Here
we go... take 2. I'm finally done with the immunology conference and am waiting
for my flight to Richmond that's not for another almost 2 hours. This gardening
update is way overdue as much have changed in the garden since my last post
about potatoes. Since then the potatoes have sprouted and are already pocking
through the straw as of Friday morning, May 4. The morning glory and
moonflowers have sprouted and some of the morning glory leaves have been eaten
by something and so has my bluebell leaves. I'm pretty sure the culprits causing damage to my bluebells
are slugs so I left some beer out for them before I left. It rained on Saturday
so I doubt I'll see any evidence of dead drunk slugs but maybe I'll have some
new bluebell leaves start coming up again. Otherwise this will be my most
expensive lost :( Or even if they didn't come back this year I hope that the
roots survive till next year.
Besides
those casualties, everything else is getting along quite nicely. The beans and
cucumber seedlings have started to sprout, the trellis for the morning glories
and mooflowers is 80% done.
It's
rained a lot the past couple of weeks, which has been great for the plants and
filling up the rain barrel but not so great in controlling the fungi in the
raised beds. Who knew I had mushrooms growing in my front yard. They're
supposedly not bad for the plants but I don't like them competing for space and
nutrients. Unfortunately, pulling the visible parts off is not going to get rid
of the fungi but at least the beds would look more presentable. As it is the
grass has started to really come through the mulch and even the soil in my
raised beds that I have to be constantly pulling them out. Well, actually just
the ones coming through in the beds. I should put down another proper layer of
cardboard and mulch everywhere else but that's gonna cost more time and money
which I rather spend on planting.
Weeding
is definitely my least favorite gardening activity. Unfortunately, there's
really no way around that. Well, if I want my plants to grow and my
garden to look pretty, there's really no way around it. I still have most of that second tier to weed. I did
clear out a lot chickweed already and have been able to plant my herbs and
strawberries which really wasn't too bad. My biggest concern are the bits of
that diseased tree that Amanda's dad cut down for us. Do I leave them on the
ground to slowly decompose or should I pick every single branch and throw them
into the garbage? My compromise was to pick up the bigger pieces and ignore the
rest. Hopefully my new plants will do okay.
The
other dilemma that I've been having is about the weed cloth that the previous
owner installed under everything. Should I take them out as I'm planting or
should I leave them in? I left the ones in the iris bed and cut holes for the
daylilies as well as the thyme. I tore up the area where I planted the
strawberries so that they can spread. I really don't like the weed barrier; it
clearly doesn't work since I still have weeds. But more than the weed cloths, I
hate the river rock mulch even more. I started removing them end of last year
but stopped when it got cold and have now decided to leave them as they are and
work with them. This is probably better for my sanity but I still really hate
those rocks.
Next
on my to-do-list:
Finish
the trellis
Weed
the 2nd tier
Start
clearing the beds right against the front wall of the house
Plan
those beds
Look
for sweet potato slips
Photos
to come, hopefully tomorrow if not definitely Wednesday
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