Homestead mailing list

["Lynn Wigglesworth" <lynnw1366 AT hotmail.com>]

Rob; Your garden sounds great! We are still a month away from our last frost 
date, although the weather has been very unseasonably warm. I've got all my 
cool-weather crops out...the garlic from last fall,  onions, peas, first 
planting of lettuce, spinach, potatoes, got seed in for carrots, parsnips, 
mangels. I have Broccoli Raab and Kale started, but it isn't big enough to 
plant out yet. I have a dozen 3-year-old plants of Blue Scotch Curly Kale 
that are putting out new leaves. It was right where I wanted to plant peas, 
so I had to move it, and it continues to grow in its new bed. Amazing stuff.

My friend's rhubarb bed is on the shady north side of her house, and is 
doing extremely well.  Mine was just limping along in full sun, so I moved 
them to a new bed on the shady north side of the house, next to the currant 
bushes. I hope they like it better there. I planted Jerusalem Artichokes in 
the old rhubarb bed.

I put in half a bed of Contender beans that I started in flats to see if I 
can get some early green beans. I can cover them if we get frost. I also put 
out a bed of early tomatoes (Coldset and Stupice)...I filled in the empty 
spots with one of  each type of tomato I have started, just to see how they 
will do. I'll have to run out and cover them if it gets cold. I'm taking a 
chance because I could lose the whole bed if it gets really cold (which it 
might).. I used up all my old seed this year, and the tomatoes germinated 
well, so I'm up to my eyebrows in a large variety of tomato plants. I've 
started a lot of winter squash in cell packs, to be planted out at the end 
of May. I've also started a few eggplants and peppers (using up old seed), 
some cucumbers, and a lot of bee-attracting flowers and herbs.

A friend gave me a DVD about Victorian walled gardens in Britain, where, 
besides the gardens, they had the fig house, the melon house, the forcing 
house, etc I'm now inspired to do more with my greenhouse. I have a lot of 
fig trees in there already (they won't survive our zone 4/5 winters outside, 
but the unheated greenhouse is about a zone 8). I planted all my old melon 
seed (from 2 years ago) in the greenhouse; I've gotten about 50% germination 
on most varieties. I'm looking forward to having melons in little hammocks 
hanging from the rafters, just like the Victorian melon houses  :-)

I splurged yesterday and bought myself a large Redhaven peach tree. It's 
probably 7' tall and might bear a few fruit this year. I have fruit trees 
already, but had given up getting fruit due to insect damage. A couple years 
ago I tried Surround, an organic kaolin spray. It's not toxic at all; it 
just coats the fruit with clay and the insects don't like the feel, so move 
on. It really works, especially on peaches. I got a great crop from my 
Reliance peach tree last year, so I'm adding the Redhaven (we love peaches). 
My pear trees did well, too. My apples didn't pollinate well  last year (too 
wet when they  were blooming, I think), but I have high hopes for this year. 
I've been a wuss about pruning them, and haven't gotten good crops.  Now 
that I've found a way to keep the insects off, I pruned them hard this year, 
and fertilized them well, so we'll see.

Lynn Wigglesworth
Tioga Co. PA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Walton" <waltonrp AT gmail.com>
To: <homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 10:18 AM
Subject: [Homestead] How's your garden?


> Hey all,
>
> I suspect that most people are busy at some stage of gardening. What
> are you planting?
>
> I set out 50 or so tomato slips yesterday, Brandywine, Arkansas
> Traveler for slicers, Pittman Vally Plum, San Marzano and Heinz for
> canners. Unlike last year, my tomatoes started well and I've got
> enough plants left over for everyone on the road. I hate not planting
> them all, I've been caring for them for so long. But.. everything's
> got it's limits.
>
> Set out peppers sweet and hot also, maybe 10 hot and 30 sweet.
>
> Thankfully, the heat wave ended on Monday, it's about 70 for a high
> here, a little warmer this weekend. Chance of rain all weekend and
> tomorrow. Would be a great time to get a good shower. Today is cloudy
> and that's great, lets those slips get set in a little before they get
> sun.
>
> I put in a bed of Georgia Rattlesnake watermelons, Crenshaw Melons,
> Ananas Melons, and a green fleshed melon. A few summer squash are in
> and a good row of snap beans, I might put in another later, but
> probably will put a couple of rows in in a few weeks for a big canning
> rush of beans.
>
> Corn is going to be late this year, I'm putting that back in the field
> that is crimson clover right now. I'll probably be planting deer and
> raccoon food back there, but it's worth a try.
>
> This morning I set out a few flowers that I'd started. Don't forget
> some flowers!
>
> I ate a few radishes last night with some spinach mustard and goat
> feta. Nice start, hope to eat a little lettuce in a week or two.
>
> Has anyone planted New Zealand Spinach? I got a few seeds from a
> catalog. It sounded like a source of summer greens.
>
> Rob - Va
> _______________________________________________
> Homestead list and subscription:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/homestead
> Change your homestead list member options:
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/options/homestead/lynnw1366%40hotmail.com
> View the archives at:
> https://lists.ibiblio.org/sympa/arc/homestead