Clean Up, Rain and Christmas in April

Today was a clean up day. All those loose ends that we put off doing other chores were finally attempted today. Not all were completed. But a good portion of them were crossed off the “honey do” list.

The rain drops visited us late this afternoon and it is nice and steady this evening. We really needed it. Due to it being so dry, the forest fire level had been set at extremely high for quite some time.  Joe is burning brush this evening and the ashes will get spread in the “lasagna” walkways.  I completed layering rows 1 and 2 this afternoon.

More seeds arrived by mail. When that happens, it feels like Christmas . The starting trays were rewashed. It will still be raining for a few days so the seeds will probably get planted tomorrow.  I’m so excited to have found some heirloom tomato seeds.  My paternal grandmother was originally from Europe and always grew these amazing Russian tomatoes. They were huge, juicy but not drippy, and the sweetest tomatoes you ever tasted. I will be planting the variety called Marianna’s Peace in anticipation of the same success she had. Thank you TomatoFest.com!!  If you get the chance please check out their web page. They have over 600 varieties of heirloom tomatoes. They also have some great varieties that grow well indoors. I’m certainly going to be ordering some of them and attempt to grow them all winter long.

One thing I’m addressing this year is pollination. With the decrease in the bee population, pollination has been an issue for many gardeners. We need those babies in order to have our plants set fruit. I toyed with the idea of keeping bees. But opted for a little easier method this year. I’m planting some extra flowering plants to attract them.  I already have lupine, shasta daisies, and black-eyed susans. I’ll be adding some new england asters, coneflower, marigolds and zinnias. I still have plenty of room around the garden for them. And they will make a nice addition to my cut flowers for home and for our executive tenants.

I finally sat down this evening to finish working on my planting plan. I began by making a list of everything I have as seedlings. HOLY MOLY!  When a friend of mine said she had become carried away with starting her seedlings, I chuckled.  Wait until she reads my list. She can slap me for my snickers. But I think all of us who love to garden are guilty of this. We can always share those extra plants with a community or senior center garden. They would certainly appreciate it.

Herbs – sweet basil, italian cooking basil, cilantro, dill, parsley (Italian flat leaf), horseradish (family heirloom), thyme (French), oregano (italian), garlic,

Greens – swiss chard (white giant), collards (georgia), spinach (bloomsdale long standing), lettuce (simpson, ruby, tall utah)

Brussel sprouts (early king), eggplant (early long italian), snap peas (sugar ann), broccoli (calabrese), cauliflower (snowball), garden bean (kentucky wonder), turnip (golden globe), beet (ruby queen), cuke (national pickling), pumpkin (casper, big max), watermelon (fordhook hybrid), fennel (hinojo), onion (sweet sets, white bunching), summer squashes (gourmet mix), pepper (Italian fryers), asparagus (Martha Washington) potatoes (Yukon gold, red), squash (acorn, butternut, spaghetti), carrot (touchon), radish (fire and ice)

Fruits – rhubarb (family heirloom), raspberries (family heirloom) blueberries (early, mid, late)

Flowers – sunflower (summer cutting garden mix), shasta daisy, cosmos, zinnia (cut and come again, dwarf), marigold, coneflower (mix)

Tomatoes – kellogg’s breakfast, plum lemon, tiny tim, white queen, marianna’s peace, neves Azorean red, yellow pear, roma, sweet snack hybrid, sun sugar

Granted that the fruits and perennials are already established. The only planning I'll be doing this evening is the rotation planting of the vegetables. Grabbing the graph paper now.