The super soaking that we received over the nights this weekend killed a lot of plans; but it helped some others. The rain all came at night; so it did not force people inside. There were some people who started celebrating St. Patty’s day on Saturday morning at 9:00 am. Wow. They had a beautiful day for the parade.
The yard and garden were almost too soggy for walking. The grass did start growing though. The weekend was great for digging postholes; so the garden fence got started and most of the posts are planted. The fence will probably not keep the deer out; but maybe it will change their traffic pattern.
All of the crucifers have come up now and one or two sugar peas have sprouted. A few cabbage plants graduated from the greenhouse to the garden. They are not in cages; but they probably need to be.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Garden Weekend
The sun is shining (finally). The flowers are blooming. How can a Friday be so long? My garden is calling and my work is too. Should I listen to the work or the garden? The ground is too wet to really get into the dirt; but this would be a great time to dig postholes for the garden fence. The deer were so brutal last year. They must be excluded this year somehow.
Deer can jump 18’ flat footed. The fence will only be 8’ high. I am hoping a combination of fence and bags of human hair will at least deter them. I will also attach a rain gauge to the fence and a maximum minimum thermometer to help with data collection. There will also be a tree cam to catch the rascals in the act of eating my goodies. At least I can enjoy watching them eat. A motion detector might be a good idea too; but the ones on the eaves of the house don’t seem to have any effect at all.
It is not too wet to set out some cabbage plants in raised beds. I have a few in the greenhouse that are getting too big for their pots. To heck with work, it is time to start the weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Deer can jump 18’ flat footed. The fence will only be 8’ high. I am hoping a combination of fence and bags of human hair will at least deter them. I will also attach a rain gauge to the fence and a maximum minimum thermometer to help with data collection. There will also be a tree cam to catch the rascals in the act of eating my goodies. At least I can enjoy watching them eat. A motion detector might be a good idea too; but the ones on the eaves of the house don’t seem to have any effect at all.
It is not too wet to set out some cabbage plants in raised beds. I have a few in the greenhouse that are getting too big for their pots. To heck with work, it is time to start the weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Wearing of the Green
The price of corned beef has suddenly gone up and is on sale. Cabbage is too. Everyone is getting ready for St. Patty’s day. It is after all the real all American rite of spring. At least a few of the beds in the garden are getting their green clothes out. The Arugula came up on the 10th. The spinach, kale, rape, mustard and turnips popped up yesterday (the 11th). They should be large enough to bring color to the garden in another 5 days.
Something has been digging in the sugar peas. I hope the did not eat all the seeds. There were a couple of seeds laying on top of the ground; so maybe the digger was looking for earthworms. A few of the onion sets have sprouted. That means it is almost time to plant a follow-up crop. One never needs to run out of onions.
The cherry trees on Sardis Rd. are blooming. That is the signal that the sap is rising and Spring is springing. This weekend the time changes giving us an extra hour in the garden each day. Praise be to Mother Earth.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Something has been digging in the sugar peas. I hope the did not eat all the seeds. There were a couple of seeds laying on top of the ground; so maybe the digger was looking for earthworms. A few of the onion sets have sprouted. That means it is almost time to plant a follow-up crop. One never needs to run out of onions.
The cherry trees on Sardis Rd. are blooming. That is the signal that the sap is rising and Spring is springing. This weekend the time changes giving us an extra hour in the garden each day. Praise be to Mother Earth.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Groundhog Revisited
Some may remember that I stated my differences with Paxatawny Phil. He did not see his shadow. I saw mine. We have had 5 weeks of miserable winter weather in Charlotte since Groundhog day. Finally it seems that Spring has sprung. No freezing temperatures are predicted for the next 10 days. The cherry blossoms are popping out like crazy. The daffodils are blooming. The arugula in the garden has sprouted. Hallelujah!!
The broccoli and bok choy that was planted a few weeks ago is doing well. The little cages have kept it from running away to find greater happiness in Bugs Bunny’s stomach. Even Bambi’s mama hasn’t bothered it. Her tracks are all over the garden. She really hasn’t eaten anything that I can tell. We are eating spinach finally from the fall planting. The old arugula is really getting ratty. I hope it will last until the new is ready to pick.
Everything that is going to be planted in the greenhouse has been planted except for a few more Marglobe tomatoes. There are more trays with sprouted stuff than with un-sprouted stuff. The Nasturtiums and the Cilantro are big enough to plant; but I will be satisfied to repot them instead. For the last several years we have had a late cold snap on or shortly after Easter weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
The broccoli and bok choy that was planted a few weeks ago is doing well. The little cages have kept it from running away to find greater happiness in Bugs Bunny’s stomach. Even Bambi’s mama hasn’t bothered it. Her tracks are all over the garden. She really hasn’t eaten anything that I can tell. We are eating spinach finally from the fall planting. The old arugula is really getting ratty. I hope it will last until the new is ready to pick.
Everything that is going to be planted in the greenhouse has been planted except for a few more Marglobe tomatoes. There are more trays with sprouted stuff than with un-sprouted stuff. The Nasturtiums and the Cilantro are big enough to plant; but I will be satisfied to repot them instead. For the last several years we have had a late cold snap on or shortly after Easter weekend.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Finally it Wiggles
Every day, unless the weather is really brutal, I walk through the garden and the greenhouse before going into the house. This probably sounds silly in the winter; but I have to see if anything has come up or grown. Earthworms go into the earthworm habitat whenever they are found; but I only disturb them once a week. If it is really cold, their peace is not disturbed then.
Normally it seems that I have to dig over a foot to find any at all. Then there are only a few. Where did they go? Yesterday, March 9, I got a surprise. With the first handful of medium my hands were full of wiggly little earthworms. They still are not eating the cornmeal that is sprinkled on the top of the tub. There is obviously plenty of feed in the medium which is finished compost. The castings will be harvested when they start eating the cornmeal.
The goal is to have enough earthworm castings by good Friday to fill the planting holes for the tomatoes. That may not happen; but possibly there will be enough if mixed ½ and ½ with garden soil. That should be rich enough.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Normally it seems that I have to dig over a foot to find any at all. Then there are only a few. Where did they go? Yesterday, March 9, I got a surprise. With the first handful of medium my hands were full of wiggly little earthworms. They still are not eating the cornmeal that is sprinkled on the top of the tub. There is obviously plenty of feed in the medium which is finished compost. The castings will be harvested when they start eating the cornmeal.
The goal is to have enough earthworm castings by good Friday to fill the planting holes for the tomatoes. That may not happen; but possibly there will be enough if mixed ½ and ½ with garden soil. That should be rich enough.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Pruning Crepe Myrtles
Now is the time to prune crepe myrtles. If they have been pruned correctly in the past, the task is fairly easy. From the end of each branch, where the seed pod is formed, trace back to the branch from which it grows. Cut about 6” from this branch. This will cause new branches to grow just below the cut.
If the plant has not been properly in the past, remedial pruning will be necessary. You could just start pruning them correctly. If the branches are too long and floppy, it may be necessary to go back more than one intersection to get to a point where the tree has a nice shape. If the tree has been cut back too severely, it may even be best to cut the tree off at ground level and start over growing a pretty tree.
Think about how you want the tree to look. Observe the way the tree grows and prune to achieve your desired results.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
If the plant has not been properly in the past, remedial pruning will be necessary. You could just start pruning them correctly. If the branches are too long and floppy, it may be necessary to go back more than one intersection to get to a point where the tree has a nice shape. If the tree has been cut back too severely, it may even be best to cut the tree off at ground level and start over growing a pretty tree.
Think about how you want the tree to look. Observe the way the tree grows and prune to achieve your desired results.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Friday, March 5, 2010
Soil Temperature and Seed Germination
Why do we plant when we do? There are lots of reasons. As the bible says in Ecclesiastes, “there is a time to every purpose under heaven.” Some plants and seeds are very forgiving about the planting time. Others are not. Soil temperature is one important factor. Seed germination and soil temperature are very interrelated. Some plants like most of the crucifers require a fairly cool temperature for optimum germination. Other’s like beans require a high temperature.
Another factor in the time for planting is day length. Some plants set seed when the day gets to a certain length. If seeds are the desired crop this is great. If leaves or roots are the desired crop, it is not so great. Tomatoes will grow really well in short days. They just don’t produce flowers or tomatoes.
Another factor is the time to maturity of the plant. If a plant takes a long time to mature the growing season in a particular area may not be long enough unless the plant is started earlier in a greenhouse. Of course the gardener’s patience may be the reason for planting slow maturing plants inside. Who can wait for that first tomato?
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
Another factor in the time for planting is day length. Some plants set seed when the day gets to a certain length. If seeds are the desired crop this is great. If leaves or roots are the desired crop, it is not so great. Tomatoes will grow really well in short days. They just don’t produce flowers or tomatoes.
Another factor is the time to maturity of the plant. If a plant takes a long time to mature the growing season in a particular area may not be long enough unless the plant is started earlier in a greenhouse. Of course the gardener’s patience may be the reason for planting slow maturing plants inside. Who can wait for that first tomato?
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
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