I am beginning to think that it will always rain on the weekend. At least the weekends that I plan to get my garden seeds in. It is the middle of June and my tomato and pepper starts are still waiting on the patio. The box of seeds which holds my beans, greens, and corn are still full of hopeful plans. The tiny plugs of soil holding my vining crops are past the point of bursting. The rain continues to fall.
News also came through the phone line this week that the roofers want to start replacing the aging roof on the farm house. It will be nice to not have pans under drips, but it also means that the flowers which have been outgrowing their trays have to wait another couple weeks before taking root. What is a gardener to do??
I am going to have to enlist a technique that most garden centers are doing now as well. Pot up and hold it longer. I have done this in the past on a small scale, but this looks like a monumental moment that will take several hours...and it is raining. I have decided that the second trailer of compost will be my ally in this task. I will put the plants in pots with compost instead of soiless mix or other media. This will help me kill two birds with one stone. The roots will have more room to grow and have some nutrition to give them that boost that they need. I will not have to do a major soil amendment in the areas that they will be going eventually. They will bring their media with them so I can reduce the amount I would have used otherwise. I may also have to cut back the tops. This will mean the loss of the existing flowers in some cases, but it will mean more branching and more buds in the future. the secondary buds are often smaller, but the masses of color make up for that hands down. Many times you would be dead heading plants around this point in the season, so this is not a drastic measure to take. After potting up, I will find a semi-shady spot out of the path of the contractors. Past experience has taught me that no matter how far you go, they will manage to need that space to work as well. Some plants are already in the ground. In this case, I will have to put up boards or shields to keep errant shingles from taking them out. My herb garden that I put in last weekend is a prime target. I am not going to remove the plants and it is pretty close to the house. This area will benefit from a piece of plywood propped over the top during work hours.
So...if the rain continues today, the rain canopy is going to come in handy. I will set this up over my trailers of compost and start potting. During the breaks in precipitation, I will do my best to get the tomatoes and peppers in the ground. I may have to wait a few more days before the ground is prepped for the seeds inside my garden fortress. I just hope frost doesn't beat me to the harvest this year.
In between all the big work of the nursery and greenhouse, I snatch moments in my own garden life. I don't do marathon gardening sessions like I used to. Even less now. Here is my list of garden jobs you can do in small snatches of time and still enjoy gardening on your terms:
- Weeding. You don't have to do the whole garden all at once. If you have to pick and choose, get the ones that are starting to flower first. Get a small hand cultivator (single hook for small spaces is my choice) and work small patches. Something is better than nothing.
- Watering. Most plants are better off allowing to dry in between watering. Concentrate on containers first and do it in sections so you aren't out there for hours. Consider soaker hoses and drip lines where it makes sense. Turn it on and have a beer.
- Planting. It doesn't have to get done all at once. Prep an area and plant. Have another beer. Prep another area and plant. Do a little each day, don't save it all for the weekend. A hidden reward in planting over time, especially with edible crops, is your garden keeps producing all summer long. The one caveat is to watch the days to maturity on your seed packets. Don't wait too long on those long season crops or you will be disappointed. Space out greens, herbs, and short season root crops for extended harvest.
- Harvesting. My favorite thing in mid-summer is to take my morning coffee out to the garden early in the morning. The neighbors are sleeping, but the birds are singing. What better atmosphere can you ask for if you have some work to do? Morning is also the best time to harvest many things since they are not wilted by the heat of the day. Keep buckets or bags in a small deck box or even a plastic covered bin so they are always handy when you find yourself picking more than fits in your hooded sweatshirt.
- Dead heading. Yup, you really should pull, pinch, or snip off those spent flower heads. Early in the season, this will keep your plants blooming better. If you plan on collecting seed, then you should let some go later in the season so the seed can mature on the plant. Keep a garden scissors or snips in the same box or hang it on a hook by the door. If you don't have to look for your tools, you are more likely to do the job. Purchase a couple so you can keep them close to different garden areas. You can also enjoy a beer while doing this task.
- Smelling the flowers. Don't forget that the main reason you garden is for the beauty of it all. Put chairs out where you can sit and enjoy the fruits of your labor. I like to have sitting areas in the most unexpected places. It is fun to look at things from various perspectives. And have another beer.
It is sounding like a broken record (for those of you who know what vinyl sounds like when it's broken) with our weather in Southern Wisconsin. There is no vacation time without lining up a neighbor to tend to the garden while you are not. Clouds built up on the horizon Friday to give some a tease while most sat dry after they passed.
I have found it necessary to take two things with me while watering. I need a bucket to pull the weeds as the ground gets soft from the water and scissors to dead head everything that is going into survival mode and trying to produce seed.
Normally a single cutting on my herbs prevents them from flowering and seeding. I think this is the fourth time I have trimmed the thyme, oregano, and mints this year...so far.
It is also necessary to dead head flowering annuals so they do not give up and stop flowering all together. If plants start putting the effort into seeding, they slow or stop producing flower heads.
I have seen large amounts of seed production by trees this year. Everything is going into survival mode by trying to reproduce. The linden trees produced the largest seed brackets I have ever seen. They looked like large white flowers laying around the trees and in the streets. They sure have blown around in the wind with the large sails they have on their seeds.
If the grass is yellow but the weeds are green it is all about the roots. Many weeds have a good tap root and are pulling up moisture from levels below the grass zone. Some of the really annoying ones like burdock and thistles can be stopped in their tracks before they seed over your whole garden. They are starting to flower now so cut them down to the base. This will kill the plant all together in most cases. Stop weeds from seeding whenever possible. If you don't have time to weed the whole garden, pull out the ones that are flowering and seeding first. Do what you can as you can to save yourself from a bigger problem later.
If you are on water restrictions or your well just can't keep up anymore set your priorities in the garden. Save the trees first. Shrubs are easier to replace and will grow to size much more quickly than your shade trees. I would save my vegetable garden before my flowers. Grass is on the bottom of my list. Choose wisely.
