Western Mountain High Plains What are you doing in your gardens today?

Just thought I would check in and see what everybody is doing in their garden today? I have been up potting some tomatoes and squash, then I had a brilliant idea about where to plant my horseradish... In a barrel that the hubby picked up at a yard sale! At least I hope it was a briliant idea, we shall see . Now I am going to make some mother's day baskets with some flowers and herbs. I made a pretty neat one for my mother in law that had strawberries, green onions, and nasturtium . Well I am going back out to play in the dirt!

Ahhh, just kickin back and watchin it rain on mine

I got to do that for the last 4 days, glad it finally came down to visit you!

Mothers day baskets and rain.....

I was late to work because I was fussing with soaker hose and the cold frame/hoop house I made this weekend. I wound the hose around through the bed backwards once and had to start over. There was a bad frost last night. All came through except the marigolds are totally gone now. The last lamb was born too.

Awe rats sorry about your marigolds, we had a bad frost last night, it was still on the outside of the plant inn when I opened it up this morning, I didn't have time to go check out the pyramid bed though because I had to get all the kids ready and be to work by 6:00 this morning. Guess I'll see when I get home this afternoon

We have ferrel cats who are fed by two neighbors every day. These cats keep visiting my planter beds and leaving presents (unwanted). Last year I went and asked if they could keep their cats out of my yard. The man of the house basically told me no. I told him they were pooping in my garden and he told me that is why he doesn't have a garden. He said other neighbors feed the cats also. There are 4-6 that come from his yard. We have tried various things to keep them out of the whole garden area. This weekend my son hammered nails into the wood fence in hopes that would deter them. So now they put their paws in between the nails and leave a little fur behind. I guess the next step is to put more in between what is there. I know it may not be very nice but I send the cat "presents" back across to their yard. One day I dug at least 30 out of my beds. If I see footprints I have to dig then smooth everything out again and make a trench again around the plants.

We love broccoli and I planted a whole bed in broccoli (24 plants). They are doing very well. I have lettuce, carrots, spinach, orange cauliflower, purple cauliflower, peas, beans, cantaloupe, zucchini, red potatoes and russet potatoes, chili peppers, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions, marigolds and zinnias planted.

I got anxious and planted some of them too early and the cold weather took its toll on a few which I knew were too early to plant, duh. My broccoli, peas, potatoes and onions have loved the cold. The broccoli has probably tripled in size, which makes me feel like a professional gardener. The potatoes have sent leaves through the soil about six inches so I put more soil on them. I started the potatoes by digging out most of the soil in the bed and putting it in containers and on a sheet of cardboard so I could mound soil around them as they grow. Well so far so good!

Just need to replace what I killed off. I bought most from a mom and pop nursery.

Ooh, that barrel sounds like fun to plant in!

That's hilarious Tricia, I would send them back their presents too, you should get an outdoor dog to scare the cats away! That's what I do, move the dog close to the gardens in the summer, haha. Glad your broccoli is doing so great, mine is not growing much we have had a few cold nights and some hail so I will wait and see! Keep us posted!

It is snowing........

O well. Extended forecast look good.

Crap, It has been really really nice hear, sorry don't want to rub it in... it is never too late for snow in our neck of the woods!

Yesterday I spent the entire day outside building boxes until the drill died then I cut wood for more while the battery charged for the drill, I dug out a spot where I am putting in some cattle panels, filled a box with MM for corn and today I am waiting to get off at work and going to go home and level up some more boxes so I can fill em up. I sure hope my birthday comes quick because I need more MM.

How big a bed? Just for corn or are you 2/3/4 sistering? I bet your cutie pies will enjoy helping plant corn! What are the cattle panels for? Trellis or crittur control?

I am not too unhappy with the weather actually, it is watering the pasture and I have the garden well covered (I hope).

It's 5x5, and I am going to scatter some pole beans and 1 spaghetti squash, that I will train out of the box. I am debating planting the corn now because me father in law grows it every year and he said to do it now, I still think it may be too early. I was also curious to know if anyone succession plants corn? I was thinking of doing one row at a time a weekish apart so (in the event I actually get corn) we don't have a whole bunch at once.

at least you don't have to worry about the marigolds...

The cattle panels are for trellising, I just got a little excited I just realized I might get some MM material for Mothers day...

cheyannarach wrote:It's 5x5, and I am going to scatter some pole beans and 1 spaghetti squash, that I will train out of the box. I am debating planting the corn now because me father in law grows it every year and he said to do it now, I still think it may be too early. I was also curious to know if anyone succession plants corn? I was thinking of doing one row at a time a weekish apart so (in the event I actually get corn) we don't have a whole bunch at once.

at least you don't have to worry about the marigolds...

Exactly!

I just preemptively hilled the potatoes so they won't freeze.

My neighbors always plant their corn 3rd week of May. I time it by when the sunflowers that self seeded are popping up. Those are usually about the same time. We have the option to put a floating row cover of some kind over the bed, that will protect it if needed.

I have no luck with succession planting but I have managed to do a couple varieties that then ripen at various times. Corn is pretty dicey plant here though (except for silage)

That's brilliant, oh the things I learn they seem sooo simple after you learn them. I might just have to go get some different corn seeds now! I wasn't even going to bother with corn but then I got to reading about the 3 sisters and it got me wondering so now I have to try.

I was very excited today when I got home from work, ran out to the back yard to water the garden and we finally have some sprouts up We started thinking that something was wrong but there was sugar snap peas, broccoli, cabbage, radishes, and new growth on the potatoes!

Yay Sprouts!

Here the sun came out as soon as I was at work and could not put the plants out. Now it is getting cold and htey say it will get down to 23F. I wonder if the peas I have up will survive that.

Ouch , I hope they survive! We are going to have the next 3 nights from 32-35 degrees and after that it looks like 40-50 night temps yay! I will deffinately be planting flowers out this weekend! Yay! Hubby said last night " I don't think I did a very good job at planting the seeds" isn't that cute. He will be happy to see he did just fine when he gets home tomorrow

It's trying to rain right now..

Pretty clever there Rooster....looking good

Wow your maters look awesome, we need a green with envy emoticon! I am planting some flowers, cauliflower, and maybe a few more. I will take pics when I am done and show em off!

This is a basket I made last night!



Side View



This is what my kitchen counters look like at night, lol.



These are the flowers I planted in the middle of my big beds I put flowers in the middle places that I cant reach well, and a few more!



This is the strawberries, kohlrabi, and radishes that I posted last time, they are deffinately growing!



This is another project I am working on, I have a bunch of boxes to go, then I need to get them all leveled and filled. They are going to be flower beds, and one big one will be for corn!



This is the garlic and onions taking off!!!

It was a fun day!

Looks like you all had a good day. Yay tomats and onions and garlic and sprouts and flowers!

I went to a nursery with my mother in law and got a few plants.....

Here is the marigolds with the broccoli 2.0



And the pansies with the speckle lettuce and radishes and peas and garlic.



And here is the greenhouse with the 5 tomatoes planted and 8 basil! All safely covered in wall-o-waters.



This has been a good day. Now for some rhubarb cobbler and garden greens for dinner.

Yum rhubarb cobbler! Your garden looks great! Your broccoli is way bigger than mine! When do you normally get to harvest it? Thanks so much for the pictures!!!!! Keep em coming. Oh, ps I didn't get my peach tree in the ground yet, tomorrow hubby is supposed to help me and I also tried to get a cattle panel arch made solo, I found out it's a two man job so we will help with that tomorrow also then I will have more pics!!!

Also are your garlic tops browning already or is it the lighting? Just curious when you get to harvest it to hep me plan for next year, we should be pretty similar!

I also bowed a panel this weekend and tryed to get it into the bed with out wiping out everything else out. DH noticed and gave a hand right before it swiped the broccoli bed.

The garlic are growing strong. It will be late July/August I think before they are done. I don't know the variety except a red hardneck, mid season. A friend gave me some that did well in her garden. Garlic does not always survive winters here and i was concerned about trying to leave them in a raised bed for the winter. So I don't plant near the edges of the bed. So far so good.

Which variety of peach? Do they grow in your area or are you stretching the possibles? Looking forward to the pics!

They growish in my area, a little stretching maybe, I know people that have them that produce around here but they say it depends on the winters for production, some years are good and some are not so great. I just couldn't help myself so we'll see. It's a peach contender (from Gurneys) and according to them it grows in my zone and is supposed to be winter hardy here. I have the roots soaking right now and it's going in in about an hour. We have a mound system for septic and there was a huge hill of topsoil lest next to one of the mounds and that's where we are planting it, wish me luck.

That's funny that we both attempted the panels, Hubby went out today and put it up himself, lol, then giggled at me.

HOPEFULLY! I can get my trellis's up this weekend. I've put them off for to long now...I also need to get my cucumbers and squash planted and possibly some pepper transplants. I really wanted to get my tomatoes transplanted this weekend, but my "hardening off" has been hindered by my work schedule and winds this week.
Time permitting, I would also like to get my daughter's flower box up this weekend.

Sidenote: as of this morning, the fire just to the northwest of us has still been burning out of control. It's up to 7000 acres and basically burning out of control. It's incredibly smoky here and any outside activity is somewhat bothersome. The local schools have suspended all outside activities. Everything around here smells like a campfire, and I'm not typically bothered by smoke, but after a few days, it just kind of takes a toll on you if you have to be outside much.