2017 Gardening and Home

[Deborah]

You're busy! I love, love, love sweet peas!

[MissMoustache]

So busy!

I found some garlic and bulbs in my closet, I'll be potting them up later to see if I can get them to grow. Then I have a few flowers and herbs I've ordered that need sowing at the end of the month. Whew. So much to do till spring!

[MissMoustache]

I've never grown sweet peas before. I'm excited

[MissMoustache]

The closet is out on my porch and so stayed cold this year. Didn't freeze but got close and some of the bulbs are sprouting. Some are moldy... Don't think I can save those. And I'm tossing squishy or soft ones.

[MissMoustache]

I was out walking around town in a light sweater and no coat because it's nearly 60 F right now.

The birds are singing like it's March. The cats are going nuts at the windows and I'm somehow overdue for hanging up bird feeders. I took out the bedding to hang to dry on the line and I'm washing curtains and throw rugs and doing a little spring cleaning. It's so warm and sunny the comforter is already nearly dry. I only hung them outside four hours ago!

I walked into the backyard...the garden is 85% clear of snow already.
There are GREEN leaves on some of the herbs and flowers from last year.

Out of curiosity I went and grabbed my hoe. Oh my goodness. Top 3-4 inches of soil are still wet but not frozen.
I really wish I'd had the time and the health to make raised beds last year. I could have put up hoops and fleece today for planting peas in a couple weeks.

If this stays like this...and according to the long range weather predictions early March will be cold, freezing rain, even snow, but then by the start of the third week of march we'll be right back to sunshiny, warmer, melting (and more rain)...it will be an early spring!

I'm really glad I planned for early start this year AND bought frost fleece and wall o waters. It looks like Mother Nature is going to hit the ground running and I should be ready for anything.

[MissMoustache]

I went in looking for gravel and clover. They won't have either one for a couple weeks.

So I grabbed some things I had on my list to buy. Zebrune Shallots from Botanical Interests to replace the ones I over sowed in cells. Not sure how they do being separated and potted up so I'm going to sow again but do 1-2 seeds a cell.
Pasilla Bajio from Botanical Interests. Pretty sure I have seeds from last year somewhere. I simply can't find them (they've hidden away along with the packets of eggplants from last year).
A different columbine mix. I've never seen it or tried it before but I LOVE columbines. Burpee's Mrs. Scott Elliot Mix.
Zebrina Malva (Sow Easy from Livingston Seed). Peeps. I'm in love with this flower. Saw it in someone's garden and I simply must have it! Tons of seed came in the packet and its pelleted so I guess I'll just have to grow a whole flower bed of it
Black Hollyhock. For my moon garden. I'm doing black flowers and plants with dark foliage (purple hetchuras) in the background with white and evening scented flowers close to the seating area. Also from Livingston seed's sow easy rack.
Lastly is a wildly over priced Coneflower blend. It says Paradiso Mix but looking at the picture I'm thinking its the same or a similar color blend as Cheyenne Spirit mix. The seeds for that start at $2 more than this packet. Ehh. I'll give it a shot!

Picked up another seed tray. Next week is 12 weeks from my last frost date (May 15). I need to start a whole tray of petunias (making my own hanging baskets this year!); a tray of lettuce, spinach, kale, and swiss chard... And I'm out of room so I need to get to a store and pick up lights and a shelf! ASAP!

[MissMoustache]

Onions are popping up.

Peppers, eggplants, and celery are looking good. Time to pot up the celery and some of the peppers already!

Sage looks good and needs to be potted up. Violas and the first sowing of shallots are getting tossed. They look terrible. Chives are looking better with a hair cut (again). And the fungus gnats are getting much better. I'm watering with a watering can I added about 1 tbl of crushed mosquito dunk to.

[MissMoustache]

None of my Cayennes have come up. I'm going to resow this week along with sowing my sweet peppers. Of the three sweet peppers I sowed with the hots (seeds from 2014-2015 so I was worried about germination) King of the North has not popped yet. I'm thinking I should dig out one of the cells and see if any have germinated before I toss it?

[MissMoustache]

Purple Jalapeño, Jalafuego Jalapeño, Serrano have their first true leaves. One Joe E Parker germinated. I'm not happy. These are brand new seeds! That's probably why there were so many gosh darnoodley seeds in the pack. I'll be resowing this week.

Padron, Fish, Early Jalapeño have first true leaves too!

(And to the right slightly smaller are my super hots, Carolina Reaper, Ghost, Blut Jhokia, Trinidad Scorpian, and some Thai Hots... Also starting some true leaves!)

[MissMoustache]

Celery. I was told to pot up soon as they pop up and that makes them get their true leaves. Last year I had celery that was about two inches high until July. So hopeful that changing to potting up right away and feeding these greedy little plants pretty much IMMEDIATELY, makes them grow. We don't even use that much celery. If I can grow a dozen plants that's more than enough for fresh use for summer/fall and frozen/dried for the rest of the year! Now I just have to get them to grow...

Any tips for celery in Wisconsin?

[MissMoustache]

Sage...looking surprisingly good for having been dumped over by the cat.

Lavender (Munstead) that doesn't look like much. Not bad for from seed really. I have more seeds in the freezer for sowing in a couple more weeks.

Both have fungus gnats and I'm trying to keep them on the dry side. I'm going to pot these up and give them a feed asap.

[MissMoustache]

I picked up some sheets on clearance today (with a coupon of course ) and couldn't resist this cute coloring book/journal and some mixed bachelor's buttons. I'm obsessed with the blue ones. They're tied with cosmos and tulips for my favorite cut flower.

[MissMoustache]

Zebrune shallots from Botanical Interests.

[MissMoustache]

It's 60° F outside. AGAIN. This is ridiculous for February.

[MissMoustache]

It's so warm I can start cleaning up the yard.

First fully melted off flower bed. South facing yard.

Looks like everything except these daffodil bulbs which were frost heaved either survived or is still safely tucked under ground.

I'm worried about my lavender and my rose. The rose is getting covered with a bucket if temps drop below 30°. Its already got green leaf buds and I still need to prune it.
There is still snow on the lavender so I'm going to take that off and try to move the container more into the direct sun to dry out. It was against a wall for protection from winter winds and under the over hang of the roof to keep it from getting too wet.

Egyptian Walking Onions looking great.

Thyme. It always does well and survives every year here. This is about five years old and spreading a little more each year.

Golden Oregano. Its supposed to only be hardy to zone 6-7. But I cover it in November with a heap of leaves and dry grass clippings (and take it off when the snow melts) and its not dead yet. This is it's third year of growth. (Planted 2015) I keep dividing it and putting it around the yard because it's a pretty ground cover. Some of the divisions don't survive so I think that this bed is a nice microclimate of about two zones higher than the rest of my yard.