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Blogging about gardening in zone 4, marriage, our golden retriever and life in general.

Friday, April 29, 2011

April 29 Friday Farming

Most of the images in this post were actually taken on Wednesday, April 27.


It seems as if we might, just maybe be moving towards spring around here. I rode my bike to work on Wednesday and went for a 16+ mile bike ride after sending my bags home with DJ in the evening. I arrived home windblown, hungry, but oh so happy to not have to go inside to exercise!


Lets start with things that bloom. 


We planted 15+ perennials in 2010, many of whom underperformed last summer due to their immaturity. I've been curious as to which plants will bounce back from the winter. Since I'm impatient, I've been known to root a finger around in what remains of 2010's growth to see if anything green is growing. 


The crocus is doing well:

 The "Autumn Fire" Sedum was a transplant from my friend Jane, and I'm relieved to say I didn't kill it! I really thought I'd been to rough when I slapped these plants in the ground last fall, but it appears I'll have sedum, which will look lovely in the fall:
 


I threw spinach seed in the pots in the front over two weeks ago, and have been wondering if perhaps my spinach seed is kaput as nothing has come up. The photo is out of focus, but there it is; just popping through.

I purchased two pots of salvia last fall at $1/ apiece. Usually salvia is planted in the spring, but I threw it in the ground. It's coming back well and will produce great blooms through the late summer and fall.


 The daylillies we planted in the utility box bed, on either side of the front steps and along the kitchen porch produced exactly one bloom in 2010. I was concerned I killed them, but they appear to be recovering. They'll bloom in July and August, and maybe into the fall here in Bozeman. 


I know I snagged two different types of Sedum from Jane, and this is the stuff that isn't Autumn Fire. I'm just not sure exactly what kind it is. We'll let it grow out a bit and do some googling. 

I planted spring bulbs in the rocks beneath the aspen trees separating our driveway from our neighbors. They were slow to start, but have taken off. This is a mix of tulips and alium. I think I'll sprinkle snapdragon seeds in the weed-mat opening, to have color in the area through the summer and deter weeds. Or perhaps a creeping phlox for more spring color?

More crocus, under a tree. 

This image is along the driveway bed. There are daffodils on the left, bee-balm in the middle, and the muscari which didn't amount to anything in on the right. 

Bee balm is a really interesting plant. I had another type along the kitchen porch, beneath where we hang the hammock. It took me one summer of listening to bees buzzing around below me as I lay in the hammock to be convinced into moving the bee balm. It was relocated to the utility box bed on Sunday. 

This bee balm will grow taller and look something like this:

I'm not kidding when I type that my mom and I have been trying to grow clematis for over a decade now. We could just never seem to get it started. I think because clematis likes "cool feet". Or perhaps my dad would accidentally hit it with roundup. Either way, I planted a ground cover. And it seems to be coming back this year!

Now onto the edibles! 

The flats inside are doing well. I've been plopping them on the front porch every morning as I leave, where they're relatively protected from the wind yet also in full sunlight through the day. Most of the plants I start inside this year are things which will go outside pretty early in the season. 


The marigolds; all of these have just their starter leaves, but their true leaves are beginning to bud. I'll have to thin them to one plant per opening next week. 



The purple basil sprouted. I almost missed it, since it just looks like more dirt. (blurry photo)

Broccoli round two is doing well. These plants will be transplanted outside a week from Sunday, so they better beef up!

Bibb lettuce on the right, Romaine on the left. Or vice versa. Again, I'll need to thin these to one plant per pot. I tried really hard to only put a few seeds in each pot, but have you seen how small a lettuce seed is!?

And of course, the cilantro, rocking it. MMMM fajitas. 



And outside?

Thus far, all I have is garlic shoots:

None of the seeds planted in the ground 10 days ago have sprouted, though they've probably been covered with more snow than not. I haven't seen the asparagus yet, nor any of the sugar snap peas or sweet peas either. Patience, right?

On tap for this weekend? Mostly just watching things grow. Waiting for the tulips, daffodils and allium to bloom. finishing blocking out the square feet in the garden. Mowing the lawn, then over-seeding it. Any suggestions for what to do about dog-pee spots?

Anything sprouting in your world?

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