Garden Report 20.04.24
It was a hard day today with pollen and sun. I started with the weeds in the front, trying to untangle grass from clover then merged to trying to rid the flower bed of moonflowers and get that honeysuckle back in a hedge formation (and room for the wintergreen that is blooming!) which then led me between houses where there is a rental that is encrusted with more moonflower, brambles, ivy and holly. Got every thing back on his side of the fence when I decided I needed a change of scenery. Off to Africa! There it was mainly blade against bear britches and ferns. I did get the suckers off the Smyrna Quince. The spearmint is so leggy I couldn’t do anything with it -- will let it be to see if it will right itself. Pulled a few boards off the deck to evaluate rot when I noticed something strange about the elder berry patch … one entire plant was totally gone and the other, all the newly emerging shoots had been gnawed not quite in half. Rats! I think I am going to set traps under the deck and see if I can’t move some of those along. As I was cleaning, I noticed that much of the elder that I had trimmed a month ago and left on deck had tried to put out little leaves so I made a bunch of soft wood cutting and potted them up. The currents are looking grand! If I can keep the pest at bay, we will get a good crop. Added a few more branches to the bramble hedge to keep the new growth up then manured every thing before leaving Africa.
Passing back through the staging area in the main garden, I noticed I had some of the old discarded strawberry root emerging. Running my hands through the trough I found that there were 19 viable roots. That really made me feel good because now I can try to get them up and give them out! I hate saying NO but its something I have been trying to learn for a long time so this was a good thing [thank you Jesus!]. De-cased 12 sea kale pods and planted. Seeded out half my chamomile and horehound. I am developing this fear of not being able to get more so will wait for these to get up and going before I do more. Crop failure has been very real for me with pest this year. There is nothing wrong with successive planting. Two weeks after they come up, I’ll do more. Frugal. Patience.
The gooseberry are blooming and there was a most interesting bee like creature. It was so fast that I couldn’t get a real good look so I’ll have to do some round about research.
The roses are starting to bloom nicely -- a bit early but everything is so confused!
Most of the winter vegetable greens that have gone to seed are podded up and heavy. Some are still blooming but those that are podded, its time to stake and thin. I really don't want any more powdery mildew nor aphids to set in … I keep waiting but hopefully no more (I had aphids briefly when flowers first started). I don’t like to use diatomaceous earth with the bees so heavy; I’ll just resort to wiping/ swiping/ mushing/washing the aphids off if they do arrive.
Things are starting to feel like there is room to move or maybe I am just getting use to the dance and slide … lets hope for room.
