Spring Planting Update April 24, 2011

My last blog was about going out and buying plants for the garden.  Oh, M'God, you gotta plant this stuff?  Yea, we did the next day.  I had Good Friday off, Charlene didn't have to work until the next night so we made another run to the Green Thumb Nursery.  This time, Charlene wanted another Sweet Olive Tree (or bush) to replace the one she's had for several years but gave up the ghost (no pun intended on Easter Day).  She found one and I found onions - not sets but plants.  We planted them yesterday.  Today is grey and sorta drizzly.  Probably the worst Easter Day for the past eleven years I've been in Cowlifornia.  But that's OK, we've had great weather for months compared to the rest of the country.  I took a stroll through the yard with camera in hand, taking the following pictures.  Remember, click on the picture to see it full size, then use your 'back' button to return here.
First up, the green beans Charlene planted between the back porch and the driveway

In the horrid-turquoise planters are two tomato plants and more green beans and a rogue Cleome flower from last year:

Then, as I walk through the gate, Charlene's new Sweet Olive tree, uh, bush next to the bird bath.  Two more planters waiting for another trip to the nursery for something we haven't thought of yet:

As I continue walking to the back, here's our 18 sweet corn plants.  About every 18 inches, I've planted large white onion plants  - you really can't see them in this photo:

As I turn to the left, here's more onions -green onions.  Mmmmm! Onions!   Aaahg!

  Just around the corner, on the way to the greenhouse is the Iris bed:

Here's inside the greenhouse.  The 3 tomato plants look intimidated by all the room.  I know better - in a couple of months, there will be tomato plants from hell, pretty much from ground to roof, wall to wall:

Going up to the back gate is our Angel Trumpet tree, bush or whatever it is.  It smothers us in blooms every month or two, year round:

Those of you who have been here know that on the other side of the back fence are dual train tracks.  On the other side of the tracks and down 50 yards is a 20 acre field that always has something growing, year round, for the 11 years I've been in Cowlifornia.  That's pretty neat as Ohio turns brown, dies off in late Fall until Springtime.  In the past seven years we've lived here, that field has been a bean field, celery field, strawberry field and other stuff I can't recall (old timers disease).  About 3 months ago, they made 10 acres into a Red Raspberry Field.  I took a walk over there today and shot the following pictures..... and ate several dozen totally excellent red raspberries.  Ok, here's those pictures:

Charlene had to work a 12 hour shift last night (7 PM to 7 AM), came home, went to sleep for abut 5 hours, woke up, needed food.  For my Easter Special, I went to the Golden China Restaurant and got her Kumpao Shrimp, Shrimp fried rice, egg rolls.   Complete with chopsticks, milk and several napkins, she enjoyed her Easter meal:

Spring Planting April 16-17

Please remember to click on the photos for the large size version.  Then, use your browser's 'Back' button to return here to continue.......

This afternoon, Charlene announced, "I'm going to Green Thumb Nursery, wanna go?".  I ask what she was after and she replied, "Tomatoes".  Huh?  I told her that I didn't want to plant until the first of May.  After 3 planting seasons with the greenhouse, I've figured out I need warmth and sunlight.  From February on, I've planted tomatoes but the best crop was planted in May.  Charlene has just worked two twelve-hour shifts, back to back.  She wants to play in the garden now and she's going to the nursery whether I do or don't.  We don't often go to Green Thumb so it's always a fun place to go.  Yea, I'll go!.  It's a great nursery with an extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff.  Great plants, too.  I pass a giant 'preview' display of peppers and tomatoes.  The peppers catch my eye.  Not the hot pepper kind, rather the big, green/red bell peppers.  There are a gob of different kinds here.  I can plant these this weekend with no worries.  I keep grabbing more pepper plants.  I end up with 9 pepper plants, more than I need but, too late, they're in the little red wagon I'm pulling through the isles (instead of a baskart).  I'm now the proud owner of

 

I moved on down the display, casually eye-ing the tomatoes.  Not yet, not until May.   Charlene and I are wandering the numerous isles of a bizillion plants.  Flowers and vegetables, trees and bushes, tropical and desert and on and on.  I come to the tomato isle where Charlene is looking and notice Green Thumb has the latest hybrids, the old standbys, early maturity, late maturity and Old Fashion Heirlooms.  I couldn't take it any longer, I plunged in and filled up the red wagon with tomato plants.  Here's the ones I got for the greenhouse:

This one is an Heirloom called Mortgage Lifter.  Full maturity, very big, juicy tomatoes

Here are two plants Charlene got for the planters away from the greenhouse:

We both saw the corn.  We both knew we had to have it.  2-6 packs of yellow corn and one 6 pack of white sweet corn:

I scrubbed the greenhouse, inside and out with soapy water and bleach, including the roof.  A thorough rinsing and it's ready to go for another season. 

 

Just around the corner in this picture is our 'Iris' patch.  Charlene planted many colors but only this one comes up. There's some kind of weed that looks like (in Ohio) a fine fescue grass so the first photo is called "Iris with Weeds" and the other is called "Other Iris with Weeds".  

I'll try and keep you all updated on the progress.