This is traditionally the ‘IT’ weekend. The one you long for and work towards all spring. The average last frost date. Which just happens to fall on a long weekend and so that just makes the whole thing even more exciting.
Every year I am determined to spend the week before tying up all the odds and ends. I expect I’ll be building structures and enriching the last of the beds. I’ll try to make sure all the seedlings are present and accounted for and do last minute transplants because even a few days in fresh soil can make all the difference to a plant determined to grow. There is always the desperate sowing of last chance seeds and worrying that this year there just won’t be Hungarian Wax Peppers.
But then it rains. Not every year. But this year it is raining. Yesterday was ok because I was able to transplant seedlings, so many seedlings. I feel like they have already grown overnight as they look more abundant than they did before I started. I’m glad I did it – even though they will be in the ground before they know it, because seedlings stuck in too smaller pots for a moment too long can slow right down. Any excuse to spend time working away in my greenhouse on a rainy day is a perfect excuse.
So that was yesterday – super garden productive day. Today it rained again. It isn’t heavy rain but that annoying misty rain that takes a while to seep into your clothes and so you potter about in it longer than you should and slowly get wet. The kind of wet that gets into your bones and you struggle to warm from. Not that it is really cold, it can’t be really cold, or we wouldn’t be almost planting plants out into the garden. But not warm enough to be called comfortable.
As a result, I’ve been set back. I need to build structures, there are a couple of garden beds that are still in need of desperate attention so they are ready for the plants that will reside in them. It is also feed week – the plants that are already in the garden are due for a liquid feed and I love taking the time to nourish each plant and give it the once over to check for problems in their early stages. But I don’t love doing it in the rain. And – while I’m having a moan – the rain and the increasingly warmer weather make the weeds grow fast and strong and they can’t be ignored.
The boffins are suggesting it will rain for the rest of the week, so I will spend the time clearing up computer gardening and then I will put on a sturdy raincoat and just get into it.
Come again soon – either the boffins will be wrong, or this stage of the growing season will have a soggy start!
Sarah the Gardener : o)
Hi Sarah. What do you use as your liquid feed? I have used compost tea and a seaweed mixture, both homemade. I am keen to hear what others use.
I have my favourite supply of Seaweed Tonic and other products from the Yates Thrive range, depending on what plants I’m feeding. They are nice and natural and the plants seem to love them. : o)
your glasshouse pod looks amazing,more than Mitre10/Bunnings! have a great weekend
Thanks so much. I do love my greenhouse. : o)
I have been neglecting the “little and often” – except in the front bed where what I thought might be alyssum turned out to be scrambling fumitory. Elsewhere is a riot of many different sorts of weeds, though a few things I’ve planted are also gamely hanging in there. The purple peas, for example, have just sprouted.
I think you may have inspired me to have a weekend garden blitz! Mondays are my usual day off, but what of that?
At least scrambling fumitory is relatively easy to remove.
How frustrating to have Mondays off when they have tried to Monday-ise all the holidays… Maybe you need Fridays as your day off! All the best in the garden. : o)
Sarah, I had to spend some time and catch up on what you have been doing. I’m always inspired by how amazing your garden has turned out. I have watched you turn a barren piece of ground into a thriving garden in just a couple years. It’s been invigorating to watch. Your bathroom looks great. I know it will be enjoyed for many years to come.
Garden arches here in the States are mostly made from what we call cattle panels. they are 16 feet long with a six inch grid and are rugged enough to last for many years. They can be formed into an arch about four feet wide giving an arch height of close to six feet. These panels are tied to steel T-posts that are sunk into the soil. As for me I just use old give away A-frame children’s swing sets. They are perfect to set over a four foot wide raised bed. I zip tie hog wire to one side of the A-frame facing the west for trellised plants. The other side is open to unhindered sunshine for the first half of the day. It works great for cucumbers on one side and tomatoes and peppers on the open side. And the beauty is that it can be moved easily because it’s stand alone.
Our garden year in Nebraska was good but required a lot of watering as we ended up in an extreme drought condition. In spite of that I managed to get some tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and sweet corn harvested and preserved for winter consumption.
I hope you continue have your water issues under control and that the precautions that you have used will save much water usage this year.
Have a great day in the garden and enjoy all the rainy days that you can.
Nebraska Dave
Urban Farmer
I think it would be great to have cattle panels here – I’ve seen them in loads of overseas gardens but unfortunately it isn’t a thing here. The closest we have is the reinforcing mesh that goes into concrete to help strengthen it, but it isn’t flexible. I suspect we may end up with water issues this summer as the garden is dry already. Having said that the weather could turn and become a wet miserable summer. You never know what you will get. : o)