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.

Hometown Seed Give Away!

Blenheim Apricot

The Blenheim Apricot broke out into full springtime mode on February 27, Sunday, late in the afternoon after it had its 3rd application of dormant spray (no copper this time, only pyrethrum).  Today, after a couple days of light rain followed by some warm sunshine, the tree is busting with blossoms.  Spring is in full swing with bees buzzing and twitterpated birds all over the neighborhood from owls and hawks to hummingbirds. 

Santa Rosa Plum

In honor of the arrival of spring, or at least thoughts of spring, I have some seeds to share.  Hometown Seeds is providing a kitchen herb value pack worth $16.99.  Dang!  Herbs are some of the easiest seeds to start so these are an excellent choice for beginning gardeners.  If you’re a seasoned gardener, you might be interested in these herbs as companion plants in your summer garden.  And if you’re anywhere in between you might want to give it a shot and let me know what you think of the seeds.  It’s always nice to learn of a good seed source.  I would be interested to know what you think about Hometown Seeds.  The California Poppy seeds would be great to plant behind my garden wall.  25 pounds would make a splash!  If I could only be certain that the County maintenance workers would leave them alone, I would consider dumping a large amount of seeds there in the fall.

Here’s what’s in the value pack:

• Basil – Purple Ruffles
• Basil – Sweet Dani
• Chives
• Cilantro – Slow Bolt
• Dill – Mammoth Long Island
• Oregano – Italian
• Parsley – Italian Flat-Leaf
• Rosemary
• Sage – Broad Leaf
• Thyme

All you have to do is leave a comment.  Please make sure to use a name.  “Anonymous” simply doesn’t cut it; so make sure to at least click the Name/URL button on the comment page and give yourself a name.  I’ll pick a winner 9pm Pacific Time, Sunday night, March 6.

Granny May Need Sunscreen

What the heck is going on with the Granny Smith tree?!  The little darling has only been in the garden since 2009.  As a bare root, it was planted as directed with fertile, well draining soil.  The young, flexible stems were patiently and gently bent to form the desired espalier form.  Granny is dormant sprayed each winter with at least 2 or 3 applications of cooper and pyrethrum.  The bed is kept clean.  She’s fed regularly.  Fruit was produced in both 2009 and 2010.  So what gives?

The problem is at the lowest lateral and at the graft joint.  The bark is split and there are signs of insect “leavin’s”.  This could be the result of sun scald.  The effected area is on the south side of the tree.  If this is a result of sun damage, I wonder if painting the trunk helps or should I consider shading these trees.  Being that they are espalier, they are wide open to the sun.  Sun scald may explain damage to the peach and nectarine trees as well.

Note:  All trees in the garden had a 3rd application of pyrethrum (no copper) except for the Santa Rosa Plum because it is blooming.  The Blenheim Apricot buds broke late this afternoon.

You Ain’t Nothing But Trash

The camellias have bloomed beautifully this winter.  They were planted in October 2009; so in just a little over a year these young Mrs. Tingley’s (Camellia Japonica) have exploded.  As the blooms faded, they get a bit yellow, then orange, then brown.  Some drop to the ground while others hang on till the bitter end.  I asked someone that enters camellia shows (just like her award winning grandfather did) if I should remove the fading buds and rake the fallen blooms away.  She recommended to keep the camellia beds clean of any litter to prevent any blight or the spread of blight.

Since the snow level is almost kissing the valley floor, this afternoon was the perfect time to get out and rake without even the thought of sweating.  Crap.  It was pretty stinking cold.  The cold temperature encouraged me to finish the task of cleaning the camellia bed faster than I normally would.  The pink petals matched the color of my nose and cheeks (both sets). 

It’s some of the prettiest yard trash I’ve ever collected.  Now turning yard trash into compost is my next gardening effort.  Better to keep my yard waste in my garden than to donate it to the local green waste facility AND pay to have it hauled away.

Costco (Yes – I’m a member.  Some think this is only for the privileged.  Don’t ask.) now has all of its gardening related stuff in stock.  One item I’m considering is a tumbler composter.  I would prefer a portable type but really haven’t found a suitable composter.  The Lifetime Composter they are selling is $98.99 with an 80 gallon capacity.  All the reviews mark this as a great buy.  I’ll give up portability for a sturdy good buy unless someone screams in with a negative review in the meantime.

Santa Rosa Wins Again!

The Santa Rosa Plum is the 1st fruit tree to bloom for the 3rd year in a row.  So far, no fruit has lasted to maturity.  The tree was planted January 12, 2009 as bare root stock.  This tree has taken really well to espalier pruning.  Along with the apricot tree, the plum is suited to zone 8-9 in Bakersfield, California.  The long, hot summer days and the cool, moist winter season must work well for the Santa Rosa.

This has got to be the year I get to taste a plum from this tree.  There is an abundance of buds ready to follow the lead “breaking” bud.  There should be a load of white petals floating through the garden once the honey bees have done their thing.

These are the dates of the 1st bloom break of the Santa Rosa Plum:

• February 20, 2009
• February 14, 2010
• February 24, 2011

Companion Gardening.

 Supplies are running low here in Maybelline’s Garden.  Not much lettuce planted in the fall remains in the garden.  The lettuce started indoors is puttering along.  Three varieties are scheduled to be planted out in the garden this weekend in the hopes of having some spring salad:  Merlot, Saint Anne’s, and Tom Thumb.  The seeds will be sown in place to determine if jump starting lettuce indoors in the winter is worth dedicating the space.  I don’t like the way the seed starting process makes a mess of my kitchen window.  Starting seeds in place looks neater both indoors and out.  Perhaps I’m Jeffersonian in my garden preferences.  That’s alright with me.  He did alright (except for the the whole slave thing and the debt stuff).

Some Red-Cored Chantenay Carrot seeds will be sown amongst the lettuce in accordance to Louise Riotte’s prescription in Carrots Love Tomatoes.  Her book doesn’t explain why this combination is good.  A quick search online came up with nothing.  Nevertheless,  I’m giving it a try.

In the meantime, I would like to publicly change the person I want to be when I grow up.  For years, Aunt Bea from the Andy Griffith show was the type of person I wanted to be as I limped into my senior years.  No makeup.  Cotton dress.  Practical shoes.  No plastic surgery.  Simply age as nature intended.  Now I herald the beauty of Louise Riotte.  Practical clothes (elastic most certainly is involved). No fuss hair and a chair just like the one I have in the garden.  BINGO!  I only hope to know half as much as this successful Okie gardener.  Plus, living to be 91 is a bonus.  She would have been a great companion in the garden.

Louise Riotte (1909-1998)

Bees Keep Doin’ It

 

Sowed some flower seeds today in anticipation of summer.

Dwarf Fairy Candytuft – Thrown outdoors in a flowerbed in the front yard.  More were sown to propagate indoors.  The hope is that the front flowerbeds will be lined with the pink, low growing flowers.  These hardy annuals should only grow to 6”.  The summer heat may bake them to a crisp; but they will rise again in the fall.

Nasturtium Jewel Mixed -  The plant is low growing and the flowers are bright, bright, bright – usually orange.  The flowers produce seeds that keep the brightness growing.  A few seeds were sown in a hanging basket while others were tucked in with the sunflowers.  This could be an irresistible cocktail for the honeybees.  Please note that I misspelled nasturtiums (nastursiums) in the index and do not know how to correct that.  If someone would like to direct me, the error will be repaired.

Teddy Bear Sunflower – These were sown in the cinder blocks that frame the raised beds where I hope to have a successful crop of corn this summer.  Maybe the bees will be attracted to the sunflowers.  This dwarf sunflower will grow between 3’ and 4’ tall.  The double flowers are a puffy 6”.

On Saturday, I received a free sample of some Gardner & Bloome All Purpose Fertilizer (4-4-4).  It was just a dinky bag; so I sprinkled it where the sunflowers and nasturtiums were sown and watered generously.  Something should sprout in about 10 days and that’s the last day where frost might be a concern here in Bakersfield, California. 

Looks like summer is on the way.

Tree Feedin’ Time

  Today was a perfect day to fertilize the trees.  To be clear, cool and overcast is perfect weather for this gardener.  The trees don’t give a hang.  The recent storm was breaking up so conditions to work in the garden were great.  All the trees were given their 1st feeding of the year.  This will be repeated every three month (approximately – if I remember) during the growing season. 

The boysenberries were fertilized with the same fertilizer.  The recommended schedule for the berries is every two months.  The canes were purchased last February as bare root stock and produced one berry.  This season is off to a great start with several buds on the year old canes.

Gardner & Bloome is the organic line from Kellogg.  If this is junk, let me know; but it’s what I’m using for the time being.

Along with the boysenberries here’s the list of trees fertilized with Gardener & Bloome today:

Blenheim Apricot

Fantasia Nectarine

Granny Smith Apple

O’Henry Peach

Pink Variegated Lemon

Rio Red Grapefruit

Robertson Navel Orange

Santa Rosa Plum

Satsuma Mandarin Orange

Warren Pear

This Bud’s For You

With the moist winter we’ve been experiencing and the warmer, longer days, the buds in the garden are bursting or on the verge.  Today there was light rain in the San Joaquin Valley and a dusting of snow in Tehachapi.  It was a nice surprise to top off an afternoon drive up the hill.  Before the drive, we went to the citrus tasting at White Forest Nursery.  The only thing I bought was a couple packets of Teddy Bear Sunflower seeds. 

Here is the promise of spring:

 

 Strawberry

 Dandelion

Lilac (lobelia in background)

 Chrysanthemum

Santa Rosa Plum

O’Henry Peach

Granny Smith Apple

Warren Pear

Fantasia Nectarine

  Blenheim Apricot

Lantana – Purple

Oxalis

Lantana – Yellow

  Begonia

Azalea - George L. Taber

Lemon – Variegated Pink

Who Needs Scare Tape?

My garden kitty enjoys when the puppy isn’t around.  She may act tough; but she’s a HUGE chicken.  When the puppy’s not around, she will follow me like a little shadow only occasionally allowing me to pet her or pick her up.  She enjoys sunning herself on the gravel paths.  Right now she’s getting ready for dove season.  It’s not until September for humans; but all the birds are getting “twitterpated” with young’ns on the way soon.  She’s going to be a busy gal.