First Onions are Up

In a follow up from the Feb 5th onion seed planting, the first new plants poked through yesterday. I was surprised as four days is pretty quick for onions. Packet information is not always spot-on but four days is fast when it is expected to be 7-14 days. Today is day five and it looks like I have 20, or so, very young plants poking through. They are so small I will wait a day or two before I attempt a photo.

Should be looking like this by the first of June - fingers crossed

Next up flowers and tomatoes. If I plant in the middle of this month it will give me ten weeks after planting to the first of May. I will plant some of my flowers, the ones in five-inch pots, with seed directly into the pots they will stay in. Saves time, and some stunted days after transplanting. I also start my tomatoes in larger pots, 3-5 inches so that they can go from the pot to the garden.

By the middle of July, I hope to have this look again in the garden

More coming soon.

Still looking good - Late September last year

Happy Gardening

Onions Planted - Inside

Happy Days, the garden is in! Not really, but my onions are planted.

Fill the cells, tap down, fill to top and seed, sprinkle lightly to cover

This will give me twelve weeks before setting them out the first week of May. Onions, peas, and potatoes can go in pretty early but my experience is that if they are in too soon, nothing happens. Most garden experts say to plant these three and often radishes are added to the list, as soon as the ground can be worked. Don’t hurry, as soon as the soil can be worked is too early here. Give it another week. I have even resorted to covering the area I want to plant first with painters clear plastic drop cloths in an attempt to warm the soil. Not sure it worked but it kept me out of trouble for an hour or so.

 

I mark the day I planted, these are Walla-Walla, on the seed packet.
Then put it back with my full ones, where I will be able to actually find it. 

Onion sets do well in a 72 cell starter like the ones I use, and they are less than five bucks. For onions, I do not use the soil listed as seed starting soil. I use a good mix of potting soil instead. I use it because it seems to hold up better for the three months onions are growing. And for those wondering, yes I will buy and use some onion plants or sets also, but only special varieties.

 

Water the soil, before planting, sprinkle before covering - don't overwater at this stage be careful

Not everyone understands the difference between sets and plants. Sets are small, dry onion bulbs that have been grown the previous year. They are the easiest for gardeners to grow and you can buy early and store for several weeks.  Plants are what I am producing by planting seeds early, they are young onion plants produced from seed in the year they are sold. The advantage of seeds is one, variety. 

Set in a warm window and wait for them to come up - might take two weeks
After they are up I move them outside into the sunshine when temps permit

With seeds, you know what you are getting. Often, especially in the big boxstores, onion plants and sets are sold as simply, yellow, red or white. I like to know more than that. 

Meanwhile - that's my garden space behind the fence - not yet!

Got the Gardening Itch Yet?

It’s almost that time again, the one time of the year we most eagerly anticipate. Gardening time. All of us want to get started as soon as we can. If you are in the chompin’ at the bit group, there are a few things to get started. Trim tree limbs now before the sap begins to flow. Limbs that hang over or are too close to the house need to go. The same with too much shade over sidewalks and driveways. This is also a good time to trim limbs that are shading beds. I have an especially needy flower bed in front, guarded by large Aspens. I cut limbs each year to make sure light and enough hours of it can get to these beds.

Big trees need to be trimmed to let light through

A Note About New Trees – If you are thinking about planting a new tree or two, spring is a great time, but not yet. As soon as the ground has thawed enough to work efficiently is the best time. Follow planting instructions that come with the tree and don’t plant too deep. Many garden specialists recommend planting trees in the fall, but in the high country, this is not always the best advice. If the deep freeze comes too early and stays too long, or we, go through one of those, only in Wyoming, cold, warm, cold, warm cycles, fall planted trees will die.  Now all that needs to be done is to find a tree recommended for this planting zone and enjoy for years.

Driving around any city in America the worst fault of tree planting can be readily observed, too big and too close. Huge trees have a place, but most city lots are not that place. Do not plant too close to the foundation, trees need space. Want something closer to the house? Go with a flowering ornamental shrub, they look great, especially at the corners of a home.

Think Spring - but don't start gardening yet

 It is also time to trim raspberry canes, easy to tell which ones need to be cut back, the hollow brown ones. These are the canes that were two years old last year and will not leaf or fruit again.  Cut them off an inch or two above ground level.  Canes that are becoming two-year-olds are the fruiting canes and will still be limber, not brittle when bent.

A delicious addition to any back yard

A Note About Raspberries – If you are thinking about planting for the first time, go ahead, they are a great addition to the garden. But, they spread by underground runners and can make a mess of planting beds and gardens as much as twenty feet away.  In early summer take a spade and cut deeply entirely around the berries, a few feet out,  this will keep them from spreading and not hurt the health of the plants.

Meanwhile, I am still on track to plant my onion flats next week.

Not Yet - But Almost Time

With temperatures above freezing and significant melting going on outside, it does look like spring will come after all. Seems as I get older, I have more doubt each year as to whether spring is coming, or winter will last until June. I should have known, as the first sign of spring has already reached my mailbox, garden catalogues 2016.

I get physical copies of seed and garden catalogues and several ECataloges. I still like the old fashioned kind. Old fashioned to many, I still enjoy leafing through the pages, makes spring, at least, probable. Gardeners, old and new get excited as soon as the first few warm days come to Wyoming. I use a soil thermometer to guide my planting. If the soil is too cold, nothing will happen. Waiting is hard, it but beats replanting.

Dreaming of last summer

One thing I have to remind myself of each year is that everything does not grow well in Wyoming. Just because a big-box store garden center has it in stock, does not mean it will grow in Wyoming. Many people will try Blueberries only to find, they will not grow well, not well at all in Wyoming. Try them if you must, but prepare for disappointment. Or save yourself the time and frustration and plant, currants, gooseberries or raspberries, all will do wonderfully here.

Somewhere in each garden catalogue will be a plant hardiness zone map. Take a good look at it before ordering trees, shrubs and other perennials. The area where I garden (Platte County in Eastern Wyoming) is in zone five, if I plant close to a warm building, out of the wind, or in a nice sunny area, I can get away with some zone six plants. Most other plants, from zones above six, will grow for a season, but will need to be in pots and moved inside if you hope to keep them alive for a second season.

If you have the gardening itch bad, it’s not too far away from inside plant starting. I start my onions, yes I grow my onion plants, the first of February, and will begin planting tomatoes before the first of March.  

Tired of sitting around doing nothing? Too soon to garden, too cold for golf. Time to settle in with a good book. Coincidentally, here is a link to my five books. Thanks for looking. 

Next Post – Inside and planted.

End of the Season Color

Doe munching  near a snow covered rock

Looks like this snow, our third of the season will end my garden for the year. But I like to watch it snow and enjoy the contrast of the dying fall colors and the new white snow. 

The Lakeshore Drive Narrows

Brimmer Point

Buck on a  hillside

Last Plant Standing

Not as active on this blog as I had hoped to be this summer. Must have been too busy in the garden. Actually I have been busy getting my fifth book ready. This one is a book of Christmas, in the west, stories, looks like it will be available from Amazon as a book or eBook by this Friday - For those who are interested here is the link to my four books. Thanks for looking. 

Well, it took a while but it looks like cold night time temperatures have finally won the battle against my garden. It was a pretty good season this year, started late but no frost until the 15th of October and not a really hard frost until this week. I took these photos this week (November 3rd) of the last plants standing and some fall color.

Labor Day Garden Update

What started about four months ago is begining to wind down. No freeze in the 10-day forecast so looks like we will get to the middle of the month and maybe into October with this years garden. We are picking tomatoes and strawberries every day and cucumbers and onions whenever we need them. Love this time of year, lots of great fresh vegetables and flowers all over the yard.

Last year, we were nearly through the month of October before we had a killing frost. Great weather, long falls are my favorite time of year.