Potato Mounding

The potatoes went in February 21 (Red and Yukon Gold). I've never grown potatoes before - ever. The Sunset Western Garden Book is my Bible. I keep notes and plant tags along with 4 leaf clover from my lawn. I knew that mounding had to happen in order to harvest more potatoes. I didn't wanna. The greens looked too good. How could I bury the lush plants with more soil?

Reading a recent blog at A Sonoma Garden http://asonomagarden.wordpress.com/ encouraged me to just do it. I did it. It's not nearly as bad psychologically as thinning seedlings. I also peeked under a Yukon and discovered plenty of potatoes. Dang - I hope this 1st attempt at potato farming is the start of a long, successful relationship.

STRAWBERRIES!

I picked a few of my Sweet Pinkies this morning and snacked on them while I tended to irrigating before going to work. Oh yeah. Those are great. Even better...I didn't have to share with the birds, slugs, or snails.

Life is sweet.

Arbor

The grape arbor is coming along slowly since the heat came on quickly. The little grape vine on the left has little grapes on it! I can't believe it. The arbor is supposed to mirror the style of the pergola (background). It will. The top needs to be completed; but I wanted to post how it's coming along. Once the arbor is completed, we will move on to construction of the garden fence and gate.

By the way, the beets were delicious. I'm ready to harvest another batch and get them pickled. I have had reports from several tomato gardeners telling me (bragging actually) that they have tomatoes already. I have blooms on good, solid plants; but no fruit set to date. The ladybugs continue to do a great job.

Can't Beet the Heat

Holy Hot Dog. This is the temperature around 6pm. I read in many blogs how so many love spring without even considering the fact that I will be dumped into a roasting pan.

The heat of the day dictated a BBQ with a nice, cold salad. With that, I pulled up some beets this morning and proceeded with the pickling process. They were delicious. I BBQed T-Bones and Italian Chicken. Some sourdough bread had melted mozzarella and Parmesan with my secret seasoning toasted in. For dessert, I believe I have had the sweetest, richest dessert ever. English Toffee Cake! If it's gonna be hotter than hell, I want a little pleasure in my misery.

Tomorrow's predicted high---100!

Garden Cuteness!

Holy smokes! Does anything seem better than a nap in the garden?

Construction of the grape arbor to match the pergola will continue tomorrow. We planted a Red Flame this past winter to train up the arbor. I hope to be able to post some photos of the construction, but the heat is wiping me out. Guess I should join the cutest baby one and take a nap.

Little Bugger

I found this colorful guy munching on some baby lemons. He may like lemonade; but I believe the scrub jays enjoy their caterpillars marinaded in lemon.

Note: The orange-red spot on the right side of the photo is a ladybug munching on some bad bugs. The caterpillar was more than its little mouth could handle.

Garden Guard

The garden is moving right along...melons, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, onions, beets, potatoes, carrots, radishes, and peas. There are also fruit trees...plum, peach, apple, pear, nectarine, apricot, lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, orange. It's a lot of turf to stand guard over.

Easter Berries

Easter time means strawberry time around here. Unfortunately, my strawberries aren’t ready. I made a trip down to my favorite strawberry stand and bought some delicious, red, juicy berries. A skinny size 0 was in front of me and the other “ample” hausfraus in line. Oh, we could have taken her skinny butt and snapped it like the twig it is; but that wouldn‘t be in the spirit of Easter. Instead, we were happy to know that we would take our purchases home and enjoy them without jamming our finger down our throat to keep us in our size 0 jeans.

Once I was home and had a few berries, I went back out to the garden a puttered around. Here’s what’s going on in the garden today:

The peas are starting to make their way up the trellis.

The aloe vera is starting to bloom.

The carrots and radishes have been thinned.

Since the 1st crop of radishes are finished, the beets have a bit more room to spread out.

Tomorrow is Easter. I'll be eating my strawberries and See's candy happy in the fact that I'm enjoying everything---even not being a size 0.

Hydrangea

Something has been bugging my hydrangea. What pest likes to munch on hydrangea? Whatever it is, I think my army of ladybugs is munching back. The problem looks like it's clearing up.

This evening, the garden is enjoying some much needed rain. Tomorrow will probably be beautiful and clear. I love the rain and the cool air it has brought.

It's Apple Blossom Time!

I'm writing you, my dear,
Just to tell you,
In September, you remember
'Neath the old apple tree
You whispered to me
When it blossomed again, you'd be mine.

I've waited until I could claim you,
I hope I've not waited in vain.
For when it's spring in the valley,
I'm coming, my sweetheart, again!

I'll be with you in apple blossom time,
I'll be with you to change your name to mine.

One day in May
I'll come and say:
"Happy the bride the sun shines on today!"

What a wonderful wedding there will be,
What a wonderful day for you and me!
Church bells will chime
You will be mine
In apple blossom time.

I'll be with you in apple blossom time,
I'll be with you to change your name to mine.

One day in May
I'll come and say:
"Happy the bride the sun shines on today!"

What a wonderful wedding there will be,
What a wonderful day for you and me!
Church bells will chime
You will be mine
In apple blossom time.