Getting Ready to Plant

Written 3/13/13

Tomorrow morning is the last predicted freeze between now and March 22. The garden is almost ready for planting

A new bed 2’ wide has been built around 1/3 of the perimeter of the garden with landscape timbers. It still needs to be filled with landscape timbers and dirt. All but 4 of the old beds have been reworked and some of them have been planted with early crops. The kale and mustard have sprouted.

The plants in the greenhouse are either going to have to go in bigger pots or the ground. It is probably too early to plant things like tomatoes and peppers, but the traditional day is Good Friday which is the 29th. Tomorrow after things warm up a little, a few plants will be put outside to harden off. They will be brought in at night. The cilantro and parsley can be planted. One each of tomatoes, peppers, marigold and black peony poppy will be planted this weekend if the 10 day forecast still predicts no freezing.

The marigold can take a light freeze. The others will still be small enough to cover with a 2 liter bottle if a freeze is predicted. Even though it is sad to lose any plant, the greenhouse has more than I will be able to plant or give away.

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/

Drying Soil

This summer we will wish for rain like we’ve had lately. For now it has been keeping the soil too wet to till. Yesterday (Thursday) the ground in the garden and a front flower bed were too wet to till. The front yard, that just needs enough tilling to be able to rake smooth, was tilled. The tilling was started 4 months ago, but “projects” have gotten in the way of completion. Now it has to be raked and then it will be ready for grass seed.

Hopefully the front flower bed will be ready to till this afternoon. That soil drains really fast. If no rain comes the garden will be tilled Saturday. Then some new beds will be built and filled with mushroom compost and dirt. The compost from the bins is almost gone. There are probably 2 wheelbarrows full left. It takes 1 wheelbarrow load to refresh a bed. It takes 4 to make a new bed.

The 10 day weather forecast calls for no freezing weather after today until St Patty’s day. That forecast is very frequently wrong, especially this time of year. I am resisting the urge to set out some summer crops. Even if the weather stays warm, it really doesn’t speed the harvest. The potatoes for the spring planting still need to be planted.



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/

A Tale of Two Marigolds

Parsley, Cilantro and Marigolds (only a few of each) were put outside during the day to harden off. Friday night they were forgotten and left out all night. Since the original intention was to plant them on Saturday, this was not a problem. They did not get planted Saturday. The temperature went to 25 on Sunday morning. This was not a problem except for 1 marigold. One thrived and one died.

The cilantro and parsley were set out Sunday. The surviving marigold was taken back into the greenhouse. Kale, Swiss chard, onion sets, radishes, mustard and sugar peas were planted over the weekend. Two asparagus plants were hardened off, but their planting is being delayed until the asparagus in the bed start shooting up. One has poked its nose up, but it has only grown 2 inches in 4 days.

The soil in the garden is still too wet to till. Freezing nights and windy sunny days should dry it out fast. If it is not dry by Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday more rain is predicted.



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/