Saturday morning brought Lenten roses blooming like crazy. Sunday brought the Crocus. The onions that were planted last week are sending up tiny little green shoots. We are eating salads from the garden. It feels as if spring has sprung. It may be too early to rejoice, but it ok to revel in the warm sun as long as it last. Not to complain, but a little rain would not hurt. The garden has been watered three times and it is only February.
I know I have been pretty slack about posting to the blog for the last 2 months. The Master Gardening® class is taking a lot of time. More time is being spent learning than teaching. Perhaps this blog will have more quality information due to the efforts in the class and the things learned in the Master Gardener® program.
The greenhouse is doing great. Cabbage and other brassicas have been transplanted to the garden. Many things have been repotted to larger pots and another set of brassicas has been taken off of the pads and put on an unheated bench. They will probably be set outside for hardening off starting next week.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Kale’s Up
The first little sprouts of kale peeped out of the ground yesterday (2/23). These were the Siberian kale. The Russian red kale is still doing well, but it lacks the body and the flavor of the Siberian. When this crop disappears there will be no more of that stuff in my garden.
The compost is working well. The bin is full again even after using a little this weekend. It is time to move more of it to the tarp. There is enough there to fill another raised bed, if I can scrounge some lumber. Our class in the master gardener program on Monday was on compost. I like my method better. It yields better compost faster.
Yesterday’s trip to Renfrow’s to get carrot, beet and radish seeds also netted a compost thermometer. The soil temperature in the 1st 3 beds in the garden (a-1 through a-3) is 50 and 52 degrees. Today the compost will be tested. It got turned yesterday so the reading would probably have been meaningless. The carrots, beets and radish seeds were mixed together and inter-planted in row A-2 with onions, cabbage, broccoli and kale.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The compost is working well. The bin is full again even after using a little this weekend. It is time to move more of it to the tarp. There is enough there to fill another raised bed, if I can scrounge some lumber. Our class in the master gardener program on Monday was on compost. I like my method better. It yields better compost faster.
Yesterday’s trip to Renfrow’s to get carrot, beet and radish seeds also netted a compost thermometer. The soil temperature in the 1st 3 beds in the garden (a-1 through a-3) is 50 and 52 degrees. Today the compost will be tested. It got turned yesterday so the reading would probably have been meaningless. The carrots, beets and radish seeds were mixed together and inter-planted in row A-2 with onions, cabbage, broccoli and kale.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
How Dry I Am
This is the song my garden was singing yesterday morning. The soaker hoses were hooked up and the water was turned on. There are two soaker hoses. Each one was left on for an hour. The short fat one (50’) did a great job. The long skinny one (100’) was a waste of time and water. It will only be good for a long row of individual plants.
At the end of last year we had 6 soakers, a sprinkler hose and a sprinkler. We also had several hundred feet of regular hose. The soakers were so inefficient that we wound up using a nozzle and watering by hand. We did have gallon jugs with holes sunk into the ground by the tomato plants. There will definitely need to be a new regime for watering this year.
The water was turned on with the long hose this morning again for an hour. It was turned on with the short hose for an hour afterwards. The short hose did a great job. The long hose did not. There is another short hose that will be hooked up this afternoon. Hopefully it will work well. The sprinkler will need to be hooked up for the stuff where the other short hose doesn’t reach.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
At the end of last year we had 6 soakers, a sprinkler hose and a sprinkler. We also had several hundred feet of regular hose. The soakers were so inefficient that we wound up using a nozzle and watering by hand. We did have gallon jugs with holes sunk into the ground by the tomato plants. There will definitely need to be a new regime for watering this year.
The water was turned on with the long hose this morning again for an hour. It was turned on with the short hose for an hour afterwards. The short hose did a great job. The long hose did not. There is another short hose that will be hooked up this afternoon. Hopefully it will work well. The sprinkler will need to be hooked up for the stuff where the other short hose doesn’t reach.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Early Planting
Turnips and mustard were planted under plastic last month and are faring well now. The Kale was planted last week and Thursday afternoon the sugar peas went into the ground and a row of onions were planted beside the Kale. This morning (Saturday the 19th), the cabbage, broccoli and pak choy plants were set out. The flower bed out front became the new home of the hyacinth bulbs that I gave mama for Valentines.
That bed also got three short rows of iris bulbs. In the master gardener class, we were told to make a furrow and lay the iris bulbs out without covering them with dirt. They were then covered with about 5” of mulch. Everything was watered in well of course.
In the greenhouse, there is only a little more than a ½ flat of un-germinated seeds. Everything else has come up. There were about 3 flats of plants that came up and then died. They were replanted. Some plants have already been transferred to large containers. Quite a few more will have to be moved this weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
That bed also got three short rows of iris bulbs. In the master gardener class, we were told to make a furrow and lay the iris bulbs out without covering them with dirt. They were then covered with about 5” of mulch. Everything was watered in well of course.
In the greenhouse, there is only a little more than a ½ flat of un-germinated seeds. Everything else has come up. There were about 3 flats of plants that came up and then died. They were replanted. Some plants have already been transferred to large containers. Quite a few more will have to be moved this weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Change of Plans
The weather improved so much that the kale was planted without provisions for covering it. The covered row has been uncovered for a week. A few cabbage, broccoli, and pak choy plants are being hardened off for next weekend. Onions will go in at the same time. Hopefully the pak choy and cabbage will be ready to plant by the time the later plants go in and the space can be used by pepper, egg plant or tomato plants.
I have always hardened off plants going into the ground, but I never really understood the benefits until this week. While studying for the vegetable part of the Master Gardener® program, I read that it makes the stems thicker. When comparing the cabbage plants that are being hardened with the plants in the greenhouse this was verified.
Almost all of the initial planting of basil died after germination. They were replanted this weekend and have already sprouted. It seems they were planted too thickly this time and will need to be thinned. Let’s see how many survive first.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
I have always hardened off plants going into the ground, but I never really understood the benefits until this week. While studying for the vegetable part of the Master Gardener® program, I read that it makes the stems thicker. When comparing the cabbage plants that are being hardened with the plants in the greenhouse this was verified.
Almost all of the initial planting of basil died after germination. They were replanted this weekend and have already sprouted. It seems they were planted too thickly this time and will need to be thinned. Let’s see how many survive first.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
I’m No Groundhog (again)
Last year Paxatawny Phil and I disagreed. I was right. This year we agreed. Neither one of us saw his shadow. Sir Walter Wally, in Raleigh NC saw his shadow and went back in his hole. It may be wishful thinking, but I feel spring in my blood. Good Friday is not until April 22 this year so that would call for a late spring.
Almost everything in the greenhouse has germinated. Even a few of the ghost peppers and cherry peppers have come up. The new greens that were planted under plastic have come up as well. They are mighty tiny, but they should grow fast. The spinach has been fairly productive and the mesclun is almost ready to pick again. It has not been harvested since the hard freeze.
If the weather is not too un-cooperative, another bed will be covered with plastic this weekend and collards, kale and onions will go into the ground. The bed for the greens did not quite collapse with the rain, but it is damaged and will require repairs. It should have been opened up yesterday.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Almost everything in the greenhouse has germinated. Even a few of the ghost peppers and cherry peppers have come up. The new greens that were planted under plastic have come up as well. They are mighty tiny, but they should grow fast. The spinach has been fairly productive and the mesclun is almost ready to pick again. It has not been harvested since the hard freeze.
If the weather is not too un-cooperative, another bed will be covered with plastic this weekend and collards, kale and onions will go into the ground. The bed for the greens did not quite collapse with the rain, but it is damaged and will require repairs. It should have been opened up yesterday.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, February 3, 2011
The Purpose of Fruits
Fruits are the product of plant sex. Their purpose of fruits is to disseminate the plant’s seed. The fleshy fruits do this by getting eaten or at least distributed by animals. The season determines the type of fruit that is designed to take advantage of the prevailing circumstances. Summer fruits are soft and sugary. They flavor attracts their carrier. The seeds are either large enough that they can’t be easily swallowed or small and hard enough to pass through the digestive system.
Fall fruits are nutritious. Animals use these fruits to put on fat before hibernation or they store them for the winter. Many of the stored fruits are lost. Winter fruits are hard and not very tasty. The animals eat them only as a last resort. Therefore the fruits hang around all winter and frequently fall close to the mama plant. The ones that are distributed come up in a wide range.
Plants grown from seeds are not always true to their ancestry. Many fruit trees are grafted onto strong localized root stock. The plant resulting from the seeds may not be hardy enough to withstand the rigors of local conditions.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Fall fruits are nutritious. Animals use these fruits to put on fat before hibernation or they store them for the winter. Many of the stored fruits are lost. Winter fruits are hard and not very tasty. The animals eat them only as a last resort. Therefore the fruits hang around all winter and frequently fall close to the mama plant. The ones that are distributed come up in a wide range.
Plants grown from seeds are not always true to their ancestry. Many fruit trees are grafted onto strong localized root stock. The plant resulting from the seeds may not be hardy enough to withstand the rigors of local conditions.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
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