The zucchini and yellow crookneck squash are one thing that is rising. The cucumbers came up on Good Friday. The squash came up on rotten Saturday and the nasturtiums bloomed. Some beautiful lilies of some type with pretty blue flowers bloomed this morning. (Easter Sunday).
The plants that have been set out over the last week are doing well. 3 cherry peppers had to be replaced. Two of the early girl tomatoes have bitten the dust (out of 14). Those are the only casualties so far. The early girls will have to be replaced with something else. All of the early girl plants have already been planted or given away. Mick McNeely has promised some Rutgers tomatoes. That will be a good replacement.
The grass in the backyard was definitely deep enough for a good Easter egg hunt. That has been taken care of now and the accumulation bin of the compost system is full. The blueberries are being dosed with coffee grounds. The 1st 2 were done today. More grounds will need to be accumulated before the other 4 plants can be dosed.
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, April 28, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Good and Wet Friday
It is sad that the most important planting day of the year is marred by rain. Those of us who have raised beds can brave the intervals in the precipitation to plant a few little things. In our garden holes were dug on Wednesday to start the hills for the winter squash. These holes will be filled with compost and the loose dirt for 1.5’ in all directions will be raked up to form a hill for planting. 3 holes will be poked in the top of each hill and 3 seeds will go into each hole.
There are still a few butternut and spaghetti squash left from last year. They keep really well and are an important part of the plans one makes to have something from the garden at every meal. Of course food for the soul (and the eyes) is important too, so the flower beds that have already been prepared will be seeded today. The decision has been made not to buy flats of annuals for the deer to eat. The annuals are being seeded directly into the beds.
The first little sugar pea blooms appeared on the 20th. Last night (the 21st) the peas were in full bloom. There should be pea pods big enough for sautéing within a week to 10 days. That will be wonderful with spinach and onions.
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/
There are still a few butternut and spaghetti squash left from last year. They keep really well and are an important part of the plans one makes to have something from the garden at every meal. Of course food for the soul (and the eyes) is important too, so the flower beds that have already been prepared will be seeded today. The decision has been made not to buy flats of annuals for the deer to eat. The annuals are being seeded directly into the beds.
The first little sugar pea blooms appeared on the 20th. Last night (the 21st) the peas were in full bloom. There should be pea pods big enough for sautéing within a week to 10 days. That will be wonderful with spinach and onions.
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, April 21, 2011
Good Friday/Rotten Saturday
Good Friday is the traditional day for planting the summer garden in the Charlotte. It came so late this year that many people have already planted the bulk of their gardens. For those of you who haven’t here is a word of warning. The old wisdom says that anything planted on Good Friday will grow. A less remembered portion of that old wisdom is that any thing planted on Rotten Saturday (the day after Good Friday) will rot. This second part of this wisdom has not been personally tested.
Planting by the signs is really great if the weather and other factors co-operate. If they don’t the planting may just not get done. A young farmer asked an old farmer, “When is the best time to cut (castrate) pigs?” The old farmer answered, “When your knife is sharp.” Sometimes expediency outweighs astrological correctness.
If one believes the weather report, Good Friday is supposed to be rainy and Rotten Saturday is supposed to be sunny. Is that irony or what? Happy Easter
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/
Planting by the signs is really great if the weather and other factors co-operate. If they don’t the planting may just not get done. A young farmer asked an old farmer, “When is the best time to cut (castrate) pigs?” The old farmer answered, “When your knife is sharp.” Sometimes expediency outweighs astrological correctness.
If one believes the weather report, Good Friday is supposed to be rainy and Rotten Saturday is supposed to be sunny. Is that irony or what? Happy Easter
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, April 20, 2011
Dry Dirt
Finally the dirt in the garden that was not in beds was dry enough to till. I actually started tilling it last Friday, but did not finish and it rained Saturday night. Last night the dirt was just right. There is nothing like the smell of sweet dirt when it is being turned. Now the visions of delicious peppers and winter squash and okra can replace the visions of the pounding tiller.
Last year Florida speckled butter beans were planted. They grew beautifully, but the beans came on so late that they were not able to fill out before the first hard freeze. This year we reverted to the old standard speckled limas from the grocery store dried bean section. The only thing wrong with them is that they are bush beans, requiring the picker to bend over or kneel down to pick.
So far all of the plants except for 1 or 2 that were planted this weekend are still alive. Yeah it is only Wednesday, but it seems the first hours are the most critical. When the greenhouse was planted, there were some seeds that fell out of the packages and it was hard to tell what they were. They were just scattered in a fallow bed for the heck of it. They turned out to be either cabbage, broccoli or Brussels sprouts. They were too thickly planted to stay where they were so they were thinned and the plants that were removed were put into the garden. They wilted Saturday night, but Sunday afternoon they were fine. As of last night only one of them did not survive.
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/
Last year Florida speckled butter beans were planted. They grew beautifully, but the beans came on so late that they were not able to fill out before the first hard freeze. This year we reverted to the old standard speckled limas from the grocery store dried bean section. The only thing wrong with them is that they are bush beans, requiring the picker to bend over or kneel down to pick.
So far all of the plants except for 1 or 2 that were planted this weekend are still alive. Yeah it is only Wednesday, but it seems the first hours are the most critical. When the greenhouse was planted, there were some seeds that fell out of the packages and it was hard to tell what they were. They were just scattered in a fallow bed for the heck of it. They turned out to be either cabbage, broccoli or Brussels sprouts. They were too thickly planted to stay where they were so they were thinned and the plants that were removed were put into the garden. They wilted Saturday night, but Sunday afternoon they were fine. As of last night only one of them did not survive.
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, April 18, 2011
A Good Start
Easter comes late this year, so waiting for Good Friday was not an option. Planting on the summer garden began this weekend. The beauty of raised beds is that all the soil preparation necessary is raking off the mulch. The first thing in the ground was the cherry pepper plants. They were followed with seeds of yellow crookneck squash (3 hills) and ghost pepper and jalapeño plants. Next came 5 marglobe tomato plants and 4 basil plants with a row of straight 8 cucumbers all in the same bed.
The next bed got more jalapeño plants and some mammoth dill from seed. Early white bush squash (4 hills) was planted as the patty pan squash this year. There were 5 hills of zucchini followed by 2 more hills of yellow crookneck squash. A little tiny bed got a ghost pepper and a cayenne pepper plant. Speckled lima beans were planted from the seeds that came from a grocery store bag of dried beans. The stevia plant went into a bed with some mesclun that is already being picked. A bed was prepared for planting more squash, but I go tired and quit.
The Russian red kale was getting ready to bolt, so it was pulled off. A bushel of leaves yielded 4 freezer bags of cooked kale, that will grace summer soups, lasagna and quiches. 2 grocery bags of mixed greens barely thinned the mustard and turnips bed.
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 next bed got more jalapeño plants and some mammoth dill from seed. Early white bush squash (4 hills) was planted as the patty pan squash this year. There were 5 hills of zucchini followed by 2 more hills of yellow crookneck squash. A little tiny bed got a ghost pepper and a cayenne pepper plant. Speckled lima beans were planted from the seeds that came from a grocery store bag of dried beans. The stevia plant went into a bed with some mesclun that is already being picked. A bed was prepared for planting more squash, but I go tired and quit.
The Russian red kale was getting ready to bolt, so it was pulled off. A bushel of leaves yielded 4 freezer bags of cooked kale, that will grace summer soups, lasagna and quiches. 2 grocery bags of mixed greens barely thinned the mustard and turnips bed.
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, April 14, 2011
Hardening Begins
There are 20 flats of little plants to be taken out every morning and brought in every evening. This will last until Friday (tax day). The plants will be set out in the garden then except for the ones that will be transferred to larger pots for the Master Gardener’s® plant sale on the 30th of April at the Farmer’s Market. This is a pretty exciting event. Most of the plants are grown organically by Master Gardeners®, but without that label of course.
Today begins the Wing Haven plant sale. Today is for members only. One can join for $45 and get a discount and a first shot at the plants. Tomorrow the sale will be open to the general public. My shopping list includes a couple more blueberry plants. Someday there will be a blueberry hedge all the way across the front of the yard.
On Friday all of the potatoes in the potato bag had sprouted. Probably by the weekend, they will need to have a little dirt added. Yesterday a large shopping bag was filled with spinach to be frozen tonight. The spinach was getting very large and it is almost time for it to start bolting. Maybe the very heavy picking will keep it producing for a while.
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/
Today begins the Wing Haven plant sale. Today is for members only. One can join for $45 and get a discount and a first shot at the plants. Tomorrow the sale will be open to the general public. My shopping list includes a couple more blueberry plants. Someday there will be a blueberry hedge all the way across the front of the yard.
On Friday all of the potatoes in the potato bag had sprouted. Probably by the weekend, they will need to have a little dirt added. Yesterday a large shopping bag was filled with spinach to be frozen tonight. The spinach was getting very large and it is almost time for it to start bolting. Maybe the very heavy picking will keep it producing for a while.
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, April 11, 2011
Sunshine in Small Doses
We are getting some beautiful sunny weather. It just does not come in long enough intervals to dry the ground. On Monday the temperature in the potato bag was 56 degrees. On Tuesday the first little potato leaves popped out of the dirt. The volunteer potatoes are already over 2 feet tall. They have been mounded to over a foot. I can’t scrape much more dirt, they will have to be mulched with leaves now.
Everything green is still being very productive. There are even a few radishes to throw in the salads now. The greenhouse plants are doing ok as well. The heat pads were turned off Monday night and turned back on Tuesday night. They are off now. Benches will still be needed outside of the greenhouse for the hardening off process.
There was a good garden plan in place this fall, but it seems that changes are needed now. There will be a lot more plants to put into the garden, so a way needs to be found to accommodate them all. A lot of them will probably wind up in flower beds in the front yard. The “frontscape” plan is being re-evaluated as well.
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/
Everything green is still being very productive. There are even a few radishes to throw in the salads now. The greenhouse plants are doing ok as well. The heat pads were turned off Monday night and turned back on Tuesday night. They are off now. Benches will still be needed outside of the greenhouse for the hardening off process.
There was a good garden plan in place this fall, but it seems that changes are needed now. There will be a lot more plants to put into the garden, so a way needs to be found to accommodate them all. A lot of them will probably wind up in flower beds in the front yard. The “frontscape” plan is being re-evaluated as well.
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, April 6, 2011
Young & Tender and All Mine
That describes the first harvest of the spring mixed greens (turnips and mustard). They are totally delicious. The kale is almost ready to pick as well. The Russian red kale from last fall is growing like crazy. The onions are doing well also. The radishes are almost ready to pick and the mesclun is really enjoying the weather. The arugula bolted and had to be pulled off. It was replaced with a follow up planting of pak choy, broccoli and onions. The spinach is still rocking and rolling with the largest spinach leaves ever.
The bottom heat pads in the greenhouse were turned off yesterday as a precursor to hardening off the plants for transplanting to the garden. Most of them look like they are too small to take away from their mama, but they should grow some in two weeks.
There was a major thunderstorm and very high winds last night. Trees are down all over town. Hopefully there will be a windfall (no pun intended) of firewood in the aftermath of the cleanup. At any rate the water will help the planted part of the garden. The part that still has not been tilled will have to wait a while.
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 bottom heat pads in the greenhouse were turned off yesterday as a precursor to hardening off the plants for transplanting to the garden. Most of them look like they are too small to take away from their mama, but they should grow some in two weeks.
There was a major thunderstorm and very high winds last night. Trees are down all over town. Hopefully there will be a windfall (no pun intended) of firewood in the aftermath of the cleanup. At any rate the water will help the planted part of the garden. The part that still has not been tilled will have to wait a while.
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, April 4, 2011
April Fools
Some of us do not need a special day to do foolish things. Gardeners are the ultimate optimists. The day is cool but sunny. Maybe we should all go out and plant tomatoes. There are a lot of tomato plants in the greenhouse, maybe at least one or two should go into the ground.
The winter spinach crop is the best we have ever had. The leaves are huge. Ana is making a spinach quiche for dinner tonight. It will have spinach and onions from the garden. It will be complemented with a fresh mesclun salad, also from the garden. The eggs, cheese and pie shell will have to come from the store.
There was another front yard garden article in a magazine I read this morning. The article stressed that front yard gardening is not just a matter of moving the garden from the back to the front. The visual effect of the plants need to be considered.
Russian red kale was getting ready to disappear from the vegetable garden anyway, for not being productive enough. Once that decision was made, the kale took off like a rocket and is producing a lot. It is a very pretty plant. It may wind up in the fall front yard garden. Parsley, beets and basil will go into the front yard this weekend. When the summer garden goes in on the 22nd of April, mammoth dill will be in the front yard planting. Asparagus are also a possibility. The front yard is really more appropriate for permanent plantings anyway. This is not an April fool’s joke.
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 winter spinach crop is the best we have ever had. The leaves are huge. Ana is making a spinach quiche for dinner tonight. It will have spinach and onions from the garden. It will be complemented with a fresh mesclun salad, also from the garden. The eggs, cheese and pie shell will have to come from the store.
There was another front yard garden article in a magazine I read this morning. The article stressed that front yard gardening is not just a matter of moving the garden from the back to the front. The visual effect of the plants need to be considered.
Russian red kale was getting ready to disappear from the vegetable garden anyway, for not being productive enough. Once that decision was made, the kale took off like a rocket and is producing a lot. It is a very pretty plant. It may wind up in the fall front yard garden. Parsley, beets and basil will go into the front yard this weekend. When the summer garden goes in on the 22nd of April, mammoth dill will be in the front yard planting. Asparagus are also a possibility. The front yard is really more appropriate for permanent plantings anyway. This is not an April fool’s joke.
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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