California - What are you doing this month?

How did everyone hold up under the strong wind storm? Here, it was worse today than last night.

The leaves of my tomato starts have purple undersides. I did the unthinkable and gave all of the starts in their trays a drink of CalMag and fish emulsion. Then, today at a family nursery, I noticed all of their healthy looking tomatoes have purple leaves, also. I think it is the periods of cold/cool we have been experiencing.

Probably stressed out:About purple leaf

sanderson wrote:How did everyone hold up under the strong wind storm?  Here, it was worse today than last night.

It's still too cold to go out and check, but today and tomorrow should be gorgeous. We still have another 6 days of up and down weather, then spring should be here to stay -- probably for a very short time until our dreaded summer season descends upon us. 

My seedlings seem to be doing downhill!    They were planted in MM.

3-30-18 when first set outside.  

4-13-18 in the opened green house.  

Could be they have exhausted the remaining energy from their cotyledons or hypocotyls and the soil doesn't have enough nutrients to keep 'em healthy. Maybe a dilute fertilizer application to soil and a leaf drench will pick them up.Too much Magnesium (Epsom salts) in the MM can do this too. It binds up all the Phosphorus and  minerals and makes it so that there isn't enough Nitrogen available for the seedlings. They look too "iffy" to put them in the beds- try to revive them.

They are saying, "Feeeeed meeeee"

There is not enough food in those little seeding cells to keep them going for long. They need to be planted or up potted or fed or all of those.  Sometimes it makes sense to plant them and then cover to protect.  Especially squash dislike the confines of lil pots and dislike being moved, and grow too fast.  Plant them and cover them if it gets in the 30s.

I disagree with Yardslave on this. I often find that planting is what saves the iffy characters I pick up at the greenhouse sales. They nurse back best with full root space.

Thank you for advice. I may up-pot the tomatoes, peppers and eggplant, and plant the other veggies. Flowers are too small to do anything except thin and feed.

Upon advice, I started planting the seedlings, today.  Winter squash, cucumbers and melons.  I also converted the double trellis for the cucumbers into a triple trellis.  Of course, thunderstorms are now expected tomorrow.

I worked for several hours but it doesn't look like I did much.  Sort of like when you clean the oven, clean the refrigerator, and the husband comes home and states that it looks like you didn't get much done.  Lots of work, but not obvious.  I also sprinkled Espoma Garden-tone on the garlic and watered well.  First bean popped up. Worked on trellis repairs (repairing accidentally snipped nylon nettings and replacing sun brittle zip ties), watering, mixing in new compost (lots of fat earthworms in the original boxes from when they were on the ground in 2013 and 2014).  Finished wrapping the rest of the nylon trellis netting around the tall tomato bed.  It's visible at the very left of the photo.  I'm adding at least one flower in each box that doesn't have beans.

Still have the tomatoes to up-pot.  They aren't quite big enough to plant out.  Weeded what I call the dirt gutter that surrounds the backyard.  Started sprinkling Sluggo Plus in the perimeters of the MM.  And still cooked a hot dinner!  I'm pooped.

sanderson wrote:Upon advice, I started planting the seedlings, today.  Winter squash, cucumbers and melons.  I also converted the double trellis for the cucumbers into a triple trellis.  Of course, thunderstorms are now expected tomorrow.

I worked for several hours but it doesn't look like I did much.  Sort of like when you clean the oven, clean the refrigerator, and the husband comes home and states that it looks like you didn't get much done.  Lots of work, but not obvious.  I also sprinkled Espoma Garden-tone on the garlic and watered well.  First bean popped up. Worked on trellis repairs (repairing accidentally snipped nylon nettings and replacing sun brittle zip ties), watering, mixing in new compost (lots of fat earthworms in the original boxes from when they were on the ground in 2013 and 2014).  Finished wrapping the rest of the nylon trellis netting around the tall tomato bed.  It's visible at the very left of the photo.  I'm adding at least one flower in each box that doesn't have beans.

Still have the tomatoes to up-pot.  They aren't quite big enough to plant out.  Weeded what I call the dirt gutter that surrounds the backyard.  Started sprinkling Sluggo Plus in the perimeters of the MM.  And still cooked a hot dinner!  I'm pooped.

You been busy. Looks great. I am so far away from doing any of that.

I am pooped just reading all you got done.

Today I managed to plant 7 tomatoes and 7 flowers in the 2' x 7' bed.  They are so tiny.


Also planted 8 peppers, 2 Snow Fairy tomatoes and 2 Japanese Millionaire eggplants in the 2' x 8'.  Amended this 4' x 2.5' bed for herbs.  I pulled the bolted cilantro and figurines and dumped and turned more compost. This oregano is 2 years old and taking off now (photo before amending the bed).

A few days ago I planted 2 bird house gourds in new compost mixed with old worm castings.  Can you spot what is wrong in this photo?

Third summer for these 2 year old snapdragons.  They were planted where a tree was removed and the stump ground out.  For an in-ground bed, the soil is so healthy. A pair of blue jays are collecting the old coir from the ratty-looking baskets. It's fun to watch as they collect, then organize the fibers before they both fly off at the same time.  

This is my unique Japanese Beetle trap.  I've been knocking the ones on the lower flowers into a bucket of soapy water and the blue jays have been eating them from the the upper flowers.

In 2 more days, the temps should be in the 70s and 80s.  If the plants can just hang in there and not dampen off.  Fingers crossed.

In the "what's wrong" photo, it looks like lots of "something" coming up all over the place.... Is that it? What do you think it is?

And is that a Camilla bush for the June bugs?

Climbing Iceberg rose that is over 20 years old. Lots of compost volunteers, probably tomato, maybe pepper.

You've been busy sanderson. Looks great. My MM is still frozen solid as is my 3x3x3 compost bin. I should be ready for planting by about July. Please send some of those nice temperatures this way.

This is a busy time for me regarding the garden. From the time I sow the seed pots until the starts are in the beds. I went to HD today and they had Bonnie 4" pots on sale at 5 for $15. Some of my herbs did not germinate and I planned to buy a few that I really wanted. Two Stevia, 1 cilantro, 1 flat Parsley, 1 basil with lots of individual starts, 2 more lavender, and flowers mainly for the front yard. I previously bought one tarragon and 1 lavender. At least the beds are all composted, many planted with seeds or my starts, so planting the new plants will be easy.

TD, Your turn will come.

sanderson wrote:This is a busy time for me regarding the garden.  From the time I sow the seed pots until the starts are in the beds.  I went to HD today and they had Bonnie 4" pots on sale at 5 for $15.  Some of my herbs did not germinate and I planned to buy a few that I really wanted.  Two Stevia, 1 cilantro, 1 flat Parsley, 1 basil with lots of individual starts, 2 more lavender, and flowers mainly for the front yard.  I previously bought one tarragon and 1 lavender.  At least the beds are all composted, many planted with seeds or my starts, so planting the new plants will be easy.

TD, Your turn will come.  

My cilantro came up on its own. Parsley made it through the winter and looks good. I bought 3 English lavender plants and put them in the bee garden. Rosemary and bay are thriving in the outside beds of the Salad Bar. Oregano is worthless. It looks right, but has no fragrance or flavor. It was store-bought last year. My best guess is that the nursery messed up and it's really some ornamental that just looks like oregano. 

CN- I must have gotten the same batch of "oregano" that you refer to. It looks like the read thing but it is actually marjoram and it tended to be pretty invasive in the beds; Good in stews, and with meats though.

Yardslave wrote:CN- I must have gotten the same batch of "oregano" that you refer to. It looks like the read thing but it is actually marjoram and it tended to be pretty invasive in the beds; Good in stews, and with meats though.

Yeah, I have met that stuff too, at least bees love it. The good stuff is often called 'Greek'.

Yardslave wrote:CN- I must have gotten the same batch of "oregano" that you refer to. It looks like the read thing but it is actually marjoram and it tended to be pretty invasive in the beds; Good in stews, and with meats though.

Mine's in a container, so it can't go anywhere, but it did absolutely nothing for the soup we put it in. 

Turan wrote:

Yardslave wrote:CN- I must have gotten the same batch of "oregano" that you refer to. It looks like the read thing but it is actually marjoram and it tended to be pretty invasive in the beds; Good in stews, and with meats though.

Yeah, I have met that stuff too, at least bees love it.  The good stuff is often called 'Greek'.

If the bees like it, I'll transplant it out in the bee garden instead of dumping on the compost heap. 

Thank goodness my oregano is the real thing. It is my go-to herb.

sanderson wrote:Thank goodness my oregano is the real thing.  It is my go-to herb.

Ooo, ya wanna send me a cutting? I'm sure I can find something to swap for it. Let's talk! 

Thinking how best to do it. Where's a small box when you need it!

Got the purchased herbs planted today.  Then I realized I forgot to plant the little Thyme I started.    I also worked in the front yard, weeding, trimming up perennial flowers, planting new annuals, and tackling the China Doll rose that I have ignored for 2 summers.  I am so sore . . .

Morning photo of the herb box.  The basil pot had 4 nicely separated basil starts so I cut it in half and planted the 2 sections.