have been able to enjoy crocuses during the day.  The blooms only open up when it is sunny.  When I worked I only got to see them on the weekends.  Now I get to enjoy them on any sunny day.

Current Situation

 This is why we wanted to play outside in the mud when we got some spring like weather.

But indoors we soldier on.  

I have six Flame Star cauliflower doing awesome (above far right) and already transplanted out of their seed cell in another tray (below).  

One Diplomat broccoli (upper right cell) trying to sprout from old seeds and I reseeded yesterday.  I have one very nice Golden Acre cabbage seedling (above bottom left) and the second seed I sowed tried to sprout upside down (root in the air) and I moved it to the cell on the right where it seems to be figuring things out.  One Violaceo di Verona seed sprouted sluggishly (above center right) and I seeded more yesterday.  This is the hassle with sowing directly into cells without the plan to transplant as I did the Flame Star cauliflower.  You would think I'd learn

I also sowed hot peppers directly into cells (grow light photo center tray).  I only got 3 plants from 6 seeds, but that is fine.  I just have three empty cells that will drive me nutty. The seedlings look really nice and they are going into a 15 gallon pot so 3 plants will be plenty.   I will sow tomato seeds in a couple of weeks.  This winter blast has reminded me that spring is not here yet and a cold frame can be a difficult thing to manage in April.  

I have made a few temperature related plans for managing the cold frame more reliably than I did in 2020.  But I don't want to get ahead of myself if this is going to be another difficult spring.  I remember one year, 2012 I believe, we had all of the edging and mulching done by the end of March and I had tilled and planted the tater patch.  I hope we don't have snow in May for the third year in a row.

Getting a Start on Mulch

 We did a little more mulching today, mainly because we didn't want to be indoors.  We are supposed so see the return of winter temperatures this weekend so we decided to make the most of it and play outside.  We mulched the three London Plane trees in the far side yard.  It wasn't really a good day to do it.  It rained yesterday and the water table is high.  

It was mucky, yucky and sucky.

It was a three pair o gloves sort of project.

But its done and it looks nice and we used up three more loaders full of old mulch.

This was the bed we did on Tuesday.  It is flanked by natural area and needed a lot of mulch.
You can see some frozen mulchbergs on the back edge.

The strip above is always the first bed I mulch each year so hat the daffodils look nice when they bloom.

I wonder if this is the same lonely little honey bee I saw on Tuesday

It Was a Tuesday Afternoon

This morning we got up early to go grocery shopping and at some point the day got away from us.  Because that can happen when you're retired.  In fact these days its nice when something fun happens spontaneously.

When we got home from errands there was a load of gravel being delivered.  And our friend the excavator said that mulch would be ready soon.  My husband thought perhaps we ought to try to use up last year's mulch so the bunker would be empty for the new load.  We always start on the areas that don't require edging and can be accessed from the driveways when the lawn is still too soft. The beds that are heavily planted with daffodils are also easier to mulch at this stage. I was going to take pictures but I never got around to it.

After we had mulched two beds, we tidied up around the material bunkers and then we sat down at the fire pit.  It was just after noon, about fifty degrees and quite still.  We were looking at the firepit with its stack of firewood that has been sitting there, unburned, since I stacked it there last August.  My husband said that if I thought I could get that soggy wood to burn we ought to open up a bottle of wine and sit by the fire.  Because that's what you do when its Tuesday afternoon and you're retired.

After awhile the next door neighbor came over to say "Hi".  We poured him a glass of wine.  Its his wine after all, he bottled it and that's what you do when its Tuesday afternoon and you're retired.

He went back to his house to get something to show us and we figured he would bring his wife back over.  So I went to the house and got a second bottle of wine.  Because that's what you do when its Tuesday afternoon and you're retired.

We were discussing how nice it was to be sitting by a campfire on a cool March afternoon, and someone mentioned marshmallows.  So I went in the house and got fixins for S'mores.  Because that's what you do when its Tuesday afternoon and you're retired.  

We had eaten our sweets and some roasted peanuts and the afternoon was growing old.  My husband asked the neighbors if they would like to have hot dogs for supper.  It has been a long time since any of us had had campfire hot dogs.  So hubby went in and got a tray of condiments and hot dogs.  Because that's what you do when its Tuesday afternoon and you're retired.

So next time you're a little bored or stuck in a rut remember - Anything can happen.  

Anything happens all the time.

A Rainy Robiny Kind of Morning

 Our good weather is past and now we're back to more Spring-like weather.  The yard is rainy, wormy, robiny and muddy.  Full of oozy smells.  

In our two warm days I got the peas and lettuce and two varieties of carrots sown.  I broadcast Milorganite slow release fertilizer into all of the ground cover areas and made a methodical search for dandelions.  This is the best time of year to remove them from ground cover and any established clumps of perennials.  While I was crawling around out there I also picked up any oak leaves that were catching in corners.

I dug my heuchera plants in deeper in the landscape since those like to heave themselves out of the ground each year and I potted up my new shrubs in gallon fiber pots.  They will be fine now until I find their permanent locations.  I also placed a thermometer in the cold frame and unboxed all of the new garden supplies that have been accumulating on the counter in the garden shed.  And now its back into the house until the next round of warm weather.

Last Sunday (3/14) I seeded Cauliflower, Broccoli, two kinds of Cabbage and Hot Peppers under the grow lights in the basement.  The Cauliflower have already popped up and the cabbages are just starting.

Parting Shot:  My favorite daylily

Gardening Day #1

I haven't been in a rush to get out yet this year.  The nice thing about being retired is I'm not stuck in an office longing to be outdoors on a pretty day.  How could I not garden?  It was in the mid sixties for the second day in a row.  Tomorrow night into Saturday it is supposed to be rainy.  What a perfect time to plant my first peas!

 

I soaked four ounces of my Penelope Peas that I saved myself last year.  My plan is to plant four rows two weeks apart.  In the cup measure is all of my leftover lettuce seeds.  I sprinkled some of them along the pea row to act as ground cover.

My aforementioned "dump and run" method.

The next row is prepared for the second planting.  When that row is planted I will set up the pea supports down the center.

Can you see the two reddish tulip tips?

I lightly raked over the tulip bed and then added mulch in the form of shredded leaves covered with some compost to keep the leaves from blowing away.

Then for a bigger job.  I gave both apple trees a good pruning.

I've selectively pruned each year, mainly cross branching.  It was time to get them opened up a little.  Lord knows we don't have to worry that we won't have enough fruit.

They look so much better.

I took out quite a bit.

Elsewhere in the landscape the first crocus was in bloom (above) 

along with some Winter Aconite (below).  I even saw the first butterfly!  A black Mourning Cloak.  I have no idea what he will find to eat out there.

Besides what is going on outside, the first cauliflower seedling has sprung up and I started the presprouting process on my Ranunculus corms.  I will blog that when the process is complete.

Yesterday my first order of live plants arrived.  These are six native Spicebush shrubs.  They have yellow flowers similar to forsythia but more subtle, produce red berries and the leaves turn a bright yellow in autumn.  They are the host plant for my favorite black spicebush butterfly.  I will plant two in the dry creek bed and the rest along some of the natural areas we have.

Planting Peas

It's almost Pea Planting Time!  In the past I've planted peas as early as March 15th.  That's not happening this year.  We recently had a few inches of snow and that is still on the ground.  It is supposed to be a beautiful Spring week so there would undoubtably be opportunity to do it this week but I'm in no hurry.  They say to sow peas as early as the soil can be worked.  This is basically winter sowing.  The seeds will remain dormant and then when conditions are right they are ready, willing and able to sprout.  Frost and snow doesn't bother them.  The only problem you would have to look out for is the seeds rotting if you have really wet conditions.  So let's talk about planting peas.

Some crops like to be a little crowded.  They are happier that way.  Like pepper plants liking to be able to touch each other, Pea plants like to intertwine.  If you give them more space, they will still grow but they won't thrive.  And you will be wasting space.

Generally people try to follow the spacing recommendations on the seed packet.  Here are the spacing requirements of three different peas that I have grown from three different suppliers:

Johnny's Seeds Penelope Peas:  In well-drained soil, sow 1-1 1/2" apart in a 3" band (25 seeds/ft.), 1/2-1" deep. Do not thin

Gurney's Seeds Maestro Peas: 2 - 3 inches between plants, 18 - 24 inches between rows.

Burpee Seeds Garden Sweet:  

• Sow 2 inches apart in double rows spaced 6 inches apart with 24 inches between each set of rows.

Confused yet?

I don't plant peas that way.  I pour them out in a big fat clumpy row.  Now my method did not originate from sage garden advice.  It didn't evolve from any special divine gardening inspiration.  It started with laziness.  And cold.  Traditional garden advice is to plant peas as soon as the soil can be worked.  It doesn't hinge on a specific date or soil temperature.  Unless you count planting on Good Friday which can fluctuate quite a bit.  Easter is always the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox.  That can happen in March or April.  I plant whenever I feel the urge from mid-March to the end of April.  I find that plantings of the same variety tend to catch up to each other based on growing conditions.  If you truly want to stagger harvest you are better off planting different varieties with varying maturity dates.

The one thing I can tell you helps a lot when planting peas is soaking the seeds over night.  But not necessarily for the reason you would think.  Many seeds need to be soaked to soften the hard outer shell.  Nasturtium comes to mind.  Those seeds are HARD and many people also nick the shell with a knife to help the plant break through.  But with garden peas the soaking is all about buoyancy. 

When I first began gardening, I would plant dry pea seeds.  When you are planting early you aren't expecting the seeds to germinate immediately.  They can cope with bad weather and will wait for the perfect growing conditions to come along.  Primarily a good rain.  But you know what happens when you plant dry peas seeds and then get a good rain?  They soak up that water, become buoyant and then they float to the surface of your soil.  And there you are out on your knees poking seeds back down where they belong.  It didn't matter how well I thought I had covered them.  If I soaked them first that didn't happen.  Whatever depth I buried them at they stayed because there was no change in the seed buoyancy.  So now I soak every batch.

I used to plant peas by the packet, but these days I buy at least a half pound bag (plus any packets of new varieties) and divide that up by ounces.  In 2021 I planted about 4 ounces (dry weight) per 11 foot row. 

So anyway, back to my laziness.  It is also because the day I first plant peas in the spring, during the time the soil can be first be worked... it's COLD.  And I'm in a HURRY.   It may be windy.  There may be snowflakes landing in my ears.  I wait for months for the first day I can get out in the garden and plant.  I carefully prepare my bed and then I lose patience.  I just dump those babies out and run back in the house!

I've had great success with the dump and run method for years.  But last year I began to feel guilty about it.  I decided that for at least one planting I should follow the instructions to see if I had been totally wrong all this time.  In 2021 I planted only Penelope Pea.  This is the first time ever that I had planted only one variety of pea.  I almost always follow my rule of planting more than one variety in more than one place at more than one time.  That way you don't get total crop failure.  I still succession planted.  But I decided that since I was planting all of one variety, this would be a good year for another experiment and a good photo op for future.  Welcome to the future.  For the third succession, I followed the instructions.  Below the photo shows the row on the left covered up.  This row was half over flow of my second succession, and half the carefully placed seeds.  The open row on the right was soon to be sown with the carefully placed seeds.

As soon as the row is covered I place my supports.  You should always place supports as soon as you plant a crop because placing them later means you will be stabbing into established roots and possibly breaking down growing plants.

Below is an example of a "dump and run" row after a couple of weeks of growth.  The plants are coming in thick and lush.

Below is a photo of the initial results of the two methods.  The top left is again the over flow of my second succession, and half the carefully placed seeds.  The row on the right is the carefully spaced seeds per instructions.  You can see that the "dump and run" is clearly thicker because there are many more seeds per inch.  It is hard to tell at this point which will be more successful in the end.

You can see fairly quickly that this bed is not going to thrive over all.  For starters, there doesn't appear to be a lot of organic material left in this bed.  The soil appears poorer overall.  You remember that old wives tale that peas will grow in almost any kind of soil.  Some people take it one step further and claim that they "prefer poor soil".  Not true.  They may do better than most crops in the poor area of your garden, but they won't like it.  This bed has been amended right along with the rest,  and the year before it grew peas very well so in my scheme of things, it was resting with a crop with a low nitrogen demand.  Still, it wasn't the best soil.

You can see below how each of the succession plantings are looking.  They are planted about two weeks apart.  The first plantings did fine.  The carefully placed planting produced but struggled.  The third over crowded planting did awesome.  In fact, by the time they were ready I had more than enough peas store and we were tired of peas.  I picked as much as we wanted from the overcrowded batch and whatever I missed was dried on the vine and saved for this year's seed.

Dried seeds for planting this year.

Bed #1 photo June 15th   
First and Second planting seeded 03/15 and 03/29

Bed #2 June 15th
Second and Third (spaced seeds) planting seeded 03/29 and 04/10

Bed #3 June 15th
Third (leftovers from placed) and Fourth planting seeded 04/10 and 04/17

So this is my advice on the planting of peas:

• Start Early
• Give them nutrient rich soil
• Plant more than one variety
• Soak your seeds
• Plant them thickly
• Support them well
• Harvest and Enjoy

THE END product

Oh what a beautiful morning,

Oh what a beautiful day,

I've got a wonderful feeling,

Everything's going my way.

Yesterday's high here at the house was 37.  When I got up this morning the thermometer already said 55 degrees!  Time to go out and poke around.

It was surprisingly windy for morning.  Yes, I know its March.  But usually the wind is quiet early in the day.  I got my pear tree sprayed with dormant oil and started on the apple trees.

I'll come back to the apple trees later in the week and get up into the canopy better when there is less wind.  And then I need to do a lot of pruning.  I prune every spring but the trees are growing fast and we had such a glut of apples last year I am no longer afraid to prune off too much of my future crop.  These trees can take some heavier pruning this year to open them up.

The lettuce I left under the frost cover seems to have survived the bitter winter despite having weeks of nights in the single digits.  The darker red lettuces didn't survive.  They are much more tender and don't even store well.  Some of the varieties did very well.  I cleaned out the dead leaves and covered them back up.  Perhaps we will have some extra early lettuce when these plants begin to grow again.

My potting mix is thawing out.  I now have enough soil to pre-sprout my 

ranunculus corms.

My husband was able to get into the gravel pile.  He put a fresh coat of gravel on the areas of the driveway where the mud was coming up through.  In the winter, a fair amount of gravel gets displaced by plowing but the mud also continues to come up in some areas.  This will prevent us from tracking mud into the garage.

A couple of weeks ago we had a couple of bright sunny days near 40 degrees.  The second day I noticed that the Alberta Spruce was beginning to brown out on top.  I've never had it brown on the top like this.  Only on the bottom edges.  Lesson learned:  the Wilt Stop is not enough to keep the top safe.  After I covered the bottom I sprayed the whole tree.  The bottom is being well protected by the burlap and shows no signs of drying out.  The day I noticed the damage I grabbed some burlap and wrapped the whole tree.

Next year it will be fully wrapped from the beginning.

After we had done these few outdoor chores we spent some time working in the garage with the doors open.  It was wonderful to get the fresh air.  We are three weeks into installing bead board on the ceiling in here.  We have a lot of bead board ceilings.  It started with the Southern Yellow Pine in the older part of the house to replace the original material which was too damaged to save.  We continued in the big garage and have three rooms and a hallway done.  The garage ceilings are Larch, the first of which came from our own giant Larch tree that was felled to make room for said garage.

We prepared about two days worth of wood.  We have to square the ends of each board and cut out any irregular parts in a way to minimize the waste.  We prepare the wood ahead of time, measuring each board and writing the measurement on the back then sorting by size.  We found after the first couple of days that we needed to both spend time to get the wood ready first.  The cut as you go method wherein one person is looking for the right board to cut 30 inches out of while the other person waits on the scaffold second guessing each decision form a distance....

By noon we were done and spent some time sitting on the deck in the warm sun watching the robins hunt bugs in the lawn and the ash limbs fall in the woods from the gusty winds.

Spring is just around the corner!