Finally, I think we've seen our last frost until fall and are cleared for planting, at least here in central Indiana. Today, I took all the plants out of the back of the truck and put them on the front porch or the back patio, depending on where their final destination will be. I've left the tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, and a few flowers I started from seed are in the sunroom for one more night, but I am planning to put them back outside tomorrow. I am also planning another trip to … [Read more...] about Finally Frost Free?
spring
The Garden Fairies May Need to Defend Themselves
How's it growing? My mesclun mix looks pretty good. I'm about ready to cut some of it to add to a salad of store-bought lettuce. Is that allowed? Mixing homegrown lettuce with store-bought lettuce? It seems there are so many rules these days, one never knows. Rules are popping up faster than dandelions! Fortunately, here in my garden, I can do pretty much whatever I want to do, although there are those neighborhood covenants... Just about the only thing those covenants are keeping me from … [Read more...] about The Garden Fairies May Need to Defend Themselves
Should I or Shouldn’t I?
There comes a time in the spring when a gardener asks herself, "Should I or shouldn't I plant these annuals and other tender plants outside now?" In other words, have we had our last frost? Looking at our ten-day weather forecast, I think I can truthfully say we aren't supposed to get within ten degrees (Fahrenheit) of a frost for the next ten days. That takes us to about May 11th. The rule of thumb around here is it is safe to plant after Mother's Day, which is the second Sunday of … [Read more...] about Should I or Shouldn’t I?
Crocus Days Are Here!
The crocus days are here! I've gone from finding one crocus up and blooming and taking a zillion pictures of it, to having so many crocuses blooming that I can no longer take individual pictures of them. People are always surprised how early these crocuses come up in the lawn. Generally, I'll see a few before Valentine's Day and then from that point on, I'll see more every day. They don't ever seem to be affected by snow and cold. On cloudy days they just close up and wait. On sunny days, … [Read more...] about Crocus Days Are Here!
Pause the Gardener
If this wasn't the coldest Mother's Day ever, it had to be pretty close to the coldest Mother's Day ever. I do not believe the temperature rose above 50ºF. Ordinarily, with the right kind of jacket, it would have been a marvelous day to garden a bit. But there was just enough rain early on to convince most people to stay indoors. So that is what I did. I also wrote a haiku. A cold, cloudy day. The garden ready for sun. Pause the gardener. Pause the gardener. Not a bad idea in the … [Read more...] about Pause the Gardener
Happy Dogwood Winter
Happy Dogwood Winter! That's what they call it when we have a few warms days in the spring and then it turns cold again, around the time the dogwoods are in bloom. I will say our warm days have been precious and few this spring, but since we had some and now it is colder, I'm declaring this to be Dogwood Winter. Some folks called it Blackberry Winter or Redbud Winter. You get the idea. Just put the name-of-a-spring-bloom with winter. So this could also be Crabapple Winter or Tulip … [Read more...] about Happy Dogwood Winter
