Well, if March came in like a pussycat instead of a lion, it is going out like a very wet little lamb. It is raining, raining, raining. Everyone’s beautiful lawn is up to their knees. The gardens and flowering trees are soaking it up too. The wet weather has confined me to the greenhouse, which isn’t all bad.
The repotting and transplanting are almost completed. There is no more room to add more pots. It seems that almost every seed germinated and almost all of the plants survived, so as the plants are repotted they wind up in 2, 3 or even 4 pots instead of one. The greenhouse was being watered every night. The wet weather has caused this to be cut back to every other night for the time being.
Monday the warmer weather is supposed to return. That will be the time to start hardening off the plants that will go to the garden. Putting them on the ground will invite the rabbits to a feast. The table that is used for hardening off will never hold all of the plants, so a temporary bench will have to be set up.
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, March 31, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
And the Rains Came (written 3/28)
The day before yesterday brought 1.4” of rain and confined me to the greenhouse. Yesterday (the 26th) the ground was too wet for most things. It was ideal weed pulling weather. The greenhouse did get some attention because repotting is so back breaking, it is better to do a little at a time. Today the rain is coming down big time. There are no more cups or potting soil and very little space on the heated mats.
The rain barrel is in overflow mode. The grass needs cutting. At least it was easy digging the post holes for the fence on the unfenced side of the garden. It is too wet to put the posts in though. Most of the sugar pea trellis was installed. Renfrow’s had some string net that looks like it will work really well. 30’ was not enough and they don’t open again until Tuesday.
All of the greens are doing great except for the arugula. It has gone to seed. At least it will be easy to pull off with the ground so wet. The onions that were started last month are already appearing in green salads and being chopped for garnish on soups and mashed potatoes and things like that.
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 rain barrel is in overflow mode. The grass needs cutting. At least it was easy digging the post holes for the fence on the unfenced side of the garden. It is too wet to put the posts in though. Most of the sugar pea trellis was installed. Renfrow’s had some string net that looks like it will work really well. 30’ was not enough and they don’t open again until Tuesday.
All of the greens are doing great except for the arugula. It has gone to seed. At least it will be easy to pull off with the ground so wet. The onions that were started last month are already appearing in green salads and being chopped for garnish on soups and mashed potatoes and things like that.
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, March 24, 2011
Master Gardener®
Yesterday was the end of training for the 2011 class of the Master Gardener® program. We were fed a really nice lunch and given gifts and assigned a sponsor to help us enter the world of Master Gardening® smoothly. At this point we are considered “interns”. When we have done our service work (40 hours) we will be Master Gardeners®.
The garden and greenhouse chores are becoming overwhelming now. Unless a fence is completed around the garden the deer will eat everything. The greenhouse plants need repotting, but my back will only co-operate for one or two flats at a time. Every flat turns into two or more as the repotting is done. There is only enough space on the heated mats for 3 more flats. The parts of the garden that are not in beds need to be tilled for the spring planting. There is some respite for a day or two on this chore because of last night’s rain.
The good part of the garden right now is the wonderful salads and greens that are being harvested. We have had salad almost every night. We had Russian Red Kale, Monday night and the turnip and mustard greens are ready to start harvesting.
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 garden and greenhouse chores are becoming overwhelming now. Unless a fence is completed around the garden the deer will eat everything. The greenhouse plants need repotting, but my back will only co-operate for one or two flats at a time. Every flat turns into two or more as the repotting is done. There is only enough space on the heated mats for 3 more flats. The parts of the garden that are not in beds need to be tilled for the spring planting. There is some respite for a day or two on this chore because of last night’s rain.
The good part of the garden right now is the wonderful salads and greens that are being harvested. We have had salad almost every night. We had Russian Red Kale, Monday night and the turnip and mustard greens are ready to start harvesting.
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, March 22, 2011
Working Moon
The first day of spring brought with it the biggest moon in almost 20 years. The night was cloudy so it was not visible from our house. This is the time in the garden where the hardest physical work comes in. There are a lot of compostable materials. The compost needs turning. The ground that is not in beds has to have the mulch cleared so it will dry out. That is hard on the biceps. The fence needs to be finished to keep the deer out. Chopping through roots and digging postholes is hard work too.
The really back-breaking work though is the greenhouse. Almost everything has to be re-planted in larger pots. The new method is really paying off so far. It seems that every seed has germinated and most have survived. Some of the little 5 ounce cups had as many as 12 basil plants and as many as 5 tomato plants. The basil was just separated into separate 5 oz cups. The Tomatoes had to be transferred to larger cups. The peppers go in large cups as well.
All the leaves are finally up, but there was not enough mulch to do all of the beds. The leaves in the garden were not mulched, so they will have to be sucked up with the vacuum-mulcher and used in the beds. There are still quite a few of the early plants that have not been planted into the garden. They are mostly parsley and cilantro, so they can be put into the flower beds.
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 really back-breaking work though is the greenhouse. Almost everything has to be re-planted in larger pots. The new method is really paying off so far. It seems that every seed has germinated and most have survived. Some of the little 5 ounce cups had as many as 12 basil plants and as many as 5 tomato plants. The basil was just separated into separate 5 oz cups. The Tomatoes had to be transferred to larger cups. The peppers go in large cups as well.
All the leaves are finally up, but there was not enough mulch to do all of the beds. The leaves in the garden were not mulched, so they will have to be sucked up with the vacuum-mulcher and used in the beds. There are still quite a few of the early plants that have not been planted into the garden. They are mostly parsley and cilantro, so they can be put into the flower beds.
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, March 21, 2011
Spring Done Sprung
Is it gorgeous outside or what? Charlotte is a city of flowering trees. The daffodils, tulips and the little purple ground cover flowers are going crazy. Even one of the azalea bushes is blooming in my yard. Saturday morning at Renfrow’s hardware, people were buying tomato plants. I was sorely tempted to do so as well. The ones in the greenhouse are still a little too small to leave their mother.
Potatoes have been a major failure in our garden since we moved in from Waxhaw. Every year visions of new potatoes dance through my head and like old Charlie Brown trying to kick that football, I give it another try. This year a new approach is being used. It is a hybrid of a few methods that were mentioned in this month’s Organic Gardening magazine.
Mitchell Hales, a brick mason, was kind enough to donate a bag that came full of sand from Home Depot. He had used the sand of course. About three 4” slashes were made near the bottom to facilitate drainage. About 4” of garden soil and compost and play sand were put on the bottom. The ph tested at 7.2 which is way too high for potatoes. A little sprinkling of sulfur was put on this and another thin layer of soil was added. The seed potatoes were spaced about 10” apart all around the surface of the soil and another 3” of soil was added. This also was sprinkled lightly with sulfur. Pray for potatoes.
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/
Potatoes have been a major failure in our garden since we moved in from Waxhaw. Every year visions of new potatoes dance through my head and like old Charlie Brown trying to kick that football, I give it another try. This year a new approach is being used. It is a hybrid of a few methods that were mentioned in this month’s Organic Gardening magazine.
Mitchell Hales, a brick mason, was kind enough to donate a bag that came full of sand from Home Depot. He had used the sand of course. About three 4” slashes were made near the bottom to facilitate drainage. About 4” of garden soil and compost and play sand were put on the bottom. The ph tested at 7.2 which is way too high for potatoes. A little sprinkling of sulfur was put on this and another thin layer of soil was added. The seed potatoes were spaced about 10” apart all around the surface of the soil and another 3” of soil was added. This also was sprinkled lightly with sulfur. Pray for potatoes.
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, March 17, 2011
Hotter Than Ghost Peppers
Michael Swol, whose birthday is today, received a packet of Dorset Naga peppers from England yesterday. They are supposedly 30% hotter than the famous ghost chilies. I hope to plant them this afternoon in the greenhouse. They are supposed to take up to 4 weeks to germinate. I wonder who will be brave enough to test them against the ghost chilies and how will they be able to tell if they are hotter. Which ever pepper they eat first will probably burn out the lining of their mouth.
We got what felt like a major rainstorm last night. The reading on the rain gauge was only 1/2". A normal garden needs about 1” per week of rain. The raised bed gardens need more and this time of year the wind seems to blow a lot, which dries out the soil quickly.
The arugula had started setting a few little flowers, so the ones with flower-stalks were pulled up and put into the compost. The rest of the arugula was harvested to about 2” above the ground. It is hoped this will slow the bolting process.
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/
We got what felt like a major rainstorm last night. The reading on the rain gauge was only 1/2". A normal garden needs about 1” per week of rain. The raised bed gardens need more and this time of year the wind seems to blow a lot, which dries out the soil quickly.
The arugula had started setting a few little flowers, so the ones with flower-stalks were pulled up and put into the compost. The rest of the arugula was harvested to about 2” above the ground. It is hoped this will slow the bolting process.
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, March 15, 2011
New Clothes
The earth is throwing off her old drab winter wear and putting on bright colors and greens for spring. She is getting ready to march in the St. Patty’s day parade. Daffodils are blooming everywhere. The trees are flowering. Michael’s weeping cherry is sporting some cheerful blooms. The garden is growing as fast as we can eat it. The arugula is even starting to go to seed. It will be cut back real heavy to see if the harvest can be prolonged.
The last of the leaves in the front yard are finally picked up and mulched and put in the long bed that runs parallel to the sidewalk. That bed is only half mulch. The “stockpile” of mulch that has been accumulating in the back yard will need to be used up and maybe now that we have an electric leaf mulcher/blower/vacuum a few leaves from the street can be used. The time consuming part of that mulching project is laying down wet newspapers to cover the dirt.
A few more of the hardened cabbage, pak choy, parsley and cilantro plants went into the dirt today. It seems as if too many were started. At least as many as have been planted have been given away and there are still a bunch left.
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 last of the leaves in the front yard are finally picked up and mulched and put in the long bed that runs parallel to the sidewalk. That bed is only half mulch. The “stockpile” of mulch that has been accumulating in the back yard will need to be used up and maybe now that we have an electric leaf mulcher/blower/vacuum a few leaves from the street can be used. The time consuming part of that mulching project is laying down wet newspapers to cover the dirt.
A few more of the hardened cabbage, pak choy, parsley and cilantro plants went into the dirt today. It seems as if too many were started. At least as many as have been planted have been given away and there are still a bunch left.
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, March 9, 2011
Soil Science
This was a topic in the Master Gardener® Program. It would have been covered earlier, but more timely topics were available. Ideally soil is made up of 50% dirt, 25% air and 25% water. The 50% that is dirt stays the same. The air and water can fluctuate after a heavy rain or irrigation. The dirt falls into 4 categories. They are: sand, silt, clay and organic matter. Without organic matter, the soil will not hold air or water correctly.
Sand, silt and clay are defined by particle size with clay being the smallest. Clay packs so hard that it will not drain, nor will the soil hold any air. Organic matter is necessary to help the soil hold air and water in the proper proportions. It also helps the soil release the trace minerals and nutrients needed for plant growth.
Soil and organic matter hold and have nutrients, but there may not be a proper balance, or the nutrients may not be available, or there may not be enough nutrients for the plant that is being grown. The Ph or acid-alkalinity index is also critical for the release of nutrients. All of these factors are different for different plants. A good gardener gets their soil tested at least every three years to see what is needed for the intended use.
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/
Sand, silt and clay are defined by particle size with clay being the smallest. Clay packs so hard that it will not drain, nor will the soil hold any air. Organic matter is necessary to help the soil hold air and water in the proper proportions. It also helps the soil release the trace minerals and nutrients needed for plant growth.
Soil and organic matter hold and have nutrients, but there may not be a proper balance, or the nutrients may not be available, or there may not be enough nutrients for the plant that is being grown. The Ph or acid-alkalinity index is also critical for the release of nutrients. All of these factors are different for different plants. A good gardener gets their soil tested at least every three years to see what is needed for the intended use.
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, March 8, 2011
And the Rains Came
The timing was great. Blueberry holes were dug on Saturday. Saturday night the rain came and soaked the ground. Sunday morning the gardener got wet, but the blueberries were ecstatic. They are still smiling. “Mistakes were made”, however. That is a direct quote from either Donald Rumsfeld or Dick Cheney. Yesterday’s Master Gardener® class was on planting trees.
I have always dug holes for planting, 3 times as large as the root-ball and filled in with enough compost and dirt to make the difference. The plant is set at the same level as it was in the pot. What the training said was. The hole should be much larger than the root-ball, but no deeper than the root-ball. The hole should be filled with dirt only. Many nurseries fill pots too high when they transplant, so extra dirt should be removed until the swelling at the beginning of the roots is revealed.
The nursery that grew the blueberries for the 4-H did not do that, so I guess no harm was done. The error that may cause problems was something else. This past fall, the Ph was tested and was 4.5 in the spots where the blueberries were planted. Now the Ph meter says 7. Sulfur was added and it is hoped that the meter was wrong.
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 dug holes for planting, 3 times as large as the root-ball and filled in with enough compost and dirt to make the difference. The plant is set at the same level as it was in the pot. What the training said was. The hole should be much larger than the root-ball, but no deeper than the root-ball. The hole should be filled with dirt only. Many nurseries fill pots too high when they transplant, so extra dirt should be removed until the swelling at the beginning of the roots is revealed.
The nursery that grew the blueberries for the 4-H did not do that, so I guess no harm was done. The error that may cause problems was something else. This past fall, the Ph was tested and was 4.5 in the spots where the blueberries were planted. Now the Ph meter says 7. Sulfur was added and it is hoped that the meter was wrong.
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, March 3, 2011
Blueberries
The 4-H club had a big plant sale. When we showed up for the Master Gardener® class yesterday, half of the tables were taken up with blueberry, blackberry and raspberry plants. Most were for filling orders, but I managed to snag 3 blueberry bushes for $8 each. They were “powder blue”, “climax” and something I can't remember. Blueberries require different cultivars for pollination. They need to be the right cultivar, or their blooming times will not match. Blueberries also require very acid soil. The PH should be 4.5. This can be attained with sulfur or some other acidifier. Peat moss is not recommended.
The cilantro, parsley and crucifers that are hardening off are doing well. They will go into the ground Saturday morning. Some will go into flower beds instead of the garden. Herbs like poor soil and the cilantro doesn’t mind some shade. A few will be given away. Usually only a few of the seeds that are put out make it to the transplant in the garden stage. This year practically all of them did.
Every single one (knock on wood) of the crucifers (brassicas) that were planted in the garden has survived. They are not growing very fast. Some of them don’t seem to be growing at all but; where there is life, there is hope.
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 cilantro, parsley and crucifers that are hardening off are doing well. They will go into the ground Saturday morning. Some will go into flower beds instead of the garden. Herbs like poor soil and the cilantro doesn’t mind some shade. A few will be given away. Usually only a few of the seeds that are put out make it to the transplant in the garden stage. This year practically all of them did.
Every single one (knock on wood) of the crucifers (brassicas) that were planted in the garden has survived. They are not growing very fast. Some of them don’t seem to be growing at all but; where there is life, there is hope.
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, March 1, 2011
In Like a Lion?
More like a pussycat. It is March 1. It is a little bit cold, but the day is beautiful. Last night brought a pretty noisy thunderstorm. Today is lovely. Can’t wait to see what the lamb is like.
Yesterday at the master gardener class, there was a beautiful clump of parsley growing at the entrance to the classroom. Parsley plants have always gone in on Good Friday in our garden. It is a close relative of carrots though, so why should it not be cold hardy. Yesterday afternoon the parsley was taken off the heat pads and put on the unheated bench. Today it will go outside to start hardening off.
The sugar peas stuck their pretty little heads out of the ground yesterday. It is time to build a frame to hold the strings for them to climb on now. Last year the frame was 3’ high. That was not enough. This year it will be 4’. Some other garden construction needs building as well. There is one side of the garden that does not have the 8’ fence. There will also need to be trellises for tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and winter squash.
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/
Yesterday at the master gardener class, there was a beautiful clump of parsley growing at the entrance to the classroom. Parsley plants have always gone in on Good Friday in our garden. It is a close relative of carrots though, so why should it not be cold hardy. Yesterday afternoon the parsley was taken off the heat pads and put on the unheated bench. Today it will go outside to start hardening off.
The sugar peas stuck their pretty little heads out of the ground yesterday. It is time to build a frame to hold the strings for them to climb on now. Last year the frame was 3’ high. That was not enough. This year it will be 4’. Some other garden construction needs building as well. There is one side of the garden that does not have the 8’ fence. There will also need to be trellises for tomatoes, cucumbers, beans and winter squash.
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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