I am so excited.

Three days ago I set out two hummingbird feeders, and late yesterday afternoon, as I sat at the kitchen table eating dinner, something flashed by the window. I was so excited in my trying to tell my honey what I was looking at, that I almost choked on my mouth full of food. Now I am really starting to feel as though spring is truly on the way.

By the way, I am so proud of myself for learning how to put a collage together. It took me a couple of hours playing around,and some frustration, before I finally figured out how it all fit together.

Spreading the dirt.

This afternoons temperatures rose into the 50's, just perfect for a little gardening. Last year, when we constructed the raised beds and filled them with dirt, we added some compost, but I am of the opinion it was not enough. We are fortunate in being able to do a trade with a friend who has a landscaping business. We allow him to park some of his heavy equipment on our 10 acre property, and in return, he brings us compost, topsoil, or whatever we need. Today's chore was to bring wheelbarrow loads from the pile of compost, and spread them on the raised beds. I managed to get one large, and one small bed covered and mixed in, the third bed has the compost dumped on top, but I am out of energy to mix it in.
I can remember the days, and it doesn't seem that long ago, when I would work out in the garden from very early in the morning until dusk, with just a short lunch break, Growing old is not for sissies!
Note the bright yellow handle of my garden fork, on the lower edge of the raised bed. I think my idea to paint them that color is going to pay off.

Mellow Yellow

I have a real problem, in that I am constantly losing my garden tools as I go about working in the yard. For example, I start out in one place, perhaps trimming off dead leaves or doing a little pruning, then stopping to go and find some twine to tie up a plant. I put down the clippers, or whatever tool I am using, ready to pick it up when I return. After returning and tying up the offending plant, often times I will see something else which needs my attention, so off I go to take care of it.
Next thing I know, it could be an hour or so later, several other garden chores completed and I remember the tool I had been using earlier on. Sheesh! where did I put it down? I look and look, and can't see it. First of all, my eyesight is not as good as it used to be, secondly, the color of most gardening tools, is such, that they blend in with the color of their surroundings on the ground.

I have tried wearing an apron with a large pocket to carry the tools. Didn't like it tied around my waist. I tried using a small basket to put the tools in. I would take one tool to use, then soon I had moved along doing my chores, and there the basket would sit, half way across the yard.
I say " enough already" I will solve my dilemma.


A can of bright yellow, rust preventing spray paint, and some creative painting, and VOILA!! my very old, but favorite garden tools are transformed. I should be able to spot these babies half way across the yard. If not, I had better visit my optometrist for some new eye glasses. *grin*
Yes I know, I bent the truth a little. the color is not exactly a mello Yellow, but who could see such a pale shade of mellow yellow anyway? especially not me.

Just hanging around.

Early this morning before getting out of bed, thoughts of gardening were swirling inside my head, and I was thinking how cool it would be, to put a bracket on each of the four corners of my new vegetable garden, and hang planters full of flowers on them.
"Light bulb Moment!" I remember buying some planters at the thrift store, a couple of years ago, now where did I put them? After spending some time searching, I unearthed the bags from down in the basement, and said to myself, goody! I have four bags, one for each corner. Upon reading the information on the front of one of the packages, I was delighted to read that each packet held three grow bags. Wow! now I have 12 grow bags to fill with flowers, herbs or whatever I desire. Not only will I have enough planters to brighten up the vegetable garden, but there will be enough to hang near the front entrance to the house.

I have no idea how these are going to work out, but I am about to find out.

The instructions say to use soil less potting compost, which is the same as seed starting mix, which I have plenty of, so all I need now are the plants. I intend on starting some of my own, in small peat pots as this will cut down on the cost, and I am thinking, I may buy a few strawberry plants, to try in one of the bags. Have any of you used this growing method before? if so, please let me know how it worked out for you.

Naturally, the brackets to hold the grow bags are going to be on the inside of the garden fence, as I am not creating a restaurant for the deer, who wander past the garden. I also have plans to put some kind of cap or finial, on top of the fence posts to give then a finished look. Just because it is a vegetable garden, does not mean it can't look pleasing to the eye. You should see the brightly colored tomato cages I bought last year. I will have photos of them at a later date. Another chore to be accomplished now that we have finished constructing the garden, is to tidy up the mess on the outside of the garden

Setting the record straight

I am sure the readers of my other blog, have been wondering where I had been, so I thought I had better let them know with the following post.

I have not been lazy about posting to Keewee's Corner, I just kinda' took a detour. My detour has taken me to:

Blotanical was created by Stuart Robinson of Brusselton, Western Australia. It is a place where a huge family of garden bloggers, from all over the world, show their own particular style and interest in gardening.
I must say, I have become quite addicted, to spending time reading the many, many blogs and sadly Keewee's corner has suffered. I must not let that happen anymore, so I will try to be more diligent in my posting.
So if you enjoy gardening, drop by Blotanical, and I can almost guarantee, you will be hooked too.

I thank and appreciate all of you, who come by to read, and or leave comments on either of my blogs.

OK Mother Nature, I will try to be patient.

Yesterday, the weather changed from quite cool in the morning, to a warmish 46 degrees later on in the afternoon.
I donned a sweatshirt and down vest, which came off as I warmed up, the vest, that is *grin* and went outside to do a little more work in the vegetable garden. As usual I took my camera along to record what I do.
As I went down the steps onto the driveway, the bright purple of this pretty clump of crocus hiding under some bamboo caught my eye. I had forgotten I had planted them here. What a nice surprise to see them. Perhaps I should read the labels once in a while!


Another pretty plant given to me last year. I am looking forward to seeing the flowers of Delphinium - Guinevere.

The delphinium came to me from a friend who used to work for a large gardening retail store. On occasion, the store would throw into a dumpster, plants which were not up to snuff to sell. My friend could not stand to see all these plants thrown away, so she would bring them home, and with a little TLC they would grow into strong healthy plants.

The Dwarf Greek Oregano received a haircut, revealing lots of nice new growth at the crown.

A spearmint plant got the same treatment as the oregano, also revealing much new growth.
Ahh! signs of spring, which begins on the 20th of March. I hope Mother nature is paying attention. Last year, our season started way late and I am hoping it will not be the same this year.

Last season, as the strawberry plants threw out runners, I placed pots of potting mix, around the strawberry beds, and pinned the runners into the soil. Now I have many new strawberry plants, some of which I planted in this large pot which had housed a large shrub. Before putting anything into a used pot, it is always a good idea to thoroughly wash out the pot. I use a little bit of bleach in water to wash the pot, then give the pot a good hose out.

The French tarragon was well on it's way to overtaking a corner of one of my raised beds. I was not happy with this, so decided to give it a home of it's own. I had a large pot not being used for anything else, so the tarragon is now transplanted, and can take over the whole pot. Be aware, some herbs need a place of their own, or they will spread and take over your garden

A little patch of daffodils, and some other bulbs I can't identify at the moment. The bulbs I can't identify, were planted by the previous owner of the property.

As I sat here at my PC writing this post, this handsome fellow came to visit. He is a Spotted Towhee. He has lovely red eyes, rufous sides and flanks, white belly,and white spotted, black back and wings. I had to be quick to take his picture, as he was rather nervous by my proximity.

Mother nature is being rather fickle, promising spring,with warmish temperatures, then reminding us she is in charge, by giving us a cold dreary day, such as it is to day. I guess we will just have to be patient, which, as an avid gardener, I am short on when it comes to getting my garden planted.

Indoor gardener for today

It is a cold windy day, and not comfortable to be out in my vegetable garden.

So I am content to plant seeds in peat pots on my kitchen table. Two days ago, I planted, tomato, lettuce, Swiss chard, celery, Brussels sprouts, and bell pepper seeds. Today I planted spinach, broccoli, kohlrabi and basil. The plastic tented trays of peat pots, sit on my kitchen table, right in front of a large window, and a smaller side window, through which we get the sun from about 10 am on. Last year I used the same method and the plants did very well until it was time to plant them in the garden.

Using pressure treated wood in your garden.

In my last post on raised beds, I have a photo of a staple on the side of one of my new raised beds, which prompted Grace, to leave a comment voicing her concerns (and rightly so)
quote: The boards you're using to edge your beds look like the ones that are treated with a toxic preservative. It's a cocktail containing arsenic and can leach into the soil and into your food supply. If your boards are newly purchased they're probably safe since a few years ago the arsenic treatment was banned.

I thank grace for raising this question, because it led me to consider, how many other new gardeners are not familiar with the use of pressure treated wood in their gardens.

First of all I turned to the internet, and found many articles on the subject, then I called a friend who is a toxicologist. My friend was interested in what I was asking, and said he had not looked into the latest information on what is being used on pressure treated wood, but will do so, and get back to me. As a toxicologist he always says " any chemical, which also includes some we think of as harmless, will hurt you if you get enough of it"

The sides of the raised bed in my garden,are constructed with new wood, which has been treated with different chemicals from those used previous to 2003, but there is still a question, are these still safe. HERE is one article I found. ANOTHER and ANOTHER

It seems there are many opinions on this subject, so, I am going to wait for more information from my learned toxicologist friend before I form my own ideas.

I am ready and waiting

Yesterday was a balmy 55 degrees, so I took advantage of the lovely day, and worked on getting my raised beds ready for planting. I am using the Square foot gardening method which requires planting a certain number of seeds or plants in each section.

The first chore was to install the soaker hoses, which be used only when I am away on vacation. I then had to measure and mark the sides of the garden frames in 12 inch increments, then go back around and pound in staples on the marks.
I now know I am a senior citizen for sure, my back and knees, told me so *chuckle*

Last year I had just one bed marked out in the square foot sections, using yellow garden twine, to out line the square foot grid, held in place by nails I had hammered into the top of the bed frames. I soon found this to be a huge mistake, as when I went to lean into the bed to pull a weed, I accidentally placed my hand on one of those nails. which was not hammered all the way down. Ouch #!*@#
Yesterday, I removed the nails and hammered in staples along the sides of the frame to attach the twine to. There shouldn't be more nasty words from me as I work in my garden plot.

Pansies and violas offer a splash of color in the early spring, so I bought these two packs to plant in a pot by the front door. I won't be outside today as the weather has cooled down and there is a chilly wind blowing, instead, I am going to plant seeds in peat pots I have in a tray, sitting on my kitchen table.

I was beginning to think the crocus had died, but here they are just starting to show their pretty faces.

Last year, a friend gave me some hellebores, or also called Lenten roses. I am now a huge fan of these flowers, which come up at the end of winter, brightening an other wise dull flowerless garden, with their rich alluring colors.

This one has pinkish lavender petals, fading almost to a cream color towards the center. There are also dark maroon speckles on the petals. A most attractive flower indeed.

A stunning lime green hellebore.

Where do I plant my hellebores?
Your hellebores should be planted in a partially shaded, moist site. If you are in an area that has hot summers, it is most important that the plants be shaded from the afternoon sun.

How do I plant my hellebores?
Dig a hole that is twice as wide and deep as the container the plant is in. Work this soil well and incorporate a balanced, slow-release fertilizer into the planting hole. Backfill the hole and set the plant even with ground level, firming the soil around it.

What should I do in order to have my hellebores increase in beauty from year to year?
The hellebore's evergreen foliage begins growth early in the season, and may be cut to the ground in late fall before the new flower stems emerge. As the flowers fade and seed pods form, you should remove the flower stems to prevent seedlings from growing in the crown of your plant.

Information from Heronswood

Well, my vegetable garden is all ready, there are seeds in pots on the kitchen table, so all I need now is for mother nature to co-operate.

Bring on the Berries

After following all the planting directions, the blueberries are in two tires in my garden plot.

The soil in the two tires was rather sandy without much good compost which blueberries like.
I dug out a bucketful of the sandy soil, and replaced it with a bucket full of nice rich compost from the compost pile I started last year, some dry steer manure/compost I bought in a bag from the local hardware/garden center, and some Azalea, Camellia and Gardenia food which blue berries also like.

Before planting, I gently loosened the root ball with one of my favorite garden tools.
It is important that the plant is not buried too deep. The fill dirt should be the same level as the dirt surrounding the plant in the pot. Before placing the plant in the hole, I sprinkled a little of the 1/4 cup of fertilizer in the hole mixing it in thoroughly. The recommendation on the back of the box is to use 1/4 cup for every two feet of plant height. As I filled in around the plant I sprinkled in the rest of the fertilizer, working it into the soil, until the hole was filled in around the plant.

Now, doesn't this look like one happy little blueberry plant?

There are quite a few nice fat buds on the plant, and I am hoping after all my effort, I will be rewarded with a nice crop of berries this year.

Decision made

This morning, my car turned into the garden center all on it's own. This seems to happen on a regular basis during gardening season. *chuckle*
Today I was going in to look for rhubarb plants, but instead, came home with two very nice blueberry bushes. For quite some time I had been considering growing a couple of blueberry bushes, as I am not too excited by the cost of fresh or frozen berries and I do love these berries on cereal, as jam or in a pie.
The little bit of research I had done on blueberry plants told me they were large bushes and would not be suitable for my 20x20 foot garden patch, so I had almost given up on the idea of growing my own berries.
Eric who is a friend, and also happens to be a very knowledgeable employee of the garden center, happened to walk by when I was looking at rhubarb plants. We had a discussion about rhubarb, then I mentioned how much I would like to have blueberries but the bushes were too large. I was ecstatic to learn there are dwarf varieties of blueberries and arrived home with the two varieties Eric suggested for my plot.

I chose one plant to bear fruit throughout the summer, and the other mid to late season.

The fall color of this plant will be a nice addition to the garden.

Now I have my two blueberry bushes, fertilizer, and instructions on the planting and after care, I am anxious to get outside tomorrow, to plant the blueberry bushes.
Of course, you know, I will have to make another trip to the garden center, for the rhubarb I forgot in my excitement over finding the blueberry bushes.

I am ready

This year I am on top of all the plans I have for my vegetable garden.

I have made a graph of my 20 by 20 foot garden with all the raised beds, tires and other small containers drawn to scale. I then read through my Square Foot Gardening book, and flagged the pages I will be wanting to refer to, highlighting all the relevant information in neon yellow. I also took my garden calendar and filled in all the planting days of the various vegetables, for the whole season.
Whew! what an undertaking, but it is all worth the effort for a newbie veggie gardener as I am.

I took my layout to a stationary store to have it laminated, and while there, bought a couple of dry erase markers to write on my laminated layout. Having erasable markers enables me to write on the laminated page, and erase my notes if I change my mind on the location of the seeds and plants. Rather than going out to the garden when it is time for planting, and standing there trying to make up my mind where everything is to be planted, I will already have it all planned out. I will also be able to use the same layout year after year and will have a record of the vegetables, which need to be rotated to a new location the following year.

Visitors to my garden

The chorus from the birds every day, heralds spring. Red wing Blackbirds, Robins, Flickers, Starlings, Sparrows, Juncos, and many, many, more are all singing their songs to attract a mate.

These two Flickers have taken time to visit one of the feeders I have outside my den window. They really are handsome birds, with their black, brown, cream and orange colors.

A female Red Wing Black bird waits patiently in a tree, for the flickers to leave the feeder, so she can have some birdseed. I will attempt to get a picture of the male Blackbird, showing off the bright orange feathers on his wings.

A promise

46F degrees, and a beautiful sunny, but cool day, to wander around the yard looking to see what is growing.
I am happy to see so many spring bulbs pushing their way up into the sunshine, giving me that little rush of adrenalin knowing the the first day of spring is just four weeks away.

Tulips--Zurel, Greenland, Magier, Scarlet Pimpernel, to name just a few

Daffodils and Tulips. The daffs. are Texas

Hyacinths

Daffodils, in bud

Asiatic Lilly

Two years ago, or is it three, I planted 250 spring bulbs. There are Tulips, Daffodils, hyacinths, Grape Hyacinths, Asiatic Lillies, and a few other bulbs I cannot recall the names of at this time.
Oh! what a promise of glorious colour there is. I am impatient to see it all.

Spring is somewhere out there

According to the calendar,Spring is about 8 weeks away. *groan*

A cool crisp, winter's day, greeted me early this morning, as I poked my nose out the front door to check on what the day may bring. Today, I thought to myself, will be the time to get some cleanup done in my gardens.
At eight thirty, warmly wrapped against the coolness of the morning, I started in on cleaning up the garden. As I worked on cutting back all the dead stems of plants which had gone dormant for winter, and pulling some of the weeds, the pale blue wintry sky, started to deepen into a darker shade of blue, as the sun rose higher in the heavens. The sun was so beautiful, and felt so warm on my back, after all the gray dreary days of the past few weeks, and it wasn't long before I had to remove my jacket.

The flower garden along the front of the house was the first to get my attention. There was so much trimming and pulling of weeds to be done.

A short while later, I had trimmed back all the dry dead stems of dormant plants, and in doing so, discovered on many of them, new growth just starting to make an appearance at their crowns, so I guess they weren't as dormant as I supposed.

The leaves of one of my favorite yellow tulips has poked up out of the ground.

Along the back side of the carport is a garden spot which is somewhat protected from the cold winds, where afternoon sun warms the soil. The plants in this small garden are among some of the first to bloom come spring.

Three of a particularly beautiful red tulip, have pushed up into the sunshine.

The shasta daisies have quite a lot of new growth showing.

Ranunculas, which have such beautiful bright flowers are also well on their way to setting buds.

There are plenty of nice fat buds on the lilac bush. I hope for many fragrant blooms this year.

This year I remembered to trim off all last years leaves of the Hellebore plants, so all the energy will go into forming the new flowers.

A pretty white Hellebore which has not been nibbled on by the slugs, which are rather fond of these flowers.

So for now, the garden is looking neater, and I deserve to rest for a while. My back is protesting a little, so I think a hot cup of coffee is in order. As I made my coffee, I happened to glance at my indoor/outdoor thermometer, it showed it to be 48F out side. I had actually felt it was warmer as I was busy digging over another one of the raised beds in the vegetable garden, but who wouldn't feel warm, as they pushed a spade or fork into the garden, lifting and turning the soil over, then raking it smooth?

Spring fever!

Seems I have a mild case of Spring fever. I have started going through seed catalogs to decide which vegetables I am going to grow this coming season, and last night made out a To Do List. One chore on the list, was to get outside on the first sunny day, and dig over the vegetable garden beds.

Today was about 47 degrees and sunny, so was quite pleasant working in the garden. I managed to dig over three of the beds, pulling the weeds as I went, before my back started to protest. The other beds will get done on the next nice sunny day, or at least a day with mild temperatures and no rain.

The four foot by six foot bed on the left, will be the next bed to be worked on.

The soil in the beds looks rich and fertile with plenty of worms, Just what I was wanting after all the llama manure and compost I have been adding this past year. I am hoping for an abundance of vegetables from my garden this year.