Prep work.
Well, in spite of having to work around the Girl Scout cookie booth schedule of my wife and daughter I was able to get some work down outside today. The hen house has finally been cleaned out and spread on the part of the garden I'm going to do the spring planting in. Spread, tilled in, and given a good watering so it can start working. I'll plant it come the first weekend in April after our average last frost date has passed. Having been tilled well already the rototiller was easier to handle today than last weekend though my right knee is complaining. I'll probably have to go to using a knee brace in the future when I'm doing anything really physical.
The garden squared away for the moment I repotted the peppers and marigolds so they would have more rootspace to grow into while we're waiting out the next three weeks or so. Two kinds of bell peppers, some regular jalapenos and some spicy, but mild anaheims. The marigolds are for color but if they should happen to repel some unwanted insect life that'll be good too. Yesterday I bought a couple of Ichiban eggplants and two Patio tomatoes. The last time I planted the Ichiban they were so productive we ended up giving away most of them so this time around I'm planting only two. I'm not planning on canning tomatoes this year so the Patios will cover the few that we eat fresh. I like them for being stout plants that don't need a lot of support though I'll put them in a basket anyway. Some of our thunderstorm winds can get rather sporty.
While I was buying the eggplant and tomatoes I noticed they had rhubarb plants too. Fortunately in all the years I've gardened in Florida I've never heard of anyone successfully growing rhubarb here otherwise Diana would have me planting it for sure.
No pictures today. I had the camera but got so busy that I forgot to take any photos.
.....Alan.
Labels: Garden, poultry, vegetables
posted by Alan @ 7:57 PM
8 Comments:
We have to get that outside stuff done while we can, before it gets too hot!
I think, for next year, roto-tilling season will be early February, though we may have to do all of our food-plant gardening in raised beds. Our composting operation is small - though it's sure to double(?) now that we'll be composting chicken droppings and coop hay.
Yeah, early February was my plan too. But as John Lennon once observed "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans" so it didn't get done.
I should be accustomed to this by now...
.....Alan.
Same thoughts and practice with marigolds. I usually throw in some cosmos too for color.
Forgot to take pictures?
Tie a string around your finger :)
Everything is so perfect in my mind at this time of year, before reality and lots of weeds have taken over in late spring. ;)
It's always like that isn't it? Everything looks so good when you first plant it and the weather is pleasant. A month later it's hot, you don't want to be out there, and weed growth is rampant.
Florida Cracker,
I've never considered Cosmos before. I'm going to try planting a few.
.....Alan.
I thought spring had arrived in Massachsetts because it was 71 degrees last week. I started cleaning up the garden Friday. Yesterday a foot of wet snow fell, so I'll have to wait a while longer to work in my garden again :(
Nice to meet you Alan - I'll be reading :) -Shannon at Silver Forge Farm
rhubarb can be grown here in FLA pretty successfully as an annual, or so I hear.
Maybe up there in north florida it would come back next year, but I doubt it...
I somehow gather you don't like rhubarb? it's a seriously poisonous plant -- you could use that as an excuse.
me, i love the stuff but haven't eaten it in years, since by the time it shows up in markets here it feels like summer. for me, it will always mean spring -- strawberries asparagus and rhubarb.
i won't eat it any other time of the year.
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