The Dawg Patch

[PlainJane]

Yes, that was a good soaker yesterday. Back to sunny today.

[GoDawgs]

This morning I planted out the first flight of stuff for the year; a 4-pack each of Green Magic broccoli, Early Jersey Wakefield cabbage, Early Snowball cauliflower, Blauerspeck kohlrabi and Kolibri kohlrabi. They were supposed to go out on Saturday but it's going to be raining for the next three days so I just put them in now.



This bed wasn't one of two beds originally planned for brassicas but those are still too wet to use and now I'm afraid they will be for some time to come! I was thinking I wanted to protect these newbie plants from wind gusts and from getting drowned so we put plastic over the bed. I was hoping to divert the rain totally by having the plastic lay over the sides and and let the rain roll off into the pathways but the plastic wasn't wide enough. So the bed edges will get soppy but the plants will have some wind protection.



Meanwhile, the arugula on the porch is in full bloom. Hoping to save some seed this year, enough for MMMM.

[GoDawgs]

The plant shelves are starting to fill up.



Today I got some more stuff started: 6 each Merlot lettuce, T Ball lettuce and Giant Italian parsley for window boxes. One each Premier and Dazzling Blue kales (to compare). One each Vates and Champion collards for comparison. All of those are covered with plastic wrap. Tomorrow I'll start three more Wakefield cabbage sets and one Piracicaba Broccoli.



The Piracicaba broccoli seed is from this year's MMMM and is a non-heading OP developed in Brazil for heat tolerance. It can supposedly can set heats when temps are in the 90's. We'll see. The central head is typically only a few inches across but it supposed to produce side shoots "for months" if picked regularly. I'm starting four plants, one every two weeks, maybe beyond that. The seed was free so I just want to see how heat tolerant this sucker is! Call it a garden toy for this year.

[GoDawgs]

We got another 2" of rain over the weekend. The bottom of the garden is flooded again. I had planned to sow turnips in that area on Wednesday, then last week I moved the location to a bed higher up in the garden. It needs forking but now it's also too wet. No standing water but really wet soil. Rescheduling sowing to the 19-21st time frame.

All of the peas were also supposed to be planted during that time too. Two beds plus the sugar peas and snaps along a trellis that's under water right now. If planted when I've planned, they'd finish in the May 1-15 time. Much later than that and the weather's getting a bit warm for them and it's powdery mildew time. Plus soil temp's dropped from 60 to 48. I guess it's wait and see.

More rain due here Thursday and Friday this week.

[GoDawgs]

We hit 76 today! The bed where the turnips were supposed to have gone is still too wet. Today I got an 18' row of turnips sown down the side of a bed that will eventually have cukes in it. I figured the turnips will be gone by the time the cukes grow enough to reach the sides of the bed. Half the row is the old Purple Top variety and the other half is Golden Ball, something I'm trying for the first time.

I got the leeks hilled up again, probably for the last time.



The brassicas that were set out on the 9th are doing well; 4 broccoli, 4 cabbage, 4 cauliflower and two kinds of kohlrabi down the middle. The next round will finish out the bed, probably a week from now.



Tomorrow I need to re-evaluate the pea beds to see if they're dry enough to fork up as I want to plant in the next four to six days. They're talking about rain again on Friday. Heavy sigh.

[GoDawgs]

The potatoes went in two days ago, two 18' raised beds with Yukon Golds in one and Kennebec in the other.

This morning I planted the first bed of peas. That's 72 row feet, a double row on each side of the 18' bed. We might have a shower this afternoon so it would be nice to have them watered in by Mother Nature. I haven't yet tied the wood poles to the t-posts yet. The trellis fencing will hang from nails in the poles and also be tied to them.



The second pea bed is still too wet to fork up and there's no way I can swap around any more beds so I'll have to wait. The problem with waiting too long to plant peas is on the harvesting end when it gets warm, bordering on hot. Each year is different so we'll just have to see.

After lunch I need to prep some holes for the second set of brassicas going in later today after the wind dies down. And I have some Warrior scallions to set out. That strip got prepped yesterday so all I have to do is stick 'em in today.

[PlainJane]

Great progress!

[GoDawgs]

Yesterday afternoon I got the other half of the brassica bed planted. That's the left half in the pic. There's room in the middle for more kohlrabi that aren't quite ready yet. All that's left to do is mulch. The mulched bed behind the brassicas has the Kennebec potatoes in it.



This morning I weeded that potential second pea bed and the top seemed dry enough. However it only took two pulls of the broadfork to see that just the top 2" is dry enough. Below that it's way too wet so I took a dirt rake and chopped up the surface so that at least some air can get in there and help the drying process. It's breezy out today so perhaps that will help. Maybe another week's wait. Heavy sigh...

On the positive side, Spring is springing around here! It's supposed to get up to 80 this afternoon but probably won't if the clouds don't move out. Meanwhile the wild callery pears are in full bloom.



And the first bloom opened on the Carolina Jessamine vines that have invaded the grape fence. Lots of fat buds ready to bust open too. Note to self: cut those vines out of the grapes before the grapes leaf out!

[rusty]

Nice!
How much property you have there Dawg? Wish I love vegtables ( i only eat a few )- I would have a bigger garden -something like you have. Yours look similar to the Lazydog farm fella Travis

[GoDawgs]

Thanks, @rusty. The property is five acres (two wooded and three open) out here in Cow Pie County, GA.

The garden has 16 raised beds that are 4x18', The rest is open area and two 18' long trellises for a total garden of plantable 2350 sq ft plus a little side area that's 11x18. This is a shot of the garden in early spring two years ago. The bottom part always floods during heavy January or February rain. It's definitely wet in this pic.



Sometimes I grow corn in that lower right area. Sunflowers and stuff that needs room to roam get planted in the left side open area.

This garden sure didn't start this big! It started small and just got added to over the last twenty years. It's the garden stretcher at work and although I've put my foot down, I still occasionally hear a whisper in my ear "Oh, let's just make a little more room over here." NO!

[GoDawgs]

I got the second bed of Wando peas planted yesterday. It seems busting up the surface and letting several windy days do some airing out resulted in the soil being dry enough at one shovel's depth. So rather than fork up the bed and taking the chance of bringing up mucky soil I just shovel-turned the edges for the peas. Another 72 row feet in.



As I suspected, with this warm weather it only took another day for the Carolina Jessamine to bust out full bloom, not only in my garden but everywhere in the surrounding area.



Out back the Methley plum is in full bloom. That one slipped by me. One day it just has buds and before you know it, they're all open! And I forgot about pruning it again.



And one big surprise in that plum... the first butterfly of the year! An Eastern Tiger Swallowtail. Unfortunately the dreary day didn't allow the really bright coloring of a newbie to show off.



We got 0.9" of rain last evening so the peas have been watered in. Today I will start another one of that supposedly heat tolerant Piracicaba broccoli from Brazil. The plan is to do four started several weeks apart with the last one starting 3/28. That will put the finish into warm weather so we'll see how they do.

[PlainJane]

I saw several swallowtails and a monarch yesterday. And the big flocks of robins have pretty much moved through heading north.
Hearing lots of owls at night.

Are you going to plant anything down the center of the row of peas?

[GoDawgs]

There are a few leftover kohlrabi in the middle of the bed at the far end of this second bed. However, once I get the trellises up I won't be able to access the center of either bed until the middle or end of May when they're done.

Once they're done and the beds cleared, zinnia plants will go into one and the other will have an experimental planting of tepary beans. Unlike regular green beans, teparis are supposed to thrive in the heat. I got them from Native Seeds, an American Indian seed cooperative in Tucson AZ and the seeds were grown in the low desert area by one of the tribes. They should stand up to the Georgia heat but I'm not sure how they'll do in the humidity here. The teparies are one of my "toys" this summer. I also bought a field pea from them to try.

[bower]

Those flowering trees are so gorgeous. If I was a butterfly, that's where I would be alright. Happy spring!!

[Wildcat82]

Thanks, @rusty. The property is five acres (two wooded and three open) out here in Cow Pie County, GA.

The garden has 16 raised beds that are 4x18', The rest is open area and two 18' long trellises for a total garden of plantable 2350 sq ft plus a little side area that's 11x18. This is a shot of the garden in early spring two years ago. The bottom part always floods during heavy January or February rain. It's definitely wet in this pic.



Sometimes I grow corn in that lower right area. Sunflowers and stuff that needs room to roam get planted in the left side open area.

This garden sure didn't start this big! It started small and just got added to over the last twenty years. It's the garden stretcher at work and although I've put my foot down, I still occasionally hear a whisper in my ear "Oh, let's just make a little more room over here." NO!

That's a nice spread there. You're making me homesick for our old farm

[GoDawgs]

I saw several swallowtails and a monarch yesterday. And the big flocks of robins have pretty much moved through heading north.
Hearing lots of owls at night.

A lot of big robin flocks have already passed through here but there was another one bob, bob, bobbing along out back yesterday.

[GoDawgs]

We've had a light sprinkle or two today but the heavier rain is coming tomorrow. I'm trying to dry out the half of a bed that I need for planting real soon. It's getting there but I don't want it to get soaked again tomorrow so I covered that half this morning. Stakes topped with tennis balls were put down the middle to hold the plastic up so the rain will run off the sides. The plastic went over the bed, held in place with bricks. We'll see how it works. You make it up as you go along.





Meanwhile, the spring Yellow Menace is just arriving and covering everything. Soon there will be yellow streams running down driveways, sidewalks and anywhere water will run. Cars will wear their spring yellow finery for a while. Hopefully a good rain tomorrow will knock a bunch of it down and wash it away.



The large male Oak Leaf holly on the corner of the house is all budded up and ready to bloom, spreading more pollen to hollies everywhere. When this happens, this thing will be covered with honey bees. Good grub for them! There are already a few bees scouting it out.

[GoDawgs]

Yesterday afternoon I started the peppers and eggplants. The sweet peppers are all the longer frying/stuffing types since bells don't do well at all in the heat here.



Sweet peppers are Gypsy (green frying type that turns red), Ruben's Lungo Rosso (long red Italian pepper), Super Shepherd (medium long red), TAM mild (heatless jalapeno) and Tangerine Dream (prolific small orange lunchbox type).

Hot peppers are Mucho Nacho jalapeno (for poppers and canning up pickled slices) and Gochugaru (Korean pepper used in making kimchi)

Eggplants are Chinese String and Poamoho. The Chinese String is one we started growing last year and it's so tender and creamy. The Poamoho is a recent release developed in Hawaii by their University folks who were looking for a good, quality open pollinated variety to rival the hybrid ones. We've always loved Millionaire (hybrid) but I'm trying Poamoho to see if it's as good. I'll be doing a Millionaire for summer/fall just for comparison. The photos of each look very similar.

[PlainJane]

The wind is headed your way if not already there. I just hope there’s some rain with it; dry as a bone here.

[GoDawgs]

Yesterday was a good garden day! The peas in the first bed are about 3" tall and might be looking for support soon. I got the bed mulched, trellis poles tied to the t-posts and then Pickles helped attach the lower strip of fencing to the poles. That's an 18" tall strip of welded wire fence with the 2x4" mesh, enough for baby peas to latch on to. When they get established we'll hang the field fencing with the 6" square mesh higher on the poles. Those are leeks to the right.



Other tasks accomplished include finally getting fixed (after several tries) an aggravating leak at the coupling of two hoses, four large buckets of weeds hauled back to Mt. Brushmore and the first mowing of the garden's main aisles and perimeter.

That front that came through Friday brought a LOT of wind but only 0.1" of rain so covering the bed that's drying out was all for naught but sure as shootin' if I hadn't done that, it would have poured. Off came the cover and the soil was just dry enough to let me safely shovel turn it. Some broccoli and cabbage will go in later this week.

Here's the source of the Yellow Menace:



The pines are covered in these things. If I had tapped the branch a cloud of yellow would have happened but I couldn't do that and hold the camera still at the same time! I was really hoping we would get rain from that front to knock the pollen down some but it wasn't to be.

Meanwhile the Major Wheeler honeysuckle on a small trellis by the garden is starting to bloom.



And the potatoes are poking up.