Hedging My Bets

I'm thinking of changing the name of this blog to "Overdoing It" and it's only FEBRUARY, people.

We've had 2 days of sun in a row and third promised in tomorrow's forecast, which of course has me climbing the walls and finding every excuse to go outside. I pulled back the plastic tarps on the rows of peas we planted before the ice storm, and there's not much going on over there. A few sprouts here and there, but also some duds. It's still a mud pit, too.

So I decided to go on a wintersowing spree. Well, not so much decided as just couldn't stop. I planted another jug of Red Malabar spinach and then started a jug each of Little Gem, Flame, and Gotte Jeaune D'Or lettuces. Since my cauliflower seedlings have been doing so well, I decided to pot up 4 more soda bottle greenhouses to add to the windowsills. Then Joe and I went outside to play around in the sunshine and the next thing I know, I'm planting a flat each of dwarf phlox and snapdragons. There's something wrong with me. My kitchen table is nearly completely covered with a variety of flats and plastic containers and I don't own grow lights, people! For now the sun and 2 CFL lamps are doing the job, but I think as the temps continue to rise, some of the bottle greenhouses will be kicked outside.

You thought I was done? You thought wrong. By the time evening rolled around, things were looking a little drier in the veggie garden, so I pulled up the plastic sheeting altogether. Then I got the itch.

I blame the Farmer's Almanac online gardening calendar for my itch. Today's entry says: "16th-17th. Plant Peppers, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, And Other Above Ground Crops In Southern Florida,

California, And Texas. Extra Good For Cucumbers, Peas, Cantaloupes, And Other Vine Crops. Set Strawberry Plants."

That word--peas--called out to me. How could I let this extra good day go by without getting some more in the ground, especially knowing that the ice storm killed who knows how many, and that my dogs probably took care of a good number themselves. Besides, this time around I was armed with my newly-ordered legume inoculant to mix into the soil. So, I went ahead and planted another row of early peas and a half row of Oregon Sugar Pods II. Then I emptied what was left in the packet of early peas on the rows that I'd already planted, and lightly mixed in some inoculant, just for good measure. Am I overseeding the peas? Probably. Will I thin them out later? Probably not. The prospect of a huge stash of frozen peas is much too tempting.

Success & Second Guessing

I know it's really early in the gardening season to be freaking out about possible mistakes I've made, but I am. With so many variables to weigh about when to plant (which zone I'm in vs. actual weather, FA advice vs. actual weather, etc.) it makes my head spin sometimes. It's a little like parenting, because I feel like if I haven't done things 100% right from the get-go, I'm going to scar my little plants for life, if they even make it past infancy.

Three things are currently bothering me about the garden:

1. I planted my garlic last fall with zero consideration for how the rest of the plot would be planted in the spring. In fact, the row of garlic (A single row? Why didn't I plant them in clusters or widely spread in a few different rows?) is currently running perpendicular to the rows I've planted in Quad 1. I mean, I guess there's no law saying that all of the rows in each quad have to run in the same direction, but I feel like this is something I should have figured out in October instead of randomly planting bulbs (or not randomly enough). The nagging question of the moment is can I move the garlic bulbs now that they've started sending out shoots, or will that kill them?

2. Even though the Farmer's Almanac says that Jan. 15-Feb. 7 is the optimal time for planting peas in our region, I think the peas I planted on 1/20 are going to freeze to death. If they haven't been traumatized enough by the dogs, the weather is expected to be below freezing temps several days this week (Wednesday: 63 degrees, Thursday: 31 degrees and snowing). Surely this can't be good for them if they (miraculously) start to germinate early in the week, right? Should I cover them up with a blanket? I think I will. Granted, I am following the FA this year because last year I planted the cool-weather crops much too late and they died a sunny death, but now I'm afraid they'll never make it past January. Does anyone want to adopt 3 pea-loving mutts?

3. Just after direct-sowing these doomed peas, I did a lot of reading on inoculating peas and legumes to increase yields. I, of course, did not do that and I didn't purchase pre-inoculated seeds. My yield last year was laughably small, so in addition to purchasing A LOT more seeds this year, I'm thinking that I should have inoculated. This is probably the least of my current concerns because while I've already planted 2.5 rows, I still have another several rows to plant, and I can inoculate those. D'oh!

In other news, however, I AM finding early success in the seeds that I started last week. In fact, the cauliflower seeds started germinating an amazing THREE DAYS after I planted them.

Out of 4 cauli planters, 3 germinated and the 4th I'm not sure actually had a seed in it. At least, I can't see one, so I threw in another seed for good measure. I can't wait to get a couple more of these going, but I will probably need to go dumpster diving to get more soda bottles since we don't drink it here.

I have also had action in the broccoli planters outside, but they are moving very slowly (normal for this cultivar, according to the seed packet) so I'll try to get pictures up when there is green. 

There is also 1 sprout each in the petunia and yarrow flats I started last week, so that's all very encouraging. I'll probably still be a wreck until the "wintry mix" has passed us by and I know the peas will make it. I know I'm obsessing, but I can't be the only one, right?

And We're Off!

I told you it was a big week here at the Wat Ranch, and here's why. Last Sunday we drove down to Wichita Falls, TX (about an hour south) to pick up a truckload of bulk compost. Why all the effort? Well our own compost pile isn't quite ready and isn't nearly enough for our 2000 sq. foot garden plot. In fact, the truckload we did get was only enough to lightly till into a quarter of the plot, and I ended up making the drive again for another load to top dress the quarter.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

What I really want to talk about is the fact that we have been making the most out of the 50+degree weather days (it was 75 yesterday!) to prep and mobilize The Wat Vegetable Garden 2K10. The cover grass and clover I planted in the plot last fall is waking up from being dormant and getting nice and green again, fixing all kinds of nutrients into the soil. To take advantage of the cover for as long as possible, we decided to work the garden in quadrants, only tilling and planting in one quad at a time. That way we will minimize erosion when our early spring gully-washers strike, and so we can spread out the trips to Texas for more compost.

Here is our plan for the first quad (looking at it from west to east):

We're doing a traditional 3-foot row, but companion planting in helper plants here and there. It's sort of hard to make things look "here and there" in Excel, but rest assured that the Nasturtium, Marigolds, and Carrots are supposed to be somewhat randomly scattered along the sides of the rows. The cool-weather plants in this plot will be among the first to succumb to the summer heat which will probably show up in May, so we'll be able to make use of the space again by replanting in warm-weather crops. That's the plan, anyway.

Here's what the quad actually looks like (from east to west):

It makes me happy just looking at this. It was hours of manual labor to unload all of the compost and till it in, which I dutifully noted as my workouts for those days. Our planting schedule this year will follow the suggestions for gardening by the lunar calendar as detailed in the 2010 Farmer's Almanac and according to the FA's "Best Days for Gardening" tips. Peas are the first veggies sown in our area, and the best day this week for planting was Wednesday. That meant that I had to hustle to unload the truck, rake up the rows, and plant the seeds before it started to rain. Yes, I was that crazy person sowing seeds as the sun went down, and eventually had to turn on the headlights of the truck to see by. I planted 2 double rows of Burpeeana Early Garden Peas, and a half row of Oregon Sugar Pod II Snow Peas.

One thing I hadn't prepared for was garden pests this early in the season.

It was already a chore to keep them from eating--yes, eating--mouthfuls of fresh compost while we were unloading it. That's why I put up my naive string "visual barrier" around the quad. I woke up Friday morning to find that the herd of mutts had decided to hold a WWF Smackdown event inside the quad. The string was ripped, stakes split, and mounds flattened from body slams. I was pretty livid, but since they were all limping around, obviously sore, I've just resorted to reinstalling the string and screaming like a crazy person everytime one of them gets close to the plot. I think the peas are okay, but we'll see in a few weeks when/if they start germinating if they stayed in the correct rows.

Pics to Come

There's a lot going on the Wat Ranch this week to get ready for spring. So much that I don't have time to upload photos I've been taking of the goings-on. I will, I promise, but for now I'm too busy doing to talk about doing.

Suffice it to say that now that all of my seed orders have arrived (and I've attacked the seed displays in local stores), the Excel spreadsheet plots are being drawn up and I'm marking off sections in the garden. It's not as easy as I thought it would be because I have a posse of 3 dogs trailing along behind me as I mark. Pics to come.

Other than that, I'm attempting to start seeds for the first time ever, without grow lights or fancy heating contraptions. Pics to come.

I'm also taking advantage of the warm weather by moving some dormant (hopefully, though they might be dead) plants around in the front ornamental beds. Pics to come.

Oh right, and I have a little dude running around (literally) who has a first birthday coming up in a few weeks. I guess I should get on planning that, huh? Plus I'm working out more. As in every single day, for the last 3 weeks straight. I'll just assume you're giving me a virtual high five. In the meantime, back to work--paying work--for now. I've gotta finance all of this somehow.

Patience is a Myth

I am pretty much the least patient person I know. The result? I plan future events TO DEATH because it gives me something to concentrate on while waiting for the event to happen. I think most of the world is organized into people like me, and people who are supremely irritated by people like me.

We are now officially in the non-planting period of the year, when the temps are cooler and it's often foggy or rainy. I say "often" but I really just mean a few times last week and today. Up until yesterday, really, it was still pretty warm and bright here, which isn't necessarily a good thing since most of our plants need to go through a dormant phase brought on by cold weather.

That said, we've been trying to get a jump on the New & Improved Wat Ranch Vegetable Garden 2010, since we undertook this year's garden completely unprepared. About a month ago, I borrowed a lovely gas-powered tiller from my friends over at the One Acre Homestead, and tilled up the plot where our new garden will go. Recall from this post that our previous gardening space was about 6'x20' total, so approximately 120 square feet.
Behold, the New & Improved Wat Ranch Vegetable Garden 2010 Plot:
This takes up a 40'x50' section in the southwest corner of our yard. Yes, math folks, that is 2,000 square feet. In addition to being impatient, I also tend to overdo things on occasion. :) That little black box in the corner is our composter which may or may not need to be moved when we start planting.

The goal for this plot is to have raised rows that are about 3' across, which we will sow with companion plants to improve flavor and pest control. We're also hoping the companion situation will help shade heat-intolerant plants, which can be a major issue in our unforgiving summer heat. Maybe one of these days I'll get ambitious and scan in our hand-drawn plans for the garden.

Something I'm interested in trying is "green manure." Cow manure and packaged compost can get super expensive when trying to amend over 2,000 square feet, so I followed the Farmer's Almanac suggestions for planting clover and winter wheat as a cover crop. Not only will this crop help with erosion control during winter rains, but it will also fix nitrogen in the soil and when it is mowed and tilled under, will act as a fertilizer (and it won't stink or inspire ill-timed poop jokes).

Like my homemade seed spreader? It's a Parmesan cheese shaker. I experimented with this Dutch White clover, then once it germinated I realized I needed A LOT more. Bill found a local seed wholesaler, Warner Brothers Seed Company, that I bought a winter wheat mixture and red clover seed from. It's great finding local resources, and so far the product has been excellent. See?
This is about 2 weeks post-sowing and there's green stuff popping up all over. In fact, it's so green over in that corner of the world that it's making the rest of the yard look downright brown:

Almost the inverse of the first picture, isn't it? And yes, the grass has been mowed since this was taken. We got a major case of the October Lazies and hadn't mowed in several weeks. I mean, it's not supposed to be warm this late into the fall, so who wants to mow when there is football and indoor activities to be enjoyed? And if the green appears in patches, it's because I had 2 lovely assistants (aged 5 and 7) help me spread seeds until they "figured out how to do it faster" by just dumping out their spreaders in one spot. Smart girls.

One last piece of business is garlic. I received 4 lovely bulbs of garlic in the mail (and forgot to snap pictures, so use your imagination), but unfortunately one of them was totally rotted through. I grabbed another questionable bunch from Lowe's, and planted everything that looked decent. So we'll see. I'm not feeling completely confident about this crop because I couldn't pin down a good planting time from my research, and the weather is so wonky....Anyways, this will be the garlic home for the next few seasons until it is ready for harvest mid-summer:
Godspeed little vampire killers!

Fall: Best time for planting shrubs

Are you sensing a pattern by now?

After attempting to plant blueberry bushes this spring that consisted of a single twig in a bag of dirt, I was pretty discouraged. Continuing my trend of not researching plant needs or soil conditions, I literally just dug a hole and stuck the twig in the ground. Is anyone surprised when these little guys shriveled up and died on the first hot day in July?

When I saw that Lowes was selling berry bushes this fall, I jumped on it and bought up 9 blueberries immediately. The goal was to plant them along the front section of fence on the east side of the house. But a few weeks later, my friends over at the One Acre Homestead stumbled across the same bushes on sale for 75% off--which came to around $2 per shrub. Considering I spend about twice that much per pint of imported blueberries at the store, I jumped again.

These little beauties, known as "misty blue" now line the entire front east length, half of the west front length and then down the first few sections of the east side of our fence. I also picked up 4 "powder blue" bushes (also on sale for $2 from Atwoods) and planted them interspersed among the Mistys for cross pollination purposes. I actually did a little research and planted these with pine mulch at the root base and soaked the ground with a green acidifier, which these plants love.

Misty blue, which are already showing new growth and have started turning a lovely sunset color:

The powder blues, which were a bit worse for wear when I rescued them from the clearance section, but are thriving now that they're in the ground:

All told, there are TWENTY-TWO blueberry bushes that will one day grow into a hedge along the front of our fence. I can't wait to see what these do in the spring. Just for fun, we picked up 3 blackberries, too. Neither my husband nor I are big fans of blackberry, but they're so good for you, so we'll give them a try.


Another big sale item were crape myrtles. We found a purple one to match two that we already have in the front flower beds to balance out the colors. I'm all about balance.


Then we planted three "christmas tree" crapes (which should have white blossoms) and 2 "miami" crapes in front of our new, under-construction garden shed. I staggered the planting of these because they are so tiny, but they will one day be huge (hopefully).

Yes, that is construction debris all around the crape, but ignore that for now.

We've also added 5 new boxwoods around the side of the house and around the shed. The impulse buy was 5 gardenia bushes (seriously, who can pass up $1.75 per shrub?). I have no clue how these will do, but the picture of the blossom on the card was soooo pretty, and the greenery is super cute:

See? I told you the shrub post would be epic. If you're keeping track, you'll note that we planted 40 bushes around the property in the last 2-3 weeks. In related news, I'm adding "Digs a wicked hole" to my resume.

Fall: Best time to plant flowers

Okay, maybe not the BEST time, but certainly a good one. I mean look at these:

Is there anything more festive than a mum? Probably, but I can't resist these pretty balls of autumn color, especially when most other colors are dying and browning for the winter. This year I've replaced my summer geraniums (to be discussed in a later post) with mums in all of my containers and window boxes around the front of the house. My goal is to eventually plant these in the ground once the flowers die back, and see if they make a comeback next year. They should, because I bought all "garden" mums, instead of "container" mums, which are supposed to be grown indoors and normally only last one season.

I've had fun planting spring-blooming bulbs, though the warmer temps we've had in the last week (70+) are causing them to sprout a bit. I hope this won't kill them when our first frost FINALLY arrives.

This is what last year's planting produced in the spring:

There were some bright red tulips, too, but those popped out later. I've added bulbs all along the flower beds, whereas last year I only had them in the very front section (the most my 6-months-pregnant body could handle at the time). I can't wait to see the show come March!

Another fall tradition that I hope to end is the planting of pansies. I LOVE the look of cheerful little pansies along the sidewalk in front of the house. Last year we planted them, and I kept expecting them to die back when the temperatures climbed in the summer. A few of them did, but several stuck around all year (super pansies?). I now think that with a bit of watering in the summer, we can keep these little guys going as perennials. We planted in all of the front flower beds, and I found a pretty rose-colored bloom to alternate with the traditional dark purples, yellows, and whites.


I've mentioned my geranium containers, which also contained marigolds. A few of these survived to keep the new mums company in the containers. With the fall comes a new generation of seeds, and happily these container marigolds threw out several seeds that have sprouted here and there in the front beds:

You can't beat free flowers, right? Especially ones that are so beneficial for the garden as a natural pest-repellent. I'm actually planning to plant these in and around the vegetable garden next year.

And although these aren't technically a fall flower, I'm so pleased with the rose bushes in the front, too. These were planted by the previous owners of our house, and frankly looked on the verge of death last year. We haven't done anything to them except some minimal pruning and occasional weeding, but we've been paid back immensely throughout the late summer and into fall so far:

Everytime I think these girls are done for the season, I see new buds forming and opening. They first bloomed way back in May, when I cut a few off and placed in an old Parmesan cheese shaker-turned bud vase. Here it is mid-November and they're still going strong.


The other major fall planting project has been shrubs (!), but I'll give those their own post. It's a doozy!

Fall: Best time to plant trees

Last year, as my husband and I were adjusting to "Life With a Yard" from our previous "Life In a One-Bedroom Apartment," we eagerly hit up the local garden centers in the late spring and attempted to plant a few trees. We knew they had to be watered "until established," but I really had no idea what that meant and I was too busy trying to hold down my lunch in the early throes of pregnancy to be bothered with religious tree-watering. The result? Several trees that did not survive our regular 100+ Oklahoma temps.

We decided to try again in the fall. I was in my second trimester, and therefore felt like Super Woman. We planted a peach tree and a pear tree, and I watered them without fail at least once a day. I think I felt a connection with nurturing these new trees and the growing baby inside me. That's probably why I almost evicted my younger dog for yanking the peach tree out of the ground SEVERAL TIMES and dragging it around the yard like a large bone. Miraculously, this is how it looked in the spring:See the pretty pink blossoms? Unfortunately, we were hit with a random hard freeze just days after these pics were taken (March), so the blossoms and new leaves were zapped.

The pear tree did similarly well:

Lesson learned. Trees and shrubs planted in the fall do much better in our climate because they get a chance to really establish root systems and moisture reserves before hunkering down to survive the blistering summer heat. Happily, this also coincides with fall clearance sales at local garden centers and nurseries, where trees and shrubs are marked down to about 75% off. Combined with the cooler temps which make it more pleasant to garden, fall is definitely prime time for landscaping projects.
We added 2 lovely apple trees to our collection, in the hopes that they will help pollinate each other and maybe even produce fruit one day. We also added a second peach, for the same purpose:

Maybe one day we will have a mini orchard. I would love to be able to grab fruit from the backyard instead of making the drive into town to gamble on whether the scarce produce selection will have anything decent.