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/

Small Strong Turnips

Small Strong Turnips

I pulled off all of the turnips yesterday. The bulbs were not very big; but the leaves were starting to look ratty. Most of the turnips were too small to fool around with so I just put them in the compost bin. The ones that had bulbs about an inch in diameter or more, I took inside. We cooked a few for supper last night. They were really strong. No more purple tops, strictly Tokyo Cross Hybrid turnips for the future.

The soil is drying out really fast. I guess it is because the plants are getting so large. I had to water yesterday. I think I will just water every day until it rains again. The watermelon vines have blossoms. I know that means they will really start sucking up water.

Weeds are really growing fast under the fig trees, despite the shade and the heavy mulch. I pulled them yesterday. I think I will try planting some oak leaf lettuce there. It would be wonderful to have lettuce, tomato and cucumber at the same time. I picked the second cucumber yesterday. There were only a few squash and one zucchini and 2 small broccoli heads. The Brussels sprouts have a few little buds on the stalks.




David Segrest practices international real estate and writes an international real estate blog. Email is david@segrestrealty.com , Web page http://www.segrestrealty.com ,Blog http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/