Birds and Greens

The pine siskins have really become a problem.  They've taken a liking to my beet greens and chard and are destroying them.  First it was the small ones, so I covered them.  But now they have discovered the mature chard plants and have been eating them.  So the big ones are now caged as well.  I hate the covers, but I'm not willing to lose my crop.

So far they have not bothered any of the other greens, such as the spinach, kale, and lettuce.

Asparagus!

The first asparagus shoots are finally up.  So far there are six.  And they're purple!

Sweet Potatoes

Today I decided to put the sweet potatoes out.  They still don't look great, but maybe they'll be o.k.  Some look pretty sad.  I ended up with just eight plants.

I also fertilized the strawberries.  Maybe that will get them blooming again.

Bird Damage

The birds (mostly goldfinches and pine siskins) have been eating the leaves on the beets and pulling out the newly emerged seedlings.  So I've put out wire hoops and covered the bed with bird netting.  We had seen them in there for a couple of weeks but couldn't figure out exactly what they were up to.

The strawberries are ripening quickly now.  However, there aren't any new blossoms coming.  I'll have to do some research.

Aubergines

Today the aubergines went into 7.5 gallon pots against the south-facing wall.  They were the last hold-outs in the cold frame.

The weather is still showery and cool, but everything seems to like it. 

More Things Planted

Today I planted the peppers in the tomato bed.  I also planted the small basil plants at the edge of the same bed.  The bigger plants, the ones I got at the MG plant sale, are now in pots, three plants in each pot.

I planted a couple of butternut squash starts in the front yard.  I'll need to keep them under control by pruning them back.

After several days of light rain, things are really looking good.  The beans are up and the potatoes have been hilled.

 We've eaten some of the spinach, and the chard and kale are coming along.

The new salad crops are up, and the pea pods are forming.

 The artichokes have settled in and appear to be thriving.

 The first planting of carrots and beets are doing well, and the second planting is up.

Bennett's White Cistus

Today the first blossom on the Bennett's White cistus opened.  I'm always amazed when it opens.

First Strawberry!

Today we picked the first Seascape strawberry.  It was big and yummy.  We cut it in half and ate it before I could take a photo.

The sweet potato slips are still not looking great, so I decided to try to start some of my own.  I bought a sweet potato at the market, cut it into a couple of big chunks, and suspended them in water with toothpicks.  I'm afraid it's a bit late to be doing this, but at least if it works well I'll know I can do it next year.

We've had showers for the last several days, which is good because my wrist is still not healed and I need the rest.

Yesterday we got an estimate ($2700) to put an automatic watering system in the vegetable beds.  It will make it easier for us to go away for short trips during the summer.

Tomatoes

Yesterday I set out the tomato plants.  It's a bit early, and it was very windy, but it's been sunny and warmer than normal.  Plus, even with the raised cold frame, they were bumping their heads on the top.  So out they went.  I have ten plants this year -- five canning and five eating.  I have two Amish Paste, two San Marzano, and one Debarao, which I've never heard of but sounded good.  And I have Cherokee Purple, Green Zebra, Stupice, Sungold, and a new one called Red October, which is supposed to stay on the vine longer and keep longer off the vine.  We'll see.

I also planted the melons.  I've planted three different varieties in each of three places in the bed.  I have Ambrosia, Athena, Papayadew and Honey Ace.

Today I put the little mesh bags on the apples.  I ran out, so we'll have a test to see if they make a difference.

The ceanothus in front has started blooming.

Lost of Firsts

Today the first rose, Lillian Austin, opened.

 Also first blossoms on the peas.

 The lemon daylily opened today.

And all the cistus in the front yard are in bloom.

 The salad greens that I planted on May 7 are all up, as are the beans.

Today I added compost, all-purpose fertilizer and 5 cups of fish bone meal to the sweet potato bed.  I then dug a trench down the center and put IRT plastic over the top.  I received the plants yesterday, but they are a bit bedraggled, so I put them in a glass of water to recover.

The tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are all in pots in the cold frame.  They're ready to go in but we're due for a couple of cool days with rain, so I think I'll keep them under cover for now.  I planted the squash in two large pots on the deck, also four cucumber plants with a cage around them.  The melon starts are just about setting-out size. 

Oh, and the parsnips have finally come up.  But alas, no asparagus yet.

The older lemon cypress has died suddenly, maybe from drying out when it was hot.  We've decided to find a home somewhere else for the newer one.  Too fussy. 

The pots on the deck are starting to look really nice. 

A Walk in the Park

This morning we went for our (almost) weekly walk at Minto-Brown Park.  It was a beautiful day, a little on the cool side.   Some of the spring wildflowers that we saw two weeks ago are gone, but new ones have replaced them.

The horse chestnuts are flowering.

Cottonwood puffs were piled everywhere.

We heard a commotion from a flock of robins.  They were harassing a barn owl, who had caught a snake.

Torture is...

Spraining your wrist in spring and not being able to garden.  Well, actually I have been sneaking in a little here and there.  Yesterday, while David was riding his exercise bike, I turned some fertilizer into the bean bed before I planted it.  And this morning I was able to add fertilizer as well as two bags of compost to the salad bed.  I then planted lettuce, arugula, scallions, chard, and kale.  I also sowed another row of carrots and a row of beets.  He'd be cross with me if he knew...

Beans

Normally I would wait until the middle of May to plant my beans, but the weather has been warm and the outlook is good.  So I fertilized the bed and planted Blue Lake pole beans on a bamboo teepee, four seeds per leg.  Then I planted half of the remaining bed with Oregon 54 bush beans.

Leaf-footed Bug

I've found a new  bug, this time on  the Beckyberries.  I had a feeling it's not one of the good guys, and I was right.  There were four of  them, and they're now chilling in  the freezer.

Blooming Things

The Turkish poppies have started blooming.  There are only a few plants, and each flower lasts just one day.  But I still love them.

 The Grayswood Pink cistus has also started blooming.

 The Beckyberries are blooming.

 As are the thornless Boysenberries.

Wounded in Action

All work in the garden has come to a screeching halt.  This afternoon I gracelessly took a header in the driveway and ended up with a sprained wrist.  Fortunately, I had just finished the last of the weeding.  There won't be anything to do in the vegetable garden for a couple of weeks except watering, which my able second in command can do. 

This morning we had a frost, hopefully the last this spring.

Yesterday we assembled the cold frame.  We set it up on bricks to give the future tomatoes a little more head room.  Today I put the veggie starts in it.