Augusta West - Not

It's time for the Masters' Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.  That golf course is famous for its azaleas.  My garden is not.  In 2009, we planted a bunch of camellias and azaleas in the garden.  Wrong.  They did bloom, but then they went kaput!  Only one azalea survives today.  Thriving in their place are thornless boysenberries

 George L. Taber Azalea

Garden Update:

Tomatoes (Better Boy):  Farmer MacGregor could not imagine a summer without homegrown tomatoes.  So rather than solarize the raised beds to eradicate the nematodes, he opted to plant a variety resistant to nematodes.  This is what we grew last summer in another bed. Planted last week.

Bell Peppers (Golden Bell):  Three plants should be enough to take us through the summer. Planted today.

Hot Peppers (Serrano):  Pepper poppers are a favorite around here.  MacGregor also prefers home grown salsa. So...Serranos were planted today.

Note:  I still cannot bend so Farmer MacGregor has taken on the task of planting.

Nectarine (Fantasia):  What's nibbling on the nectarines?  Ants?  Grasshoppers?

Fantasia Nectarines

Espalier:  All the espalier fruit trees (except for the Granny Smith apple) had a spring pruning.  Nothing too heavy.  The leaves are necessary to prevent scald.  The most vigorous growth was on the apricot and plum trees.

Point & Shoot

I have concocted a screwy way to take pictures when my back won’t allow me to get down on the ground with my eye against the camera.  I simply set the camera to automatic, point, shoot, and hope for the best.  Here are some of the results from today’s garden tour without any editing:

Granny Smith Apple

 

Al Kuffa Tomato (harding off)

 

Freesia

 

Merlot Lettuce

 

Golden Bantam Corn

 

Strawberries

 

O’Henry Peach

 

unknown variety Fig

 

George L. Taber Azalea

 

Generally, the images turn out just fine.

In The Pink & A Winner!

There’s plenty of pink in the garden this spring.  I expect the pink Candytuft to explode later; but in the meantime…

Azalea – George L. Taber

 

Peach – O’Henry

 

Camellia – Mrs. Tingley

 

Christmas Cactus – Nutty Screwy

This weekend

• The espalier lines were tightened after all the tie downs were removed.  Not many blossoms were sacrificed. 
• Tomatoes from last summer were brought out of the freezer in order to make some garlic heavy spaghetti sauce.  Italian parsley and Thyme from the garden added to the seasoning.
• Scare tape was hung above the hanging plants to encourage the twitterpated mourning doves to build their nests elsewhere.
• The garden fence was washed down in anticipation of Farmer MacGregor’s paintbrush.  Rain prevented the application of paint.

 

The winner of the Hometown Seeds Kitchen Herb Value Pack is Donna.  Congratulations Donna.  Please send me an email so I can make arrangements for delivery of the seeds to your garden.