Off and Running

We've had two nice days in a row, so I was able to get most of the vegetable garden started. 

I planted Yukon Gold potatoes, and one bed with spinach, a few beets, and chard.  I immediately covered that bed with netting to keep the leaf miners out (I hope!).

I also sowed one bed with kale, lettuce, and arugula.  I also sowed some basil in that bed.  And I started carrots in the bed that still has some leeks and chard from last year. 

I transplanted the seedling leeks into the herb bed, although they seem really tiny.

Just about everything has started to bloom or leaf out.  The early blueberries are in full bloom, as are the peach and nectarine.  The apples and pears are a little behind, but coming. 

We're seeing several stink bugs a day, including in the house.  I even saw a young light green one. Sigh.

Apple Tree Pruning

This year the columnar apple trees had gotten too tall and the branches were so long that they were bending under the fruit.  So I decided it was time to cut them back and make them columnar again.

I cut the side branches way back and topped the trees as well.

I also cut the nectarine way back.  Now we'll be able to reach any fruit and hopefully we can control the stink bugs.

Stink Bugs

Today I noticed a couple of stink bugs on the nectarines.  I looked at others, and it seems they have all been damaged.  Every one has tiny strands of sticky stuff oozing out of them.  I'm leaving them for now, but I suspect we won't have any nectarines this year.

I did some research and found a website that lists all the crops that are at high risk of stink bug damage.  It's pretty much everything I grow.  Maybe not greens and carrots, and there was no mention of squash or peas.  So my plan now is to protect the tomatoes with netting.  The beans will have to be on their own.  I haven't seen any stink bugs on either the tomatoes or beans, but I have seen them on the corn.  By the way, so far we have seven ears coming. 

Fruit Report

We've picked the first blueberries (Earliblue) and had a couple of pickings of strawberries.

The raspberries and Beckyberries are a little further behind, but the Beckyberries are starting to show some color.

Oh, and the nectarine tree still has quite a few small fruit.  Some are damaged by leaf curl, so they'll probably fall off.  But some still look good.

Back from Tucson

After being away for two and a half weeks, things have changed.  We've had some record temperatures.

The red-flowering currant is blooming.  The blueberries are in full bloom.

So are the pear, nectarine and apples.

I pruned the new peach hard.  I should have done it for the nectarine as well, so I may have to do some remedial pruning.

 I've spotted a few early flowers on the strawberries and the asparagus has started to come up.

The fawn lily is blooming.

So are the pulmonarias and brunneras.

Feels Like Spring

Even though it's only the middle of February, it feels very much like spring.  Yesterday it was 66.  Out in the garden things are starting to wake up.

The blueberries have fat buds.

The nectarine blossoms are showing pink.

And the rhubarb is just poking up.

Spring!

We're back from our cruise and spring has arrived in our absence.  The fruit trees, except the pears, are blooming.  The pears are just leafing out.  Here's the nectarine.

The apple trees are loaded with flowers.

The blueberries are all showing signs of blooming, but the Earliblue has flowers.

The celandine poppy is blooming, as are the red-flowering currants.

 

There are a lot of weeds, but yesterday was a nice enough day that we were able to get out and attack them.