I was planting peas in early February, but never saw them under the mulch. I also planted a wide row of sunflower seeds, but did not expect them to survive the cold and squirrels. I pawed through the thick wood mulch several times to see the Little Green Sprout.
Today I began raking back the mulch and saw a tiny sprout, then another. Soon it was clear a line of sprouts was coming up - not weeds - but peas. Mrs. Ichabod said, "Only a line?" I admitted, "I planted a wide row. a lot more will come along now."
Asparagus crowns arrive as a big disappointment. They are shipped dry and look dead. I checked a few places about asparagus planting on the Net since it has been about 20 years since ordering them. Dry ones are common, so I decided to soak mine in rainwater - which the mop bucket gathered by accident. They plumped up a bit in a few minutes.
Many gardening experts make a big deal about planting them - no wonder few even try. I simply dug holes, placed each crown on its side, and tamped the soil down gently. As readers might have guessed, the soil was goofy with earthworms. They had shelter, rain, snow, and food all winter. Clay is very fertile soil, and earthworms will make it even better.
Besides the asparagus along the fence, I will go vertical up and down. The peas will grow now, but Mrs. I really wants beans, so I have Blue Lake pole beans to plant along with the peas. They will bloom later or even with the peas, both climbing the fence. Outside their parallel rows will be a line of carrots.
Closer to the house along the fence, will climb scarlet runner beans, simply to attract hummingbirds, who love their flowers. Nearby are the bee balm plants (hummingbird friendly) and some others to be planted when they arrive.
The onslaught of bare root rose plants will arrive soon enough. That will be fun, since the soil is damp and easy to dig. I need a John Deere shovel to get the clay off, but otherwise have no complaints.
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| Daffodil bulbs are really the flower in a case, ready to bloom. |
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| Daffodils should bloom next week. |
Veteran, Tank Gunner
Our veteran neighbor talked about how he had to sleep in when he really wanted to do some landscaping in his yard. I said, "Get up earlier. Someone stole your autumn leaves."
He said, "My brother finally worked on them. They were there since October."
I said, "No, I stole them." His eyes widened. "Your brother offered me leaves a long time ago, saying I was known for playing with earthworms. I took them for my straw bale garden and they worked out fine.?
Using lively language, he described how many weed killers and barriers he used for his rose beds and still had a weed takeover. "Look at that *&$^@!" I said nothing.
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| It's that time. |