We've finally got a decent winter here in Southern California so there isn't a whole lot to do in the garden except harvest some oranges and lemons occasionally. I do have some time off over the holidays so I'll try to find something out there to do.
Today, it's tilling the vegetable patch. As the years go by, this get easier because the soil is also getting better each time.
Nothing startling about it, just take a sturdy gardening fork, dig up and turn the soil. I'll work in some Kellogg's Amend...
...and also some GroMulch and it's done until I'm ready to transplant seedlings into it this spring.
DarrylCopyright 2016 - Darryl MusickAll Rights Reserved
OK, I guess I have to admit we're never going to get a freeze this year. Our winter turned out to last all of three days, maybe four if you push it, and it never dropped below 45 degrees (F).
I'm sitting here a week before the official start of spring, temperatures should hit 90 by tomorrow. Like the governor, I'm officially declaring the end of winter and an early spring.
Time to get back to work...
I've cleaned out the west wall and dumped a bag of Amend in it. This is an organic soil and soil amendment. How can you tell it's really organic? Just follow your nose.
Now that I've got that wonderful barnyard smell worked into the soil, let's plant.
I had a tough time with the tomatoes started from seeds last year. This year, it's a couple of buck-99 hybrid seedlings from Lowe's.
They pop in easy enough.
I will be growing most everything else from seed, though. My wife found this little seed starter kit somewhere deep in the garage. It even comes with a free sample of fertilizer.
Each cell is a biodegradable square with a pellet of dried potting mix. I water it and wait for the mix to expand.
Today, I'm planting onions, zucchinis, and...for the first time...I'm going to try some cantaloupe.
The onions are on the left and I'm putting in 2 zucchini seeds in each cell. Let them duke it out and I'll keep the best 2 or 3 plants to transplant.
Same with the cantaloupe. Once planted, I'll put it on top of the whiskey barrel where I plant to transplant it later.
One last test of the sprinkler pattern then I'll count this job as done.
DarrylCopyright 2014 - Darryl MusickAll Rights Reserved
Our seeds have been sprouting and growing in their peat plugs for a month. Now, it's time to transplant as the warmer days of March have arrived.
Each transplant is pretty easy, it's just that I have to do it 72 times. The soil is prepped, just stick in a trowel and dig a little hole.
Insert the plant plug.
Make sure it's straight, like the onion above.
Cover with soil.
That's it, water it in and you're done.
Here's our new vegetable list for 2013...
RadishesTomatoes (two heirloom varieties)OnionsLettuceBell PeppersZucchiniSummer SquashCorn (two varieties)JalapenoBasil
Stay tuned to see how they turn out!
DarrylCopyright 2013 - Darryl MusickAll Rights Reserved
It's chore time for the Cheapskate...
Trying to put the finishing touches on my overwintering chores today, starting with mowing the lawn, then moving on to finishing covering up my new rose garden barrier with river rock.
Next up, I've got to move those pots out of the way so I can prepare that space to be another garden bed.
I've dug up and tilled the ground, now I'm putting in a couple cubic feet of Kellogg's Amend to give it a little kick start.
All done, now this will become the cornfield portion of this year's vegetable garden.
Next, the plants are really starting to take off as you can see with the front yard roses that I pruned a couple of weeks ago.
Time to give these fast awakening plants their first feeding of the season.
Finally, inspect the garden and see what I can find. Oh...look...the dendrobiums are in bud!
DarrylCopyright 2013 - Darryl MusickAll Rights Reserved.
...actually I could use a beer after this. First chore day of the New year...
First, a trip to Lowe's to pick up some mulch and soil amendment.
I also picked up a couple of bags of medium river rock.
This makes for a quick and cheap camouflage for the root barrier that I installed between the lawn and rose garden a couple of weeks ago.
I had hoped that when I cut the tomatoes, this one would make a comeback by Christmas but no...now it's just in the way. Time to yank it out.
Now, on to the hard part.
Here are the tools needed, a shovel and fork.
Easy in theory, just stick the shovel head in as far as it will go and turn over the dirt. Break up the clods with the fork. Sounds ok, but it's pretty back-breaking labor. Thankfully, I don't have a big plot to do.
It's always a good sign when you turn the dirt and see these guys.
Job done. I'll add some mulch and soil amendment later before planting. Now, it's time for a nice cool drink.
DarrylCopyright 2013 - Darryl MusickAll Rights Reserved
