Late Winter Vegetable Seed Planting. 2.27.16

Aquadulce Fava Bean Seeds, Planted Hilum Down.  2.27.16

Aquadulce Fava Bean Seeds.  2.27.16

 Today I planted more kitchen garden seeds.  This is the 2nd batch of favas.  I bought today's seeds from Victory Seeds.  Oregon sourced, and all open pollinated, historic varieties. 

The Aquadulce Fava seeds were larger compared to Windsor.  I wanted to compare the two types.

Also a bit of an experiment, I planted 1 row on their sides, and 2 rows were planted hilum-down.  I read that hilum-down results in faster growth.  We'll see what happens.

Also snow peas, Mammoth Melting.

I covered the raised bed with bird netting.  In the past, zero-germination of peas appears to have been caused by birds, who seem to regard a freshly-planted pea bed as a sort of Easter egg hunt.

Temps in 30s and 40s at night, 60s during the day.

Mammoth Melting Pea Seeds.  Planted 2.27.16

Moving Warm Climate Shrubs Outdoors. 2.26.16

Meyer Lemon.  2.26.16

Tender shrubs brought out of dormancy.  2.26.16

I brought most of the tender shrubs / trees outside this week.  They were in a sunny, South-facing room with the heat turned off, for the winter.  I might have watered them twice.

The Meyer lemons ripened during the winter.  This is the largest crop yet.  These are great for anything that requires lemons.  They can be left on the lemon tree for months, for fresh use.

The other tender shrubs also look fine.  This might be a deciding year for the Nagami Kumquat.  If no blooms / fruits - might not keep it.

The olive was in the sunroom for the winter.  There are flower buds.  It had those last year, but did not set fruit.

Potato Starts. 2.21.16

Sprouted, Mixed Potatoes.  2.21.16

I found this bag of potatoes in the garage yesterday.  It's a few weeks early to plant potatoes, but these may be past their survivable stage anyway.  I can either throw them away, or plant them.  If they grow, that's good.  If they don't, nothing lost.

I planted fairly deep, with the long stems underground and on their sides underground, just the tip showing.

Last year this garden bed contained sweet corn.  This bed is situated South of the house.  May be a bit warmer compared to other locations.

I think these are Red Pontiac and White Gourmet varieties. 

I've read that mid to late March, to early April, are the recommended times to plant potatoes in SouthWest Washington.

Daylilies Growing. 2.21.16

Last summer I planted a number of daylily plants.  In past years a few did not make it through the winter.  My guess is underground herbivores, such as voles, were the reason they didn't survive.

Some are ahead of others, but so far this year, most look great.  This one is "Winsome Lady" and is close to the edge of the bed, for a photo. 

Slugs can be an issue, so they get a dose of Sluggo when I see damage.  With frequent rains, Sluggo tends to dissolve and may not do much good then, so I wait for a little damage before using it.

Planting Blackberry Starts. 2.21.16

Prime-Ark Blackberry Starts.  2.21.16

The irony is not lost on me.  I'm still in the process of clearing massive blackberry bramble thickets.  After several hours of clearing them yesterday, I'm so sore I can barely move.

Then I buy blackberry plants.

The difference is, these are a compact growing variety, developing into a bush about 5 feet tall  and similar or less width.  Prime-Ark Blackberry, is a new hybrid from Arkansas, which I have not tried before.  They are a thornless variety.  So, I don't need to climb into 12 to 20 foot tall thickets, and come back bloodied, for the delicious blackberries.

I don't know if deer will eat them, not being deterred by thorns.  But the leaves seem coarse and unappetizing, so maybe not.

These are small plants.  They are going into the garden beds South of the house, for full sun.

I also bought 3 Ebony King Blackberry starts at Lowes, for variety.  Almost thornless.  I am hoping the timing will be a little different, for a longer blackberry season.  I love these fruits, and they also make an easy and delicious jam. Ebony King is almost thornless - at leas from the stems of these starts, no where near as vicious as the wild Himalayan Blackberries that I am striving to clear.

I read Prime-Ark needs to be 3-4 feet apart, or 5 feet apart, depending on who I read.  Mine are at the close end of that.   Some may need transplanting later.