Sunday, March 6, 2011

Gardening Update

I'm pretty sure spring is here to stay and we have had a decent amount of rain so far with its coming. We went through a 5 year drought a several years ago here and rain is always a concern and welcome when it comes. 
Here is the tulip tree (I do not know its botanical name). It was in the yard when we moved here. During a bad ice storm a large branch hit it and I had to cut it down by half. As you can see it has recovered quite well over the years and is actually too big now. It will be prettier when the buds actually open all the way.
Here is the plum tree all in bloom. I am hoping to have a bunch of plums to can this year again. We did not get any last year and that has never happened with this tree before so I take it we had a late frost last year. The huge bush beside it is one of a pair of hazelnuts that produces more nuts than we could ever use each year.
Here are the tomato plants. As you can see they are right out of hand. Some of them are a foot tall already. I think if the weather stays nice they are going to get moved out to the greenhouse to help harden them off.

This is the upper garden. It is not a very good picture and there isn't much to look at yet. The bottom has strawberries in it and the top has the raspberries (which you can't really see) and the blueberries (which you also can't really see), there are also a few onions that I couldn't fit in the raised bed and the rosemary plants.

So now for the really good stuff. Here is the raised bed that has the radishes, spinach, lettuce and onions in it. It now also has a bit of thyme that I planted in it and there is a couple of kale plants that were part of the fall garden that are now growing in there.
Here are the garlic chives. I have two patches of them and unfortunately I often forget they are out there and don't use them when I could.
Here is one of the patches of lemon balm. It is in the ground but really hasn't spread terribly badly. I have about 4 patches of lemon balm and though I love the smell, have never found anything useful to use it for. It makes a decent tea but I seldom drink tea unless I am sick and it will help. It can be added to salads but the lemon taste is very strong. You can also make a lemon balm jelly but I have tried several times and have never gotten it to jell yet.
The larger lower garden is finally tilled. I bought a test kit and am in the process of testing it to see where it is deficient. The PH test came out good but I am sure it needs something. As soon as I get that done it will be time to get planting. Maybe I can get some things planted tomorrow. I think it is possible (just poss-ible now) that I have too many seeds but that would be normal for me.

6 comments:

  1. Wow! Look at what you have already! :D We still have snow on the ground here in N Id. I'm looking forward to spring and gardening my second year.

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  2. This isn't even all of it. I just couldn't see putting on more than 8 pictures. I am better set up this year than ever before so hopefully we will have a nice harvest.

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  3. Hazelnut bush? I gotta look that up! You are at least 6 weeks ahead of us. Envious!

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  4. The hazelnut bushes have grown well and fairly fast. They grow from the bottom with tons of stems. http://www.songonline.ca/nuts/hazelnuts.htm
    They are incredibly easy to grow, mine have had no diseases or pest problems (I did encounter a small wasp nest in the branches of one of them last year but it is not a pest that could hurt the plant just me).

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  5. Hi Becky; You have LOADS of plants! Until you start blogging (and therefore, taking photos) it is easy to underestimate the range and variety of plants in one's garden.
    I think the Tulip Tree is a Magnolia, isn't it?
    I share your views on the value (or otherwise) of Lemon Balm. I have taken to treating it as purely an ornamental, rather than as a culinary herb.

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  6. I have no idea what the tulip tree is. The purple one was in the front yard when we moved in and there is a white one in the back. I do have a lot of plants. We have lived in this house for about 9 years now and I plant several things every year. Not all of them live but many of them do. I have a lot of small fruit and nut trees planted: a pommegranate tree, 2 pecan trees, a chinese chestnut, 2 plums, 2 hazelnuts, 2 apple trees, a peach tree, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, sour cherry bushes....these are the things that I can think of right off hand. I'll have to take more pictures, lol.

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