Part Of My Backyard Garden

Part Of My Backyard Garden
July 25, 2013

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Location, Location, Location


Over the past two years I have blogged several times about one of my all-time favorite western humorists, Bill Nye. Nye started a newspaper in Laramie, Wyoming, a paper with possibly the most unusual name for a paper in America, The Laramie Boomerang. (Named after his mule that no matter how many time he sold it or gave it away it kept coming back).

Am I going to get around to something here? Well, yes. Nye was a humorist who reveled in poking fun at himself and Wyoming. Living in Wyoming the weather is at best unpredictable, went to bed last night as it started to snow, yep, snow in May. Still snowing when I got up this morning and been snowing on and off most of the day.

On June 10, 1880, Bill Nye wrote in his book, Forty Liars and Other Lies, about the weather. “It has snowed a good deal during the week and it is discouraging to the planters of cotton and tobacco very much. I am positive that a much smaller area of both these staples will be planted in Wyoming this year than ever before. Unless the yield this fall of moss agates and prickly pears should be unusually large the agricultural export will be very far below preceding years, and there may be actual suffering.”

I feel about like that today looking out at my garden covered in snow and dreaming of sometime actually planting on a warm sunshiny day. Nye, later in the article went on to say, “Again the early frosts make close connections with the late spring blizzards, so that there is only time for a hurried lunch between.”


Warm weather and summer will come, I am just not sure when. So why would an old gardener like me live in a tough to grow state like Wyoming? Well, as real-estate agents are happy to point out, “its location, location, location. And location, to me, is all about the view.
Elk last evening in Sybille Canyon
 
Our little town from Powell Mountain five miles away
The garden, on the other hand, will need to wait, at least a few more days.
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Garden Update


It has been a couple of weeks since I posted anything about my garden, not much has changed - but it is looking a bit better. My garden soil temperature is up to the middle 60s, not great for growing but at least it will not freeze anything. I like to get into the 70s before becoming too serious about putting seeds in the ground.
Onions can be set out with soil temps as low as 45, but don't expect them to grow much. I will wait until next week to set onions with soil temps closer to 70.
Radishes trying to grow
Still looking to me like it will be a late garden planting year for my Wyoming garden. I have some radishes up, but it took two weeks.
Peas breaking ground-can summer be far behind?
 
Peas are just pushing through also but the unreliable growing weather is getting them off to a slow start.



Tulips and other early flowers are looking good but a prediction for snow tonight will not help.
In the meanwhile I will keep my veggies and flowers in my little greenhouse shelters, bringing the flats inside when need be.
Temperature 45 outside and 60+ in the mini-greenhouses

I am thinking about May 22/23 as my, tomato and flower setting out date.

Despite the cool weather flowering trees, this year, are magnificent, as good as it has been for several years.

Happy Gardening