Category Archive: Garden

Tomatoes are happy plants in the greenhouse, so happy they are flowering and setting fruit

Apparently the slugs have found their way to a happy hunting ground as well.   So today was “Sluggo” day in the greenhouse.    

The Bananas are extremely happy.   I will be bringing them in the house this fall with added lights and see if there is any chance of having bananas this far north.

And most of these plants are waiting to get planted outside, though a few of the lettuce and kale will remain inside as “cut and come again” plants.

How is your garden doing?

The rain we were suppose to get today didn’t happen.  But it was cloudy and cool. – good gardening weather.   The beds have been cleaned out, so we are concentrating on filling them, and then we will address the issue of the banks between the beds which are filled with weeds.

This is the strawberry bed which did not get enough attention last year, so after it is through giving its fruit, we will take the runners and fill the bed on the other side of the aisle.

Bill is repairing one of the boxes that wanted to  slide on down the hill.  Nothing is planted in this box or the one across the aisle from it yet.

Here is last year’s garlic at the front.  Behind them I planted beet seeds and behind them are the cauliflower (?) and behind them are the red onions.     Across from them way down at the other end are a few volunteer potatoes I left in and I still need to put carrots and other items in the rest of the row.

These are volunteer tomatoes and if you look very closely, you will see some of them already flowering.   I am afraid the flowering ones may be the tiny ones that are not fun to pick.   I’m fertilizing heavily hoping to get them to be bigger.   Then there is always the chance that they will lose these blossoms as they started in the greenhouse.  Maybe they will wait and get bigger first.

These are potatoes with straw already around them in the first photo and the second is more potatoes with onions in the back.     All potatoes this year were volunteer that we are letting grow where they are happy.   I should have purchased some to plant.    Maybe next year I’ll be more organized.   Then again I’m not taking bets on that.

 The beds are not difficult to keep weeded as I mulch quite a bit, but I’m trying to talk Bill into torching the hillsides before it gets warm enough to be a fire hazard.     I’m hoping that will help as the hill is too steep to stand and weed whack.

 Quilting will have to wait for a rainy day

DISCLAIMER:   I am not responsible when I hire people and tell them exactly what to do and different things happen.    This is apparently how I happen to have a daylily in the front yard and some irises in the daffodil patch.   So now, I’m trying to think of a way to label the iris colors so that when I did them up, I will know what colors are where.   Any suggestions.  PLEEEEASE.    Here are the dark and light purple that opened yesterday and today.

It’s been warm (80 which is warm for Western WA) and I’ve been on a detox program which means I’m not quite up to par.   So I’ve been taking a rest as well as  doing some knitting mid day.   This morning before the day got to far along, I planted a few more tomatoes in the greenhouse and did some weeding.      This evening I thought I’d take a suggestion and behead the potatoes.   Someone told me that by so doing, the plants would put more into the potatoes.   These are the purple ones that DH doesn’t think he likes, so if it doesn’t work, it won’t be a loss in his sight. (lol)

The greenhouse broccoli will be ready to eat very soon.   Look how well it is doing.   This is exciting.   When I plant it outside, it seems to go from being nice nearly ready to eat heads to instant flowers the next day.   Or else the slugs find it.

And here’s how the red cabbage looks.

Then I strung up most of the tomatoes I first planted.    Bill went to the store and bought more twine.   Truly I have never seen such junky stuff.   It is not like the twine I’m used to as it is very thin.   It may get returned tomorrow if we can find some real twine.  These tomatoes are the volunteers and I’m guessing some may be Roma’s which won’t get real tall.  However, since I don’t know they will all be treated the same.   I will finish tying them up when I get more real twine.

These plants are still waiting their turn to be planted and I really need to get my greens planted.   So much to do, so little time and energy.  In the front are the celery plants.

And look! Another little friend.   This is a garter snake (insect eater) who is just less than 2 feet long.   However,  he is displaced and I didn’t want to catch him.   He’s down where the animals sleep instead of up in the garden.   It is interesting that we have wild insect-eating creatures here – snakes and toads.   I love that these are provided for us.   They with the chickens and ducks are doing a  good job.   Now I just need a wild flying insect and hornet eater.