Patrice's Patch Garden Journal

cool, let me know how you do with the Goji berry. The flavor of mine is mildly tart with a subdued sweetness, similar to a mulberry, but slightly tart.

Thanks Keith, I'll let you know how it goes if it ever warms up enough to plant it.

My order from Baker Creek arrived Friday and included a free pack of Brunswick Cabbage seeds from WWW.GMOFREEUSA.ORG

This is one of the new to me varieties that I ordered this year. It's a large drumhead cabbage that is very cold-hardy. It was introduced in 1924 as a fall/winter-type cabbage that stores very well.

cool, free seeds are always great, especially when it's something you already want.

Yep, especially since we like cabbage a whole bunch.

Yesterday my ds sprayed my fruit trees with dormant oil for me. I also managed to apply a heavy amount of granular organic fertilizer to the asparagus patch.  Once my back starts feeling better I need to get the long bed where the asparagus is cleaned up and a thick layer of mulch applied. I'm removing the trellis panel from that bed this year as it is too difficult to work with it in that particular spot.

I also managed to get the blackberry canes trimmed down as well as the clematis vines trimmed back yesterday.

Today I want to get my peas planted along with direct seeding some cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower into the hoophouses covered beds. I will then put the greenhouse plastic over the hoops and secure it in place with some metal clamps. Hopefully the metal clamps will hold the plastic more securely in place this year without having to anchor it down with bricks or logs.

sounds like a productive day, enjoy it!!

Thanks Keith. Hey Keith would you please sticky my garden journal so I can find it easier.

Peas already planted this morning and the greenhouse plastic added to the hoops on one bed. Sadly there won't be any direct seeding this weekend, much of the garden soil is still frozen under the mulch.

sorry about that, I thought everyone's garden journal had been made a sticky post.

Not a problem, I couldn't remember how to do it or I would have done it myself.

I have one of my raised beds setup with a hoophouse covered with greenhouse plastic. I was absolutely surprised that the howling winds we had yesterday evening didn't pull the plastic off the hoophouse. I used to have a problem with the wind taking the plastic off the hoops but this year I switched to some heavy duty metal clamps that I used to use to keep the cover on the pool. It didn't look like the plastic moved more than an inch or two even without anything weighing the sides down.

I need to get the plastic setup on the other bed that has the hoops on it tomorrow. By Friday I'm hoping my back will be better and I can direct seed some of my cool season crops under my hoophouses. I really want to get some cauliflower, cabbage and broccoli started.

I did get my sugar snap peas planted on the 14th, hopefully the warmer weather we had will get them sprouting soon.

I still have a lot to clean up in the garden and yard. I'm hoping to work outside this week provided my back starts feeling better. It's supposed to be in the '50s most of the week and sunny.

I'm hoping that Saturday's high of 66 will allow me to get into the garden. I really need to get the taters planted

I spent several hours cleaning up part of the garden even though my back was still bothering me, I just premedicated to help keep me moving. I moved my big arched trellis to the big bed along the back fence. I want to grow my pumpkins on it this year. Then I put up two smaller trellises for the peas to grow on.

I cleaned the old sweet pea vines off the back fence and part of the old bean vines off the fencing where they grew last year.

This Fall I'm pulling all the spent plants out of the garden. I started to do it last year but my neighbor said to leave it to slow the wind blowing off the field. The problem is my arthritis is worse in the Spring making it more difficult to get the garden ready and planted.

I found some red onions that were missed last year. They were growing so I split them and replanted most of them. I still have some left to replant but the wind picked up and it got too chilly to stay out there any longer.

I leave things in the garden to cover the soil, most of the spent plants that I pull get laid flat like mulch and get worked in in the spring. The only benefit to letting them stand that I can think of would be to provide an anchor for other mulch or cover material

This year I'll probably do like you do Keith, pull it and let it lay there until Spring. I'll see though because I'm considering covering all the beds with clear plastic to heat them up and kill the weed seeds and grass (runner roots crisscrossing the raised beds). I might rake back the mulch, spread a layer of unfinished compost, put the mulch back and then some 6 mil clear plastic around November. I'd let it sit like that until March and see if it helps. I also have to mix up some spray for the creeping charlie and spray between the beds as it's invading them as well. I use a recipe from master gardener Jerry Baker that uses borax powder.

The borax works well on the Creeping Charlie, but you do have to be careful.  It will build up in the soil and will kill other plants as well.  I had a LOT of Creeping Charlie at the old house and the best way I found to kill it was careful hand weeding totally removing all traces of any vine (to the trash can or burn pile) and then spot spraying it with the borax mix.

I've used it will great results in my front yard to kill a 12' round patch. I'll be careful around the garden so I don't create another problem.

I have a friend on another site that is sending me some moonflower and morning glory seeds, I'm planning to try creating a living canopy with them. I have a 10'x20' canopy framework over my patio that I'm going to attach some net type trellis material to and grow the flowering vines in hanging baskets attached to the framework. I'll train the vines to grow up and grab onto the trellis hopefully creating a lush green canopy covering. I'm thinking that 8 hanging baskets evenly spaced should be sufficient to cover the space.

The main reason I want to try this is that this newer framework is about a foot taller than my previous one which makes it harder for me to put on/take down the tarp covering when storms are predicted. If I leave the top on, the wind lifts and moves the canopy around and has torn the tarp.

I'm hoping that there will be enough airflow through the vines that it won't get lifted but will provide shade for us to sit under and enjoy all Summer and Fall.

So what do you think, will it work? Would 8 hanging baskets enough? If these vines don't grow well enough I was thinking of planting trumpet vines in 5 gallon buckets and trying them. My neighbor has a trumpet vine that I could dig up as many babies as I wanted. I'd plant one at each of the 6 legs of the framework, and train them upward and over the trellis netting. I'd put them in buckets to avoid them spreading all over the place.

I have a garden supply catalog that has a 59"x328' roll of trellis netting for $69.99 which is cheaper than a new tarp since I need to replace the one that came with the framework. I'd either use the stretchy green garden tape or cable ties to attach the netting to my framework.  With 328' of netting I'd just cut it down in the Fall or Spring and put up new netting every year. I'd have enough netting for 8 years on that one roll.

So give me your thoughts, pros, cons, concerns let me hear them all.

I have another friend on that same site who is sending me some raspberry canes so that I can increase my berry patch.  The goji berry I ordered should be arriving this week as well. I'm planning to put both goji bushes in 5 gallon buckets just because it will be easier to keep the soil amended to achieve the proper growing ph for them.

I'm also going to plant some strawberries in some hanging grow pouches. I bought some bare root plants last year and I never got them planted, I hope they are still good. I was going to plant them in buckets but decided to try the pouches instead. Now to figure out where to hang them, I'm thinking 2 pouches back to back on each side of a double shepherd's hook. That way I can make a floating row cover bag to slip over the hook so the birds don't get all my berries.

I also am adding some Hanson's cherry bushes this year. They were ordered along with one of the goji bushes from Gurney's and the other I bought from Meijer's a few weeks ago. My Gurney's order should be here today or tomorrow. I need to figure out where I'm going to plant them as well. I'll probably keep them in the backyard, I'm thinking once I get the old pool deck down this Spring I might put them in that area. I don't want them too close to my chain link fencing and this spot might work out pretty good as it's about 10 feet away and easy to mow around.

I had morning glories at the old house they are rapid climbers. Mine were just planted in the soil and they covered a trellis in no time flat.

I have trouble with hanging baskets and pouches myself. I always have a hard time keeping them watered enough.

Do you think I'd be better off planting them in buckets at each leg of the canopy?

I would. They are fast growers. They will also spread and self seed if you don't keep a bit of track of them, but they are very pretty.

Thanks FF, I'll go with the buckets instead of the hanging baskets.

We have some of my grandfathers moon flowers. These seem to only bloom at night, and close up during the day. Very pretty and a joy to have though.

Those are gorgeous Keith, I think I'm going to like those on the canopy frame.

Here is what I ordered to cover the frame so the vines can grow up and over.
http://www.catalogclearance.com/products/tenaxhortonovatrellisnetting__treeprotection.html

I'm hoping it will be strong enough to support the vines.