Nov 27

Have dug bed 1 and covered with leaves and netting.  Dug quarter plot north and added a load from the bins.  Added loads from bin to bed 4 and quarter plot south as well.

The greens are doing well, as are the leeks.  Something I need to remember, but don't. 

Dahlias are in, one box of less thriving, including Juanita plus a set of unmarked tubers on top. 

For future, the mustards are doing well, the clover is coming along.

Notes for 2013

Peppers:
plant with more distance between them, and if the same varieties as 2012, stake taller

Basil

Don'tput under tomato netting

Tomatoes

Maybe no netting.  Need more support on cages or use twine more

Squash

Use floating row cover

Nov. 4

Sandy came through a week ago and seems to have ended the dahlias.  Have dug two sets of glads, the new ones in 2012 in one bag with duct tape and the set I planted first.  I think the first planting which was deep didn't develop the small corms the new ones did.

All tomatoes vines disposed of.  Plan to put the leaves under the netting for the winter.  Greens doing very well, including the spinach planted in Sept?   Still some peppers.

Around home the caladiums are down.  No frost yet.  Tried to mark the various perennials.  Need to rake and plan.

Sept 17

Expecting rain tonight and tomorrow.

Still harvesting okra, to my surprise.  A few tomatoes, a lot of early blight pruned.  Dahlias in bloom, though the red spider should have been on the outside, I think.  Peppers doing well, and one squash off the second planting of squash.

Lisa's lettuce, kale, endive, redicchio seedlings are transplanted and doing.   I sowed the mustard and crimson clover around the glads and the okra, mustard seeds are showing.

No success on trapping the last 3 weeks or so, though a couple of tomatoes on the ground have been gnawed.

September 5

Still dry with storms going around.  Second flush of tomatoes coming in.  Early blight is still there, need to prune.  The okra are starting to peter out, some plants gone.  Harvested some butternut squash since the vines were dead or dying and they were ripe.  The beets have not done well recently.  Hot cayenne peppers doing well, glads are about gone, dahlias starting their prime.  Beans all gone with bean beetle.

Lisa's starts should go out.

August 22

Okra plants are starting to mature slower.  Tomatoes have only green tomatoes, some of the plants have good foliage--the early blight is subsiding maybe. 

All of a sudden bean beetles are a big problem.

Harvested most of the first fruit of the eggplants, starting to see new leaves on the plants.

Harvested some beets.  Aphids a problem on the green chard.  The yellow glads are most of the remaining glads blossoming.  Dahlias starting to blossom more, though the 3 new dahlias were blossoming earlier (only one stem there?)

Harvesting peppers.  The butternut squash is good, the others are mostly dying after producing one fruit, which Lisa hasn't used.

At the house, the impatiens are terrible, some of the hostas are showing yellow leaves, and nibble by deer.

August 7

Lisa set out new squash plants around July 10-15, which are now doing well.  The first set of plants are mostly gone.

Tomatoes are past their peak, though we've done gazpacho and have about 20-30 tomatoes on the counter.  Okra are coming fast 5-6 a day.  Eggplant foliage is not great, may have been too hot.

We're running about as hot as last year, with highs in 90's most days. 

Got a new basil plant from Merrifield.. 

The yellow glads are blooming.

August 1 Update

Overflowing with tomatoes, gave some to Jin-ann and Dorothy, still many many, though the flow should start to slow soon. Some vines are suffering from early blight (haven't sprayed for a couple weeks or more).

Got about 2 inches of rain in last half of July, about .8 over the last 24 hours.

The chard and parsley have recovered.  Ann-marie had a squash and chives taken.

Okra has been bearing for maybe 10 days, a few cayenne peppers. Beans are also bearing and got the first eggplant 3 days ago.

New dahlias blooming, old ones not so much--lots of foliage, though only the Lilac time in no. quarterplot is doing well.

Trapped about 15-16 squirrels and 4 voles so far.

July 18

Harvested 1 cabbage, 2 marrows and another batch of tomatoes today. Okra are starting to bloom.  Early blight hitting Kellogg hard.

July 15 Update

Last week the tomatoes really started coming.  The new glads are about done, but the old ones are blooming now.  The 3 Lilac Time are showing green.

I applied copper again last week.  The blight is hitting some more than others, I think one Morton is the worse now.

Caught one chipmunk and one vole last week.   Did I record the theft of parsley and chard--both are coming back.

The okra is looking great.

Lisa separated and replanted the leeks about 10 days ago, coming okay now.

Peppers look good, except for one which she transplanted. 

Lettuce is almost all gone.  A cabbage could be harvested.

July 5 Update

Dry and hot weather for the last weeks.  Derecho storm June 28 cut out power for many.

Glads are in full bloom, particulary the new ones, but also old.  All the glads planted have come up.

Trapped 13 or more chipmunks after they tore up the red beets.

Got the first 2 tomatoes, first one rotted, the second okay.  Early wilt showing, pruning and spraying (3rd time Monday).

Chard is good, Lisa divided leeks, butternut squash is good, the eggplants are good--took the row cover off on July 1, about the right timing.

Lost one zucchini.  Got 3 dahlias to replace Lilac time, one in pot,2 in garden.  2 of new dahlias are blooming.

Lettuce is playing out and bolting.

Okra doing well.

At home I think deer got a few impatiens and some more hosta leaves.  Caladiums are up

Ann-Marie has downy something problem with her impatiens.

June 20

Hot today.  Sprayed copper on tomatoes.  Have been pruning most days.

Count on chipmunks is hazy, maybe 13 so far?

Harvested one marrow, plant might be gone. Got one summer squash previously.  Got 3 glads from bulbs which were missed.

June 15

Now have trapped 8 chipmunks, and still see some in the paths.

Hauled dirt down from the bins around leeks (3), okra (2), brocooli and peppers.

Early wilt showing--pruned 2-3 times this week.

I think about all the glads I planted are now up.  One glad that overwintered has buds.

The red astilbe look very good.  The caladium bulbs are starting to show--one plant may have had its leaves nibbled.

Early Wilt--June 9

Sprayed the tomatoes this morning but several of the plants are showing signs (pruned maybe a week ago).  According to the direcitons I should have sprayed back shortly after transplanting.

Now have killed 3 chipmunks.  Anne-Marie had some beets eaten  last night.

Round the House, May 24

5 caladiums Lisa liked were in the second tier in front, no sign of them and I thought I planted them wrong.  Found 3, 2 of which definitely sprouting, so there's still hope.

Put out about $50 worth of impatiens along the sidewalk, on the third tier, and under dining room window, 3 caladiums, 2 coleus to fill holes in front, crossing my fingers on the  caladiums.

Was able to dodge bulbs and bluebell roots mostly.

June 3 Status

Things are mostly good.
Bed 1 Peas were disappointing, particularly the English ones. Tomatoes are topping the cages, and showing signs of the early wilt.  Need to apply copper.

Bed 2 The lettuce has gone to town. Peas in the center of the bed did well, the rest not (fertilitiy problem?) The new iris is going dormant, I think, hopefully will revive in late summer. Onions were good.

Bed 3 Trapped one chipmunk, then had senior moment and broke trap. The leeks and chard are starting to thrive, beets under screen and net looking pretty good, eggplant under row cover,  butternut squash showing buds.

Bed 4 Glads are finally showing, at least the first batch planted are.  The new glads are up to 18"  or so.  The broccoli disappointed Lisa, but we got some harvest.  The lettuce is doing better.  A couple cabbages are developing.

N QPlot.  All the dahlias are showing, finally.

S QPlot  2 of the new dahlias doing well, the third okay.  Peppers looking good.  A summer squash has small one.s

May 17 Update

Put netting over 3 rows of beets.  Next time need to coordinate in advance so the hardware screen can go in before the seeds and get deeper in the ground. 

Lisa harvested the first peas today.  The broccoli are showing heads about quarter size.

The old glads are starting to show some.  The new dahlias are doing well, the old aren't showing much.

Around the house, the roses/clematis are in full bloom, a few picture.

May 13 status

Put in dahlias a couple days ago, and peppers, eggplant and tomatoes about a week ago.

Bed 1: tomatoes and peas.  Not sure how well the peas are doing.  I put down the last iron sulfate  (beds 1,2, and quarterplot) a couple weeks ago, plus blood meal (all plots) about 3 weeks ago. Have the frame for the netting up.  Need to spray copper.

Bed 2  the peas in the center of the pea and the onions in the center are doing very well, as is the radishes and spinach in that area .  The vegetables on either end aren't doing as well.  Lisa's lost lettuce from the far end--I'm not sure of the cause. Some lettuce is doing okay, but not great.  The new iris isn't doing well but the parsley is.

Bed 3 Lisa has leeks, chard, betts and something I forget from path end to center.  The eggplant is at the far end, the plants are healthy and under the row cover.

Bed 4  The new glads are doing very well, up about 8", while the old ones aren't.  Don't know if they got dehydrated,  don't think there was much difference in the depth.  The broccoli and a cabbage are starting to take off, but the other cabbages are slow.  Picked a few cabbage worms.

North Quarter: the dahlias, 11 old ones plus a duplicate, most of which had pale sprouts. A few cases there's multiple tubers in one hill.

South Quarter:  the peppers at one end, 3 new dahlias at the other.  Put the peppers here to try to get ahead of the nematodes(?) or whatever it was that hit them last year, due I think to their following the tomatoes.

Lisa has several squash plants started.  I'm thinking squash in South Quarter and bed 3, beans in beds 2 and 4, we'll see.

Weather has been dry--down about 5 inches at Dulles, though we had a good rain in late April and the soil still seems moist when turned.

April 19 Status

Got about .2 inch rain yesterday--first in a good while.  Starting to see glads, both the old ones and the tips of Lisa's new ones in bed 4.  Need to finish planting the rest or give away.  Down to 3 leeks left in bed 4.  Planted a bearded iris in bed 2 and a stock in bed 4.

April 7 Status

Planted Lisa's new glad bulbs on Thurs, I think.  Used bulb planter so they're down maybe 4-5 inches.  We'll see how they do.  The brassicas are okay, transplanted a stock plant, finished digging all but the remaining leeks and the radicchio.  Put leaf mulch around brassicas.

Weather's been dry, down about 3 1/2" this year, not much rain in sight.

Finished the landscape blocks in front.  Applied moss stuff behind mailboxes, may have been too lean. 

March 31 Status

Beds 1,2 and quarter plot north and south are dug, beds 3 and 4 partially dug except for leeks and radicchio.

Peas are up in beds 1 and 2 and all or almost all lettuce/radish etc. plantings in bed 2 are up.  4 rows of glads in bed  4. 6 broccoli and 4 cabbage set out in bed 4.

Notes for future.  I didn't get all the glads from quarter plot north last fall.  Ideally I'd strain the dirt and get them all.  The ones I missed sprouted, probably around Mar. 15 or so.  Might try replanting a couple rows of glad bulbs in the fall under leaf mulch.

Around the house, completing the second row of landscape blocks.

March 20 Status

The peas in bed 1 are showing, Lisa has lettuce in bed 2, plus radishes and spinach.  Been carrying water every day but the water troughs were righted this morning so hopefully water will be turned on.  Planted 4 or 5 rows of glads in bed 4.  Forgot the bulb planter so not sure how deep they are.  Perhaps need to add soil after they get up. 

Started spading south quarterplot, the winter greens are bolting or close.

Lisa Says: No More Seeds

She resolves not to start seeds, particularly impatiens, next year.

Weather is warm and dry (80 today), carrying water to the garden for the peas, stocks, and onion sets.  Harvesting collards etc.

Status Mar 9

Lisa planted peas and stocks in bed 1 yesterday, I watered today. (Low on rain and none in the 7-day) Bed 2  should be ready to plant Sunday. 

Got soil samples from the beds, but haven't sent them off yet.

Raising Beds

Raised the sides of beds 1 and 2 today, though still some work to be done as the old beds weren't even for their 18' length.  Bed 1 is starting to get into condition.  Weather has been above normal all winter-- the degree days are about 500 below normal (20 percent) .

Miscellaneous--Status

Finished bed I spading.  Thought I could work the soil this morning, but the low was below 32 so the clumps were still frozen.  Lisa has leeks, radicchio, mustard, kale, and collards in the garden.  About a week ago she started geranium and impatien and cabbage seeds.  Planning to buy red cabbage seedlings if hers don't sprout.

Got 4 bleeding hearts today from Merrifield, as well as onion sets.  Could have gotten caladiums, etc.

Soil Tests August 2010

From Aug 2010
Q1  needs nitrogen and sulfur  PH was 7.6
02  PH 7.3  needs nitrogen,  no sulfur
03 PH 7.5  needs sulfur and 10-10-10
04  PH  7.6 needs sulfur and  nitrogen
01  PH 7.4   needs 10-10-10

lawn  6.4  turf type fertilizer

Need to do soil tests again.

First Work in Feb

Finished spading bed 1.  Soil is unfrozen and wet.